"Only love can be divided endlessly, and still not diminish."

It's been a bit since I've updated, but between work, Christmas, and life it's been a little crazy!  I did this session back in November and it is one of my favorites.  

Thirty years ago I was blessed when a certain 18 month old and her family moved into my neighborhood.  It was that day that I met the woman who would become my closest friend, someone who would grow to know me inside & out, and who always has accepted me for who I am no matter what. Through the years we have remained close and have become more like family than friends.  I have cherished watching her family grow and was so excited to get to have some fun with them (and my camera as well).

Classic. Perfection. Priceless.  You can't stage a photo like this!

Here we go - this one's a bit better!

Angry... Sad... Adorable

"It was nice growing up with someone like you - someone to lean on, someone to count on.... someone to tell on!

"The beauty of a girl cannot be mimicked, fabricated, or created by human means....

It only occurs naturally."

"Love one another and you will be happy. It's as simple and as difficult as that."

"A boy is... Trust with dirt on his face, Beauty with a cut on its finger, Wisdom with bubble gum in its hair...

And the hope of a future with a frog in his pocket."

"How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard."

"A father is neither an anchor to hold us back, nor a sail to take us there...

But a guiding light whose love shows us the way."

"So quickly you grow with bounds and leaps....

But the sweetest memories are mine for keeps."

I love these two shots... and more importantly the two sweethearts in the shot!

"In the eyes of a child... there is joy, there is laughter... 

There is hope, there is trust, a chance to shape the future."

"Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get, it's what you are expected to give - which is everything."

"A sister is a gift from God, sent from above to make life worthwhile here below."

"Boys are meant for kisses and hugs, for watching rainbows and catching bugs...

For sharing all of your favorite things, for books to read and songs to sing."

"Biology is the least of what makes someone a mother." (Oprah Winfrey)

"A mother's joy begins before you take your first breath, and it has no end."

"While we try to teach our children about life,

Our children teach us what life is all about."

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.

Sometimes it is hard to believe that it has been thirteen and a half years since I graduated high school. In some ways it seems like a lifetime ago, and in other ways I remember it like it was just yesterday.  I truly loved my senior year.  It started off with an amazing soccer season and ended with a million memories made with treasured friends.  And all along the way it was filled with the excitement of what was to come in the years to follow.

I have watched this young lady (and her sister) grow up since the day she was (they were) born.  And as you can see through the pictures below they have both grown up to be gorgeous, stunning women.  But they are not only beautiful on the outside, it is their inner beauty that impresses me so much and I can't wait to see what the future brings for them!

When I was asked to take Lauren's senior pictures I didn't hesitate to say yes! What a beauty!

"Do not follow where the path may lead...

Go, instead, where there is no path, and leave a trail." (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

I loved the spot we chose to take these pictures - it was just beautiful!

"God breathes and the beauty of nature is revealed.  You are his most beautiful creation & I am left breathless."

"She is your mirror, shining back at you with a world of possibilities...

She is your witness, who sees you at your worst and best, and loves you anyway...

She is your partner in crime, your midnight companion, someone who knows when you are smiling, even in the dark...

She is your teacher, your defense attorney, your personal press agent, even your shrink...

Some days, she's the reason you wish you were an only child."

"Figuring out who you are is the whole point of the human experience." (Anna Quindlen)

"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars." (Les Brown)

"Beginnings are scary, endings are usually sad; it's what you do in-between that counts the most."

So beautiful.  Seriously, could my job of been any easier?

"A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous" (Coco Chanel)

"If you can imagine it, you can achieve it; if you can dream it, you can become it."

"I hope your dreams take you to the corners of your smiles,

to the highest of your hopes,to the windows of your opportunities, 

and to the most special places your heart has ever known."