Baca Family

Oh folks, you're in for a treat! This is the gosh darn cutest family of twelve you've seen all day, I guarantee!  :)  Enjoy!!

xoxo Bec

Thompson Family

The Thompson family is as good as it gets!  They are beautiful, genuinely kind, tender-hearted, brilliant, brilliantly talented, and just...great.  Perhaps my favorite thing about this family is the great hold they have on language.  I'm a nerd, I know, but geeze.  Each member of this family has the ability to choose just the right word for exactly what they mean, which is such a gift.  They know the truth: that less is more.

They've been a source of friendship to my sweet husband Jeff since he was a little kid, and the family has been a source of support and wisdom for me, as well as us in our marriage, for several precious years now!  Suffice to say, I love these people.

Okay, so a little story about where we took these photos.  Getting everyone together for this was quite a feat, as Chicago and California each had to give up some valuable residents for a few days so Texas could benefit. Christmas is good for things like that.  Anyways, we met up at Dave and Alison's house, and it started to rain.  Awesome.  No going outside.  I'm not great with artificial light, either, so inside wasn't a good option.  What to do, what to do?!  GASP.  John Paul to the rescue.  He has keys to the church (keys that had hidden themselves for a brief moment, but were found earlier in the afternoon).  Keys that could open up the 5th floor gym, one of the coolest rooms I've ever seen (with gobs of windows [natural light]), especially at a church.  It's decided.  To the church we go.

The gym wouldn't open.  The key wouldn't work.

The John Paul stopped and prayed.

And then the door opened.

And were were able to get these photos.

Again, love you guys.  Thank you for sharing your Christmas Eve with me.

xoxo Bec

Merry Christmas from the Egger Family!

Like everyone, I'm sure, we've had a year for the books.  From elation to heartbreak, we seemed to have hit it all.  Here are a few moments to remember from our 2011, in no particular order:

BE Photography:  BE was born this year!  I've been overwhelmed with how much responsibility it's demanded of me, on top of teaching, but my friends and family (and clients who have become great friends!) have made this side job such a joy.  Thank you to everyone!  I will do my very best to post a year-in-review for BE before the new year.

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This is a photo I got from my cousin Lindsey's facebook.  I'm thinking it was taken in about 1995.

Lisa:  A two-year journey changed its course significantly last spring when my dad's cousin Lisa passed away.  She'd been sick for a while, and I cannot fathom the number of prayers we prayed for her healing.  We have a big family and she had so many friends, and we all begged for God to let us keep her--but, for reasons I'll never understand on this earth, He decided to take her home.  I praise God for her comfort and heavenly healing, though we all miss her so much--especially her daughters.  I think about them just about every day.

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Melissa High School:  Jeff was blessed to be an assistant for the varsity boy's basketball team, which made it all the way to Austin for the STATE TOURNAMENT!  Are you kidding me?!  They didn't make it quite to the top, but it was an incredible season and an incredible experience nonetheless.  Follow that up with a STATE CHAMPIONSHIP in football this fall!!  Seriously!!  People keep telling me, "It's all downhill from here!"  ...thanks, folks.

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(I don't have a digital picture of this wonderful man)

Wayne:  My grandmother's beloved husband died in the early part of the summer.  He had not been sick for long, and we were all so sad to lose him.  They married when they were in their early 80's, and she loved--and loves--him so much.  He was a wonderful addition to our family and treated us all as if we were his own.

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Weddings:  Jeff was in 43 weddings this summer.  Just kidding--just three, and then one more in January (MY BROTHER'S, WOOHOO!).  We have had so much fun watching our lovely, wonderful, dear dear friends marry each other.  Go love!

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First anniversary:   We are blown away with the amount of support and love we've received over the past year and a half.  Thank you, everyone.  We're thrilled to celebrate six years together tomorrow, and I love this man with my whole heart!

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New pup:  Nolan got a little sister a few months ago!  We go back and forth on whether or not we think she's a good girl, but we know she's a cutie!!

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There's more--much more--but I will save some of it for future ramblings.  All in all, 2011 has been a year to remember, for its joy and its struggles.  It's been one of the most important years of my life.  Here's to 2012!!

xoxo Bec

Caysi | Artist

Here we go, here we go!

Caysi Sutton is my sister's best friend, and has been a sister to me for as long as I can remember.  She's always been beautiful, mature, and very much artistically inclined!  She graduated from high school in 2008 and has been on the journey of a lifetime ever since--and the adventure goes on!

In the fall of 2008, she enrolled as a student at Dallas Baptist University.  She was a cheerleader, and she was going to become a teacher.  Perfect, right?  Definitely.  Until it wasn't perfect anymore--and she knew that God was asking her to change her trajectory.  So she eventually packed her bags and headed back home--where she found the perfect plan.  Cosmetology school!!  Seriously.  Perfect.  Her gifts would be exercised perfectly.  Love of people, love of beauty, love of art, desire to see God's love spread.

She worked as hard as she could to get through school as quickly as she could, pulling 10 hour days and losing huge amounts of sleep.  She balanced all this out by helping take care of her sweet niece, helping her family during inevitable times of trouble, and...thinking.  A lot.  And wondering if what she was heading toward was truly God's plan for her.

And the jury's still out.  She graduated in August and has been patiently exploring her options and waiting on the Lord.  The beauty of her journey is an inspiration to me, and I love that she so willingly shares it.

But, why the photos?

Whether or not cosmetology is a major factor in Caysi's future, the fact that her training and talent are outstanding is unavoidable.  I asked if I could come snoop and document a typical "session," and Caysi and her sister-in-law were obliged to have me join them.  Watch and enjoy, and tell me that styling and loving on women isn't somehow in Caysi's future.

Okay, on a side note--I never look that pretty when my hair's wet and I'm wearing a cape-smock-thing.  Erica, you're gorgeous!

I don't know about you, but I definitely pay attention to the way my stylists' hair is styled.  Oolala, Caysi-girl!

This was some sort of foamy stuff Caysi put into Erica's roots to help give lift + body.  Nifty, right?

By the way, all this is happening in a small room off of Caysi's parent's kitchen.  Talk about generous people.  Caysi comes by it honestly.

Again.  Erica.  Wow.

I was kinda hoping Caysi was going to leave Erica with a Shirley Temple-style do, but alas...she did comb it out eventually.  :)

Lookit that beautiful curl!

I need bang-lessons from this girl.  I never do mine right!

A little tease...

A lot of spray...

A sister's smile...

...and BOOM!  A beautiful style.

I had to twist her arm, but here are a few fun headshots of the artist herself.

Haha...sorry Cays, I couldn't resist!

But for real:  gorgeous.

So, that's that.  God-given talent, God-lead journey, and a lot of mystery.

See, life doesn't have to be spelled out perfectly to be beautiful.

xoxo Bec

Charlie and Stacy

Extra, extra, read all about it!!  For the second time in their 17 year marriage, the Hricko's have taken photos together!!  Terribly cute, if you ask me.  :)

xoxo Bec