Monthly Archives: February 2007

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February 27, 2007 – 3:31 pm

My baby sister is getting married!

One of the reasons that I am in Utah is for my sister’s wedding on Friday. She met her very charming fiance at Wal-mart in October of 2005. Not being a huge fan of “that” store, but weilding a gift certificate and in need of some stuff, she found what she was looking for… and more! They saw each other and felt the instant soul mate attraction, their hearts began to pound, while both pretended to somewhat ignore the other. They began an elusive waltz down the aisles, smiling and walking past each other, secretly hoping to be persued and not wanting to be the first to admit what they felt. Ashley silently walked behind him ( stepping only on the toes of her high heeled shoes ) watching him look down each row for her…

Wal-Mart can be a maze, you know. Especially when you are playing cat and mouse. Thinking that she had lost him, Ashley checked out of the store and went to her car…all the while watching for him. She met a lady in the parking lot (fate?) and while having a conversation with her, saw Cade standing by his car just watching her…

Saying good-bye to the lady, they walked towards each other…smiling…anticipation…”So, at last we’re finally talking”…(awkard silence) “so, you’re not married, right?

The rest is pretty much history. They will be married on March 2nd. That’s 3 days from now.
This was my first snow e-session. They were great and I can’t wait to celebrate with them on their commitment and love for each other. God Bless you guys!

By Shawna | Posted in engagement | Comments (4)

February 27, 2007 – 12:35 pm

I’m home!

Utah is where I grew up. I moved away 19 years ago, and since then every time I come back, things seems so different. I am staying with my mom and it’s a sort of nostalgic, back in time kind of feeling. My 9 year old, Madison, is staying in my old bedroom that has been totally remodeled except for the closet where I happened to write a few interesting “journal entires”). My mom refuses to paint over them and Madison finds it all really amusing. “YOU HAD A BOYFRIEND WHEN YOU WERE IN 3RD GRADE?” My cover is blown now and I have become a parent that says “Do as I say, not as I do”. UGH.

We drive down to Provo boat harbor, and the most beautiful hills of ice have been formed from the lake ice breaking and being blown by the wind up on shore. It’s out on the jetty and it seemed as if we had stumbled upon the top of a glacier. My younger sister Ashley is getting married on Friday and I have made her and Cade promise to come down here after the ceremony to do a mini shoot. I can see the new cover of my website just waiting to be found.

The view looking across the lake.
I miss the mountains so much. It creates such a different atmosphere. There is so much to do outdoors when you live near mountains. We’re going skiing tomorrow. I can’t wait. More snow coming today.

By Shawna | Posted in travel | Comments (2)

February 16, 2007 – 12:59 am

I have ventured into the land that I always said I would never go!

I should know by now, never make a vow about what I will or will not do. As soon as I do that, I am tested on it…sometimes I can hold out and remain true, other times I fall flat on my face and admit that I am not the one who is in control here. The land that I find myself in now is called….STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHY! and you know what? I love it! I always said that studio stuff was not for me, I wanted to keep it real and on location. None of that cheezy posed suff. But now that I am into the ever growing baby and pregnacy world, I realized that I can’t always take them on location. Sometimes it’s actually cold!! So here is a sample of my first studio shoot. My beautiful friend agreed to be my first subject while I tried to figure out how to position lights and props and do the “p” word. POSE! Here are the results.

Thanks Julie, I can’t wait to meet your sweet little girl!







By Shawna | Posted in maternity | Comments (3)

February 16, 2007 – 12:15 am

Elica and Adam Vannest


What a sweet wedding. I was really looking forward to shooting at Church of the Apostles in Atlanta. You know, it’s the huge castle like church just north of West Paces Ferry. I’ll tell you, you can get lost in that church! The schedule was super tight, and everyone was running late but it all turned out perfectly! Elica and Adam are both music majors who met in college. It was absolutely freezing outside and they were such great sports with going outside for photos. We all tried to think warm thoughts! The reception was held at the Crooked Creek Golf Club. I think that Adam wins the award for the most touching dance with his mom. It was so sweet. Mrs. Vannest told me that is seemed like only yesterday that she was bringing him home from the hospital. I understand completely.
Congratulations Elica and Adam.
By Shawna | Posted in wedding | Comments (0)

February 12, 2007 – 11:20 pm

Welcome Daniel Justice Herring

We have another fish in the family! My sister in law had her baby last Wednesday, she was 3 weeks early but it was God’s perfect timing. I was in Atlanta shooting for Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies, and I got back to my car at 10 am to get a message from Cloey dated 9:30am. She told me to get there as soon as possible, she was dilated to 9 1/2. Now, my beautiful sister has babies fast. I missed her last child being born in the same scenario…I was shooting in Atlanta, I got the call, left immediately, and by the time I made it to the hospital, Samuel was already here. I didn’t want that to happen again…


Henry County Hospital has a brand new women’s center. ( I missed it by a month ) with birthing rooms where everything that is needed is all there. The baby never needs to be taken away from the mother. It’s very cool. After the baby is born, they only need to take him about 10 feet away to do all the necessary tests. That is very unlike the two c-sections I have had, so I found it all very amazing.

I arrived at the hospital to find Cloey walking through her contractions. She wanted to give me a tour of the maternity floors so off we went. It felt new and quiet. We walked until she felt like she was ready to go back to her room, where she took a shower, brushed her teeth, and had a baby. No kidding. They called the Dr. when she said she was feeling a lot of pressure, it seemed like he took a really long time getting there and when he did, she said, “OK, let’s break your water and have a baby.” Well as soon as they got her where she needed to be, the Dr. said that she might not even need to push because that baby was coming out. ( we didn’t know the sex, it was going to be a surprise ) Her husband, Paul, was asked if he wanted to deliver the baby, since it seemed to be happening really fast, and he barely had time to get a gown on before the baby began to come out. I’m serious, it was so amazing. I don’t think she really pushed more than once!

She didn’t have any drugs either!

Daniel Justice Herring was born at 1:55 pm on February 7, 2007. He is so beautiful. I am so proud of you, Cloey. Daniel remains in the hospital after one week, with glucose levels that are a little low. He was 3 weeks early and his liver is still getting up to capacity to release glucose on it’s own. We are praying that today will be the day that he comes home. Thank God for the technology to discover things like that in newborns. They took his entire umbilical cord off, and fed him glucose through his navel. Please add them to your prayers, God is still in charge.

Congratulations Paul and Cloey! I love you.

Here’s your slideshow.

By Shawna | Posted in baby love | Comments (4)