Godspeed Atlantis

Today we had an opportunity to do something that we will probably never get to do again, and also something that most people never get to do: we got to watch a space shuttle launch from Kennedy Space Center. Not only were we on the grounds of the Space Center, but we were as close as anyone was allowed to get - in the same place as the astronauts' families!

Mark's new job is at a company called ASRC Aerospace, and they are a company that does contract work out at NASA. Currently the project he is working on is the ground support for the new rocket program. But whenever there is a launch, NASA gives his company three tickets, and the company does a drawing for the spots. This time, Mark was one of the winners. He was allowed to take 3 people, so me, his mom, and Anna came along. (We would have loved to take Chris, but as we had to get there at least an hour early we knew there was no way he'd make it.)

It was an incredible experience - I was so excited! It was just amazing to watch. There was such a sense of excitement, anticipation, patriotism, nervousness, and awe. When the shuttle was given a go for launch, there was a round of applause and a collective cheer from those who were watching, and again after the successful lift-off. I really wish that my dad could have been there!

We had lunch while we waited.. Anna wanted some chips :)

The Vehicle Assembly Building, which is where the shuttle is built. It is one of the largest buildings in the world. The lower part on the left side where the long strip of windows is the launch command center.

This is part of the ground support that is under construction for the new rocket, though this part isn't being worked on by Mark's company.

We were even closer than the press!

Lift-off!

My favorite is the picture in the top left. Just amazing!

Here's that picture a little bigger...

I am still in awe of the God-given intelligence that made this all happen. I bet He is just as proud!

Bryleigh and Elliana: 8 Months Old!

At 8 months old, Bryleigh and Elliana have not only gotten huge, but they are learning all kinds of tricks... it is so much fun to see them each time I come!

Here they are at 1, 3, 6 and 8 months...

For this session, we decided to go to a nearby pumpkin patch. It was literally 5 minutes away...

Elliana is getting pretty good at standing!

They had never worn shoes before :)

Yum!

Finding the perfect pumpkin!

Mike and Anna are Engaged!

When Anna first contacted me about photographing her wedding next spring, I immediately knew I liked her... for one, I love her name (in case you are new to my blog, my daughter is named Anna as well). And second, she is a fellow UCF Knight. So, seeing as how I could already tell that she has good taste, I knew that it would be great to work with her! ;)

For hers and Mike's engagement session, we started off at Cocoa Village. They were fun to watch; they are one of those couple that just seems to fit together.

We then headed over to the Cocoa Beach Pier. They had brought along their respective jerseys, and wanted a few picturest together..

Unfortunately, the day we shot this was the first day of the time change... so it was a little difficult to plan the time... and by the time we got out to the pier, we were loosing light fast! Thank goodness for a good camera!

We headed up onto the pier last, and the lighting was kind of cool... I love how the sky looks in this one.

I think this may be one of my favorites from the evening!

Thanks so much you two! I am excited for your wedding!

Published Again

For any of you brides who are planning a wedding, be sure to check out the Space Coast Bride and Groom website and magazine. It is full of great resources for weddings in this area! And not to mention some of my photos are featured in the fall issue... one of Rob and Beth's engagement photos made it into the engagement gallery, and one of Doug and Jessica's wedding photos made it into the wedding gallery. Be sure to check it out!

A Few More Favorites

Every once in a while, when I am going through a wedding, I will find a few more favorites than what I originally posted on my blog. I was looking through Kerri and Brandon's wedding tonight, and had one of those moments.. so I just decided I'd share :)

Congratulations Steven and Kelly!

Kelly and Steven's wedding was a little different than the typical wedding that I shoot, for a number of reasons. For one, it was in Orlando - at the Shades of Green resort at Disney. I had never been there before (it is for military personnel) but it was beautiful!

Also, their wedding was a bit smaller than most - there were a total of 13 guests! They live in Michigan, but wanted to get married in Florida. So they came down with their immediate families. It made for a really sweet, intimate, and special day! Everyone was so relaxed, and Kelly and Steven didn't have to stress over trying to talk to all of their guests.

Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of your day! I hope you enjoy your photos!

Isn't Kelly just gorgeous?!

This is the same elevator that Steven proposed in! They were there on vacation with their families, and he was going to pop the question later that night.. but apparently he was so nervous that he just did it in the elevator. I love that story! So cute :)

Lauren and Matt are Engaged!

Several months ago Lauren contacted me via phone and email about shooting her upcoming wedding to her fiance Matt, and of course I was thrilled. So when I met up with the two of them to do their engagement session, I had never actually met them in person. As soon as I saw Matt I had that "I know this guy from somewhere" feeling... so eventually I had to say something. Turns out he had the same feeling.. so we started trying to figure out where we had met, and eventually we realized that we had been in the same college ministry our freshman year of college. Small world!
Anyways, I had so much fun with these two! They were up for something a little different, so I scouted out a new spot that had some older buildings and was also near the water. Just a warning: this post is a little longer than usual. As I was going through the pictures trying to pick the ones to post, I kept thinking "oh I love this one" and "oh wait this is my favorite" and "oh but I love this one too!" I had a really hard time narrowing it down! So I kind of didn't... I hope you like them as much as I do!

This is one of my favorites.. I love how Lauren looks!

There's something about the way that Matt is holding her back that I just love.. so romantic...

And I love the way Lauren is looking at him in this one.

After we left that spot, we had planned on going over to the railroad tracks. There was an old brick building right on the tracks, so we parked in that parking lot. When we got out a man came out of the building and kind of asked what we were doing. I thought he didn't want us parking there (even though the lot was empty) so I explained what was going on.. but I guess he was just curious, because then he said we could come inside and do some shots if we wanted - it was a boxing gym! Neither Matt nor Lauren are boxers, but we couldn't pass that up. He even gave them some gloves to wear. How fun is that?!