Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! It's this time of year when I always get really nostalgic and start to realize just how lucky I am in my life. I have a wonderful husband, family, friends, a great career and live in a connected, caring community. Thanks to everyone for adding so many positive things in my life. I hope everyone has a joyous holiday!

Emily's Red Hat

One of the hardest things for Grant and I to come to terms with is living so far away from our families, especially during the holidays. He's from Minnesota and I grew up in Georgia. Both of our families are far away, with the closest one for him being his sister in Texas. This photo is of our niece, Emily. We recently sent her this book with a matching red hat. It's a sweet story of a little animal who gave away his only present to a friend, only to have that same love returned to him. I would have given anything to read this to Emily, but I'm glad that she liked it. To all of our friends and family that live far away...we miss you and think about you every day!

Puppies and snow...

This weekend brought our first snow of the year! The peaks were magnificent and Grant and I couldn't resist taking the dogs out for a hike. It was a nice reprieve from my otherwise hectic life. However, Snowbowl Ski closed the road up the mountain so we hiked down near the Ft. Valley trail. We had at least 4 inches there, which was plenty for the puppy's first time out. Speaking of Molly the puppy, my friend, Cameron, recommended a book "The Art of Raising a Puppy" since this is my first experience with one. You can tell by the shredded cover just how impressed Molly is with the concept! Ha! Oh well, at least it was only the cover.

Wedding Albums

I just got back the wedding album from the Van Peursem wedding and it looks absolutely fabulous! This album is 10 x 10, has a leather cover and is 40 pages (each side is a page) and the images are mounted on archival board to resist damage. Do you remember those board books as a kid? It feels like that, except so much nicer! This album is by Willow and although I'm going to be going through a new vendor soon to get these albums (it took over 10 weeks to get this one!!), I do love their high quality and am looking forward to my future orders. They are expensive, but, in my opinion, something to last for a lifetime.

Kristen and Gary

Ahhhh...Flagstaff in the Fall. You really can't ask for a better backdrop then hundreds of golden aspen trees quaking in the wind. Kristen and Gary were married on the Aspen Nature Loop at the top of Snowbowl Road and despite some gale force winds, the ceremony was perfect. I think what stood out to me at this wedding is just how sweet they were to one another. Thanks for letting me be part of your day!

Our new puppy Molly

Seriously, have you ever seen such a cute puppy? I was shooting a wedding in October, when the mother of the bridesmaid showed up with a puppy she had found on the reseveration in Kayenta. After seeing this photo, I'm sure you understand why I HAD to bring her home! After losing Ginger in June, we've been looking for a dog to keep Banjo company, but it never seemed right. I guess life kind of takes care of itself sometimes. She has added a lot of laughter to our days, and a lot of holes in my shoes and carpet. Totally worth it though! She weighed 8 lbs when we got here and yesterday she weighed 22 lbs! Oh boy!

Sophia waits for Santa!

Sophia is nothing but 100% sweetie pie and absolute apple of my eye. However, when it came time for her Christmas photo shoot, she didn't really seem to interested in being in front of the camera, but more interested in my gear and funny studio reflectors. I let her press the button to take a photo of her mom and she loved that! Of course, since I wasn't paying attention, the flash went off one inch from my left eye which left me blinded for about a minute. The second photo is of her and her Dad, Jonny. It's probably not going to make the cut for the cards, but her mom and I got a lot of laughs over this shot!

Abby and Jocelyn

I LOVE shooting little girls and this photo shoot was no exception. Something about it just makes me want to giggle. Jocelyn is about 6 months old and her proud big sister is six years old. They were so sweet during the shoot and the baby never got cranky, not even after me flashing over 100 times! Check out all their photos here and click on "The Bitsue Girls. Thank you girls, you look fabulous!

Twins!!

I've been shooting a lot of families and kids lately but this weekend I was given the opportunity to work with two girls who were twins. I've read that sibling relationships are the longest relationships we'll ever have, longer than relationships we have with our parents, spouses and even our own children. Amidst their antics and giggling, I couldn't help but laugh out loud with them! I would image raising twins has to be twice the work, but don't you think it's twice the fun too? Although these are probably not the photos their parents are going to choose for their Holiday cards, they are among my favorites. Thanks for letting me be part of your day ladies!

Diana and Neil Weintraub

Diana and Neil were married on Saturday in a meadow at the base of the San Francisco Peaks. It doesn't really get any better than that! Dianna was such a beautiful bride! Neil, you didn't look so bad either! The ceremony was the quickest one I've ever been to and had me scrambling to the front to get the first kiss. Being they are both friends of mine, it was a blessing to be involved in their day. Congrats Dianna and Neil! To see their entire slideshow go to www.melissagrimesphotography.com. Click on "Enter Website". Click on "Client". The password is "natra" (of course!).

Welcome to the world Ruby Taylor!

Ruby Taylor came into this world this weekend! She was welcomed by her mom and dad and proud big brothers! I got to hold her and she was so little and sweet. I just love photos of wrinkly newborn babies with their delicate skin and tiny, tiny hands and feet. Can you imagine what they must be thinking? Congrats to the Taylors!

Camp Dunstan

For those of you who know me, you won't disagree with my next statement. If reincarnation exists, I want to come back as one of my animals. Camp Dunstan was lucky to have our canine friend, Kaibee, come visit with us for a week while Cameron and Matt got some long overdue R&R on the beach. We spent the week hiking every day and exploring the mountain that I normally see via mountain bike. It's a completely different experience and allowed me some time to soak in our beautiful wilderness areas. The above photographs are from Doyle Saddle and the Weatherford trail, all part of the Katchina Peak Wilderness. Since bicycles are not allowed in wilderness areas, I rarely make it up there. Our dog, Banjo, had a blast trying to keep up with Kaibee all week! Although, he's been a bit depressed since she left. Take more vacations Cameron and Matt!

Happy Birthday Kim!

Kim's birthday was this month (August 21st), so in her honor, we threw a martini party! All were required to dress up (we don't get much chance to do that here in Flag!) We all had a great time making drinks that we normally wouldn't dare even order in a restaurant! The one that Kim is holding was a raspberry martini. The photo above that is of Kim (left) and Kristen, her long time friend.

Bicycle Rodeo for Pine Forest School

Flagstaff Biking Organization and Safekids presented a Bicycle Rodeo as a kick off to the school year for Pine Forest Elementary. These rodeos teach kids correct hand signals, rules of the road and how to control their bike on a road. It's so important to teach this to children at a young age and I'm so happy to be a part of this program! The first photograph is of Ken Lane, owner of Absolute Bikes, and his son, Nico, demonstrating a correct right turn. What a pair!

Heather's maternity shoot

I'm always so amazed at how beautiful women become when they are pregnant. As you can see, Heather is no exception. She is seeping with happiness and joy! The first photo is symbolic of the love they already have for their new daughter and how much she is going to add to their lives. The second is Heather and Ross with their son, Jack. They decided to all compare bellies. Isn't that cute? Jack is looking foward to being a big brother to his baby sister that should arrive mid-September. Congrats to the Taylors!