Keeping up with Kelly Manno.....

~ My Best Friends Wedding ~ Tempe Arizona

2012-02-06T06:00:00.082-06:00

About 7 months ago my phone rang...and on the other end was my best friend Julie. "I'm getting married!" she squealed. Without a second thought, and before I even told her congratulations- "Oh my Gosh I am totally your photographer!" I squealed back.

"Wait....what?" she said, screeching to a halt. "How can you be IN the wedding and be the photographer? Won't you feel left out? Plus, I don't want you to have to work on my wedding day. How will you enjoy yourself if you are working?"

Julie had a lot of good reasons why I shouldn't shoot her wedding.

But I had better reasons why I should.

She has a crooked tooth on her bottom row and she hates when it shows...and thanks to 4 years on poms, sometimes she holds her chin up to high for pictures. I can tell you the first and last name of every boy who has ever broken her heart, her favorite lipstick in high school was Revlon Rum Raisen, and when she goes to Taco Bell she orders a bean burrito minus the onions and plus red sauce.

We've been best friends for 20 years. Many of those years we were completely inseparable- especially in the summers. We would literally spend 5 or 6 days together straight. At one point my dad was convinced neither of us would ever get married and we'd be old ladies living together in our 70's.

We had braces together, went on double dates together, and when our parents made us get jobs, you guessed it, we even worked together. I don't know how it's possible for 2 people to hang out as much as we did and not get sick of each other. She and I always shared a genuine zest for life. It's rare to catch either of us in a bad mood, so put us together and we are seriously annoying, happy people.

A couple of years ago she started dating Nate. She complained all the time that she and Nate never had any good pictures together. He hates having his picture taken. She was a little worried about how their wedding photos would turn out with his camera-phobia and all. I was like, "Julie, I got this." So after some begging, she let me ditch my bridesmaid's dress for my camera gear.

I knew that being her photographer was the one and only way I could ever pay her back for a fraction of the love, laughter, tears, hugs, stories, and memories that she has given me. My cheeks hurt from smiling when I think of her and all we've been through.

But the number one reason I wanted to shoot her wedding?

Because I don't know a single person with more enthusiasm and passion for life than Julie.

I'm lucky to be by her side for these accomplishments. I couldn't think of a better place to be on her wedding day than behind my camera.

Julie, your wedding day was flawless. Seeing your dreams come true makes my heart spin. I'm so happy for the life you've created in Arizona, not just with Nate, but with all your friends out there who adore you and love you as much as I do. I love you Julie Ellen, for everything you are and everything you've helped me to be. Enjoy your wedding photos.

Want to see more of Julie and Nate? CLICK HERE to see their slideshow.

~ Sam and Justin ~ Married!

2012-02-01T21:40:00.000-06:00

Sam and Justin were married in my hometown, Granite City Illinois, at one of my favorite churches. I love going back to shoot hometown weddings because I always run into familiar faces and old friends. This church is right across the street from the small grocery store I used to work at when I was a teenager. I always thought it was gorgeous but never set foot inside until I became a wedding photographer.

Sam was absolutely radiant. One of her bridesmaids nailed it when she said Sam looked like the "Barbie Bride" - fresh out of her hot pink and cellophane box, Made by Mattel :)

It was totally freezing, but as I always tell my brides "I just need 20 minutes" if you can shake it off and pretend like it's not cold for 20 minutes I can give you some amazing shots. Sam and Justin didn't complain once, neither did their bridal party.

The movie theater has a special marque outside just for them, adorable!

Sam and Justin thank you so much for being beautiful on the outside as well as the inside. You were the perfect couple to kick off my 2012 wedding season and I wish you nothing but a lifetime of happiness and little blonde babies :) I hope you love the photos as much as I do.

~ Baby Reed ~

2012-01-30T06:00:00.005-06:00

Meet baby Reed. A sweet, happy, loud, little pumpkin that I got to spend the afternoon with. He is only 6-7 months old and check him out standing in his crib, he is quite the over-acheiver. Daddy is a football coach, they must have already been running some workouts ;)

Oh how I love to shoot mamas in "their chair" in the nursery. We spend so much time there. Feeding, rocking, shushing, swaying, loving, singing, reading, at all hours of the day or night our butts are in those chairs with our babies.

I still have mine in our basement. Even if I did have another baby we'd have no room for it, but I still can't part with it. I remember rocking in it 9 months pregnant with Rocky just staring at an empty room, waiting for him to arrive.

Happy Monday! More to come later this week!

~ January ~

2012-01-27T06:00:00.002-06:00

I found this on Facebook and laughed and laughed. It's just like my house, except

there are 3 kids, plus a 70 lb Golden Retriever and my husband usually ends up on the couch - LOL!

I don't have anything special to say, it's January and we've been doing alot of nothing.

One of our old friends Honkey came to visit. He's an improv actor in Los Angeles, he used to work with us in radio and my kids freaking love him.

Oh, AND I was also on the Dr. Phil show with him a LONG time ago. The preview is still on youtube and it cracks me up! We got on the show as a dare from our radio friends, faked the whole thing just to get on TV, oh I miss my young and ballsy years. I have the whole episode on video somewhere in my basement.

On another note, I gotta say....I'm starting to get this whole "sister" thing and it's pretty spectacular.

I never had a sister so this is new territory for me. It's beautiful, it's complicated, it's silly and it's heartwarming. Right now it's giggling under covers and sharing sippy cups, I'll blink and they'll be fighting over clothes, or make up, or who gets to take the car that night.

Luci had her first Dentist appointment the other day and you would have thought I took her to Disney world. She was so excited to go, she is still talking about it. No cavities, yay! She said she wants to go to the Dentist everyday.

We've also begun figure skating lessons. In our family we get our babies on the ice early.

Usually around 2 1/2 years old for their first time, then lessons at about 3 or 4.

Mama was a figure skater and Daddy was a hockey player, these babies better get used to the ice ;)

Luci loves it so far.

Santa Clause brought us a Kareoke machine and the littlest Manno seems to like it the most. She is in there all night signing and jabbering. It's now part of her bedtime routine

- snack, bath, jammies, sing karaoke, go nite nite -

Poor Rocky has been a little neglected in this post, but he is busy in school all day while the girls and I stay home. He is still full swing in Hockey season, he tried his hand a Goalie and it didn't go to well. For him OR me. I was not cut out to be a goalie parent. By the time he was scored on for the 5th or 6th time and the other team moms are ringing cow bells and hooting and hollering right in my ear I just had to move. I went down to the other end of the rink and watched it by myself. I wanted to rescue him, but I couldn't. Even though it was hard to watch it was also good for him. Rocky has always been really good at sports and it was a slice of humble pie for him to have a rough game. Good for his character.

Daddy was there waiting for him as soon as he got off the ice. The first thing Rocky said was "Dad, I let some of those last ones in because I was just too tired to stop them" Poor kid, he slept good that night. And said he doesn't want to try goalie again until he is 8 years old. That's fine with momma ;)

~ Baby Bryant ~

2012-01-23T06:00:00.029-06:00

Meet Bryant, a very special little baby. Special because he was born on my birthday, special because he belongs to a family I grew up being a part of, and special because he is a fighter. You may notice a large scar down his tiny chest. He was born with a multitude of very serious heart defects. He had his first open heart surgery at just a couple days old with many more already planned.

He belongs to Brian and Amanda. Brian grew up down the street from me. I was at his house almost as much a mine. It's safe to say I have a love-hate relationship with Brian. He was like the mean older brother I never asked for ;) He threw a frog at me once when I was riding my bike and I swear I'm still traumatized. However, I loved his mom and sister an awful lot so it kept me coming back for more.

I know he and Amanda will be a great source of strength and comfort for little

Bryant and his long journey ahead.

~ What do you do with all those pictures? ~

2012-01-19T22:04:00.000-06:00

What do you do with all those pictures?

A question I get asked alot ;)

It's true, I do take a lot of photos of my kids, keeping them all organized and in one place can be overwhelming. So I thought I would share a little bit about how I handle my family photos.

