The Bacon Bros

So, about three weeks ago now, I went with my friend Kelly to the first EVER concert on top of Pikes Peak! There was a hike up the Peak (which we found out about too late) raising money for the Love Hope Strength Foundation (LHS). Check it out; they are a "music-centric cancer charity dedicated to providing support for cancer centers..." Kevin Bacon and his brother actually did this hike with the group and then perfomed. There was a crowd for the concert, but not a huge one. I was able to be in the front, probably 5 feet (max) away from the Bros. I had never heard The Bacon Brothers' music, but it was pretty good. In fact, I was impressed and (I admit) a little star-struck. You can check their music here. Here are some photos from the event.

Kelly and me


The view from the top


That isn't smoke at the bottom of this picture - that's a cloud. The top of Pikes Peak is elevation ~14,110; in the clouds and above the timber line.


This is a group called Drums for Cures INC. They also raise money for cancer research. They were SO great as well...just loving life and playing their drums.




This kid looks like he's having a blast...hah!


Kevin Bacon...


And here are the Bros

Precious Julianne

I had the pleasure today of doing a newborn session of baby Julianne. She is just about a week old and is the sweetest little angel. She didn't want to cooperate initially, but then after she had a full tummy, everything was OK. It seems that's how it usually works with me as well. :) As you will notice below, the colander was my prop-o-choice today.
I had such a great time this morning with Julianne, her big bro Michael, and her momma Ashley. Thank you Ashley for letting me photograph your baby girl.

Enjoy and have a great weekend.





I don't think Michael was supposed to be in this photo, but it turned out perfect. He loves his new baby sister SO much. In fact, he said that she is his favorite little baby sister (and his only by the way).

Corrie and James are engaged!

I had the pleasure of taking my best friend's engagement photos about a month (or so) ago now. Their wedding in October will be photographed by two amazing photographers, Kellie and Traci from Anne Marie Photography. Check out their work here. Kellie and Traci did our wedding just about three years ago now, and they have been mentors and fabulous friends to me ever since.
Corrie and I have been friends since kindergarden and I now feel like I have known her fiance, James since kindergarden as well. Stoney and I LOVE hanging out with these two kids...they're just our (laid-back) style. We are so, SO excited that they will also be moving to Colorado soon. We took their photos in Austin at several locations. You can't ever go wrong with photos in A-town. Leo and Hitch also joined Corrie and James for some pics. Leo is Corrie's sweet (except to Stoney:) Basset Hound, and Hitch is their new pup who is a Blue Lacy. Blue Lacys were declared the state dog of Texas in 2005...how cool is that?! Here are some of my favorites from the session.
Corrie and James...we love you guys so much! Congratulations and can't wait until October!





Gorgeous...




...featuring Leo and Hitch!




This one is very much a "Corrie" picture. And James, nice rolled up pants. :)

Pikes Peak

The past two weeks have been FULL of changes for Stoney and me, lots of time with each other and family, and a couple surprises thrown in there too. We moved into our wonderful house on May 20th. Moving, or rather, unpacking is never a barrel of monkeys, but we finally got it done (for the most part). The day after the movers delivered our things, Stoney found out that he was being moved to a different Battalion. A shock to us both, but what was even more of a shock was them telling Stoney that he would be leaving in a week and a half rather than in a couple of months. When you have your mind set on one time frame and it's changed, your whole world is turned upside down for a bit. My intelligent cousin put it to me like that while explaining the similarities between their situation and ours. Matt and Lacy weren't expecting their perfect, beautiful baby boy Braden to come a couple months early, but he did, and he is doing wonderfully! Those couple of months in two very different situations really made a difference in their own right. I trust that the Lord knows what he is doing in every situation. Thank you for your insight, Matt.

So, after we found out about this new change, we hustled to get our house in order. Additionally, we wanted our house looking good because my dad, my cousin Weston, and Stoney's dad would be coming up for a couple of days. We had a great time showing everyone around. It was nice to get out of the house and enjoy this beautiful area. We shopped in Manitou Springs, went to the top of Pikes Peak, and ate WAY too much. We were also so fortunate to be able to go to the Air Force Academy for Cameron Koehler's Commissioning Ceremony. Stoney was honored to be the officer who commissioned Cameron. It was lovely.

The last couple of weeks have been a WHIRLWIND!

