I met Tom and Jeannine just a couple weeks prior to their wedding at their engagement session and adored them.  Then I met Jeannine’s daughter Liv on their wedding day, and Liv stole my heart.

Thank you for including me on such a special day.  It was beautiful and altogether wonderful.

And I know without any more evidence than this, that Dustin is a good soldier, because Katie did not crack him with her vows.  When I heard the first line of the vows she’d written, I locked onto Dustin’s face, and I swear I could see him mustering strength.

I appreciated Amy and Rylan including Samantha ( of Harnack Photography) and I in their very special day.  It was an honor.   I wish them all the best.

I hesitated to include the kiss on the cheek turned “lick” from the ring bearer, but it makes me laugh, because that is exactly the kind of stunt that my daughter pulls from time to time.

And the following is August, who was rushing the camera during formals.  I know there is some wide angle distortion here, but I just love her smile and her spirit.

Everyone laughed during the vows when Chris said, “For richer or poorer.  Probably poorer.”  Chris and Lyndsey are both teachers.

And the flower girl was determined to get the ring bearer out on the dance floor, even if she had to drag him.

Laura has the most amazing eyes.  I love them!

John and Laura are a wonderful couple, and I really enjoyed their wedding.  I’ll add more images later, but for now wanted to post some sneak peak images, playing in this post with how much I could show of their wedding day showing only their hands and not their faces, charming and lovely as they are.  That and the cake that I went a little crazy over.  Lol.

After we’ve taken all of our turns choosing, we try to make trades.  I’ll give you two “rubies” for the big pink “diamond.”  That kind of thing.  There are some pieces of jewelry that always get traded,  like the turquoise inlayed horse pendant, though it might be the only “real” stone out there.  And some things are our favorites, and never get traded, no matter what.  We like to test the limits, though.

“I’ll give you everything I have — EVERYTHING — for the giant red ruby.”

Even at the ripe old age of 5, she knows the sweet and satisfying thrill of turning someone down cold.  “Nope.”  she wriggles, beaming from ear to ear.

I shrug my shoulders, the picture of disappointment, happy to please her, “Well, I tried.”

It’s a lopsided relationship, hers and mine, and she knows it.  She can pretty much trade me for anything I have, except the broken crystal.  That’s mine.

So, anyway, last night, she said, “Let’s pretend that I am a jewel,” and put herself in the middle of the pile, with all of the other “rubies” and “diamonds.”

“Of course,” I said, struck by the beauty of it, of her, of all of us, really.

A few pics from last weekend down at the pond.

And one from yesterday.  Snow in the morning turning to mud by the afternoon.

I’ve been a busy little elf working up picture orders in time for Christmas.  The fun thing for me about this is that I get to revisit image folders that I haven’t seen in awhile.   Here are some pics that I love from Ashley and Justin’s wedding this summer.