Of all mammals, the boy is the most unmanageable -Plato

Meet the Vandenbos family. This shoot was so much fun. Joe and Will are 100% boy. Onery, yet adorable! This is my 3^rd time photographing Will, and he always keeps me on my toes. He did a great job today, though. :) Plus, it was the perfect day for a photo shoot! We couldn’t ask for prettier weather, and it was mostly cloudy, so light wasn’t too much of an issue. It really was a photographer’s dream.

:j

Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means you've decided to look beyond the imperfections.

:j

Take my hand, take my whole life too, for I can't help falling in love with you. -Elvis

Can I just say that I love Morgan and Eric? I may love them because I had a small part to play in their love story. I may love them because they had the most incredible wedding day. I may love them because she puts up with me calling her a pain at work. ;) Or I may love them just because. Regardless, they are definitely one of those couples that when you look at them you think, "They are meant for each other."

Morgan's wedding day was planned for January, but then the venue she adored had a September opening, so she decided to go for it. With the help from The Bliss List she was able to pull off the kind of wedding that will have people talking for months complete with a white church and breath taking ball room. They got married surrounded by family and friends. It was the kind of day every little girl dreams of. Take a look for yourself....

I just had to include a photo of this adorable glass the hostess made for Morgan, her mom, and the bridesmaids. They were each personalized for the girls. By hostess, I mean the house where the girls got dressed and ready. She was a friend of the family.

I love when brides have a first look with their groom. It takes out a lot of the stress during the day and seems more intimate than the aisle moment. My favorite part of the first look is when the bride twirls so the groom can see her dress. 

No matter how many wedding cakes I see, I don't think I will ever cease to be amazed at how the baker can make things out of sugar, like these flowers. It's simply amazing!

And a slideshow to top it all off!


Morgan and Eric, Thank you, thank you, thank you for allowing Cherish and I to capture your incredible wedding. I loved watching you, Morgan, transform from beautiful girl to beautiful bride. You radiate such joy and love. I could go on, but I'm going to stop myself. You're amazing, and I can't wait for you to see all the images!

:j

By all the lovely tokens, September days are here, With summer's lovely weather, and autumn's friendly cheer. -Helen Jackson

Labor Day is one of my favorite holidays. Okay, Internet, I confess, all holidays are my favorite holiday, but today it's Labor Day. I love Labor Day because it is the first day off work for the school year, and it marks summer's end, which means autumn is coming. If I could run off and marry a season, it would be Autumn. Here are the reasons I adore Fall so much....

1. Hoodie Weather - I love being all cozy in a hoodie

2. Scarfs - How many scarfs constitute an addiction? I'm not sure I want to tell you how many I have because you may accuse me of being addicted. Let's just say I have a basket full. It's up to you to decide the size of the basket.

3. Starbucks Fall Flavors - Pumpkin Spice Latte? Yes, please.

4. Friday Night Lights - a.k.a. High School Football. My cousin plays, and the other cousins are cheerleaders. I love it.

5. My Birthday!

6. Wardrobe Change - Getting to pull out the cold weather clothes is like a shopping spree without the spending.

7. The Colors - Personally, I don't think the flowers of spring have anything on the leaves of fall.

8. Bonfires - Specifically smores

9. Pumpkin covered Porches - If I could afford to cover my entire front porch in pumpkins, I would do it in a heartbeat.

10. Non-Sweat - It's fabulous being able to walk outside and say, "Isn't it lovely?" instead of "Holy Gamoly it's hot!" (Gamoly is pronounced Ga-mole-eee)

Some of you may think I'm pushing summer out the door too soon, but I just think we should cherish as many Autumnal days as possible. I'm just ready for the tree in front of my house to be this color again.

What's your favorite thing about Autumn? Or for those crazies that read my blog, why don't you like Autumn?

:j

All is peace forever more, on that happy golden shore. What a day, glorious day, that will be. -Jim Hill

