Over the next few weeks I’m going to be posting favorites from last years weddings. Each couple has chosen their favorite picture from their wedding and written about why they love it; and then I’ve chosen one or two of our favorites. We’re going to start with Anna and Rob who were married at the Pinehurst Country Club in Denver.

Here is their favorite image and what they had to say…”We chose this photo because it was the first moment we had alone and
you captured it perfectly. Every time we look back at it we remember that exact moment and exactly how we felt. It was our first hug as a married couple and will always be a favorite of ours.”

We chose two of our favorites and one was from their engagement session. We did their engagement session on the CSU campus and decided to head over to the train tracks. Lucky for us there was a train coming and he happened to blow his horn as he passed. Anna and Rob’s expression in this picture is completely real, the sound of the train scared the heck out of them and then they couldn’t stop laughing.

Jessica took this shot after their wedding and it’s one of my favorites from the whole year. I love how they are looking at each other and all the color in this image. It definitely reminds me of what their wedding day was like

It’s fun for us to look back at all of our pictures from last year and try and choose our favorites (certainly not an easy task.) Have a great weekend!

I came across two different blog posts in the last few days that made me stop to think about how lucky I am and reminded me to be grateful for everything I have. Everywhere you turn lately we are being bombarded with negativity…layoffs, huge debts, entire industries going under, bailouts and the list goes on and on. It can certainly make it difficul at times to stay positive and keep looking forward. I’m an optimistic and extremely positive person but even I’m not immune to getting a little down every now and then. But all I have to do is remember how truly blessed my life is, how much I’ve been given and how lucky I am to have what I have.

My friend Kevin posted The Entrepreneurs Creed on his blog and it really made me think about my own life, the choices I’ve made and the responsibility I have to do great things.

I also came across this amazing video on Becker’s Blog and it really made me think. It’s about 6 minutes but definitely worth the watch. If this girl can keep a positive attitude and outlook on life than I should have no problem.

So take a second to appreciate your life and all the good things you have. Then turn off the news and start thinking positive.

I know it happens every year, but it’s always a bit of a melancholy day. Football season is officially over. It certainly ended on a great note with an amazing game, although I did hope the Cardinals would win. There is one good thing about the end of the season…I can officially make my prediction for next season. The Broncos will be 13-3 (with their great new and young coach) and they will win the Super Bowl. The new coach will be the youngest ever to win a Super Bowl, Jay Cutler will be the MVP of the season throwing 55 touchdown passes and the defense will be ranked #2 in the league.

I realize that I might be going out on a limb with these picks (some may say delusional) but it’s how I feel. What did you think of the outcome of the Super Bowl? Did you win or lose any money on the Cardinals?

We photographed Emily and Paul last Friday. Monday-Thursday it was between 65 and 70 degrees everyday. Friday it was about 25 degrees and snowy. Even though it was quite cold I think it made the pictures even better and then when it snowed for a little while we were pretty excited. We headed up near Morrison to get some outdoor shots and then into the town of Morrison for dinner and a few more shots. Our job is so exciting and the reason we love it is because of couples like Emily and Paul. We had never met them until that day but it seemed like we were old friends, they were totally comfortable in front of the camera and we had a great night. Their wedding is at the Boettcher Mansion in May and we can’t wait for it. As always here’s a few of our favorites from the day…

We were near Red Rocks, but obviously not at Red Rocks. If you want to know where we were just leave a comment and I’ll tell you.

Jessica got this great shot as they walked by.

Jessica also got this image and it was one of my favorites from the day.

It took us awhile to get this one just right, but it’s definitely one of my favorites.

Another amazing moment that Jessica captured. You can see it’s starting to snow pretty hard.

Thanks Emily and Paul for toughing it out in the snow. We had a great time and we can’t wait for your wedding.

About 2 months ago I made the decision to stop using my cell phone while driving. I never used it much, but I would always answer calls and often use the time in the car to make phone calls. But I realized that it was irresponsible to do it for two reasons.

I’m a worse driver when using my cell phone…so are you and so is everyone. I don’t care how good at it you (think you) are, how proficient of a texter, or blackberry user you are. There’s just no way that anyone can give their full attention to something as important as driving while also giving their attention to using the phone. I know there’s been times when I was using my phone that I came close to getting in an accident…it’s not worth it. A split second of not paying attention can have dramatic effects.

