Yesterday I came across this article

Of course I did what all people do…quickly share the link on my Facebook page and then came the tidal wave came. Comment after comment. Some were as pissed off as I was, some were giving the man a virtual high five because afterall we have the right to Freedom of speech. But to be quite honest -  I didn’t have time to elaborate my true feelings on my Facebook page -  so I thought I’d elaborate more here.

I’m not pissed off at this article because the guy refuses to make clothes that fit my body type. I’m 34 years old and have no ambition to wear anything in his store. Does he have the right to run his business the way he wants to, absolutely!! Does he have the right to only want to sell to a certain size of individuals – he sure does! I’m pissed off because being the mother of two girls I have tried to raise them to believe that everyone is beautiful in their own right. Tall, short, big or skinny. Beautiful comes in all shapes and sizes. I’m pissed off that this man in his position of influence has the ability to make millions of kids out there think that they are not beautiful, cool or they are down right UN POPULAR because they don’t fit in his clothes. Kids are so impressionable and it’s people like this jerk off who are making them feel less and less about themselves. Take it from me… I struggled with self image for a long time until finally as an adult I accepted myself for who I was and for the first time in my whole life felt beautiful no matter my size.

Plain and simple, I’m a size 16 – WAAAAY ABOVE his SKINNY STANDARDS so I guess that makes me “ugly” by his standards.

I’ll take Ugly and “un-cool” any day Mike…if that means you are the poster child of “beautiful and cool”

In short  – from a mother to the a CEO I’d like to say this….

Mike – Thank you for making it easy to choose where my “fat ugly un-cool ass” spends my hard earned money to dress my two daughters. You’ve also made it very clear that as a mother I have a bigger job to do in informing my children on the facts one being that you can be the thinnest girl in the room with tags on their clothes that scream your label but if their hearts are as shallow as yours – your true “friends” will be far and few between. Furthermore, I wouldn’t be caught dead in one of your stores…size 16 or not. The smell is about as disgusting as the words that come out of your mouth.

Whew…I’m spent. Time for lunch!

We spent endless summers playing Barbies, going to Worlds of Fun, coming up with secret clubs, swimming and dancing. As we grew older – we even found ways to meet up in High School (She went to Lee’s Summit – I went to Grandview)

We grew up and became wives, and moms…

At the age of 21, Ashlee was diagnosed with MS (Multiple Sclerosis). Over the course of the years it has at times taken her vision, her ability to use her hands, and now her feeling in the lower part of her body which has made it difficult to walk.

Not once – have I heard Ashlee complain. If someone ever asked who I looked up to and who I aspired to be – my answer would be her. She has taught me what faith looks like and has raised FOUR of the most amazing children that walked this earth. I only hope and pray that my two daughters are half as kind, loving, and sweet as hers are. In addition to everything else she’s also in COLLEGE! I don’t exaggerate when I say – she is one of the most amazing people I know.  I know I can’t physically take this away from her – but I can do something – so I’ve decided to raise money and walk in her honor at the 2013 MS Walk in Greater Kansas City on Saturday, April 27th. YOU CAN HELP TOO!!!!!

I’m asking that if you’d like to walk along side with me and my family then you please sign up here: WALK WITH ME

I would love nothing more than an ARMY of people with TEAM ASHLEE shirts on!!!

If you can’t walk with me – but you would you’d like to donate to the cause then I ask that you donate here to help me reach my $500 goal. DONATE HERE

Thank you all very much!!

Fact: I loved how much Nichole and Randall’s daughter, Teghan, was included in the ceremony as well as the Reception. She got a ring during the ceremony (just like mama) and they served milk and cookies at the reception (AYKM?!)

Fact: I was IN LOVE with all of their fall decorations and her bouquet…FUGGETTA ABOUT IT!

Fact: Randall is probably one of the most amazing dads I’ve ever seen. He might try to put on a show like he’s a rough and tough guy..but he can’t fool me. He’s SOFT when it comes to both of his girls (which makes me love him even more).

