We recently added a new member to our family.  He is furry and runs on all fours and sometimes answers to the name of Ivan. On other times he answers to the name Eisen-Howard (when Sid says Ivan it sounds like Izen) and yet other times he chooses not to answer at all.  He is a crazy fur beast with a perpetual smile on his face.  He looks like a Russian Wolf Hound mixed with an Alaskan Husky then crossed with a Golden Retriever.  He is a a nut (did I mention that already?)  The best part, however, is that he adores Solomon and Sid and they love him!

Ivan came from the Alaska Dog & Puppy Rescue from up in Wasilla.  It is a great organization of volunteers who house the dogs themselves until a permanent home can be found for them.  It was great for us, too, because we were able to meet with him in a home environment to really get a better impression of his personality. We were looking for a love sponge who would entirely tolerate two little boys and this silly puppy completely fits the bill.  He is a non-stop barker and the fastest thing on four feet that I have ever seen.  He loves to sleep upsidedown with his paws in the air and he has two ice blue eyes with a hint of brown in one.

This past weekend we took him out for a walk around the lake which is now pretty solidly frozen.  We’ve been dog sitting Mookie for the past week and had him join us for the jaunt.  The boys careened around the lake in the sled and the dogs just played and played and played.  It was a perfect little family adventure on a cold November day.

Amy & Andy are engaged! They will be tying the knot next summer out in the valley. I am excited about photographing their wedding and really enjoyed the opportunity to spend a few hours with them on a gorgeous day prior to the hustle and bustle of the big day!

We traipsed over rocks and outcroppings and played in dirt and water. At one point, Amy even went sliding and splashing into the water as we tried to inch near a waterfall! I fell in a few minutes later as payback for even suggesting such a thing. Luckily it was gorgeous and hot outside. Amy’s jeans never quite dried off but she looked like she was having fun throughout the soak filled latter half of the day.

Congratulations Amy & Andy! I’m looking forward to your wedding next summer.

I met Leslie and her brother & nephew out at Bird Creek right before the autumn leaves had really changed.  Leslie traveled up from Idaho and wanted to have some family photos to take back home with her.  We started out in the rain but just like any other day in Anchorage, if you wait five minutes, the weather will change!  We ended up having great weather and stayed dry for the rest of the evening.

The big challenge of the evening was to counter balance her nephew’s “James Bond” posings with a few natural smiles.  There were some great lifted eyebrows and expressionless glances but eventually we had him crack a real laugh.   I think those are going to be keepers for his grandmother!

Chelsea & Sam were married at Alpenglow at the top of a neverending dirt road in Arctic Valley. The day was spectacularly sunny and warm and beautiful! A dream day for sure!

Chelsea is one of those people who has a special knack for making you feel like you’ve known her forever. She and her merry band of bridesmaids welcomed me into their group and I spent a full day following them around from the hair salon to the mountain top. It was on the mountain top where I first caught sight of Sam and got to witness the perfect wedding gift — Mr. T cuff links! They were a present from his bride to be and Sam was ecstatic.

Sam & Chelsea were married outside in front of their family & friends.  The reception was kicked off with plenty of dancing including my favorite dance of the evening, Sam & his mother dancing to Sweet Home Alabama.

Chelsea, you are a stunning bride!  Please don’t use the photo of the two of you strangling each other as your Christmas Card!

Here is to a lifetime of fun, love & laughter!

Elaina and Seth were married on Friday, the last day of July. They are blessed with two beautiful and supportive families who helped pull off a very perfect wedding day for these two.

The ceremony was held in a private location hidden away on Jewel Lake. Although the day started out with a tiny bit of sprinkling rain, the sun decided to make it’s appearance just in time for the ceremony– perfect!

Thank you Elaina & Seth for letting me share in such a beautiful day with you. Congratulations on your new life together!

Last week I headed down to Turnagain Arm to meet with Alisa & Casey and capture some engagement photos for their upcoming August wedding. We picked a beautiful but crazy day to venture out next to the inlet! The wind was knocking us off our feet so after a brief meetup at Beluga Point, we opted to head inland and find some wind breaks. We tucked into the trees and really lucked out with some great locations. The weather was remarkably tame until the rain clouds decided to let loose but fortunately we were wrapping things up. It was perfect timing, anyway, to free Casey from the joy of never ending photographs!

