Rick and I actually first became pregnant in the Fall of 2008… We were surprised as it was completely unexpected by thrilled none the less. We put everything we had into trying to build a life for our new little bundle of joy. Newly married, only two years into our business and not grounded whatsoever as far as life went we were hopeful. We miscarried a short time later and it seemed like life just stopped. The weekend we miscarried we had BOTH a wedding and an engagement session scheduled. After losing what we felt like was everything in our lives happy faces were put on for work that needed to be done. There was a void after that, a sadness. It was such a difficult time in our lives. I know personally I struggled SO much with feelings of being inadequate, like there was something wrong with me, like I couldn’t carry a baby to term. After taking our time to grieve and come to terms with our loss we decided together that we were strong enough to accept what had happened and try to move on with our lives.

We tried for a baby for over a year and a half to no avail… We foolishly thought that WE were in control of when we concieved. We thought out which months would be best, tried every single method in the book and quite honestly became a little frustrated when nothing seemed to work. Then one day it happened… the world made sense again and everything was so clear. Having a child is a miracle, not a science. When it was the right time for us to be blessed with a child we were. It was as simple and as confusing as that lol. Even though we were thrilled to have hope once again thoughts of our last experience didn’t stay away for long. You find yourself thinking, worrying and doing a lot of praying. Once we were through our first trimester we were thanking our lucky stars that we were ‘out of the woods’ or so they say.

We are proud to report that today, surrounded by our loving families, Rick and I got to see our healthy, happy, baby GIRL! 5 months has passed since finding out the good news and she is still strong, active and perfectly on track! Seeing her moving around during the ultrasound brought tears to my eyes! She has a round head like her mommy, likes to dance around like her daddy and was too shy for the ultrasound tech to get a 3D picture of her (guess that means she is DEFINITELY an Osborne). Rick and I feel so blessed, so much is happening in our little world, so many miracles to be thankful for.

What is a post without a picture right? See the cute bank below? This was actually purchased 2 years ago… when baby Chloe Lynn was just a thought, a dream and a glimmer of a future yet to come.  Life works in strange and mysterious ways…

Things I have been able to cross off my list:

1. Read 25 business or photography related books… This month I read Love Is The Killer App by Tim Sanders. EXCELLENT book which I plan to write a full review on when I have the time.

40. Teach a class… On October 5th of this year I have been invited to teach at a workshop for Mile High Photographers. I will be teaching a section devoted to ring shots and am thrilled!

41. Become a mom… This one has been taken care of in a big way, oh about 20 weeks ago!

58. Shoot a trash the dress session… This past July, Rick and I were asked to shoot an AMAZING Trash The Dress Session for America and Tom!

59. Buy a house… On November 15th of this year Rick and I will officially be the proud owners of this beauty!

71. Get placed on 3 preferred vendor lists… One of our amazing couples, Brittany & Nick, held their wedding at Brookside Garden’s in Berthoud. We are now proud to be partnering with them!

93. Give away a free photoshoot to a family in need… This one needs no explaining, we were happy to be able to help and don’t need to share any details

Number 21 on my list was to encourage 10 other people to do a 101 in 1001 list of their own. So far I have managed to inspire 4 other people… Thinking of doing your own? You definitely should, it is AMAZING to see the things we are capable of. If you do make your own list please let me know!

Steph met the girls Saturday morning at The Emporium, a chic salon in Wheatland.  These brave ladies endured over 7 hours there…I can’t even comprehend that!?!  While the ladies were making themselves beautiful for the day, I was with the guys at Brian’s friend Jeff’s house.  The guys’ getting ready is typically different from the ladies’.  It involves sitting around, making fun of each other and putting on the tuxedos as late as we possibly can.  On our way out, Jeff invited Brian and all of the groomsmen out to his garage for a last drink before we left.  His garage bar was amazing!  It felt like we had just walked into the local watering hole.  (By the way, we still managed to make it on time for the formal shots!)  We met the ladies at a beautiful garden location to get a head start on photos for the day. Nicole and Brian opted to do a ‘first look’, which is always one of our favorite traditions on the wedding day.

