Sara & Matt : Baby and Family

This is the second time I have had Sara and baby Z. in the studio and Matt’s first. The first time was while Matt was deployed and THANKFULLY he returned home safe and sound. It just amazes me how much these families sacrifice for our freedom. When baby Z. was born, Matt got to come home on leave and then had to go back a week later. I can’t imagine how tough that would be to see your child born and then the next time you see them, they are already months old. So, the next time you see one of our service member, be sure to thank them!

Operation: Love ReUnited

I LOVE everything about this program! We have had a lot of our service people coming and going this year. I PROMISED I would get them on my blog, so girls, here you go! I had a lot of fun working with you!

“The photos and other content of this publication do not constitute or imply any endorsement or recommendation by the Department of Defense.”

Operation: Love Reunited | Forest Lake, MN ; Wyoming, MN Military Photographer

This little cutie wanted to run! Being in downtown Forest Lake wasn’t a good idea with a rambunctious 2 year old, so we moved down to the lake.  It was such a beautiful day, I wish I could have stayed down there longer!

I give so much credit to mom’s of children who have a dad away on deployment. I can’t imagine how hard it is to keep dad in their daily lives, let alone having to deal with your other half being gone for so long.

The photos and other content of this publication do not constitute or imply any endorsement or recommendation by the Department of Defense.

OpLove | Family Photographer

I have been with Operation: Love Reunited for a few years now. Being that there aren’t any bases around here I have only done around 3 or 4 of these sessions a year. I really love doing these, it makes you appreciate all the more what you have and what these families are giving up for us. This family below was my first session. Dad was already deployed and I got to meet mom and the kids for a family session. Dad was gone for 22 months. Now just image having 2 small kids and having dad gone for almost 2 years. All the milestones that he missed not to mention the work involved on mom’s part to have her children know their dad via phone, web cam and letters. When dad came back, mom went to the middle of Wisconsin to get him and I wasn’t able to come along to get their reunion. Now dad is deployed again and I had the pleasure of meeting him! Hopefully he will only be gone for 12 months so that he doesn’t miss out on too much more of his family growing. It breaks my heart that this family is apart so much, but I am SO grateful for their sacrifices for my and my families freedom that we enjoy today. 

P. family…I cannot thank you enough for what you have done and are doing today. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you. May the next year go by very fast for you! Hopefully I will be able to meet up with you for this homecoming!

My poor neglected blog…

I know, I know I let my blog slip to the wayside… We had a really busy January getting our house and garage reorganized and decluttered. There is still a lot to go through, but we made a huge dent in it.

 I rearranged my studio again and am still in the process of getting it the way I want it, so if your session is within the next month or so, please ignore my mess! I am just going to pick up where I left off the last time. I know these are going back a bit, but I really wanted to get them up here. So without further ado…. an OpLove session…

OpLove ReUnion

I love reunions! I was able to accompany a family to the airport the greet their loved one who was coming home on leave.

We go there about a half hour before the plane came in. For these kids, it must have seemed like hours waiting for daddy to step off of that plane.

He snuck off the plane and surprised all of us. He told them he would be in civilian clothes, so none of us noticed him right away.

I didn’t notice at the time, but look at all those people in the background of these photos with smiles on their faces. I think the man must have been a surgeon, he is standing off to the right side of photo. He stood there for quite a while just watching with a huge smile on his face.

Being able to accompany these families for reunions and homecomings really makes me appreciate what I have and it is thanks to them that I have it.

So for all of you that are in the military, I thank you for all that you have and are doing to keep me and my family safe and living like we do.