thomas & sarah: married.

**click on the shopping cart (below the pictures, in the black box) and click on Thomas and Sarah's last names to view and order photos from the wedding**

It still doesn't seem like just a few days ago we were sipping pina coloda's on the beaches of Jamaica anticipating Thomas and Sara's wedding. This was my last wedding of the year and it was truly an experience of a lifetime. Although I have been to several out of state weddings, this was my very first international destination wedding and I must say that my heart nearly skipped a beat when the lady at the ticket counter at the airport asked to see my passport. I'm not sure it really sank in until that moment, that my sister and I were traveling out of the country to photograph a wedding. I still consider myself completely humbled to be able to snap buttons on a camera for a living. And here I was, about to board a plane to another country where I would have a whole new set of experiences under my belt. Thankful is truly the only word I can even begin to think of when I think of this entire year. I'm thankful that I got to meet so many wonderful people during the course of the wedding season, and I'm thankful to have been a part in capturing those moments that will hopefully live on way past these wedding days. I'm thankful for the opportunities to see transformations of jeans and t-shirt girls into glamazon brides and to be there when they first see their groom. I'm thankful for that first glance when she first sees her soon to be husband and the tears you know he's trying to fight back. These are the reasons I am thankful to do what I do. Jamaica was seriously the icing on the top of my cake for the year and I can't thank Thomas and Sarah and their families enough.

Once our plane landed in Jamaica we got to travel in a small shuttle to Negril, at the Couples Swept Away Resort, where we were graciously greeted by champaigne and cool towels. I was secretly excited to pieces when we checked in and the lady said, "Oh, and here is a little note for you also!" It was of course from Thomas and Sarah letting me know where they were and what they would be doing. I love that they thought about me and left me a note! So cute! The next day we met up with them and I got to meet the families and at this point I was so excited for the wedding the next day that I could barely sleep that night! The next morning my sister and I met Sarah and the lovely Alexis...and by the way, Alexa, darling, you know I love you girl!...at the little salon where Sarah was getting her hair done. As soon as the veil went in, I was in full wedding mode and the fact that sand was present on the ground had no bearing on me whatsoever! Soon the girls were playing in the makeup and dresses were on and we made the treck to the beach where Sarah would soon mary Thomas.

Now, Thomas, on the other hand, already dressed and ready to roll once I saw him, was nice and cool and collected wearing his man lei that Sarah's sister brought from Hawaii. I know. The man lives in Hawaii and now he's in Jamaica! I sooooo want to have his life! Soon enough with the ocean waves sounding in the background and the hot sun shining down on us, Sarah made her walk with her dad and her mom, down the sandy isle. It really was like a picture and everything was just spectacular. I had to laugh though, here we were having this gorgeous ceremony on the middle of the beach, and not even 10 feet away, there are couples in bathing suits getting all nice and bronze. It was histerical!

All in all, it was a wonderful day, blue skies, ocean waves, green EVERYWHERE and two people in love and married. We of course took full opportunity of the beach for photos and I'm loving every one of them. I love my bride and groom and I'm thrilled to have shared my last wedding of the year with these two. Thomas and Sarah, your families made us laugh and we felt like just a couple of cousins or something right in the mix with everyone! Thank you for including us in your wedding and thank you for being so easy to hang out...I mean, work...with. I can't leave this post without saying hello to everyone and thank you especially to Patty and Phil for everything. Sarah and Thomas, I'm so thankful for your friendship and I'm excited to see where life takes you...assuming you are now lifers and I'm of course going to be photographing your babies and their babies! Right?!

Enough talking. I know you're about to fall off of the edge of your seats here, so lets have a look at some of my favorite moments from your day!

coming soon: cyli. ahston. charis.

**It's been awhile since I've showcased by nieces and nephew. And though I think they are the borderline america's next top model children, this fall shoot is beyond adorable and I can't wait to show off more! Check back in a few days to see them all!

coming soon: greg & amanda. engaged.

