Ali, Boxer mix

Ash, Shepherd/Rottweiler mix

Bella, Cocker Spaniel

Bonsai, Retriever mix

Bubba, Shepherd mix

Buddy, Daschund

Copper, Great Pyrenees/Shepherd mix

Davey, Jack Russell Terrier

Fugazi, Havanese mix

Hurley, Lab mix

Lionel, Shepherd mix

Phoebe, Greyhound

Pow Wow, Papillon/Daschund mix

Simone, Kai Dog mix

Sugar and Sassy, Poodles

Teal, Shepherd mix

Tiki, Beagle

And 3 cats.

Related posts:

1. Wayside Waifs: November 10 | Kansas City Dog Photographer
2. Wayside Waifs: February 17
3. Wayside Waifs: January 21
4. Wayside Waifs: November 24 | Kansas City Dog Photographer

Jenna – When I look at this picture today all I can do is sigh! What a calm moment after a very exciting, very busy, very perfect day! Trying to get married the Saturday after Christmas was a bit stressful and I thought I had everything under control leading up to the day. We woke up that morning to find a pretty good sheet of ice coating everything and a yucky rain/sleet/snow wintry mix continuing to fall, not really what we had pictured. Despite the added stress of the weather, the day went absolutely perfectly. We were even surprised as we opened the door of the church after the ceremony to find it had started snowing big beautiful flakes. The rest of the evening was full of excitement and celebrating with family and friends. James and I are high school sweethearts. After 7 years of dating, 3 of which were while we were living in different cities going to school, we were finally married! This picture really captures the purpose of the year of planning, the moments of stress, and the reason for the celebrating. We were walking through the door to our house as husband and wife for the first time just the two of us (and Josh)! This was probably the calmest moment of the entire day, but really it was the most thrilling. We were married and were starting our life together!!

Jenna – I love this picture! My dad has always been very supportive and loving. I was blessed in never having to wonder a day in my life if he was proud of me or if he thought I was beautiful. I love how this picture shows his real feelings and emotions just before he walked me down the isle. I couldn’t see his face as we made our way up the stair well (and it was probably a good thing or I would have been a wreck.) If I did have any question of my dad’s love for me, this picture really does say it all!

James – There are hundreds of awesome pictures that the Solars took during our wedding day, but the pictures that mean the most to me are the ones that bring back the emotions of the night for me personally. That’s the reason these are my favorite two pictures.

The first picture is taken during the first few minutes that me and Jenna saw each other. I remember thinking up to that point that I would have no emotional problems and that Jenna would be the one that might lose it at some point during the evening. I remember turning around to see Jenna, looking at her, and that all of a sudden I started to cry like a little girl. I don’t know why, I don’t really know what came over me at that point, but I just broke down and had an emotional time with Jenna. I remember so specifically the feelings in those minutes, and that’s the reason I love this picture.

James – The second picture is during the toasts at the reception. Again, I thought I would be fine as my brother was joking around and telling stories…but then all of a sudden it got emotional. He started talking about some of the things we had been through, and again, the emotions of everything going on just hit. This picture captures all of our faces as we went from a very sentimental time in the speech to a 360 degree turn to some random comment that we all thought was hilarious. I think it captures the relationship that I have with my brother perfectly, and it captures what a great time we were having listening to what the people closest to us had to say.

Looking at both of these pictures takes me back to one of the best days of my life, and puts me in those moments like they were yesterday. Thanks Josh and Jenny for spending that day with us and putting up with everything that was going on. We were so happy with you guys as our photographers and can honestly say we can’t imagine our wedding day without you guys being there.

Related posts:

1. In Their Own Words: Becca & Kyle

–noun

Even as I begin typing this, my insides are telling me to stop.  It’s telling me that no one cares, that others have done this better.  What am I afraid of?  I’ve been thinking about fear a lot lately.  This thinking about fear, and how it affects my life, my relationships, and my business started last April when I had the opportunity to meet Jesh de Rox at one of his Experiential Workshops.  He spoke quite a bit about fear and when you find yourself in uncomfortable positions that you will find yourself in a learning experience.  You grow from facing your fears, so to speak.  So, I’ve tried to do that, but it’s hard.  I find myself constantly avoiding those uncomfortable situations.  If I stay inside with my family, it’s easy.  I’m comfortable with my family.  Putting yourself out there and being completely open and honest in all situations is HARD.  Not only is it hard, but I find myself constantly worrying about how others will look at me.  Why?  Who cares if the people in the grocery store look at me crazy because I enjoy running up and down the aisles with my  kids?  Why should I let others’ views of how I live my life affect the choices I make with the ones I love most?  These thoughts and feelings are always in my head, but I keep trying to push them away.  I want to be comfortable, right?  And, then, I’ve been noticing all these signs lately telling me that I’m wrong.  I can’t possibly be happy living my life this way.  Sarah Rhoads wrote about comfort and fear recently.  Seth Godin talks a great deal about it in his newest book, Linchpin.

