We left Wildcatter at 11:45 Saturday night.  We returned to Wildcatter at 11:30 Sunday morning.  Since we were in town anyway, we thought we might be able to help The Two Clever Chicks out a little.  They were almost done decorating and setting up by the time we got there.  They are so good!

Not much time to talk about this one (gotta get the boys), but as you can see it was beautiful too.  I must thank my good buddy Vikki for spending the weekend in Graham with me, putting up with me (I am pretty bossy), and taking some great pictures for me and the couples too.

I know there are a lot of couple and ceremony pictures here and not much else.  This is all I got through today.  I hope to show you more later. 

Okay, you have had to wait long enough to get a peek at our weekend.

I love, love, loved Jerry’s ring! 

and I love, love, loved Carol’s dress!

I don’t get nervous, not my thing, but I actually was a little freaked out hanging the dress up right above the dropoff of the canyon and then of course there are the signs!!!!

and let me just tell you how hilarious Carol is…she said these signs say it like rocks and snakes are in the same category.  Danger “you might fall off the snakes and get bit by the rocks”!!!! 

Now here it is…first sight…no this isn’t your traditional wedding photography…it’s BETTER!  Your grandmother and your mom may not like it, but I promise you it is the only way to go if your photography is on the top of your wedding priority list…

can’t get that face in the dark, I can control it this way and make sure nothing is missed.  We even offer to leave you alone after the first initial pictures.  Carol said “STAY!” 

beautiful, priceless, touching, we all cried…

Hello Wildcatter.  We love you too!

when you’re not scared, you jump in the soccer-mom-minivan and go for a ride and find the good spots… 

They spent almost 1 hour together and with our cameras…It was one of the best parts of the day…

I have no idea, but she is so much fun…

and he LOVES her!

My fave so far.  More to come later.

I met DJ today.  She is my first 2011 Senior, but she just found out just recently she has enough credits to be a 2010 Senior!  SURPRISE!  So we had to get her pictures taken fast. 

I think God said “let their be seniors” and then God said “and let them be photographed”.  Seniors are just too much fun.  They will do anything!!!!!!

DJ’s favorite shoes….she has had them since the 8th grade!  Dang, I wish I could get my boys to take care of shoes like that…

What a gorgeous girl she is…I am so blessed to be her senior photographer…

well hello one of my new favorite photos… 

and hello to my new favorite car prop…how cute is this car?  You should have seen the muscle car next to it!!!!  I am saving that one for a boy senior…

wait just a minute…maybe this is my favorite… 

heck, who can pick….another nice new find today…

she likes to thrift store shop…I used to do a little of that myself…when I had time to shop and sortof still liked it…that was way before the boys…anyway, back to DJ enough about me….so we stopped in one of her favorite thrift stores…

I had that Care Bear when I was a kid….

Pretty sure Maverick could have done this shoot, she was so awesome.  Congratulations on your surprise graduation DJ.  Thank you for letting me torture you today.

Dear Carol,

I love you because…you make me laugh, you ate chocolate donuts whole in your wedding dress, you didn’t care what it took to get great bridal portraits and wedding pictures!  You picked an amazing dress and didn’t care if it got dirty!  You trusted me, you got married at Wildcatter, outside, and it did rain, and you were okay with that!  I love you because you picked a great man to spend the rest of your life with, have a great family (they make me laugh and smile too), you saw your man before the wedding and cherished every moment.  Because I think I can play 7 degrees of Carol and link you back to pretty much anyone I have ever photographed!  I love you because you made us cry when you saw each other, because your brother is a genius and videotaped it from the window while none of us knew it!  Do I sound like a stalker yet?  Well, I might just be one because you are so fabulous.  I loved every minute I have spent with you and am a little sad your wedding is over.  You must promise to come see me sometime when you are in town.  I could go on and on and on some more about you.  I pray you are sitting in the sun with a drink in one hand and Jerry’s hand in your other watching the sun rise or set somewhere in this world right now.  God Bless you Carol and Jerry Hargis! 

Yes, we had an amazing, exhausting, but completely amazing weekend at Wildcatter.  We had a very interesting drive back last night on Texas Roadkill Highway!  Nothing like dead and almost dead animals everywhere to keep you awake while night driving!  We have so many great pictures that we can’t wait to show everyone.  The weather cooperated for the most part, but it didn’t matter because the two couples we photographed were superstars.  Lots more to come about them later.

It’s a Monday in May…..so, I must give something away like I promised.  So, far we have given away a family album and a bridal portrait album, so this week we are going to give away a a child album (and that would include any child we have photographed from zero to 18!).  You have until Friday to enter.  Please email me to enter this week at fotobydeedra@aol.com. 

I am taking tomorrow off to straighten up my house and get something in my refrigerator for all these boys to eat this weekend while I am gone.  I have two weddings this weekend, haven’t done that in a long time, so I have got to rest up for it.  Will be back in the office on Monday.  Only two more weeks of school and my regular schedule of working at the office while kids are in school.  Once school is out the “by appointment only” stuff is really, REALLY serious.  No daycare this summer just sitters when necessary.  Lots of pool fun and sun time for us.  Take pictures mostly in the mornings and work at home once the kiddos pass out at night.  Ahhhh, the beauty of owning and running my own business in the summer. 

I miss these two!  I think I need to go visit them soon.

see the rain!

only in Texas do you take a bridal portrait during a tornado watch!  God Bless Texas brides!  Thanks Kelly for being so calm and so easy to take pictures of.

These two girls came from California to get some pictures in some Texas bluebonnets….I told their mother it was too late for that, but we actually did find a few this morning.  We found way more butterflies and ladybugs though and big sister is quite the little bug catcher.  You would never know they aren’t Texas girls.  They were barefoot and walking around in some pretty rough spots.  I love tough girls!  Thanks ladies.  It was so good to see you again. 

The look on this child’s face is still crackin’ me up!  He was either very upset that his aunt was trying to surpise his mom for Mother’s Day or he was not quite sure why I kept trying to make him sit up.

If I have taken your bridal portraits in the past or am scheduled to take them in the future you need to pay attention to this.  This week I am giving away a free 8×8 storybook album with the winner’s bridal portraits in it.  To enter, you can leave a comment here, leave a comment on facebook (tell me why of course you are commenting), or you can email me at fotobydeedra@aol.com.  I will pick a winner on Friday at noon.

As always, I hope everyone has had a happy Monday!  I think I finished up the SLP orders today and delivered them.  So if there is a problem with your order please let me know asap.

We have two weddings this weekend at Wildcatter in Graham!  Yah, I don’t know how that worked out that way, but it did.  Vikki and I will head down on Saturday and come back Sunday night.  We have two fabulous couples and  The Chicks will be there for one of those weddings.  Rain, rain, GO AWAY cuz Carol and Gabby say so!!!!!!