Soooo Proud!!

I am ONE PROUD Mom :-)!!! My little Oaklee, who is in Kindergarten, took 1st place in the Creative Arts Contest at RCE School. I was soooo proud of her and she was sooo excited!!! The theme was "I may be big, I may be small, but this is what I can do for all". She took this photo with my DSLR camera that I use for my photo shoots. She got a point and shoot for Christmas, but likes to use Mom's "fancy" camera!!! So this is I may be big (my Mom), I may be small (my Sister), but this is what I can do for all . . . feed the cows so everyone has meat to eat!!

Congrats Oaklee, way to go!!! She also took 3rd place for her scrapbook page . . . I didn't take a photo of it . . . YET!! :-)

Totally BOOKED for 2010!!!!!

I announced that I am only taking a VERY, VERY limited amount of photoz this year, 2010, and I am overwhelmed with the NUMBER of people wanting their photoz done by me!!!! With that said I say THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!! I NEVER in my wildest dreamz EVER thought I would be this busy with my business . . . I do LOVE it, but I booked 20 photo sessions, one wedding, one dance revue, and the drill team showcase from now until June, so that is A LOT of taking photoz!!! I'm supposed to be taking it "easy" so I hope I haven't over-booked myself!!! Sorry if you did NOT get an appointment with me. I'll be back in 2011, with a new attitude, new prices, and hopefull some new skills!!!! Thank you ALL soooo very much!!!! I soooo LOVE what I do and just THANK YOU for letting me do what I love to do!!!

I had to end with a photo . . . I sooo miss this lady!!! She is known to me as my "other" mom and I had to go visit her the other day to tell her my good news . . . I know she'd say, "Congrats Miss Rayni" and throw her arms around me and tell me it's going to be okay!!! I LOVE her and miss her something terrible. After I told my own mom and my sister, she was the next one on my list . . . until we meet again! I just hope she's taking good care of my child right now :-)!!

LIFE is what happens . . . when you are making OTHER plans!!!

So that saying is soooo very true . . . LIFE is what happens when you are making OTHER plans!!! So while I've been making plans for my business Raynz Photoz! LIFE took over and is making OTHER plans for me!!!! See the photo . . .

Yep that's right . . . Harper Baby #3 is on his/her way!!!! GRRRR I'm not too happy about it, but it's growing on me . . . if you know me you know that I've only wanted two kidz, but number 3 is on his/her way now ;-)!!! Soooo with that said, I'm NOT going to be taking photoz AFTER JUNE . . . I get a condition in my legs with my muscles and nerves, that I can't hardly lift my legs and I'm in a great deal of PAIN . . . if you know me, you know that I take photoz, squatting, bent over, laying on the ground, I stand on things, so there is just NO way I can take photoz pregnant . . . I know I'm a wimp, but it's my body NOT me!!! I soooo want to be able to continue taking photoz, but I just can't. I also have to listen to my Aunt Mouse . . . she told me to REST, slow down, and take it easy or she could see me in the hospital. I MUST heed her thoughts and dreams about me. She's been right about me in the past and I'm listening to her this time! Soooo I'm only taking a VERY LIMITED number of photo sessions from now until June. I'm NOT saying good-bye to taking photoz, I'm just taking a break. I will have NEW prices and PRINT packages when I get back from having my baby. My baby is due in Octoberish so I'm thinking it'll be 2011 before I'm back!! I promise to be sooo much better when I get back. Right now I've been working my tail off TRYING to be a better photographer so I don't have to Photoshop my photoz so much . . . so I want to be sooo much better when I get back . . . I hope everyone understands that I just have to listen to my Aunt and my body and take it EASY!!!! And I'm also sooo tired of being a slave to photoz, it's burnt me out the last little while trying to be BETTER so I need a break!!! I promise this is NOT the end, just a new beginning . . . ;-)

This photo was taken by my 5 1/2 year old daughter, Oaklee . . . she's getting GREAT with my camera!!!! Maybe you could schedule a photo session with her LOL . . . just kidding!!! :-)

This photo is soooooo my family. Mitzi is posing and Dennis is upside down!!! Sooooo funny . . . I LOVE this photo!!! I stole the idea from Amberlee Harder, thankz!!! :-) Dennis LOVED being upside down just so you know!!

