LIKE A LITTLE KID

We all grow up wanting to meet our favorite actor, singer or sports hero. We grow up idolizing certain people and wishing we could be like them one day. The same was true for me as I grew up watching Notre Dame football every Saturday in the fall and I dreamed of playing for them one day. I wanted to run out of the tunnel in the stadium and have my golden helmet shining in the sun as the crowd chanted "Here come the Irish...Here come the Irish." And then I watched the movie "Rudy" and knew that I would play for them one day. Well needless to say that never happened, but in the meantime I still haven't quite following the Irish and wishing to meet my favorite players. So on our trip to Illinois for Thanksgiving we visited South Bend in northern Indiana to watch my favorite team in person. During a week day we were able to view practice through a small gap in the gate and then when practice was over the gates were opened and the players came out. I felt like I was 10 years old and saw that I was actually competing with 10 year olds for autographs and pictures of our favorite players. I had a blast living my childhood dream of meeting some of my favorite players. Here are a few pictures:

Peeking through the gate of the Notre Dame football practice field.


Heisman hopeful Jimmy Clausen taking off his gloves to give to a 10 year old instead of me.

AARON & JENNIFER'S WEDDING

We knew Aaron & Jennifer's wedding was going to be a blast because we had such a great time with them venturing around downtown Seattle doing their engagements. Jennifer is just a natural in front of the camera knowing how to pose and position herself...she could be a model. And Aaron is rocker...he plays in a band and is up for anything.

They decided to tie the knot at Belle Chapel in Snohomish and as Aaron's vows said, to love each other for 10 million days. Everyone there had a great time as they danced late into the night. Here are a few pics from their big day:

The first look!

SLEIGHBELLS

It's that time of the year again. We all just finished off a huge turkey and some pumpkin pie and now Christmas is fastly approaching and will be here before we know it. We went to Sleighbells in Sherwood with our best friend Heidi and of course our dog Lucy to pick out the perfect Christmas tree. This is only the second time in my life that I have had a real Christmas tree. Growing up in the midwest you just bought a plastic tree that you could fold up and put in a box after your done with it and use it again the next year. When I met Amy she was having none of that. So now it is a new tradition for me to go out on a hunt with my family to find that perfect tree to grace our home. Sleighbells is known more for their gigantic gift shop then anything else. They have a two story gift shop that has every imaginable Christmas decoration you could think of. Can't wait till the tree is up and our house is filled with the fresh scent of pine! Enjoy the pictures of this years quest at Sleighbells.

Pulling into the parking lot we quickly knew where we weren't going to park at.


The hillside provided a great view of Mt. Hood




Lucy playing with her ball.


When Lucy wasn't playing with her ball she wanted to be the one to pick out the tree!


Here is the tree we picked and Heidi starting to cut it down.


Me taking it down the rest of the way.


Did I mention Santa was there?

GEORDIE & SARAH'S WEDDING

Geordie & Sarah got married at Northern Lights Christmas Tree Farm in Pleasant Hill, OR. This is a really neat place out in the middle of nowhere, which usually always means great pictures. This property backs right up to the middle fork of the Willamette River. It is surrounded by fields, flowers and trees, which provided a great backdrop. We also got to take advantage of what we call the "magic hour". The "magic hour" is that hour while the sun is setting. This is the best time to get great images. During the day you often have to deal with harsh sunlight and shadows, but as the sun is setting it is absolutely gorgeous as you get a golden glow. Often this occurs during the reception as it did for Geordie and Sarah, but we where able to pull them away for just a bit and get some great images. For all you brides, try to find a way to fit in a short photo session with your new hubby just as the sun is setting, it will be worth it!

THAI DINNER

Sunday night we were able to pull away for a couple of hours from our computers and all the editing we are doing to head over to our pastors house. His wife's parents were in town from Texas for Thanksgiving. They gave our church, Emmaus Road, a real treat Sunday night as they prepared an authentic Thai dinner for everyone. They have been foreign missionaries for 36 years and lived in Thailand for 17 years. They blew everyone's socks off with the most amazing dishes from authentic hand made spring rolls, jasmine rice, soup and and bunch of dishes that I am not sure of what they were except that they tasted delicious. It was a great night gathering together with our church family and enjoying some great Thai food. I am going to have to learn how to cook some of this because I could eat it everyday!