Fall & Football

It's a great day to be in Oklahoma.  It's 75 degrees outside with a light breeze and Oklahoma State plays Texas A&M tonight in Boone Pickens Stadium.  Caleb and I will be heading to Stillwater in a two short hours to cheer on our Cowboys from some spectacular Club Level seats.  Thanks aunt & uncle, love you!  I'll be sure to take some pictures from my wonderful iPhone camera and let you know how my view is!  Until then, enjoy this image from our last game alongside my beautiful cheery pumpkin that greets me every day.

Happy Thursday!

Super Hero's Posing as Hairstylists: Kisses & Disses

They had gone fishing. My brother was five and I was three. But I remember it like it happened last night. It was early in the morning and my brother, Scott, scurried into my room and got me out of my crib. He told me dad had given him a present and that we were going to play a little game. He lead me to the top step of our very long staircase and told me to sit down.

Now internet, I remind you I am three years old. I love my big brother with my whole being. I look up to him like he is some super-hero dressed in bright blue tights and a red cape. The thing I did not know though was my father had given my brother a small Swiss Army knife on the way home from the lake the night before. As they drove towards our house Scott slumped over in the back seat of our Ford Taurus and drifted immediately into a five-year-olds sleep. When my father reached home, he opened the back door to the car and gingerly lifted my sleeping brother into his arms; the Swiss Army knife freeing itself from his little grip. As my brother woke the next morning his first thoughts were to his Swiss Army knife. He ran down to the garage and found it lying in the back seat. Shiny and red as if it had never been used.

So I sit on the top step. My super hero of a brother opens the scissors on the Swiss Army knife and tells me that every time I hear a snip of the scissors I am to move down a step. Fun game, right internet? Yep! A few minutes later my mother wakes up and walks out of my parents bedroom. I hear a gasp come from within her and I turn around... from the last step of our long staircase. I see horror make a screeching halt across her face as she sees chunks of my blonde hair tracing down each step of our staircase. And with that, I went from having pretty three-year-old blonde hair to somewhat of a boy's haircut.

Thank you brother. I love you too.

So, here's to five-year-olds with Swiss Army knives, Innocent three-year-old girls and super-sweet super hero's.

This week's Kisses go to:

• The Secret Garden Candle Company... because they have simply the most amazing fragrances in candles! I kid you not. I'm in love.
• My new show: I Survived on the Biography Channel. This show tells true stories of horribly awful events that people survive to tell about. Addicting. Come on, you all know I'm easily hookedto television shows. My friends joke about it. 
• The camera on my iPhone. I should be the best about taking pictures of every day life, but I'm not. I don't want to take my big camera with me everywhere.. and well, my dog chewed up my point & shoot... so my iphone camera is my new best friend. Love you iphone camera!

 

 
This week's Disses go to:  

• Early mornings in the fall.  It's so cold in the house and I just want to stay curled up in my warm bubble!  
• Older super-hero brothers posing as hair stylists.

Here's to you Monday

This is simple.  While driving this morning I was arguing with myself about how bad Monday's really are.  They truly upset me because they take away the joy that a Sunday is suppose to bring.  In the fall -in my world- Sundays bring church, warm food, flannel pajama pants, sunday afternoon movies and cuddling up in a ball on the couch.  This shouldn't be too much to ask for.  But it is.  Sundays are suppose to be happy, relaxing time.  But instead I'm plagued with the thought of waking up early that next day.  Monday.  It's a cruel one you see.  But, again, I'm forced to get over it.

So back to the driving part.  I was in my car this morning 'getting over it' and a song came on the radio.  Remember, everywhere I go... music goes too.  And my view changed.  I thought to myself, it's amazing how a little yukalaylee instrument can turn that frown upside down.  Then I thought, ya know - if every song had this little guy in it... the world would be a better place.  Or, at least I could hope anyway.

So here's to my new friend, the yukalaylee.  I'll never play one, but I will smile every time a new song hits the radio with this bright and chipper little sound.  I will feel a smile stretch across my face.

Here's to you Monday.  I'm over it.

Kisses & Disses: Tulsa Photographer

I was sitting in the back seat of our 1992 Ford Taurus.  The air had a hint of fall and leaves were just beginning to transform into the beautiful colors we've all grown to love.  My dad had just stopped at a gas station to grab my brother and I something to drink before we ventured out on the long road to another sales call he had to make.  I sat in the back seat completely content as I held the warm chocolaty substance between my 8 year old little paws.  I bent my head down and took a long, slow sip of my very hot, hot chocolate.  Through a straw.

