Jason and Natalie's Wedding

Jason and Natalie were married on December 13th. As we were getting up in the morning in preparation for the day, Jason called me in a panic about not being able to get a video he had been preparing to work. He asked for help. There was little I could help him do over the phone and asked him to bring his laptop with him. After the ceremony and a few pictures I grabbed the laptop from his car, ran to Taco Bell for a quick snack (I do have priorities), and then home to see what I could do.

Long story short, I was able to copy Jason's file over to my computer and get it working so he had his video to play at the reception.

Another great thing about the day was that I was able to bring my new camera with me. For graduation, Emily and I decided that it would be appropriate to purchase a nice camera for us to be able to take some decent looking pictures with. We bought a Nikon D60 from Costco the day before Thanksgiving and I had to wait until I graduated to use it. How nice of Jason to get married the very next day and give me a wonderful opportunity to use the camera.

I did not take many pictures of the day but here are a few. The pictures have been reduced in quality as to save space. Unfortunately I did not get any good shots of the bride and the groom.

Emily and her Grandma Harker.

Hilary.

Amy being her creative and crafty self.

Jason with a Top Hat.

Grandpa Parkin dancing with Ashlyn.

Maddie giving her famous scowl.

Ashlyn's Second Birthday

On November 25th we celebrated Ashlyn's second birthday. Emily has noticed her take a big interest in dolls lately so we bought her a doll and a stroller to push it around it. We also got a variety of outfits for the doll so that Ashlyn could change her.


Several Months ago we purchased the straight to DVD movie "Tinkerbell." Ashlyn absolutely adores that movie and talks about it all of the time so Emily bought her a Tinkerbell Cake.


It was fun to meet with the family and have them wish Ashlyn a happy birthday.

Graduation

On December 12, 2008, I graduated with a Bachelor's Degree from Weber State University in Business Administration / Finance. It took me five semesters to achieve this goal after I decided to go back to school. My sweetheart Emily was a major support and I could not have done it without her. My parents, along with Glade and Lynn, did a fair amount of babysitting. I also have to thank the TV. I think it was my kids' favorite baby sitter of all. I couldn't have done it without you.

Holly Hall's Wedding

Emily's Aunt Sherry called and asked if I would be willing to take pictures of Holly and her groom on November 22, 2008 at the Bountiful Temple after they were wed. I was somewhat hesitant as I have had no real education or experience and I know how important weddings are. I told Sherry that if she promised to keep her expectations low, I would do it.

I spent the next few weeks learning everything I could about taking wedding pictures in an outdoor setting. I researched everything from library books to different internet sites. My sister Marci lent me her Nikon D60 to shoot the pictures with.

The day came and I did my best. Not every shot was a winner, but for my first wedding with a new camera, I think I did a pretty good job. Below are some of my favorites.

Things to come

I have had another busy week. Last Saturday I was given the opportunity to take pictures of Holli and her husband after their wedding at the Bountiful Temple. Tuesday I gave a presentation in school and later celebrated Ashlyn's second birthday. Emily purchased a Tinkerbell Cake and Ash just loved it. Thursday was of course Thanksgiving and it was a great day.

I intend to post pictures of Ash's birthday party when I find the camera and I also plan to post some of the pictures of Holly's wedding after she and Nate give me permission to do so. Check back soon.

I, like Amy, also took advantage of some black Friday sales though I missed out on the fabric. I bought an upconvert dvd player and Guitar Hero Aerosmith. I will probably take Guitar Hero back though.

A New Christmas List

Today, out of the blue, as we were getting ready for church, Maddie announced that for Christmas she wants a Sleeping Beauty dress and a light saber so that she can kill people. I had a good laugh after hearing her say that. She promptly told me that it was not nice to laugh. At times it amazes me at how attentive she is.

To my knowledge Maddie has not yet seen Star Wars, but has interacted with a few of her Jedi cousins during Halloween. I am not yet sure what Santa will bring Maddie, but I look forward to hearing more of her requests as time goes by.

Halloween

We had a good time on Halloween. The week was busy for me with school and all but it was nice to end it with a bit of fun. Emily had to work which was too bad. I took a few pictures of the kids though they were not too cooperative. Ashlyn sure made a good reaper though as evidenced through this photo.