Sunny Days

Jill is one of my "Clemson girls" that I've known since our freshman year of college. God was so gracious in bringing all of us together and for keeping us so close over the years. We've been through a lot as a group and individually and I know that regardless of what's going on, I could call any of these girls and they would drop everything to help out.

The funny thing about Jill and these pictures of her amazing kids is that during our sophomore year at bible study one night, she said that she probably wouldn't get married and later in life would adopt a teenager to help them out and be their friend! As noble as her statement was, we couldn't help but laugh. And yes, we laughed with her and in her face, not behind her back ;-)

So, imagine how awestruck we were when she met Michael and was the first of the group to get married! Of course we were SO happy and excited for her but it was just funny that her self-proclaimed prophesy didn't come true... at all!

And now here we are, many years later, playing with her beautiful children in the park. Sadly we don't hang out enough but hopefully we're getting better! My favorite part of the day on Saturday was when we were almost done with the shoot and were walking back across the open field... Andrea grabbed my hand like it was the most natural thing to do and my heart just melted.

That small act by my friend's four year old daughter reaffirmed not only how much I love what I do with a camera but how much I love my friends, their families and God for bringing us all together the way only He could.

Jill, I hope you enjoy the pictures. Thank you so much for letting me remain a part of your lives and for giving me the chance to photograph your kids!!

Stunning Saturday: Play in the Park

So what is Stunning Saturday? It's what happens when Fabulous Friday doesn't get on the blog! But I have a good excuse! I was on a retreat for church and got back way super late last night. And the only reason I came home last night instead of this morning was because I had to meet up with a friend to borrow some lenses.

I know what you're thinking, "Sabrina, you have a camera and lenses. Why are you meeting up with someone late on a Friday night to get other ones? Seems a little shady..." But it's not! When I got to the retreat, with my camera, I was pulling it out to snap some pictures and discovered that my main lens was hanging off my camera. Yep, you read that right. It was sitting in my camera case but was barely hanging on to the body. I think my heart stopped for a second. Seriously. I had three photo shoots this weekend! What in the world?!? I think it must have busted off when I dropped the bag at the airport on my way home from a work trip last weekend. I mean, it fell hard on the floor of the bathroom. And I didn't open the case until two days ago. I think part of me was really scared of what I would find. But obviously had I opened it, I wouldn't have been in a panic to find lenses to borrow!

Well, a Nikon buddy at work had some lenses he was able to lend me. I mean, it was his birthday and he was giving me a huge gift! The shoot I had this afternoon went pretty well, minus a few meltdowns from 2yr old David (poor guy wasn't feeling his best!). I haven't finished going through the pictures yet, but just a few shots in, I found this one of his big sister, Andrea. I can't wait to see and share more!

Elle s'appelle Elle

Her name is Elle, short for Elleson. And she's beautiful! I've been taking pictures for this wonderful family for a while and was thrilled to hear they were expecting number three... and that it was a girl!! Needless to say, she'll be protected by her big brothers who already adore her... but she will be S-P-O-I-L-E-D! And everyone will love doing it. Shoot, after seeing how adorable she is, you may want to contribute to that spoiling!

Below are only a few of my favorites. A slideshow is on its way...

Thank you guys for trusting me with capturing your family as it grows. I've loved every minute!

There's just something about the way a daddy loves his baby girl...

This is my favorite...

And this is my favorite too...

Watch out boys... you have two big brothers and a dad to get through first!

Being beautiful is a tough job. But she did great... and totally deserved a nap!

Fabulous Friday: Prague

There's something about coming to Europe that makes me feel like I've stepped back in time. Each time I go to France it seems as though I've gone back at least 100 years... or more. Ukraine feels like it's still in the 1980s, London has history that dates back forever, Germany's small towns make me feel like I should have braids in my hair... you get the picture. Anyway, Prague feels even older than all of those places combined. Mainly because even after rebuilding after WWII, they preserved the old buildings and sites instead of tearing everything down and starting from scratch.

We wandered the Jewish neighborhood today and went into the Old-New Synagogue, which is actually more than 700 years old. SEVEN HUNDRED YEARS. The only thing that old in the states are trees and rocks. Seriously. It just blows my mind.

I can't wait to share more pictures. But until then, I hope this one of the guy with the marionettes will make you smile!

Fabulous Friday: Snow!

All I've been hearing about for the past week is the 24+ inches of snow that has been falling on Washington, DC. It's been called Snowmageddon, Snowpocalypse, Snowverkill, Snowverit, etc. And while those are all super clever and I've laughed a few times at them, I've been super jealous that they've had snow at all! And then last night, Dallas got 10 inches of snow. TEXAS. So, just like in college when there seemed to be a bowl that God would put over Clemson so that it would snow everywhere BUT where I was, it was snowing everywhere but in South Carolina.

That is... until tonight! They were calling for snow but I'm very much a cynic when it comes to snow in the forcast. I've lived in SC long enough to know that I really can't get my hopes up until I actually see it. And see it tonight we did! There really must be at least a couple of inches, if not more, outside my door. It's so pretty!!

This picture is from the beginning of the snow fall and I can't wait to take a few more tomorrow. You know, when it's not quite so cold!

Sneak Peak: Elleson

How gorgeous is she?? There are SO many more to come. Can't wait to share...!

Fabulous Friday: Wicked

No, I'm not wicked. Yes, I have a sinful nature but that's because I'm human and we live in a broken world. But that's an entirely different discussion. No, the Wicked I'm talking about involves two witches who come from completely different circumstances and become unlikely friends. And one of them happens to be green...