This past Wednesday Stoney left for Afghanistan. It was (of course) so hard for us both to say goodbye, but we know that the sooner he leaves, the sooner he gets back. Everyone has been SO supportive to Stoney and me. Your thoughts and prayers are very much appreciated. Please continue to pray for Stoney's safety as well as the safety of all of our service men and women. I will be sending out an e-mail update every couple of weeks to keep everyone informed on what Stoney is up to.
I love you, Stone.

Here are some of my favorite shots from our time with the dads.


My sweet little family.



My dad and me.



I think I'm going to get this one printed on canvas for above our fireplace.



This one of Stoney is my favorite. I took it as the top of Pikes Peak...well, almost the top. We drove all the way to 12,500ft and the remaining road to the very top was still iced over. When we started our drive at 6,000ft the temperature was about 70 degrees. At 12,500ft it had dropped to 31 degrees and there were snow flurries! This past week it snowed three feet on top of the mountain.



Stoney and his dad, Kip.











Manitou Springs, CO





It's a very whimsical little town....I love it.



Cameron's Commissioning Ceremony.

Memorial Day

To all of you who serve, have served, or plan to serve, thank you. This Memorial Day is very important to me as Stoney and I prepare for his deployment to Afghanistan in the coming days. Please pray for us, Stoney's safety, and the safety of all of those who are fighting for us and our country.

Also, our good friend James O'Brien posted a blog about Memorial Day and talked a little bit about Stoney and me. Please check out James' blog: http://www.spiritualhorseman.com/2009/05/truth/. He has a true gift when it comes to words and identifying those small details that highlight the greatness of our Lord. Additionally, it seems that Tonni has an equally passionate gift for sharing the Truth. Her blog is located at http://real-life-with-multiple-sclerosis.blogspot.com/. James and Tonni remind Stoney and me of St. Francis of Assisi when he said, "Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.” These are two special people that don't have to say a thing and you know they are living out God's gospel. Thank you James and Tonni.



Thank you Stoney for everything you do. I love you.

Under the weather

So, most of this week I've spent in bed sleeping. I never imagined I could sleep so much and eat so little. On Monday morning we decided to go to an urgent care facility because not only was my stomach doing flips, but I also was running a temp. I absolutely hate being sick! The doctor there was great. He hooked me up with a shot for nausea (a shot that hurt more than any shot I've ever gotten) that, I think, at first caused more nausea than I had to start with, as well as an antibiotic. He said he wasn't sure if it was a viral or bacterial problem so he treated me as well as he could for both. My appetite is (somewhat) back...but I still feel week from those few days I spent in bed with a fever. Yuck...I'm just ready to have my own kitchen to cook in so I know where the food is coming from and how it's cooked.
On the bright side, the bed here at the La Quinta is SO comfortable.
AND,
We signed on a house! Yay! I will post some pics soon. It's in a great Colorado Springs neighborhood and our back yard backs up right into Bear Creek Park. We are very excited and anxious to move in...the movers will be delivering our household goods on wednesday. Stoney and I are so thankful that everything has fallen into place as it has. What a blessing.

To Texas and Beyond...

So we have finally made it to our new home in Colorado. Well, almost.
We have made it to Colorado Springs, but our current "home" is at the La Quinta Inn. We have spent the past few days getting a feel for the area, seeing different neighborhoods, and looking for houses. We have seen a ton, liked a few, and really liked a couple. We will be looking more tomorrow and will hopefully have found a house and signed a contract by the middle of the week. We're ready to have a home again, but I'm not complaining. It's great having a nice place to stay (Daisy included) with fresh, clean towels when we need them AND a continental breakfast. So far we LOVE Colorado and we are very excited to be here. Stoney and I feel like we're still on vacation. It is just so beautiful... I'm really looking forward to re-establishing Alison Portis Photography here ASAP. There are tons of great photo locations! My mind is filling up with some exciting new ideas!

Here are some pictures of our trip to Texas and some while at home. I have SO many posts to catch up on, so stay tuned!


These pics...Daisy sleeping in the car, the St. Louis Gateway Arch, Stoney and I in Boody (hah!...we thought it was funny), and my great friends Kate, Karissa, and (the cutest of all of us) Caitlyn.


We stopped at the Oklahoma City National Memorial and it just so happened to be the anniversary of the bombings. I have always wanted to see the Survivor Tree...The memorial was breathtaking and the tree was more beautiful than I could have imagined.


These are our nieces, Emory, Trinity, and Micah. I'm pretty sure we've got the cutest nieces in the world...if only I had a picture of Selah, the montage would be complete.