Katy and Justin are MARRIED! Woodstock Community Center {Atlanta Wedding Photographer}

What was your New Year's resolution?  Most of us promise ourselves to exercise more or eat less junk (or both), but this couple decided to promise each other their love and begin 2011 as newlyweds.  And they did an excellent job of it, from the really sweet exchanges amongst the various relatives, to Katy's unabashed JOY once she got that dress on, through their lovely ceremony to the fun reception.  Once again I worked with Wendell at C &W Photography in Woodstock, and we had a great time.  Here are the images from their day...

Katy and Justin were married at Hickory Flat United Methodist Church in Canton.  I loved the stained glass windows in the foyer, and the sanctuary had large windows with lovely light.

Sneak Peak - Katy Hickory Flat UMC {Cherokee County Wedding Photographer}

Here's a sneak peak of Katy, who made a lovely bride when she wed Justin at Hickory Flat UMC in Cherokee County before the New Year holiday.  The rest of their images will be up tomorrow but for now...here she is!  Thank you Katie for being such a relaxed and truly beautiful bride.

Snowpocalypse

Also known as the day that SOME people in metro Atlanta ignored a solid 5 days of warnings about the humungus winter storm and seemed surprised by snow.  *sigh*   The weather forecasters don't always get it right, bless their hearts, but they did this time.  Snow....a LOT of snow.  Well beyond the expectations or experience of many born and bred Southerners like myself.

Being totally aware that the supermarkets would be slammed with people buying bread and milk, I stayed in all Sunday afternoon waiting for the weather to turn wintry.  And waited.  And waited.  I was starting to be quite unimpressed with the much touted Snow-bomination when my friend Scott called and asked if it was snowing yet at my apartment.  I looked out my sliding glass door to the wooded lot, saw nothing in the darkness, and said no.  Ten minutes into our conversation, he asked, "Are you sure?" and I looked again.  This time I glanced up at a streetlight and saw the precipitation coming down.  That was around 10:30.  In another 15 minutes the ground had gone from dusted to covered in white, and it didn't stop.  To someone who's rarely seen snow at all, much less accumulation, it was amazing.  In approximately an hour there was 4 inches of snow covering everything in sight.  Despite the fact that it was 11:30pm, I bundled up and headed outside with my camera.  I knew by morning the pristine whiteness would be marred by tire tracks and footprints.

Celebrating a new year, and my birthday, at IHOP (Atlanta Family Photographer)

There's a family long-standing tradition in our family, and that's having brunch together on New Year's Day.  January 1 happens to be my birthday, and I'm usually out celebrating with friends the night before.  So the day I actually have to admit to being a year older seems a good time to cope by shoveling hashbrowns into my mouth.  That and I just LOVE breakfast food.

So here we are at IHOP.  Mom and Dad, laughing, probably something to do with Dad's fondness for saying "Rooty Tooty Fresh 'N Fruity" with extra-crisp pronunciation ....

There's my sister Paula, then Carin and Sheri, who have functioned as bosom friends and sisters in my life for many years now, then Mom and Dad.

New Year's Eve at the Chik Fil A Bowl

This year was a departure for me in terms of ringing in the new year.....I went to a college football game, and a bowl game at that. I had never actually been to a college football game before, so it was quite an experience. The crew included myself, my friend Wade, and his two girls, visiting for the holidays.

Here's Kathleen and Kayleigh on MARTA. Wade's got some very good advice from one of his law enforcement brethren on where to park and ride in, which worked well. We were going the opposite of a lot of the crowd both in and out--easiest time I've EVER had going into downtown Atlanta for a major event.

Christmas at Grammy and Papa's house {Atlanta Family Photographer}

We had a good time celebrating Christmas together at my parents' house, especially since it was the first "white" Christmas for many of us.  Snow on Christmas Day just isn't the norm down here below the Mason Dixon line!  Unfortunately getting out and playing in it was not an option, so there aren't any pictures of that.  As the snow continued and driving conditions deteriorated, we decided to keep the celebration fairly short so everyone could get home safely well before dark.

But the indoor celebration was quite festive.  My contribution this year was hand knit hats for the boys....

Caleb's is a chunky oatmeal-colored yarn, and my first time trying cables.  Levi's was a simple roll brim in blue to match his eyes.  His ended up a bit smaller on him than I would have liked--that kid has a big noggin!  On the flip side, Ian's is a bit larger than I would have liked.  Yes, that is a Transformer face on that hat.  Another first for me:  knitting with two colors simultaneously to make a design.  Quite tricky, and not the most finished product I've ever turned out, but he loves it, which is all that counts.

Christmas Eve service at Buckhead Church {Atlanta Photographer}

On Christmas Eve afternoon staff and volunteers arrived at the Buckhead Church building to prepare for services, and what a fantastic experience it was!  The mood was very light as families came in, often with visiting relatives, to worship and celebrate the true meaning of the season.  I'm not sure anyone anticipated how busy that first service would be:  there were almost 4,100 guests at the 4 o'clock service!  Every seat and overflow area was full:  it was busy and amazing and joyful.  Between the two services we had about 6,600 people hear the Christmas Eve service.  In the lobby several volunteers agreed to don costumes and hand out candy canes to kids, and some adults!  Even in the midst of challenging times, it's a wonderful reminder to see the enthusiasm and innocent wonder on the face of children.  I loved being able to see Christmas through their eyes and capture images of the services.