emmy

part of the reason for this photo shoot is because she turned 16 last thursday.

part of the reason is because i needed some subject matter.

but, whatever the reason, i enjoyed. thank you ems for letting me shoot you, for trying to understand my ridiculous directions/instructions, and for just being a pretty freakin' awesome lil sis in general. 

 interesting side note: even my mom has admitted that i look the youngest. not sure how i feel about that.

 interesting side note # 2: my bridesmaids almost hated me for making them wear these shoes throughout the ceremony. but, ladies, you must agree; you looked fabulous!! :D

 and ems, even as a "nerd" you're still pretty cute.

 and here is the gospel singer.

and my favorite. ooo laa lah! 

love you emmy! hope you enjoy them :)

sixteen

she turns sixteen today.

and i can't wait to celebrate this weekend :)

friday night football

last friday matt and i went to my younger brother's football game and man, i love high school football. don't get me wrong, college football is fun, a lot of fun, but high school football is honest in a way college ball never will be. the game was played on a field that lacked real goal posts, had a tiny score board, and bleachers that were only three feet high in the pouring rain. a man even brought out his drumset to give the impression of a band. it was a small crowd but the fans that stayed were devoted to the team and even though the game didn't end the way we wanted it to, it was still a great night. 

                             

more than willing

It was grueling, laborious work. Sounding out the vowels individually and then slowly blending them together; word after word, page after page. He sat there with me, wanting to help, but unwilling to do it for me. Finally I did it, I read a whole page of a chapter book, own my own. He was there right beside me, so proud when I finished.

A few short years later, I remember him peering into my bedroom from the hall. I should have been sleeping hours ago, but hadn't been able to put the book down. He'd give me that look that said lights out now. He described it as a wonderful problem.

Thank you Dad for being more willing to help but not doing it for me. Happy Father's Day.

Lancaster, PA :: Amish Country

While in Pennsylvania, a group of us went to Lancaster, a beautiful town that is home to the largest Amish population.

Pennsylvania is possibly one of the most beautiful states.

this horse wanted to show out for it's photo

I try not to do over kill with the editing but I like this photo like this.....i think.

cow buttocks.... gotta love 'em

 here are some of the relatives talking with our awesome tour guide - he gave us a tour of his own farm!!

Elijah wanted to double check to make sure he saw all the cool things ;)

Guys, if you haven't been to Pennsylvania, I recommend it. It's truly beautiful :)

We Are Family

In all, there were 4 generations gathered together; parents, children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, moms and dads, cousins and friends. Some traveled half way around the world, others across the country. Guys, thank you all; it's a blessing to be a part of this family.

This is Ellie. She's the oldest of the great grandchildren. She loves Minnie Mouse. And here she is with her beloved Oma - aka Aunt Michelle.

 And this is Elijah, Ellie's not so little younger brother. He loves games.

And this is Josh. His shirt says it all.

I was able to get a few photos of Issac and Josh playing together.....hugging eachother ;)

And here Issac is with his awesome parents, Josh and Heather. 

And here are the four generations of Robertsons: Floyd, Nate, Josh, & Issac.

 

 Matt and I were the first to leave (sadly) so the we didn't get the big group photo. But, here is a group of us. Thanks so much for an incredible weekend guys. Love you all.

Insta Pennsylvania

This past weekend has been awesome. Last Wednesday my parents picked Matt and I up at our apartment, drove to Chattanooga, spent the night there and then continued to New Oxford, Pennsylvania. It was so great to catch up with family, eat good food, play games and enjoy a change of scenery. Here are a few pics from my phone, more to come soon :)

i love you for that

You taught and fought and pushed and encouraged me for my faith to be my own, even when I gave you hell for it. You organized the wedding amazingly - if it'd all been left up to me, Matt and I would have gone to Vegas. You also left your home and moved across the world to be with Dad. I have all the more respect for you for doing that only because I'm slowly learning what it means to leave and cleave and I love how you encourage me in that; but still, sometimes two hours seems like half a world away, only because I miss you, a whole lot. At times, I really want you here. I call you on the phone, we talk and then you pray. I love you for that, Mum. Thanks for everything.

photo by John Hooker

Happy Birthday, Mum!

My Mum. She met my dad, got married and flew half way around the world (literally) in 8 months.  25 years later, she's even more amazing. She practically did all the work for my wedding, and is more than willing to do whatever she can to help others. She also needs to be busy and have people around. Perhaps that's why she had four kids.

And, while she has many ideas, she also is a creature of habit somewhat. By this I mean that for as many birthdays as I can remember, the menu has consisted of Chinese food with carrot cake for dessert.

She loves tulips :)

 

Her date of birth is January 22 but we celebrated it on Saturday evening while Matt and I were in Jackson. And, this post is a few days late I guess but birthday celebrations should be spread out for at least a week, if not the entire month.

Happy Birthday, Mum!! Love you!
 

the surprise of a guitar

I don't know if it's all dads or just mine, but he's next to impossible to shop for. For years, in fact, probably up until this birthday, he's been given books, coffee mugs, occasionally a new shirt or two. It's never a surprise. And it's a little frustrating because it's his birthday and then nine days latter, I have to give him ANOTHER gift that he knows about and is completely unexciting because it's Christmas! Also, when we go to restaurants, he adventurous and will get something totally random, but for birthday cake/dessert, it's cheesecake. 99.9% of the time. But this year, it was different :D!! I didn't give him a book and he didn't get a coffee mug. He got a guitar (from all of us I guess). Awesome!! And, rather than surprising him with, he surprise all his kids with it! Not that it was for us, but we all were like "WOW! A guitar!!" Way to branch out!!

Happy Birthday, Dad! Love you :)

D+R

If David were a dog, he'd be Rugby. If Rugby were a person, he'd be David. They beg for food, they beg for company. They can be as annoying as all get out and yet, they are fun loving. When I cry, Rug will come and lick the tears away, and David will give me a hug.

I love these boys.

EGR

Of all the photos I've taken, these seem to me to be some of the more successful ones. For the first time, I really worked at being deliberate with the lighting, as well as the composition. I didn't want this shoot to look like a posed, perfectly put together setting; I wanted it to be what it was: a beautiful teenage girl in front of the camera, sporting an everyday outfit, next to no make up, in her backyard. I wanted to present her as herself, not someone who trying to mimic the models of today. Emily Grace: you are so beautiful, you are gracefully getting through one of the most challenging stages in life. I promise you, these years will be over before you know. Keep focusing on the eternal, you're doing great. Love you.

Even though this shot was way over exposed I'm kinda likin' the way it turned out.

I absolutely LOVE this photo. The drama in it is Ah-MAZ-Ing!!

 

shooting into the sun = new favorite thing

Well Hello there, Miss Thing

Who has flawless skin as a teenager? I'm 20 and mine still doesn't look that good!