So I have known of this mysterious teenage boy for a a little over a year now.  My friend down the street is always raving about what a hard worker he is, what a good job he does.  If I hear anything about him, its always positive.  So I was very interested to meet this boy named Chandler.  I have to say he lived up to all they hype.  In my days here at the studio I encounter lots of seniors.  More girls than boys – but I still get my fair share.  I was pleased to learn that Chandler plans to go to the Marines in mid-June.  He is wasting no time to get to work… because that is just who is.  As the daughter of a Marine, I’ve been taught to be impressed by those who serve, to be thankful for the freedom they allow us, and to be grateful for the work they do.

I wish you the best of luck Chandler!

Third time is a charm for this little fellow.  He came in with his older brother and sister for a special session. I love that you can see so much of his personality already.

An engagement session from Sunday afternoon.  A sign that spring is around the corner… dandelions!!

Be Good!

This sweet little girl falls into that age range of not quite a newborn.  Her parents and I were just stunned at how blue her eyes were in the soft light of the studio.  How can you not fall in love with the little girl?  Those sweet little lips, that innocent gaze, the sparkly blue eyes .  I remember what it was like to be a new parent.  To spend hours looking in awe at your little baby – falling in love with every part of them.  I don’t know how her parents are going to say no.  With eyes like that I would be saying, “Daddy, I want a BMW!”

Be Good!  Enjoy this gorgeous day today!

]]> http://www.marieq.com/blog/2010/02/27/how-could-you-ever-say-no/feed/ 1 http://www.marieq.com/blog/2010/02/26/the-rubber-chicken/ http://www.marieq.com/blog/2010/02/26/the-rubber-chicken/#comments Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:20:50 +0000 admin http://www.marieq.com/blog/?p=766

It seems its thought the rubber chicken has followed me everywhere. It started back in high school.  The all girls catholic school that I went to had a math teacher who would take out her “rubber chicken” in cases when we needed a snow day.  We called it praying to the rubber chicken.  Essentially it was a big joke, but more often times than not – when that rubber chicken came out – VOILA, NO SCHOOL!!!!! After college, I managed a sales team in Memphis.  I shared the rubber chicken story with them and the next day – a rubber chicken appeared on my desk.  Needless to say, we prayed to the rubber chicken quite a bit there. Rewind to two years ago.  I went to my first ever photographer’s seminar.  A well known photographer came to Dallas to talk about photographing babies and young children.  Her secret weapon… The yellow rubber chicken pictured above.  Interestingly, this rubber chicken appeals more to adults than it does kids.  It has an interesting noise that comes out of it when squeezed.  If you give it a big squeeze it sounds like we are torturing the poor rubber chicken.  That sound would scare any child.  This is the “Scary” rubber chicken and it has to be squeezed with caution.  I do occasionally use it on children, usually as a last resort since I know it may have an adverse effect.

Bruce wanted the rubber chicken included in some of his engagement pictures.  He also wanted to make goofy faces.  Obviously, Bruce is a big kid at heart.  I’m gonna have fun with him!

Be Good!

First a quick note to say thanks to all of you who have sent sweet notes and messages about my back.  A trip to the ER and one doctor later it looks like I am suffering from sciatica.  The good news is I am feeling better.

I met Chassler and Claude at Las Colinas on Saturday.  I didn’t prepare them for the sight they might see when I arrived.  As the session progressed I felt my back hunching more and more and then I had to say something.  Fortunately they were not too embarrassed to be seen with me.  I was looking pretty old and decrepit.

As I was walking around with them, I instructed them on things to do.  Claude looks over at me and says, “I’ve become that man.  That guy who poses for those cheesy pictures.”  I’ll be meeting them again for their casual engagement shoot soon so we can take more pictures with LESS cheese.

Be Good!

The Hames family received nine individual entries nominating them for the Week of Love Session.  Here are a couple of the entries that were submitted.

I would like to nominate the Hames family. A little over a year ago Shawn and Cheryti adopted four young children from the local foster care system after years of being dedicated foster parents and hosting foreign exchange students. Cheryti gave up her beloved full time work to be a full time mom (and then some).

These kids are really special. They’re involved in karate, avid swimmers, and budding artists. They give freely of their own toys and clothes on birthdays and when they hear of another kid in need. They spent their Christmas handing out food at local emergency rooms. They’re animal lovers that enthusiastically help their mom on their farm taking care of donkeys, horses, cats, and dogs.

This has been a monumental year for them being adopted into a forever family. I have noticed one need they have that is hard to fill: memories. They only have a handful of pictures of themselves before this year, and Cheryti has longingly mentioned wanting to have a family portrait to document this new beginning for them all.  ~ DeeDee R.

Since Cheryti was in high school, she said that there were enough children in the world who didn’t have parents that she wouldn’t have any of her own – she would care for some of those. As she married and completed her B.A. in Social Work and a Masters in Family Counseling, that passion for helping others grew stronger and found new opportunities for expression. She gave up a rewarding career teaching at a community college so that she and her husband Shawn could foster 4 troubled teenage girls. I lived with them during 2 years of this and saw their dedication and patience through extreme circumstances (trips to the psychiatric emergency room, threats to their safety, destroyed property…). The experience was hardly what most people would consider rewarding, but they continued to demonstrate the love of Christ to these teenagers.

