Yesterday I was honored to work as an assistant shooter to Jenica of Lemon Drops Photography, capturing a lovely wedding of two beautiful souls: Kyndra and Matt, at Hoffstadt Bluff Center, near mountain/volcano St. Helens in WA.  You will see from the images that the event was a perfection, but I have to tell you a little story first.

At the end of the day, when all was said and done, I packed up my stuff and headed down toward Longview.  The road was passing through steep mountains and a lot of forest.  I stopped at a gas station, got my tank happy and was looking forward to putting my feet up when I got home.  As I got close to Toutle, out of nowhere [it was quite dark], in a moment of split seconds, I saw a deer jumping in front of my car.  There was no time to step on my brakes, swerve to the side or do anything else of sorts.  THUMP… I held on to my steering wheel for my dear life.  First time for everything… I pulled over as fast as I could [remember it is pitch dark outside now].  What to do? I got out to inspect the car–I still had over 25 miles to go to get home, at least 10 of which were on a freeway.  Then God send me an angel.  A local burly biker was riding behind me.  He pulled over to make sure I was ok.  He gave me his name [angels have names sometimes ] and a number and offered to follow me to the Longview exit to make sure I got there safely.  Thankfully the tire did not blow up.  I drove as carefully and slowly as I could without ticking anyone off.

I was even brave enough to pull over at a gas station and snap pictures of the damage to send to my insurance agent. But the morning showed how much bigger the damage was than I thought…

I am yet to look under the hood to see that is going on there.

I feel bad for the poor sucker… I don’t know what happened to him.  It makes me really sad to think that that deer had to lay somewhere on the side of the road suffering. But I’ll leave all worries for tomorrow.  Today I am grateful to be alive.

Now, let’s have fun!

Kendra and Matt

First dance as husband and wife

Spectacular landscape with Mt. St. Helens in the background [still an active volcano]

Lovely details

I have to give a shout-out to my next year’s bride Tiffany [see her engagement images here]. I was surprised to have run into her at the wedding.  Can’t wait for hers–she is a doll to photograph, along with her dapper fiance Greg.

I wish all the best to the bride and the groom!  May the celebrate many years together.

Now I am off to bed and early in the morning I will be getting ready for another amazing wedding.  More images soon.

[I shot as an assistant photographer to Jenica Lemmons of Lemon Drops Photography.]

Here is a quick preview of my favorite images–I will post a few more in a couple of days.

Ian & Krista, best wishes to you! May your dreams come true and may you have a 100 anniversaries to celebrate together.  Good luck with your relocation to VA!

Congratulations, Nina and Carson!  May you have another 99 anniversaries to look forward to!

The main photographer for this wedding was Jessica Lemmons of Jessica Lemmons Photography.

The wedding took place at the Monticello Hotel in Longview, WA.

{loving the hot pink shoes Becky wore}

{Becky was super relaxed and gorgeous}

{Becky getting ready to be called to walk down the isle}

{Becky and Jesse right after saying I DOs}

{greeting their guests}

{finally a moment alone as man and wife}

{enjoying the toast by the best man, who had me cracking up behind the lens, by the way}

{Becky and Jesse’s first dance as husband and wife}

{bride with her father}

{couples at the wedding enjoying their time together}

{this wonderful couple has been married for over 50 years! what a great example to follow!}

Becky and Jesse, all the best to you!  May your happy days together be multiplied!

Jessica, thank you for the opportunity to shot alongside you and for letting me come back after my crazy day at the ER

I was second shooting at a wedding last Saturday when a call came that I dreaded—it was from my husband. “We need to go to the Emergency Room,” he said. Everything in me sunk… Tears were only a breath away and I was trying hard to hold them back as I had to explain to the primary photographer that I needed to leave… only 30 minutes into the shoot.

