Bride's bouquet

One of my favorite bouquets of the year. Beautiful hues and relaxed, but classy.

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Howard

I was saddened to hear last week that Joseph's dear friend, Howard, had passed away. Howard was 94 and lived a great life and had great friends. You'll be sorely missed, my dear Howard.

Nicu - two months

Nicu at two months. There's not much that makes me happier than documenting my loving family. These are photos that will last for generations, both in print and in albums. And that makes me feel as if I will be remembered in some capacity.

When the children rest

The weight of my love...

There's no magic number for the weight of your love. There's only the perfect number. And that perfection is part of a complex equation formulate between two people in love.

xoxoxo

Nicu, 1 month

My little man, Nicolae (Nicu), is one month today. My, how the time has flown. If time continues to fly at this pace, I'm afraid he'll be off to school before I know it. And then in high school when I wake up the next day. And then, I'll have that emptiness in my heart because he'll be off getting married and starting a life of his own. He's a ray of light in my and Lisa's life. Happy Birthday, sweet Nicu.

Expressive love

Nicu had his first "official" shoot a couple of weeks ago. It's always so special when that special client is your own son. Amazing feeling. I love what this photo signifies. Not only is he loved beyond any expressive emotion, but his love is also being expressed to us, or in this case, Lisa's hand. Radiate love.

xoxoxoxo

Sleeping baby

What an excitement it is to have a newborn. Sure, sometimes they're a bit squawky and needy, but aren't we all at times? They're a true blessing, everyday. And there's nothing better than watching a sleeping newborn. It seems weird and nonsensical, but watching them sleep is peaceful. But the strange part is that they're so cute when they sleep, that I have to disturb them. Ha!

xoxoxo

Happy Father's Day

I'm not sure I will every be able to express the depths of the sacrifices my father has made for me. My brother and I finally had the opportunity to hear the full story of his escape from communist Romania and we've never been the same since. The man is beyond remarkable. Hearing that story reminds me of what being a father is all about: the love and dedication to your child. Thank you, Dad, for your sacrifice and love for me and our family. You are truly a legend.

Welcoming moment

Mother and son,...meeting for the first time. This was one of my biggest moments in my life. And probably the most meaningful photo I'll ever take. Having your child handed to you for the first time is like nothing else in this world. It surpasses any award or accolade anyone could obtain in life.

Grandfatherly love

I love this image of my father & Nicu. Love is a special thing that is seen and can be harnessed. Love is strong. And love is driven by something beyond our control. Just listen to the silence. Love is there.

Nicolae Cristian is welcomed home!

Today I received my film back from my son's birth and his first week with us and my family while they were in town. It's exciting to relive those moments of the past, but also to see how much Nicu has grown in just two weeks. It's amazing what happens at this age. The photo above was taken when he was four days young.

Since there are many photos I'd like to share, what I thought I would do is post one, or a few, per day. I feel like that will keep things fresh and photos of Nicu moving along at a great pace.

I really look forward to opening my personal life up to you all, especially a part of my life that is very meaningful. And part of my life that is part of me. My better part.

Lisa's Final Maternity Shoot - Sneak Peek

As many of you already know, Lisa and I had our first child (a son) almost one weeks ago on May 28th. Several weeks before Nicolae's birth, Lisa and I did one final maternity shoot in Lawrence, KS. We're avid fans of the outdoors, so, naturally, it was all done outside. I'm still catching up with my life and work since Nicu's birth, so I will make a more lengthy post in a few days with more photos. For now, I just wanted to say hello to the world and share my wife's beauty just a few weeks before our son's arrival.

