Here's it is!

NEW BLOG

This is the last post I will make on this blog.

sniff sniff

It's kinda sad. Leaving something so familiar. But I LOVE the new blog and all it's spank happy fabulousness! Be sure and update your bookmarks and leave me some love if you like it.

Oh, almost forgot. I running a FREE SESSION GIVEAWAY in celebration of the new site and blog. Go and have a look and enter!

This old blog will stay put and I may even import it to the new one...not sure. Weighing my options.

Thanks blogspot.

CLICK HERE FOR NEW BLOG

good bye old blog

Hi, everyone.

I'm working hard on my new blog and site and should be ready to go live soon! I'll be sure and share the link here when I do.

Good bye Blogger! Kinda sad. I've been blogging for almost 6 years here. Hello NEW IMPROVED blog.

Love,

Kristin

Suumer wins!

We went to the Awards Banquet last night. We practiced walking in our heels for weeks! She looked amazing! All the kids did! It was like a fashion show watching them walk across the stage.

We are super proud of Summer! She tied for 2nd in her class! Way to GO!!!!

Just a little something for those Cheerleaders!

we should all cheer for our kids

and cheer with all our HEART and SPIRIT! I love this photo. For those of you that read this blog and don't know this man, it's Burt. My husband's cousin. His daughter is my favorite pitcher in the UNIVERSE. But even if she didn't pitch? Even if she never picked up a softball again, I LOVE BOO. So, to see this grown man, cheer for his daughter, to yell like Fred Flintstone every game, it warms my heart and body from head to toe.

Every one should cheer like this. Just put it out there! Jump up and down! Scream so hard and so loud that you actually spit into the air!! LOL

LOVE THIS!

Cooper Booster Club Athletic Banquet

Remember how crazy busy our weekend has been? Well, the week before was busy as well. And I have a few behind the scenes stories to share. We needed a dress for Kalyn's Awards Banquet and had no time to shop for one. So, enter GRANDMA. She went to Dillards and bought several dresses and styles in Kalyn's size so she could try them all on at home and decide. Kalyn is so busy with softball practice and AAU Basketball, there's been no time to hit the mall. So, that was so cool to have grandma as her "dresser" and be able to have something nice to wear at the Award's Banquet.

Story #2. We came straight from Summer Zoe's game. Her AAU team was playing in the Championship and we didn't have time to run home. Summer was still in her uniform. Athletic Banquet, uniform, cool. But let's sit kind of out of the way so she doesn't feel bad and no one will really see her. Sounds like a good plan, right? FAIL. Completely FAIL. We sat at the end of the table right by the exit that everyone used to go through for the food serving line. EVERYONE SAW HERE! Geez, mom, good seats. LOL

Story #3. When softball was on stage, Bunny leaned back and said she loved Kalyn's shoes. I did too! They are Shelley's shoes and Boo was wearing Kalyn's shoes! HA! These girls are so smart! And I'm glad they are the same size. Works great to have a stash of shoes to borrow from.

Story #4. I created a couple of slideshows for my 2 favorite teams and everytime they played the softball one, we all bawled like babies. It's too soon, too fresh from our loss and just plain too sad.

It was a great AWARDS night for the Bednarz Clan, though. We really need to work on our own AWARD. Given to the BEST BEDNARZ. LOL

Brittney

Chadd

Pate

Kalyn

and next year...Summer Zoe. Am I forgetting anyone?

Kalyn took home a FABULOUS award that she had no idea she was getting.

Basketball, the Hustle Award, voted on by her teammates. BRAVO!!! And in Softball, the Fighting Heart Award, which is AWESOME! Katie got it last year and Kalyn adores Katie. We all do, so it's so dang cool that her name is on it as well.

Bravo to all the winners!!! And thank you, Athletic Boosters, the banquet was wonderful!!!