After that we all headed to Wheatland United Methodist Church for the ceremony. Highlights include Wyoming’s cutest little flower girl, the pastor helping Ethan untie the worlds toughest double knotted rings from the ring bearer pillow and a SILLY STRING exit… Steph got absolutely covered in silly string, trying to get ‘the shot’ as Brian and Nicole exited the church. Their reception was held at the Platte County Fairgrounds inside the 4-H building. Brian and Nicole’s family did an excellent job transforming this blah building into a really striking reception. As I mentioned before we were PROMISED that this reception would be one of the most lively, fun and spirited receptions we have ever seen. Nicole and Brian totally delivered… Dancing, singing, serenading, a bit of country swing, a candy buffet and more, seems like their reception had everything.

We really had so much fun with this one! Brian and Nicole, thank you for letting us be there to capture your big day. We are happy to call you clients and even happier to now call you friends. Looking through the pictures we wanted to make sure that the ‘party’ shone through. This might be one of our largest blog posts ever but we definitely wanted to share a few of our favorites from your special day…

Nicole chose to carry her grandmother’s cross on her bouquet as her something old. This was a total surprise to her mother Pat. She knew it would mean so much to her mom and Steph felt so lucky to have gotten to photograph this moment…

Isn’t this the craziest exit photo ever? GREAT idea…

She had the moves let me tell you! There wasn’t a single song that went by where she wasn’t out on the dance floor…

Brian and Nicole had a fireworks show AT THE RECEPTION? How cool is that? It was an awesome show…

Neither Rick, nor I have ever been home owners. We both spent our lives as serial ‘renters’, just kissing month after month of rent payments goodbye never to see them again. Move in, stay a while then move out, for years it was the same old story. When Rick and I officially became ‘Rick & Stephanie,’ owning a little piece of the world was a mjor goal of ours.

We started our journey by relocating to Laramie, WY actually… Since we cover both Wyoming and Colorado it is always interesting the reaction we get to living in a small town. Quite frequently I find our Colorado Brides asking me WHY. A major reason why has to do directly with this CRAZY fantasy I had of being a mom (that will never happen RIGHT?) The first time I visited Laramie I fell in love… My head became filled with 4th of July’s spent with family at ‘Freedom Has A Birthday’, a celebration which is attended by the entire town, every year without fail. I envisioned our children attending the same school my husband did, growing up with the same friends their entire life and living in a world where people wave when they see you walking and running into friends at the grocery store is a daily occurrence. Birthdays filled with BOTH sets of grandma’s and grandpa’s, aunts and uncles and playing with cousins galore pretty much sealed the deal!

There is a lot that goes into buying a house. Financially, emotionally, strategically… Although we moved here nearly two years ago (has it really been THAT long?) we didn’t want to rush into anything. We took some time to pay down debt, work on credit scores and put some serious thought into what we wanted. Although a few of the items were the same, Rick and I each had things that were important to us individually as well. For Rick he wanted enough space to raise our family, the ability to build equity, a guest bedroom for company and to be sure we were getting a fair deal. For me I wanted something ‘neighborhoody’ where our kiddos could ride their bikes and go trick or treating, I wanted an office that could hold the ever growing amount of ‘work stuff’ we have piled everywhere currently and space to be able to entertain our HUGE family on holidays. Collectively we agreed that we would love to be close to Rick’s mom Ruby as well as really looking to invest in something long term (neither one of us are too keen on moving AGAIN).

