We Three..er Four Kings

History~It was football season two years ago. One of the other mom's and I had already been "together" for two years. We were giving the "circle closed" vibe to the newbies...Rachel didn't care. She ran over to us before our first game with "girlfriend!" this and "Yeah! It's game time!" that. We were hooked.

Since then Rachel has become one of the absolutely most important women in my life. I am fortunate to have many amazing women in my life but I am truly blessed to have a handful of women that have shown me how to be a better mom, a better Christian and a better woman. Rachel is at the top of that list. I kinda dig her husband and kids too ;)

I was honored to shoot their family late this summer. I wish these photos could show their awesomeness but you must experience it first hand to truly appreciate it.

;)

The Hofstad Family

Five bright, energetic, beautiful children and two devoted, faithful, patient, inspiring parents.

Rob and Stacie are fantastic parents who have learned to just take everything in stride. I am always amazed at how they can manage to have everyone dressed and ready to go then keep a smile on their face.

God has definitely blessed them with more patience than he has me!

Charee

I posted these previously (before my blog got deleted!) but they are some of my favs so really want to post them again.

Charee and I have been friends for over 15 years. You would think that would make this project easier because we're comfortable with each other. Um...no! It was so hard because we just wanted to be crazy and silly!

On a side note~I drove by the yellow house and red striped barn we shot some of these at and they are tearing them down. I am so bummed!

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and survived Black Friday...Enjoy!!

rikki

Inside Her Soul

Do you have a sister? I do. She is the window into my soul. She is the reflection I see when I look in the mirror. She is the fixer of our family. She is the driving force of her family.
Sometime in the middle of reflecting, fixing and driving she forgot who she is. Actually I think she's like me in that she never knew and is now searching like mad for who that girl is.
I can tell you some more of who she is. She is a supporter. She is a giver. She is lost. She smiles even when it hurts. She loves unconditionally. She is a friend. She is a shoulder to cry on. She is funny. She cries when no one is watching.
When we were in town for a visit she asked me to shoot photos of her and my niece Charlie in her favorite place. I was honored. However, I think she was looking for images to reflect what she wants to show. That's not what I saw. That wasn't my mission. That's the advantage of being the little sister of a fixer-I do what I want and she tells me it's okay even if it's not :)
I saw the beautiful woman I knew was inside. Even though I love my sister's smile and laugh I also love it when she lets her guard down. I love letting her know that it's okay that everything is NOT okay. The people who really love you will still love you.
And the eyes of my sister and her daughter... Do you feel like you can see right into their soul?? I do. That's why I love the first photo so much.
I also got to shoot some photos of "The Cousins". The four of them are such a blessing to each other. They may not realize it now but what they have is incredibly special.
Donna,
I love you. You are a beautiful woman inside and out.
"A true friend knows your weaknesses but shows you your strengths; feels your fears but fortifies your faith; sees your anxieties but frees your spirit; recognizes your disabilities but emphasizes your possibilities."
I hope I am always a true friend to you.
Much love,
rikki

You Did What?!

Do you ever go through the motions of something you're kind of nervous about triple checking before you click 'ok' only to have it be too late?
Yep, me too. More often than I'd like to admit.
My latest incident was this blog. I had posted my heart many times over and then I deleted it...accidentally of course.
Overall it looks to be a good thing. If you are one of my (2) faithful followers you've noticed that I haven't posted in a looong time.
A couple of different reasons for that...1) My life's been a little (okay a LOT) crazy lately and 2) I was having a hard time separating my "work" photos from my personal photos. I always felt like I had to be "on". It was taking away from my love of photography, story telling, making people smile and sharing.
So my solution...I'll have two blogs. Here you will find my "work" photos and at http://www.diditmakeyoulaugh.blogspot.com you will find my personal photos.
I haven't been able to recover my old posts so for now a slide show will have to do.
So please~sit back, grab a cup of tea and take a peek around.
I love to hear from you so please leave a comment and let me know you stopped by ;)
rikki