A goodbye to great friends. The Roses move to China.

Lets see. Can I get through this post without crying.  Even though this all happened back in July, it is still fresh and sad in my mind.  Some of our very best friends IN THE WORLD, The Rose family, moved to China this past summer.  Wait...not just friends.  They were FAMILY.  The Rose family have been intertwined in our lives ever since we moved to Florida 6 and a half years ago.  Sara was the first friend I met and has been like a sister to me.  Our first boys (Carver and Luke) became best friends the minute we moved here. Then Sara and I were pregnant at the same time and Gavin and Cooper were born 4 weeks apart...and they are like brothers.  Emma is our honorary little sister, and Eva...IS OUR ADOPTED BABY!  What an amazing opportunity for this family to move to China for 18 months for Matt's work. We are so happy for them, but sad for us :(  We were able to spend some quality time with them right before they left.  Oh the memories.  Sniff. 

Carver and Luke.  Friends since they were in diapers (or almost out of diapers I should say).  Soccer buddies, best friends, brothers, and they share the same sense of humor (of crazy 9 year old boy stuff).  I love their influence on each other.  We miss you Luke.

The weeks before the Roses moved to China were crazy for them. They had just returned from a 2 week trip to Utah, and they had to pack up their house, moving most of it to storage, and then packing boxes to ship to China, as well as suitcases to take with them. I know Sara was stressed, but she did it all with a smile. It was such an undertaking with countless obstacles. I was truly amazed all all that she had to do and how she did it.   I put my energy into being positive and trying to help her (which I am sure I didn't do enough of), instead of thinking about what life would be like in Florida without Sara.  And now I know what it is like.  I miss her so much. We miss them all. 

Before the Roses left, we were able to have one last hurrah at the beach, our favorite gathering place. Bittersweet for sure.

Let me tell you the kind of friend that Sara is.  When we moved to Florida, we had to live in a hotel for 6 weeks waiting to get into a house. It was a difficult time of uncertainty and adjustment.  I had met Sara at church, and I honestly have to say, after I spotted her, I thought to myself, "I think she is going to become my best friend". She is just that kind of person.  People are drawn to her.  Well, she invited me over quite a lot while I was in the hotel, and also took me to ward events and helped me meet so many people. The day we moved into our house, who do you think was there?  Yes, it was Sara, with her two small children in tow. She stayed with me all day and kept me company while the movers brought everything in, and then she helped me get settled.  John and Matt quickly became friends, and soon our families were intertwined.  Many holidays were spent together, many special occasions were celebrated together. They became family.  Sara and I served in YW in church together and I learned so much from her.  She was always willing to do anything for me.  When we were out of a job for so long, Matt and Sara helped us in countless ways, many of which were probably meant to be anonymous, but I know it was their kindness.  Sara and I laughed together, cried together, and just "got" each other. She is the kind of person that made me a better person.  So giving, so loving, and so non judgmental.  I could go on and on about her.  I truly miss her in my life every day, but I am also so happy for her the she is experiencing so many amazing things with her family. 

Oh goodness.  The separation of these two boys has been painful.  Cooper and Gavin.  Gavin and Cooper. I think they were inseparable for these last few years.  Partners in crime.  Loving brothers. Soccer buddies. Cooper almost boycotted pre-school this fall because Gavin was not here to go with him.  Cooper talks about him almost every day.  How wonderful to have a friend such as this. 

Emma is greatly missed too.  Once she told her mom that Kinsey was her new best friend.  And she has been an advocate of Kennedy babysitting even when Kennedy was only about 8 or 9.  "Mom, Kennedy could totally babysit us...all she needs is a chair so she could cook dinner".  And then there is Eva.  Our sweet baby.  We miss her so much and can't believe how much she is growing. She was my "baby girl fix". 

So many of us miss Sara and the whole Rose family. But ultimately, we are so happy for her and love reading about her daily adventures on her blog (she chooses to update weekly or daily...instead of the once every six months like me. hee hee)   I just wanted to make this post as a tribute to this wonderful family that we miss so much.  They have changed us for good. 

A Love Story...on top of a mountain!

Meet Adam and Mallory.  Let me tell you the story of how I met them. On top of this mountain!!!