Nichole & Randall – I’m so glad you asked me to photograph your wedding. You have such an amazing love between the two of you and I’ve loved witnessing that and getting to know you so much more.

Let me say this…I know your dad is smiling down on you Nichole admiring what a great mom you are and happy you are so happy.

Love you guys!

Hugs,

Many years ago I was contacted by a Bride named, Abra. She had contacted a good friend of mine, Kelley, to shoot her wedding but Kelley happened to be booked that day and she wanted to know if I was available. The good news was, I was, and the even better news – I met Abra and Paul and fell in love with them instantly. Fast forward to their wedding, Paul’s Best Man, Dean, was there with his girlfriend, Maria. I remember taking a few pictures of them on the dance floor and remembered how stinking cute the two of them were together. I meet a lot of people like this (at weddings) but the sad part is when my day is done, I go home and most of the time, never see them again.

 August 2007 I held my first “Free Wedding Giveaway”. I wanted to donate a day of my time for a couple that was much deserving. On the last day of the contest, I received an entry from a woman named Nora about a guy named Dean and a girl named Maria. Attached to the story about Dean and Maria was this picture. Instantly I remembered meeting them at Abra’s wedding and I was excited that Maria’s mom entered them into the contest. In the end they won the Free Wedding Contest via the popular vote from all my blog readers. So I scheduled a meeting where Jake and I met them and got to know them better. After all – I was merely a photographer at a wedding that snapped a quick picture of them….or was I??

After a wonderful dinner filled with amazing conversation we schedule their engagement session. Here are just two from that awesome day.

Soon after followed their amazing wedding day.

Abra, Maria and Me (Picture Left) Jake and Dean (Picture Right)

Shortly after their wedding we were blessed to hear that they were expecting their first baby. Of course we had to be there for the “Gender Reveal Party”!!!

To document this amazing time in their lives she hired me for some maternity pictures. Here are just a few from that day.

Of course this story wouldn’t be complete without a birth story. Here are a few from Anthony’s birth…

It was only natural that “Aunt Heather” take his first professional pictures for their birth announcement and then every few months after.

Then the most amazing thing happened….Maria and Dean became pregnant again!!! We met them at Capital Grille the day they found out what they were having and they let “Aunt Heather & Uncle Jake” open up a gap box wrapped with either girl clothes or boy clothes. We had the HONOR of finding out on the same day they did..that a beautiful girl would be entering their lives. What an absolute blessing. The only natural thing to do, was to get some more maternity pictures done.

and then there was Elizabeth……

and of course…the ever handsome Anthony…

So why this post? Why am I telling this story? How many times have you ever caught yourself moaning and complaining about your circumstances. It can be anything..you didn’t get the wedding date you originally wanted, so you had to change it to it. You got let go at your job so you have to find a new one. You are stuck in traffic and now late. You missed your flight. Your kid is sick and you were supposed to be at the school musical tonight but now you can’t. Your boyfriend broke up with you and you loved him so much that life without him doesn’t seem possible. Whatever your circumstances are..you are unhappy because life isn’t going according to your PLAN. Funny thing is, it’s not YOUR plan..never has been. When you stop fighting the universe so hard and realize that you are exactly where you are supposed to be I can promise you this, you will have a sense of peace. So many blessings in my life have happened all because one thing happened and another didn’t. Had Abra called my good friend Kelley and she was open that day..I would have NEVER met Maria and Dean and all of the pictures you saw above would have never happened. The friendship and love we have for each other would never exist.  My point is this…you are where you are supposed to be and there is a ripple effect happening. You are walking through the right doors and you are closing the right ones as well. It might not make sense now but it will one day.

