Puremotif » family

brecken is 1 year old!

Rachel — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 23:14:17 +0000

Here are some of my favorites from my photoshoot of the adorable Brecken taken at Shades Beach at the beginning of June. He was so great, and really responded to his all our high pitched talking and funny faces to give us some good smiles and interesting shots! Also, he has the most unbelievable eyes!

chloe grace

Rachel — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:14:45 +0000

Our beautiful daughter Chloe Grace was born March 9, 2010, weighing 8lbs 2.5 oz and 21 inches long at 11:18am. We are totally taken with her. Life has completely turned upside down for this little one! It’s amazing and hard all at the same time!

So bear with me if I don’t get back to inquiries right away or respond to your emails and calls. I promise to try to stay as caught up as possible Here’s a bunch more pictures too.

max’s baby annoucement

Rachel — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:55:52 +0000

I worked on this last year and never got a chance to blog it! It also features original photography that I took when Max was only a month or so old. This mother wanted an announcement that also featured her other children so we made a card that allowed more room for that photo on the inside.

And below are some portraits I took of him and the rest of the kids about 2-3 months later when Max was almost 4 months.

Remember fall?? It was so pretty!

some personal news

Rachel — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 21:19:36 +0000

Well, I have some good personal news. Brian and I are 8 weeks pregnant, set to have our first child around March 9! Due to some odd pains I was having today, we called and they had us come in for our first sonogram a week early, and confirmed everything was healthy and on track. It was a beautiful and exciting experience, and I feel like I’m on cloud 9 right now.

bloeser family

Rachel — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 18:06:04 +0000

Well as many of you know, I’ve been asked to volunteer time to help document the exciting events at Extreme Home Makeover that is taking place right here in Erie, PA. The incredible recipient is Clara Ward and her family, on East 21st Street. You can check out pictures as they are shot, going up, right here at the Maleno Site. It’s been hot and exciting, and I’m honored to help. I will only be there until Sunday morning though, because we are going to Italy on Monday. Aaaah!! Anyway, check out the progress at the Maleno Site! I won’t be posting any of those shots here probably until it’s all over and I have approval.

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But in the meantime, here’s something else I was working on – a family photo shoot! I headed up to Jeremy, Carrie, Olivia & Emily’s home a few weeks ago to photograph their family just being themselves. It was by far my easiest family shoot and one of the most fun. They warned me Olivia might not smile, but she must have liked me because I had no problem with that It was pouring with rain that day, but we plowed through it and it actually made for the perfect overcast light to shoot in. Jeremy & Carrie, I hope you love these images and you treasure these moments in time for many years to come! I promise to get your disc when I get back from ITALY!

happy five year anniversary to my husband

Rachel — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 12:31:44 +0000

*All wedding images are copyright Bruce Bennett Photography. Thanks for capturing our day so beautifully Bruce!*

So, it’s been five years, baby. I honestly cannot believe that. It goes so fast, and I can’t believe we are into the second half of this decade of marriage. Meeting you when I met you was completely and totally from God. I sometimes think about our life and can’t believe I’m here, and with such a supportive and amazing husband. I love our little family, even though it’s just us right now (Oh and Zelda & Tycho)

On our wedding day, we said vows to each other that were so beautiful I thought I’d type them out again here as the pictures play out.

Brian: “Rachel, I love you and I know that this love is from God. Because of this, I want to be your husband so that we might serve Christ together. Through all of the uncertainties and trials of the present and future, I promise to guide and protect you as Christ does his church, as long as we both shall live. God’s Word gives us the perfect example of this love in Christ’s death for the Church. I shall try always, with God’s help, to show you this same kind of love, for I know that in His sight we will both be one.”

Rachel: “Brian, I love you. I prayed that God would lead me to his choice. I praise Him that today His will is being fulfilled. Through the pressures of the present and uncertainties of the future, I promise my faithfulness, to follow you through all of life’s experiences as you follow God, that together we may grow in the likeness of Christ and our home be a praise to Him. I am secure in the knowledge that youw ill be my constant friend and my one true love. I promise to love you without reservation and cherish you forever.”

We had so much fun with these pictures. I love them still so much!

We ate that cake for about 2 months after the wedding I loved it so much! It was a cake design I found on theknot.com and Karen Winn made for us exactly the same

Hey look – this must be how brian got his herniated discs in the first place!

Our wedding was so fun!!!

