A Dark and Cloudy E-Session

"We'll make it early, 9am, that way we won't encounter bright daylight outside!" I told them.  

Morning of and I am driving to the session, looking up at the sky, imploring God for "a little more light please, please, please." Despite promises from the weather channel that the clouds would  clear up over night, producing beautiful morning skies, Saturday morning was dark and threatening. I was always told in Sunday School and Church that God provides what you need when you need it and I was really hoping He might consider this one of my times of need. 

At 9am it still looked liked dusk outside, but we found a beautiful location and had a wonderful morning. 

Due to this fabulous couples involvement in the CIA, FBI and Secret Society of Cat Cuddling, I will not be mentioning names or showing faces, but I could not pass up a few favorites from our cloudy morning! Mostly because two of them are done by my beloved! Devin has quite an eye for a chemist ;) Maybe I am rubbing off??

Thank you to our wonderful couple! We really had a great time running around with you both. I am really looking forward to your wedding this summer!

xo K

Devin saw this image and waited until the end of the session to borrow Edward (D700) and give it a whirl. This was a beautiful old meeting house built in the early 1800's. I just loved it!

The trees have really leafed out in the past few weeks.  There is so much beautiful, lush greenery surrounding us!

Devin also caught this image of my working with Lucy (Medium Format Mamiya). 

What a Modest Chick.

Oh the good old days. When I worked for money to go to the movies, ate any type of junk food without thinking about the calories, and wore clothing that covered little more than…well, what my teenage mind considered modest. This past weekend as I broke out my summer fancies, I did an overhaul of what I actually wear vs. what I wish I still wore. Truly my taste in clothing has changed from skimpy, slinky, ‘oooops, did I just flash skin?!’ to a more modest, elegant style. When did I grow up? I’m not complaining, but the humor has me smiling!

Devin offered his support and assistance with the overhaul. As he pulled one item out of the trunk, held it up and said, “A table scarf?” I sheepishly corrected him that it was definitely a skimpy shirt that I had worn on a fairly regular basis in high school. My mother let me leave the house like that? For school! Perhaps now it will look nicer as a table decoration.

As I sorted through skirts and dresses, I pulled one pretty little floral number out and tried it on. It was an Easter skirt I had made back in HS: an imitation of a runway piece by some designer I saw in Vogue. It looks fairly modest from a distance, but up close it is quite apparent there are sneaky peeks of skin on the sides. When I wore it to church on Easter Sunday, oh so many years ago, I can distinctly remember the looks of surprise on the church ladies faces. “Isn’t that…lovely dear.” Yes, I think this piece of fabric, along with the table scarf, are part of my fashion history.

It’s funny to think that I wore all of these revealing items to presumably attract the attention of boys, when all it took to woo the man of the dreams was a pair of jeans and a hooded sweatshirt. Huzzah!

Have a great day! And check out the newest additions to my family. 20 to be exact!



Last summer at a wedding in Manchester, VT, the Inn owner’s pet chicken walked down the aisle during the ceremony. It was the highlight of the night! Once my dad heard that story, he insisted that we must have chickens roaming at our wedding: to set the country bumpkin mood. I guess he figured with 20 that we might have a good chance of training one to be the ring bearer by September!



xoxo k

**NOTE** Dad wanted me to clarify that he got the chickens for eggs and that if they happened to walk down the aisle, it would be an added bonus!:)**

Keeping Up with kaht and Devin: Grosse Pointe!

This past weekend Devin and I travelled to the Motor City to visit his family. With a 12 hour drive each way, we are fairly beat, however I wanted to throw a few photos up here to share our fun weekend! 

Our trip had multi-purposes, the main one being Devin's brother Keith's graduation from The University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy. (U of D for short). Once our trip was confirmed, Devin's mom planned a U of D reunion brunch for Devin's HS friends and their parents, so that we could all catch up! Despite being a very full weekend, we always enjoy the time spent with Devin's family. Since they live so far away, it is always a treat to see them!

Happy viewing:) 

U of D reunion brunch, cooked by Devin's mom :) Delish! (As you can tell by the empty plates)

Mr. Martin (Carl's dad) kindly took this photo of the group outside. All of the guys went to U of D HS together. 

The lovely Cassie, who I had the pleasure of meeting in person this weekend. 

