Halloween Bash 2008

How fun it was to see all your children dressed up and ready to trick-or-treat!
This was our first year to hold a charity event for Halloween and it was so very successful! With your help we were able to raise over $150 in cash and a ton of food to go toward the Food Bank of Lincoln's Backpack program! The program helps children and families in Lincoln to go home each week with a backpack full of food. We are so glad to help support such a great cause and provide you with a complimentary 4x6 portrait.

We are so excited about next year's event already and can't wait to see all the new ghosts and goblins. Thank you again for supporting such a great cause!

The Amazing Chase

Have you ever watched the Amazing Race? Cesar and I watch it all the time and think...we could do that! Well. maybe ..... but we were able to see how we would fare in a smaller version called the Amazing chase. The event was held by St. Monica's of Lincoln ( a substance abuse treatment center for women) Our great friend Wendy coordinates the event and even with bribes of food and anything else I could think of she still wouldn't give up any secrets or hints before the race.

For those of you who don't know, the race is essentially a scavenger hunt with obstacles and challenges along the way - like: eat a foot-long hot dog as fast as you can to get the next clue( see below) Josh and Ashley were part of our team and Josh was able to get us on our way in about 10 seconds - I've never seen anything like it! It was SOOOOO much fun, I can't even explain to you what a hilarious time we had. You really need to check it out - I will post information about next years race for those of you who are interested in competing against us - we are in it to win!!!

This fall we held our first annual "Girls Afternoon Out Benefit" to support St. Monica's of Lincoln. We raised money to go towards the Amazing Chase fundraiser that they hold annually.

Ashley with Posh Tots and Vintage Glam boutique was available with many cute children's items as well as handbags and unique Jewelry. Kelsey modeled the "Baby legs" on her arms and Addison (Ashley's daughter) was precious in her Petti-skirt!

Bella Spa was available for chair massage and a mini pedicure. We all felt so pampered!
If you have never been to Bella you really are missing out... they are so wonderful -everything they do is so relaxing and incredible!

The Parthanon and James Arthur Vineyards were so generous in donating food and wine for the event and everyone was stuffed and happy! Thank you so much for your kindness!

Keep your eye out for the next years event - you won't want to miss it!

Minnesota

We were able to get away for a bit just before our Christmas season to travel to Minnesota.
The Highlight, of course, for the kids, was the Mall of America and the Nickelodeon Universe that was in the middle of the HUGE mall. They had a blast on the roller-coasters, rides and Aquarium. We were even able to catch a live concert while we were at the mall!













We were also able to take a visit into downtown to see a client of ours that works for the Guthrie Theatre, David. His Grandparents used to own our home and studio. I met David when he was in town for Easter earlier this year and introduced himself. He asked if his family could come back and take a photo on our staircase as they had always done when they were young. What an amazing opportunity it was to meet his family and learn so many things about the history of the studio. What an incredible structure the Guthrie Theater is... so beautiful! We very much enjoyed our tour and the view from their sky deck. Thank you again David for such a nice visit!


Another highlight for me was being able to take a tour of one of our labs that we use, WHCC. They were able to take us through and show us how the printing process works and allowed us to see all the behind the scenes projects. I'm always so curious about those type of things - it was very interesting, I think even the kids were amazed!

The Grand Theater

Have you been to the movies lately? If not, make sure to go check out the Grand Theater downtown to catch a glimpse of our newest display featuring all our wonderful clients!

We have received so many wonderful comments about the display and the images. Thank you to everyone who has been so receptive and kind. Keep an eye out for new images as we will be updating the display throughout the year!!!

August really?

Well, I guess you can tell what we have been up to since August... photos, photos, photos!!! I can't believe that it has been that long since I've blogged anything - and so much has happened!

I will be updating the blog with some of the stuff we have been up to since then and try to bring everyone up to speed!

I hope you are all doing great and looking forward to the holidays!!!
Joy,
Paula

Beautiful Ava...

Our God-daughter is turning 4! I can't believe how very big she has gotten. She is full of energy and is such a lovable little bug - we have so much fun with her around - her dance moves are amazing and she has her mother's facial expressions down just perfectly! Happy Happy Birthday big girl, we love you endlessly!

SOOOO PROUD!!!

We are so excited to announce that Michael, who is one of our seniors from 2008 has just received a full ride scholarship to UCLA for his amazing dance abilities! He took 2nd place overall among 347 dancers. We couldn't have been happier to hear the news. Michael is full of energy and will go very far - we are so happy for him and all he has to offer.

You may see or hear Michael this summer as he will be helping us out at the studio during our busy senior season. Congratulations - we are sooooo proud of you!

Great to see you...

