Well…I’m just going to say that I know…I’ve gone overboard…I am in love with this entire session. Forgive me for posting a million photos. I absolutely couldn’t stop myself.

I was on the phone with someone just yesterday and we were talking about senior sessions. I said that I love senior sessions and that I can usually put them at ease because I’m on their level. I giggled and said “I’m not sure what that says about my maturity.” After all…I am ancient now…I turned 30 this summer.

Yes…I say it a lot…I LOVE my clients. I know. But I do. E was so easy to get along with and we truly did hit it off immediately. I so enjoyed driving around Harrodsburg looking at locations with her family. They put so much thought into it, but at the same time gave me complete artistic freedom. Even better when E didn’t cringe when I said that I wanted to shoot at the old warehouse. She actually liked the idea as much as I did! She wanted something different. I think we accomplished that…

The part she was most excited about. She was actually braver than I was. I was scared of snakes. I’m terrified of snakes. Reason number one why I need to start carrying rain boots with me. Preferably cute polka dotted ones.

The location I was most excited about…

Woops…messed up the sizing. I’m pretty sure you all are paying attention to how gorgeous she looks anyhow…

Love her laugh It still makes me happy

And this is why I love her….

Peace and much love,

Cilla

I love that this business has been built mostly on word of mouth. I love this because I love my clients…which means I will probably love their friends and family. That’s the case with the M family. I knew instantly that I would love them. That grew even more when I read about how much they love each other and who they are as a family and that Dad is the entertainer. So, you can imagine how happy I was when I met them. One of the biggest reasons I love what I do is that I get to watch families interact and be themselves. I loved watching Miss S priss and spin in her beautiful dress and beautify Daddy with her very own hat. I loved watching her love on Momma and talk about how she was going to be a good big sister. I loved watching her race Daddy and him showing that he is truly the entertainer in the family. I just loved it all. Every bit of it. All of this in a mini session…

Peace and much love,

Cilla

Now…how STUNNING are they!?!

Peace and much love,

Cilla

Even when sessions start like that, as soon as the camera goes in front of my face, I am at ease. Having such a stressful start could easily cause the whole session to be thrown off. The C’s and I hit it off quickly (which made a HUGE difference) and the fact that I was late didn’t even matter. We got tons of adorable images. Of course, how could we not? Just look how happy and smitten they are with Mr Blue Eyes…

Thank you all for being oh so patient! I have to say that I think it was worth the wait

Peace and much love,

Cilla

It’s an added bonus that  I also love the emotion and drama you can see in hospital pictures. I love using the available light. The graininess in the photos. The truly unposed pictures. Capturing each and every emotion.

You would think, with all of that, the decision to make this big change would be easy, but in true “cilla” fashion, it wasn’t. I’m pretty sure I was trying to talk myself out of it. What if this happens…what if that happens….I can’t get this collection just right…what if no one wants to do it…what if…what if…what if. Then finally I gave up the “what if” and realized this was what my heart wanted to do and there was just no stopping it. So, as I made the announcement a few years ago that I would be doing weddings, I am now making the announcement that I will now be offering Birth Photography and a Day in the Life sessions (side note…I have been meaning to offer this since I first started…even did a sample one…but decided to wait), but will no longer be doing weddings after this year (okay…okay…I have one next year and possibly another…but that’s it! lol). My biggest fear is that I would be in the middle of a wedding and find out that a client was going into labor. Can you imagine? If I do a wedding, I can only take births that are far apart from the wedding date. Or I would be a total stress ball.

You can view a birth slideshow below. If you are viewing this through email and cannot see the video below, you can go to www.priscillabphotography.com/blog/ to see it.

Thank you so much for all your support always!

Peace and so much love,

Cilla

If you have ever been to the “senior” section of the galleries on my website, you will notice that there is only one senior on there. My very first senior. I told her at the time that she would be all over my website, little did we know that she would be there for at least a couple years! Yes…I’m a slacker. I haven’t updated my senior gallery in two years!