First of all I have a folder on my computer separate from all photography work I do, simply labeled "Family Photos 2011" - then, inside that folder are 12 more folders labeled Jan-Dec.

I find it's easiest to separate my photos by month rather than by a specific event. Because at any time when I get an extra few minutes I can dump them into the current months folder and deal with them later. Then usually sometime around the end of the month I do what us photographers call "culling" - which mean, deleting all the crap.

Now here is where people mess up. Folks, you gotta delete stuff. If I go to one of Rockys baseball games I might take 30 or 40 photos. But I pick my favorite 5-10 pictures from the game and then I delete the rest. If you are feeling overwhelmed by your photos it's because you're holding on to less-than-average photos for dear life for no reason at all. I do the same thing with any event. I probably took 50 pictures at Libby Lus birthday and kept about 12-15 the rest are gone. I simply don't need them. I don't need 12 pictures of her blowing out her candles. I need 2 or 3.

This might be hard to get used to the first couple time you do it. Dragging those images into your trash bin might make you a little queasy but I promise your kids will joy 2-3 good pictures of them learning how to ride their bike than 20 mediocre ones. Learning how to "let go" and keep your photos condensed to only the important ones is half the battle.

Then, I take all those photos, from all 12 months, and every year I create a book called "Stories From Mom"- I make the book using www.shutterfly.com a super easy, user friendly, consumer program. Anyone can figure their books out, it is simple drag and drop layouts. (I never wait until the end of the year to start the book. I sit down at least 3-4 times and year and knock out some pages.)

I talked about last years book here.

And I almost danced a jig when this years book arrived. Even though I know what every page says it's still so fun to hold it in my hands. Here is a peek inside this years book.

Every single important event of our year is documented in here. Big things like birthday parties, little things like Doctors appointments and growth stats. It is much easier than keeping 3 separate baby books. You can order multiple copies of the same book so each of your kids get one to take with them when they leave the nest.

You don't have to be a professional photographer or a witty writer to document great memories for your kids. Just start doing it, it's January so you are off to a fresh start! Start your book today!

Now let's talk about walls. In the family room we have regular wall mounted frames. I still love frames because I can change them. I just took that photo of Rocky in November and couldn't wait to switch it out with his old one.

But I definitely get the most compliments on these. My gallery wraps. One for each kid. Printed on canvas and stretched around a wooden frame. The come ready to hang and look stunning on your walls. I love these so much, Rocky and Luci's are a little out-dated and I will probably update all 3 of these with new gallery wraps later this year.

I also have a collage of standouts. Standouts are the cheaper little step-sister of gallery wraps. They hang frameless on your walls, just like the gallery wraps, but they are printed on a Styrofoam material and much lighter weight and less expensive.

And last, but not least. Little nekkid pictures of my babies in my bathroom. They all have little "censored" bars over their private parts. I think it's cute. My husband just thinks it's weird that we have photos in our bathroom :)

So there you have it. Manno family memories all wrapped up in one post. I know we live in a digital age, but to me, actual printed photos that you can look at on a wall or hold in your hand will always win in my book over looking at them on a computer screen.

~ Happy Birthday Libby Lu ~

2012-01-11T06:00:00.037-06:00

I know it's cliche to say that "kids grow up so fast," but Holy Cow y'all. She is two.

Two years of of those chubby cheeks begging to be kissed. Two years of watching her imagination bloom, and independence sprout. Two years of big blue eyes and wild curls. She does this new funny run with her "crazy legs" that makes us collapse in laughter. She is as comfortable in her sisters dress up clothes as she is with Rocky's soccer ball. So sure of herself, so confident and determined. She has no problem taking care of herself on the playground and at home.

Her favorite word is "Shubby Shubby" which means Bubble Guppies, this silly little television show. That show has provided us a lot of snuggle time. I love to lay on the couch and spoon her little body close to mine. Feeling the rise and fall of her tummy in her little fleece sleeper is hypnotic. It's during that time I get to soak her in, study her face by the glow of the television. Trace her little fingers with my hands and breathe in how little she truly is. Libby Lu, loving you and knowing you, and getting to be your momma is heaven. Happy Birthday Baby.

She had her two-year-old check-up today. I actually look forward to these yearly visits. We love our Doctor and it's the one time a year someone gives me a pat on the back and validates that I haven't ruined them yet!

I know it's old fashioned, but I always dress my kids so cute for their Doctor visits, then I always forget they get stripped down to their skivvies the moment they walk in.

Okay, I am so glad I finally thought to take a photo of this. Because it's something my Doctor and I have been laughing about for years. My children have exceptionally large heads. All 3 of them. I mean huge. At each appointment I am shown a growth chart for my kids height, weight and head circumference. They always fall somewhere in the middle on height and weight. Then we move onto head size, and my Doctor actually congratulates me if my kids make it on the graph- "Hey look she's on the chart this time!"

The black curved lines show average growth for kids with the lowest line being the zero percentile and the top blue line being the 100th percentile. Libby Lu's head size is documented in all those little red X's above the black and blue lines.

Oh how I love my big head babies. And Libby Lu has a final message for you - Shots Stink! Tell em' sister. Happy Birthday Libby Lu.

~ Hannah and Alex ~ A Beautiful way to end 2011

2012-01-05T10:50:00.000-06:00

Meet Hannah and Alex. They were my very last wedding of 2011 and I could not think of a more lovely couple to spend my time with. I didn't have a chance to meet up with them in person before the actual wedding, but within 5 minutes of hanging out with them I was totally in love with this wedding.

Alex and Hannah are Mormon. The Mormon wedding ceremony is considered sacred and no photographs are allowed. So my job actually begins as the bride and groom exit the temple after the ceremony. Can't you see the excitement on their faces? JUST MARRIED!

It was really, really cold on their wedding day. Blistering cold. Anytime there is sketchy weather I always tell my couples "I don't need 2 hours, I only need 20 minutes" If you can handle the cold, the rain, the heat, (or whatever is plaguing your wedding day weather). If you can shake it off and not let it bother you for 20 minutes we can make it work. Here is their 20 minutes.

They didn't complain once. They were too stinking excited that they were married.

Again, no photos in the temple. So we arranged this large family portrait outside. We left everyone bundled in their coats until the last possible second. Then once everyone was in place my assistant ran up and down the line of people like a human coat rack. Worked like a charm.

When Alex and Hannah arrived at the Four Seasons they realized they never exchanged rings, so right there in the lobby, over a Big Mac and some McNuggets they exchanged rings. Classic.

We took advantage of our indoor location to finish up the family photos.

Just when I thought we were done with outdoor photos we spotted the rooftop ;)

Singing to his bride, cutting the cake, a romantic first dance and a sparkler exit. What more could a girl ask for? Alex and Hannah had a lovely wedding day. I was so excited that I was asked to be a part of it. Thank you so much for your business, Best wishes on a long and beautiful marriage.

~ The Santa Claus Session ~

2011-12-22T08:04:00.000-06:00

“The stories my kids will tell one day depends on me. I am writing their book”

- Kellee Hampton

This is the best day of my LIFE! - Luci shouted from the backseat on the way home, she was right. This was the best day ever. But let me back up a bit. Let me back up about 2 weeks.

2 weeks ago:

We counted down the days, we practiced our manners, the kids were pumped. We were going to see SANTA! They could hardly contain their squeals on our way to the mall. They fidgeted in line, peeked around corners, prying for a glance of him, and waiting patiently for their moment with the big man.

It was their turn. As they timidly approached Santa, I could see both of them try to simmer their enthusiasm...waiting patiently for him to make the first move. But he didn’t. Santa really didn't do much of anything.

He didn’t "Ho Ho Ho."

His belly didn’t shake like a bowl full of jelly.

And the worst part? He didn’t even ask my kids what they wanted for Christmas.

Santa politely smiled and nodded at them, then pointed at his knees for them to climb on and then pointed at the Camera. Some lady jingled a loud bell shouting "look here kids!" One click of the lens later it was over. Santa handed them a Candy Cane, barely making eye contact and politely wished them a “Merry Christmas.” Rocky looked like he wanted to say something, but just then Santa turned his body and waved the next kid in line over.

