Little Monsters

After 13 awesome - and strenuous - months, it came time to say goodbye to two furry kitties. Really, they just moved down the street from me. My roommate moved, and so too, did her cats. We got them just a week after having moved in to a new apartment:

Izzy

Bella

There's nothing like watching a little kitten (or puppy, for that matter) grow during its first year. As sisters, they couldn't be more different. Bella is a lady. She's very, very quiet, even when she speaks. She takes her time getting to know somebody new, and will rarely tolerate being held for long. Izzy is everything Bella isn't: loud - very loud, needy, a monkey of sorts (climbing up and onto the staircase railing), playful (really, she plays fetch!), and will fall asleep in anyone's arms after ten minutes.

My roommate had let me choose one of their names. She was going to name one Isabella and call her Izzy as a nick name. But I told her I might call that cat Bella, which would get confusing if one cat had two names. And so were created their names, Izzy and Bella. (And no, I did not name Bella after Twilight! She got the name of my favorite cat, my aunt's cat, Bella.)

They've grown from barely tackling a size six flip-flop to overtaking a size six shoe box. In their worst of moments, they truly were little monsters. In their best of moments (like when they were sleeping), they melted a long-time dog-lover's heart.

"Make me a Latham"

I had the joy of spending an evening with two of the greatest people I know: Tim Latham and Leah Bend. Their big day is finally here - Leah and Tim are tying the knot in downtown St. Louis at the Thaxton!

Since freshman year of college, Leah has been one of the sweetest, kindest, truest friends. I was excited to shoot her engagement photos and finally meet The Boy - Tim. After just half an hour with them, it was easy to see how perfectly they complimented one another.

Finally, all of the planning and waiting and stressing boils down to one day - today. And I only have one piece of advice (that I found last night on the way to the rehearsal):

Exposed

The end of the year in The May Gallery at Webster University is always reserved for the Senior Show. This year, "Exposed" features a group of 16 senior photography majors, which makes for a variety of work to display.

The show opened last Friday, May 7, the night before graduation. A big thanks to everyone who was able to make it, and for those who couldn't or haven't yet, the show hangs until the end of July.

My series on dashboards seemed like an appropriate - and fun - final show to work on. It started with two photos that I took on two separate road trips. We spend so much time driving, that whatever sits in front of us on the dashboard inevitably has a story behind it. My red bull has been in my car since the day I turned 16, and I started to always notice what people had on their dashboards or hanging on their mirrors. I hope to continue this series for a long time to come.