Life is Good

I’m so happy this evening and I have so much to be thankful for this week.

First I met with a wonderful couple at my very favorite restaurant El Toro & they hired me for their December wedding at the Dayton Art Institute…I’m sooo excited!!! Afterwards Lee and the kids came and we had dinner and let me just say that it was “ Muy Buena “ !!

Tomorrow I’m going to a PS workshop with my good friend/photographer Tina Hoffman http://www.tmphotography.net/ . Tina is by far one of the coolest people I know and I’m so thankful for her friendship! On Thursday she is taking our family pictures downtown Cincinnati and I have to admit that it is strange for me to be on the other side of the camera but man I am sooo excited... I love the feeling I get when I create pictures that make people truly happy and Thursday is my turn so I have to say this “Dear Tina please make me look thin”, hehe.

Friday is a very special day for me. Some of you may remember me talking about my friend Shell & Bryan…they have been in the process of adopting a baby girl from China and its taken almost 2 years. Finally it’s time to bring their daughter Milia home to meet her new family and I feel so blessed to be there capturing every moment as they step off the airplane. I’ll be posting pictures soon and if your interested in reading this beautiful adoption story see Shell’ blog: http://www.michellemckibben.blogspot.com/ (start at the end of the October posting).

Last but defiantly not least we had a parent teacher conference on Monday and Payton’s teacher told us that she was at the top of her 3rd grade class…Not only is she at the top but her teacher said “ Payton is reading at a 4th grade level & the best way to describe her was that Payton Layne is a Dream Student”. “”WOW”” I can’t even put in to words how proud I was at that very moment.. (Go Baby Girl.. Daddy and I are so proud of you)

Thanks for listening,

Here is a picture Shell posted on her blog of Milia. She looks so content & happy.

The Best Teachers

Teachers open up young minds, showing them the wonders of the intellect and the miracle of being able to think for themselves. A teacher exercises the mental muscles of students, stretching and strengthening, so they can make challenging decisions, find their way in the world, and become independent. The best teachers care enough To gently push and prod students to do their best and fulfill their potential. You are one of those. Thank you.
By Joanna Fuchs

My daughter Payton has been lucky enough to have the greatest teachers. Last year she had one that will always be remembered. This teacher made Payton feel special, made learning fun, made her want to do her best. So Kim this post is for you...thank you so much:) {{HUGS- FROM THE ABSTONS}}

This shot of the boys peeking under the fence- is an example of some of my favorite kinds of photos to take. The ones that aren't posed, that just paint a real picture of children exploring. The boys are crazy about cats! This shot is so cute because they ran over to play with the cat but I don't think they had any idea there was one laying right above them;)

Michelle + Clint
October 28th 2006

Michelle and Clint created an elegant wedding with a 40s style and rich colors. It was a beautiful blend of detail and simplicity.

Cake: A Taste of Elegance

937-384-CAKE

Scrumptious butter-cream frosting:)

DJ: www.stagemonster.com

Click here to view slideshow... www.picturesbytracy.com/mich

Happy Halloween! My husband decided to decorate our yard this year for beggars night...lol.

Bumble Bee: looking scared to death!

Krysta was so much fun to photograph, she has great style and the most beautiful green eyes.

Look at this prom dress! WOW.

Nina + Vald
Vlad and Nina are absolutely incredible together! They constantly make each other laugh…you'll see click here… www.picturesbytracy.com/nina

Tracy & Demi

We had the most beautiful day for an engagement session last week. Tracy and Demi's wedding will be July 14th 2007 and I'm looking forward to their outdoor wedding (my personal favorite!).

Congratulations on your engagement and your future together!Click on the link to view slideshow... www.PicturesbyTracy.com/traci

Many of you will remember Bob and Dena a featured couple in my albums and website. Bob called me just a little over a year ago pleading with me to photograph their wedding….you see I LOVE Halloween and for the first time in years I marked myself off for that date and was planning on going to watch my husbands’ band play. Well Bob was so sweet and asked “begged” so nicely that I just had to say yes! And I cannot even tell you how happy I did…Bob, Dena, and their kids are a family I will not soon forget. They just celebrated their 1st a aniversary yesterday:)

I received this email from Bob today:

Hi Tracy. Dena and I just wanted to let you know how much we appreciated all that you did for us and how you captured the magic of our wedding day. Can you believe that it has been one whole year, wow how the time has gone by so quickly yesterday was our aniversary and we watched the DVD that you made for us. It brought tears of joy to our eyes to think back to how wonderful that day was and how greatful we are that you could share that moment with us and also capture it in photos. We just want to say thank you again. I emailed you hear wile back to tell you that we had a baby girl and her name is Ava Rose Schleeter, but I am not sure if you got that message or not, if not let me know and I will see if I can send you a picture of our bundle of joy.
Thanks again, and hope everything is going great for you and yours. Your friends BOB & DENA

Here a few of my favorite
memories their wedding day!

Missing shoes: If I remember right Dena forgot to bring them. Hey stuff like this happens! No fear! We took a quick trip to Wally World for a new pair. Here is Misty my Assistant helping Dena’s daughter try on the shoes.

Bob leaping on the horse and Dena laughing hysterically

Welcome to the world miss Norah Rose!

Andrea + Zach


What a terrific family, wedding party, and couple I had the pleasure to work with on Saturday! I love when a bride accepts me into her day as though I'm part of the family. That's exactly what Andrea, & her mom Joyce did.

The gorgeous bride

The handsome groom

After the ceremony we moved to one of my favorite locations The Alkaline Springs Historical Site. I was able to capture some incredible images of Andrea and Zach. The light was SPECTACULAR…the kind of light a photographer dreams of. Everything just fell into place so perfectly for amazing portraits...

Click here to view the slide show: www.picturesbytracy.com/andreashow

The sweetiest note from Joyce "Mother of the bride". Thanks so much Joyce:) Your letter made my day.

Hi Tracy!!

Thank you but we feel like we are the lucky ones to have had you with us. You are so professional but yet so kind, warm, friendly, fun, and a joy to be around. I am so glad that Andrea saw your web site and we met you. I can't wait to see the pictures....I'm sure they will be wonderful. After the wedding, Andrea told me that she thought you did a great job and she is so excited about the pictures you were taking. The entire day was crazy and I know I missed a lot of it but thank goodness you were there to capture all of the moments for us. We really appreciate everything you did and thank you for hanging around so long, especially since I know that you were not feeling 100%. I hope things are good with you now!

We had several crazy things happen before it all started but I personally think the wedding ceremony and reception were both beautiful and went very well and I know that we will see it in your pictures!

Andrea and Zach made it to Jamaica around 3:30 today and Mike and I are enjoying the "quiet" time now!

Can't wait to see the pictures!!!!!

Take care of yourself and thank you Tracy for everything!!!!