After several years of tirelessly caring for teenagers, they began to welcome younger children, and eventually adopted a sibling group of 4 for which CPS could not find a home – 2 boys and 2 girls, ages 4, 6, 7, and 11. They are precious children, and have made significant progress during the last year, but have certainly been a challenge.

Shawn and Cheryti have made extraordinary sacrifices to be able to help others. I don’t know anyone with hearts so big. They show the love of Christ in a continual, tangible way to those who have been rejected by their families and by society. They have been working hard to develop family traditions and build positive memories with the kids, and I think that chronicling that journey with family photos would enrich the experience.

Thank you for considering the Hames family for your photo session. ~ Faith M.

Memories of my childhood really come from my family album.  My mind is like a picture book of stories.  The record snow we had here last week reminded me of 1978.  I was 4 years old the last time it snowed more than it did last week.  There is a picture of my father pulling me in a bus tub on our driveway at the house where I grew up.  Had it not been for that photo – I don’t think I would have remembered that snow. I’m looking forward to photographing this families new beginning.  Hoping to start their own picture book of memories.

It’s been a fun week here on the blog.  Thanks for reading

Be Good!

Today’s special is going to be 25% off cutom framing orders.  You’ll need to contact me to make set up an appointment and the frames you purchase from that appointment will be 25% off.  I have a good selection of frames ranging from traditional to whimsical.  I’ve been to visit some of your homes and many of you tell me that you have the pictures but just haven’t found the frame yet.  This is your chance!!

If you see me around town in the next couple of days its going tobe hard not to laugh.  Over the course of three days my back has gone from bad to Hunchback of Waxahachie.  I have to laugh at myself because I know I look just like an aunt of mine who has walked like this for 20 years.  I’m hoping some massage therapy and staying active will get me over this phase of being the human question mark.

Be Good!

Today, one of the first things I did was hold the baby.  I was trying to get her to sleep.  She was in that in between state of bliss, neither awake or asleep but just hanging on to that very edge. I looked down, grateful to be holding a healthy baby when it happened.  Something that has never happened before, a newborn giggle – real laughter from a baby who is just  a week old.  I was so thankful for that tiny gift I was given.  She was perfection today.  This was the first home I have traveled to where the home was heated exactly where it needed to be and the result was… the wet noodle baby.  She slept through everything.

And now for my Week of Love give away today.  I know its late, hopefully some of you are paying attention.  That tapestry album pictured at the top will be a gift to the first person who claims it by sending me an email to marie@marieq.com.  I will fill it with ten 4×6 images from one of your past sessions or I can leave it empty for you to fill.  E-mail me at marie@marieq.com to win the album.  It’s a great purse size and might even make a great gift for a grandma.

Be Good!

All day today we will be offering 20% off of online orders.  No worries if your gallery has already expired, we can easily put it back online for you today.  Best way to get your gallery re-published is just to send me an email to marie@marieq.com. It’s a great way to get those last couple of pictures you really wanted to get but couldn’t.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful week!  Don’t forget that I am offering $25 off  sessions.  Schedule your sessions this week for anytime between now and the end of the year and get the discounted rate.

Be Good!

I waited on tables at my parents restaurant that summer and a regular customer, Mr. Gaddy, asked me when I was going back.  I teared up and said I wasn’t going back. I explained to him that I had lost my scholarship money, that I had a chance to get it back if I could pay for one semester and bring my grades up.  He wiped his mouth with that green polyester napkin and put it down on the table.  He asked where my father was and I took him to the kitchen.  I took him back and he called my father by his first name and said, “Richard, I want Marie to go back to California”. I wish someone could have taken a picture of the look on our faces.  STUNNED. We sat there nodding our heads.  I was crying.  I had already told him I needed $8,000 to go.  He pulled out his checkbook and wrote out a check right there in the middle of our family’s restaurant unairconditioned kitchen.  Work stopped.  STUNNED… EVERYONE. And so I went back to California.

Have you ever had someone just give you something? Buy something for you just because?  Have you ever been to Starbucks and the person in front of you at the drive through has paid for your drinks, a complete stranger who just drove off?  I have…all of them.  My sister doesn’t get it, but I think I do.  I’ll continue to receive these gifts as long as I am open to giving them.  I don’t have an extra $8,000 to send someone to college today but I have photography and I can give that.

The biggest gift I can give to you or someone you know is the gift of photography  As I mentioned in the last post, I will be giving away a session to a deserving person or family.  Think of someone you know, maybe its yourself, maybe its someone else.  Stun them, surprise them and be open to being the one responsible for the gift.  I can not tell you how wonderful it feels. Submit your story to marie@marieq.com for consdieration.

I will be selling all my DVD slideshows fromy our sessions today for $75.  That’s half off the normal price.  Contact me if you would like to purchase your sessions slideshow.  Everyone loves it and it makes a great gift for grandparents and family.

Share the Love!

Be Good

]]> http://www.marieq.com/blog/2010/02/16/week-of-love-continued/feed/ 4