Goodbye 2007! Hello 2008!

Here we are, less than twelve hours left in 2007. I can't believe how this year has flown! Anything left that you would like to have accomplished this year?

This is the time when we look back on the year past. What an awesome year it has been! What is so wonderful about our profession is that we get to capture your memories for the year. It is such a blessing to be able to capture a moment for others. You can't go back to your child's first year, your wedding day or your senior year, but we are so happy to have been able to capture these milestones for our clients.

I've never really made a New Year's resolution and I haven't decided if I will this year. What is your goal for 2008? Is it to lose a couple of pounds, spend more time with your family or maybe work on your relationship with God? Whatever it is, I wish you the best. I wish for you to have the best 2008 you could have. After all, you won't get to have a second chance!

Happy New Year! I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe night ringing in 2008!

Here are our very favorite images for the year 2007

Michael's Favorite:
An image from his week at the Bonneville Salt Flats of his crazy friend from Canada. He set a world land speed record.
Loretta's Favorite:
An image from Luis and Jill's beautiful wedding that we photographed this fall at Ciccone Vineyards.

Lindsay's Favorite:
A timeless image from one of our Hollywood black and white sessions.

But we really could not forget Cameron.


AAAHH!! IT'S 2008!

Christmas Eve Services

Just one more reminder that we would love to have you join us for Christmas Eve services at Bay Pointe Community Church. God is so awesome and we want to share Him with you.

Services are 3:00, 5:00 and 7:00 PM. Take an hour away from
your hectic schedule, relax and enjoy the splendor of the season. Celebrate the birth of the Christ child. Celebrate your family. If you have no family in the area, there are plenty of Bay Pointe members who will give smiles and hugs. Come alone, come with family, just come! It will be a wonderful experience.

We are blessed and want to share our blessings with you. We look forward to seeing you there!

Loretta wishes Stacy a Happy Birthday!

It is a pleasure to wish Happy Birthday to Stacy! When I photographed Stacy a few weeks ago, I found out that her birthday is Christmas day. What a great day to be born!

I did not want Stacy to miss her birthday wishes while she was enjoying Christmas with her family, so I decided to post this a few days prior.

If you know Stacy, give her a birthday hug. If you do not know Stacy, I will tell you a little bit about her. Stacy loves her family, is a great friend to many and is a delight to photograph. She is a beautiful woman. I am glad we met!

Stacy is mom to Dani. We photographed Dani's senior portraits. Dani is such a great model that we asked her to model for our Super Monday class. Dani modeled for our Hollywood style lighting. You can see Dani's image in a previous blog.

Enjoy your day Stacy!

All I Want For Christmas is My Two Front Teeth!

Laurel looked today how I felt last night at the mall while I was trying to Christmas shop. Anyone else having that problem? Most of my friends would say that I am the Christmas queen. I love Christmas carols and the Christmas season, but I cannot shop!

On the bright side, we are completing all of our Christmas orders. Whew!!!!! Today we are finishing up by framing twenty wall portraits. It looks like a framing factory in the camera room.

It seems that lately, I have had a way with making the children scream and not always screams of delight. Laurel is cutting teeth, so she was not really mad at me. We were able to get some beautiful images before she had enough of us.

It's Here!

Today we launched our all new Miss Heart of Michigan website! We are so excited that it has all of the most up to date information about our pageant. As we gain sponsors, we will add more information about them. Also, as our list of sponsors grows, we will be posting the dollar amount of the scholarship that our 2008 Miss Heart will receive. We'd love to hear your feedback on our new site! Please check it out! www.MissHeartofMichigan.org

Something new for Christmas!

Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock! Christmas is right around the corner! Have you made plans for Christmas Eve church services? Michael and Loretta would like to invite you to join them at Bay Pointe on Christmas Eve. Services will be at 3, 5 and 7:00pm (They will be at the front door for each service, so you cannot miss them!). I know that sometimes around Christmas, it's nice to go back to a church you are used to. Why not try something new this Christmas Eve? They would love to show you around Bay Pointe! There is child care available for children up to kindergarten at all services. Check out Bay Pointe's website at www.bponline.org for more information about weekly services! Hope to see you there!

Give, give, give!

Today Michael and I went over to the Father Fred Foundation to drop off the checks that our clients donated. Father Thome was so delighted to receive the $280! Anything we can give is alway so appreciated. The Father Fred Foundation is located on Hastings Street in Traverse City. They are always accepting donations of food and clothing. The Father Fred Foundation has a long standing history in our community. We are so fortunate to have such a wonderful place for those in need. If you are interested in donating your time or goods, you can learn more on their website at www.fatherfredfoundation.com. 'Tis the season!

Ho Ho Ho...Merry Orders!

For the next few weeks, Michael, Loretta and I are feeling like busy little Christmas Elves! We have been working away at all the Christmas orders we have! Today I am at a standstill. I finished everything I could and now I sit and wait for FedEx to bring more portraits! Loretta has made a home for herself in front of the computer retouching and sending in the orders. The ice storm in Kansas has slowed down delivery for a few of the orders. When they arrive, I will be a very busy elf getting us back on schedule! We know how important it is to have your portraits for Christmas! We promise that we will call as soon as your portraits arrive! Happy shopping!

Christmas Special 2007

Here are samples from today's Christmas special. The children had beautiful outfits! Red and black were the theme of the event.

We photographed the family dog in one session and baby doll with another. They also dressed beautifully for the portraits.

A great big thank you to those who contributed to the Father Fred Foundation. Together, we were able to raise $250 for the Foundation. Way to go, Traverse City!

Feeling the Christmas Spirit!

One day down, one to go! Today was the first day of our children's Christmas special. What a fun day! I even got Skittles!

Our clients are amazing! They donated their session fees to the Father Fred Foundation. Today alone, we raised $150 for them! What great things they will be able to do with such generous donations! Tomorrow will only bring more. The Christmas season is always a good time to remember those in need. We are thankful that we are able to give to them.

Here are a few of today's images.

Lots of fun! Lots of fake snow on my pants! I cannot wait to see what tomorrow has in store for us! For tonight, I may go start my Christmas shopping. Oh boy! Wish me luck!