I was left with a really crappy photo and 2 children who had just had the spirit of Christmas sucked out of them. It was uncomfortable, it was awkward, and it was sad.

Sure, we knew Libby Lu was going to lose her marbles on his lap, she’s 1. But Rocky and Luci are not. They are 4 and 7 and perfectly aware of the magic and beauty this time of year brings.

Dare I say Santa was almost crabby? And look, I don't completely blame the guy. That suit has to be awful- hot and itchy. And he’s probably been kicked in the crotch more than he’d like to count. But we still left the mall feeling like crap. We were deflated, someone let the air out of our Christmas spirit and I read it all across the faces of my kids.

My husband and I second guessed everything on the ride home. “We shouldn’t have gone so late, he’s probably been there all day...Maybe he wasn’t feeling well.”

I just couldn’t settle with this, I felt so yucky about the whole thing. I tossed and turned. I felt like I had let my kids down. I had hyped up this Santa visit for days and it was a big flop.

And it's not that I'm trying to shelter my kids from all of life's disappointments. When Luci gets a boy toy instead of a girl toy in her happy meal we don't turn around and go back, and when Rocky waited in line for an hour to meet his favorite Hockey player and the line was cut off before him, I think it was an important lesson. Life is full of disappointments, but not now- not Christmas, and not Santa.

So, I did what any other completely insane totally normal mother would do.

I rented my own damn Santa.

And you know what else? If you flip through the yellow pages long enough and call a few petting zoos you can find a Reindeer too. Turns out ol' Prancer had the afternoon free.

And then, last Monday, I woke them up in a hurry and exclaimed:

“Paw Paw was driving his bus at work and he thinks he saw Santa walking one of his Reindeer in the park. Hurry, hurry put on your clothes let’s go, let’s go!”

Pulling up to the park, they craned their necks and pressed their noses to the car window, straining for a glimpse. They spilled out of the car nearly on top of each other and hauled it across that grass, and just behind a tree their little feet came to a screeching halt. Heads dropped, mouths open. Paw Paw was right, because there stood Santa and his Reindeer.

Santa was waving wildly at them- “Ho! Ho! Ho!” he shouted. "Hello Rocky and Luci! Merry Christmas!" He bent down, arms wide open - Come give Santa a hug! I want you to meet my Reindeer, Prancer.

Not only did Santa know their names, he also knew exactly what they wanted for Christmas and he knew if they’d been naughty or nice. Rocky’s eyes grew wider and wider with each detail Santa knew.

They had their own playdate with Santa. They talked about the North Pole and how many elves he had. They talked about what cookies he likes, they took Prancer for a walk, and Santa awnsered all 783 questions Rocky had about exactly how Reindeer can fly without wings. Luci showed Santa her best dance routine, he tossed around a football with Rocky, and they talked about baseball (Santa is a Cubs fan! Booooo!)

Be still my Christmas be-dazzled heart, this is amazing. I think I had red and green glitter pumping through my veins. It was more magical and beautiful than I even imagined.

They say necessity is the mother of invention. And I needed my kids to have this experience.

I’m never going to stop pushing the bar, thinking outside the box, and wanting more for my children- taking great measures to expose them to as much happiness into their little lives as I can. Not through gifts or material things, but through life experiences. Stretching their hearts as far as I can. It’s the littlest things that can make the biggest impact.

I ended my day in a heap of tears. Thankful for my kids, warped from exhaustion, and just overall ecstatic for the real and true Christmas Spirit I saw in the faces of my kids.

“The stories my kids will tell one day depends on me, I am writing their book.”

...and one day when Rocky and Luci are older, I hope they will laugh at many stories of their childhood including the time their crazy mother hired her own Santa and Reindeer.

This experience was so amazing to us and our family that I will be offering it to you and yours next year. If you would like your child to have their own personal playdate and photo session with Santa in 2012 just buzz me a quick email (KellyManno@yahoo.com) and I will put you on my contact list. I’ll start making arrangements in fall of next year and you will hear from me then. Until then have a beautiful Christmas with your family.

P.S. For those of you who have noticed, I am missing a child in these photos. Libby Lu still isn't quite ready to hang out with Santa. I didn't expect her to. We gave it a shot, but sister was not having it. So we let her spend the rest of the day with Paw Paw. There is always next year.

P.P.S. My husband is a Saint and everyone should know this. I know he starts to cringe every time a phone call begins with me saying "Oh my gosh, I have this awesome idea!" Pulling this off was an insane team effort which included getting up at some God-awful hour and hauling a heavy couch halfway through a park, tying snowflakes to trees, getting city permission for the shoot, and he was just as much a part of this as I was. I am so lucky to have a partner in my life who wants the same things for our kids that I do. I love you honey, I know I go overboard sometimes, but it's all for them. Thank you for loving me in good times and crazy times.

~ Manno Family Christmas Cards 2011 ~ Enjoy!

2011-12-19T06:00:00.001-06:00

~ Emily and Steve ~ Engaged!

2011-12-11T20:22:00.000-06:00

Open the Webster Dictionary to "Ridiculously Good-Looking" and you'll find Emily & Steve's photo. Aren't they adorable? The weather didn't quite hold up with our shooting plan, normally I would just re-schedule but Steve was only in town for a limited time and you know what they say "The show must go on" - so we had to get creative.

I'm going to do things a bit backwards today and post the last photos of our session first, because they are my favorite. These first 4 photos (with the red background) were taken in a parking garage. I told you we had to get creative :)

Don't let a few outside shots fool you. It poured all day, we had a break long enough to sneak out for 5 minutes but is was freezing, I mean FREEZING!

Thank you Emily and Steve! You were so patient with the weather, and not-so-conventional location, you absolutely rocked it and I am so excited to shoot your wedding next year. Merry Christmas!

~ Dear St Louis, It's not you. It's me. Love, Albert ~

2011-12-09T11:12:00.002-06:00

Dear St. Louis,

It’s not you. It’s me.

Love, Albert

We just got dumped. By the crappiest of all crappy break up lines. And you know what? He’s right. It’s wasn’t us. Because we were awesome. We were there for you man, in good times and bad. We took you under our wing, we adopted you as one of our own. We got used to your thick accent and weird last name. Through hitting slumps and the DL, 10 games out and wild card races.

Our butts were in those seats.

And when you spent the last 3 years blowing smoke up our butt and promising us it was not about the money. We believed you. Then you hopped a ride on the first train out of town.

What, like that extra couple million a year is going to be the difference between whether or not your family goes without food or necessities? Hell, when most of us get a raise it means we can get expanded cable from Charter. We made you an unbelievable offer, and you rejected us. For the exact reason you said you never would.

And now...it’s like you broke up with us, but didn’t tell us why, and it stings.

It’s your own words coming back to haunt you. Not ours.

"Do I want to be in St. Louis forever? Of course. People from other teams want to play in St. Louis, and they're jealous that we're in St. Louis because the fans are unbelievable. So why would you want to leave a place like St. Louis to go somewhere else and make $3 million or $4 more million a year? It's not about the money. I already got my money. It's about winning, and that's it." - Albert Pujols 2009

This breakup is bittersweet. I guess it’s true what they say: It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. I am happy you were a Cardinal. I’m glad my son will grow up and tell his kids he got to see the best baseball player of all-time step up to the plate.

I’m not going to pretend like I know everything that went into this decision. There are a couple things that I do know. I think you are a man of God, and a gentleman who always gave back to the community. I think you have a heart of gold with your family and with your charities and I expect none of that to change.

You did everything that was asked of you as a Cardinal. You were and are a role model on and off the field,

That doesn’t mean were not allowed to be pissed at you. That doesn't mean I don't want to draw horns on you and black out your teeth in our prom picture.

I’m sure you have some decent seasons left in you, but I hope we got your best years.

Let us remind you that being a St. Louis Cardinal is not just a job. It’s being a part of the best baseball nation in the world. It’s a legacy and an honor. It’s a privilege, not a right.