Back in June my family and I were returning to Orlando after a trip to Nashville. We decided to stop in the Atlanta area for a few days.  We decided to stay at STONE MOUNTAIN which had been highly recommended to us.  And rightly so. It was AN AMAZING state park with a GIANT boulder right in the middle.  We decided to go to the top, riding up in a tram.  As we got on the tram, I noticed this darling young couple all dressed up, holding flowers.  They were alone except for a man that looked suspiciously like a minister.  A WEDDING.  HOW EXCITING. A wedding on top of a mountain, and we were going to get to witness it.  But hey...WHERE WAS THE PHOTOGRAPHER?  There wasn't one (gasp). In fact, I even saw this young couple pull a disposable camera (double gasp) out of their bag, and take a picture of themselves.  John and the girls nudged me and told me that I should go approach them and offer to take some pictures.  I just didn't feel comfortable, not wanting to intrude or get in their business.  When we got to the top, they walked to the center of the mountain where they had the perfect 360 degree views, and they began their ceremony. Just the three of them.  I couldn't help myself. I HAD TO TAKE THEIR PICTURE! I did this from a distance and tried to remain invisible.  As their ceremony came to an end, I realized they ended up having an "audience", many of whom were also taking their picture. By then, I didn't feel so bad about it.  As they were pronounced "husband and wife",  the crowd cheered, surprising the young couple.  The bride held out that tiny disposable camera and asked if anyone would be willing to take their picture.  THAT WAS MY CUE.  I went to them, explained I was a photographer, and confessed my "stealth" picture taking of the ceremony, and asked them if I could take more pictures of them...free of charge.  They looked surprised, teared up, told me I was a "blessing sent from above", and then proceeded to tell me how their photographer had cancelled at the very last minute and they were heart broken about it.  So, for the next while I got to do what I love best, and hopefully captured the joy of this special day for this couple. I was in Heaven.  I love a good love story. I love weddings. And I love taking pictures. Perfect. 

And you must admit...It was an amazing spot for wedding pics.

What a lovely lovely couple.  So sweet, so appreciative, and so elated and in love.  They kept saying "We can't believe we met you".  Aww. They were so cute together and absolutely giddy that they had just gotten married.  This private ceremony was a special thing for them, and then in a year they are planning a big wedding with friends and family.  

I truly feel lucky to have "stumbled" across this couple.  Grateful that I had something to offer them. Moments such as these are why I love being a photographer. 

Stone Mountain Georgia for Carver's Birthday, June 2011

We love to stop in Georgia on our way home from Nashville.  We love the Atlanta area, and this year decided to try a new spot in that vicinity.  We were celebrating CARVER'S 9TH BIRTHDAY, so we wanted it to be special.  We found STONE MOUNTAIN (recommended by Carrie)!  Only about a 1/2 hour outside Atlanta, there is this amazing State park and in the middle, a giant granite boulder.  And I mean GIANT. A mile and a half high, and I don't know how far around (I should have read up on this).  The park is full of Campgrounds, great hotels, ropes courses, hiking paths, and a tram to the top of the "boulder". Being on top of Stone Mountain is seriously like walking on the moon.  What an incredible view. What an incredible feeling to be up there.  What a perfect spot to celebrate Carver's birthday.

I can't believe Carver is 9.  He is an amazing kid that adds so much to our family. And besides being amazing...look how handsome he is.  Good lookin!!!!! He is a wonderful big brother and teaches Cooper so much. He is our happy kid, and usually smiling and laughing.  He LOVED Stone mountain.  We spent the night there in a hotel that looked right out at the boulder. He kept saying "This is the best birthday ever".  So glad he loved it. He really loved the "ropes course" that the and John and the girls did for hours. And he loved being on top of the mountain.

On the front of Stone Mountain is this giant etching of some civil war generals (I swear I knew who they were when we were there. Drawing a blank now).  There is a huge grassy field in front of it. Every night, the park puts on an spectacular lazer show on the face of this mountain.  It was truly magical.  I just couldn't believe how perfect this whole little "detour" was.  Loved every minute.  Even the part where the people below us in the hotel called to complain of "too many footsteps". 

Summer trip to Nashville 2011

We had the most amazing time visiting Nashville this summer.  This is our third year in a row visit Nashville in June during the Country Music Festival.  WE LOVE IT.  We had a great time with our amazing friends Carrie and Jason Haslam and their family... as usual. They are like family to us and they welcome us with open arms.  We did so many fun things. We went to the music festival two different nights, walked around down town to enjoy the festival during the day, had pool parties, had a girls night out, and went boating.  We loved every minute of it.