Merry Christmas!

Well Everyone..

I can officially say that I am going to take the next two days

off to enjoy spending time with my family and friends!

Yep, that's right... no computer for two days.. although...
I might still be twittering a bit via my handy cell phone!

That being said I wanted to go ahead and wish everyone a very
Merry Christmas by sharing our Christmas cards (sorry.. I ran out

so a few of you will be getting your physical ones late!) this year
as well as a bible passage from church this past Sunday.





Isaiah 9:2-6
2 The people who walked in darkness
Have seen a great light;
Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death,
Upon them a light has shined.
3 You have multiplied the nation
And increased its joy;
They rejoice before You
According to the joy of harvest,
As men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
4 For You have broken the yoke of his burden
And the staff of his shoulder,
The rod of his oppressor,
As in the day of Midian.
5 For every warrior’s sandal from the noisy battle,
And garments rolled in blood,
Will be used for burning and fuel of fire.
6 For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

May you remember the reason for the season..

God Bless and Merry Christmas!

♥Leslie

Wonderful White Christmas..

and no I'm not talking about the white stuff falling on the ground

around various parts of the country.

I'm talking about white all purpose flour and baking!!

I LOVE to bake. End of discussion. :)

Of course hubby thinks I am crazy because I will bake a whole pan of brownies and eat one. That leaves the rest for either him to eat or take to work.

He, 99.9% of the time, takes them to work.

However, this is the time of year that I bake most often. I mean.. who doesn't?!

Kaydence is finally old enough to start participating in various activities and somewhat understands what is going on. I would also like to start some family traditions that she can hopefully pass along to her children one day.

I was going to get a gingerbread house kit and then realized she would eat it before it was put together and opted for sugar cookies.

(Either way.. yes I am still crazy trying to do this with an almost 2 year old!)

Here are a few pictures from our baking session. It's the closest this family will come to a White Christmas without taking a vacation up north!

Please forgive the hair. I just threw it up in order to begin.. many years in the restaurant industry and I still can't wear it down while cooking or baking!


She did this all by herself with no encouragement from mommy or daddy!


This is after we laughed that she did it without encouragement.

Adding some sprinkles...


The finished product! Not bad for a first timer!

Special Thanks!

Websites are hard work. Period.

Anyone who has one knows this.

Especially photographers. Yes, there are templates to make the designing easier or you can pay someone to do it, but that is not the hard part.

Combing through thousands and thousands of pictures is the hard part.
At least for me it is.

Then, there is writing about myself, taking pictures of myself and designing a logo for myself.

Oh, but wait?! I had lots of wonderful people helping me with those things!!!

So that being said, I have quite a bit of thanks and praise to dish out!

First, I must say thank you to my wonderful husband for his love and support. Not only that, but for sitting hours on end helping me choose the pictures that best showcase what my photography is about and helping (or in some cases just putting) everything together.
I don't know where I would be without him.. he is my rock!

Then, my husband, mom and Dane Sanders (Fast Track Photographer Book) for helping me write an About Me page that is true to myself. I want my clients to know who I am in order for them to feel comfortable with me during their wedding day or portrait session. I always stress how important it is for clients to be comfortable with their photographer! I hope that my new About Me gives everyone a better insight as to who I am!

To one of my best friends, Kricia Morris, for taking pictures of me that reflect my personality! I love to laugh and smile and she captured that perfectly for me share with others!

My former bride Kendra Fendt of Motif Design. She was the creative genius who took my thrown together idea of a logo and made it exactly what it is today. I love it! I think it reflects not only my business name but my personality as well and that is what branding is all about.
Finding what fits your personality!!

The most praise, however, goes to God. For without him I would be nothing.

Proverbs 3:5&6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths."

I would have nothing, not my family, friends or business if it were not for trusting God to lead me down the path he wanted me to take.

Thank you SO much to everyone who has been a part of this process.

There are so many other people that I could thank for their

love and support over the last year but I would be here all day.
You all know who you are and I love you all very much!

IT'S LIVE!!

I am SO excited to announce that the new

www.leslieroark.com is live!

Let me know what you think!

Soon to go live...........

I have long been anticipating this moment!

I might add that I've not been so patient.....

However, Leslie Roark Photography will soon have a new face!

Here is a small sneak of what is to follow in the coming days. Keep an eye out!

Also, when the site goes live my wedding package prices will be increasing.

There is a short window to receive the current pricing.

I'm SO excited for everyone to see the finished product!!!!

Ladies and Gentlemen.............

ELF YOURSELF!

So I know some of you have probably seen this before and those who haven't will think I've lost my mind.

Last year I did this with Kaydence and her cousin Dawson.

This year I decided to do it with our family and share it with all of my wonderful readers!

Let me just say.... I nearly peed my pants watching! I know.. sorry WAY TO MUCH INFORMATION.. but seriously.. if you are having a bad day and want a laugh to make you feel better.. watch this!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Tyrell • Jessica

Every wedding that I photograph means the world to me.

Not only do I have the best career in the world, but I have the awesome opportunity to bond with the bride and groom as well as the guests at each wedding.

This wedding is a tiny bit different. You see, I already had a bond with the bride.

It started back in the summer before I started high school. We were cheerleaders (well, we would soon be cheerleaders).. and yes.. I admit.. I was a cheerleader. :)

Of course like we do with so many of our high school friends we grow apart and have to use Myspace to keep in touch. Even if we only live an hour away. Life tends to happen.

So when Jessica emailed me and asked me to shoot her wedding I was thrilled! It meant the world to me!

At one point during the day I turned and looked at her and said, "I have to tell you... if you had told me back in high school that one day I would be your wedding photographer I would have told you that you had lost your mind!"

As it is, God has a reason for everything and I'm so thankful that he has led me on this path in life!

Jessica and Tyrell, thank you for allowing me to photograph your awesome wedding!

Here are a few of my favorites! Don't forget to click on the slideshow at the end!

Enjoy!

♥Leslie

TO VIEW SLIDESHOW CLICK THE LAST IMAGE BELOW!

Joshua • Katie

I'm always nervous when I have never actually met my couples.

However, when Katie came in we started off as if we had been friends forever!

Like every bride, she wanted every last detail perfect..and it was!

Josh on the other hand really wanted nothing more than to see his beautiful bride.

Once he finally saw her, he could not keep his eyes off of her!

The ceremony was perfect and afterwards we headed outside for a fantastic night shoot!

Here are a few (I always say that even though there are WAY more than a few!) of my favorites.

Don't forget the slideshow at the end!