Wicked is in Greenville, SC for the next few weeks and many of my friends and family have seen or are going to see it. Luckily during one of my work trips last year, we had a few days in London and Myrna and I decided to splurge to go see Wicked. Oh man. I'm SOOO glad we did that! I'd heard so much about this production and wanted to see what all the hype was. I had tried reading the book because I wanted to get the full story since I didn't know whether I would ever really get to see the show or not. Now, I love reading. Reading and good movies are escapes for me. But Oh. My. Word. Trying to get through that book was like watching paint dry or watching grass grow in the middle of the winter. It was awful.

Now don't get me wrong, the story line itself was not awful. Luckily I was able to see that when I went to the show! But the writing style of the book is what got me. I've never claimed to be the smartest kid on the block, but I did pretty well in AP English in 12th grade so that should give me a little credibility... right? A co-worker said she tried reading the book and after pushing through it, finally made it to the end. However, I did not. I usually don't give up on books but I just couldn't pick this one up anymore!

So... go see it. And super mad props if you read the book. Seriously. If you read the book all the way through and can actually give me a valid book report on it that will make me want to pick the book up again, I'll buy you dinner.

The picture above is from the Apollo Victoria theater in London from last year. I won't mention how long it took us to actually find this particular theater... what matters is that we got there!

Here's to a Fabulous Friday!

Fabulous Friday: Clouds

So, I'm "snowed" in and not going anywhere today. And that's when i realized that yesterday was Friday and I forgot to post about something fabulous! The morning was a little stressful and then I was heading to a friend's house to help them unload/unpack in their new house and I was leaving there to come home to go to dinner with some other friends. So while I love mingling with you, dear internet, you were kind of at the back of my mind yesterday... so sorry! Hopefully, even though it's a day late, you'll still enjoy this Fab Friday post.

Every photographer's dream, when shooting outside, are dramatic clouds. A couple of weeks ago I walked out of work and the clouds were amazing. Luckily I had my camera in the trunk of my car! I got a few funny looks as others were leaving the office because they had no idea what I was taking a picture of... but I don't care because the clouds were fabulous!

Family = Love

I have family all over the place. Which means I may have one of the largest families ever. Granted, I'm not blood related to most of them but I may as well be! And I love it. I'm so blessed to have so many amazing people in my life that love me as much as they do. Butch and Nell are two of those such people. In 2004 I moved to Brussels, Belgium to work with them and teach English. As missionaries, they had already lived in a variety of places and had been in Brussels for 7 or 8 years by the time I got there. Their daughter was getting ready to graduate high school and attend college at the University of South Carolina (tragic, I know) and their son was just starting high school.

A couple of years after I came home, their assignment in Brussels was up and they moved back to the states. The best news? They were going to be less than 2 hours away from me! And I have fully taken advantage of them being so close and have been lucky to see them (and both of their children!) many many times, which has only brought us all closer.

Butch and Nell were passing through Greenville this weekend so I emailed them earlier in the week to see if they would want to do pictures while they were here. Their next assignment is going to be in Montreal, which means I'm not going to get to see them anywhere near as much as I've been lucky enough to. But, now I have a few pictures to remember them by. And holy cow... y'all photograph SO well! Seriously, Nell you are gorgeous and Butch... you were joking but you really worked it!

Butch & Nell, I'm going to miss both of you SO much. Thank you for everything you have done for me over the past 6 years and for loving me as much as you do. I don't know that I'll ever be able to thank you enough. Je vous aime. Que Dieu vous bénisse. Bisous!

The lighting in here was delicious. You may laugh, but it's SO true. It was amazing.

If you know Nell, you can't look at this next picture and NOT hear her laugh! I love it.

They could be in a magazine...

This is so them!! I love it.

Fabulous Friday: Cherry Coke

There are many things that I love about this world. And if you know me, you could probably spout off a few things without even thinking. But since the five of you that read this blog may or may not know me, I've decided to do a weekly or bi-weekly post called Fabulous Friday. Because let's face it, Fridays are fabulous without even trying. So why not make them better by highlighting other fabulous things?? Plus, I just like the word "fabulous". Although I think I like writing more than actually saying it. I may have to test that out though...

So, here it goes. Clearly from the title of the post, cherry coke is the subject of today's Fabulous Friday. I remember going to Greenville when I was younger (we lived oh so far away in Spartanburg at the time) and going to Ruby Tuesdays in the mall and ordering a cherry coke. Not only did the waitress bring me a cherry coke but it had real cherries in it! It may have been at that very moment that I fell in love with its deliciousness. So much so that I've been in awe of the designs that Coca-Cola has put on the cherry coke cans over the years. I used to have the purple can with red cherries on it but it passed away (aka devlopped a leak or something) and ruined the flash I used on my old Nikon N50 in the process. It was sad because it was one of my favorites - the can, not the flash. But so was the red and black edgy one. And that one I was able to find in London back in 1996 in this funky size. How cool is that??

And then... low and behold, I found it. The most amazing thing for a cherry coke obsessed person in the 21st century. Food Lion had the 100 calorie cans of cherry coke!!! Heaven. That must be where I ventured that evening. Unfortunately I only bought one pack of eight. I didn't want to look too silly going to the check out with the last three cases they had of the 100 calorie packs of cherry coke. Sheesh! I would like to keep whatever dignity I have left in tact. Besides, I was too giddy over finding them. I was losing any dignity points I had by jumping up and down and screaming for joy in the aisle.

Here's to a Fabulous Friday!