Sophia... a perfect mix of her mom & dad

When you have a little girl as adorable as this, in my opinion, there's no way life could get any better.  I've known her parents since we were a bunch of wild, crazy teenagers, and I absolutely LOVE seeing what they've done with their life together, from a very successful and classy restaurant and wine bar, to this amazingly beautiful little girl, and it's no secret that she makes their world spin!

We held this session on location at their business, PV's Uncorked on Main in Pocatello, Idaho.  I couldn't have been more honored to be their chosen photographer!

Kelslynn's Turning 1!

I watched this little girl's beautiful mom grow up, I watched her mom and dad get married, I've had a long-lasting close friendship with her grandma and grandpa, and now she's turning 1!  She was so happy, and so smiley, and so photogenic, and completely ready to rock the camera!  1-year old cake smashes are probably one of my most favorite sessions... no bars held!  You just go for it!

called to serve...

In the past 6 months or so, I've had the opportunity of meeting many missionaries, some serving in my area, some returning, some awaiting their mission call and many that were preparing to enter into yet another journey of their life.  I stand all amazed as I've watched their transformation as well as their desire to serve a mission and serve the Lord.  I'll admit, years ago (I guess when I was young and close-minded), I was always questionable when it came to young men going on missions - graduating high school, barely starting college, and then just dropping life to go on a mission for 2 years.  Last year I had missionaries in my home twice a week as my 13 year old daughter started to learn more so that she could be baptized.  Following that, I was there as a son of some close family friends opened his mission call, after that, I was there as a son of more family friends returned home from his mission, and then just a little over a week ago, I was also there as yet another son of more friends had his farewell.  I would be lying if I said that my heart wasn't full as I experienced these different events.  The most recent farewell left me smiling inside, listening to this young man as he revealed some very personal & spiritual experiences he'd had.  Needless to say, I'm no longer close-minded.  I now know the courage that it takes to leave your family for 2 years, and I've witnessed the anticipation and the tears of happiness, both from the missionaries and their families.  I admire these young men and the sacrifices that they make,not only that, but also the strong testimonies that they hold.  This young man that I spent just a short time with last night also holds those same attributes.  I last saw him in the fall time when taking pictures of his family, and I cannot believe how much he's changed, but of course all for the better (not saying that he was never good).  It was obvious how much thought & mental preparation he'd been putting into serving his mission.  I wish you the very best of luck, Dallin.  The people of Chile are going to be so very blessed to have you there.

something orange...

One of my online forums for photographers, ROCK THE SHOT, is running a contest this month and the theme is "Something Orange."  I'm getting an itch that this image fits the description perfectly!

This was one of my favorite shoots EVER!  Not to mention, the most calorie-burning shoots!  This senior loves to hike and has a favorite area where she hikes, and we found it appropriate to of course shoot her senior pictures, that are suppose to be all about her, in her little piece of heaven on earth.  So off we went, fall colors at their best along with her amazing hair color to set it off.  She has that "look" that made capturing all her beauty with its surroundings so easy.  I haven't been hiking in many years, but now I know why she loves to hike this trailhead, and I too, felt the peace that this area offers.  Thanks, Alaynia, for an amazing afternoon!

aaliyah's baptism...

My 12 year old daughter, Aaliyah, is absolutely amazing!  She's so smart, bright, creative, and just a character of her own!  On the 21st of July, she got baptized.  This was a choice that she completely made all on her own.  My husband and I try to lead our children onto the straight and narrow path but we also allow them some room to think on their own - and getting baptized is one of the those things that I feel that should be chosen and not forced, and not until you fully understand the true meaning of baptism and have gained a testimony in what you believe.  Sitting with Aaliyah as she went through the discussions, I knew that she was absorbing everything that she was being taught, and that she truly understood it and also believed it.  During her first discussion as the missionaries gave a quick explanation of how it would work and what the meaning of faith was, there was a moment of silence, and then she pointed at the poor innocent boys sitting on our couch and said, "I've got faith in you guys, so you better not lie to me!"  DONE DEAL! The meaning of faith was fully understood by her!  I quickly laughed so that they could put their eyeballs back in their heads and laugh with me.

One of the most special things about her baptism is that my brother, Brady, baptized her and he and his family drove all the way from Montana to be here.  She chose my brother, Carter, to confirm her, and he and his family came from my hometown in Idaho.  And of course my mom was here, and we even left a seat open between me and Aaliyah for my dad.  It's been a long time since we have all been together as a family and have been able to sit around a table and talk and laugh and even tear up - that day after the baptism we were able to do just that at my house.  I never wanted the day to end.  It was an amazing day, for all of us.  We have so many wonderful friends and neighbors who gave Aaliyah so much support and love.

