When I found out that my best friend Stephanie was expecting her third daughter, I knew immediately that we would need a party to celebrate!  However, while it was easy to look at pretty ideas on Pinterest, it was another thing entirely to plan, shop, and execute a party while juggling a business and home life, so the idea of having someone help me was a no-brainer.

Enter Ashley.  I pinned a few ideas on Pinterest, and she took off running.  She sent me an idea board, and we divided up the work that need to be done.  Honestly, I hardly had to do anything!  I ordered a few supplies online and picked out some fabric and scrapbooking paper, and she kind of just made a party appear out of thin air!   She shopped, picked up items I had rented, showed up at my house, and effortlessly transformed my basement in what seemed like the blink of an eye.

Everything was perfect and coordinated down to the very smallest detail.  And I think what I loved, more than not having to make anything myself, more than not having to stress about the party for months leading up to the day, was the fact that when the party was over, I didn’t have a bunch of “stuff” I had purchased just for the day, only to have no use for it ever again.  My guests and I ate the food and drank the wine, I did the dishes, and voila!  Life is back to normal, and I don’t have to store anything.

Besides being the ultimate DIY queen, Ashley is a blast to work with and wasn’t annoyed by my million questions or weird text messages.  I’m really excited to be working with her in a professional capacity later this summer, and I’m already brainstorming who deserves the next ATE party because I’m hooked!

A huge shout out to Kim Kline of Rock’n Sugar Confections for the cookies that were almost too pretty to eat and to Jennifer Cicero of Baked! by jen for the cake that looked exactly like the picture I sent her!  The work these ladies put out is of the highest quality and is true ART.  And thank you, lastly, to Jessica, the new owner of Thode Floral, who saved me from a floral crisis on the morning of the shower, even though she was totally swamped because it was prom!  NOTHING completes a party and makes your house more beautiful than fresh flowers!

But first, in the words of the friend who nominated her, meet Rea:

She’s married to her husband Don, and they have a 6 year old daughter, Aira. Rea suffers from fibromyalgia and pulmonary hypertension. She was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension three years ago and was given an estimate of about five years to live. However, due to her positive outlook, treatment, and care for herself, her health is currently stable. Rea hasn’t accepted her diagnoses as fatal, and instead of worrying and focusing on the possibility of death, she embraces life and tries to live her days to the fullest with her daughter.”

“When I was younger, I never imagined being a stay at home mom. I always worked; I often worked two jobs, and so I imagined that’s what I would continue to do. It wasn’t until we were pregnant with her – in theory things always sound different, but then when the reality is there you realize you want to spend every minute you have with these precious little things; they are the most important thing in your whole life. I consider myself exceptionally lucky that I get to be home with her and have the one-on-one time that we do. And that she gets to know I’m always around for her is really important.”

“When I found out that I had some of the health problems that I have, it was kind of a wake-up call. The light bulb went off:  When she’s running back and forth in the yard and says ‘chase me, mom,’ I want to make sure I can chase her instead of saying ‘no, I can’t do that.’ I might not ever be able to keep up like younger moms, but I’m trying very hard to get in shape and maintain my health a little bit better – all while trying things I always wanted to do. I always wanted to learn how to play the ukulele, so I got one, and I tried it.  I’m going to try the flying trapeze in Chicago – we’ll see how that goes!  My girlfriend and I took a modern dance class last summer, and even though I’m not a dancer, it was amazing to see how much we learned in a matter of a few months.  I became stronger and more confident so I started taking ballroom, Latin, and Salsa classes. It’s one of the best things I’ve tried!”

I love photographing at a client’s own property, but a real-deal cattle farm was a first for me.  What a gorgeous – and meaningful – setting for this special session!

I think my immediate answer was families because I am drawn to the story people have to tell.  Did you know I majored in English in college?  That as a high school English teacher, I loved the story – both those from the past that we encountered in our readings and the ones my students had to tell in their own writing? I think I’ve just always been drawn to the story, and I feel that pull in my creative, personal, and professional life now more than ever.

The images from the day I spent with the Ragos tell a story.  Not a made up story.  Not a we-picked-out-special-outfits-story.  A real story of a real family.  Doing their real stuff.  Stuff that may seem mundane – or even on our bad days – monotonous, boring, and yes, stressful.  But beautiful.  And to be remembered.

