They met in high school, both counselors for the sixth grade camp for their school district.  The kids at camp called them “the couple,” and urged them to date.  They flirted, but life took them in different directions after high school.  Kevin went to the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, while Mandy headed off to the University of Florida.  They remained friends, seeing each other off and on, with him even visiting her in Portugal when she studied abroad in college.  Though they each took interest in other people, they always seemed to keep each other in the back of their minds and hearts.  FINALLY, a couple of years ago, they began to date exclusively.  Everyone wondered…would this really be it?   Long-distance dating proved to be difficult with Kevin in Pittsburgh and Mandy in Chicago.  They saw each other frequently, but needed to be in the same city.  The deal was finally sealed early this year when Kevin moved to Chicago.  Within a couple of months, we got the call: Kev and Mandy were engaged!

You see, this story is familiar and special to me because Kevin is my brother-in-law.  I have known him since he was sixteen.   He has a huge heart, quick wit, is a stellar athlete, drove nuclear submarines as a Naval Officer, has multiple graduate degrees, and now consults for businesses with his MBA.  As my husband (Kevin’s brother) says, “life is just better with Kevin around.”   I adore him, just as I know countless others do.

I have known Mandy for a long time, too – she attended my wedding ten years ago with Kevin.  She has always been such a cheerful, kind presence, and has proven to have a big heart as well over the past few years, highlighted by a surprise 30th birthday weekend for Kevin in New York City last fall that she so carefully planned.  She is classy, fun, beautiful, friendly, and as a prosecuting attorney, can match wits with Kevin.   As I have heard Kevin say, “Everybody loves Mandy.”  It’s true.

I have to say, I knew ten years ago, or at least hoped, that they would end up together.  We rode the roller coaster of Kevin and Mandy (Were they together?  Were they not?) for years.  Therefore, this wedding was an amazing celebration long in the making.  It brought together two people who we always thought should be as one.

Mandy and Kevin, your wedding was beautiful, fun, and a fabulous start to your life together.  Thank you for giving me the honor of photographing it (with my rad and fabulous friend and fellow photographer Kiera – I could not have done this without her, and many photos below are hers)!!  I hope you enjoy the photos for years to come.  I love you both!  Let’s celebrate…

My sweet little girl is already five months old…it is going way too fast!

I love the drool on her chin here.

My sweet baby!

Just had to share!

Love,

miss g

I’ve done many newborn shoots that I haven’t had the time to blog yet, so I thought I’d get the ball rolling with this one!  This sweet little girl and her super cool parents came to my “studio” for the shoot, and we all had a great time.  Little Annabelle wasn’t tired at all in the beginning, so I got some photos of her big, beautiful eyes.  Once she fell asleep, she was amazingly pose-able!    I just love being able to capture sweet little ones like this!!

Enjoy!

Her mama made this pretty quilt for her!

I loved this shoot!  I shot Rachel and Andrew’s wedding in December of 2008, and I was thrilled to hear earlier this year that they’re expecting their first baby.  Rachel is a runner like me, and it has been fun talking to her about running through pregnancy, as well as other pregnancy issues.    We had a great time a few weeks ago during our shoot.  I love how these photos turned out.  Enjoy!

Gorgeous Mama!  This is my favorite.

Rachel, you’re stunning!

Rachel and Andrew, I had such fun capturing this amazing time in your lives, and I can’t wait to meet your sweet little bundle very soon!

Love,

miss g

Dan and Laura are good friends, and I was so excited when they asked me to capture this beautiful time in their lives.  As you can see from the photos, they are just gorgeous, and I am so excited to meet this new little one who will be here very soon.  Laura is just glowing right now, and she even wowed me with some difficult yoga moves while we were shooting – she is one amazing mama!

Enjoy these images of my time with Laura and Dan – I know I enjoyed capturing them! 

just look at that perfect belly and beautiful mama!

Laura & Dan – you guys are amazing and I am SO excited to meet your little one.  Thank you for hanging with me and being rock stars during the shoot. 

Love,

miss g

I am finally returning to my blog, after quite a hiatus.  But the hiatus was for good reason:  January 17, Ryan and I welcomed our much-anticipated third baby, a girl, who we named Vivienne Kate.  I was extremely surprised, as I was expecting a boy.  I cried and cried tears of joy when the doctor handed her to me.   She was so tiny compared to my boys, and such a content little newborn.  Now she is six weeks old and is still proving to be easy for the most part.  She likes to sleep (though not quite long enough at night for my liking), has smiled at us several times, and her parents and brothers are just smitten with her. 

Introducing my sweet little girl…

Daddy and Vivi meeting for the first time.

So tiny.

It was much harder shooting newborn photos of my own baby than shooting them for my clients…but of course, I still managed to get some!

Yes, I have a thing for newborn feet…they are just so adorable!

I am sure there will be more to come!

Love,

miss g

This little guy is one of my favorites – I have been photographing him since he was a newborn, and I cannot believe he is already turning two!  As always, I enjoyed hanging with him and his super cool mama during his recent fall photo shoot (although the temps were still warm enough for short sleeves!).  What a fun, smiley dude he is.  Happy Birthday, Cade! 

Love this one!

taking it all in…

I love photos of mommies with their little boys!

Cade, I hope being two is awesome!

Love,

miss g

Maybe it is because I am anticipating the arrival of my third baby in a couple of months and a new niece OR nephew sometime this month, but this newborn session was such a joy for me…I loved holding this tiny, sweet little girl and hanging out with her awesome parents (I went to college with her dad!).  She arrived early, and though she was three weeks old for this shoot, she was still so tiny.  Everything about this shoot was great, and I am so excited to share these sneak peeks with her parents!

So cozy!

This girl has some cool parents who definitely adore her! 

Don’t miss the bloomers.  Precious!

Love these shots of mom & dad taking in their little girl…

One final close up.  Perfection.

Zach and Francine, I can’t wait for you to see the entire collection – very soon!

Love,

miss g

This family is one of my all-time favorites.  Not only are they some of our dearest friends, but they are some of my best clients.    We decided to meet up in Wash Park for some photo fun, and they did not disappoint!

Nothing like a little silliness to get things started!

How great is this?

Sweet little guy climbing the tree…

…and an oh-so-handsome older brother!  Love those blue eyes!

And I have to end on this…so much fun!

Lauren, Ryan, and the boys – we love you!  Thanks for the fun and for the opportunity to capture your beautiful family!

Love,

miss g

I love photographing this gorgeous family.  Last year, I had the pleasure of doing their photos before sweet baby sister arrived, and this year it was so fun to include her.  The two boys are close in age to my guys, and I just love watching their fun together – it reminds me so much of my family.  They really enjoyed  running/rolling down a big hill over and over towards the end of the session – jeans were dirty, but it was the perfect activity for these boys.

Bronwyn and Scott, thanks so much for the great time capturing the fun and adventure of your family!

Gotta love being thrown in the air by daddy!

And hanging out with mom is super fun, too. 

So sweet!

Love,

miss g