Thanks to all that attended our Open House on Sunday. We had such a great time visiting with all of you and showing you around our home. Also thanks to all of you who brought such sweet gifts and well wishes, we are truly grateful for your thoughtfulness!
With everyone so busy we did not get a chance to take too many pictures (go figure!) but we managed one of our great Clown for the day and his family! Thanks Jon and Donna for such sweet hearts you have and for donating your time, it is much appreciated, and the kids had a blast with your creative balloon animals, swords, flowers etc... I also still have my ladybug bracelet you so thoughtfully crafted to match my outfit. :)

Also we were able to catch a moment to get our "crew" together!
From left to right - top row:
Alicia - "Studio Intern"
Sandra - "Portrait Consultant"
Christa - "Office Assistant"
Stephanie - "Client consultant & Assistant"
Bottom row:
Tracee - "Marketing & Design Artist"
Paula - "The night owl" - not by choice ;)
Shauna - "Retouch Artist"
Not pictured:
Janice - Our amazing Framing specialist.
Jeff - Our cool computer tech that keeps things rolling smoothly
Cesar - "The maintenance tech" :)
Krista - OK, really she works for our amazing Lab but we claim she is there solely for Captured Memories purposes - we like to dream big! ;)

OPEN HOUSE May 18th !!!

It's Official! Our Open House is scheduled for May 18th 10am-4pm! Come enjoy lots of give-aways and a ton of new products, also a tour of the new studio space and of our home! Can't wait to see you there!

Sam Puc'

When I heard that Sam Puc' was visiting Omaha for her nationwide tour of her Speaking engagement "Bellies and Babies" I made sure to snatch up 7 tickets, one for each one of us at at the studio! For those of you who don't know, I heard Sam speak (with Dave Junion) for the first time 7 years ago when I was pregnant with Mason. (our youngest) It was right then that I made the decision to pursue my passion and begin Captured Memories. I credit so much inspiration to that single moment and every time I've gotten the opportunity to hear Sam speak I have been blessed over and over.
It was wonderful to visit with her and hear her speak, she was sweet enough to let us have a quick picture with her too - thanks Sam! From left to right: Alicia, Paula, Sam, Tracee, Shauna, Sandra. (Stephanie & Christa not pictured)

Sam also founded the volunteer organization Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. Our studio is proudly involved with NILMDTS and coordinates the Lincoln area and we have a great group of photographers that serve with such passion and heart. It is an amazing foundation that helps families who are dealing with the misfortune of an infant death by providing professional photographs at no charge. The power of this simple act is truly amazing.

First Position Dance Shoot

Every year we photograph a couple of Dance studios for a great, great person and business woman, Jen. This year Jen's beautiful little guy blessed us with his presence at the shoot and was able to pick up a few dance poses from Mom. Check out the great way she juggled both very important things at once!

Vacation...ok, a great excuse for beach portraits!

In March we finally took a break from un-packing and organizing the house and studio to take a deep breath of fresh Tampa beach ocean air!!! My parents live there and it makes the best vacation spot - we of course took advantage of the beautiful scenery and did take some great images of the kids and our family - surprise, surprise! I just love this one of the kids, I have an amazing way we will be displaying it in the house, if you come to Our Open House on May 18th you can take a sneak peek!
We also went over to Disney and had fun over there too- it is so fun and so overwhelming at the same time - you could be at the same park for several days and still not see it all! We did get to meet the incredibles, notice how Cesar and I picked our respective spot in the image :) On the way home Cesar got the brilliant idea of turning on the GPS on the plane, at one point it was up over 500 MPH - pretty freaky to think about when you are calmly watching "Enchanted" and eating the "In-Flight" snacks minding your own business - Guess I never really gave much thought to how fast they must go!
We had a great time, it always goes way too fast and I can't wait to visit again soon. We really need to put together a studio beach/vacation portrait package - Any takers?

Senior Model Shoot -Class of 2009!

This year we had a lot of fun with our class of 2009 Seniors who came into the studio and let us have fun trying out new things in our new studio! Lot of great shots and such amazing seniors. We esspecially had fun with Jewel who let us try out Kelsey's tutu's as a "let's try it and see what happens" she was such a trooper and we ended up with some really striking images! Thanks to all our seniors and also to Sandra, Steph and Christa who anticipated every single step to make things run smooth. We are so excited for this years senior season!

Mason's Creation

Alright, so I officially have to let the world know that we do have plenty of food for our kids to survive at our house. I know, let me explain: So I come down to the kitchen one morning to find that Mason had decided to make his own lunch. Great I thought, we must be doing something right to have the kids being so independent as to make their own lunch and not even ask for help!
So I figured I better do the "Mom " thing and check it out, you know, just to be sure that he has included all the must haves. Main dish, fruit, treat and drink, you know what I mean- because I have seen them try to pull past two snacks and no fruit or pop for a drink or my favorite, Halloween candy for a side dish!
Well Mr. Mason apparently decided to take a couple of his favorites and put them together, his creation... a mustard and saltine cracker sandwich! Try as I might he insisted that it remain in his lunch box and needless to say I had one hungry five year old on my hands after school!

Home show 2008

We had a great time again at the annual Home Builders show in Feb. We met so many new people and see many of our clients also - Oh my, how your children have grown in just a few months!
Our kids always love the show too - I'm not ever sure why they enjoy it so much but I discovered that their favorite part about it is the concession stand. Go figure!

