Jude the Dude, Pt. II

On the outskirts of Downtown Gillette lies an enormous car pile junk yard, among other things.  Being that Jude (the dude) loves cars so much, it was only fair that we took him to the this spot for his photos!  He was so overwhelmed, he hardly once would even look at the camera. :) It was like I was interrupting his adventure.  We had a blast, and the sun set too early for our eager hearts.  I do believe we will be back.  Happy 2nd Birthday Jude!!

Jude and his Momma, watching an airplane go by.

Katie wasn't prepared for a photoshoot, but I had to throw her in for one. :)

A somewhat successful attempt at lens blur with the lens, not photoshop.

Jude the Dude

Last night I shoot this little man, Jude.  He's the coolest almost 2 year old I know, and Nora is pretty smitten as well. :) Love this kid!! Here are some shots from the session.  Let me know what you think!

Red Fake Fingernails

Since I was little, I always looked up to my older, much cooler, ridiculously pretty cousin, Melissa.  I remember when I was about 7 years old, I was at her Mom's (my Aunt's) house, and Melissa coming in the kitchen and being all cool, talking small talk with her mom and then someone mentioned how she was 17 yrs old and how that must be nice, yada yada.  Then Melissa took off in her T-Top Camaro with racing stripes and bleach blonde hair, and Guns-N-Roses echoing thru the woods as she rolled on down the driveway. Now remind you, I was SEVEN, and I was playing under the table (don't ask) and thinking,

"Wow, 17 is such a cool age, it is the same number that the disney channel came on that we didn't get at home. Man, I wish I was 17."

Later on that day, I made my way outside to play.  And I found the most awesome thing a 7 year old pentecostal girl could find, RED FAKE NAILS that Melissa must of snapped off and thrown in the wind.  Let me tell you, I tried so hard to press those things on my own little fingers.  I finally got those suckers on and immediately felt, fancy. 17. sassy. you know, all the attitude that comes with fire red fake fingernails.  Of course I felt like I was going to get in trouble, so as soon as Mom started hollering for me, I snapped 'em back off and said goodbye to my new found love.  I will never forget that day.

I grew up under Melissa's shadow.  My mother used to drop me off on summer days when when I was a pre-teen and let me help melissa with her babies.  I would do anything Melissa asked, hold them, play with them, watch them while she took a shower.  We ate turkey sandwiches and 3-D Doritos like they were going out of style and occasionally hit up Kentucky Kingdom.  She introduced me to my first Big Mac and we took a trip to the beach in Florida.  Melissa, you will never know how much you influenced me, and how much those days meant to me.

Ironically, I took up photography, which is exactly what Melissa does.  I would like to think that growing up seeing her work and appreciating her talent, is one of the reasons I am who I am today. I cannot thank her enough, for guiding my little pentecostal, backwoods, strangled pony-tailed self into the lady I am today. So thank you, Melissa. and God love red fake fingernails!

*Recently I was privileged to shoot her and her boys, the ones I help rock, and played in the yards for hours with.  Here are a few from that shoot.

**Also, check out some of her work; Melissa G Photography.

Melissa and her boys: Gabe, Spencer & Myles.

again.

Melissa & Katie

Melissa G

Good Morning America!

On a typical morning, we play.  Eat a little bit, then play some more.  And maybe, if we're lucky, play right on thru naptime. Which is what we did on this particular morning. And as of now, the little one is puckered out in her crib- she had to cry it out a bit tho, just to let me know I should never make her play thru naptime again. :)

This would be her standing up looking out the window.

 Possibly for Daddy? Or just checking the weather.

Please someone tell me the name of this toy.  I know I played with it when I was little, and just about every cousin or friend of mine had one.  This thing is ancient! & she loves it! Out with the new and in with the old, I say!

Peek-A-Boo, I see you! She's such a prankster. :)

Now this would be her new 'face'.  She makes this when she's mad, when she's trying to pull her self out of the high chair, and when she's showing her attitude. This would be the attitude version.

Being careful not to jinx her, this lady has a bright future. :)

scrub a dub my baby girl's in the tub

My little miss nora loves her bathtime.  Between the splashing and the ducks, I stand no chance.  My lovely hair do (as if that's true) stands no chance. My cute top I wanna wear (again, lie) stands no chance.  So here is a photo of my girl doing her thang in the tub. Scrub on sistah!

Do I? I do.

I do do weddings. No, I don't doo-doo on weddings.  :) Mind out of the gutter people. I also, photograph weddings! I realize that I don't post a lot of wedding stuff- and that is just peculiar of me! So here's a slideshow of a wedding Dustin and I shot back in May in Louisville.  The lovely Newlyweds are Susan and Murray, and they are just awesome people. We would all be lucky to know more Susan and Murray's in our life. 

I hope this finds you on a wonderful day.  But as my Papaw always said when replying to how he's doing, "I'm above ground aren't I?" :)

***I am having trouble figuring something out, so in the meantime, why don't you view the slideshow at the following link?: 

http://emrosephoto.myshowit.com/meadorwedding

Sweet Victory

It's something we've always talked about.  Something I've always dreamed about as a kid.  Something I never really thought would happen.  You know, like when you really want something, but it seems too big of an idea, too much hassle or confusion... "Well why leave your family and friends, and go somewhere where you don't know anybody?" ...I could always hear them say.  "What's so bad about it here?"...and so on. And you know, they just don't get it.  It's not about Kentucky. It's not home that I'm running from.  Heck, I love Kentucky.  I really do, I even teared up when the song, "My Old Kentucky Home" played thru my iTunes the other day- got so touched I even made it my new ringtone. No lie. What it is, is the simple taste of adventure.  Something new.  Opening my eyes and mind to a different way of life, a new town, new people.  Not too mention the scenery to boot. I've just always seen myself running off with someone, doing what a lot of people can't seem to do.  Just let go of whatever it is rooting you, and set free.  The timing is right.  Nora is small enough that schooling isn't a factor.  We're starting our life together.  I just couldn't see a better start then taking off and having just ourselves to take care of each other.  I believe this is why the special forces of fate (if you believe in so) has put us together.  We're the same in one.  We both have the ideas and dreams, and Dustin is just the right guy to put them in motion.  I believe we need someone in life that says, "Why not?" as opposed to, "We just can't, it's not logical."

So here we are, in the great, wide-open, beautiful state of Wyoming.  I took a deep breath right thru my nostrils and the smell is of sweet victory.  I did it, I made into reality something that had been put in my mind was too far fetched.  The drive from the airport in Montana to our hometown of Gillette was my new passage to life.  The sky was a beautiful blue and the clouds were fluffy and perfectly weightless.  The scenery, wow, I can hardly sum into words.  Untouched, natural, spacious. Perfect. This was my new home.  My new home. Did I just say that! WAHOO!! I just had to let it out. :)

Our life together now seems nothing short of a million possibilities and lots of unknown treasures.  I love not knowing what's to come, it's what keeps me alive.

So... are you wondering what we're doing to survive? Thinking these crazy kids don't have a clue? haha. We're aren't that crazy, here's the rundown: Dustin applied for the paper in Provo, Ut for their Staff Photojournalist position.  He then received a phone call from the paper in Gillette, WY (that was affiliated with the Provo paper) and they were impressed with his website (http://www.altonstrupp.com)  and wanted to fly him out for an interview.  They offered him the job and he accepted.  So he is working here as a photojournalist for The News Record, (http://www.gillettenewsrecord.com/) and I am starting up my photography business here in town.  

P.S. How sad it would be, to be an old lady with a lot of "Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda's."- that just scares the daylights right outta me!

em :)

em