The Call.

So last Tuesday I was having a very productive afternoon. Dylan was sleeping away. I was cleaning up clutter and getting ready to vacuum. I had laundry in the washing machine, dryer and was folding several loads. I was on my way to the bedroom with my arms full of another load of clothes to fold, so when the phone rang I couldn't reach it before it went to the machine. The message on the other end was "Amy this is Linda at St. Mary's Hospital please call me back." My heart started pounding so hard I thought I was having a heart attack and I was shaking so bad I dropped all the clothes. Even now I am having the same reaction just thinking about the call. I knew as she left the message it was Cory and it had to be bad for him not to call. I knew because about two and half hours before Cory had left on his street bike and that was not our hospital, but the hospital near where his sister lives.

I called back right away, but it took forever for them to put me through to someone who knew what was going on. I told them that I knew my husband was in an motorcycle accident and was in the ER, they kept trying to send me to the billing department. In this time Dylan was waking up and I was trying to feed him because he had slept through his feeding time. Finally the nurse came on the line, I'm sure I sounded like a basket case. I know my voice was shaking. The first thing she said was that it was not life threatening. I started breathing a little easier. He was pretty scratched up and I need to come to the hospital was there someone that could drive me. I told her I would be fine, but it takes me a hour and a half to get there. I threw what I could grab into the truck and left.

I have never been so conscience of not speeding in my entire life. All I could think was that I couldn't get pulled over and waste that time. Plus I had Dylan with me and did not want to have a wreck myself with him. A nurse met me in the parking lot when I got there and took me right in, you gotta love small towns. He was still all strapped down to the backboard with his head and neck immobilized. The first think he said was are you here to take me home. The hospital staff told me that they were shipping him to Lewiston because there was a little bit of bleeding in his brain and he need to be with the neurosurgeon.

So ten minutes after getting to Cottonwood where St. Mary's is, we got back in the truck and drove another hour to Lewiston to the hospital there. It normally takes me a hour and 20 minutes and 75 miles to get to Lewiston. That afternoon it was 2 and a half hours and 110 miles. There they kept him in PCU over night. We found out he also had three broken ribs and a separated shoulder. The bleeding stopped and they released him Friday afternoon. He has to go back for another CAT scan next week to just check on everything. We are all very surprise how well he is doing right now. He is up and not in a whole lot of pain. He has even been in helping out at the store some. The hardest part has been getting him to take it easy. So now you know why I have disappeared for a few days and am going to be pretty busy for awhile picking up slack at the store.

Update

Just wanted to post a quick update. I had a family emergency this last week and was unavailable. I will get back to you as soon as possible if you have been trying to contact me. It will just take me a little while to get caught up from being gone. Thank you for your patience.

Happy First Anniversary David and Whitney!

A year ago today my baby brother and his high school sweetheart got married. They have been together forever and she is truly another sister to me; I couldn't love her more. They had a wonderful outdoor wedding at my parent's house with tons of friends and family. It was lots of fun, even if I had to drive all the way from Missoula and back in one weekend for it. Here are some photos I was able to capture of the day.

After the ceremony they rode off on the Harley.

The first dance.

This shot is one of my all time favorites.

Now I am super excited to wish them all the luck with the next milestone in their marriage. About a week and a half ago I got a phone call from my brother telling me that they are expecting their first baby. So congratulations you guys. I love you and am very excited for you.

The Time is Right.

You may have noticed I have been regularly blogging lately. This probably is quite a surprise to those with whom I went to RMSP. You see I was somewhat against having to start this blog for an assignment. Not because I don't like blogs or didn't want to blog, but because I do not like being told what to do. I was not ready to start a blog at that time. I knew I would probably start one some day for my photography business, just not then. The pregnancy hormones were making me somewhat onery as well I think. Don't you just love being able to blame everything on being pregnant for a short time in your life?

Anyway when I got home from RMSP my biggest priority was dealing with the months of bookwork behind at the hardware store Cory and I own. You see that is my day job. That work got somewhat neglected while I was off having the time of my life; I mean while I was off working very hard investing in my future business. I was also dealing with a pregnancy that exhausted me more than I ever imagined. Then when Dylan was born I was busy adjusting to life with a new baby, one with colic at that. I did a little bit of work on my photography but not much. About a month and a half ago things seemed to just finally come together. Dylan was less fussy all the time and I had learned how to multitask with him very well. It turns out that I also had several photography opportunities come us as well about the same time.

My mom is always tells us that things will happen when the time is right. Well it looks like the time is right for my photography career to get back on track. That includes keeping up with this blog, especially now that I have more work to write about and post. I'm hoping that it will also help keep me shooting so I will have more to post about. Sometimes it is hard to get out there and shoot with a three month old, but it is getting a little easier everyday.

Three Year Anniversary.