Be sure to check out Alisa if you are in need of a photographer down in the Kenai Peninsula. She will be relocating there after the wedding and getting back into the groove of photography sometime thereafter!

Congratulations Alisa & Casey! Here are some favorites from the day.

I’ve know Michele for years and years but never had a great opportunity to get to know her until this past winter when we were down south.  We took a detour from my brother’s house in Tennessee and stopped in to visit Michele and Zefen in their new hometown of Ashville, NC.  We had a wonderful time in a wonderful town and I tried to figure out why in the world I never got to spend more time with her!

Luckily for us, they came on an extended trip home to Alaska to visit their family this summer.  Time was still short but we snuck in a few good visits and Zefen and my boys had a great time throwing toys around and wreaking all sorts of “little boy” havoc!  We also had the good fortune of meeting Zephen’s grandmother and her beautiful and tiny dog, Bijou.

Michele, we are already looking forward to seeing you again next summer!

We made it!  After driving about eight days straight for a ridiculous amount of hours, we finally pulled into the driveway in Anchorage around the first of July.  We are halfway unpacked and I am gearing up and getting super excited about wedding season!  

We flew from Alabama to Idaho and so we didn’t technically start driving until we already hit the northwest.  We hooked a left into Washington and drove up through Rossland, BC to visit some friends.  What a great start to the trip!  We slept inside instead of in the tent, saw beautiful gardens, climbed a crazy steep hill and got a glimpse of a Raccoon.  After that we headed to Banff and experienced non-stop wildlife viewings.  Banff was stunning and from there things begin to blur together.  

We drove the Cassiar highway which was in wonderful shape.  We were the only ones on the road and it was smooth and fast.  The highlight of the Cassiar was our night camping at the Deese River Crossing.  Beautiful location, incredible hosts and sparklingly clean facilities! 

After a bumpy ride on the AlCan, we hit Whitehorse in the Yukon and enjoyed a great evening at the Takhini Hotsprings. The water was perfect for little boys and swimming!  The next day we stopped into Muktuk Adventures to see the sled dogs and the boys were hooked.  Solomon even started crying when we left.  It turns out that Dave had already met some of these dogs four years earlier during the Yukon Quest when a blizzard prompted the race directors to call in the helicopters.  Gorgeous dogs, great hosts and another wonderful day.

Now we are just looking for the next family adventure.

While in Alabama I’ve been researching every type of Album company I can find. I’ve finally settled on three great great vendors that I am very excited about. I just received my first small album with panoramic spreads and I’m thrilled about the opportunities for this style. It is a beautiful excellently crafted piece that is great for an engagment album or parent album. The pages are thick and sturdy just like a flush mount wedding album but the press printed style allows the album to be offered at a more exciting price. Sizes, however, are limited up to 8 inches square. The paper can be linen, pearl, or semi-gloss and the full page spreads are gorgeous. I am seriously digging this book!

I have found that recently I’ve been spending all my time updating our personal blog about Alabama. Because of this I realized that my photography blog was looking a little lean.  I thought I’d post and oldie but a goodie to beef things up!   

This was a group effort heading out in time for sunrise to catch Dave’s plane the day he pulled it off skis.  It was just a few days before our trip to Alabama.  Hopefully we’ll see that whacked out looking plane again in July when Dave returns from Afghanistan.  Can’t wait!

As I was looking for a certain file I came across one of the last set of photos I took before we left Alaska for our year long adventure.  These were taken mid-February and, yes, it was a bit chilly outside!

I couldn’t help but post just a couple from this day.  We actually had fun traipsing about on the lake just at sundown.  It is a good reminder for me to get out there and enjoy the neverending heat wave that the southlands have to offer.  As I am swating bugs, applying sunscreen, perpetually searching for shade and always glistening with sweat, I need to look over these photos and be thankful for our temporary “change” in lifestyle!

This past beautiful weekend I talked my favorite model, Misty, into going outside for some photos. Little did she know that she would once again get hit by a falling light stand and have my two rug rats screaming, “Mommy, Mommy, Mommy” and climbing up my legs while I was shooting. Solomon just wanted to sit on the “big rock” next to her and Sid just wanted to be in the middle of everything.

After we pawned the kids off on my husband, we headed back out to Sand Lake to try again. This time, however, the dog joined us! Misty loves Dogs! Okay, maybe not so much — but you sure can’t tell from the photos! Thanks Misty!