I know.  Every one of you just cringed a bit.  Because, well, a person should just know not to drink hot things through straws. I did not.  I had not been privy to that sort of information evidently.  Evidently my parents thought I was smart enough to figure that one out on my own.  Well, I did.  The hard way.

I wound the handle to the back seat window as quickly as I could and stuck my tongue out in the brisk.  Looking back now, I'm quite certain to everyone we passed on the highway I resembled a dog with my head out the window, tongue waving in the wind.  But as you know, it hurt.  Bad.  Little bubbles began forming in my mouth and I cried.  Why had I not been told you don't drink hot chocolate, or hot anything for that matter, with a straw.

Oh, learning life lesson's is hard.  Being young is hard.  And well, drinking hot chocolate through a straw?  That one's really hard.  I suggest you not try it.

And that brings us to this week's edition of Kisses & Disses!

This week's kisses go to:

• 
  
  Premiere Week!  Grey's Anatomy starts tomorrow night!  If you haven't heard about my slight obsession with shows, you can get the history here.
• 
  
  My Cowboy's are 3-0!  No.  Not the Dallas Cowboys.  My Oklahoma State Cowboys!
• 
  
  We're having a family dinner with my parents tonight to celebrate September birthdays ( we have 3).  Big Kiss to family celebrations!
• 
  
  Teen Mom - yes, another amazing show... on MTV I'm ashamed to say.  These girls just pull me in and make me watch every episode.  Oh, that Amber... just really get's my blood boiling.  But Sweet Maci, love her!

And, of course, this weeks disses...

• 
  
  Not truly getting a fall season.  It's almost October and well, frankly, it's still 90 degrees every day.  Yes, I know.  I live in Oklahoma.  But having at least a few short weeks of beautiful fall weather would be nice.  Please?
• 
  
  Wind.  I wore a dress yesterday and every time I walked outside I had to hold the skirt of my dress to keep me from looking like I was trying to pull a Marilyn Monroe.  Big Diss!
• 
  
  Clearly.  Straws in hot chocolate.  Just don't do it.  Learn from this tongue flapping in the wind kid.  It's not worth it. 

Details In The Fabric

There's a song called 'DETAILS IN THE FABRIC' by Jason Mraz.  I was listening to this song last night while going through a set of wedding images and I had an epiphany.  The lyrics in this song are much like a bride planning her own wedding. "All the details in the fabric, Are the things that make you panic...Everything will be fine.  Everything in no time at all.  Everything... Hold your own.  Know your name.  Go your own way." Inspirational, right? That Mraz.  He knows his stuff.

As a bride you spend your time perfecting every last detail.  Do the napkins have our names on them?  Are the centerpieces perfect?  Do all the colors match exactly?  Should my bridesmaids flowers be wrapped in black ribbon or pink?  Because?  Well, we all know if the colors don't match we're being called out on it!  Clearly.

No.  The details matter.  Maybe not to everyone, but they matter to you.  And here's the cool thing.  It's up to us as photographers to capture all the tiny details that you spent countless hours obsessing over.  Why?  Because this is what's important to you as a bride.  Even though Sister Sue doesn't notice that your name is written on that M&M she's putting in her mouth, you know.  You want to remember. 

So do it.  Obsess.  As a photographer I give you the right to spend hours obsessing over the details.  After all, it's the details in the fabric.

Hold your own.  Know your name.  Go your own way.

Music & Earplugs

If you've followed me for any length of time at all, you know God created me to listen to music.  Well, maybe a little more than that, but He wants me to listen to music... a lot.  He wants this!  No, seriously.  My  dad teases me for the fact that every room I enter, the first thing I do is turn on an iPod, stereo, some sort of electronic device that fills the blank air with music.  Maybe I'm fascinated so much because I myself can't sing.  I wouldn't put myself in the 'nails down a chalkboard' category, but I'm no belting diva by any means either.  It's true, I was a choir nerd in high school, but in choir you can act like your singing and still get an A.  But of course, I never did that. Never.

Because of my infatuation for the musical angels, when I get hooked on a song... I seriously get hooked.  I play it on repeat everywhere I go.  I'm not kidding.  Everyone around me starts to wear ear plugs because they can't stand to listen to Mariah Carey's remix of Faithfully.  Has that come out yet?