Seeing you in another jersey is like seeing some chick skinnier and prettier than me wearing your letterman jacket. But when the Angels hit a slump, and your bat is silent, and those seats are empty, you’ll think of us.

And if we ever see you in a dark alley at the World Series I hope Carp makes you look stupid.

Cardinal Nation, keep your chin up, hate is just as ugly as greed.

Thanks for the memories Albert. I mean that from the bottom of my heart. God Bless you and your family, may He keep you safe in your travels out west and I hope you have a sucky first season with the Angels,

Love,

The Albert Pujols Remembrance Melodrama from JoeSportsFan.com on Vimeo.

(Funny video courtesy of JoeSportsFan on youtube)

~ Carolyn and Jeff ~ Engaged!

2011-12-07T13:32:00.000-06:00

The turquoise scarf she picked out matched her eyes perfectly, and his. Her gorgeous brown hair whipped in the wind like spun silk. She is from Canada and didn't roll her eyes when I felt the need to instantly ask her about Hockey, and oh yeah, they have a dog named Rocky :) They love each other with heart and soul and it took very little direction from me to bring out their personalities in front of the camera. Just a few of the things I absolutely fell in love with at this Engagement session.

~ Pardon me while I do some tooting ~

2011-12-05T00:25:00.001-06:00

Writing this post is about as awkward as filling out the about me section on a website. Nobody likes to talk about themselves, or toot their own horn, for the fear of looking pompous or arrogant. However, some really cool things have happened to me the past few weeks and not talking about them would be a total disservice to those who have recognized me.

So pardon me, while a little horn tooting goes on...here we go, toot toot.

About 2 weeks ago I received an e-mail from The Knot (Website and Magazine) recognizing me on their list of the "Best of Photographers" for the St. Louis and Southern Illinois region. It's a huge honor to be on the short list of those who were picked. The formal announcement and awards will be handed out next month. I also won the award in 2010 and I smile every time I see it sitting on my desk.

The Knot is a great resource and tool for brides throughout their wedding planning process. I even used them when I planned my own wedding 8 years ago.

Then, last weekend, I attended the SEEN awards held at Studio Altuis in Maplewood. So, what is SEEN?

It's the one and only St. Louis Photographers competition and awards. Sort of like our own local Emmy's :) Actually, ALIVE Magazine listed as their top ten things to do this month and they explained it much better than me here.

The SEEN awards this year had 16 categories ranging from weddings and children, to floral and landscape. Nearly 200 photographs were in the show total. I was nominated in 3 categories. Wedding, Children and Babies. Each category has a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place and then there is a Grand Champion winner of the entire show.

I spent the last 48 hours before the show throwing myself a pity party. I was all sorts of crabby. I literally hung my head back in the passenger seat of my husbands car and whined "But I don't want to gooooo"

You see, my husband and I mixed up our calendars and he had to work. He was my date which left me with nobody to go with. I was only going to know 1 or 2 people there, I was sure I wasn't going to win anything and I didn't want to bother anyone last minute and beg them to hang out with me for the night. I seriously wanted to stamp the word LOSER across my forehead. I'm kind of dramatic like that.

Besides, I've been to this awards banquet before, and it's a real slice of humble pie. The work is Ah-mazing. Seriously, I just whine louder at each photo I pass "Why don't my photos look like that"

My Mom caught wind of my pity party and was having none of it. She called me and said "Me and Paw Paw (My Dad) are going to come with you to that photo thing tonight" - Lovely.

If I thought going by myself was going to make me look dorky, then surely taking my parents wasn't going to gain me any extra cool points either.

I also got a text from my beautiful friend Stephanie just hours before saying she was going to meet me there and I almost did jumping jacks.

Before I left I stood in the kitchen and joked with my husband and showed him my "Gracious Loser Face" that I learned from Joey on Friends.

So me and my parents pile in my car and head out in the pouring rain. I warned them 15 times "Mom, you cannot get mad if I don't win, seriously, you guys have to behave and act normal tonight", she is just a little biased when it comes to anything I do and it would not be unlike here to stage her own protest and hunt down the judges if she felt her baby was wronged.

I didn't need to use my gracious loser face.

I'm going to cut to the chase here.

I won the whole damn thing.

If this were a toddler beauty pageant I would be the "High Point Princess" and if it were the American Kennel Dog show I would be "Best in Show".

In photography terms I won 1st place in the Babies division. 1st and 2nd place in the Weddings division and ...drumroll....Grand Champion of the entire event.

(1st Place Babies Division)

(2nd place Wedding Division)

(1st Place Weddings and Grand Champion)

I almost peed my pants. This is a place where the fancy golf clap is a little more appropriate than fist pumping, but if you would have saw the way myself, my parents, and Stephanie were jumping up and down and screaming you would have thought I just got voted prom queen.

I pour my heart and my soul into my job hoping and praying that people appreciate it. I have good and bad days just like everybody else. To have someone else from the outside recognize my work in such a public way makes me want to cry.

Look, I knew that snow image was going to be a strong contender in the wedding division, I am very, very proud of it. But never in a million-gazillion years did I think for a second I was going to win the grand prize.

I won $600 in cash and prizes, but the biggest prize of all was the swagger baby :) It was the little kick I needed to not be so hard on myself all the time, to hold my head up a little higher, and sit back and relax and enjoy a the recognition for a job I work very hard at.

Thank you to Dave and the Judges and the Studio Altuis team who put this all together.

For anyone who lives in my mama's hometown I am going to apologize in advance for the next 3-4 months because this is all she is going to talk about. She is proud, just smile and nod. :)

I'm so incredibly excited to be a photographer, to see where this industry is headed and what adventures my job will take me to next.

~ Kaylle & Ryan ~

2011-11-29T14:25:00.000-06:00

I couldn't think of a better way to cap off my 2011 wedding season than to hang out with Kaylle & Ryan. They came as a referral from one of my all time favorite couples Paige and Brian. I loved getting a chance to hang out in Litchfield again and eat their famous tortellini :) Kaylle and Ryan have been through more in a few years than most couples go through in a lifetime. They are so in love. I kept catching Ryan on his phone snapping pictures of Kaylle in her dress. Her was in awe of her, and I was in awe of their love.

~ St. Louis Shot Party 2011~ THE VIDEO!

2011-11-27T16:30:00.000-06:00

I've been holding onto this for a while now, waiting for things to slow down long enough for the photographers to actually enjoy it :)

But I'm excited to share the promo video that was filmed at the Shot Party 2011 - we had so much fun at the Shot Party and this video captures it perfectly.

You can also get the vimeo link here if you would like to embed this video into your own blog or facebook :)

I want to give a HUGE shout out to our videographer Jason Gibson. He was given about 2 days notice for this shoot, had very limited resources AND was getting married himself one week later. I was very happy with the way he was able to pull everything together.

If you are a bride getting married in 2011 I kindly ask you to check out his work and consider using him for you big day. I know I would be thrilled to work alongside Jason if any of my brides would like to hire him ;) www.JasonGibsonOnline.com

~ Thanksgiving Delivered ~

2011-11-25T13:19:00.003-06:00

Thanksgiving delivered in all sorts of beautiful ways. My husband and I come from 2 large families so it's always a very long, loud, fun day. My husband is the youngest of 9 children. Those 9 children had 14 Grandchildren and we all get together at "Aunt Annies" house.

I very rarely bring my camera to family events and holidays. Maybe once every 3 or 4 years. I'm glad I did, it's been too long since we've gotten some family photos....even if they all do grumble and groan the whole way through it :)

This Holiday was extra special at Aunt Annies. My nephew, Sergeant Joseph Manno, returned from his tour of duty in Afghanistan one day before Thanksgiving. We all counted our blessings a little more that he was home and safe. The compound he was in was under some awful mortar attacks while he was deployed and everyone breathed a little easier with him home.

We love you Joey and we are so very proud of you.

Libby Lu had an extra friend at the dinner table. She loves to share :)

...and she was a kissing bandit.

And I make a pretty awesome Apple Pie.

