This couple met at Georgia in college and you can say they do bleed Red and Black.  They are working on another great “Georgia” project.  Mom and Dad are both pharmacist with pharmacies in Richmond Hill and Hinesville.   They have had a long journey to get them to my studio for their expecting images.  They are such a sweet, cute couple and I know this project is going to be a GREAT success! 

This place is very special for the couple I photographed there this past week. They were engaged here and they could think of no better place to do their expecting images than there.  This is an outdoors person heaven.  Flat Creek Lodge is located about an hour west of Statesboro near Swainsboro.  They have everything you need to have for a fun couples weekend.  For the guys, all the hunting and fishing you could ever dream of in a first class experience.  For the ladies, great fine dining, an incredible spa and Japanese bath house.  I never share pictures before my clients have viewed them.  But I did take a few pictures with my blog camera for you to see how incredible this place is.  So the next time your husband says he wants to get away hunting or fishing for a weekend - tell him you know just the place…and you will even join him.

 There is not many things in the world more special than photographing an expecting couple.  The next best session is the newborn session.  If you are a parent, you remember vividly the exact moment you learned you were expecting your first child.  There is nothing more radiant, more beautiful, than an expecting mom.   As you enjoy these images, I hope you will pause and reflect on the radiance of this time in your life. 

  You have probably heard me mention a time or two how much I rely on my Chiropractor, Dr. Jason Ryan.  He has been such a great asset!  Over the last few years he has literally made it possible for me to work some days when otherwise I would have been unable to.  Those of you who own your own business know that we just don’t get “sick days”.  I am still in awe when I hobble into his office that he can send me out up-right and pain-free.  What a gift!

I love his philosophy that you try chiropractic first, then pain medicine THEN as a LAST resort…surgery.  I have so many clients and friends, even my Dad, who have had spinal surgery that are still in constant pain.  Unfortunately, our bodies don’t come with replacement parts.

I have been doing more and more reading on how to slow down the aging process.  I am always intrigued by holistic options–when available.  Many new studies suggest that my generation will live to be somewhere close to 100.  WHOA!  That is a long time!  My great-grandfather passed away just weeks before his 99th birthday.  My granny (his wife) lived to 89.  Edie Grace’s two great-grandma’s Edith and Grace are currently 83 and 91.  With that sort of genetics in my mix…I’ve decided to do more to take better care of myself.  I also want to do more for Edie Grace.  Who knows how long her generation will live with all the break-through’s they will see.  Many of my readings have quotes from folks who wish that they had taken better care of themselves when they were younger.  What a great idea…start young and then it won’t involve a life-style change later. 

With all of this in mind, Edie Grace had her first visit to Dr. Ryan this week.  She thought it was great.  Before he came in, I asked her if anything ever hurts when she sits at her desk at school and she immediately touched between her shoulder blades and said, “It hurts here everyday.”  Dr. Ryan’s experience with his twins proved to be an exceptional advantage when answering all of Edie Grace’s questions about what would happen.  She thought the “massage table” was wonderful!  Dr. Ryan explained to me that many kids that are dealing with attention issues at school have been able to completely come off of medicine through chiropractic care.  How cool is that.  It really makes sense though.  On days that my back is bothering me I can’t sit still long in my chair either.  That wiggling and squirming is probably often misunderstood.  I find that the better I feel, the more relaxed and creative I can be.  So, thank you Dr. Ryan and your staff for taking such great care of the whole Grice family! 

 p.s.  I have enjoyed photographing Dr. Ryan & Angie for over two years now.  I have included a few images of he and his beautiful family.  They are expecting baby #3 — could be any day now!   You may recognize Angie from Weight Watcher’s meetings.  She was my inspiration last year when I started Weight Watcher’s.  She is a great coach and motivator.  I literally watched her “melt” during the twin’s ”Baby’s First Year” sessions.  I was so impressed with her success that I wanted to do it too.    It is the best program for success.  It teaches you a lifestyle instead of a quick-fix diet.  I am currently trying to ”get back on the wagon”.  Between my birthday and our anniversary we celebrate my step-mother’s birthday, my step-dad’s birthday, DeWayne’s birthday and my Dad’s birthday.  All in five weeks!  So with all those family meals it is hard to be good!  

  All of you faithful blogger’s know who Martin is and why I am giving him such a special welcome to the world.  If you are new to the blog then a quick refresh - Kara is a very close friend of mine (since grade school) who was Miss Georgia and first runner up to Miss America and is currently an Internal Medicine Doctor at Piedmont in Atlanta.  Like DeWayne and I, Kara and Scott have taken their time bringing Martin to the world. (read previous blog post)

Friday afternoon at 3:28 pm Martin Maddox Shelar arrived.  He was 21 inches; 8lb, 13 oz.