And of course, I have to end on a sad note … as we wait for Gramma to go home and be with the Lord any day/any moment now, we all remember her as this crazy happy woman, dancing with Papa. Gramma I love you so much and I am going to MISS you terribley. We just want you to be wtih Jesus, not suffering anymore, and in a beautiful new and healthy body. We will remember your comments, yelling at Papa, your smile, your dancing, your resourcefulness, how you took in Brian in your basement for a few weeks and did all his ironing, how you loved your children and your grandchildren, how your heart broke for animals and you rescued Miss Mew & her 8 kittens, watching you take care of those cats as if they were your own children. I will remember seeing you worship in church, praying at family functions, and just loving all of us so much. We love you too.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY BRIAN LUSKY!!! HERE’s to fifty more!!!

time is short

Rachel — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 17:12:39 +0000

the hospice nurse is saying it may be only a matter of days, not weeks for my gramma’s time on this earth. She is obviously the one behind Flo, the cat, in this picture. That picture was taken about a month and a half ago. Things have already changed so much. The living room at my grandparents house is all moved around complete with a hospital bed, oxygen tank and portable lavatory.

I’m numb and in shock. And all this time, my grandpa is struggling with a tumor that he has to have operated on in a matter of weeks. I know there is a lot of fear and emotion that these two events are so close and that my gramma may not be here for that.

Please lift up my family. There is no doubt my gramma’s savior is waiting for her with loving arms, but for us, here, selfishly, the thought of her not being around, and losing the essence of who she is … gramma…. it is too painful to bear at times.

Every moment counts now. It makes everything else seem so trivial.

cherry blossoms… i miss them

Rachel — Fri, 29 May 2009 20:37:31 +0000

Way back some lovely models, Kat Ritenour + kids, Amanda Kifer, and Heather Neckers posed for me and each other to get some pretty pics. Thank you to everyone who gave up their time!! Here are a few from the day, and you can see lots more here. There was also an awesome couple, Brooke & Freeland. I’m going to post their pictures in a separate blog right after this!

so – how’s it going? working for yourself?

Rachel — Sat, 16 May 2009 20:51:42 +0000

This is the question I’ve been getting a lot over the last month. I think I can finally answer it now since I’ve had about 3 weeks to fully appreciate it.

Here’s what I can say. It’s WEIRD, NICE and OVERWHELMING.

Weird because the days and nights and weekdays and weekends sort of run together when you work out of your home and your office is across the hall from your bedroom. The signifying events that remind me what day it is are when I have a wedding on the weekend, when church is on Sunday, or when The Office & Grey’s are on – and now since those season finales already happened I’ll probably walk around in a groggy fog. (that was a joke)

Nice because every day feels a little like a Saturday in some ways, and because I don’t have to get dressed for work, leave the house, and I get to snuggle with my hubby when he wakes up every morning. My kitties sit behind the computer and in the office window keeping me company. I can listen to my music as loud as I want and be as fidgety as I want without bugging anyone. I am having quiet/devotional time again with the Lord and this is good. I can run downstairs and eat and I’m spending less money on food because there is less temptation to go out. Nice – because no one tells me waht to do, when to do it, and I can do everything MY WAY… that part I really love.

Overwhelming because everything is always top-of-mind all the time. I go to sleep thinking about the photos I need to edit and the albums I have to design and the clients I have to contact and the business expenses I need to track and the emails I need to sort through the papers building up on my desk and the organizations I’m a part of and how I’m going to pay for everything I need and whether we’ll be able to make it next year. I worry about how kids will fit into this schedule. I think about work more than I ever thought possible. When I’m home I feel like I should be working. When I’m working/editing/designing I feel like I should be cleaning or being a good housewife. And when I’m cleaning and being a good housewife, I feel like I should be editing pictures or working on my website.

So yes… it’s different. Life is completely different now… but this is good. I hope this doesn’t sound like complaining, because I’m not. I am so amazed I have this opportunity in my life, and I am so thankful to God for giving me talents, support and a network of encouragement to make it happen. This is where I’m supposed to be. Having that confidence means everything in the world!

photo by Amanda Kifer of Expy Images

barrett, mom & dad

Rachel — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:39:39 +0000

Courtney & Dan are my amazing friends from small group, and we share a few things – like the same exact silverware set and our wedding anniversary! So when Courtney inquired about me taking pictures and doing a baby announcement for Barrett I was so honored… We had so much fun. Barrett is such a HAPPY baby, I really enjoyed our time together and had to stop myself from continuing to take pictures (my problem in all my shoots, I never want to stop) So here are some of my favorite pictures, and then the baby announcement design at the bottom.

For the annoucement, the colors I had settled on way in the beginning because they are the colors in Courtney & Dan’s house, and I figured it would be easiest to match pictures in this way done in a house setting. Plus, they go together, and oh yes… I’m found of teal & brown since they are my company’s colors. I gave them five designs to choose from, some more complex/detailed, this is the one we all agreed on in the end.