Cooper Softball Andrews

Look how happy she is here! I love this shot of Kalyn Marie! She was being introduced at the game in Sundown Saturday. CRAZY busy weekend for the Bednarz family with Summer playing basketball and Kalyn in the playoffs! Plus, I was a nervous wreck! I couldn't watch her bat. I seriously couldn't. I was all worried because of her play last week in Midland. And not because I care one way or the other. I don't. I know that all players strike out. Have bad games. Play poorly. But because I know she beat her self up over it and yes, redeemed her self with some AWESOME defensive playing, but I know she wanted to hit well.

Saturday, she hit well. She was lead batter and first run over the plate. We just couldn't get past the nerves and tried to do too much to win this game. Several errors were made and several good things were done too as well. But the softball Gods gave the win to Andrews, which cut like a knife so bad because we are better than this team. We are. We really are.

I love this team! I know I said that about the basketball team as well, but when you spend this much time photographing these girls and getting into their expressions, faces, words, feelings, you fall in love and want the world for them.

I didn't take a TON of photos. But Steve Conway did and you can view his photos of the game by clicking HERE. For the Cooper Lady Pirates Softball Gallery, CLICK HERE.

Until next year...

Rachel + Jacob, the wedding

Hello! I'm alive! Please pardon the absence. I have so much to share with you. And those of you reading this that have daughters, will totally understand why I've been gone. It's been a tough week parenting wise with the pressure of softball playoffs, then the ending of softball playoffs, and then awards ceremony. Just STUFF. Just LIFE. I blog more on that later, but for now, the long awaited, JACOB + RACHEL SNEAK PEEK! This is one of my favorite WEDDINGS EVER!!!!

It really was. And for different reasons. I get to see EVERYTHING in the world detail wise, from one budget spectrum to the next, so details are beautiful and nice and yes, the style of the wedding, but more than that, this wedding's details were the style of the COUPLE. They weren't chosen simply because it was a wedding and given choices they picked what they wanted, they were thought about and chosen because they were wanted at the wedding.

• Jacob's suit. Yes. Tuxes are nice, but the bride gets to keep her dress, so why not let the groom invest in a nice suit? A wedding suit. I LOVED that Jacob bought a suit and that these outfits will last. They can dress up in them again. Show them to their grandkids. AND it fit him well because it was made and tailored for him. That was a huge plus! Guys, you know how they never seem to get your tux fitted just right.
• The guest book. Instead of opting for the traditional guest book, the couple bought a GORGEOUS book about Paris (honeymoon destination) and had guests sign it with sweet thoughts. It was placed in a corner of the reception and you could take your time instead of having people lined up behind you waiting to be seated and sign. GOSH! I stress when folks watch me write. I signed this one and it felt GREAT! Plus, I couldn't stop looking at it!!! Beautiful images! I'm sure if I had tried to find one about Jamaica (our honeymoon), it would have been filled with poverty pictures and waterfalls. sigh... Such a great idea for a non-traditional guest book.
• cake balls! OH, my GOSH! You can see the images below, but Rachel didn't want a cake. Instead, family made cake balls! They were AWESOME! I even had a head count to know how many I could bag before I was INSANELY greedy. I could have eaten these all night. I quickly had to pace myself.

I could go on and on, but I need to show you the photos. I just wanted to say, I really do LOVE all the weddings I photograph. I get invested in the couple and their love and I melt when they commit. But I also see a lot of couples stress at participating in an event that is orchestrated by someone else and not what they really wanted. I love BIG FAT TRADITIONAL weddings! I really do. Especially if the couple LOVES that for their day. Secretly inside I hope all couples will have a live band so I can dance, but the main point I'm trying to stress here...

It's your day, plan it your way. Let it reflect you and your relationship and how you want to celebrated that with your family and friends.

THAT is my favorite kind of wedding.

Onto the sneak peek! Of course there are more photos at their online wedding gallery. CLICK HERE. It is password protected. Use the bride and groom's last names, smushed together, lowercase.

Congratulations you two! I had a fabulous time!!!