A Letter.

Dear God,

Thank you. Thank you times one hundred. No, times one million. Thank you for keeping my mum in good health; she is the woman I look up to and strive to become. Thank you for keeping my dad healthy year after year; it is his good heart, unconditional love, determination and hard-working ethic I have inherited and hope to never forget where it comes from. Thank you for my little brother. He will always be the man I protect with everything I have so no harm befalls upon him, ever; God, I truly love that boy. Thank you for blessing me with one of the best gifts you could have given me, my best friend and soulmate, Bryan. It is because of him I want to be a better person each day; he is my whole world, God, so thank you for protecting him and keeping him safe. Thank you for bringing good health and happiness to Bryan's family; they have taught me to see life as a blessing, and I love them with all my heart. Thank you for blessing me with the best of friends whom I cannot refer to as my best friends most times but a part of my family. They are the ones I have cried the hardest with and laughed so much I actually had tears rolling down my cheeks; they have taught me some of life's dearest lessons. Thank you for all the families, couples and children who believed in me and give me the chance to capture memories; it is because of them I am able to do what I love.

Thank you for finding a cure to my health problems. For keeping me the healthiest I have ever been these past five years and for continuing to let me lead a healthy lifestyle. Thank you for teaching me to have faith and to hope, to dream. It is because of my faith in you that I am able to reach for the stars. Thank you for giving me the opportunities to do what I LOVE. To be a photographer and a teacher. These are two dreams I never thought I would see so soon, but certain events happening allowed me to follow my heart and passions. Thank you for a good home, food, happiness and love. Last of all, thank you for showing me in your own way that giving back and having a kind heart are more important than anything money can ever buy. My only wish for the holidays is that every person has a warm home or roof over their head, food, love and happiness in their life. Thank you.

With love and gratitude,

Shefy

May this Thanksgiving day be filled with warmth, good family and friends, wonderful health, love and happiness.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Family: The Kim/Neddo Family.

It's something I always wish I had the chance to experience. The fighting about taking each other's clothes without permission, asking about guy advice, shopping together and all the other experiences you get when you have a sister. I know some might think I am crazy for wishing this. Most of my closest girlfriends come from big families full of girls, so I know very well the fights you can have but the moments you are so thankful you have one, you know, a sister. I am lucky because although I have that void in my life, I have friends who are like sisters to me and three who I get to call my sisters (aka Bryan's younger sisters and sister-in-law). Don't get me wrong, I love my little brother, and I would never trade the memories we have had together in a million years. But, you can't blame a girl for wondering.

This relationship that I speak of, the close bond is what Jaime and Mandy have. They are sisters incase you can't tell. They are not only sisters, but best friends. They live only minutes apart from one another, their husbands, Dave and Rob, are good friends and they have this relationship between the four of them that is really neat to witness. Dave and Jaime are full of life. They love one another, they love their pup Bella and they have so much energy that radiates off the two of them. Rob and Mandy are two people who are completely in love. You can see it in their eyes. Not to mention, their pups are just the cutest! Together, the four of them have this happy and loving glow that really makes my job easy as a photographer.

Dave, Jaime, Rob and Mandy, I hope you love the pictures. I honestly had the hardest time picking out my favorites because there were too many to choose from. May the four of you have many happy years together as best friends, sisters and couples.

Family: The Henry-Mosss.

She has curls that will make you jealous. She has a personality that screams confidence. She has a face that will make you melt. Did I mention, she is only 18 months old? Her name is Maren, and she will bring nothing but smiles to your face! Maren, like any 18 month old child did not want anything to do with my camera. She wanted what any 18 month child wants, to be free. Free to run, play and be adventurous. Her parents are Jason and Lindsey, and they are just the sweetest. How do I get so lucky with such awesome clients? I ask myself this everyday. What I loved about Jason and Lindsey was their ability to let go. They get their session was going to be a little chaotic. What session isn't when you have a little one who wants to be free. However, instead of forcing Maren to take pictures, they let her go. Let her be herself. This in my opinion, speaks volumes for their parenting style and how great they are with their little girl! The Henry-Moss family was an absolute treat to spend time with and getting to know the little girl with blond curls that make you swoon was a cherry on the top!