My mom always took great pride dressing me up for church. It was back in the day when girls wore dresses, and boys were slacks; we were not allowed to wear jeans. I always had on a cute dress, shoes that hurt my feet, and poofed bangs. (Momma didn't know what to do with my curls, so my bangs were always extra fixed, and it was the 80s.)
I remember one particular Sunday service when I was all dolled up. An older lady at our church, Evelyn, came up to me. She gushed over my dress oohing and ahhing at my cuteness. I couldn't have been over 5 years old, and I may have been even younger than that. I wasn't quite sure what to do since I was a bit shy. Regardless, Evelyn grabbed her husband's arm and said, "Ewell, doesn't Jenny look so sweet today?"
Ewell turned toward me and replied, "Yes, she is quite lovely." I have no clue why after 20 years I still remember standing next to that blue pew in my church while Ewell and Evelyn doted on me. I love how something so simple can become a memory. It doesn't have to be wrapped in a pretty package tied up with bows of big events. It can just be a few simple words spoken to a little girl in a pretty dress.
I write about this memory today because Ewell is no longer with us. He had been battling his health for a while now, and the Lord finally called him home on Monday evening.
Sometimes I get caught up in thinking that my life needs to be magnificent. That I need to make my mark here on earth. I forget that when I get to walk on streets of gold the Lord will be proud of the little things I did for His Kingdom.
Ewell lived his life simply. It was not a simple life.; no life is. But he lived a life anyone would be proud of, singing praises to the Lord, holding the hand of his precious wife, and speaking words of kindness to everyone. He was a great man, and my life is better because I knew him. I know that on Monday night when Ewell stood before his maker he heard, "My child, look around you, great is your reward."

:j

For those who are willing to make an effort, great miracles and wonderful treasures are in store. -Isaac Singer

The Lettered Cottage is hosting a Linky Party to show off this season's yard sale finds. Internet, you know I love a good garage sale, and that my grandma loves one even more. She is the yard sale queen, for those of you who don't remember. Seriously, you'd be amazed. My entire house is furnished by other people's unwanted treasures. I don't have a single thing that I bought at a "real store." Most of those things come from grandma's early morning hunting, but every now and then I join her in the chase. Here are a few from this summer.

Technically, this is from spring, and technically it isn't my find, but it is one of my favorites. This oil painting which hangs in my dining room was $1. Yep, you read that right, one dollar. Amazing, huh?

Disclaimer: The green in my entry way does not photograph well. It isn't quite this dark.

All of these things were from summer sales. The top stained glass was my grandma's find. I traded her an orange stained glass for this clear piece. The frame is also from a sale. It was 50 cents. I loved how it was distressed. The window at the bottom was $4, and my mom had the idea to group all the window pieces together on the wall. I love it.

This is my latest find. I got this while I was in Springfield visiting some friends. I went to get coffee and ended up at a few sales. My friends made fun of me, but it was worth it for this $4 chair.

This rug was another spring find. Mom gets credit for this one. She saw it and snatched it up. I honestly didn't like it at first, but it's really grown on me. I think she paid $10 for it, but I'm not positive.

I could keep going, but I have to go read about everyone else's finds!

:j

Life itself is the proper binge. -Julia Child

I adore quotations, so I've decided to start using quotes as the titles for my blogs.

Today is Weight Loss Episode 8. You'd think by now it'd be easier to write these posts, but it isn't. Regardless, I will press on because I can't do it alone. I've tried multiple times, and each time I find myself in the same place I began, so whether you like it or not, you're in with me.

I'm proud to say that I've been getting my workout on since the last episode. That's 2 straight weeks of waking up at 5 am to hit the gym, plus one Zumba class with my aunt. (We both agree that it is much more difficult than we remembered! Surely it's the program, not us.) Unfortunately, I didn't make it to the gym this morning because my plane landed late last night, and I was up against enough trying to get to work at 7 this morning! I'll be back on the horse tomorrow, so I'm not worried.

So I'm starting to get the work-out thing under control, but I honestly haven't even began thinking about food. On top of that, you would not believe how much I ate this weekend. I plan on blogging about my Philly/Jersey/New York City adventures later this week, but let's just say that most of our experiences revolved around food, but the Cake Boss's cannoli's were totally worth it!

As far as weight loss, the scale really isn't moving. Hopefully that will change in time, but for now, I'm learning how to celebrate my non-scale victories.

:j

Steven and Joy

Steven went home for a summer during college, and it changed his life forever. He had planned to come back to Missouri to finish his degree, but he met a girl. A girl, whom within a weekend, had him thinking, "this could be the one." Turns out she was the one. In fact, I remember when Steven told my friend Holly and I that he wouldn't be coming back because he had met a girl. Her name was Joy, and she was beautiful.

Today Steven and Joy spent their day getting ready, hugging family and friends, smiling for photo after photo, and becoming Mr. and Mrs. It was a day full of perfect weather and laughter. Joy has one of those laughs that crinkles her nose and puts a sparkle in her eye. I love it. Steven is definitely marrying up. :)

Here's a quick slide show... 

Steven and Joy Slideshow from Jenny Collier on Vimeo.

Steven and Joy from Jenny Collier on Vimeo.

Steven and Joy - Thank you so much for allowing me to be part of your incredible day! I've never seen so many tears during one ceremony, or heard so much cheering when the pastor announced the bride and groom. I can't wait to see how God uses you two as a couple.

:j