The night before the baptism, we scurried off and took her "baptism pictures."  Here are a few of my favorite, but you can see the rest of them on my Facebook page.

I'm so proud of you Aaliyah, and love you so very much!

my collection of dimes...

Most know that I lost my dad close to 4 years ago but not everyone knows about my dimes, I do mention the story from time to time and those of you who do know the story also know just how much it means to me and how much faith I have in my dimes.

So real quickly - here's my story of where dimes started to play a significant part in my life.

First off, I had a friend who had lost her dad and when we knew that we were losing my dad, she said, "TELL HIM TO LEAVE YOU DIMES!"  Of course my reaction was one that closely resembled a bitter-beer face because I simply just didn't get it. So she told me her story of asking her dad to leave her dimes right before he passed away, and sure enough, since his passing, she consistently finds dimes.  It sounded a little far-fetched but her story was amazing, but I was thinking to myself, "Screw that! I'm gonna ask my dad to leave me quarters, maybe even Sacajewea coins!"

So the time came, I had come from Utah to Idaho to spend the last moments of my dad's life here on earth with him.  I would have given anything in the world for the weekend to have never ended and to be able to lay by him in bed holding his hand with my head on his fragile shoulder for at least another trillion hours.  Of course that wasn't possible.  So when we were leaving that night and were saying our byes (I never say goodbyes - that means it's forever), I looked him right in the eye and said, "Dad, please leave me dimes."  And for anyone that knew my dad, you can imagine the look on his face, since he was never one to believe in silly little meaningful things like that.  And he said, "what?"  I said, "dimes - please leave me a dime when I need you most, when I'm having a bad day or just when I know that you've stopped by to check on me."  He gave me a questionable "ok."  According to the doctors, he still should've had another 2 weeks to live, but 2 days later we lost him.  When we did, I was in the middle of moving, cleaning out cupboards and drawers, and that week before his funeral, of course I found tacks and screws and broken crayons and stale cheerios but I also found dimes tucked far back in a corner of a drawer in a dark cupboard.  Sure, they could've been dimes of ours that we'd dropped but I chose (and still do) to believe they were the dimes that my dad was leaving me.  He got it!  As stupid as the idea was - he got it!  And he quickly came to my rescue and helped me build faith in something and to know that he really was there.

Since then, I find dimes in the most random places and at the most random times.  As for around my house, when I find them I leave them there as long as they're in a spot where they're safe.  But I also have my collection (but it's not all of them).  I nearly have a dime in every room of my house!

This dime is in the window seal in my dining room.  A couple of months ago I found it in the corner of my dining room below this window, instead of picking it up and putting it in my pocket I decided to place it in that window since I go there so often to open the window.

This dime is in between my washer and dryer. Yes, the floor is filthy between there but so is yours! Is it really possible to ever keep that area clean??

This dime is inside of my washer.  Yes, chances are that it fell out of a pocket when I was doing laundry, but it was there, all by itself, and that's where it's going to remain.

And here's another one stuck under my Bounce bar inside the dryer....

I don't remember where I found these 2, but they've been sitting in this little bowl on our bedroom desk for at least 6 months.

I can't remember where I found this one either but I do remember that I had put it in my pocket and then put it in this candle that's also on my desk.

Here's a small collection that I've put in my jewelry box.

This dime is recent and sits atop of a little cupboard.  I found it when I was cleaning one day, quickly set it there, but have decided to let it stay there.

I know to some, this is strange and maybe even a little unrealistic, but to me it's very real.  Most people find pennies laying around, not me - I find dimes!

{ i've gone crazy }

Yep!  You read it right!  From today thru

the 31st of July, family sessions are 50% OFF!  

Of course there's always the small print with additional details & restrictions, so here they are:

Offer cannot be combined with any other offer, promotion, or gift certificate.  Offer only good towards  sessions of immediate family, not extended family.  The discount is good towards the price of the first 4 people and does not apply towards the charge for additional family members.  Offer valid in Salt Lake and Utah counties only.

For anyone who would like to purchase the session, I will allow it, but the session must be held no later than August 31st, 2012.

For session pricing CLICK HERE.  If you have additional questions or would like to take advantage of this fabulous offer, either call me at (801) 651-6990 or email me at micah@icandymadeyousmile.com.