For the past week, I've had THIS BABY on repeat.  Love it.  Love the emotion mixed with the raspy voice. 

how long have I
been in this storm
so overwhelmed by the ocean's shapeless form
water's getting harder to tread
with these waves crashing over my head

if I could just see you
everything will be alright
if I'd see you
the storminess will turn to light

and I will walk on water
and you will catch me if I fall
and I will get lost into your eyes
and everything will be alright
and everything will be alright

I know you didn't
bring me out here to drown
so why am I 10 feet under and upside down
barely surviving has become my purpose
cause I'm so used to living underneath the surface

if I could just see you
everything will be alright
if I see you
the storminess will turn to light

and I will walk on water
and you will catch me if I fall
and I will get lost into your eyes
and everything will be alright

and I will walk on water
you will catch me if I fall
and I will get lost into your eyes
and everything will be alright
I know everything is alright
everything's alright

Everything Bridal: Tulsa Wedding Photographer

When you are a bride everything you surround yourself with has to do with just that, being a bride.  You go to bookstores to leaf through hundreds of bridal magazines.  Pouring yourself over each page looking for the perfect dress.  perfect flowers.  perfect decor.  And I don't think I know the male species thinks we're crazy for this.  Honestly, we don't think there's anything wrong with this though.  We want our day to be the most special event in our lives.  We don't understand why guys don't want to spend their free time breathing in everything wedding.

I can honestly say I had a little advantage when it came to planning my wedding just a few short months ago.  I was a wedding photorapher so I've seen my fair share of weddings.  I've seen the good, the amazing and the blow-my-sox-off beautiful types of receptions.  I am constantly amazed at the creations brides come up with to incorporate into their wedding days... and for not that much money!  Let's face it.  Wedding's are ex-pensive.  So anything you can do as a bride to save a little cash, is clearly a good thing.

So, if you're a bride scouring through everything bridal - have at it!  Here are a few shots from a recent wedding I did.  It was a gorgeous reception held outside at their house with lots of candlelight and pops of color strategically placed throughout.

Kisses & Disses

So if you asked Caleb, he'd tell you it takes me about 4.5 seconds to get attached to a show.  It doesn't matter what it is I just get all warpped up in television extremely easily.  Just like every other individual of the male species, he likes to have the remote.  Always.  And because of this, he controls what is on the tv... most of the time.  So on occasion that it's not locked- into ESPN or one of the other forbidden sports channels it seems to land on something interesting.  Every time.  One problem though friends.  He is merely turning the channel because he doesn't want to watch another set of commercials.  So, I lay there innocently on the couch at his tv control mercy.  And, remember.  I said innocently.  So, while his intentions are pure in his own mind, they throw me for a loop because the second that tv lands on something unsports related, I'm hooked.  We watch about a minute or two and he changes the channel.  No warning.  Just hits that darn button and I'm ripped from whatever new world of a tv show I was exploring.  Absurd.  I get upset because that was clearly the best new show I'd never watched, and now I had to watch it... or go get the laptop, head to the bedroom and watch it on Hulu.  Clearly.

And that brings us to this weeks edition of Kisses & Disses!

This weeks kisses go to:

1. AppBistro - A future groom of mine put a little light on this bad boy last week and I was hooked.  He and a friend started this business in May - and let's just say, it's booming!  Contact him HERE and tell him I referred you!

2. Our Wedding Pictures!  Yes, internet.  We got them.  And they are nothing short of amazing.  My friend Erin with Artsy Phartsy Photography did our pictures and I dont' think I could love her any more!  If you're in the market for little phart pictures (kid) - as she likes to refer to them - give her a shout!  She's out of this world amazing!

3. My little light up pumpkin in my office.  He brings so much joy just by plugging him in.  I just love him.  Nothing like starting the fall season off right!



And this week's disses go to:

1. Tenley losing the Bachelor Pad!  Clearly.  Loved this new show, but not such a fan of the certain individuals that actually won. 

2. Random, but Cats.  these little creatures bring nothing good to the world.  Minus the fact that my dog loves to chase them.

3. The Hills being over.  Premiere week is next week and Caleb is way past dissapointed that The Hills will not be starting over again. 



Dreams Collide: Tulsa Engagement Session

Laughs. I can almost guarantee that's what drew these two to one another. They both attended the same University, but never ventured enough to date. Saxon knew who she was, just as Meghan knew Saxon. They had all the same friends. But that was it. No spark. No flames. Just friends. For a little bit that is. Their friendship grew much deeper and formed into what they are today. They are eachother's best friend. She is his rock. He is her hilariously awesome other half. They just work. They can't explain why, but when you are around them you just know it works, too.


He makes her laugh, just as she makes him smile. And together? It just works.

Meghan.  Are you kidding me?  You're gorgeous.

Sassy.  This couple has some sass.

And we'll end with this spread.  Why?  Because they are simply devine in these shots!

To see more of Meghan & Saxon's engagement session, CLICK HERE for a slideshow!

Growing Pains.