Much love to you all. xoxo

Free wedding contest winners: Joshua & Lindsay

I'm sorry it's taken so long to actually make this post, but I actually wanted to get together for a small shoot with the winning couple before I made this post. I just have to preface the story with saying, this is a doozy....prepare yourself. It's beyond a remarkable story. Joshua & Lindsay are such an amazing and strong couple, they've already become good friends of ours. We put our love out there, and we found Joshua & Lindsay. Now we get to do their wedding for free and we couldn't be happier. We truly love you guys...and your story. Enjoy, all...here's their story:

In April of 2000, I was at school at KU and Joshua at Emporia State. I went to Manhattan for the weekend for my good friend's birthday party. The night of the party, a bunch of boys wandered in unexpectedly. This would be Joshua and his brothers. His brother happened to live in the same complex as my friend and he was in town that same night visiting. After some liquid courage, they decided to crash our party! Joshua introduced himself to me, and I was immediately smitten! So smitten that I left my friend's party to go out on the town with Joshua and his brothers!

Joshua and I both had a crush on each other after we met, but the timing just wasn't right. We were young, we lived in different places and neither of us had our lives together. But we kept in touch....if he was ever near Lawrence he'd call, I'd send him notes on his birthday, etc. On Valentine's Day of 2003, Joshua invited me to his home town where he lived again, Council Grove, for a "date dash". This was an annual event where him, his brothers and friends would invite dates for a night out celebrating Valentine's Day. I was living in Kansas City at the time and drove to Council Grove for the date dash. That was our first official date, I suppose. During that date dash I met a girl named Katie. Katie grew up in Council Grove and was a longtime friend of Joshua and his family. Katie and I hit it off instantly. She was living in Kansas City at the time as well, so after the date dash we spent a lot of time together. We used to talk about how we couldn't find nice guys... we wondered when was it going to be our turn.....we questioned why we were still single.

A few months in to our friendship, I began to notice Katie having feelings for Joshua's brother, Gabriel. These feelings were natural but funny at the same time seeing as how they grew up together. Katie and Gabriel ended up marrying and having three beautiful children! Talk about a love story! I loved being able to watch it all fall in to place, just as it should.

Katie and I remained friends throughout the years. I also got to see Joshua a few more times in those years, which was always a big deal to me as my crush on him remained.

On June 10th, 2011- I saw the most horrific news on Facebook of all places. Katie was gone. I texted Joshua immediately and he called me.....both of us sat crying on the phone as I learned that she was killed in a car wreck that morning on her way to work....just after dropping off her three children. This was just five days before her little girl turned two.

I knew I had to get to Council Grove for the funeral, and Joshua kept in touch with me for all the arrangements. As I walked in to the church at Katie's visitation, I wondered if Joshua and his brothers would recognize me. It had been a few years since I'd seen them. I walked through the crowd towards Joshua- and the minute he looked up at me, I knew. I knew something was going to happen, I knew we were meant to be together, I knew he was who I had been waiting for. But what an inappropriate time to have these feelings! Joshua didn't leave my side that night, introducing me to a lot of his family, talking to me as if we'd never lost touch. The next day at the funeral I found every reason possible to hug him as many times as I could. I didn't want to leave him. When I got home in Rogers, Arkansas later that day, I got a text from him that said he was an emotional mess, but he wished I hadn't had to leave. I was so thankful to know the feelings were mutual! That text turned in to us keeping in touch every day for the next month until our second official date at a rodeo in Council Grove. A year and a half later, we are planning our wedding! I am the luckiest girl in the world. Joshua is the best thing that has ever happened to me!

We know that we crossed paths again during an absolute tragedy, but we also know that through that tragedy, something wonderful came about. We know Katie played a part in it. It was time for us, and she knew that. We hear now from her best friend that years and years ago she wanted Joshua and I to be together! She worked her magic on us! We know she's our biggest fan, and we know she's celebrating our engagement with us. We are making her an honorary bridesmaid, she will be with us on our special day no matter what.

Joshua and I are both very blessed to have finally gotten our lives together....and the timing just right.

Lisa - Chicago Baby Shower

My parents threw Lisa a fabulous baby shower a few weeks ago in Chicago. My sister was the creative director and her ideas and execution always blow me away. She made the baby diaper cake with the monkey on top (although she did not make the monkey itself)! I'm always so very proud of her! We wanted to thank everyone who came and celebrated that special day with us. We're so happy everyone's so excited to welcome our little guy into this world as much as we are! Love you all and we can't wait to see you all again, +1. xoxo