Carl and Cassie. 

(Andrew) Kyser, Devin, and Ted. "Man I look short," Devin says. Mind you, Ted and Kyser stand well above 6'5".

Keith's graduation: it was a really nice ceremony. Short and sweet!



The family to our left was very happy for their graduate:) I loved all of their flags!

Keith (to the right) and his comrades.

The Ballew-Porter family + yours truly. 

They are such a stinking cute family! Just look at those fabulous smiles. :)



Devin's parents melting at their graduate's feet. This shot makes me giggle. 

Siblings!

Monday morning D and I departed early to make our way back to VT. In Northern New York, near Malone, we passed by a large wind farm. There were dozens of wind turbines! I know there has been a lot of controversy over the the wind turbines, however, they looked quite elegant turning in the evening light.
Have a great week! xo K

A Love for Correspondence

I love getting letters in the mail. There is just something so exciting about a letter that has travelled across through states, oceans, and maybe countries to reach me! When I was in 6th grade I got my first pen-pal: Jo from England. I would create elaborate letters that I would put into scented envelopes and carefully mark with her European address. Once passed off into my dad's trusty hands to be delivered to the post office, I would wait patiently for a return letter to arrive. To this day Jo and I still write letters the old fashioned way. Perhaps not as often as we did when we were little girls, but I still find joy in sending out a hand written letter, knowing that one will come back to me soon.

The next best thing to letters is e-mail. I love getting e-mails! Particularly the ones from friends and family. The ones where I am not harassed about buying something that will enlarge, shrink or change me, but where I am greeted and missed and loved! *sigh* Yesterday I received one such e-mail in my inbox that made my heart sing. It was from my good friend Kristen. I photographed her and her husband Josh's wedding (along with 3 of my best photog friends!) last Memorial Day weekend. The e-mail contained hugs, kisses, and two links. Kristen had submitted some of her wedding photos to the Valparaiso University Alumni Association and I was tickled pink to see they were posted on the school's (my SCHOOL's!) website!

Check them out here and here. On the first site, wait for the banner to change from "Vote". K+J pop up next. You'll recognize them *smooching* by the tulips :)

Thank you Kristen for sharing! I am just as excited as you are :)

xo K

P.S. Anyone who wants to mail me a letter is more than welcome too. Just to let you know.

Keeping Up With Kaht and Devin: Goat Herding

Oh technology. The bane of my existence! As much as I love the speed and efficiency it offers me, at times I encounter moments (usually with my cell phone) that leave me hissing and spitting and threatening to toss it in the nearest body of water! ::seeing red::

Remember the series of commercials where two people are talking about something very important and the call drops at the most inopportune moment? I completely identify with that! And as Devin and I live a slight distance apart, all the techno errors and glitches usually occur when we are catching up with each other during the week. “Dear Cell Phone Company, Why must it take 4 phone calls to say ‘I…Love…you'? You’re ruining my relationship! Sincerely, K”

One instance that occurred last night was particularly amusing and worth sharing as I know we are not the only ones who have experienced this technological misunderstanding!

As noted in my previous post, my family and I went go-karting in Maine this past weekend (aMAZing!). Last night I was joyfully telling Devin all about my first place win and expert driving skills and said, “Perhaps you guys should go go-karting for your bachelor party. That would be fun!” Devin paused and then replied with, “Heh. Can you picture us guys chasing a bunch of goats around the yard?” WHAT?! After a few minutes of “Go-kart” “Goat cart?” “goat?!” “GOAT!” “Like…goat, maah?” we were finally on the same page. Apparently I came across garbled and it sounded like I had recommended that Devin and his men go goat herding for the bachelor party. Thanks for nothing, cell phone company!

Perhaps I will resort back to a tin can and string or smoke signals.

Enjoy the video below that Devin found. (Make sure your sound is on) It makes me laugh so much! We are headed to Detroit this coming weekend for Devin’s brother Keith’s graduation and no doubt when we enter Canada I will be reciting this video. Happy Tuesday! xo K

The Proud Big Sister

*Warning* This is a fairly long-winded post, but I promise there are photos at the end!

