Okay, Brandi, I owe you one.

So, a while back... like, maybe over a year ago, my oldest friend Brandi told me about a location. (And, when I say oldest, I don't mean age-wise, though, she is pushing 31! Ha! No, Brandi & I have been friends for 19 years! NINETEEN years!!! Brandi - can you believe it!?!) Anyway, she told me a LONG time ago that the Fort Worth Stock Yards had some neat areas for pictures. Today, Curt & I decided to take the girls out for a little shooting. We headed to the Stock Yards, and OH. MY. GOSH. I'm in love.

I'm not much of a country girl nor a Texas history buff, so I actually have no idea what the Stock Yards are exactly. All I know is that it's tons of corridors with brick paths & old wooden walls. The lighting is so beautiful. It could be only slightly more beautiful if a lot of the lighting wasn't coming from above, but whatever. It's nice either way. Think garage light, but with awesome floor & walls, as well as some seriously awesome lines. Oh, AND railroad tracks that you're ALLOWED to be on! :)

Anyway, so, we took a ton of photos. Maya wasn't really very cooperative, unfortunately, because she was hot. The kid basically shuts down in the heat. Seriously. It's ridiculous. Does she know she lives in Texas?

Emma, however, was a real trooper. She let us take countless photos & had a great attitude the whole time.



Here is one of the few photos of Maya sans pout. And, I'm pretty sure she was telling potty jokes or something. Didn't I give birth to two girls!?! So, why oh why do I hear potty jokes ALL. THE. TIME!?! Sigh...
I'm sure there was more of the same humor with this shot.
And, probably my newest favorite of the two of them. I just love it. :)

Me. Irritated.
Curt. Just before he "broke his feet" upon landing. Nerd. I told him not to do that. He says his heels are bruised, and there's "something seriously wrong with his ankles." Yeah, it's called being old. Actually... he was fine after this jump. It was the next jump that did 'em in.
A quick family snap. I wish I'd brought my tripod. Man, when am I going to learn to start bringing that thing along?!? We had to find a little ledge that I could prop the camera on (with help from my wallet positioned just under the lens to keep it from toppling forward - GHETTO!) I also had to be able to get behind the camera to focus & all that jazz. There were not too many options. This would not have been my first choice for location, but whatev. This isn't too bad for the setup.
And, ummm... this next one... I probably shouldn't be sharing it. The occassional "funny face" picture was the only way to get the girls (in other words, Maya) to cooperate for a couple more family shots. Good times.
The moral of the story? If you're in the Fort Worth area, go to the Stock Yards TOMORROW! They rock! :) (Thanks for the tip off, Brandi!)