When I was in high school, I was part of a grief group with a few other people who had lost loved ones, it’s not a club I wish anyone to EVER be apart of! I remember we used to talk about where we were that day they died, or how we found out etc, because everyone’s loss was different. I will never forget April 5, 1997. The few days before are some what of a blur to me, lots of days spent at the hospital with Tyler.  I briefly remember the doctor pulling me and Jesse to the side trying to explain what was going on, honestly I couldn’t tell you a word he said. Anything he told us I didn’t want to believe or accept, it just wasn’t possible. How could someone so strong be losing his battle?

I woke up on the morning of April 5th, the weather was dreary, dark and pouring rain; looking back it seemed very symbolic. Our nanny Stef was with me at the time, as we drove to Ridgedale to continue our shopping excursion, I picked up the phone to call and check in on Ty and my parents. Most people memorize their friend’s phone numbers, I had the hospital number down by heart, so when a person other than my mom or dad answered I was confused. A nurse answered, I asked, “Is my mom or dad there?”, she replied with “I’m sorry, they actually went home.” My heart sank, I dropped the phone and looked at Stef to say “they aren’t there.” Obviously we put it all together, because why wouldn’t my parents be at the hospital with Ty if he was there. We drove home as fast as possible to be with my family, but from the moment we walked in the door my memory is completely blank – I wonder when we grieve if our brain shuts down to save us from remembering the hard and heavy moments.

One thing I will never forget about those weeks afterwards was the outpouring love and support we received from friends and family. Tyler touched the lives of so many people and continues to every day;  it makes my heart so happy to hear people come up and tell me a Tyler story or even just to mention his name. It is an honor to be his sister, I will forever be the eldest sister to two brothers… always. We miss you Ty.

No matter how many years go by I will never forget this face and how much he impacted my life, I wouldn’t be the person I am today without everything he taught me.

Anne – you are an incredible mother, you were meant for this

One of my favorites

Big Brother Gus – Fur babies should never be left out

See what I mean – he’s a great big brother; checking for poopy diapers and comes running whenever she cries – good luck to the boys who try to date her!

A few of my personal favorites from last year… from a wedding, to babies, a couple of seniors and a whole lot of love! Thank you to everyone who made 2011 absolutely INCREDIBLE, honestly I can’t wait to see what 2012 brings!

AJ and Tina’s hilarious wedding on a steamy hot July day!

Anne and Randy – can’t wait to meet baby B soon!

Chloe’s senior session as we explored downtown St. Paul on a beautiful summer night..

One of my favorite families – soon we’ll get to meet baby Max (fingers crossed in just a few weeks!)

These two beauties were a few of the last to be photographed in 2011, couldn’t have asked for a better way to end it!

The Hauer’s are now a family of 4 … love love love!

Now Heather and Jesse’s are officially married and living in Wisconsin – much closer than Virginia! Hands down – best wedding so far!

Just one of the many from a very dear session with Jennifer and her boys

Miss Madisyn turned ONE – what a doll!

My best friend and Godson during their short visit home, can’t wait to photograph the whole family with BILLY home – sometime soon!

As I’ve said so many times – I LOVE this photo because I love these to ladies to pieces, Rachel and Paloma!

Great family session in Ames, Iowa this summer – hot day with lots of laughs and cupcakes!

Family sessions don’t get much better than this one… I don’t joke about how awesome they are! See for yourself!

Finn has been there since the beginning (like no joke, first session I EVER did!), and now he’s a big brother – crazy how time flies!

And he’s pretty darn cute himself, right?

LOVE YOU TEAM JAGLO! Xavier just turned ONE!!!

One of my best friends and her new husband, you can never have too many pictures!

Last but not least, GRANT – graduating from Minnetonka in just a few months!!!

Thanks again friends for sticking with me and supporting me while I continue to do what I love! It means the world!!!!

1. The Notebook – This is a classic chick movie, makes me cry every single time. It is on my list of favorite movies period – Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams are incredibly talented actors and make you fall in love from their first moment together. The clip below is my absolute FAVORITE scene in the entire movie…. love love love

2. The Holiday – What girl doesn’t dream of venturing off to a foreign country and meeting a gorgeous man? This is just that – if you haven’t seen this movie, get a group of your girls together, popcorn and enjoy.