And, this morning, while at the gym, I decided to make a choice.  One that is not easy for me to do.  I want to write down all the things that I’m scared of, share them with whoever cares to read them, and it’s going to keep them in my  mind, to help me face them.  Maybe whoever reads this mess will help hold me accountable.  And, let’s face it, life is short.  I need to be living life to the fullest, to be the best person I can possibly be.  I need to be the best dad for my kids.  I need to be the best husband to my loving wife.  I want my life to be a series of meaningful stories and interactions, not only with the ones that I love the most, but with everyone I meet.  I want to help as many people (and animals) as I possibly can, in any way that I can.  I want to greet the world with a smile and open arms.  Our planet needs more people stepping out of their comfort zones to create communities rich with support for one another, but I’m getting off topic.  See, it’s happening again. My insides don’t want me sharing my fears.

• I find myself afraid to have meaningful conversations with strangers.
• I’m afraid of what people might think of me if I speak up more often.  Especially when the topic is something that I’m passionate about.  So I find myself talking about music a lot.
• I’m afraid of failure. I get random moments of genius where I have these brilliant ideas for special projects, meaningful projects, but I’m so afraid of failure that I let the ideas die.  And I don’t write them down because that would mean that I could go back and revisit them again.  I don’t mention them to Jenny because she might push me to actually try and see these projects through to the end.
• I hold back in most public situations because I’m afraid of how people are going to look at me.
• I try and find the good in everyone, in any situation.  I love positive thinking. Who wants to live looking at the negative all the time? But, again, I hide behind Twitter and my Facebook updates.  I’m generally positive over the computer, and I’m almost always positive in my head.  But in real life situations, being positive = being weird.  I let others stifle my positivity.  Or I create that fear inside of me.
• I’m afraid that after I post this blog post people will look at me differently.
• I feel I’ve been holding back during my sessions sometimes because I’m afraid about what my clients will think of me.  My goal is to capture meaningful images of people in everyday life, their connections, their love.  This fear of being my true self is causing my images to suffer. I SAY NO MORE!
• I fear that I’m not doing the best job of raising my kids that I can.  I need to be there for them with no distractions more often.
• I’m afraid of love.  Why? I’ve been with Jenny for 13 years, that’s almost half my life.  She loves me so much.  I see love in my wife’s eyes when she looks at me.  I see love in my son’s smile, I feel it when Ava gives me one of her “Famous Ava Kisses,” and I feel it when Lia snuggles up close to me.  How can I be afraid to give that love back to them 100%?
• There are so many wonderful people in this world, so open to sharing.  Why can’t I be one too?

I’m sure that if I thought about it more that I could go on and on.  I just feel the need to get these fears out there so I can start overcoming them.  It’s all about growth, and if you’re not growing, you’re dying.  The plant in the picture below chose to grow up through the cement.  It could have grown sideways, it could have stopped growing and died, but it chose to push on through the hard times, and live.  I want to live, too.

Is this not the sweetest picture ever?

Related posts:

1. Watching & Waiting…
2. Halloween: A Small Preview
3. Headed to N’awlins: Day 7
4. My Family…Seal Beach…December.

Note: I had Jenny open the garage door, back out, and then I snuck in to capture the shot

Related posts:

1. Max & Banana
2. Max at the Park

Selecting the “Right” Vendors
by Kim Ho, Owner/Event Planner, You’re Invited Weddings and Events

As a Wedding Planner and Day of Coordinator since 2003, I have had so many wonderful experiences with my couples.  And, I’ve learned quite a bit along the way.  When Josh asked me to write an article for their blog, I really had to think about what to write.  So, I thought that maybe I should just pass along some wisdom that I pass along to all of my couples as they begin the planning process.  With that said, there are only a few things which I feel strongly about regarding the planning process.  These come from both my personal and professional views and I hope they are helpful.