I don't cry.  Not really.  Not all the time that is.  But as he kissed me on the forehead and turned for the door, a small tear escaped out of the corner of my eye.  I laid there on the couch all sad-like.  That's when I started the conversation with myself.  Allison, seriously.  You said it was OK.  You gave your ticket to the Oklahoma State football game away.

It's true.  I admit it.  I went all emotional girly-like Saturday.  I gave my ticket away to my father-in-law because he mentioned that he wanted to go.  Perfect, problem solved.  I had a ticket I could give him.  So I did. Then out of no where... BAM! I got emotional.  I started thinking about everyone in their orange.  Our players making beautiful touchdowns.  Bullet (our beautiful black horse) running out on the field as the announcer came over the speakers yelling Heeeeeeeere Coooommmes Bullet! 

It's true.  And I can't believe I'm actually admitting it.  I was deeply saddened by the fact that my husband was walking out the front door without me to go to a game.  He stopped and asked what I was going to do the rest of the day.  Sulkingly, I said, Oh, I guess I'll just watch the game on TV.  He hesitated.  Babe, you know it's not televised, right?  Again with the tears.  It was more than I could take.

So, internet.  I had a moment of growing up on Saturday.  Because.  In the grand scheme of things, what was one game?  I could handle not going to one game.  Yeah, until I find out it's one of the most exciting/intense games!  Bum.mer.

It all came full-circle though.  I had a super-fun time Sunday evening shooting engagements for one of my bride & grooms  getting married next fall.  They are in l.o.v.e.  and I loved every minute of it.  Those pictures will be coming soon, but until then.... here is a fun shot from last night that embraces all that Oklahoma is.  Sunsets.  Wheat fields.  Hay bales & a little class.  All mixed together.

The things that change you

It's been almost two months people.  Married.  For two months.  It's gone by oh-so-fast!

So let me give you a little glimpse into my life right before the wedding.

Honestly, I thought I was super woman.  You know.  Pink Cape. Make-up that never looked out of place. That super woman.  I was planning my own wedding and shooting other people's right and left.  And I loved it all.  It's true.  I loved the chaos.  Loved to see what other people were doing to decorate for their own 'Big Day'.  I just simply loved it.  And I thought I could do it all.

My family thought I was crazy, however.  And I was.  A little bit.  When you love what you do it's hard to tell people no and make time for yourself.  For YOUR 'Big Day'.  Everyone kept telling me, " Alli, you've got to say no".  But I couldn't.  I didn't want to.  So guess what.  God did it for me.  And I look back now and go WOW! 

When I look back I notice a dead stop in the emails.  A dead stop in the brides contacting me.  It's as if they knew.  They could smell in their bride genes that I was a fellow bride.  So they turned and went a different direction.

All that to say God stopped things for about 4 weeks and let me enjoy the last 4 weeks of my engagement.  We got married.  Loved it.  Went on our honeymoon.  (If I was much for abbreviations I would say GORG here... but I'm not) Gorgeous.  And then it's as if he lifted his very large finger and said OK - get at it again. 

Now we're back in the swing of things.  Back in that comfort zone we all love.  Back to making new friends with all my new brides!

Kisses & Disses

I don't think there is a single person in the world that doesn't like it.  Fall comes with so many great qualities.  A warmness in the air with just the slightest hint of a fall breeze brushing through your hair.  Starbucks holiday drinks.  Lots and lots of family.  Sweaters.  Tennis Shoes.  Scarves.  Holiday bread.  And.  Um.  Oklahoma State Football games.. hello?  Do you seriously need more reasons than that to love the fall season?  Yeah. Didn't think so.
So, in honor of the fall season that is beginning to grace us in Oklahoma with it's presence - I am starting a new edition to the blog.  Kisses & Disses.

This weeks Kisses go to...

1.  Cooler weather.  Well, because they bring yummy Starbuck's drinks and Oklahoma State University football games.  Go Pokes!

2.  Those little Hoops & YoYo guys.  These kids always know how to cheer up a gloomy day.

3.  AppNitro contract software. They just make my life so much easier!

And this week's Disses go to...

1.  Waking up early.  There is nothing about this that makes anyone happy.   Except maybe my best friend.

2.  Internet that doesn't work.  I pay for Internet.  But it refuses to work for periods of time at my house. 

3.  How yummy Starbuck's drinks are... but how they want my right arm to enjoy one. 

I hope you all have anjoyed the new segment to the blog:  Kisses & Disses.

Does anyone have anything they love or dislike lately?

Two Powerful Words

When we fail…

When we faulter…

When we quit…

When we feel like we’re not enough…

When life is falling apart…

When we break down…

When we can’t fight another day…

When we utterly and completely fail…

…there are two words which provide the ability to go on: But God.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved.. —Ephesians 2:4-5