I wanted to take a moment to thank you for trusting me to be a part of your family's memories in 2016. I've had the pleasure of photographing the most amazing happy families, newborn babies, brothers and sisters and high school seniors. As you know, I've been on a journey to build an even better Parkplace Studio and this year I dug deep, did the work, and listened to the little voice in my head that's been telling me I have even more to offer. Parkplace Studio Wall Styling was born. I'm so grateful to be welcomed into my clients' homes to create their wall styling projects. It's been so busy, but my husband and I have been on a life-long journey to do this work and we are so excited about what the future holds!

I am inspired by you and motivated by the fact that I know that my work is important. I was reminded of this again this year...

* I was contacted by a client whose home was destroyed by a fire in November. The family is safe, but they lost all of their photographs. I am grateful that I was able to provide them with family photos from our session this summer as well as from 4 years ago when their kids were so little.
* I was heartbroken when the sister of one of my high school seniors contacted me to tell me their mother unexpectedly passed away. They remembered I encouraged their reluctant Mom to be in just one photo with the two of them. With a heavy heart, I sent them a large print for the funeral. I know they will cherish that last photo with their Mom.
* To celebrate a joyful occasion, I partnered with Canvas for a Cause this year and we donated 6 large canvases to our local children's theater to decorate the lobby as they celebrated their grand opening in a building so many volunteers worked hard to make a reality.
* Last January I secretly joined my client as he proposed to his girlfriend at the Landmark Center's skating rink downtown St. Paul. She had no idea I was photographing the whole thing; photographs I'm sure they'll share with their kids some day. (She said yes, by the way!)
* And this fall I was contacted by an excited father of 5 to let me know his twin girls were on their way home after spending their first two weeks of life in the hospital. I dropped everything to surprise mommy and photograph the family as they welcomed those two precious baby girls home.

There are so many examples of why I'm honored to be a part of your family's memories this year as always. So again, thank you. I'm looking forward to the adventures, assignments and projects we'll work on together in 2017. I promise to continue to listen to you and capture what makes your family so special. Best wishes for a happy, healthy New Year! Here are photos from some of my most memorable sessions of 2016.

Cheers!
Kelly