{{Parenteau Fun at Rosedale Mall}}

I think it might be vaguely illegal to take photographs inside a mall. I mean....no one stopped us, so it must not be.

Maybe only if you are photographing brand names and such.

Instead of an adorable family.

I've known Angie and Jake since we were in high school youth group together.

I attended their wedding.

I met Dylan as an infant at a baby shower and a time or two after.

I took maternity photos when Angie was pregnant with Alyson.

I met Alyson a few days after she was born.

And I haven't seen them since. Sure, there was the occasional Facebook message and well intentioned suggestion.

But four years!

And then we finally did it! We found a day and time. And we sat at the same table for Sunday brunch!

We planned on going to a park and taking some family photos, but of course it rained.

So we popped in to Rosedale Mall, found a few benches, and took some pretty excellent photographs.

Who needs a studio or good weather anyway?

:: Hank, Jen, and Steph ::

Though so far we've been lucky enough to avoid snow that sticks,

winter is definitely here.

The chill in the air and the wind whipping us around.

The temperatures dipping below freezing.

The early, early sunsets.

When the ground isn't snow covered, sometimes I forget that many places go by the calendar, not the flux of the actual weather.

And it turns out that some gardens close when it turns to winter in Minnesota.

Hank, Jen, Steph, and I ended up seeing many miles of Theo Wirth Parkway to find a spot for our photos.

We were lucky enough to find sun and shelter from the wind.

And sticks. We found sticks!

Here's what we came up with:

{Matt >>> Senior Photos}

I see so much.

As I'm driving, walking, shopping.

I notice colors, textures, nooks, crannies.

Today when I was shopping at Knollwood, I noticed the benches and the red circle at Target.

The brick alcove at Wells Fargo.

The white and blue tiled walls at Mister Car Wash.

The wooden bridge over Minnehaha Creek along with great native plants.

So basically, I'm looking for someone to take pictures in the Knollwood area.

And I love the challenge of finding those things no matter where I am.

Enter Matt.

His mom and I emailed ideas back and forth. We settled on two locations:

The site of their new home overlooking the Mississippi.

&

Rivers Edge Park in downtown Elk River.

We got a great view from the second floor of their framed in house

and found some excellent nooks and crannies along Main Street:

[wedded] carl + sarah

Remember when you were a kid and on a hot day you'd throw on your bathing suit 

and run through the sprinkler all day?

On a hot day this summer, I threw on a dress and so did a bride, her bridesmaids, 

and many of their friends and family. A few of them wore tuxedos and suits.

We ate a few Twix bars, stayed plenty hydrated, and shared many laughs. 

Dresses and hairdos blew in the wind and shoes fell apart (seriously. that happened.).

But really what we did was celebrate Carl and Sarah.

Many congratulations to the happy couple!