I felt bad to leave her—she hired me to help her, but I could not stay. As I drove to the house I fought crazy thoughts and fear bombarding my mind. But with every breath and every tear that slipped out of my eyes I grunted my teeth and whispered: “Lord, please, please, Lord, don’t let it happen again! In you I trust…”

The memories of the past flooded my mind and I felt like everything around me was swimming, spinning out of control. In 2002, just 6 months into our courtship, Demetrye ended up in a hospital. MRI revealed a cyst on his brain and it had to be operated on immediately to save his life. One day too long and he could have been either dead or paralyzed, at best.

1 major brain surgery and 2 other procedures followed, ensuing 1.5 months of arduous stay at the hospital. I was there as long as I could be—every day. I slept 4-5 hours a night, went to work, took care of my and his finances, and spent every waking moment with him at the hospital. It seemed that the only time he could relax and rest was when I was there.

The doctors thought me crazy when I insisted that God would heal Demetrye so he would not have to have a shunt installed into his body. I told them that we appreciated what they did for us, but now we had to wait on God to do His part.

2 infections of the spinal fluid and 2+ years of recovery later, shunt free, he was back to normal. The sleepless nights, the times I had to inject antibiotics into his veins 3 times a day and try to hold my panic back when his IV got clogged were over. We could finally live like normal people.

We worked hard to pay off the medical bills and to ensure that Demetrye’s recovery times were known only to us.

We had lived through him not being able to remember what he was saying right in the middle of saying it, getting lost en route to his job and forgetting what he wanted to do before he had a chance to do it. I had to be his saving grace—one glance from him and I knew I needed to take over the conversation and to gently bring him back into it, as if nothing happened. I had survived through the ignorance and disapproving glances of those who thought I was a bossy wife because I finished his sentences for him and suggested his next thought. I have seen and felt it all.

I had lived through feeling the desperation of a man who could not as much as add two numbers together after the surgery. I had to remind him that it was temporary and prayed that it was so. I knew that I was going to love and marry him regardless. He was my soul mate and without him there could be no future.

Years later all was just a distant painful memory. The experience brought us close together, but it was one I did not like to relive often.

A few weeks ago Demetrye bumped his head on a cupboard. A day later a swelling showed up… right on the spot where the brain surgery was done. We were slightly concerned, but it was just a bruise—a bump that would go away. So, we prayed and waited. It went away in a couple of weeks and all was well.

But our life got a bit more eventful… A few weeks ago the bump reappeared and instead of getting smaller it got bigger and painful. We scheduled an appointment to see a doctor this week, but last Saturday the pain was too much to handle. Demetrye left work early and called me up. I knew it was serious.

“Lord, please, please, Lord, not again! Not now! Not ever!” I prayed through my tears as I drove home to pick my love up. “We have too much to do. We have a life to live. Please, dear God! Let it be nothing!”

We drove to Vancouver’s hospital barely exchanging a few words, praying and thinking the same thoughts; holding hands.

Thankfully the wait at the hospital was not long—we held hands and searched each other’s eyes for reassurance while waiting. “Everything will be OK, love,” we would whisper every now and then.

Thank God, everything turned out OK! Turned out that when Demetrye bumped his head he got a mild infection in the skin, and it decided to visit him twice. “Cellulitis” is the problem, the doctor told us. A week of antibiotics should take care of it.

What a relief! Forever thankful for the news we heard [yes, a mild infection compared to a life threatening alternative is OK any time of the day in our family], we chatted on the way home and I even made it back in time to help out for the remainder of the wedding shoot.

Life has gotten better in a matter of a second. But the situation made me appreciate it and every moment we are gifted even so much more. There is not one that we can waste—I treasure each one deeply. Every moment I look into Demetrye’s eyes I know I see a miracle. Every time I hear him breath and feel his touch I file those moments in the memory bank of my heart.

Not ONE moment to waste!

So, yesterday, when I heard giggles in our kitchen I was ready to embrace more beautiful moments.  My niece and nephew came over—their little aprons in hand—ready to bake cookies… if they could find someone willing to do so.  Uncle Demetrye, of course!  The man has his own recipe and they love him to shreds.

