A Love Story :: John Michael & Emily

When I got an email from Emily in December, it contained a secret that I was asked to keep from Taylor (my youngest sister) for a few days. Emily and Taylor were roommates in college, and after school too, so she's been in our lives for quite some time now.

Emily had written me to share her joy.....she was getting married. I was immediately smiling as I read her note about John Michael and their recent engagement. It worked out perfectly that we'd be able to meet up while I was in Texas over Christmas, and so I got to hear the rest of....or should I say, the beginning of....their story.

The smile on Emily's face as she recounted how she'd admittedly already noticed John Michael's profile was adorably sneaky. She had noticed alright, but she had one "rule" - if she was to be connected with any of her eHarmony matches, he'd have to be the one to make the move. When her subscription was over, and no magic had occurred, she had resolved that God had different plans for her, and she was ready to move on.

However, on the day the service was to end, she got a message. A message saying that "John Michael from San Antonio wants to connect with you".

Emily's first thought was that eHarmony must have somehow known that she'd looked at his profile, and was trying to suck her back into re-subscribing...but....BUT....it wasn't that at all. John Michael had noticed Emily too, and he'd reached out to her.

So, their story started there. They met. They dined. They talked. John Michael shared more than any boy she'd ever met before (which was a wonderful thing) and a real life connection was made. They spent a lot of time talking on the phone, spent time with each other's families, and on December 11, he asked Emily to be his forever.

I loved hearing their story, and getting to spend some time with these two. Their love is innocent, sweet, and mature. I'm so happy that I was able to be there to witness it in person and capture their love story.

Emily, John Michael....I pray for you the biggest blessings on your life, your marriage, and your union. Enjoy every moment!

Emily is an Aggie. John Michael is a Longhorn. Love can overcome anything....even the biggest of college rivalries.

It was so much fun to watch these two interact...and fight over the football. I gotta say, Emily was a lot more feisty than I'd thought. Gig Em! :)

For more of these two lovebirds....check out their slideshow too!

A Love Story :: Scott & Allie

I spent Saturday afternoon with Scott and Allie. We had a great time exploring the bluffs area in Goleta and enjoying the wonderfully sunny and warm Santa Barbara afternoon. When asking about their wedding planning for September 2011, Allie explained to me their color scheme - Surf & Turf.

Scott is an avid surfer and grew up around the water. Allie played soccer at UCSB and the land is her favorite terrain. I thought that was a neat combination of their personalities, interests, and a perfect explanation of their relationship. They just go together, and are always better with the other. Surf & Turf. I like it.

I also like these two. They are just really sweet, and considerate of each other. Scott pays perfect attention to Allie, and they make each other smile and giggle.

I think that the wait for their September 2011 wedding might be harder on me than it will be on them because I can't wait to be part of their wedding and capture their day!

Enjoy some of my favorites, and be sure to check out the slideshow too for even more of these two!

I loved how so many spots that we ended up back in the bluff area just came to magic as the two of them go there. The sunlight was beautiful!

As we walked down towards the water, Scott said "This is where I grew up". Even though I'm here now, I can't imagine what it would have been like to be able to enjoy this your whole life.

I asked them if they wanted to do something cheesy and write their date in the sand....they were up for it. The reason I love this little series the most is that they took turns writing it out, and as silly as it sounds, it was a beautiful witness to how these two just get along so well, and blend together. Even as the waves washed away part of their handy work, they, once again, worked together to make it right.

Aren't they just the cutest??

Scott can swing dance, and I loved watching a few of their moves as they moseyed in and out of the water.

Enjoy the rest of your engagement and the rest of the wedding planning. I am looking forward to spending your big day with you both next year! God Bless!!

Don't forget to check out the slideshow too!!

So, you may have noticed already....

....that this blog has been pretty baren lately. Well, you're right. I haven't posted much to this blog lately because we are in the process of switching over to our joint, married, as The Bollmans, site and blog.

So....you now have a new place to check up on us.....www.thebollmans.com. Be sure to come say hello, let us know you were there, and add it to your favorite RSS reader if that's your style.

I'm going to keep this one alive for my photography work, so that my clients have somewhere to go to see their stories, so please check back often here too and feel free to comment if you see something you like. :)

My Favorite AppFolian

Meet Scout. She has been coming to work with her Dad, Kent, for the last few months, and I gotta say, she's one of my favorite things about our office.