So we waddle out of Annies house belly stuffed and jeans un-buttoned only to drive to my Moms house in Illionois and have another Thanksgiving. Always to be greeted by my mother taking the Turkey out with Rollers still in her hair.

My mom is one of 8 kids. Those 8 kids had a whopping 23 grandkids. And those 23 grandkids? Heck, I'm not even going to count how many we've popped out. But my moms house is always fun. Her house is pretty small which only makes it better, everyone is on top of each other, talking over each other, with parades of little ones running from room to room.

My Uncle Ricky came in town and brought some old newpaper cutouts of me. One is a "Why I love my Mom" contest that I won, the other is an old Beauty Pageant announcement.

I can't stop looking at this photo of my big boy. I love it with all my heart. These have to be some of my favorite pictures I've taken of Rocky ever.

I took a couple outside photos of the family, but then a really competitive game of "Rook" broke out and I put my camera down and didn't take as many photos as I did at Annies. But here are a few.

This is Baby Turkey, this Holiday belongs to him. I told you about it before here.

I hope you had a beautiful and blessed Thanksgiving too.

~ I'm on Vacation - Whoo hooo ~

2011-11-22T09:37:00.000-06:00

I'm currently on vacation, my vacation actually started last Sunday and goes until December 1st, but I haven't had a chance to blog that yet because I've been too busy...being on vacation!

No "To-Do" list that looks like this...

No Calendar that looks like this...

Kelly Manno style vacation means lots of cookie dough straight out of the tube and Disney princes movies in the living room every-single-night with the kids. I morph into a 4th child for my husband to take care of "I know it's a school night but can Rocky just stay up one hour longer....pleeeeease?"

Wearing the same yoga pants 3 days in a row and praying my neighbors do not see the ensemble I chose to wear while running out to grab the mail.

But, in all honesty I'm a person who has to stay busy. Day 1 of my vacation I truly thought I would lay around in pajamas all day, but by 10am I was already bored and proclaimed from the couch "Let's take the kids to the arch!" - and so we did.

It struck me that morning that my kids probably didn't even know you could go up there. Heck, Luci still calls it the "The Silver Rainbow" I don't even think she actually knows what it is.

I mean, we've seen the arch from the road countless times, but when I told Rocky we would go all the way to the top of it he looked at me like I was crazy.

I have not been in the arch since 4th grade when my cousins from Oklahoma came to visit. I forgot nearly everything about it.

Those 3 little butts lined up melt my heart.

Even though things seem to move at warp speed around here, it's important to carve out individual times for each one of my babies on a daily basis.

There's sort of a natural flow of it. Libby Lu has her own time with me in the mornings. She and I move slow in the morning. We both value our sleep and it takes us a while to get the wheels turning. I lift her out of her crib and we go straight to the couch where we cuddle, play and talk for about 20 more minutes before she is ready to get down and start her day.

She is the first one of my children to truly become attached to anything. For her, it's her binky and her blanky. Seriously, we would have some kind of high-alert emergency situation if we ever misplaced either one of them. She drags that blanket around like the stinky kid on Charlie Brown.

Oh, but there is one part of my mornings with her that surpasses everything else I will do that day. In an ultimate showcase of love, she will pluck her binky out of her mouth and hold it up to my lips offering me a few sucks on it. She does this with a complete straight face, she's not trying to be funny, her little baby heart wants to share her binky with me. She does it out of utter and complete love. I pretend to nibble on the little stinky thing and smile and tell her thank you. Then she does this little wiggle with her arms like she is so proud that she made her mama happy. Be still my momma-bear heart, I freaking love this moment.

My afternoons are always for Luci. Her sister is taking a nap, her brother is at school and it's just the 2 of us. She thinks I hung the moon. She literally thinks every single thing I do is awesome. "Mom you folded that laundry sooooo pretty" "Mom this is my favorite sandwhich ever" She wants to help me with everything, always on my heals, my little shadow. She is my mini-me. Who cares if we crunch on a few eggshells while we eat our brownies. She cracked them herself :)

My evenings are always for him. They are rarely free, with homework and hockey practice and 15 other things we need to wiggle in. But the point is we do them together. I let him eat his favorite snack, graham crackers and milk, while we work on homework. When we are driving to hockey you will never see a video game in his hand or a TV blaring in the car, we are always talking. Talking about the best part of his day, the worst part of his day, who he played kickball with at recess, what he learned in Spanish. I'm not going to be the only influence on his life - so I better be the best, it's important that I know what his little brain is thinking and heart is feeling at all times.

...and, in his ongoing effort to give me gray hair before my mid-thirties he has decided he wants to be the goalie on his Hockey team. We are taking it one step at a time but he will be in the net for his next game.

Those brown eyes behind that Hockey mask have always turned me into a pile of mush...really, really, proud mush.

That's really all I have for now....I'm going to continue enjoying my vacation with the kids. It's raining outside and there is a "Saved By the Bell" marathon on. I'll be back the first week of December to share with you an awesome video from the Shot Party AND a sneak peek at my final wedding of the year.

(I knew it was only a matter of time before she asked for that gross little doll that pees)

I also wanted to share with other moms of girls these awesome fantastic HUGE bows. I have been searching for years for really, really big bows and finally found some I love. I ordered them in 3 colors. They are completely silly and take up the entire width of Libby Lu's head. I LOVE THEM! I got them on Etsy, just search for "8 inch bows" :)

Have a wonderful and beautiful Thanksgiving with your family.

~ Blogroll, here we go! Manley, Compardo, Griesenauer, you're up!

2011-11-17T19:42:00.000-06:00

~ Blogroll, here we go! Dickerson, Lohse, and Jones You're Up ~

2011-11-15T22:15:00.000-06:00

~ Emily and Joe ~ Getting Married in 2012

2011-11-14T05:00:00.016-06:00

I saw her announce her engagement on Facebook and I quietly crossed my fingers...and toes...hoping she would call me. I really wanted to shoot her wedding. Let's state the obvious reason first. She is stunning, right? And I scoped out her hubby-to-be on facebook and he seemed to be a looker to. When I got the e-mail from her asking about wedding photography I may or may not have done jumping jacks at my desk.

But that's besides the point. I'm a little biased and think all my brides are gorgeous. I wanted to shoot this wedding because Emily is "Good People" she comes from "Good People" I know her Mom and Dad and her sisters, I grew up with her in my hometown. We went to the same school and church, we were on the Pom Pom squad together and being around people like her makes me feel like home.

Emily is funny and goofy, doesn't take herself very seriously and I knew any guy she picked to marry had to be someone great. Joe was everything I thought he would be. He was a gentleman and a sweetheart and did every single silly pose I asked of him. And...he didn't complain once when I almost got them run over in traffic (see photos below) he really loves Emily and I am ecstatic to shoot their wedding next summer.

~ Don and Jenny ~ MARRIED

2011-11-11T05:00:00.005-06:00

Jenny and Don were married on a beautiful day in October. They hit the weather jackpot. Dons brother, Darren, is my cousin-in-law. Which in my mind, should make Don my cousin-in-law-in-law. But I'm pretty sure that's not how it works ;)

Not only did they have beautiful weather, but they also had a lot of time for photos. The took my advice of "pick one pretty location and give me an hour" Most wedding days are a little rushed and chaotic. But this one couldn't have been more carefree. We spent less time driving and more time shooting.

I headed off with the girls and left the boys to my trusty second shooter, Sarah.

Country wedding hazard - Grasshoppers in your dress.

When I came back to check on the boys something told me they weren't quite as behaved as the girls :) Poor Sarah.

~ The Swingler Family & Ashley and Randy

2011-11-10T05:00:00.001-06:00

I'm not a fan of combo-blogging. I really prefer to give each session their own blog. But these past few weeks I am physically shooting more sessions than there are days in the week, which sort of presents a problem. So just roll with me for a bit and busy season will be over before we know it.

