Meet Spencer, a Bonney Lake Senior!

Meet Spencer.  He is one of my husband's cousins.  I spent some time at their home and then out at their lake property for his senior session. 

 

It almost made me cry when his mom reminded me that he was just a couple of months old when my husband graduated from high school.  Man, I am starting to feel old!! Time flies!

Only a small walk from Spencer's house we found this beautiful tree.  I had him go over close to the tree for a few shots.  I took one image...  then I saw something strange on his pant leg.  When I looked closer I saw ANTS crawling up his leg!  I am not talking about a couple of ants, he was standing right in the middle of a huge nest and his pant leg was changing from denim to black before my eyes!!!  I screamed and yelled, "AAANNNNNTTTSSSS," and if I am remembering correctly, both his mother and I were hitting him with what ever we had in our hands to try to remove those pesky things! When his mom and I stood back, Spencer sort of looked at us like we were a bit looney and then calmly just reached down and picked off the remaining critters....  what a girl I am! Needless to say, I did not have him go back by that tree again!

Did I mention that Spencer's arm is broken!?  What a trooper!  He did not need a cast, but was supposed to be COMPLETELY resting it so it could heal.  Resting his arm meant he was banned from his favorite activity, his guitar.  Luckily, his mom said he could play just a little this one time for the sake of the photos!  Thanks Laura, because I love these images!

Spencer and a few of his buddies are trying to put together a band.  They practice out of his garage... I love the way these images look.  They are exactly what I would imagine for a garage band! Too bad the other band members were not there!

After the guitar, we headed out to the lake.  Spencer has spent many summer days and nights at the lake.  It was fun to make it part of our day as well.

  

Thank you Spencer for a fun afternoon, and more importantly, thank you for the concert and thank you for not charging me with assault when your mom and I attempted to save your life from the ants.  Congratulations on your graduation! 

 

Part Two: The Little Brother and New Grad!

Part two.... Spencer.  Spencer is just getting ready to graduate from high school.  Do you remember that time in your life?  I loved it.  I loved that "I've got the world at my fingertips" feeling.  Spencer is right there. 

Like I mentioned in part one... Spencer and his sister have a wonderful relationship.

This shot cracks me up... the "11" is perfect to remember this year, but I also love how Kira's side is girly and organized, while Spencer's side is completely crazy!

One of the best parts about this brother-sister shoot was that they both goof off A LOT!  It was so much fun!

Spencer is not a huge fan of the cap and gown attire... but he was a great sport.  Like most guys his age, he sported jeans and flip flops under the gown.  I will not mention what he threatened to wear under his gown for graduation!

In these next shots, I tried something a bit different. After talking to Spencer about what he might like in an image, I pulled all of the color out of the graffiti and gave it and older/aged look.  I think they turned out great!

And off to the beach....

Spencer, thank you for a fun morning and for being such a great sport!  Have a GREAT graduation! 

Part One: The Big Sister and New Teacher

 This is Kira... She is graduating this month from Central Washington University with a degree in elementary education.

This is Kira's brother Spencer.  He is graduating from high school this month too!  As you can probably guess, he will be part two of this story... ladies first!

Kira and Spencer were so much fun to be around. Not only have we had similar childhoods, but their mom and I have worked together in my other life as a registered nurse for the past 7 years.

 A few years ago, Spencer and Kira's father passed away.  They were just teenagers... just like I was when I lost my father.  I watched their mom grieve and recover just like I watched my own mom grieve and recover from what seems an insurmountable loss.  When I watched this wonderful woman and her two happy kids laugh and smile today, it made my heart full.  It made me think of how proud their dad would be of them during this exciting time in their life... and in a selfish way, I felt my own father smiling down at me as well.

We found some great spots for our session.  It was as if this graffiti was painted just for us!  It is always fun to explore these garages... the art is always different, there is literally a surprise around every corner.

Kira has the most beautiful blue eyes... her shirt and the great color on these walls were perfect for her!

 I think this next image is one of my favorites from the day.  Kira just looks gorgeous.  It is so soft and subtle... the colors are muted and beautiful. (click on any of the photos to get a larger view)

We went from garages to the beach.  These two have so much fun together!  You will see even more of their silliness in part two with Spencer's photos!

 OK... so this is my favorite shot of these two siblings.  I just loved how much they joked with each other, but also how much they obviously care for one another! 

Kira.... happy graduation and good luck in your new life as a teacher!