Lana & Cody

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Just in case any of you thought that we’ve just been sitting around here twiddling our thumbs and eating PopTarts, rest assured that this has not been the case.  One such event that we were oh so lucky to be a part of was the wedding of Lana & Cody!

I can’t say enough about this absolutely beautiful & friendly couple – as well as their wedding party and families.  They made our day absolutely fantastic!  We’re so happy they decided to let us be a part of their wedding day and wish them so MuchLove in the years to come!

Well, this is just getting sappy now, so I think that it’s time that we send MuchLove to everyone that helped make this day awesome, and tell you good people out there in Land of Blog being the beautiful people that they are to – Enjoy!

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Julia & Josh!

I’m not going to waste any more time than necessary with a bunch of words here because these pics are just too good.  So let me just get to the point and say that we are so stoked (do people still use that word) for the wedding of this beautiful (and Yogatastic) couple!  So MuchLove to them, and to all my good peeps out there in Blogville – Enjoy!

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Shawna & Matt!

And now, a Valentine treat for you!  And no, it’s not going to be those candy hearts that say BE MINE or SO ALONE or whatever they say.  Nope.  This is a little treat called Shawna & Matt!  We’ve known Shawna for a long time, and were pleased to meet Matt (I already like him because as his name implies, he is a gift of God – MATT’S ARE AWESOME.)  And the reason for this pictoriffic goodness, you ask?  They got married up.  Yepper!  You can tell by the veil on her head.  I’m like a detective.  But that’s beside the point.

The point is that this newly wedded couple stopped by the o to the j to share the love and to let the Queen James take some pics of their awesomeness.  Which, as the picture will attest to, is plentiful.  All of these words are confusing me.  What I’m trying to say is CONGRATULATIONS SHAWNA & MATT!  So MuchLove to both of you and thank you for stopping by and letting us in on previously mentioned awesomeness.  But enough of all this rambling, it’s time to get to the goods.  And remember to – Enjoy!

Shawna & Matt!

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Ashley & Andrew

Even though it’s been said many, many times…the greatest of these – Love!

Or in our case, MuchLove!

Thank you so much to this beautiful couple and their incredibly awesome wedding party for making this such a fantastic day.  And to all my good peeps out there in Land of Blog – Enjoy!

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Staci & James

It was a beautiful day, and they did not let it get away!

 

MuchLove!
o&j

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Lezlie & Parker

Just a little over a week ago, the Otis & James Caravan of Love packed up and headed South, to a place called South Dakota – which is similar to North Dakota but it’s South of it.  Just straight South.  It’s almost as if you were to take one big square state and draw a line through it, the upper part would be North Dakota and the lower part would be South Dakota.  For further explanation on this matter, please consult a map or a globe.

And the reason for all this southernly travel, you ask?  Well, my dear Peeps of Blog, it was for the wedding of the ever-lovely Lezlie & Parker!  We (and when I say we, I mean Queen James herself) had an absolutely fantastic time working with the bride & groom, their awesome families and their fabulous wedding party!

The location of the wedding was a place we have never been before, The Sylvan Lake Lodge in Custer State Park – which meant a whole new world of photographic adventure was awaiting Jamie as she pictosnapped here & pictosnapped there during the big day!  And this whole new world was absolutely beautiful – and the true reason it was so beautiful was due to all of the people in these samplesnaps.  Jamie just happened to be there with a camera, they did all the awesome.  Straight up my peeps.  Not jiving around.

But enough of all this chit-chattery, it’s time for us to give MuchLove to Lezlie & Parker for letting us be a part of their wedding day.  Thank you so much again for choosing us!  And to all my happy little peeps out there in Land of Blog – Enjoy!

A Senior Quick Teaser || Now With Erica!

I’ve run out of words.  So it’s time to take the words of another.  But before we delve into a poem by Lord Byron, I would be remiss if we didn’t send MuchLove to Erica for stopping by FunCenter and letting us have a little part in her universe, if only for a moment or two.  And to all my peeps out there in Land of Blog just hoping for a poem  – Enjoy!

She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that’s best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellow’d to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impaired the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o’er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.

And on that cheek, and o’er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!

-Lord Byron

Erica!

Kylie & Eric

This is my brother Eric, and my new Sister In-Law, Kylie.  And they are beautiful.  And I love them with every ounce of my being. –mb

For Kylie & Eric, my toast for you…

MY NAME IS MATTHEW BIERI. CLEARLY, I AM THE YOUNGER AND MORE HANDSOME BIERI, AND TODAY I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF TIME TO TELL YOU ABOUT ERIC, AND MYSELF.  LET’S START WITH THE SIMILARITIES. BOTH OF US ARE THE CHILDREN OF BUD & JUDY BIERI. AND THAT’S PRETTY MUCH WHERE THE SIMILARITIES END.