My other reason for not using it in the car? It’s unfair to the person I’m talking to. If I’m trying to be a safe driver and have a conversation I’m doing a disservice to the person I’m talking to. I’m not giving them my undivided attention and they absolutely deserve it.

Take a second and think about your driving/cell phone habits. Should you give them up? I took a hard look at myself and made the decision to stop using it. If someone calls I let it go to voicemail or I just pull over to answer the call. I know a lot of people use the time to get work done and they don’t want to give that up; but how much is that time worth?

I’d love some comments about this topic. What do you think and what’s your opinion?

We went up to the CU Campus in Boulder a few weeks ago for Michelle and Adam’s engagement session. Jessica and I both went to CSU, they both went to CU but we didn’t let that get in the way of creating some great images of the two of them. Their wedding is this summer at the Boettcher Mansion and we’re very excited for it. Here’s just a few of our favorites from their e-session.

Our last wedding of 2008 was Becky and Kevin’s at The Oxford Hotel and it was a perfect ending to our wedding season. We’d only met Becky once before the wedding but it didn’t matter because her excitement and enthusisasm for her day were unmatched. Everything about the wedding turned out perfectly and we were so lucky to be a part of it. The weather was great and allowed us some time to run around downtown denver and get some great images of the two of them together.

I don’t care what your politics are, you have to admit that today is an exciting and historical day for our country. The historical nature of the day is obvious and I think it’s wonderful for our country. It’s also an exciting day because our country is going to move in a completely direction for the next few years. Again whether you are Republican or Democrat I think you have to be intrigued by what Obama wants to do and how he wants to bring our country back to becoming a leader in the world.

He has some grand plans and ideas and certainly wants to accomplish many things. I wish him the best and hope that he can succeed in what he wants to do, and that he can get our country moving forward again. I can’t imagine the pressure that he must feel, it makes any business decisions we have to make seem insignificant by comparison. I like Barack Obama, he seems like a great person, his intentions are right, he has a lot of support and I hope he can be successful.

Now get back to work.

I have to admit that I’m doing a workout routine that I saw on an infomercial. My brother-in-law has been doing it for a few months and said it was the best workout he’s ever had (he was already in great shape so when he said that I listened.) We got it for Christmas and just finished our first week…and let me tell you it is one heck of a great workout. We worked out 6 days this week, all in our living room, and each day was more intense than the next. You work both your upper and lower body, do a day of yoga, a day of plyometrics, a day of kickboxing and 3 of the days there is a killer ab workout.

The thing that I really love about it is we don’t have to go the gym. I’m definitely not a gym guy, I don’t care for the atmoshphere and they’re kind of expensive. So I love the fact that with a few dumbbells, a pull-up bar (it was like $30 bucks at a sporting goods store) and a heart rate monitor we’re getting an intense workout at home.

I’m not ashamed to admit that I have now crossed the line to become a person who buys things from infomercials. And in about 3 months I’ll have the beachbody to prove that it worked. If you’re looking for an intense workout at home and you’re serious about getting in better shape I would definitely give P90X a try. I’ll keep you updated with our progress and how we’re doing but so far it’s been awesome.

I’m sure that most people have made some resolutions for the new year, I know I certainly I have. But the first thing I did was go back and think about my resolutions for the past year. My biggest resolution last year was to get in shape (hey who doesn’t make that one.) And I’m happy to say that I didn’t give up after about 6 weeks. I lost about 30 pounds last year, changed some of my eating habits and got into much better shape. This year I’m going to continue doing that with some strength training and adding more fruits and vegetables to my diet.

Last year I wanted to build our photography business and make it legitimate. I wanted to become a better more competent photographer and work with great clients. This year I want to continue that. Jessica is going to stop teaching in June and work exclusively on our photography business. So we need to make sure that our business practices are good, that our bookkeeping is sound and that we can support ourselves and our life. Certainly a big goal for the new year, but one we’re very excited about.

Last year I wanted to spend more time at Church and more time in prayer. I want to continue that this year by becoming more involved in our church and volunteering my time more.

I think it’s important to continue growing, take your goals from last year and build on them. There’s certainly many other things that Jessica and I want to accomplish this year but I thought I would share a few with you. So in no particular order here’s a few more…

Read more, spend more time with family and friends, be more understanding, reduce clutter, take two vacations, save money and continue to live happily every single day.

What are your new years resolutions and how are you doing so far?