I had the opportunity to photograph Maddox at Northside Hospital in Atlanta on Saturday.  I know this is no surprise to any of you - but he is a VERY handsome baby.  Here are a few of the images from the session at the hospital.  Scott and Kara are very excited about Martin’s arrival.  Here are Scott’s comments via email on Friday: “Kara and baby are doing fine. We are all a little tired, but wide awake with excitement. We can?t stop looking at him!  Thank you, DeWayne, Edie Grace and all of your faithful blog readers for your thoughts, prayers, generosity and guidance over the last several months. Everything all of you said was right. It is the most awesome experience in the world!”

Please comment below to Kara, Scott and Martin.  They would enjoy hearing from all of you EXPERIENCED parents.  They will be checking the blog for your comments.

…and that is a Lori Grice portrait for FREE!

Congratulations Justin and Amy LaFleur of Guyton - July’s LUCKY BABY contest winner. 

The LaFleur’s won a $500 portrait gift certificate for me to create an incredible portrait of their baby compliments of Lucky Dog Country 106.9.

  If you enjoy great country music and you listen to Savannah’s Country 106.9’s morning program - then you already know that their co-host Laura Anderson is expecting her first child.  To celebrate this exciting time for Laura her station has put together a great promotion where listeners who are expecting will be the winners.  They have asked me to be part of this celebration and I am honored.  This is a great opportunity for you or any of your friends who are expecting to win some great gifts including FREE PORTRAITS created by me.  Those of you who are clients of mine - understand that this is a rare opportunity.  In fact, this is the only time this year we are giving a gift of portraiture through this promotion.  Whether you are a long time client or have never had an opportunity to have me create a portrait for you - you are eligible to win.  All you have to do is log onto their web site and register to win.

So join the excitement of the Lucky Dog Family, register for the Lucky Baby Pick of the Litter Contest! They are giving away great prizes throughout                 the summer!

Register For:
August — Grand Prize of a Baby Shower hosted by Supper Studio, Nursery Furniture from Just For Baby, and a photo session and 24 inch Gallery Wrapped Portrait (no need for framing) from Lori Grice Fine Art Photography.  All valued at over $3,000.00!!!

Surprised that I listen to country music?  I actually love all types of music and draw inspiration from all genres.  If you have heard me speak on my journey of survivorship, overcoming cancer, then you know I close my speech with an emotional slide show set to one of my favorite country music artist, Tim Mcgraw’s “Live Like You Were Dying.”

Good luck to you!  Stay tuned to their website and our blog for information on the winners.

If you enjoy great country music and you listen to Savannah’s Country 106.9’s morning program - then you already know that their co-host Laura Anderson is expecting her first child.  To celebrate this exciting time for Laura her station has put together a great promotion where listeners who are expecting will be the winners.  They have asked me to be part of this celebration and I am honored.  This is a great opportunity for you or any of your friends who are expecting to win some great gifts include FREE PORTRAITS created by me.  Those of you who are clients of mine - understand that this is a rare opportunity.  In fact, this is the only time this year we are giving a gift of portraiture through this promotion.  Whether you are a long time client or have never had an opportunity to have me create a portrait for you - you are eligible to win.  All you have to do is log onto their web site and register to win.

So join the excitement of the Lucky Dog Family, register for the Lucky Baby Pick of the Litter Contest! They are giving away great prizes throughout the summer!

Register For:
July — $250 Gift Certificate from Lori Grice Fine Art Photography
August — Grand Prize of a Baby Shower hosted by Supper Studio, Nursery Furniture from Just For Baby, and a photo session and 24 inch Gallery Wrapped Portrait (no need for framing) from Lori Grice Fine Art Photography.  All valued at over $3,000.00!!!

Your surprised that I listen to country music?  I actually love all types of music and draw inspiration from all genres.  If you have heard me speak on my journey of survivorship overcoming cancer then you know I close my speech with an emotional slide show set to one of my favorite country music artist, Tim Mcgraw’s “Live like you were dying.”

Good luck to you!  Stay tuned to their website and our blog for information on the winners.

  By: Stefanie Reeder  - Savannah

Finalist

Lori,

Your photos of me telling Sean I was expecting, served as a lighthouse during the darkest time of our lives.
Just days after we were with you, we were told I was miscarrying. Devastated and broken, I was so afraid those photos would be a constant reminder of what we lost.