This past weekend, Mom, Dad, Rachel, and I piled into Mud Pie (Lovely new addition to the family: Honda Pilot extraordinaire!) and headed to Biddeford, Maine for Brian’s graduation from the University of New England. (Devin was headed in the opposite direction to meet up with his family in Niagara Falls for the Shaw Festival.

Upon our arrival Brian ushered us back out the door and off to give us a tour of the Aqua Culture Lab that he had worked in breeding and raising Clown Fish. It was really pretty amazing! While Brian showed off his education by talking about bacteria, salt solutions, and fish lingo, I floated about the room smiling adoringly at all the baby Clown Fish. Nemos everywhere! How could you not smile?

Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny, with blue skies and scattered clouds. Rain was likely, but we kept our fingers crossed that it would hold off until after the graduation ceremony and our beach cookout. The graduation itself was a pretty nice event. It was held indoors at the Portland Arena and about 800 students graduated. We arrived early to get good seats and waited patiently as the graduating students filed in, hoping to catch a glimpse of Brian. We were pleasantly surprised when he took up the rear of all the students, smiling and waving in all his soon-to-be-graduated glory! I love my brother. :)

The speaker was Dr. Rita Colwell, a highly distinguished professor and scientist. She started with the Three B’s of Public Speaking: Be Brief, Be Sincere, and Be Seated and continued on with a wonderful speech, reminding the graduates to not “make the same mistake made in Vietnam, by not honoring the warriors.” She encouraged them to continue learning daily (she has 53 honorary degrees!) and using your knowledge to better the world around you. One thing she said that really stuck with me was, “there are few things more gratifying than helping others help themselves.” It was in reference to work she did in Africa years ago to help alleviate the spread of cholera by teaching people to filter their water. It made me think about what I personally can teach someone that would help them help themselves.

Before I knew it, graduates were stepping up to the stage to accept their diplomas. It truly is a magical, slightly intoxicating experience, walking across the stage towards the university president. I remember my graduation from Valparaiso U. and how I kept thinking, ‘Left, Right, Left, Right, Don’t Trip, Smile, Left, Right…” And then I had a roll of paper in my hand and I was heading back to my seat. If not for the photos that proved I had actually gone up on the stage, I might argue that I had skipped it! After graduation, Brian relayed that “I wasn’t entirely convinced I was going to make it until that moment [walking back to my seat]. I just imagined I would get up there and she would frown at me and say, “You just keep on walking.”’ The relief was visible on his face as he walked back to his seat with a secret little smile, showing just how proud he was at his accomplishment. Made my heart glow! If I had not been looking through my camera, focusing on keeping him in focus, I might have been sniffling and dabbing my eyes, I was so proud! (Yes Mom, even big sisters are allowed to cry at graduations.)

After graduation we caught up with Brian in the Sea of Happy People (Newly named and copyrighted! I swear.) and made our way to the parking lot. On our way Brian would encounter various friends and classmates and say, “Picture! I have my personal fashion photographer following me today, so smile!” Tickled me pink!

That afternoon we enjoyed a delicious cookout at Brian’s friend Emily’s house, which is right on the ocean. BEAUTIFUL! The sun shone for about an hour before the fog rushed in and the temperature dropped. Us oldies departed the party mid evening to head for warmer/drier accommodations, but the new graduates stayed on for a bonfire and fireworks. Thanks for hosting the party Emily!

Congratulations Brian and friends! We really are very proud of you all.

And now, without further ado, graduation pictures!


Brian outside the Aquaculture Lab, looking all smart and such :)











All of the parents were asked to stand so that we may applaud their support. I was up by the stage and the 200 still was not able to get close enough. Thank goodness for hi-resolution!

Dr. Rita Colwell

The walk across the stage. Left, right, left, right.



YES!

The students had bubbles and beach balls floating about: very fun!

Huzzah!

More than half of the graduates decorated the top of their caps. There were a lot of fun ones!

The Sea of Happy People.



Sister shot! Hard to believe I am the big sister...



Simply could not resist this shot. I love the sign to the left.

The truth. Good luck!

The beach BBQ spread was amazingly delicious!

This fella, "Peg Leg" would dive bomb you if you were not paying attention and try to steal food. Pfft.



As the fog rolled in we made our way to the beach for a group photo.



Dad captured the next four images as Brian and I played "Fashion Graduate" on the beach.






xo K