]]> http://heathercolephotography.com/blog/sliding-doors/feed/ 5 http://heathercolephotography.com/blog/what-the-clients-are-saying/ http://heathercolephotography.com/blog/what-the-clients-are-saying/#comments Fri, 08 Mar 2013 17:12:28 +0000 heathercole http://heathercolephotography.com/blog/?p=23

 Hard to put into words the love I have for Heather. She’s AMAZING! She captured one of the best days of my life so effortlessly! She makes you feel so comfortable and like your spending the day with a friend not just a photographer. She made me feel and look beautiful, can’t imagine the day without her being there.  – Kristin Simone

 Heather has captured the most important milestones in our life over the past 5 years- our engagement, our marriage, and our family year after year as we continue to grow! The memories she captures will be forever treasured. We are both thankful and blessed for her beautiful work! – Emily Comfort

We don’t even know where to begin on how appreciative we are for Heather Cole being our wedding photographer! Beyond her amazing photography skills and knack for capturing the day in its entirety, it’s the little moments such as a father’s first look at his baby girl in her wedding dress that she captures to be cherished for a lifetime. Nonetheless, it is more than Heather’s photography skills that set her apart from the rest. Heather is so genuine and sincere; she becomes the sister you never had. With that being said, we cannot thank Heather Cole enough and are forever grateful. (Just wait until you see her moves on the dance floor!)

Brandi and Jordan Scafe

The pictures you give us are exactly what I want people to see about our family. The beauty of our children, the spirit of who they are and the absolute undeniable love I have for my husband and my children. You are emotionally invested in us and it shows.  – Kelley Woods

Heather Cole is just a natural people person! You get the personality that makes you want to smile – the kids have fun and the pictures are always amazing. – Jennifer Snelling

3 words come to mind when thinking of Heather Cole Photography. “Capturing the Moment”..is there anything else you could want in a picture of your family? Besides being the best eye for a moment in time, Heather welcomes you with an inviting, warm, bubbly and open personality putting you at ease while she works her camera magic. I can’t imagine life without her in it. – JoLynn Tarantino

 Our family has grown with Heather Cole Photography from the very beginning. She does an amazing job not only capturing all our moments as a growing family but also provides an added comfort to anyone who might be a little photo shy. She has such an easy going glow about her, turning every photo session into the up most enjoyable experience for the whole family.  The last photo session she did was my daughter’s senior pictures. She does such a good job adding variety throughout the session providing many different settings. This allowed all sides of my daughter to shine and she had the time of her life doing the session. Thank you Heather for making so many memories with our family!! – Kelly Cowan

From my website – you can obviously see that I have a passion for photography and the people I get to photograph. Other things that you might not know about me are:

I married my high school sweetheart, Jake.

Our daughters share our middle names. Olivia’s middle name is after mine (Jo) and Jillian’s middle name is after Jake’s (Hunter).

 I lost my dad to Cancer 10 years ago. His fight for life helped me find passion in mine. I miss him everyday.

I’ve lost 60lbs over the course of a year and have proved to myself I am stronger than I ever thought I could be.

If I had one talent – it would be to sing. I can carry a tune..but I mean REALLY SING!!  I love music.

I’m famous for my homemade spaghetti sauce.

If I could pick anywhere to live other than Kansas City – it would either be Colorado (because I love the mountains) or Florida (I love sunny days)

My favorite dessert is hands down – homemade chocolate chip cookies

Biggest Pet Peeve – people who don’t give a strong handshake. If I shake someone’s hand and it’s soft I get the heeby jeebies

I talk in slang and use words like, CRAY,RIDIC,FOR REALZ, (and write the way I talk – which you either like it or hate it)

You could say that I have a small coffee addiction…like I can drink it all day. LURV IT!

I frequently spout off lines from movies.

Guilty Pleasure – I love Spas. Spa days, Spa Vacations. Spa anything. I’m kinda OTT (over the top) about them.

I sign every email, with the ending…”hugs”. I’m a hugger. So if you like personal space – NOT THE GIRL FOR YOU!

So you’ve wondered around my blog, you know a little bit about me and now you’re thinking..”I like this chick..she’s crazy..but I like her.” In that case – fill out the contact form located on this page and we’ll be in touch soon!