Liz + Mike engaged! (Jan. 2012)

We are going back in time again for this one.  My sister, Liz lives in Wisconsin with her fiance, Mike.  He popped the big question last December, so when they came home to PA for a holiday vacation in early January 2012, an engagement session was a MUST.  These two are so crazy about each other!  You will see that in these photos.  It was freezing outside, but we made it work.  Last night, Josh asked me which photo was my favorite, and I decided that there's no way I can pick just one... or even a few.   They all blow me away for one reason or another.  Pretty good for my first engagement shoot ever! I hope you agree.


 

We started shooting at Historic Hanna's Town, which is about 1/2 mile from where Liz and I grew up.  It was the first county seat west of the Allegheny Mountains.  We shot among the reconstructed fort and tavern/courthouse.



Lots of smoochin going on.

... and lots of goofin around too.

Liz has him in stocks before the wedding!  Impressive!

I just love this family portrait!  Their babies are Mia, and Reina.

All smiles!!  :)

Those eyes are killer.

Liz's beautiful solitaire engagement ring.  He did a very good job!

Those baby blues are just ridiculous!

Then we moved about 1/4 mile north to a corn field.  This turned out to be my favorite place to shoot!

It's easy to get my sister to giggle!

Looks like they are getting ready to square dance.  Love it!

What a fine gesture!

And... for our final destination...  Twin Lakes state park.  It's beautiful in any season. Even when the paddle boats are out of commission.

They are just so darn pretty.

We didn't forget about the pups!  Here's another great family shot.

They are such big dorks if you didn't know! haha! They are lucky they didn't slip on the snow.

A little PDA on a park bench never hurt anybody.   ;)

That small town on the hillside in the background is where we grew up.  

In less than a year, these two will be a happily married couple!  They can't wait! (neither can I)

Key West + Ft. Lauderdale + Family (Nov 2011)

The streets of Key West

((This is it! My first real photo post. I'm soooo excited to share these with you! Southern Florida is so beautiful and my family and I were very lucky to travel there to share in the beautiful wedding of my cousin, Jon to his gorgeous bride, Beth. I had a lot of great photo opportunities during our adventures in paradise…))

Ft. Lauderdale surf shop.  If this guy doesn't make you happy I don't know what will.

Exploring a marina in Ft. Lauderdale. 

The Tropi Rock Hotel. Our home away from home while in Ft. Lauderdale. They have nice rooms, a cool pool, and an adorable golden retriever!

Someone left their tracks

I couldnt help but love how the beach looked through a wine glass!

Snapped this with my point and shoot Panasonic Lumix. (uncropped) Love it.

KEEP LOOKING! KEY WEST PICS ARE EVEN BETTER!

As soon as we arrived in Key West, my brother and I literally jumped on the sail boat as it was leaving the harbor. 1 minute later and we would have missed this AMAZING part of our trip. More pics to come from this sailing trip.

Chickens chillin in the front yard!

Sloppy Joes is a part of every good Key West bar crawl.

One of my absolute favorites. Perfection.

I’ll snuggle under this canopy any day!

The Local Legend

6 toed cats at the Hemmingway house

We were lucky enough to go snorkling in some of the most beautiful water in the world

We went kayaking and explored some tiny islands.

The local artisans live the good life!  How bout this for your storefront? 

I am so jealous of whoever owns and drives this. 

Anyone up for a shower?

An old museum. Whatever is in there, I'm sure is very cool.

Another one of my absolute favorite shots! The plane, the ship, the palms, the sky … Gorgeous!

This makes me want to book a cruise! Wonder where they were heading next?

 Land & Sea

 How great is this entertainment!?

How unbelievable is this ship!?!? Stunning.

Yep, I was so pumped about this shot as soon as it happened! Thank you seagull for being at the right place at the right time!

Nate relaxing in the black bottom pool at the Simonton Court.  Yes, his sunglasses match the cup he's drinking out of.  :)

Having lunch with chickens.  Nothing out of the ordinary.

This is the gorgeous church where Jon & Beth got married.

The only day we didn't have blue skies of course had to be the wedding day!  This is actually the calm before the storm.

She was such an elegant and beautiful bride!

The reception was a little wet, but it was still a beautiful event.

  

My brother, Mike, his wife, Jess, & yours truly...  waiting to be seated for dinner.

My cousin Jenny & her man, Nate.  Love these two!

Yep, Mike is a total goof nut.  With him is Jon, our cousin (the Groom).

My Uncle Jeff and I... and a little Patron (OK, a lot of Patron).  I think I knew sub conciously that this would be my last hoo-ra before conceiving our baby, so I went all out!! 

Jess enjoying a walk while she felt good!  This was the end of her 1st trimester of pregnancy, and it wasn't a good one. 

I Loved our rental car so much I ended up buying one a few months later!  (Nissan Altima)

Jess looking as cute as ever on the beach!

Momma enjoying some quality family time in Ft. Lauderdale  :)

I felt bad! She didn't even want to get in the water, and they got hammered by a few big waves.  I love that the seaweed landed on Mike's head though.