FIRST OFF, ERIC IS A MARATHON RUNNER. I, ON THE OTHER HAND, LIKE TO TAKE THE CAR IF WE ARE GOING ANY DISTANCE GREATER THAN THIRTY-FIVE FEET FROM MY CURRENT LOCATION.
ERIC DOES SOMETHING HE CALLS ‘BIKRAM YOGA,’ WHEREAS I WORK UP A SWEAT TYING MY SHOES, SO I PREFER SLIP-ONS.

ERIC IS A MATHEMATICIAN – ANALYTICAL IN THIS THINKING AND THOUGHT PROCESS AS HE EVALUATES A SITUATION AND DEVELOPS HIS CONCLUSIONS.

I AM A PHOTOGRAPHER. A BIG OLD LIBERAL ARTIST TYPE THAT CANT EVEN BEGIN TO FATHOM WHAT IT IS ERIC DOES FOR JOHN HANCOCK – SO HE’S MADE IT EASY FOR ME AND JUST SAYS THAT HE FIGURES OUT WHEN PEOPLE ARE GOING TO DIE, WHICH SEEMS KIND OF MORBID, BUT IF I THINK BACK TO HIS HIGH SCHOOL DAYS, HE WAS KIND OF A DARK AND GOTHIC PUNK ROCK KID, SO I GUESS IT ALL TIES TOGETHER SOMEHOW.

NOW, I COULD GO ON ABOUT GROWING UP TOGETHER, BUT I WANT TO FOCUS ON ERIC DURING HIS HIGH SCHOOL YEARS, WHICH IS WHEN HE TRULY CAME INTO BEING HIS OWN PERSON.  AS HARD AS IT MAY SEEM TO BELIEVE BY LOOKING AT HIM NOW – BACK THEN HE TRULY WAS PUNK ROCK.

WE GREW UP IN THE TWIN CITIES, AND DURING THIS TIME ERIC WAS PART OF A MUSICAL SCENE THAT WAS RULED BY BANDS SUCH AS THE REPLACEMENTS, HUSKER DU, THE SUBURBS – AND ERIC WAS A REGULAR AT THE LEGENDARY MUSIC VENUE ‘FIRST AVENUE’ FOR SHOWS BY ALL OF THESE BANDS AND MORE. HE WASN’T PART OF A SCENE. HE WAS A SCENE UNTO HIMSELF.

TO JUMP BACK TO MY WORLD FOR A SECOND, DURING THE PERIOD OF MUSICAL NIRVANA ERIC WAS EXPERIENCING, I WAS A DOUGHY AND DORKY KID THAT ENJOYED PLAYING PINOCHLE WITH MY AUNT AND GRANDMOTHER. I WAS THE OPPOSITE OF COOL, AND ERIC EMBODIED IT TO THE FULLEST.

BECAUSE OF HOW HE LOOKED, AND PERHAPS SLIGHTLY TO DO WITH HIS ANTI-ESTABLISHMENT ATTITUDE, ERIC WAS ALSO AN EASY TARGET FOR CLASSMATES THAT DIDN’T UNDERSTAND HIM AND FOR THE ADMINISTRATION AT OUR HIGH SCHOOL THAT WOULD OFTEN SEND HIM HOME JUST BECAUSE OF THE CLOTHES HE WAS WEARING.

IT WAS ALSO HARD FOR OUR NORTH DAKOTA BORN, CHILD OF THE DEPRESSION, VERY BLUE COLLAR, CONSTRUCTION WORKER FATHER TO UNDERSTAND HIM TOO. NOT THAT OUR DAD DIDN’T LOVE ERIC, BUT DID HE REALLY HAVE TO WEAR MASCARA? FOR THE LOVE OF GOD PLEASE TELL ME THAT HE WASN’T WEARING MASCARA.

BUT THERE IS AN ENIGMATIC PART OF ERIC’S PERSONALITY THAT I HAVE ONLY RECENTLY BEGUN TO UNDERSTAND.  DURING THAT PERIOD OF HIS LIFE IT WOULD HAVE BEEN EASY TO WRITE HIM OFF AS SOME SORT OF A FREAK, AND THOSE THAT DID NOT UNDERSTAND HIM MOST LIKELY DID.

BUT THROUGH THE JET-BLACK MOHAWK, THROUGH THE MASCARA, UNDERNEATH THE LEATHER JACKET WAS A KID THAT WAS ALSO EXCELLING IN COLLEGE LEVEL CALCULUS WHILE STILL IN HIGH SCHOOL. AS IT TURNS OUT, HE WASN’T A FREAK, HE WAS ACTUALLY A CLOSETED GEEK. HE WASN’T ANTI-ESTABLISHMENT, HE WANTED TO BE THE ESTABLISHMENT.

WE GREW UP IN AN AREA THAT WAS WELL OFF. ERIC COULD HAVE EASILY JOINED IN WITH THE REST OF THE CROWD. HE COULD HAVE RUN WITH THE LEMMINGS, BUT HE CHOSE NOT TO. HE WAS A NON- CONFORMIST, THROUGH AND THROUGH.

