the summerfeldts at wright's beach

there is nothing more beautiful than the pacific ocean coastline in northern california. this weekend paul and talen and I went camping at wright's beach just above bodega bay in sonoma county. one of the nicest, cleanest, and beautiful beaches i've camped at. the company was wonderful and the food was amazing. I made a yummy peach blueberry pie. I also made a really really yummy french toast for breakfast on sunday morning. eric and paul battle who is the more prepared with tents and tools and gadgets and you name it. bridgett and i were just happy that we had a motorhome to sleep in while all the boys slept in tents. I, of course, had a lot of fun with my camera. thank you eric, bridgett, lukie and mya for a wonderful weekend. we love you guys so much.

montana state university

just got home from taking stevie rae to montana state university in bozeman montana. talen and paul and I took a week and drove up to her and helped her get all settled in. Paul made her a loft bed, I made her a valance, and some very cool brighton jewelry holders. we stocked her up on drinks and snacks at costco. all in all it was a very successful trip. she got her amazing classes, digital music I, keyboard I, theory I, and aural skills I, along with two core university classes, liberal arts math and a physics class. stevie rae's roommate is a super sweet girl and I think they will do fine together. she is a bobcat cheerleader and will cheer for her first game on september 12th. she also has voice lessons on tues, personal trainer for cheer on tues and thursday, cheer practice from 6 - 9 on tuesdays and thursdays and 7 hours a week of group study time (huh??? - haven't they seen her transcript!!) LOL! stevie rae is going to get a job to help us with her tuition on mondays, wednesdays, fridays and sundays. hopefully in her dorm as a desk clerk. we'll see! the food was pretty good in the cafeteria and really good in the town. stevie rae is going to thrive in montana if she doesn't freeze to death first! we love her so much and are so proud. stay tooned for more montana state university updates.

just a note

i have a cold. i am not cold, i am warm. stevie rae is gonna be cold. i here it can get up to 30 below in montana. ugh. i wanted to write in my blog today because i have so much emotion in me right now. I am hoping that all the eggs i am juggling stay in the air and i do not drop any. i haven't taken any pictures since before she left. i will take tons on my way to montana next week and tons while i am there. i am so proud of my daughter and i hope that she knows that. i hope that she makes the most of this experience just like she did in high school. i can't wait to kiss her cheek. i guess she will always be my baby. xoxo

saying goodbye

today is one of the hardest days of my life. with so many changes happening around me with regard to finances, jobs, friends, and many other things, their is only one thing on my mind and that is the incredible happiness that I feel for my daughter. she is embarking on the most incredible adventure, "music technology" at montana state university, "a bobcat cheerleader", her first job, and taking care of herself for the first time. today we packed up all of her dresses. for those of you who know her, know that she is a princess and shoes and jewerly and bling are very important to her. she is, on the outside, so beautiful and full of life. she is, on the inside, so innocent and kind, non-judgemental, forgiving, strong, faithful, talented and someone that any girl would be lucky to call "best friend" and any boy ecstatic to call "girl friend." the day she was born was one of the happiest days of my life and since then she has been my main source of companionship, joy, and all around time sink. i can't imagine what i will do with myself now that she is gone and who will ask me everyday, "does this look good," or "mom, what do you think about this"? thank heavens for skype and my beautiful son talen.

today, i took them to subway for one last summer lunch, ran errands to get all the last minute things that she will need in montana, and one last summer photo shoot with her brother.

as sad as i am right now, and let me say this pain i feel is soooo soooo bad, i am truly happy for her and all of mine and her hard work to get her to this very point was so worth it.

in my heart i know that this will be the beginning of the rest of her life and i know i will always be her mommy and best friend. i love her so much that words alone wouldn't be enough to describe it.

all you other mom's sending your hearts off to college my heart goes out to you.

xoxo

beautiful B

i love being a mom. i love taking pictures. so with that said, taking pictures of my kids is one of my favorite things to do. i got lucky today when my niece, hannah stephens, and stevie rae agreed to model for me. hannah has to be one of the most beautiful girls. angelina jolie has nothing on her.

stevie rae is such a great model and she is leaving for college in just a little over a week. i am so sad. it looks like i may have found a new model... lol!!!

thanks so much girls for letting me practice my photography. you were both so amazing and i really hope you enjoy the photos.

i love you both so much.

love mommy and auntie lolo

studio coming along

wildest dreams... i never thought i would have my own studio. it is so fun designing the room and planning for my new career. i think i have spent 2 full days at ikea this last month trying to decide on a wardrobe for my studio. stevie rae and lexi helped me put "my decision" together last night. i just love it. i ordered a plum settee for one wall and purchased beautiful black damask curtains. the walls are mustard brown and i just love the color. i can't wait to start taking pictures.