Because she decided to dance for the camera…

Because the sun was amazing in our drive way…

Because the sky was a blue I have not seen in a while…

Because I love her…I document her and remember these times.

Why yes we do exist. Those who live here and follow college sports know the intense rivalry between FSU and UF ..Seminoles vs Gators. In our area since we are so close to Tallahassee, you will see a higher concentration of Noles. But us Gators do exist.

It can be a hot debate on either side. Just the same this family is proud and we had an excellent time enjoying the beach on a beautiful day. Their next stop in life involves lots of snow so they wanted to document the sunny coast before they left.

I think every little girl has a little drama queen in her and some more then others. My baby girl has her days and we love her but she is no doubt a DQ. What is a drama queen anyways?

Well, to me it is that little girl that…

…must wear her sparkliest shoes and flashiest dress to the first day of 3K
…can’t have anything remotely resembling any kind of dirt on her ANYWHERE!!!
…every grain of rice that drops on her clothes during dinner is the end of the world. Did I mention that is her favorite food? At least it isn’t spaghetti.

I could write for hours on the subject, but I will spare you.

She is my little girl and despite those DQ days, I am in love with her.

Carol and Bekkah from Coastal Beach Weddings had confidence that all would be well. Bekkah even offered to sacrifice her camera if it started to rain so I could save mine from damage. I walked down with camera held tight to my body….

The beach was….

Perfect!

Walking down to the beach, the rain let up. The sky had those amazing storm clouds in the distance but our area was fine. It remained so the entire evening. We even were so lucky as to witness one of the best sunsets I have ever seen on our beaches. I over heard the groom at one point say he should’ve wished for rain because the result was amazing.

Gillian shares the same love for puddles as I did and I don’t mind her splashing after the rain storms past. For one reason it gives her a chance to go outside after she has been stuck inside and it gives me a chance to take more pictures. I have folders and folders of her playing in puddles. Our puddles are very nice because the dark asphalt reflects the amazing blue sky and billowy white clouds ever present after a storm.

This isn’t a rainy day picture but I couldn’t resist showing her just before she turned 1 in the same place she would eventually play in the puddles. So cute that piggy face she used to give us.

Here she at nearly 2 just discovering puddles for the first time.

She is now 3 and a veteran puddle jumper.  Love her to pieces and my my has she grown. 

Preggers/Newborn photo shoot packages.

Wouldn’t you love to be able to hire and set up pregger pics + newborn pics + 3 month old pics all for one price!?!?!? I think so. Well, here is my first round at the idea. There is nothing like a willing victim in one of my schemes. This photo shoot was done at Under the Oaks and even though it was really cloudy we got some really cool shots. The tide was low so I convinced my victim to wade out in the water for some artsy stuff. Love me some artsy stuff. Check back in the next couple weeks for newborn shots. I can’t wait.

But first….

This couple is going to be so much fun at their wedding next year in Eden Gardens.  After teaching the groom how to get away from the “Chandler” smile (you must watch Friends to understand the reference), we were off in downtown Panama City.  I think I am kind of funny most of the time but these two didn’t need much help laughing and looking great.  Their personalities were infectious and made the nasty muddy weather an after thought.

The groom to be was practicing how to remove the Chandler smile.  I think he did really well.GROSS ALERT!!!! GUM SHARING!!!!
Need a photo booth?  How about just grabbing a parking lot mirror and a photographer.Hers….so cute and flirty.   Him…so….so….him!And enter Chuck Norris.  He is even seen at engagement shoots.  Notice the side effect Chuck Norris has on the groom.Notice his effect on the bride.  Impressive. Thank you Chuck for your ever present awesomeness.

The groom came with several kids plus several more grandkids as did the bride’s side, so now their Christmas and Thanksgiving are going to need a banquet hall to serve them.

It was a joy to be there to witness especially since the bride could not stop smiling.  She reminded me of my wedding day.  When I am excited or nervous I giggle and smile so therefore my face hurt at the end of my wedding.  This bride was not going to stop smiling which made my job all that much easier.  Another beautiful part of this wedding were all the grandkids.  The groom made sure to announce before the pictures began that if a grandkid was out of place or not looking where they should that it would be fine….let the kids be kids he said.

They decided to see each other before the ceremony so we could get all the pictures done.  I love that because I find brides and grooms are more relaxed during the event.  Here they are in a sweet moment to themselves before we began. This little guy was so cute and needed a little help keeping his shirt tucked in. Love the huge cross in the background.Oh her sweet smile.  I couldn’t stop photographing it.Just adorable.Yum!

The weather wasn’t the best thanks to Tropical Storm Bonnie in the waters but we didn’t have any rain during the event which is all that matters. Of course there is still no oil on the beaches which made it that much sweeter for this couple traveling down from Illinois I believe. The crowd looked like a group of extras from a Jason Mraz video, they were so stylish. I felt a little out of place in my khakis, polo and braided hair.

Thanks again to Coastal Beach Weddings for the setup. I am pretty sure they got rained on trying to set up and were drenched when I got there. What troopers.

The couple wrote their own vows.  Emotions were written all over their faces as they read them, especially the groom.The best bride/groom kiss I have seen thus far.  So sweet.