I am happy to announce that we have found the most charming home, right here in Laramie that fits all these criteria and more! We have decided on a 3 bedroom, 3 bath twin home that is actually being built for us right now! It is 2130 square feet with an unfinished basement. Our plans are to turn this into a 4th bedroom as well as adding another bathroom to work on Rick’s equity fascination We will have a deck to entertain, a backyard for the kiddo and even got to pick out colors! I feel so absolutely blessed right now. I didn’t grow up in a world where you went out and purchased new cars, bought new homes or got to pick the color on anything really. Rick and I have dreamt of this milestone for SO long now! SO much time, effort, heart, blood, sweat and tears have gone into this… I am definitely not so egotistical to think that we made this happen on our own however, I thank God every night for giving us the little family we have always wanted as well as a place to raise said family to boot! Be prepared to be FLOODED with photos… I am totally in love, can you tell? We drive by the build site multiple times daily and I am even planning on creating a stop motion video of the actual house building from start to finish. I would love to show you an example of what our home will look like when it is finished (same colors even) and the very first photo I’ve taken of the process… drumroll please!

Rick and I have the pleasure of meeting all kinds of seniors each year. Most of them grew up here in WY, surrounded by familiar faces. When we ask them where they would like to go for their senior photos they are able to rattle off dozens of places that remind them of their high school years. Alexandra on the other hand just moved from Washington, to spend her senior year here at Laramie High. A Wyoming transplant, when asked where she wanted to take her senior photos she told us she absolutely HAD to have them taken in the mountains.

So Rick and I headed up to the Snowy Mountain range with Alexandra and her dad Faren to do a little exploring, frolicking among the wildflowers and oh yeah, take a few senior photos while we were at it. Alexandra was a joy to work with. That infectious smile I mentioned earlier made it so easy on us. Frame after frame was filled with beautiful mountain scenery and her quiet laughter. The ‘magic’ of the session came out however when we dabbled in asking her to go ’serious’ for the camera. One of my absolute favorite images from this years senior season is of Alexandra being serious, staring down the camera with a fierce intensity, beaming with confidence. Those Laramie girls better be prepared, they’ve got some competition now that this Washington beauty has arrived!

As always we would love to share a few of our favorites:

“I wavered back and forth many times about whether to have boudoir photos taken: Were they worth the money? Would the photos look nice? Would I feel comfortable? Most often I asked myself , “What’s the point?” Now, after the fact, I can say how glad I am to have booked a session. I felt incredibly at ease around Stephanie and actually had a *fun* time! The photos were all lovely (is that really me?) and the photo album is incredible! Though I booked my session as a wedding present for my fiancé, it ended up being a valuable, positive experience for MYSELF. I felt sexy, glamorous and extremely confident. Women shouldn’t postpone booking boudoir sessions because they want to lose 20 lbs, get toned, be tan, grow out their hair or any other reason. Experience a boudoir session with Stephanie AS YOU ARE and you will certainly love and admire your body the way it is- and your significant other will love it to!”

~ Rachael

“I decided to do the boudoir photo shoot for my husband as a Christmas gift. I was so nervous going into the shoot because I have never felt ‘sexy,’ but Stephanie was so professional. She made it very comfortable for me and captured some amazing images. I felt like a million dollars after the shoot was over. When I saw the first picture I was overjoyed and my self-confidence soared through the roof. I look at myself with a whole new eye now. I am not a size 4 or 14, but a size 16. Women of all sizes have the right to know how beautiful they really are and deserve the chance to feel ‘sexy‘. I went into the photo shoot thinking it was just a romantic gift for my husband and came out with so much more. Thank you Stephanie for the amazing opportunity and for your professionalism throughout the photo shoot. You have given me so much more than a great gift for my husband. You gave me a different image of myself.”