He simply could not resist them—he donned his Home Depot apron on and off they were to bake chocolate chip cookies.  I grabbed my point and shoot to eternalize those precious moments.

{Looks like my point and shoot’s flass reflected off cabinets in a weird way and created spots… }

{What’s a baker without some flour on him?}

And here is the final product:

Looks good, doesn’t it?!  We got to eat it while, after talking uncle Demetrye into more mischief, we played the Mexican Train.  [I had to switch to my “pro” camera to capture exactly what I was seeing in my head.]

{the sense of victory… even if it is short lived }

 

{Time for Silly Faces!}

 

 

 

{It took a LONG time to catch my nephew’s Silly Face–he was camera shy }

{Back to the Game}

{the most amazing sibling interaction… I heard him say to her: “woman, please!” ha-ha-ha…}

{Keeping the score–losers had to wash dishes… the boys did a great job doing it }

{sibling love}

 

 {staring contest… she simply could not keep a straight face on}

 {R* did better}

 {…so S* had to try again… }

 {after the game and the movie S* finished off her afternoon with her favorite aunt–my gorgeous sister Marina}

 {they are inseparable!}

 So, you see, every moment is a gift.  Waste None!  Appreciate what you have and who you have in your life to share those moments with.Our families and friends are the reason we have such moments altogether.  Why else would God so graciously give them to us?  To mess our perfect plans, of course; to show up when we least expect them and while doing that create the most unforgettable moments.

Now, go capture yours!  And treasure them too.

Each year, when this time of the year comes around, I am especially reminded of all the reasons I am grateful to live in the United States of America.  Freedom abounds here still; opportunities are overflowing and are waiting to be taken. From all the places I have been to I still love USA the most.

My big plans to celebrate?  I will actually be working HARD!  Each year our church, Kelso Church of Truth, runs a food booth at the local lake [that’s where the city fires off all the cool fireworks].  We raise funds for various projects each year, and this year is no different.  We will be making and selling delicious Russian Foods in Longview, WA, AND this year we will also be offering Vegan/Vegetarian options, including my favorite—green/fruit smoothies.  So, yours truly [me], will actually be in charge of the vegan/vegetarian food most of the time.  I have to make sure that all of the conscious folk in Longview/Kelso WA area get served and eat well while celebrating our nation’s independence and spending time with their families.

Here are some fun shots from previous years’ celebrations.

So, if you are in Longview, WA and need a good bite to eat—come see me at the Russian Food booth, at the lake Sacajawea, by the statue of a boy with a dog. 

Happy early Independence Day!

PS: We will be there Friday-Sunday this week!

Yesterday I had fun working with my State Farm agent’s {Jessica Mickens–check her out, she will take good care of you! By the way, State Farm is not limited to car insurance only, they are quite diverse: investments, banking, home owner insurance, business insurance… I think the only things they won’t do for you is cook your dinner or watch your kids… but then again, I haven’t tried asking }.

We shot a few group images and then did individual shots for Jessica’s new team members: Malorie and Tiffany.  They were a hoot!  I could not help but snap a shot of Malorie getting her “your friendly neighborhood agent” face on {Malorie, please forgive me }.

And then she turned glam…

Tiffany was all smiles.  I don’t think she knows how NOT to smile.  I worked HARD to get her smiling with her eyes only… but it worked! [even if for a second ]

…and… va-va-va-voom!  Check out her gorgeous eyes.

So, maybe they won’t pick out the glam shots to go on their business cards [although they really should--HOT STATE FARM AGENTS COMING THROUGH!] or the ones with crazy faces [ahem, Malorie], but I sure had fun sneaking them in.

Thanks, ladies!

In the last week all 4 graduated from high school and are standing poised to face their future.

I actually got to photograph 3 out of 4 senior sessions for these cuties. Check them out.

Zarina, Kelso High School Senior [more images here and here] 

Alex, Vancouver Senior [more images here]

Irina, R A Long Senior [more images here and here]

Two days ago I got to see Zarina turn over her tassle. What a proud moment for all of us… for all of them!