.:life outside columbia:.

Some of those that know us well know that Brian and I began "teaching" an English conversation class once a week at an International-friendly group on Mizzou's campus this past semester. I use the term "teaching" lightly as it generally involves us splitting the group into two wherein Brian takes the intermediateish speakers to play a mean game of Apples to Apples and discuss Chinese history and I sit at a table with the other half where we exchange stories and customs of our cultures.

Jenny is a part of that group. She has been so faithful and has attended every single class this semester. She is a visiting scholar from Beijing and has brought her husband, Bill, and absolutely *delightful* daughter, Nancy, along with her. Jenny teaches Journalism at her University in Beijing (thus her study at Mizzou!) and was inspired to begin a book about not just the American tradition of Christmas trees, but the stories behind all of the ornaments at different households.

She wrote Brian and I several weeks ago asking if we could be some of her subjects for the book she is writing and if we would share some stories and photos of our own Christmas tree. Brian and I were totally game except for the tiny problem of the fact that we don't put up Christmas trees. We tried our first year of marriage and got as far as hanging beautiful purple Christmas ornaments up that a sweet family from our church had passed on to us. We hung them on our potted tree (that looks absolutely nothing like a Christmas tree but does actually sport Christmas lights!). The next year we swore we'd cut one down from the many acres on my parent's farm but the time we scheduled to go down there they had a mini blizzard and the roads were blocked. We resorted to putting the purple ornaments up again, two days before Christmas, on the same potted tree. After that year, we gave up.

Needless to say, my family puts up a gorgeous tree every year. The ornaments are filled with delightful memories and the many Santas that my mom has painted over the years for her staff. Jenny, Bill, and the ever-cute Nancy agreed to come out to Russellville to view the farm and the tree.

I took my camera along, for fun this time, and some of the photos will go in Jenny's book alongside the stories. It warms my heart.

Bill in the background taking photos of Jenny holding Nancy. The goats were definitely curious.

My wonderful stepfather, Jim, in the midst of the feeding chores with two of the family's faithful Australian shepherds.

Santa gave Nancy a crown. Which she promptly brings with her everywhere. Seriously. Everywhere.

Total sucker for lens flares.


I was trying to get a picture of Nancy and Jenny petting the horse when the horse got a little frisky with the camera.

Nancy being introduced to one of the EIGHT purebred Australian Shepherd puppies Big Dee had on Sunday. (Belle, the other female dog, will be having her own litter sometime in the next few weeks. So if anyone wants to buy an Australian Shepherd puppy you know who to contact...)

Proud and very protective mama.

Ma's Christmas tree.

Nancy discovered mom's little red rocking chair and found she fit in it perfectly.

This ornament used to be a part of a quilt my great grandmother (correct me, cousins, if I'm wrong... it's been awhile) had made. It was in pieces so rather than trying to keep it put away where it would continue to deteriorate one of my cousins cut it into different shapes for ornaments and added vintage buttons and gave them to all of the grandkids to keep for our trees.


This ornament was one I never noticed but when my mom started talking about it she got teary eyed. My family used to volunteer with a group of teens that were in need of some more stability in their lives. There was one fellow in particular who was absolutely brilliant. He was sarcastic and cutting and witty. He didn't care about anything, really, and would constantly sabotage his success. One afternoon, however, the group was painting ornaments. Most of the teens were just globbing paint on willy nilly but, to everyone's surprise, he carefully and meticulously painted this Rudolph. In the end, he gave it to my mother, who accepted it with pride and who puts it on her tree every year and remembers him.

This was one ornament done by one of our old neighbors many many years ago. She apparently had never cross-stitched anything in her life but one Christmas season decided she wanted to make everyone ornaments with cross-stitching. Our family was one of the lucky recipients and, to my mom's knowledge, she never cross-stitched again!


Mom's stained glass ornament piles.


My littlest sister (who is not so little anymore at the budding age of FIFTEEN) and Nancy with the puppies.


Don't you feel all warm and fuzzy now? And don't you know people who want Australian Shepherds? For serious, now, ya'll. You will contact me us if you know someone who wants one, right?

Happy New Year, everyone!

Mallory & Brian

.:lilly & adam:.

Some love blossoms early. When Lilly's family asked Adam if he remembered how the two of them started dating, he naively shook his head, "no". (We'll get to that in a minute).

Lilly and Adam are like vanilla and chocolate, like peaches and cream, like peanut butter and jelly. They fit together perfectly and they've been together for what seems like an eternity. The fact is, some love blossoms early.

The two had decided once she was finally in vet school and he had finished his final year in law school that they would tie the knot in a small ceremony surrounded by their immediate family. So Adam and Lilly (or Lilly and Adam, if you prefer) dressed up in their finest to celebrate their new life surrounded by beautiful floral designs by My Secret Garden and a family with just enough spunk and character to keep everyone laughing and entertained. Lilly's mother put on her pink, self-labelled "monkey suit" paired with sparkly heels(which later she moved back and forth quickly every time she noticed me trying to take a photo of them during the wedding-which, as she had planned, messed up those shots) and kept Lilly in all smiles while Adam greeted the arriving family in A.P. Green Chapel upstairs.