She is the sweetest, most laid back Golden Retriever that I've ever met. She just sits on the floor in the Marketing Room all day long, barely lifting her head to passerbys.

Every once in a while, I'll sneak over to their area, to say hi to her and get some puppy love. Earlier in the morning, I snapped a quick picture of her, and then came back for more at the end of the day. I had my company shirt, which no longer fits me, on my desk, so I returned it to Nora...but not before we tried it on Scout for size.

It was the perfect fit, and she's the best part of our A Team. :)

A Family Story :: Ashley, Jonathan, Lilly & Olivia

Ashley contacted me after seeing Christi's maternity session images. We traded some emails and picked a date and spot to meet up with her and her sweet family.

Ashley and Jonathan's little girls, Lilly and Olivia, are just the sweetest and most adorable girls ever. When they popped out of the car in their little ruffle skirts, all dressed in pretty pinks and purples, I just smiled...despite that it was a colder than normal Santa Barbara evening tonight.

Lilly was a natural from the word "go"! Such a beautiful little girl.

She loves her Mommy...and she's THREE!

Olivia was a little more shy, and definitely Daddy's girl. She kept close to him almost the whole time.




Despite the different personalities...these little girls were sisters. The best kind.



If you hadn't noticed already....Ashley is due with number 3 soon. The little bun in the oven this time is their little brother. He's due to make his grand appearance in December, and I think that the girls, and maybe Daddy too, can't wait!


Such an adorable little family.


I could have spent the entire time taking pictures of Ashley.....she is glowing, gorgeous and the camera LOVES her!


It was also easy to capture the love that she and Jonathan have for each other.

Who doesn't love a little impromtu game of Ring Around the Rosies?


I couldn't help more alone time with just Ashley. Loving it.


As Ashley was sitting there, the girls came to join her on their own....but as hard as we tried to coerce them to both touch Ashley's belly at the same time, it just didn't happen. Then, all of the sudden, without any warning, they were done with that idea...and walked off. I just love the look on Mommy's face as they took off. Priceless!

Congrats to your family on welcoming another baby into the world!! I had such a great time with you, and can't wait to meet the little guy real soon!

A Love Story :: Alison & Jono

I got an email from Alison a few months back, saying that she was a coworker of Bethany's, had seen her pictures from last year, and asked if I'd be interested in taking some engagement pics of her and her fiance.

I was, of course, up for it, and we agreed to get back in touch with each other after Brett and I got married and returned from our honeymoon. After our return, Alison and I started to plan. We had a few dates and locations picked out at first...but then.....THEN....she came up with the neatest idea.

Alison is the Ticket Manager for UCSB Athletics, and Jono is the Men's Basketball Coach....so they spend quite a bit of their time in the UCSB Thunderdome. She asked how I'd felt about spending part of our time together there. I agreed immediately and couldn't wait!

I met Alison and Jono on campus and liked them both in an instant. As they changed into their super sharp outfits, I had some fun around the inside of the stadium with the numbers and letters in the stands....more to be seen of that in a bit. :)

They came out, looking totally great, and were so much fun from the start. They were up for anything, and the two of them just had a really great time together no matter what we were doing.

Alison got out there and showed Jono how it was done...in heels! She was a pretty good shot too!!

I loved it when Jono came out of the locker room with props. It didn't feel like I was working at all....I had so much fun with these two!

Alison said that this is a pretty typical scene from time to time....that she's in the ticket booth working while Jono will come by to say hello.

After a quick change, we went to another part of campus that I hadn't been to before. The students of UCSB are so stinking lucky to have beach access from campus!! I would have never been able to get any work done if I had gone to school here!

A short walk along the path before getting to the water's edge.

Ahhh, the golden light was amazing right as we arrived.

They didn't even blink as I kept asking them to get lower and lower in the sand...love it!

I was so happy to meet Alison and Jono and learn a little bit about them, and their fun story. They will be married at the Bacara Resort & Spa in June of next year. Best of luck in love to you both!!

OH! I almost forgot.....I did something a little fun for Alison and Jono, a first for me. I thought I'd give the +Site functionality of SHOWIT a try, and had a great time putting this together to showcase their photos and story.

Check it out here!! The site has a slideshow with a lot more images of these two lovebirds!!