With Grateful Hearts • Thanksgiving Wrap Up

Christmas was my favorite holiday growing up. But since going to college I reconsidered and it has changed to Thanksgiving. Family is a high priority to me and since thanksgiving is all about family and being grateful, it aligns perfectly with what I love. And with time away from my business, I was able to contemplate about the things I am so grateful for. Along with family, my faith, and my husband, here are just a few things that have really stuck out to me this year.

Laughter. I'm thankful God gave us the ability to laugh. And I love hanging out with people who have that contagious laugh that gets me laughing for no reason, which happens to be quite a few of my Bride's. Whether it's playing a hilarious game with family, or laughing at myself for my dorky mistakes, laughter makes everything that much better.

Hard Work. It used to be something I dreaded. But now I can appreciate it. After 8 summers of hard labor and construction work, I can finally say I worked my way to have my dream job and it was the farthest from easy. Truth be told, I still have to go home and work a few weeks of construction out of the year because my job doesn't actually pay all of the bills. But because of my hard work, I can appreciate the things I've worked for.

My Clients. I sincerely appreciate my sweet bride's, seniors, and families for trusting me with their important memories. One of my favorite things about my job isn't actually shooting, editing, or blogging, but the friendships that form with my clients. When I say I have the best clients, it's honestly an understatement. I couldn't do this without them! 

A Colorado Thanksgiving

On Wednesday after catching up with Cafe Rio, we did our family photos on The Monument. Kaden and Keely's Proposal was done here and I knew it'd be the perfect spot for updated family photos while we were all together again. Then we hung out at Grandma's and caught up with everyone who arrived. 

How hilarious is this?! My brother Jacob put on Jodi's floral crown and she mentioned he looked like Sid off of Ice Age. We busted up laughing and once I pulled up an image of Sid to compare later on, there was no stopping it. But seriously, take another glance.  

One thing that's awesome about Colorado is that there's always something eventful and adventurous to do. Thursday morning started with Get Air. I loved being able to literally jump everywhere, and the dodge ball torment following was pretty epic as well. 

Thanksgiving day was my favorite day of the trip because of the atmosphere. The Case's love full heartedly and you can feel it the entire time you are there. Everyone is uplifting and sincerely happy and interested in you. As we went around the table saying what we were grateful for, I realized I have the best family I could ask for. I strive to be more like this amazing family I am surrounded with. We also played Watch Ya' Mouth and I highly recommend it if you want to pee yourself from laughing. 

Darcy hosted a baby shower for Jodi Friday morning. Then that night we had a "Feast" with food and the scriptures. And life sized Hungry, Hungry Hippo may have happened as well. 

Before ending the night, Jenni said we each had to tell an extremely embarrassing moment. The stories were ridiculously funny and everyone was tearing up from laughing so hard! Ending our trip on laughter was amazing and has Jake and I looking forward to future Thanksgivings in Colorado. 

Kaden + Keely • Surprise Proposal

OH MY GOSH!!! This shoot is one of my favorites for a couple of reasons. One, I'd never photographed a surprise proposal so it was definitely a thrill for me. Two, my aunt, Darcy (Ruby Plum Photo), was with me for the shoot. She actually was the one who mentored ME back in 2013. It was such a blast having someone there to get creative with. Three, I'd never been to The Monument. I've been to Grand Junction plenty of times to visit family and I can't believe two weeks ago was my first time at The Monument. I highly recommend checking it out if you haven't already. 

Huge shout out to Kaden for reaching out to me and making this happen. This shoot could not have been any better!

THE STORY A.K.A HOW KADEN PULLED IT OFF

When I found out I was going to take a trip to Colorado, I knew I had to shoot something epic there. I asked Darcy what was close in the area and she mentioned The Monument. Once I saw photos, I was hooked.
I then ran a couple model call for the area of Grand Junction and there was only one day we could do it. Keely and Kaden were tagged in my post by a friend for my model call and that's when Kaden messaged me. He asked if I shot proposals and how they turned out and if I would do his. I asked him if he could make the date and time work that we needed and he agreed. I was so stoked!
But Keely hadn't applied yet even though she was tagged. I told Kaden he would need to mention it again to her and have her apply so she'd have no idea. Keely applied, the date and time worked, and they were up for our creative shoot! 
I prepared for the shoot talking to BOTH Kaden and Keely. I told Kaden I didn't want to direct his proposal. I wanted it to still be his own and how he imagined it. I just wanted us to be ready when the time came. He said the ring was in his boot and he would mention something about his socks, which would be our key to be ready when he knelt down to fix them. And Keely had no idea I was talking to Kaden about his plans.
When we arrived to the shoot I saw Kaden and Keely's chemistry right away and it was exactly I wanted. We were able to just have fun and they laughed at our jokes which was a plus. :) Keely wore the most gorgeous white dress that just popped with the red rocks of Colorado. We were getting AMAZING shots while getting creative with our posing and shooting techniques. 
We moved to a spot with the full view of the monument. It was breathtaking for me as I had never been there. That's when Kaden mentioned his sock...
I hurried and backed up, pulled out my phone to start videoing, AND photographed as I was videoing. Kaden had such a thoughtful proposal and I could tell how much it meant to Keely. And she said yes!!! :) 

Thank you again Keely and Kaden for such a memorable and epic night!