cindy cieluch photography . blog

I could give Ali several titles: “assistant,” “second shooter,” “album designer extraordinaire.”  But my favorite is: friend.

Last year was a crazy year to say the least….and she joined our team in the nick of time!  Ali starting working with us in the midst of 14 weddings (with 4 out of town and 2 out of state), my husband Matt leaving for 5 months, album orders up the ying yang, a huge commercial project and making final plans for our downtown studio space.  For the first time since I launched this business nearly 3 years ago, I am caught up!!!!!!!  And that’s due to Ali and her excellent work ethic.  She is prompt…so prompt that sometimes she needs to wake me up!  Ha!  She is fast…so fast that she finishes album designs, orders and special projects before I even ask about them.  She is friendly…so friendly that she dropped off all of our last-minute Christmas orders at clients’ homes!  She is thoughtful…so thoughtful that she knows my latte drink by heart and randomly brings me homemade scones (I DO NOT ASK HER TO DO THIS!).  And last but not least, Ali is a talented photographer.  She shoots all weddings with me and her style complements mine perfectly and naturally.  Ali studied commercial and food photography, so her candid and detail shots are stunning.

SOMEONE PINCH ME!!!!!  Honestly Ali - you’re a dream come true.  Matt and I are blessed to have you on our team.

The next set was taken with my brand new tilt-shift lens.

This may be my fave!  Ali was workin’ it!!!

There was still a bed frame in this incredible old, abandoned home.

There’s the bed frame…see it???

You’re beautiful, Ali!  Thank you for asking me to take new portraits of you and for EVERYTHING else!

The Frey Family

Stacy + Mike

Stephanie

The Bleskin Family (remember Gunnar???)

Haley

The Tokerud Family

Suzette

The Skinner Family

Ali

Lindsey + Jason

Ameya

More on the way!

Every birthday is a reason to celebrate.  I’m not saying I need a big ol’ birthday cake or song n’ dance every time I turn one year older, but it is a day I thoroughly soak in.  My birthday was yesterday and it was exactly what I wanted: relaxing.  I slept in, woke up to Matt making Swedish pancakes, went hiking at Sluice Boxes with Matt, Duncan and Boerne, then ate dinner with the Harants at Maple Garden for the best Korean food in town!

To continue my celebration, I’m having a huge sale for YOU — 32% off all prints for an entire week.  If your gallery is active, order away!  If your gallery is expired, I already reactivated it.  If you’d like to meet in person to place your order, I have a few open spots left this week…just shoot me an email and we’ll coordinate.  Happy ordering! 

Yep, that’s me celebrating…28 years ago.

…I knew it was going to be a beautiful day.

I’ve been daydreaming about what to write in my first post of 2010 (yes, I actually daydream about this blog) and it finally hit me during the holidays.  My realization came while I was catching up with my college girlfriends down in Texas.  We were having dinner and talking about what all of our friends are up to nowadays.  That’s when my old roommate Kristi asked if anybody knew what was going on with my college sweetheart Joel.  My answer is something that’s transformed my view on life.

Back in April, I got a phone call from Joel’s sister who had grave news: their mom was dying with breast cancer and she didn’t have much time left.  I was stunned, saddened to the core and shaking with sobs.

Through thick tears, I told Matt what I had just learned.  Being the incredibly sensitive, caring and supportive husband that he is, I expected him to hold me and assure me that everything was going to be OK.  But what he said made me cry even harder.  Matt asked if she was a person whose funeral I would attend.  I said yes, and he responded: “Then why wait for a funeral?  Let’s go see her while she’s alive.”

We packed up the car, programmed our trusty GPS and drove 12 hours to Blunt, South Dakota.  We didn’t know what to bring, what we were going to say or what to expect.  We simply went with open hearts and, it may sound a bit strange, but excitement.  Excitement to see old friends and have Matt meet people who made a huge impact on my life.

When we arrived, we were welcomed with huge hellos and hugs.  It’s amazing how natural it feels to reunite with certain friends as if no time had passed.  After I introduced Matt to everyone, I was ready to see Joel’s mom.  Her name is Joy and she fits her name to a T.  I’ve honestly never seen her without a radiant smile on her face.

Joel’s family decided that our visit should be a surprise for Joy, so they didn’t tell her that we were on our way!  So when I walked into her bedroom, Joy’s face completely lit up with shock and happiness.  Joy’s reaction alone made my heart swell up.  To tell you the truth, I had been afraid to see someone I cared for in that much pain.  I was scared to see someone who I knew was dying.  I was so nervous, in fact, that I almost didn’t make the trip.  But at that moment, I instantly knew that I never wanted to be scared of death (or life for that matter) again.

Matt and I spent exactly 20 hours at their house.  Those 20 hours completely rocked my soul and filled my mind with amazing memories, which I’ll share below.  I did not take photos of Joy, as I wanted to remember her as the healthy, laughing and joyful person she was.  What I did take photos of are Joy’s hometown: a place where she was born, made life-long friends, married her husband, and, after traveling around the country for decades, returned to for her last days.

By the way she lived, Joy taught those around her the important values of life: laugh out loud, be color blind to people, share your love of the Lord, be honest (sometimes a little too honest!), travel to see the people you love, kick off your shoes and dance.

And she doesn’t even realize it, but Joy taught me to not be afraid of death.  Her smile, peacefulness and jokes remained with her until the very end of her life.  Without a doubt, Heaven is a more joyful place now.

I’ll leave you with words I’ll never forget from my last conversation with her, as well as images from her quaint, sweet town of Blunt.

ME: “Isn’t it amazing that Joel is a lawyer now?  I bet you are so proud…”

JOY: “No.  I’m not proud that he’s become a lawyer.  But I am proud of the person he’s become.”

Here are my Blunt tour guides, Joy’s daughter Char and granddaughter Tiare.  They drove me around town telling stories about Joy and their family.  It was such an incredibly touching way to learn more about Joy’s life, as well as a beautiful way to heal our hearts during such a sad time.

Hundreds of cards were hanging throughout their house.  They were on the walls, shelves, cupboards…everywhere.  Joy was a teacher and impacted countless childrens’ lives.  Now, Char is a teacher and doing the same!  She had her students make Joy cards, which were beyond sweet.

We LOVE you, Joy!!!  Thank you for being such a ray of sunshine in our lives!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Hugging you was the highlight of my 2009.