Happy Birthday Elizabeth!!!

Ode to the many many reasons why I love my Elizabeth soo much!!!

In honor of her birthday today… I thought it would be appropriate to do a roast of sorts!  It’ so incredibly rare these days to find a true kindred spirit (think Anne of Green Gables here).  Our friendship extends so long and I’ve blogged and talked about it on ends that you all are probably soo tired of hearing about how great and amazing we are together!  But… it’s the TRUTH ya’ll!

It’s soo rare to find a friend like Elizabeth!  A person who is so beautiful inside and out.  Someone who is completely kind and genuine and generous.  She leads with her heart always, no matter what!  She is compassionate and thoughtful and sincere to a fault and I really do mean a fault!  Time and time again she leads with those qualities often forgetting to think of herself and today, we don’t find many people like her who haven’t been bruised or tarnished in some way!

She is really a diamond!

I think as soon as you meet her, you just understand what I mean!  She has a quiet nature about her that speaks of manners and social graces of decades long ago!  She is someone that you just instantly feel comfortable around!  She has this calming and comforting presence.

You meet her and you just instantly love her!  You  know that she is sweet, and good and loving!  You know she will be there for you and if you ever needed anything, she is the kind of person that would do whatever it takes to help you in anyway that she could!

BUT… what you don’t know is the side of Elizabeth that I know!!!  🙂

One of the things that I keep talking about and exclaiming is soo incredibly amazing is not only how wonderful she is (and our friendship is) but how incredible it is to have the kind of friendship and bond that we do in this crazy world of photography!

Photography has helped re-connect us and build UP our relationship (which is truly fantastic in itself!)

She is my partner in all sense of the word and learning and growing in this business together has given me the opportunity to connect with her in a way that has made me love her even more (if that’s even possible)

So here’s to Elizabeth on her Birthday!  I love you my friend… but it’s time the world gets to know you as I know and love you:  for goofy and loveable way you are behind the scenes!!!

So…. I give you Elizabeth…

A ROAST OF SORTS:

*  One of Elizabeth’s best sides is her selfie side!!! My favorite is when we are trying to take a “professional selfie” Her best is super cute and smiling/ my best is when I’m goofing off with an open mouth smile!  Ask Elizabeth to open mouth smile and then explain how she looks.  “I look like I’m trying to eat your face off… nom nom nom”.  That’s a direct quote!!!

*  Location scouting:  “Is this a restricted area?!”  she says as she stands next to the no trespassing sign…. “I hope they don’t have guns…RUNNNNN”  When a twig snaps!

* Dear sweet brides…. a tip of sorts!  Elizabeth is GREAT with wooden hangers that have the wires that are bent to say MRS.   😉

* On her own photo sessions… (meaning when she is the model) she gets quite bossy with her hubby… RJ KISS ME!!!  RJ sniff me….  and she can rock out some model faces like NO OTHER!!!!  She tends to commandeer the session 🙂  But it always looks amazing

* RAIN is her nemesis (but she always packs super cute umbrellas, rain boots and extra water bottles) which sometimes get left in the car)  And there was this time in Nags head with a bridal party on the beach….

* FOG….  it always happens to us!  And we scream like we are on an episode of the twilight zone.

*  She used to be a ballerina and she moves with quite the grace during wedding day shoots!  No really, she does!

*  Eye of the Tiger is her mantra!

* Game day prep begins with lunch for us (where she barely eats)… sitting in the parking lot belting out eye of the tiger (or in the elevator like the gang from west side story) some kind of water guzzle or spark, and a frantic check off of who’s on first!  All this followed by a parking lot strip into our clothes and someone tripping/face planting somewhere on the way!

* Our dance consists of:  pointing, eye contact, nodding… winking… silent BOOYAHS… OMG ing and mental high fives!

* Tuck calls her my sister wife (enough said)  🙂

*  It’s a nice day…  our phones are busy because we are both calling each other at the same time for shooting purposes

* When we are doing separate sessions, we always tend to end up at the same location!  Our sessions usually tend to morph into one big session because we are just always better together!

*Motivational speeches:  We are both better at giving out advice to the other than following our own advice

*  I tend to go for the weird shot (meaning I’m balancing on landings and balconies) she gets THAT shot of me balancing and then like a great friend, places something soft or stable for me to land on when I fall.  Then she laughs!!!

*  Light testing… tends to go as follows “stand here, wait that’s not right.. OK turn here… wait don’t make that face ever again!”  hahahah  wait how DID you make that face?!

*  Setting the scene:  She’s amazing at it!  If you’ve never had the pleasure of seeing how amazing she is at decorating or setting a scene you need to work with her on this!  But it has to be just soo…. and she will adjust and adjust and adjust until it is perfection!  5 minutes later she will have an even better idea, and adjust again 😉  Ring shots… oh the ring shots!

* Nothing makes her happier than a beach day (except maybe a beautiful first look AND a beach day)

* First looks:  She will pull the car over ANYWHERE for the best first look!  Mosquito’s be warned… she comes packing!

I love you EB!  I can’t wait to spend many more days by your side and many more sessions clicking away with you!

The best part of our days are laughing together!!! I love all your wonderful sides:  your compassionate side with your big big heart and your goofy side which is sweet and silly!  I love your thoughtful side which comes straight from your soul and extends to everything you touch and I love your wedding day stressful side when all that you need is a little snapping and eye of the tiger!

I hope you have a wonderful birthday beautiful friend!!!  I love you so!

Here’s to you my friend!  Cheers!