1. Go into the wedding planning process with a mindset that planning your wedding is supposed to be fun, NOT stressful-Make or find a wedding planning checklist (via a good wedding planning book or there are plenty online) and start going down the list.  Determine what is the most important thing (or two or three) for you, your fiance and your families then prioritize.  Know from the start that things may not always be as smooth as you’d like them to be, but all will work out in the end and you will walk away the happiest person in the world when all is said and done.   And most of all, enjoy the process and share it with those you love.  It’s one of the most wonderful times of your life!
2. Set a budget and know your guest list before you start any form of planning-See one of my recent posts at www.yiweddings.blogspot.com for a full explanation on this piece.
3. Every bride/mother of the bride deserves a day of coordinator-All I have to say that if I would have thought about having a day of coordinator when I got married 10 years ago, I personally would have found the money to pay for one not only for myself, but my mother.  Personally and professionally, I believe that every bride and her mom should thoroughly enjoy the wedding day.  It is 100% worth having an experienced person oversee every single detail you have planned for the last year to ensure that these plans fall in place and if they don’t (it happens) then it gets fixed and you have no idea about it, nor do you need to worry about it.  My mother worked the entire day of my wedding, when really it would have been wonderful to see her enjoy it a bit more from the Mother of the Bride perspective.
4. And, last but not least, select the “right” vendors for your wedding-In particular, I feel very strongly that every couple should have a GREAT connection/feel with three vendors they select during the planning process:  The Planner/Coordinator, the DJ and the Photographer.

To explain, the Planner/Coordinator (for those of you who choose to have one) will be with you for several months during the planning process (whether the full time or the last couple of months).  Of course, it’s important that this person is selected based on merit, but also because they understand you and your ideas.  This will make you feel comfortable with this person handling your big weekend.  Each vendor you select will work with that person the entire day, so you need to feel like this person can not only carry out the details, but carry out those details with your views in mind.

The DJ/Emcee is the vendor who will make or break your reception.  If you aren’t a fan of their voice, their personality or their style, it doesn’t matter that they may be the only one within your budget or that a friend recommended them to you.  You or your guests may not enjoy the wedding reception for those reasons alone.  So, select a DJ who wants to work with you regarding your style of reception and they make you feel comfortable, because they will be the person running your reception.

And of course, the Photographer.  This is an area that I feel very strongly about in two areas:  Spend money on good photography and LOVE your photographer, not just the photos.  Other than your own personal memories, the photos are what you will walk away with at the end of the day.  If your personalities and styles do not fit, there is potential for disappointment in those photos.  The very last thing you want is to let your feelings for the photographer (or their process) show through in your emotions that day.  With that said, I’ve never had anyone not LOVE the Solars

At the very least, wedding planning is a fun process.  It’s blissful and such a wonderful experience!!  Congrats to anyone getting engaged and/or married in 2010!

My first home movie is one of Max.  We actually had a sunny day this week.  They’ve been few and far between this winter here in Kansas City, so we had to take advantage of it while we had the chance.  We headed to the park for a much needed trip playing outside.  We ran, we laughed, we played our little hearts out.  I shot some video.  Here is my  movie.

**Video Note – This is my first attempt at shooting & editing any video ever.  I learned it’s a big PITA.  It’s hard to see what you’re focusing on in the bright sun.  I am pleased with the finished product, though.  I thought about using a tripod or monopod to shoot with, but my son is 5.  He’s chaotic.  He’s fast.  For me to capture what I want to capture, hand-held is the only way to go.  I really love the look and feel of the finished product.  Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think.

Related posts:

1. Headed to N’awlins: Day 7
2. 8 Frames with Max
3. 8 Frames with Ava
4. The Solars in Orange

Pickles, a Chug

Kelvin, a Pointer mix

Buddy, a Cocker Spaniel/Golden Retriever Mix

Braveheart, a Pit Bull

Claire, a Shar Pei Mix

Jazmine, a Rottweiler

Red, a Vizsla

GiGi, a Weimeramer

Lennox, a Pit Bull/Terrier mix

Boston, a German Shepherd mix

Murphy, a Beagle mix

Walter, a Lab puppy

Falcon & Miss Kitty (they’ve lived their whole lives together)

Patches

Jasmine

Brodie

Marco

Geraldine

And, just for fun.  This image was taken right after Rosemary declared, “I love kitties because you can practically manhandle them and they don’t care.”  I think this kitty disagreed with Rosemary’s “manhandling”

Related posts:

1. Wayside Waifs: February 3
2. Wayside Waifs: March 3
3. Wayside Waifs: December 15
4. Wayside Waifs: January 21

Related posts:

1. The Millards
2. Grace
3. Jillian, Olivia & the Beautiful Cole Family
4. Peter | Kansas City Family Photographer

Related posts:

1. You watch them grow…