Dear Soldier and Family,
I captured this fantastic intimate moment of your little family snuggle and much to my surprise, a local publication would like to use it on thier cover for the next issue. If you could please contact me as soon as possible I would greatly appreciate it!

And if anyone out there happens to know this family, please send me their name so I can contact them! Thanks!

I felt so bad for the families with small kiddos on this one. The hour was well past midnight and the poor tots were exhausted! But, spirits were high for the 1am arrival and arrive they did, with the full fire engine shower and police escort, lights and sirens! Well, on a personal note, the greatest thing about this redeployment ceremony is that it was the last one I would attend alone. The next ceremony, and the next blog post, will be the one where, after 15 LONG months, my boys and I are reunited with my love! Enjoy this sneak peek! (And if you need more of a fix, click on the link at the bottom to enter the very lengthy Kodak Gallery from the evening.)








CLICK HERE TO GO TO A KODAK GALLERY FEATURING MAIN BODY II!! 4 ID Homecoming Ceremony

The hour was late, very late, the sleeping babies were plenty, the cranky tired toddlers were plenty too, but we were all there and waiting. On Saturday night around 10pm I joined hundreds of anxious families in their wait for those big white buses at Cameron Field. This is admitedly my first time shooting an event at length in the dark. Flood lights made for some extreme shadows and an interesting challenge, but there was certainly no shortage of fun subject matter. To see all of my favorites from the night please click on the link below!

CLICK HERE TO GO TO A KODAK GALLERY FEATURING MAIN BODY II!! 4 ID Homecoming Ceremony

I ♥ Faces Adult Entry


I ♥ Faces Kids Entry:


Maybe it was sleep deprivation that made these two brand new parents such silly-heads; then again, I've known them both for 24 years and they have always made me laugh and smile! These are my entries for this week's photo contest at I ♥ Faces.com!

Today was a hard day for me. Today was a great day for me! Today I was welcoming home over 150 soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division here at Fort Hood, and none of them would be my husband. My wait continues. I dropped my children off at the babysitter so I could focus 110% on the families of the day. I grabbed a bagel and turned the car towards the parade field where they would all be gathering for the 11am ceremony, and that is when the flood gates opened. Just a glimpse of the American flags waving in the wind along the parade field and the tears started coming fast. I thought to myself "Geez, Karyn! Pull yourself together girl, you have pictures to take!" I literally prayed to God for the strength to get through the morning, to calm my nerves, to steady my lens, and dry my darn eyes. I turned the radio on and my favorite Christian song (yes, Julie, I was rocking out to KLOVE again...) "Give Me Your Eyes" by Brandon Heath began to play. If that isn't a sign I don't know what is. Here are just the opening lines:
Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
Ones that are far beyond my reach.
Give me your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see

It was the boost I needed, and here is a sneak peek of the day's work.

Despite the DJ and hundreds of people, some of us napped through most of the excitement...

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the buses with your loved ones are here!"

Yellow, it's the new pink!

Soldiers lining up in formation before they march across Cameron Field to their loved ones.

She rested her head on his shoulder for an entire tv interview, and it's probably still there tonight!

Hardly a dry eye on the field and this beautiful soldier is all smiles!

If anyone is happier to have their husband home, it is a new mother!


To see the Kodak Album from this redeployment ceremony, CLICK HERE!

I ♥ Faces Pets:

I ♥ Faces Adults:

I ♥ Faces Kids:


Exciting week at I ♥ Faces.com. They have just added a "Pets" category to their weekly contest, and though we don't own any pets, how on earth could I possibly care for and clean up after ANOTHER living being, we have loads of "pet aquaintances". As usual, I had a really hard time deciding on my kiddo entry this week, I had to make a few calls in fact, a vote before the vote if you will! See my next blog post for the many I had to choose from.