It is with heavy heart and teary eyes that I must report that we have lost my Grandfather, William Capehart Brown.  Grandpa had been battling both kidney and lung cancer valiantly, but lost that battle the morning of July 14th 2010, and has gone on now to a much better place.

I have delayed posting this blog entry and the newsletter as well, due to both an overwhelming workload, and the sadness I knew it would bring to have to say goodbye.

I love my Grandpa more than I can express with words.  I am so proud to have been his Grandson.

From a photographers perspective I was sad that I did not have tons of wonderful portraits of Grandpa to sort through to find the best one for his funeral.  But thankfully I did have this one, taken during Thanksgiving in Whistler, BC.  I love the expression on his face, I think it shows his personality, and how he would just light up when he told us all a story, as he was here.  I will miss those stories...

My Grandpa served in the Army during World War II in the European theater, and he loved this country more than anyone I know.  It is that service, and that love for country that has made me so proud to be an American, and who I am today.  His memorial service was both a sad and beautiful source of pride for me.  He was memorialized with full military honors, and it was delivered with unbelievable precision. The servicemen, and woman who preformed it played Taps from the back of the church and then folded and handed our flag to my Grandmother. I have never felt anything so deeply as I did that moment.  Pride, honor, love, and sorrow all wadded up in my belly and then came out as tears…

I would like to apologize for not keeping up with the blog and the newsletter during this difficult time.  Stacia lost her Grandmother just before the passing of my Grandpa, and it just seems that lately it has been one tragedy after another for us.  It has made me realize how important the short time we have together really is.  It has also reinforced my belief that you must photograph the ones you love.  Take the time while you can.  Life is so brutally short.

My Grandfather is now safe, and free of pain at last.  I will treasure forever my memories of our talks, and regret forever not taking more photographs and not spending more time with him.

I love you Grandpa, and I miss you so much.

We had a blast taking the Schad's family portraits out at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden!

Christina and offspring came to visit Stacia and I this weekend.  We had a great time.  We had to use this opportunity to take a few family pictures.  We didn’t go far, just the backyard, the kids didn’t want to be too far away from “Rock Band”, which I am sure was the highlight of their vacation!

Stacia and I met the Coffey’s at their home to take a quick family portrait.  They are a lot of fun, and I think they had as much fun as we did. We moved all of the furniture around to get the best backdrop, but it was worth it!  Thanks for having us over guys!

Stacia and I met up with Carrie and the girls for a quick family shoot this evening.  They were passing through Dallas on their way up to Tulsa, and Carrie needed a few shots to put on a purse.  Yes, that’s right, I said purse.  I didn’t even know you could do such a thing, but check it out.

You can learn more about this very unique photo handbag amalgam on Gina Alexander’s website.  In the mean time, check out some of the photographs:

Carrie, your girls are gorgeous, and so much fun.  Thank you Grace for my get well card! :)