There is, of course, the time and the place for the “perfect” picture – the backlit, sunset, adorable outfit picture.  I will hire someone to take these pictures of my family.  I will take these pictures of your family.  We will print them huge, hang them on our walls, and love them.  But I want, more and more, to take these pictures, too.  Of my family.  Of your family.  So we can remember today.  Our every day.  The stuffed animal left on the kitchen table.  The favorite book.  The rooms in which we live our lives.

In the weeks to come, I will announce a new product that I will be offering to clients who book these types of sessions, and I’m really excited about it!  But in the meantime, I invite you to look at this beautiful story I was honored to tell.

(P.S. this was my third time photographing Sam & Ollie, and they remind me so very much of my own boys, how different and unique their personalities are.  I’m looking forward to their family session at the beach this summer!)

The great thing about photographing families time and time again is that (hopefully) my camera stops feeling less like a big, obtrusive THING in the room and more like an accessory around my neck, allowing time to talk and visit and natural moments to happen and develop.  I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve had the pleasure of photographing Beth & Ryan and their boys, so our sessions really are just like scheduled hangouts!

My favorite part of this session in their house was that  I got to look around the Whitakers’ home through the boys’ eyes, as they showed me their favorite things and how their toys worked.  They had a special sense of pride about their things and their space, and they were totally relaxed and open and themselves – just how I would dream any one, but most especially children, to be for pictures.

It was a chilly morning, but deliciously sunny, and I love all the pockets of light and natural shadows in these images.  (They begged me to be in black and white, and I listened.)

I have been feeling pulled in a different direction lately, creatively and emotionally, when I think about the kind of images that I want to create and that I want to give to my clients.  This session and these images just jive with those feelings – real, honest, this is who we are, doing what we do, in the spaces where we live.  Less about the picture-perfect outfit.  More about telling a story and preserving that story to be told and retold for years to come.  I look forward to all the stories I will be a part of telling this year, and I thank all of my clients and friends for allowing me to hold such a honored, cherished place in their lives ♥

I was digging it so much that I decided to open a separate Balee Images account where I could pin fun stuff related to my business.  I have some pretty awesome stuff on my boards, and I’m ready to start pinning more!

So this Friday night (the 29th), we’re going to have a Pinning Party, which means you get to pin it to win it (yes, that IS fun to say. Go ahead, try it!)  Win what, you may ask?

How about…

1.   A Starbucks Gift Card!  I can smell the coffee and cranberry-orange scones from here…

2.  One of my custom-made, hand-painted frames!  You pick the style and the color, and it’s YOURS!  Better yet – if you are a client of mine, I will throw in a favorite image of yours to go in the frame.  (size: 4×6)  Wanna take a peek at the frames?  Check ‘em out HERE.

3.  A Craft Night with Ashley Thunder Events!    ATE is now hosting a monthly Craft Night, and one lucky winner will get to go make something beautiful – with drinks and snacks (yes, she had me at drinks and snacks!).  Winner may choose to attend the first event on April 23 or another month of her choice.

4.  And this one is ONLY for my 2013 clients because I had to give y’all a chance at something a little extra sweet: an 11×14 canvas wrap of your favorite image from your session this year!  WOOT!

So HOW DO WE PLAY?

1.  Go to my Balee Images Pinterest boards HERE.  Repin anything you see that you like onto one of your boards!  The person with the MOST REPINS wins a prize.  EASY!!!

2.  Go to my website HERE.  Browse through the categories (babies, families, love, etc.), and click the “pin it” button at the end of a blog post.  Choose your favorite images from that post, and pin it to one of your boards.  TWO winners chosen at RANDOM.

3.  And one more advantage for my past clients (trying to spread the love – can you feel it?) – take a picture of how you’ve displayed your pictures from your session(s) with me (yes, a cell phone picture is totally acceptable), and upload it as a new pin.  Pin as many different pictures as you want to increase your odds of winning!

It’s fun.  It’s easy.  Let’s wear our PJs.  Heck, pour yourself a glass wine, and then it’s a REAL party!  I’ll be pinning new stuff, and I can’t wait to see what you’ll be pinning, too!  See you at 8:00 p.m. CST!   I will wrap things up and start counting pins at 10:00, so pin quickly, pin often