Meet the Swingler family. I went to Junior High and High School with Stacy. She has always been, hands down, one of the sweetest, nicest, and kind people I have ever meet. Through the magic of facebook we were able to track each other down and I got a chance to see where her life has taken her. She is still adorable and sweet as ever but she has also gained a wonderful husband and 2 beautiful girls. One dainty and polite, and one a little feisty and wild...I'll let you guess which is which :)

Ashley and Randy are getting married next year!!! I'm elated that I have so many fun and easy going couples to work with in 2012. Ashley is an Emergency Room nurse and she works with a bunch of other awesome nurses who like to hire me for photos as well! So a shout out to all my Barnes nurses! Thank you for all your business! I think I need an honorary pair of scrubs :)

~ The Klestinski Family ~

2011-11-08T05:00:00.002-06:00

Choo! Choo! The blog train is going to be moving very fast this week. Check back daily for new stuff!

Look at all these beautiful babies in their fall colors :) The little red head girl is named Charley, seriously.... little bouncy red curls on a girl named Charley? My head almost exploded with cute-ness.

~ Last Chance for Family Photos ~ Christmas Style!

2011-11-07T05:00:00.011-06:00

The final leaves of fall are drifting to the ground. If you missed out on fall family photos I am offering one last chance to capture your beautiful family with a Christmas mini-session in 2011.

If you've never experienced Main Street St Charles at Christmas time now is your chance. Here is a link to their festivities.

Your family photos will take place on Main Street along with the atmosphere of Christmas Carolers, the Elves and Santa Clause.

Dress your kids in their Christmas outfits, they may even get a photo with the Jolly man himself :)

It's important to note these are mini-sessions. They will last about 20-25 minutes and each family can expect 30 finished images from their session. I will shoot individual portraits of each of your children as well as family photos. These sessions are limited to immediate family members only, no aunts uncles and cousins. Just you and your kiddos.

When: Saturday December 3rd

(Sessions are available between 11am-2pm)

Where : Main Street St Charles

Cost : $200

I am offering 4 spots only. They will be given on a first come first serve basis. To reserve your spot email me at Kellymanno@yahoo.com

~ The Teague Family for the Millionth Time ~

2011-11-02T20:55:00.000-05:00

Okay, maybe not the millionth time. Maybe like the 7th or 8th time. I know they've hired me for Brookes yearly photos 5 years in a row. Before that I also shot their Maternity session, birth and newborn session.

I tried digging through my blog to find all their old posts I got to the two most recent ones before I got overwhelmed (Holy Cow I blog alot) click HERE and HERE to see some oldies but goodies - and if you go to my website, click on galleries and click on Bellies and Babies the 7th photo down are her tiny feet in her mama's hands.

This family makes my heart sing. They are full of awesome. Clients like these are golden in my book. I am so lucky they choose me to document their family every year. Brooke is going to have so many fun photos of her childhood. Sometimes I truly fantasize about watching these kids grow up...how cool would it be if I shot Brookes High School Senior photos? or even her wedding? (hey wedding photographers can use a walker and a cane right?)

I feel like I know them more as friends than clients. It's hard to believe they were strangers 6 years ago. I know that Beth, the mom, will always give me a big hug as soon as she gets out of the car, will always wear black, and has fan-freaking-tastic eyelashes. I know that Mike, the dad, will go with whatever flow I set as long as I schedule our session around Rams Football. I know that Brooke, the little one, will be shy the first 10 minutes but if I want her to come out of her shell I just have to talk to her about Disney land or her Aunt Kate. It makes these sessions a piece of cake when I know a family as well as them.

Thank you Beth, Mike, and Brooke for another fantastic year of photos, from the bottom of my heart.

~ Well, Hello November ~

2011-11-01T14:46:00.000-05:00

October, you slayed me. With your scarlet and sunset leaves and your scents of hay and bonfire smoke. My favorite month all year. Also the busiest, especially for us photographers. There were a few days in there I thought for sure my head was going to spin around and fall off. More on that later, but before it gets too outdated I just wanted to share some pumpkin patch fun as we welcome November and it's much slower schedule with open arms.

Sister Bear fell asleep in the car on the way there, I don't use strollers very often. I think little feet were made to run and explore but thank goodness we had one in the trunk so she could lounge a bit before she was ready to play. See that face? Yeah, she is not ready to wake up yet.

Now she is :)

Libby Lu could have sat and play with this cat forever. Then it dawned on me that I don't think she has ever seen a cat? Is that weird or what? But I don't have a cat and my mom doesn't have a cat and that is really the only 2 places she goes. So this was fun for her. She would stick hay through the cage and the kittens would swat at it with their paws. She cried when I picked her up to leave.

Okay, so this is the funniest photo ever. It's not photoshopped, she is under there somewhere.

My kids had Halloween candy for breakfast this morning, the pumpkins on my front porch are wilting and the scarecrows in my front yard have seen better days. It's time to turn the page to November and find new stories to tell.

Love ya October! See ya next year.

~ HAPPY HALLOWEEN ~ Love, The Manno Kids

2011-10-31T05:00:00.001-05:00

Libby Lu RAGGEDY ANNE

Luci THE LITTLE MERMAID

Rocky WWE WRESTLER REY MYSTERIO

~ Amanda and Dustin ~ Married!

2011-10-26T08:02:00.000-05:00

I become emotionally invested in my brides. Always. Some more than others, depending on their story or the things they have been dealing with. There have been quite a few times in my career where I've gotten caught up in a moment at a wedding and lost it. Like, tears streaming down my face from behind my camera, shrugging my shoulders to control my breathing, lost it. To the point where guests are probably thinking "Dude, what's with your photographer? She is a totally unstable!" But I'm not unstable, I'm just a mom, a really mushy, sappy, kissy-kissy, love-my-babies mom. And in every single one of these situations, I can't help but think about my own family and my own children and how they would handle it.

Amanda's story stretched my heart in ways I didn't think could happen. Her mom passed away while she was planning her wedding. I couldn't imagine anything more traumatizing. And I couldn't imagine a more beautiful and graceful person to handle it. Meet Amanda.

P.S. The bodice of her dress was spectacular. Probably one of my favorite dresses all year.

When she and her dad saw each other for the first time, yeah... that time I kind of lost it.

Oh, their faces said so much.

They've been through hell this past year, but they were here, they made it. This is the day they waited for and dreaded all at the same time, but they are here, and she is here. You just can't see her, but you can feel her. This moment was beautiful for everyone in the room, and the two of them showed us all that it was okay to feel happy and sad at the same time...that it was okay to move forward and celebrate the day the way Amanda's mom would have wanted them to.

My assistant's view:

My view.

At every wedding, right before the bride walks down the aisle, I try to turn and snap a photo of the altar. Because this is the first thing she is going to see when those doors open and I want to make sure she never forgets that feeling of all her friends and family beaming with pride and anxiously waiting her arrival.

If you pay close attention to my blog, you may have noticed me slipping in some formal photos here and there. Why? For the interest of full disclosure: You see, the wedding photography market is saturated right now. It seems every week a new friend on Facebook has started a photography business. That's a good thing for a couple reasons.

Number one, it gives brides a ton of choices when choosing a photographer, and two, well, I love photography. So the more folks who share my passion, the better.

I know a lot of new photographers read this blog. I want to make sure they all understand very clearly that I don't only take photos of brides and grooms in beautiful fields with spectacular light. Every week is a new challenge in a different church, one darker than the next, and you have to know how to do formal photos and do them well.

I don't ever want to give the impression that I don't shoot formal posed photos inside the church. They are still a huge, instrumental part of the wedding day and you have to be able to shoot them with precision and confidence.

THEN you get to go outside and do the fun stuff :)

Amanda and Dustin have officially etched a little spot in my heart that will stay there forever. I will never forget their wedding, and I feel so grateful that they chose me to document their day. They have the kind of love that makes other people jealous. They are best friends and literally the most perfect match I could ever imagine. People like them remind me why I love my job so much.

