Today was a fairy tale..
Today was a Fairy Tale
If there is one thing a photographer loves to do, it's something they have never done before. So you can imagine my excitement when I received a phone call from Abu Yousafzai asking me to document a surprise proposal he had planned for his girlfriend of 3 and half years, Ashley Guidroz.
My very first surprise engagement!!
Abu and I met early on the big day to go over our game plan at the Nichols Arboretum in Ann Arbor Michigan. Abu had everything all planned out, the ring--that he had kept hidden from Ashley in different spots for weeks (!), the perfect location: the place of their first date, the photographer (me haha!), and even Ashley's best friend Sarah Lesch and her husband Wesley to arrive after the proposal with celebratory champagne, and oohs and aahs for the gorgeous ring that Abu had chosen, to celebrate his and Ashley's love for one another.
Watching this video it's hard not to cry along with Ashley, because to see the look of genuine love and happiness on their faces is truly overwhelming.
Thank you so much for including me on such a special day Abu...I hope the rest of your life with Ashley is as perfect as a fairy tale.
Nancy Roxanne
Sisters share memories and grown up dreams..
Sisters share memories and grown up dreams.
And so it is with sisters Sarah Benich and Heather Mallard. Born just 1 year and 3 and half months apart themselves, the girls were extremely close in age and despite their different personalities they remain close today. So close that they have shared being pregnant at the same time, not once, but twice!
When Heather, the younger sister, found out she was pregnant with her first child, Sarah found out 5 weeks later she was pregnant with her first as well!
Today their now 3 year old boys, Xaiden (born February 1st, 2014) and Bodhi (born December 25th, 2013) are not only cousins but best buddies :)
In between then and now Sarah also gave birth to baby Freddy, named after his father Fred.
Baby Freddy came just 18 months after Xaiden. And now 18 months later BOTH the sisters are at it again!
Both 36 weeks pregnant, this time they are only 3 days apart! Heather, once again finding out she was pregnant first, is scheduled for a C-Section on February 24th to give birth to her second child and first little girl, Kiah, while Sarah is planning to be induced February 25th (unless she goes sooner!) to give birth to her third son, Lucas.
I am thrilled I was able to document this special time in both these young mothers' lives. This is the last pregnancy for Sarah so this is the last time the sisters will share such a special and beautiful moment in life.
Here is to a LIFETIME of future memories for these gorgeous sisters and their beautiful children. Much love to you all!
Love and Hope
“Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all.”
― Emily Dickinson
The first thing I noticed about Gabriella Ford was how upbeat and happy she sounded. Granted our first 26 encounters were all via email haha, but still, I definitely felt I knew what type of person she was even before I first set eyes on her.
And when I met her in person she was just as I had imagined her--cute and bubbly and full of positive energy. She was so adorable with her husband Curt. They definitely radiated that newlywed vibe, which makes sense, since they celebrated their first anniversary June 20th, 2016.
Curt and Gabriella met through Beachbody and after knowing each other for 6 years have been together a little over 3 years. Gabriella has also stepped into the role of stepmom to Curt's sons. Jacob is 14, Ethan is 12, and together the 4 of them are picture perfect. :)
You would never know that this happy couple had suffered a sad loss this summer. This past June, Gabriella experienced a miscarriage at 11 weeks. Though they did not know the sex of their child, they always referred to the baby as she and they feel strongly she was a little girl they call Hope.
It was important to the couple that they remember their child in this session and Gabriella wore a necklace with the name Hope on it as well as an anchor ring.
After reading Gabriella's beautiful blog post on their experience I knew I wanted to share their story and her post.
http://www.teamaddictedbb.com/2016/06/our-story-of-hope.html?m=1
I know others will find her story as beautiful and as uplifting as I did and I want to thank her for sharing it with me and for allowing me to share it here.
I wish the Fords all the best and many years of happiness in their new lives together.
At the end of the day they have each other, they have love, and they will always have Hope.
Cubs versus White Sox
I first met the Littig family when I took images of the youngest Littig, the oh-so-adorable Declan, for his first birthday last summer.
So of course I was happy to take images of him again this month with his equally adorable big brother JJ and the boys' good looking parents, Josh and Emily.
During this session I also got to meet Declan's grandparents, John and Michelle, and his Uncle Jon. I love, of course, that the family is from my home town of Hessville, Indiana :)
The session was a lot of fun as the family was easy going and quick to laugh...despite their White Sox and Cubs family rivalry, haha!
I think it is super cute and cool that the elder Littig's, John and Michelle raised two boys, Jon and Josh, and are now grandparents to Josh's two boys--JJ and Declan.
I wish this awesome family nothing but health, happiness, and years of joy to come with these two sweet little men, JJ and Declan. :)
The archer is the true weapon..
"The archer is the true weapon; the bow is just a long piece of wood."
Sebastien de Castell, Traitors Blade
Senior Dylan Roe began shooting archery after a visit to a local range in 2014. After picking up a bow he became hooked and immediately joined a youth archery program. He purchased a Olympic Recurve bow and began competing locally in 2015. 'A recurve bow has tips that curve away from the archer when the bow is unstrung. When strung a recurve stores more energy than an equivalent straight limbed bow and therefore offers more thrust to project the arrow through the air to the target.' (JordanSequillion.wordpress.com)
To date Dylan has competed in 21 local and national tournaments including the USA Archery Outdoor Nationals and the Buckeye Classic USAT. His highest finish was 4th place at the 2016 NFAA Indoor Nationals and he was recently accepted as a member of the Shrewd Archery Factory Staff.
Dylan received his Level 1 Instructor certification in Spring of 2016 allowing him to instruct Beginner and Intermediate archers in the JOAD program at Washtenaw's Sportsman's Club as well as Cub and Boy Scouts at local camps
Dylan also received his JOAD Bronze medal for Indoor Olympic Recurve this past May and currently ranks 47th in his division in USA Archery.
What a list of achievements, especially for someone so new to a sport!!
Adding to the fun, his mother and father bought bows and started shooting in competitions in January of 2016 so that they could be actively involved with their youngest son's sport. How cool is that??!
Dylan has been in the Milan, Michigan school district his whole academic life. After starting to play drums in 6th grade he became a member of Milan High School's drum line in 2013 and is currently the co-captain.
After graduation Dylan plans on attending Eastern Michigan University to major in Political Science with a minor in Economics.
With his dedication to excellence I am quite sure Dylan has nothing but success in his future. I wish you the very best Dylan! Enjoy your Senior year!