Me with my two posers!!! I LOVE these two little girls and need to spend some more time with them!!! :-)
I LOVE this one . . . see my own family photoz are NOT perfect and that's what I LOVE about photoz, they're NOT perfect!!! They show the TRUE personalities of your family!!!
So there you go, my heart and soul out in one blog post!!! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to take photoz. If you know me WELL, you know it is my TRUE PASSION, but I've let some things go . . . like my family and I need to get things back on track. So I guess this little baby on the way is the Lord's way of telling me to SLOW DOWN and get my business figured out. I know that out of my 55 photo shoots I did last year that only a handful of people had their photoz printed . . . it's fine, but I just think about all that time I spent on them for well, NOTHING!!! I don't want to offend people this is why I'm taking a break and figuring things out!!! I started my business in June of last year and it just was CRAZY BUSY!!! I never in my wildest dreamz imagined that I would be as busy as I was. THANK YOU SOO MUCH!!!! You have NO idea how each and every one of you have made my passion and true love of photography a DREAM COME TRUE FOR ME!!!!

So yes, baby on the way, but I will still take photoz up until June 2010 and then I will be back in 2011. Thankz sooo much for your love, comments, and support!!!! I TRULY LOVE what I do and am sooo PASSIONATE at what I do, so thankz for letting me take your photoz and tell that story behind your precious memories I like to call PHOTOZ!!! :-) And a HUGE, HUGE THANK YOU to my friend, Sarah, for taking my family photoz!!!

My Favorite Spot . . .

So as most of you know . . . I have a FAVORITE spot out here in Levan that I LOVE to take photoz at . . . well, I came home from a little vacation to St. George and when I drove by my favorite spot there was this SIGN hanging up . . . my heart dropped to my stomach!!!! I thought I was going to throw up!!!! I went and talked to the owner of the property because for the last year, I have HAD PERMISSION to be on that property to take photoz . . . but because of some other people and other photographers, I am NO LONGER able to take photoz there. I offered to pay him and he just said NO that it's for the best that I stop going there . . . soooo I was sad and now the hunt is on for a new spot. So I am begging all photographers out there, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE GET PERMISSION BEFORE you take photoz on someone else's property . . . I would still be able to take photoz if it wasn't for you. I know that sounds rude, but I'm soooo upset that I "played by the rules" and because of other people's choices, I no longer can take photoz there . . . they have ran people off at night, have had property damage, and things stolen, not because of me he said, so I just beg of anyone that knows of this spot, don't go on the property, it's run down, yes, but it's still private property! I am respecting the owner's wishes, you you must, too!!!! I know I've probably offended someone, and I'm sorry, but it's just a HARD situation and it's not fair that one person plays by the rules and gets permission and then a handful of people/photographers just sees the spot and thinks, oh that's great, we'll just use this, no one will know . . . so YES, my face says it all. I was told that I could take photoz there ONE LAST time, so I got my own family and took some photoz!!! Thankz for listening to me ramble on and I hope I didn't offend too many people!!! :-)

Good-Bye to my FAVORITE SPOT!!!!

Me and My "Assistant"

This is me and my lovely "assistant", my niece McKenzie. I love her, but she's kindof a dork LOL ;-)!!! I'm a dork, too, so we work nicely together!!! I had her helping me on a few photo shoots . . . she took my camera and I used the one that I rented . . . oh man, I LOVE this camera and don't I look GREAT with it??? ;-)

McKenzie and my camera . . . I LOVE my camera, but oh I sooo want a NEW one!!!!

So this is McKenzie being a hat rack for Shane and Michelle's cowboy hats, too funny!!!
Isn't she just gorgeous? And she's getting way too old!!!! :-)
Here is where she was REALLY being a DORK . . . so cute though!!! :-)

So if you know McKenzie, you will know that she wears shorts and flip flops EVERYWHERE . . . well, it was cold and so I MADE her go get some clothes on and well this is what she come out of the house wearing . . . too funny . . . check out the ball socks with her boots LOL ;-)!!! I'm sure her mom will be sooo proud when she sees this photo!?

Thankz Mc-a-babe!!! You are quite the photographer with my camera!!!! :-)