What does this have to do with one of my most recent seniors? It’s his beautiful sister! I was beyond thrilled when I read a comment on the business facebook page saying that I had done his sister’s senior pictures and would be doing his! Adore his family…and quickly learned that I adore him as well. We had a blast walking up and down Bardstown Rd. I’m pretty sure he either thought I was hilarious or crazy. Either way, he laughed. Maybe the awkward “this woman has lost it” laugh, but laughs none the less. I think it all got a little out of hand when I called myself a ninja. Don’t worry I stopped dead in my tracks and said “yes…I just called myself a ninja”. Internet world…I was embarrassed…I called myself a ninja. Who does that? I make funny noises for little kiddos, I call myself a ninja for teens. All in a days work.

Back to the important one here….You know my heart was stolen when he said he LOVED photography. Seriously such a sweetie. He even helped a lady change a bike tire during his session. Didn’t even complain about it afterwards. Not even after we walked away.

These were instantly my favs. Even the one completely out of focus. Oh…maybe it’s because this is when I called myself a Ninja.

And this one…I just couldn’t bare putting with another photo.

He wasn’t even too embarrassed to look like a big geek with me. Yes…we looked like two folks standing on Bardstown Rd. taking pictures of each other.

This next picture is as random as a chicken on Bardstown Rd….because that’s what it was.

Peace and much love,

Cilla

The girls decided to show me first hand how it is in the life of newborn twins. As soon as one was fed and happy, the other would be ready for her bottle. It was perfect. I’m sure they thought I was full of it when I said that was the perfect opportunity to get the real shots that I love so much.

Momma has been oh so patient waiting for their sneak peek! So, without further ado (who am I kidding…I’m sure everyone’s already snuck to see all the cuteness or seen them on facebook!).

Who’s bright idea was it to try and fit two adults and twin baby girls into one chair? Oh that would be the ever so brilliant me I have to admit, I am so glad I did. They are truly such a happy couple and they were cracking up the whole time. I’m sure they were thinking I was crazy, but not once did they say it. They didn’t complain, huff, or roll their eyes (at least not that I could see ), they just tried it. And that’s why I love them…well, and maybe because they have a pink room.

Peace and so much love,

Cilla

Heather…I’m so unbelievably proud of you and I’m not that far away. I can fix a really good country dinner. Maybe not quite like Angie’s, but still good! You and Chris are welcome at our house any time!!!!!!

Did I mention she giggles….A LOT!?! I love love love her laugh.

Here’s the little girl I remember. Some how she shot up before I had a chance to realize what was going on. The picture on the left is the year before I graduated high school. The picture on the right is the Christmas after I left for college.

  Receive an exclusive 20% off card for prints and products. BOOK YOUR SESSION THAT DAY AND RECEIVE $50 OFF THE SESSION FEE!!!!  

 I will be there from 10:00am-2:00pm. If you come after that, pick up a card at the counter for 20% off and contact me THIS week and mention the card information and still receive $50 off! Session fee IS DUE AT THE TIME OF BOOKING! 

Enjoy 20% off all new fall shipments @ Hopscotch
Enjoy a Pink Chandelier Trunk Show – super cute!
And more! the summer clothing is still on sale too! 

Don’t miss this haute event! 

Get your back to school and fall clothing this Thursday and schedule your fall/holiday photo session!    

I sat. I listened. Letting every. word. soak. in.

“Where ever you are, where ever you live, where ever you work, live out the legacy which Mary Magdeline lived: preach, teach, and proclaim the miraculous acts of our Savior. Live your legacy!”

“Whether you work in the White House or the warehouse, God has a plan for you.” Bianca Juarez

Legacy. It’s a word I’ve thought a lot about over the last six months or so. Bret will say, “It’s okay. We don’t have to have kids. We can be happy just the two of us.” Most of the time I believe him. I agree. I know this is happening for a reason and all will be okay. But I would be lying if I said I didn’t think to myself on more than one occasion, “but who will tell our story? What kind of legacy will we leave? Who will tell the next generation about our love, the way we tease each other, dance around the kitchen, or even ’slap box’? Who will even care?” I fear there would be no stories of how Grandma and Grandpa (aka…us) met at Red Lobster when they were in college, how our love was strong enough to make it through the toughest of times, about our unwavering faith in each other. In God. I wish I could say I never worried about those things, but in an effort to “keep it real”, I have to admit that I do. The thoughts hit me like a ton of bricks. They make a sneak attack and sink into my soul when I least expect it. I’m not strong enough to hold them back and they’re strong enough to knock me down. I’ll be happy with everything, and understanding, and then BAM, I’m lost again.