3. Dear John – Nicholas Sparks is a writing genius and when his books are adapted to the big screen it’s a mystery to how it’ll turn out, this movie starring Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried is a story of falling in love with someone after 2 weeks and everything that comes after. It’s heart-wrenching and inspiring at the same time.

4. 10 Things I Hate About You – To say I was obsessed with this movie is an understatement, to this day I can still quote every single line. Hands down one of my all time favorite movies, this may have been the movie where I fell in love with Heath Ledger and Joseph Gordon Levitt – long before Batman and 500 days of summer

5. Crazy, Stupid Love AND Friends with Benefits – It’s only fair to have a current movie in my 5 faves but there is no way to choose between these too. Ryan Gosling vs. Justin Timberlake – nope, I just can’t do it! They both make me laugh out loud and fall in love with the male leads – the perfect mix for a chick flick.

Friends with Benefits

This weekend I’ll be heading off to the theaters to see The Vow with a bunch of girlfriends, hoping it’ll be added to the list of favorite movies!

*Yes I’m aware, I have a minor obsession with Channing Tatum and Ryan Gosling – as you can see by the trend in movies, but a girl can’t help it. They are on “the list” with Ryan Reynolds and a few others *

Overall for the ladies of the red carpet they did really well, not too over the top because the SAGs are suppose to be a bit more laid back and relaxed but I have to say there were still a few ‘gasp’ horrid outfits.

My nominations for worst dressed:

Kaley – looks like you murdered big bird, dyed him and wrapped him around your waist. Maybe it would be better if it weren’t that color?

All I thought was – you look way too much like a mermaid and not in a good way.

My favorites for best dressed of the night:

Not only does she get to date George Clooney and have a perfect body, but this dress is GORGEOUS!!!

Michelle – as always, a classy woman in simple red.

Emma Stone, one of my favorites from the Golden Globes, did it again in this black number.

Viola looked stunning and her speech after winning Best Actress was so touching, she truly is an incredible actress.

Kira rocked this coral dress! I thought she looked phenomenal!

All these ladies looked chic in the neutral tones last night – Kristen would have looked PERFECT without the choker, but I won’t hold that against her too much.

What’d you think of the SAG Awards? Will you be watching the Oscars next month? You bet I will and I’m sure I’ll share my favorites from that night as well – another post to look forward to. Hopefully between that I’ll have much more to post on here! Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Let’s get to the good stuff though – the gowns and men in suits! Who did you think was the best and worst dressed of the night?

Why not start with the worst? I’m thinking maybe it should be recategorized as the “why did my stylist think I looked good”?

I ADORE her but this look was not working for her – Reese Witherspoon, it made her hips look huge and her hair looked like she just rolled out of bed. Sorry Reese, not a good look for you at all – do better at the SAG awards PLEASE!

Sarah Michelle Gellar – “My daughter picked out my dress” should never be a good excuse for such an ugly outfit. Why are you letting your 2 year old pick out your dress to such an important event?

I’m not a huge fan of Lea Michelle anyways, but this dress makes me think of a mermaid stuck in seaweed. Her hair is pretty, but that’s all she’s got going for her. No thank you!

Now on to my FAVORITES of the night:

Miss Emma Stone, I firmly believe she can do no wrong! There’s just something about this dress, the glam but little bit of edge to her. With her hair pulled back it is the perfect ensemble! Way to go Emma!!!

Michelle Williams, winning best actress tonight and dedicating her award to her daughter was touching, just thinking how proud Heath would be of her. Beside the point, even with that headband she looked flawless tonight… her hair, skin and the dress is something a bit different but flattered her perfectly!

Not only is she hilarious and has curves for days but she is freaking GORGEOUS.. Sofia, can we please be friends?! Thanks! One of the trends this year was the mermaid dress and she rocked this out! Her simple hair with the dress, those jewels… How can you not love this?!

She’s had 2 kids, are you freaking kidding me?! Jessica Alba was stunning in her light purple dress…

Mila Kunis – do I really need to say more? Simple black, similar to other dresses she has worn, but thought she still looked beautiful.

Last but not least, my absolute-hands down-wish I could be her – best dressed – Kate Beckinsale looking like a goddess in nude. There don’t even need to be words!

What did you think of the award show? Best and worst part? Ricky did an alright job, the speeches were sweet – otherwise, I can’t wait for the SAG, Grammy’s and Oscars… it’s just the start!