Family Connections

Great niece and nephews? Jackson's 2nd cousins? I'll never quite get how extended family titles work, but I can take pictures of them. Jeremy's nieces asked me to take pictures of their children. Here they are!

Sadie

 

Luke

Kyson

Jerry

My Second Grade Teacher

My brother and his wife had an open house closer to home in West Valley. I was made the "official photographer" for this night of casualness. And here is the only picture I want to post from that night.

The woman on the left is my 2nd grade teacher. She was Miss Dickson back then. Today she is Erika Bettinson. And she was the best. I can't really recall what was so great about her class. I was only 7. Here are things I do remember:

• for every birthday we would write a letter to that student and she would bind it.
• for your birthday she would whack you firmly on the bottom with her yardstick (can't get away with that now) and EVERYONE LOVED IT! I couldn't wait for it to be my turn.
• she gave you a soda if you could say the alphabet backwards (I've never forgotten it since)
• she loved music, especially "No One Like You" (which I just recently found out is a John Denver song) and we sang it to her on the last day of school so she would cry
• she could deal with tough boys
• I remember reading group time
• I remember my whole reading group laying in the ground with our eyes closed as she read us a story.
• she would never sit cross-legged/Indian-style
• she went on quite the trip the summer after I had her and she let us request what country from which she would send us a postcard
• I won a high readers contest and got to go to her house for food and a movie (again, something you can't do today)

It's not a very long list and most isn't really the stuff I actually learned in her class. I guess the most important thing, that I didn't list, is I felt so important to her and so loved! Pretty sure she made everyone feel that way. She went to my baptism (the summer after 2nd grade), my farewell sacrament meeting for my mission (13 yrs later), and my wedding reception (15 yrs. later). And she did that for A LOT of people I know. I see her so often at other events like these. And every time I see her, she is so kind and sweet and talks to me. My mom sees her at work often and she always asks about how I'm doing. I posted this picture on her wall on Facebook and immediately several people "liked" the photo. She is just so special to the people she knows.

Reminds me of the scripture in the Bible, 1 John 4:19  "We love him, because he first loved us." Thank you for loving me Miss Dickson! I love you too!

My Brother Gets Married/A Windy Day at the Timpanogus Temple

I'm excited to announce that my brother Greg has been married for an entire month. Wow! I wonder if he will always seems so little and young in my mind. How could he possibly be old enough to fall in love and get married? Yet he has done it. And I'm so excited to have another girl in the family (I was the only girl with 3 brothers, so I'll definitely take more females.)

The day was beautiful and sunny when we went in the temple. When we came out, gusts of wind swept the land. I wish I had taken more pictures at the temple and reception, but chasing my walking baby around definitely hinders my ability to take photos. So excited for the ones I got though!

Grandpa playing with Jackson (Grandpa is a definite favorite)

Going in for the first kiss outside the temple.

Hugs from nieces



Some tender moments of love.

My parents with the bride and groom.



Congratulations Greg and Rachel. Enjoy it as one month stretches out into eternity!

Graduation Time....or The Moment I Feel Old

The time has come and gone when high school seniors for the year 2012 have graduated. I got to do a few pictures for seniors this year. They're always some of my favorites because they're at a place in their life where they have so much personality and (think they) know what they want from life. Definitely fun.

But this time, I just felt old.

I started teaching elementary in the fall of 2005. They were 6th graders. That means that this year my first group of students graduated. How did that happen? Hard to believe that they're grown-ups now when they were so little just yesterday.

One of my former students, Charlotte, was graduating. The other odd thing about shooting for Charlotte is she used to live in my childhood neighborhood so I'd known her for a long time. Then taught her. And now her dad is married to my sister-in-law, so technically I'm her step-aunt. All so strange for me!

We started with a few pictures in her cap and gown. (Those things are so strange. Who came up with the design anyway?)

After getting out of the awkward gown, Charlotte relaxed and we had more fun.



So here's three cheers for 2012 seniors.

And many prayers that I stop aging so quickly!

Moriers at Gardner Village

I realized that I haven't posted a few things, so it's time to catch up!

I was lucky enough to take pictures for the Moriers because of a Young Women fundraiser. They had an auction to raise money for camp and I donated my services to help. The Moriers bought my package! Well, really it was Lindee, and Drew, her husband, was a little upset about the money she spent on it, but you can't be upset with this beautiful lady for long.

We went to Gardner Village and had so much fun walking around and finding neat little corners and walls for pictures. They smiled some

And then they really smiled when their grandparents tripped behind me

(And all along I thought I was pretty funny. Reality check.)

We finished up with the family as a whole, and then the kids turned on the charm.

And that's a wrap!

Miquen and Kipper at International Peace Gardens

Definitely two names I've never heard before, but also, definitely two fun people. I'm related to Miquen. I'm her aunt because of Jeremy and it's a pleasure to be such. Miquen first buttered me up by telling me what a great job I do on photos, and then she asked me to take their engagements. How could I say no? Her dad suggested the International Peace Gardens. I hadn't been there in awhile but loved going back, a reminder of all the great places to take pictures:

from benches,

to great walls,

to the dock, my favorite for the day,

a fun trail (wagon provided by me),

to so much more.

Can you tell we had fun? Because we did. And I'm definitely going back there again soon.

Tracee's Senior Photos

Did you know it's almost the end of the school year? My, how the year has flown by, especially since I'm not teaching! Tracee needed some senior photos quickly, and I was happy to obliged. Plus, I got to spend time with her sister-in-law, my friend, Stefanie too!

We started out in a current favorite spot of mine, historic main street Magna. Stefanie showed me some new spots so it was fun and new.

We were about to begin when I realized that Tracee has some of those glasses that tint when out in sunlight. So we played a game for much of the day of her taking them off, hiding them from the light for awhile, and then I'd snap some pictures before they'd go too dark again. Pretty dang funny.

Then we experimented a few with her glasses off. What beautiful eyes!

No glasses seemed perfectly natural to me, of course, I had never met her before that day. We took some of both, no glasses and glasses. Hopefully she can see herself in both.

We went out to a RR track by the Great Salt Lake. While we were taking pictures on the track, a train actually passed by. Thanks to our good watch out, Stef, we were safely out of the way in plenty of time. After the train danger had passed, it seemed appropriate to enjoy a concert on the tracks.

Happy Graduation Tracee!