AND THEN ONE DAY AFTER HE GRADUATED ERIC AGAIN DID SOMETHING THAT DID NOT MAKE ANY SENSE. HE JOINED THE NAVY. SOME PEOPLE IN HIS FRIEND GROUP MAY HAVE THOUGHT HE HAD LOST HIS MIND, OR AT BARE MINIMUM SOLD OUT. BUT TRULY, HE AGAIN HAD CHOSEN TO NOT CONFORM TO THE PATHS HIS PEERS WERE FOLLOWING.

TO ME, IT FELT AS IF THE EARTH HAD SHIFTED FROM ITS AXIS. I MEAN, DID THE NAVY KNOW ABOUT THE MOHAWK AND MASCARA?  A FEW MONTHS LATER, ONE EARLY MORNING, A NAVY RECRUITER STOPPED BY THE HOUSE AND PICKED ERIC UP FOR HIS TRIP TO BASIC TRAINING.  HE SAID GOODBYE TO US. HE SHOOK MY HAND – IT WAS THE FIRST TIME HE HAD SHOOK MY HAND. AND AT THAT POINT I KNEW MY BIG BROTHER HAD BECOME SOMETHING ELSE…A MAN.  I CAN STILL REMEMBER THAT MORNING CLEAR AS THE DAY IT HAPPENED. THE CAR PULLED OUT OF OUR DRIVEWAY, I WALKED DOWN THE STAIRS TO THE BASEMENT OF OUR HOUSE AND TURNED ON MTV. THE SONG THAT CAME ON WAS BY THE BAND ‘TEARS FOR FEARS’ (ONE OF ERIC’S FAVORITES BACK IN THE DAY) – THE SONG WAS ‘WOMAN IN CHAINS.’ IT WAS A NEW SONG OF THEIR’S THAT I HADN’T CARED FOR, BUT SITTING THERE ON THE COUCH THAT MORNING, I HUNG ON EVERY NOTE OF THE SONG. AND I FELT AN EMPTINESS INSIDE THAT I DIDN’T EXPECT. MY BIG BROTHER WAS GONE.

ERIC LEFT MINNESOTA AND HE DIDN’T LOOK BACK. FLORIDA. NEW YORK. SAN DIEGO. SAN JOSE. TEXAS. AND NOW BOSTON. SINCE THAT MORNING BACK IN 1988 HE HAS CALLED ALL OF THESE PLACES HOME.

AND AS TIME HAS PASSED, OUR IMMEDIATE FAMILY HAS GROWN SMALLER AND SMALLER, UNTIL IT HAS REALLY BECOME JUST THE TWO OF US.
UNTIL TODAY.

I SAID THAT ERIC CALLED ALL OF THOSE OTHER CITIES HOME, BUT TODAY – WITH KYLIE – HE HAS CREATED A TRUE HOME.  A PLACE THAT IS NOT DEFINED BY LOCATION OR BY THE WALLS THAT SURROUND YOU – INSTEAD A PLACE THAT IS IN YOUR HEART, THAT HOLDS YOU UP WHEN YOU ARE WEAK, THAT CHEERS WHEN YOU SUCCEED AND IS THERE TO COMFORT YOU WHEN YOU FALL.

AND I THANK GOD THAT ERIC FOUND A WOMAN AS BEAUTIFUL, AS GRACIOUS, TALENTED AND SUPPORTIVE AS KYLIE.  I THANK GOD FOR THE SMITH FAMILY AND WANT TO LET THEM KNOW THAT ERIC HAS AN ODD SKILL-SET THAT COULD PROVIDE HELPFUL. FOR EXAMPLE, HE CAN MAKE YOU AN INCREDIBLE LATTE, OR IF YOU HAPPEN TO OWN A NUCLEAR POWERED SUBMARINE, HE CAN HELP YOU KEEP IT RUNNING. HE CAN HELP YOUR ROBOT BUILD A TELEVISION, HE CAN MEASURE THE THICKNESS OF YOUR SEMICONDUCTER WAFER, AND ON TOP OF THAT HE CAN TELL YOU WHEN YOU ARE STATISTICALLY LIKELY TO DIE! HE’S THE COMPLETE PACKAGE!

BUT MORE SO THAN ALL OF THAT, HE IS A STAND UP GENTLEMAN THAT IS TRUE AND STEADFAST TO HIS BELIEFS, AND I KNOW WILL BE TRUE AND STEADFAST TO HIS WIFE.

AND TO KYLIE, I ALSO THANK GOD THAT YOU FOUND ERIC, BECAUSE HE’S BEEN MY HERO SINCE I WAS A BOY. HE’S ALWAYS BEEN COOLER THAN ME, SMARTER THAN ME, AND MOST IMPORTANT – HE HAS FAR BETTER HAIR THAN ME. HE DESERVES A WOMAN AS WONDERFUL AS YOU ARE.  NOW, LET US TOAST TO KYLIE AND ERIC, AND TO A LIFETIME OF HAPPINESS!

L’CHAIM! WE’RE JEWISH, RIGHT?  LUTHERAN?  WHATEVER.  TO LIFE!

 

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