~ Amie and Steve Welcome Baby Ryan ~

2011-10-25T06:00:00.007-05:00

You may remember Amie and Steve from their photos on this blog in 2010 . I was so lucky to be their wedding photographer. Now, I am even more excited to follow them on their journey as parents. I recently got a chance to hang out with their newest addition, Baby Ryan, enjoy :)

One of my favorite parts of shooting newborn babies is getting to talk mommy-talk with all my clients. We dish about sleep-less nights and weary days, and how this is all so much harder than it looks. Nobody can truly prepare you for how physically and emotionally exhausted you will be in those first few weeks, but Amie makes it look good. She is a spectacular mother and I couldn't stop taking photos of her and her new little man. She is in love :)

~ Pumpkin Baby ~

2011-10-23T21:19:00.000-05:00

I had barely made it in the door of their home for this newborn session when Eric (Dad) blurts out with a big smile on his face.

"I have a great idea for a picture" He says this while proudly standing next to the largest pumpkin I have ever seen in my life.

I say : "You want me to put your baby on that pumpkin don't you?"

He shakes his head yes and grins real big.

Eric, this is for you :)

I don't remember how much the pumpkin actually weighed, but it was large enough that the 2 of us could not lift it. Just to move it 5 feet we had to scoot it onto a towel and pull it across the floor. I love when clients have their own ideas to incorporate into a shoot. It's got to be the hardest newborn shot I've ever gotten... I won't tell you how long it took us, but trying to get a newborn baby to fall asleep on a cold hard pumpkin had me sweatin' like I was in a yoga class. Kudos to dad for the cute idea.

The pumpkin was fun, but this one was my favorite :)

~ The Final Chapter of the Fish ~

2011-10-20T22:43:00.001-05:00

It's not always easy to be the big mouth. Most the time it is :) but not always.

After writing the blog about the fish I second-guessed posting it about 40 times...even flinching a little bit when I hit "publish," then immediately getting in my car and making my rounds to pick up the kids. Purposely publishing at that time so I would be away from my computer for at least an hour.

All of this for a couple of reasons.

Number one: I was pretty sure it was going to make me public enemy number one for the Jewel Box. And I like the Jewel Box, I really do. I don't like the decisions they made but I understood the very real possibility of never being able to shoot there again.

And for another reason: I knew how I felt about the situation. I knew I was angry, I knew I was passionate about it, but I didn't know if other people would feel the same way. I hoped they would, but I prepared for the backlash.

I wanted to do cartwheels when saw the support start pouring in. Within 12 hours of the story being posted, it was shared 523 times on Facebook alone. My blog stats are still growing and the story is still making its way around the internet.

I knew that my story would kick up a little dust and possibly get some folks in big trouble. But I also knew what they did was very, very wrong.

Unfortunately for the Jewel Box, it's just not my nature to lay down and be quiet. I will always be loud and boisterous. Especially for those who have little or no voice: the animals, the children, and the elderly.

As the dust starts to settle, I still have to believe that the world is filled with good people who have good intentions. But mistakes are still made, and the way we pick ourselves back up makes us human. I truly hope that big changes are made from this mess.

For a detailed wrap-up you can check out these links from the media outlets who covered the story. I want to personally thank The St. Louis Post Dispatch, KMOV Channel 4 and KSDK Channel 5. Without your caring reporters who thought this story needed to be told, our voices would not have been heard.

Channel 5 link

Channel 4 link

STL today (Post Dispatch) story

I haven't had a time to get back to all the "Thank You" messages I've received. There were literally hundreds. To you I say "You're welcome," and I turn right around and thank you back. I started the engine, you guys hit the accelerator. If I posted the blog and nobody cared, it would have went nowhere. It would have done nothing. I am so happy you guys care as much as I do.

To the 4,665 first-time visitors to my website yesterday, WELCOME :) My blog usually isn't this controversial. It's usually quite boring with a lot of fun pictures and some cute stories about my kids, but I hope you stick around and check back often.

To the Jewel Box: Thank you for admitting your mistakes and showing concern to fix the situation. I meant what I said that I love your establishment. I don't believe this was done with malicious intentions, I think it was honestly a mistake. We will have a lot of eyes on that pond in the coming years. I fully trust that you will take every precaution for it not to happen again. But if it does, you haven't seen loud yet ;)

"You can't make the same mistake twice. The second time you make it, it's no longer a mistake, it's a choice."

~ Katie and Jacob ~ ENGAGED!

2011-10-19T12:41:00.000-05:00

First of all, thank you to all the support behind my fish story. I'm so happy to see so many folks caring so much. I've been contacted by 2 media outlets and Alecia has been contacted by a lady with the water conservation department and big changes are being made and this will not happen again. Once all the loose ends get tied up I will be doing a formal update here in a few days.

Okay...onto some business!

Katie and Jacob are going to the chapel and they're gonna get married :) and I get to be their wedding photographer! Yay! They are both students of Logan College of Chiropractic so we shot their session on the beautiful campus. Being a wedding photographer I may put these guys to work on their wedding day, "Hey, how about a quick adjustment for me before we do these family photos" - Just kidding :)

~ Shame on you Jewel Box of Forest Park ~

2011-10-18T14:12:00.000-05:00

Dear Jewel Box of Forest Park,

Shame on You.

As a wedding photographer, I have worked in your building many times- always appreciative of its atmosphere and immaculate grounds. I’ve especially loved your koi and goldfish lily pond out front, it is the cherry on top of your beautiful space.

You know, the same pond you drained for winter last weekend without removing the fish first, leaving them flopping on the concrete bottom made of mud and slop until they suffocated to death.

They were seen over and over by horrified weddings guests attending Saturday’s wedding at your venue.

I am thankful the wedding photographer of the bride and groom had a bigger brain and heart than you.

In between family photos, she was able to toss some of those still alive into the lowest part of the pond where a small pool of inches of water remained and continued her job as a wedding photographer. She returned after her long day of shooting at 9:30pm, with a cooler and a storage tub and began saving any fish that were still alive.

She took them home and housed them in her bathtub until she found time to re-home some of the larger koi and get a tank for the smaller golds.

Let me stop shaking my head long enough to get this next part out clearly:

You. Are. A. Conservatory.

I nearly choked on those words when I saw them scrawled across your website.

Really? A Conservatory?

I mean really ? This was your only option? Drain the pond and let the fish flop around and gasp for air until they die? In front of wedding guests?

The lack of compassion is dumbfounding.

I am raising 3 children. I teach them everyday the importance of compassion and kindness to other living things. To make a good impact in this world. People, plants, and animals included. Then I send them into a world filled with people who just don’t give a shit. Just like you.

And let me stop this next argument before it happens...

“But they’re just fish!”

And you are right. They are just fish. I’m not upset that the fish are dead. If you think this article is about the fish dying you are missing my point completely.

I am not “that girl.” I am not a member of PETA, I am not a vegetarian, and while it’s not for me, I see nothing wrong with legal and controlled hunting and fishing.

I’m just part of the normal population of folks that will tell you what you did was wrong and it was mean. I’m disappointed in your lack of respect for other living things.

Treating others on this planet as if they are irrelevant is one of the biggest mistakes our society makes everyday.

Lack of compassion in this world will destroy us, we can only make the world a better place if we know the part we play in it.

To the wedding photographer, Alecia Hoyt, who saved the fish, keep fighting the good fight sister.

Shame on you Jewel Box of Forest Park, shame on you.

In closing I do want to add that I have placed 2 phone calls to the Jewel Box leaving messages for an explanation and my calls were not returned.

8 of the 23 fish she saved survived. Here they are in their new home.

If what I say resonates with you, it is merely because we are both branches of the same tree.
W.B. Yeats

~ My Girls ~

2011-10-16T21:44:00.000-05:00

I’ve been thinking alot lately about raising girls and the world I am raising them in.

Okay... so really...

I’ve been freaking out lately about raising girls, and the world I am raising them in.

(Luci's Closet)

Recently, my cousin's son had a bullying incident at school. It was bad...2 kids held his hand in the hinges of the door while another kids slammed it shut. It broke bones and required surgery on his hand. When my mom told me this on the phone, I was so fired up I could have spit nails. And it wasn’t even my kid. Thank God it wasn’t, I think my exact words were:
"First, I’d go to the school and slap the kid in the face, then I’d go to the kid's house and slap his parents in the face, twice."