Iowa Conference

In February we traveled to Iowa for the Annual Professional Photographers state conference. We were able to catch up with some friends and see some great speakers. It was Sandra's first conference and it was great to see her get excited about everything. We also had the opportunity to visit our great friend Darci-Lu and her new studio. We wish you so many blessings D-Lu!!!

Long time...no blog...

ok, so I know I promised that I would blog more often, how the time gets by me so quickly I will never know. Sooo, I'm going to do a mass blogging for the next few to get everyone caught up with all that has been happening with the studio and our crazy lives! Hang on for the ride!

Class of 2009 - EARLY BIRD SPECIAL!

Yes, Senior pictures are right around the corner believe it or not!

For those of you who like to plan ahead we have an early, early special we are announcing only here on the blog! For the month of March only we are giving you not just HALF off your senior session, but 54 free wallets and your choice of premium appointment times for anytime before October of this year! Again, you will not find this deal anywhere else - you must e-mail or call within the month of March to take advantage of this offer! Hurry, Hurry - we are already starting to book for June!

Spring brings with it beautiful blooms...

Bellies blooming that is! Have you noticed how many beautiful bellies there are around town lately? We were out shopping yesterday and it was amazing the number of women with cute tummies. Even Cesar, who doesn't really ever pay much attention to that type of thing, mentioned how many he was noticing. I love it!
It's also so great to see so many at our studio lately. I just love photographing a pregnant belly, all the wonderful curves and emotion that comes with is just amazing to capture. The looks that couples give each other when they think I 'm not looking, it's great. This couple is just so amazing and I love the strength that his arms and eyes give to the image. If you know someone who is pregnant and would love to capture such a special time - send them our way. We also include a complimentary newborn session with our maternity portraits.

"I can't wait to see the new studio"

So many of you have been calling and e-mailing offering your congratulations to us and we are overwhelmed with your kindness! Thank you so much for your well wishes and kind hearts!

We will be holding our Grand Opening in the Spring (tentatively set for May 17th) when weather warms up a bit! Until then I know that many of you can't wait and so that's why we are offering the "I can't wait to see the studio " special below!

Schedule your sesion for anytime between now and April 30th and choose a complimentary 5x7 portrait plus 9-personalized refferal cards from your session. (Family Plan members recieve an additional $25.00 to spend!)

Remember: we are now booking 4-6 weeks in advance - so call soon!
(we do hold some reserved times available for newborns and pregnancy images)

Great memories come in many forms...

... one of my favorite ways to make memories is to get any one or two of these amazing women together (much less ALL of them!) and then add hilarious stories, and a few mimosas and there you go! Just want to share some of my favorite people will all of you: Rebecca, Gina, Heather, Michelle, Stephanie, Kristen, Krista, Wendy & not pictured, but no less important: Andrea! :) I had a fabulous time with all of you this weekend - I am a lucky, lucky girl to know each and every one of you. Much love to you all - thank you for blessing me tremendously with your friendship and love - but best of all GREAT MEMORIES!

What a Doll!

I was going through some images today for some promo material - I wanted to share this yummy little ballerina with everyone! What a joy she is to photograph - always in a great mood - I've been actually photographing her even before she was born! Hope this beauty brightens your day!

Those quick moments...

Today I had the pleasure of photographing little Will. Who, like all 18 month little boys, has so much energy! If anyone ever figures out how to bottle that up... He checked out every little nook and cranny and especially loved the stairs! That's why I just had to share this beautiful image of sweet Will who took a brief second to let us peer into those gorgeous eyes!

"My trusty friend"

I was taking pictures today for our new brochure and glanced over to see my trusty alligator sitting on the floor. Those of you with children, ( and some un-cooperative adults I might add :) know exactly who this is. I'm not so sure that I would have gotten some of the expressions that I have without this amazing friend. What an interesting little guy he has turned out to be - not sure what I would do with out him! So, I know I'm nuts but, we did a small photo shoot this afternoon with him and I think we've decided that this is his best side. - Be on the look-out for more adventures -I'm thinking I may take a peek and post some of my favorite pics he snuck his way into (more like "was dragged into) during other shoots!
Happiness,
Paula

Sessions begin!

Well, we are starting to get back into the swing of things here at the studio and I have to say I never thought I would be so happy to be back at work! There is something great about being back into a routine and getting a camera in my hand again! Here are a few shots that we have done in recent days - such great clients we have - Baby Cael has a beautiful set of eyes that make any portrait of him adorable!

Painters, movers & boxes ....Oh my!

Well, the un-packing is still in full force for the time being - but we are frantically preparing for all the sessions we have scheduled. It has been so much fun seeing everything coming together - tiring, but fun! Our painter has been here working tirelessly even through illness and exhaustion! We are so grateful for her huge talent and attention to detail! We keep finding more and more things to work on or change - of course! It will be a work in progress for a few more weeks as we finish some detail work and get things running smoothly... please pardon our dust for a little while!