~ Cameo

Jason and Nicole’s ceremony took place at the Nautilus rock formation in Vedauwoo. Steph and I arrived there a few hours early, and the weather was absolutely perfect. A beautiful day, warm and a little bit of cloud cover. Those of you who live in Wyoming know that we typically will have a brief afternoon thunder shower almost each day. Because of this, Jason and Nicole had planned their ceremony to begin at 5pm. Seemed like a perfect plan, right? Well, the afternoon thunder shower was a little bit late to arrive and as Nicole waited with her father to walk down the aisle, it began to sprinkle rain. Nothing too bad, and it would most likely just past in a few minutes. After walking down the aisle with her father, Nicole was met by Jason and was given away by all four of their parents. Very unique, thoughtful and different. As the ceremony began, it began to rain harder. And harder. And bigger drops. And more rain. And hail. Nicole even got to witness an amazing lightning storm over Jason’s shoulder. Jason’s father brought an umbrella to Nicole just in time, and we all continued through the ceremony. Both avid rock climbers, Jason and Nicole chose to have a knot tying ceremony at the end. It was pretty funny to watch a soaking wet groom, his glasses fogged and wet, struggling to tie a knot that he has tied thousands of times in the past. (Jason, I was having just as much of a struggle trying to focus on you two as I looked through my soaked and fogged glasses and camera as well…I feel your pain!) As the ceremony ended, it was strange…the sun came out. The clouds went away and the sky turned blue. Amazing. The evening finished with a reception at the Alice Hardie Steven’s center that was filled with some heart felt toasts, great stories and some crazy dancing. Nicole and Jason, after spending the day with you two and hearing your friends and family tell so many stories from the past, it’s obvious that you two are perfect for each other. Best friends who absolutely light up and seem to have a completely different ‘energy’ when you are together. Congratulations! We really enjoyed being part of your day (yes, even the 30 minutes of pouring rain and hail), and we wish you all the best in the future.

Pouring rain? Hail? Soaked bride and groom? Prove it, right?

Okay, here they are:

This next photo was taken at the EXACT same moment as the photo above, just by Rick… This shows how with two photographers you really do get a completely different and secondary angle on each wedding we shoot.

For their engagement session we headed up to the Smylie family cabin just outside of Douglas, WY. We loved that they picked this location for their session. This cabin, the ‘cave’ and especially the beautiful country that surrounds them hold special memories. Sharing old stories and childhood memories we really enjoyed getting to know more about these two. DID I MENTION IT IS ALSO GORGEOUS UP THERE? It seemed like every time Rick and I found something beautiful to use as a backdrop for their photos, we turned the corner only to find something even more amazing. Wildflowers, rock cliffs and wide open Wyoming spaces made for a really lovely session.

Andrew & Sandy, Rick and I had a lot of fun with you! Thank you for putting up with Rick’s grunting, fostering the friendly competition we have going and keeping us refreshed with Mountain Dew and granola bars. You two are the best! We cannot wait for December!

As always we would love to share a few of our faves:

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]]> http://ardentphotographyinc.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=158 1 http://ardentphotographyinc.com/blog/?p=149 http://ardentphotographyinc.com/blog/?p=149#comments Wed, 18 Aug 2010 23:01:24 +0000 admin http://ardentphotographyinc.com/blog/?p=149 Derek is going to be a senior at Laramie High School this year.  He was a wide receiver and cornerback on the football team, is a dancing machine and just an all around good guy.  Earlier this year (in March), he was finishing his shift at work and began feeling back spasms.  He didn’t think much of it.  As he got home the spasms had turned to tingling in his legs.  Strange, but still probably no big deal.  The next morning he woke up with no feeling from his waist down.  Can you imagine waking up one morning and being paralyzed form your waist down?  What would you do?  It was difficult for Derek and his family to find answers locally; doctors were unsure as to why this had happened.  After a few trips to Children’s Hospital in Denver, they began to find out more.  His cold in March?  Not just a common cold at all, but rather it was walking pneumonia.  Doctors in Denver believed that during his walking pneumonia, Derek’s immune system had actually attacked his spinal cord, thus causing the paralysis.  Myelitis is so rare that only 1500 people each year in the United States are afflicted.  Thanks to steroids, a combination of pain medications and treatment, Derek began feeling better.  He has regained feeling in his legs, but his senior year of football is obviously not going to happen.  The next year will be very pivotal in his recovery and how he feels for the rest of his life.

