Emily & Derek - Wedding

Words can't even begin to describe what a joy it was to be part of this wedding. And even more so such an honor to be asked to capture it on [digital] film for years to come! Emily has been like a little sister to us, and our kids even refer to her as Tante Emily, which is German for aunt. When we were pregnant with our first child, Alyssa, we were working with the teens in the youth group at church and met Emily for the first time. She was a freshman in Kathie's DIA group and since then has been our regular babysitter for the last six and a half years. She is very dear to our entire family, and over the years our kids practically begged us to go out on dates so they could spend time with their Tante Emily.

And although we thought the day would never come when she would find someone that met our standards for her, eventually it did when she met Derek. And as we have gotten to know him better over the last 2 years, we have continually been impressed with everything that he is to her. He was even able to pass the most difficult challenge of gaining our now 4-year old Emily's approval. Which is a pretty big deal for those of you who know her personality! And especially since she was named after our favorite babysitter! (Yes, this was confusing for a little while. Our kids started calling her Big Emily, which we quickly replaced with a more appropriate Tante Emily )

And so on a beautiful day in July, we celebrated with Emily and Derek as they became husband and wife. We have mixed emotions as we are thrilled beyond words for them, yet sad that we won't be able to see them as often as we would like. But when they do visit you can be sure they will get huge hugs, a plethora of pictures, fabulous food, and some cool conversation.

So enjoy these images as they tell a beautiful story. The extra time it took to post them is definitely worth the wait!











A father's anticipation = priceless




Smallest. Frog. Ever.


It's not cool in July. Luckily the bridal suite had floor vents!






Yes, they did walk out to the Indiana Jones theme song. Hat included.




Fireproof!


Good advice


Kinda had to be there




Dancing with Pop-Pop


It didn't take long for our girls to realize what they could do with their dresses












After the grand exit, Emily and Derek met us around back for a quick and relaxed portrait session. We love it when bride and grooms do this! A special thanks goes out to Emily's sisters who entertained our kids in the Odyssey while we captured these. You guys rock! Just check out the awesomeness oozing from these images!











Okay this last one we just happened to see them in traffic on the way home so naturally we had to get in front of them for one last frame. It may or may not have involved one of us standing up in the front seat and shooting through the sunroof...

Discouraged Lately? Be an Encouragement.

Ever been discouraged?

There are a lot of things that can cause us to be discouraged. But did you ever stop to think about what that really means? Is it a feeling? Is it a decision?

This weekend I was presented with the opportunity to be discouraged. Late Saturday night (read: early Sunday morning) I was tossing and turning in bed, trying to find that sweet spot of comfort where everything felt just the right temperature and I could go to sleep confident I wouldn't wake up 2 hours later too hot or too cold or with two arms that were still asleep.

And then it dawned on me that often times when we are discouraged it is because we choose to let ourselves feel that way. Nobody forces us to. And then I got to thinking, what if I were to choose not to be discouraged whenever I feel let down? What if I simply do not give my mind permission to feel discouraged? Would it help? Would it make things any better?

Maybe.

But that's like saying, "When I'm mad, I'll just tell myself not to be."

I quickly came to the realization that it's not that simple. We are all discouraged at different times throughout our life and for lots of different reasons. Sometimes it's a big discouragement, sometimes it's a little one, and other times in between.

This weekend I was discouraged. But what helped me the most was someone who provided encouragement. That's it. Nothing fluffy, just genuine.

So tonight as I sit here at the computer I thought, what if every time I was discouraged I tried to think of someone to encourage? What if we all did that? It certainly won't keep us from being discouraged in the future, but it sure can help during the times we are.

Been discouraged lately?

Be an encouragement.