When the moment arrived, Lilly approached the front of the small chapel arm in arm with both of her parents to the sound of a gong and Adam took her in with eyes that showed how long he had been waiting for this moment. Their claim to fame during their simple ceremony were their vows which they not only wrote, but made sure rhymed. After the ceremony and quick family photos for all Adam and Lilly made their way to Columbia's fine Wine Cellar & Bistro where they were greeted with a surprise.

They knew something was going on when they arrived to see Lilly's mother (already changed out of the sparkly heels and into tennis shoes to match her skirted pink "monkey suit") keeping watch for their arrival. Apparently, all of the family had pitched in to help create a slideshow (which they were finishing the set up of) of the couple from birth to present. But, not only did the slideshow include photos, it included the beginning of their courtship so very long ago.

After enjoying their first slice of cake together (which I might mention was a cake decorated with vet symbols for Lilly) the two finally sat to enjoy this surprise (that they were getting a little nervous about, knowing the nature of their family). Lilly's mother asked Adam, with a sly smile, if he remembered how the two began dating. Adam's face turned a little red as he slowly shook his head, "no," scared where this was going...

Turns out, as their families quickly reminded them, Adam asked out Lilly by writing a little message on Lilly's bedroom wall in sharpie one fine day in high school. Luckily, Lilly's mom snapped a photo of it, and then typed it out so that we could all read it on the screen. Everyone shared the laughter.

This is the love of Adam and Lilly.

[Adam and Lilly had their engagement photos taken the *week* of their wedding! We did a few photos downtown and got them ordered in time to have them displayed at their actual ceremony. So when those wedding books tell you that you have to have your engagement photos done a year in advance, these two are living proof that it isn't always necessary!]




And because it's technically "doppelganger week" on facebook (and strangely has been for the last three weeks...) I noticed as I was going back through their photos that Lilly bears a strange resemblance to Stana Katic, who plays a character named Kate Beckett on the show "Castle".














Notice the adorable little animals on their cake?






I bet Adam had this same suave face when he was writing that message on Lilly's wall. = )


And just because it's my goal this year to finally enjoy the taste of wine, I give you more wine corks.


The end!

.:kaylyn senior portraits:.

One of the things we love so much about photography is the people! I often find myself a little despondent after handing off the last book or disc of images to people we've photographed. I start getting sad that we no longer have excuses to interact with these phenomenal persons with whom we just bonded on some of the biggest days of their lives! I am stoked to announce that since Misty & Jerome got married on New Year's Eve of 2008 she has contacted me not once, but twice now to do photos. When their little one turned one year old in February we took photos at Jaylin's birthday party and now Misty's little sister, Kaylyn, is graduating from high school. Woo hoo! Ah, to be a senior graduating from high school again...

Kaylyn was totally laid back as her sister and Mom carried all of her clothes and shoes in a laundry basket with us around Mizzou's campus. Brian amused us all with his continual ramblings about the type of pizza he was hoping to con me into getting after we all got done shooting. I think he got started on that after Noreen, Kaylyn, & Heather all decided to hit the famous Shakespeare's Pizza (if you've never been there, you have to go) after they were done.

The building I had in mind for the black and white photo was, apparently, locked to the outside world on the weekends. Luckily, as we were arriving, a stranger walked in right before us and we grabbed the door. We looked totally inconspicuous with a laundry basket full of clothes, a gigantic camera, and a 4 foot tall reflector in the very large and brightly lit science building lobby. Needless to say, after I got a few shots I loved, we all left very quickly...

Kaylyn does every sport known to man (well, maybe not all, but almost all) in addition to joining her two older sisters as an acro star (if you're curious what "acro" means, it's short for acrobatics, Brian had to ask as our towns are much smaller than Owensville where they drove in from). You will notice in her photos that this girl is not only absolutely *gorgeous* but definitely has some strength in her. *Sigh* Maybe someday I'll be super flexible or super fabulous or super gymnasticy. Or maybe I'll just settle with being able to do my first pullup.

Thanks, Kaylyn, for being a rockstar!

Oh, and aren't these shoes a-MAZING? Her entire class (if I understood correctly) got a pair and decorated them. Class of 2010... that makes me feel old!

.:emily's headshots:.

So Emily, a theatre doctoral student at Mizzou, contacted me several months ago in hopes of finding someone to update her headshots as the last ones she had done were from old glory days in undergrad. Always up for new things, I told her we'd take a shot at it!

Months later, we finally found a day and a location. A lazy Sunday afternoon at the old McKee Gymnasium on Mizzou campus. We took her photos in what apparently used to be the swimming pool! Emily was so patient and fun as Brian and I tweaked lighting and ran around with reflectors and had her try probably over 80 different things. Emily was so great to work with and quite the photogenic subject!

When I got home and saw the pictures I got so excited that I chose a few of my favorites, tweaked a few things, and decided I must put them up immediately!

Our first theatre headshots.