Steph and I first found out about this on Facebook.  We were absolutely blown away by Derek and his positive attitude.  How can a young man dealing with such adversity remain so positive and so optimistic?  At twice his age, I’m not sure if I would have handled it so well.  Stephanie and I were inspired.  I talked about it all afternoon.  We both completely agreed; we wanted to meet Derek and his family and we definitely wanted to be the ones to take his senior photos.  So we did.  When we met with Derek and his parents one thing became obvious…he is a HUGE Denver Broncos fan.  My wife and I think ‘big’, so we threw out the idea, “What if we did your senior photos at Invesco Field at Mile High in Denver?”  (I have to admit, inside I knew it might be unrealistic.  So did Derek and his parents.  I’m pretty sure they thought we were crazy.).  The next day, I made a few calls.  The upper management of Invesco Field was unbelievable.  They simply don’t allow photo shoots inside the stadium, but the gentleman I spoke with understood the special circumstance and nature of our request.  Although these types of shoots aren’t allowed, we were given an exception and allowed a short amount of time inside Invesco Field to take some of Derek’s senior photos.  ‘Unrealistic’ just became very real.  (I can’t say enough about how impressed I am with everyone at Invesco Field.  Everyone who works there, from upper management to security treated us absolutely amazing.  I know I can speak for Derek when I say we are all so appreciative.)

We met Derek down in Denver the following week for his shoot.  We spent 45 minutes taking photos inside Invesco Field, although I’m sure we could have spent 6 hours.  We finished the rest of the session outside the stadium and we all hoped that one of the best experiences ever wouldn’t end.  This was a day that we will all remember for a long time.  Derek sent us a message later that night saying it was the best day of his life.  Only for now, buddy.  Many bigger and better things are in store for you.  Tony and Sabrina, you have raised a wonderful young man.  You should really be proud of that.  Stephanie and I feel blessed and fortunate to have met you all.  Derek, like we talked about that night, keep your head up.  You know you’ve got this and good things are coming.  Stay in touch and let us know if there is ever anything we can do for you.  Have fun hanging with the Naked Posse!  (Relax people, it’s a group of people at games with shirts off and letters painted on their chests.  Haha!)

Now for the photos:

We are also VERY excited to share Derek’s senior slideshow. He put a lot of thought into song choice and we think he nailed it!

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]]> http://ardentphotographyinc.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=149 5 http://ardentphotographyinc.com/blog/?p=117 http://ardentphotographyinc.com/blog/?p=117#comments Thu, 12 Aug 2010 19:19:23 +0000 admin http://ardentphotographyinc.com/blog/?p=117 When Stephanie and I sat down to first meet with Bailey and her mom Lisa, we could tell that she was different. Bailey is an individual; she has her own sense of style, an inner confidence and by the way, she also happens to be a State Champion in track and field. She wanted her senior photos to have an urban and edgy feel to them, so Stephanie tried to find locations that were unique but ‘fit’ with Bailey.

After rescheduling a few times due to weather, we headed out last week and battled the typical Wyoming wind for Bailey’s session. ‘Urban and edgy’ isn’t always easy to find in Laramie, Wyoming, and we laughed throughout the day as we visited the most shady parts of our town! We ended the session at the high school track where Bailey spends so much time. Once we arrived there, it was like there was a transformation in her. She was definitely in her element, and you could seriously feel the confidence (and a little attitude) come out in the photos. (Actually, I think the attitude came out when I jokingly challenged her to a race. Bailey, thanks for not accepting and showing up a slow, washed up former athlete! Haha!)

Bailey and Lisa, that was as much fun as we’ve had on a senior session. Thanks for choosing us for your senior photos! We hope you love them:

We also wanted to share Bailey’s senior slideshow. We love making these, can you imagine looking back in 10 years and having such an awesome snippet into your life at that time?

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