**Wow! We had such a blast the other day, I totally can't wait for you two to see the rest! They are on the way...

coming soon: thomas & sarah. the island wedding.

**I just need one more day I promise you guys and you'll get to see everything!

sweet home. indiana.

I'm back! It's been an amazing experience and I have lots of moments that I want to share with you all so be prepared for some stories and photos to come! Thomas and Sarah's wedding was perfect in every regard and I can't wait to show you everything! I'm so thankful though to have stepped off the airplane last night in Indinapolis and breathe in that cool crisp air. I was even hoping it had snowed or something! Oh well...I'm home!

off to jamaica.

Thanks to the lovely Thomas and his extremely soon to be wife Sarah, I will be walking the beaches of Jamaica for the next 4 days! If I am a little slower answering the phone or returning your emails, this is why! It's going to be tough leaving the cool winds of Indiana where I just recently HAD to pull out my mittens, for the sweet smell of the ocean air that is awaiting my arrival in Jamaica...but somebody's got to do it right?! I'll keep you updated on the festivities of the island while I'm out and check back soon for the ultra highlight of my entire year, 'the island wedding' of Thomas and Sarah. This is my last wedding of 2008 and I can't imagine a more fabulous couple than these two and I'm assured to have the best time ever with them! They are wonderfully adorable together and throwing sandy beaches to the mix can only help! I can't wait for the wedding on Saturday and I'm so excited to get there! Photos to follow...here's one I found online.

**I'm thrilled to be toting my older sister with me for the wedding. She has NEVER EVER been out of the country...I'm sorry Number 30 I couldn't take you with me...I'd pack you up and put you in a zip lock bag and put you in my carry on if I could! I love you and I'll bring you back a smokin hot Jamaican soccer player if I can find one that will fit in my zip lock bag! xoxo

derek & rebecca & lyla.

Don't you just LOVE the fall!? It's got to be almost my favorite season (sorry, I really really love the winter it's crazy I know!) with the crunchy leaves turning all goldeny yellow! When my dear friend Becky and I finally talked after many text messages, we decided to do some family photos for her. She and Derek have been married...let's see...I think it's been almost 2 years??? Am I right Becky? And they have an ultra adorable daughter who goes by the name of Lyla and you'll see her below in some of the photos! She's a happy girl and I think she had an even better time than we did trompin through the forest and playing through the leaves.

Becky and I worked together for a short while at a company that shall remain nameless...I'd hate for "her" to come after us! hahaha! One of my most favorite memories ever was when she and I got to go on a "work trip" to Pennsylvania. Everyone knows that you have a ball on work trips out of town right?! So we hopped a plane, and when we landed our boss and her ass-istant (I can't help myself! lol) picked us up and we jaunted off to have a light lunch...it turned out to be a complete nightmare as we sat across the table with our boss, whom we had nearly just met, while she and the assistant had the audacity to pick their menues up and place them open in front of their faces and in a mousy quiet voice, began to talk! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? Talk about un-professional! Our boss and the assistant--remember we JUST met, you might think they would want to, I don't know, get to know us a bit? But they proceeded to go on like it was normal, and the entire time as they were talking, Becky and I just sat there, frozen in our seats, afraid to even look at each other. It was TOTALLY one of those moments that you poke someone but hope they don't look at you cause you KNOW you might pee yourself from laughing histerically out loud and then get in trouble!!! AHAHHahhh....the good old days. You know? I quit that job about 2 weeks later and started Bodell Photography. I vow to NEVER ever be that rude to any of my clients, or any of my friends! Becky and I still laugh at this to this day, and if I ever run into "her", I'm just going to smile and tell her she has nice shoes! Then I'm going to go pray for her! (Becky...darling, that was for you! Look how far we've come!)

On with the photos...I LOVE these and I LOVE that you are so in love with your husband and girl! Shoot! That is all you need in this lifetime and it's more than ok to miss him like crazy on work trips! By the way, you are so so so so pretty in these and Derek's kind of a stud! Ha!