Jason and Lindsey, your family is absolutely gorgeous and precious! Enjoy watching Maren grow into a confident and beautiful woman who I hope keeps those beautiful curls of hers! Here are some of my favorites below.

Maternity: Melissa Maasen.

There is nothing more exciting than waiting for your little one to arrive. To welcome them to your world, to family and friends and to a new home filled with love and joy. This holds true for John and Melissa who are about to welcome Kaitlyn into their world VERY soon. I'm talking within the next week. As soon as I met Melissa, I thought one thing, "She is going to be a fabulous mum!" She had this peaceful and happy glow on her face that was contagious; you couldn't help but smile. We sat and talked about life and jobs for awhile before taking pictures, and I couldn't help but feel happy. I talked to her about everything that had happened over the summer to me, and she sat there, listened and gave me encouragement. For those few minutes I chatted with her, I could picture, Kaitlyn doing the same with her (a few years from now) as Melissa gave her encouragement about her life.

(Might I add that the nursery for Kaitlyn is absolutely gorgeous! It has all kinds of personal touches that is going to make Kaitlyn feel right at home when she is born!)

Melissa, I cannot wait to meet your bundle of joy and the rest of your family soon. I wish you the best with the remainder of your pregnancy and hope your family and you enjoy your first Thanksgiving with your precious baby girl! Enjoy some of the sneak peaks below.

Family: The McGraws.

There is nothing greater than when I meet a family like the McGraws that tugs at my heart and fills me with joy. You might ask why. I will tell you. In the first five minutes that I met Casey and Rachel, I loved them. They were so understanding and patient that I was a few minutes late because I somehow ended up lost in Brookside trying to find their house. We started talking, and they asked me how I wound up in photography. I told them, and in a matter of minutes I found out they were Rockhurst alumni! I told them I was going back to graduate school for math education, and they were so happy for me. Genuinely happy. This is why I love my clients. They don't have to care about my personal life. However, they choose to take interest and be happy for me. This is why I consider myself incredibly blessed!

So, I knew I loved the McGraw family right off the bat. They were alumni to the graduate school I would be attending, and they were a kind-hearted couple. Now, what made me fall more in love with them was their son, Mickey! He is almost six-months old, and he is CUTE. I can't tell you how many times I giggled throughout our session at the different expressions he was giving me. My favorite of all was his adorable smile! It is so much fun seeing the different stages babies go through. Mickey loves to play and be on his tummy for sure right now. Some may say he is going to be a fearless little toddler in the next year or so because he has adventure written all over him.

Casey and Rachel, I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed our session. It was so fun chatting with the two of you and meeting your precious little man, Mickey. I can honestly say he is going to be a heartbreaker as he grows up. Be on the look out, ladies! I hope you enjoy some of my favorites below and the rest of the images. They turned out quite fabulous.

Family: The Kaylors.

Meet the Kaylors. They are fun, energetic and full of life. Alice is a chic gal who has an eye for all things beautiful. During our session I found out, she, too, has a love for the camera and snapping beautiful shots. I absolutely love it when my clients give me fun and new ideas while taking pictures. To me, it is not stepping on my toes, but feeding me more creativity, which I just love. Then there is Jay. He reminds me of one of my best friend's hubby. He is laid-back, country and loves his wife and son. This family would not be complete without their precious little boy, Isaac. He turned one on Saturday, and he is so much fun to be around. He definitely has adventurous written all over him, and he is one intelligent boy! In a nutshell, this family was a blast to be around and spend time capturing some family memories.

Jay and Alice, enjoy my favorites below and have a wonderful time with Issac. This is one of my favorite ages, and you two are going to have a blast watching him grow into a handsome young man!

Happy Monday!!!