My husband is well aware that I am allowed to get arrested at least once in my life, and it could very well be for beating up a 3rd grader who was mean to my kid.

Let’s be honest: I’m raising a very girly girl. My Luci. She came out of the womb this way.

Sure, I painted her toes when she was a baby and dressed her in pink, but have you met her? It’s all her, 200% her.

She is sweet and she is dainty. She wears her little heart sewn permanently on her sleeve. Never sees the bad side to anything. Makes up new songs everyday. Gives compliments daily. She sings in the car, loud and free, usually to Beyonce. Always unleashed in her thoughts, actions and giggles. I want her life to stay like this forever, I want to grant her a life full of nothing but rainbows and unicorns. But I'm not in control of that. I worry about her so much and that one day her sweety, spunky, personality will be tainted by the meanness in the world when some little 13 year old witch makes fun of her clothes or her hair.

She is reaching an age where I am no longer just playing Barbies with her. She is asking questions, and I am teaching her about the world.

I could never quite explain it the way I wanted to, and then I found these words. Written by another blogger, they touched me so deep that I wanted to write them down here, and make sure I never she forgets them.

I want to print this out and put it in her baby book. I want to frame them and hang it on her wall. I want to read this to her as a bedtime story every night. Luci Manno, this is for you:

There was a time when you were five years old,

and you woke up full of awesome.

You knew you were awesome.

You loved yourself.

You thought you were beautiful,

even with missing teeth and messy hair and mismatched socks inside your grubby sneakers.

You loved your body, and the things it could do.

You thought you were strong.

You knew you were smart.

Do you still have it?

The awesome.

Did someone take it from you?

Did you let them?

Did you hand it over, because someone told you weren’t beautiful enough,
thin enough, smart enough, good enough?

Why the hell would you listen to them?

Did you consider they might be full of shit?

Wouldn’t that be nuts, to tell my little girl below that in another five or ten years she might hate herself because she doesn’t look like a starving and Photoshopped fashion model?

Or even more bizarre, that she should be sexy over smart, beautiful over bold?

Are you freaking kidding me?

Look at her. She is full of awesome.

You were, once. Maybe you still are. Maybe you are in the process of getting it back.

All I know is that if you aren’t waking up feeling like this about yourself, you are really missing out.

__________________________________________________________________________________

I have another daughter, Libby Lu, who I have yet to label a “tomboy,” but she isn't much of a "princess" either. She equally loves her brother and sisters toys. She will whack the dog with her brother's light saber while wearing her sister's high heels.

She is a little pistol, and judging by the way she layed the smackdown on a little boy who took her toy at the playground last week, eh...I'm not too worried about this one. Sister bear can hold her own. I'm sort of banking on her to stand up for her big sister once in a while.

More than anything in the world I want them to be smart,confident, and love the bejesus out of who they are. It makes me sad that there was a time in my life that I thought it was cute to be dumb. It was sometime in the later years of high school or early college. I think all girls sort of go through this stage. I’m not dumb, I’ve never been dumb and want to make sure my girls don’t every feel they need to be dumb to be cute.

With this whole motherhood stuff I feel like a I got the basics under control. I hug, I kiss, I snuggle. I can swaddle a newborn baby into a perfect burrito bundle, I can feel a fever with my cheek, I can predict when they're up to no good from 3 rooms away, but that's only part of the job. The grander task is raising kids who feel loved, secure and confident in themselves and their abilities. Who are kind and gentle to others. Its raising winners who feel compassion for the losers, it's raising kids rich in love to one day lend a hand to those with empty hearts. Any maybe... hopefully... I pray...it's raising a little princess who can also kick a little ass too.

~ Meet Baby Camden ~

2011-10-14T05:00:00.003-05:00

Newborn photography is a whole other animal, different from any other photography I do. It's an entire different art form, kind of like a choreographed dance. I know alot of photographers who avoid newborn shoots like the plague. After all, you don't get babies to fall alseep on end tables, bookshelves, or dumptrucks without alot of patience, and knowing what the heck you are doing. There are all sorts of methods and tricks I have studied and learned over the years to lull babies into a deep sleep, but Camden, was having none of it. He was bright eyed, and bushy-tailed and showed no signs of going to sleep...ever... But we kept trying...and trying..and trying...I finally gave up and shot the whole session with him wide awake. There goes my "Baby Whisperer" card... But that's okay look how adorable he is!!!

Hey Camden...tired yet? No? Okay, just keep shooting.

After spending 2 full hours at his house, Camden finally started to doze off on his Mommy. I thought this was my chance to snag him off her chest and go take some more photos. But he was not having it. He was ready for the crazy lady who kept dressing him in weird things to go home, he just wanted to spend some quiet time with Mommy, and so he did :)

~ Mandi and Elliot are MARRIED ~

2011-10-13T05:00:00.027-05:00

When your morning starts off with a pair of bright blue Manolo Blahniks you know it's going to be a great day.

and oh yeah...this is my bride "Hubba Hubba" right? She is STUNNING! Her hair and make-up was flawless. I will go to my grave begging brides to use professional services for their appearance on their wedding day, it's one of the best investments you can make.

I cannot tell you how much I adored Mandi and Elliot. Not just them, but their entire day. Their weather beautiful, their wedding party was fun and outgoing, their colors were bright and bold just how I like em', their attention to detail like these little initial signs that hung on the chairs were adorable. People always forget which side is for the bride and groom anyway so these letters were cute reminders.

They had a gorgeous outdoor ceremony at The Grand Basin in Forrest Park. You couldn't have asked for better weather. I, as a photographer, could have used a cloud or two :) Shooting in direct sun in the middle of the day can prove to be a little tricky but I think we got the job done.

Can anybody guess what this bridal party was so interested in? - The Cardinals game! Woot! Woot!

~ A little combo-blogging for your Wednesday ~

2011-10-12T09:00:00.001-05:00

Happy Wednesday! I'm excited to share 2 great family sessions with you today. First up is Angie and her 4 beautiful kids.

But this session didn't just feature her. We threw in Mom and Dad and brothers and sisters and made it a full family session. We did alot of combinations of the entire family, just the grandkids, just the big kids, just grandma and grandpa, just grandma and grandpa and the kids, and on, and one... we had a lot of fun. Hope you love them Angie your family is so much fun!

Up next is the Hamilton family. One of the many families who faithfully book me every single year. I cannot be more appreciative for families like them. They hold a special place in my heart. I photographed little Miss Reagan the day she came out of her mommas belly. This time they brought along her 4-legged brother "Hampton"

You are adorable Miss Reagan and I was so happy to get to see you again.

~ Amy and Kevin plus kiddos ~

2011-10-11T05:00:00.003-05:00

I've known Amy since we were freshman in high school. I've been so excited to watch her family grow. Her kids are just beautiful. I fall a little more in love with Kyla every time I hang out with her, and last time I photographed Asher he was a newborn, but I am happy to report he has turned into a fun little, stinky, cute, mischievous boy who is gonna keep mom and dad on their toes.

Look at this beautiful girl! She even had her own ideas for some poses!

Ready for my favorite? Here ya go :)

~ Heather and Dennis ~

2011-10-09T20:40:00.000-05:00

The end of wedding season is so close I can almost smell it. Although, I don't have much to complain about considering all of the beautiful couples I've gotten to spend my Saturdays with. The end of wedding season is always bittersweet. I'm excited to turn my brain off for a few months, but I also find myself itching to get out there and shoot. We still have a few more weeks left and I am going to enjoy every second of it.

I was so happy to spend my last Saturday in September with Dennis and Heather. They are an adorable, sweet, couple who love two things almost as much as each other....Cardinals baseball, and their dogs. They had their reception at the Museum of the Dog in honor of their pups at Queeny park, it was my first time shooting there and we had a blast.

~ Happy Birthday Alice ~

2011-10-08T10:00:00.000-05:00

When Matt and Melinda were married in 2009, I kept thinking...they are going to have the cutest kids ever. Seriously, as Derek Zoolander would say, they are "ridiculously good-looking", so of course their baby looks like this. Meet Alice, she just turned 1 year old. Happy Birthday Alice!