But through prayer we turned it over to the Lord. We decided until this child left us for Heaven, we were going to cherish every moment. In those quite days, we became profoundly grateful we had those photos- photos that might be the only ones we?d ever have ?with? him.
Regardless, we knew those images of joy would always be in our home, honoring our FIRST child.

Today, they hang outside his nursery- a beautiful reminder of God?s grace and the greatest miracle he performed in our life- our healthy son, Grant Kenneth.

Thank you for your amazing gift.

Love,

The Reeders

Have you ever met someone that you knew on that very first meeting would accomplish great things?  For me it happened for the first time in grade school.  I remember she was beautiful, smart, humble and personable.  Did I say smart??  Oh Yeah…like off the charts smart.  I realized this in math class when the teacher worked one of those problems that took the entire chalk board. He was showing us what next year in algebra was going to be like. Obviously the answer did not work out correctly.  From the back of the room, slowly and timidly she raised her hand.  The frustrated teacher ignored her at first.  Then after another student made him aware of the hand in the back of the room - he recognized her.  Her name was Kara Martin.  She is the daughter of a college professor at the University and her mother Kim was beautiful and very nice.  Kara slowly rose from her seat and walked to the chalkboard.  She took the chalk and in an instant, became the teacher.  Right before our eyes Kara became super human.  It was like a scene from a not yet produced movie.  Very commandingly, yet humbly she explained to the teacher exactly where the mistake was.  She is superhuman, to understand algebra at such a complex level that she can break it down to it’s simplest form, and she was beautiful.  Did I say beautiful??  Little did I know how well I learned the law of attraction early in life.  If you have read the book “the Secret” you will know what I am talking about.  If you have not read this book (or watched the DVD) stop what your doing, go to Amazon.com and order it. 

Kara was very pretty.  She was tall, with blonde hair and blue eyes.  But unlike, most pretty girls in school - she did not seem to know she was pretty.  She was kind to everyone and seem to be most focused on her education and helping others.   I knew definitively on that day in grade school math class at Marvin Pittman Laboratory School, that Kara Martin was going to save the world.  Because I subliminally understood the law of attraction I made every effort to get to know her and befriend her.  She was the kind of person I wanted to be more like.  If it was not possible for me to be more like her, then I wanted to make sure I had a front row seat to watch her journey.

I must admit, even I never dreamed that the journey would take her (and all of us vicariously through her) to such amazing places.  Kara completed high school with a 4.0.  She entered GSU as a pre-med student.  Along the way, looking for scholarships to help with her education she entered the Miss Georgia Southern Pageant, she won and then went on to the Miss Georgia Pageant and was crowned first runner-up.  The next year Kara entered the Miss Southeast Georgia pageant and won.  Then to Miss Georgia and she WON!  On to Atlantic City to the Miss America Pageant.  She almost won Miss America receiving first runner up. 

Even though she did not win Miss America, she had obtained her goal of funding medical school through scholarships.  Kara graduated from GSU, and MCG with a perfect 4.0.  After she was crowned Miss Georgia our resident Clark Kent (Scott Shelar) a reporter for the Statesboro Herald interviewed Kara.  Scott was a sports reporter, I am not sure how he convinced his editor that pageants were a sport.  Obviously, he understood the law of attraction at a little different level.  Scott was smart, handsome and very charming.  On December 30, 1995 Scott and Kara were married in a fairy tale wedding at Christ the King Cathedral in Atlanta.

Kara and Scott have made Atlanta home.  Kara is a physician at Piedmont Hospital and Scott is the executive director of the Construction Education Foundation.  There are lots and lots of wonderful side roads in this couples amazing journey that I have skipped - trying not to make this a novel.  They are now entering into a wonderful new path - the path of parenthood.  They are expecting their first child, a son, in August.  

Along with our great friends Dr. John and Sharon Adams, Edie Grace, DeWayne and I hosted Scott and Kara and a few of our friends for a baby shower at the studio.  I had photographed Kara and Scott at their home in Atlanta recently.  We used this image for the shower invitation.  I will share the invitation along with some images of our journey with Kara and Scott.  I have also included a few images from the shower at the studio.  We wish Kara and Scott the best of luck as they enter parenthood.  With their permission, I will continue to share with you images of their son when he arrives.

For almost 30 years since I first met Kara and later Scott, I continued to be humbled and amazed at watching this dynamic duo in action.  They really are super human in many ways.  Now I know they are going to be SUPER PARENTS! 

Not only have they been great friends, but also wonderful clients. Kara continues to humble me by allowing me to photograph every important part of her journey, from the pageants, graduations, their wedding and now the expecting images. 

Congratulations Kara and Scott and thanks for allowing me to share and help document this wonderful journey.  I can’t wait for  the next chapter