I am blessed to have found someone to share my life with. At the time I met Cory I was not planning on ever getting married. Then a friend decided we would be a good match and set us up. We instantly hit it off and knew right away we had found what so many people spend a lifetime looking for. Just over a year later I got to marry my best friend. That was three years ago today Cory and I got married. They say the times flies, but it seems like we have been together forever. It is probably because so much has happened in that time. We immediately moved to Idaho, bought a business. Almost a year later bought a house, then another year later I left for 4 and a half months and went to school. Now this year we had Dylan and I am busy starting another business. I guess that is a lot of major milestones to cram into three years. It has been crazy and busy, but also a lot of fun. As they say I can't imagine my life any other way or without Cory or Dylan in it. So here's to another 50 years.

This was at my brother's wedding last year.

This picture was on the Dworshak Reservoir last spring before I left for school. We are alittle more in our element here.

Sessions Available in Tillamook.

I am going to be in Tillamook, Oregon the weekend of Sept 12 to shoot a wedding. I have already been contacted about doing some portrait sessions during this time as well. There has also been some people wanting sessions in Milton-Freewater, Oregon which is on my way. When I go to Tillamook by myself I usually stop there and stay with one of my oldest friends Katie, mommy of Quinn from the post below. This helps break up the trip and I get to spend some time with Katie. Anyway if anyone is interested in booking sessions during this time let me know. I am somewhat flexible at this point in the length of time I will be there and the number of sessions available. So book now before I finalize my plans. Hope to hear from you soon.

Ian: Senior Photos!

Ian's Mom contacted me about doing his senior photos just about a month before I was due. It was really nice to get out of the house and focus on something other than my growing belly. We had a fun shoot and I was actually able to get around better than I though I would. Ian knew exactly what he wanted, when it came to his pictures. We had to include his great mustangs, both the car and the horse. The car was his senior project for school. He did a really great job on it. Toward the end of the session we went to an old barn where he wanted to do pictures. It was a great spot and we hit it at the perfect time getting that sweet light of the afternoon.

Happy First Anniversary Mindy and Fred!

I meant to post this yesterday their real anniversary, but our power was out for 10 hours so I was not able to get it done. One year ago I shot my first wedding. It was great wedding to start off with. Mindy and Fred were totally laid back and relaxed. They had a small wedding in a field next to her parents home. The weather was warm, but bearable and the family and guest warm and welcoming.

I love this shot. Mindy's flower girls took the self imposed job of carrying her train very seriously. So cute.

The happy couple.

Waiting on the bride.

Here she comes.

Beautiful setting for a ceremony. Looks like it is just the three of them.

Come on guys, its time to party.

Man and wife. So sweet.

Dylan: Three Months Old!

Well my little monster hit the three month mark a week and a half ago. Everyone says the time goes so fast, but it seems like he has been with us forever already. It has been a lot of fun, especially now that he is sleeping through the night most nights. The things I love most about him right now include playing footies with him when his is in his chair and I am in mine. I love that he sits there and "talks" for hours on end. He is getting really good at sticking his lower lip out and pouting before he starts throwing a fit. It is so cute. He is growing my leaps and bounds as is normal and can almost sit up by himself. Here are some pictures I took to mark three months.

Love those big blue eyes.
He looks so much like my dad, in fact their baby pictures look exactly the same.

Sunrise Shoot

Last year when I was at RMSP I found out I was pregnant. Everyone joked that it would be easy for me to do sunrise shoots, because I would already be awake with the baby. Well this morning we did just that. We talked about leaving early last night, but I wasn't really expecting to make sunrise. Well Dylan woke me up at 2:30 and it gave me enough time to get feed, change and dress him. Cory got up shortly after and we actually made it to the top of the mountain to the view point just as the sun was starting to show. The color was a little dissapointing after yesterday's beautiful sunrise, but I think I got a few pretty good shots. Then I got to practice my macro work some on the flowers in bloom up there, while Dylan slept away in the pick up and Cory went to get his gear from hunting that was left. I love flowers, but my macro work leaves something to be desired, so no really good photos there.

This last photo is one of the flower photos I took. Last year at RMSP during an assignment I discovered purposely taking out of focus pictures. I loved the effect. It creates a painterly quality that I love. So I have decided to work on a series of soft focus flowers.


Hope everyone as a great fourth of July. Have fun and be safe however you celebrate.

Rachel and Steve Engaged!

Just before Christmas this last year my younger sister got engaged to her boyfriend of one year, Steve. I am really happy for the two of them. I have not got to spend that much time with Steve as they met after I moved almost 500 miles away. But each visit I spend time with him confirms the fact that I believe my sister has finally found her match. They are both quite goofy at times and react the same to many different situations. They are getting married next July and I am very excited to say that one of the very talented photographers I attended RMSP with last summer will be shooting the wedding. I steered Rachel in Nate's direction after seeing photos from a wedding he shot in December. Since I can't shoot the wedding I shot some engagement photos for Rachel and Steve.

I think this one is my favorite. They were just talking and not paying attention to me, just the way I like it.

They will probably kill me for this one. Steve is a bull rider, so he decided to play the part of the bull and Rachel would be the rider. I told you they can be goofy