A real dream come true...

Oh!  Let's talk about Blue Lily, shall we?  *nodding/crazed look*

There are a million ways to tell you how special meeting Tyler and Wendy was... and how amazing it was to be in front of their lens... and how inspiring it was to watch Wendy work... and how special it was to receive the images as interpreted by her... of our little family.

But it's hard to clearly express those sorts of things while I am still in Blue.Lily.Euphoria... I could wait til it wears off- but if I do, about half a dozen of my readers will come for my head.  So, let's just get on with it, shall we? Plus, how much fun is it to upload pictures that I haven't taken and spent time processing myself?  Oh the ease of it... *sigh* 

To meet them, we had to drive over to Texas where they were spending ONE DAY shooting in Houston.  They are based out of California- but each year, they go on world tours... globe trotting around with sessions scheduled along their stops.  So far this year I think they've hit Australia, New Zealand, Japan... I may be missing a place.  So they came through Texas shooting in Houston, Austin, and Dallas... then up through the states to Canada... and now they are flying over to shoot their way through Europe.  *sigh* 

I was so nervous as we rode out to meet them at our location... we were all dolled up.  The boys were prepped with bribes positive encouragement. And I was armed with a sharpie marker and my shootsac in hopes of getting their autographs.  :) 

We started walking towards our location and I saw Tyler first with a family behind him walking towards us... then Wendy and her long red hair fanned out to the back.  It was such a neat feeling seeing them in person like that.  I was a little star.struck.  Immediately, I was struck by their sincerity and warmth.  Tyler greeted me so humbly and immediately got down on his knees to start rough housing with the boys.  It was so unexpected and special... makes me wonder if I greet my MSP children with such warmth and respect?  Then Wendy came towards me with her arms out for a big hug.  There is no way she could have known that I've been following her work since 2007ish... so hugging her neck was so special! 

In an instant, she made me feel like we were old friends... and her only client in the world.  Again, made me wonder if my clients would say the same about me and how I make them feel?  We talked and talked and walked and walked to our location spots... And then the magic happened.  We played.  We laughed.  We ran.  And she took pictures of it all. 

The weather was so odd... gray skies, 50 degrees and windy.  Really windy. 

The boys did great.  We had so much fun.  And she heaped a hundred compliments on my head about our little family as we walked back to the car.  I felt beautiful and special and lucky to be alive.  I felt inspired as a mother, inspired as an artist, and inspired as a woman.  Most of all, I was struck at her spirit of kindness, sincerity, and generosity....

My friends have asked if they "were all that you thought they would be?"  I mean, I regard their work as some of the best in the business... and in my world, they set the bar for honest and thoughtful photography... perfectly imperfect.  So that's a whole lotta pressure riding on a pair of people.  But they were completely what I had hoped for and more.  More warmth and more joy than I was prepared for.  Which of course made me wonder if my clients leave our time together feeling joyful... like something magical just happened...??? 

It was a beautiful moment for me... a dream come true. 

Here are a few images from our session.  I prefer being behind the camera... but it's a treat to have images of me with my handsome manlies. 

See?

*all photos in this blog post are credited to Blue Lily Photography

can't wait to send some images to Spotted Moth, the boutique I got my dress from... such a sweet indie shop.

oh... my boy.joys.

one of my favorites...

I *almost* didn't post this one... but when you mix a short dress and 4" heels into a family photoshoot, you may get a shot like this... precious, yet very very leggy.  Needless to say, this won't be our "above the mantel shot."  Lol

this one is for Erica... ;)

I'm so pleased with how the images turned out.  I can't wait to order our large prints and Organic Bloom frames.  :)  I feel so lucky to have such special images of my little family taken by my photography mentor... i'm over.the.moon about the whole experience.  And of course, it leaves me hoping that my mustard.seed clients feel the same way to some extent when they see my images of their lovies.  It certainly inspires me to be the best for them. 

***Thank you, Marcus, for always listening and noticing the little things that make my world bright.  Meeting Wendy and Tyler and having them document our little family the way that we love means so much to me.  With you, I always feel nothing is out of reach for me... for us... for them.  And that's credit to you and your heart and your never.failing efforts.  I love you. 

I'll share a few more in my next post... :)

Peace, Love, and theBlueLillies...

xo

lmkw