Everything happens for a reason. This sentence has seen me through every single trial in my life. I was constantly reminded of this growing up (often times it was hidden with the sentence “if it’s the Lord’s will”) and Bret and I have had to remind ourselves of it a lot recently. I was reminded today as I was listening to Bianca speak. She said that it doesn’t matter where you are, you are there for a reason. You do not have to be in a third world country to make a difference. We all can change the world. When I was a child this was my driving force. Mommy just knew that I was meant for great things (although I’m not quite sure if that was through a modeling career, singing, the church, or reading/writing. These are all things she saw in my future. lol) She raised me with this feeling that I could do anything. Over the years this feeling has weakened, my definition of success has changed, my definition of changing the world has shifted. Bianca speaks of the many women through out the Bible, through out history, who we know as changing the world and we speak of their legacy. Did they realize this? Did they feel like they were making a difference, let alone changing the world? Did they know their legacy would be told time after time? Sometimes one simple act of kindness can make a difference in a way that you can’t even imagine. Let me see if I can get this right. Biance said something like this…You change yourself, you can change your home. You change your home, you can change your community. You change your community, you can change your state. You change your state, you can change a nation. You change a nation, you can change the world.

Even though our life hasn’t gone as we planned (heck this blog entry hasn’t even done that). We don’t have a house full of children. I’m not the little football Mom that I always imagined I would be. God has a plan for us. God has a plan for you. Our house IS filled with love, laughter, and all that dancing I was talking about. As my friend Andrea and I always say, we are not content on waiting and seeing what is to be. We want to KNOW what’s going to happen. I can’t stand not knowing the answers. Over the last month or so Bret and I have gone back and forth with our options. What does God want us to do? We searched and searched for the answers….and so did friends (thank you Dawn and Andrea). I tried to read every sign. Want to know what I realized? I really suck at reading signs. You know why? I was asking too much. I wasn’t listening. I’m not saying that I’ve seen the light and know the answer. We still have no clue. But our options for having children are narrowing some what. You would think this would depress me. I thought it would, but it doesn’t. I feel closer to the answers. I know that no matter the plan “all things work for good for those who love God”. It may not be the plan we have in mind, but it all happens for a reason.

Please don’t feel that I am sitting here preaching to you or saying everyone should think the way I do or even that I always feel this way. I know I don’t have the answers. I know what’s right and what’s true for me is not that way for others. The fact is that I have struggled lately with how I feel about organized religion and my faith in general. Truth be told, I’ve always struggled. Not really with my faith. I know how I feel in my heart, but is that the way I SHOULD feel. There’s so much hateful rhetoric lately. Seems like everyone’s judging, spitting out words from the Bible to defend this or that. It just all feels dirty and negative. It just doesn’t feel like that’s what was intended. Where is the love in that? Then I was listening to Part 3 of this Women’s Series: The Scandalous Message of James (you can find this podcast on iTunes. I just did a search for Calvary Chapel Montebellow. My favorite is Chapter 2, Part 1), where Bianca reminds us to speak truth with love. You can be speaking all the truth you want, but if it’s in a hateful manner, to prove a point, and is empty of love, than it means nothing. This doesn’t spread the love of God. It can make the person think “Is this what God would think of me? Is this the way God would speak to me?”

So many of the messages from this series have stuck with me. You should see my poor desk. I have post it notes every where with little quotes. “You never know God is all you need until God is all you have.” “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” “Mercy triumphs over justice.” “When we demean others, we are demeaning the image of the Lord.” She speaks of accepting everyone. Loving everyone. Living out Gods message through our lives. THIS is the God I know. I needed this. I needed to be reminded that what’s been in my heart is still there. It’s real. That God does have a plan. We can live a life of meaning, even if it’s not the one we intended.

Since I can’t have a blog post with out a pretty photo, here’s the topic of my next blog entry….my baby cousin who’s off to college very soon!