Oh my goodness, my Auntie heart is hurting just a little bit right now, yet overflowing with joy. This handsome nephew of ours, Sean, Heartland Christian School Class of 2020, is on his way to Ozark Christian College in Joplin, Missouri TODAY, to further his education in Organizational Leadership.

We blinked and he grew up.

I didn’t intend to save his blog post until the literal day he would leave for college, but here we are with all of the Covid craziness and the havoc it has wreaked on life as we know it, and no matter how late I get around to doing this I’m overjoyed to share Sean’s senior pictures with all of you.

We did Sean’s senior session back in October 2019 when there was no quarantine. No masks. No ‘social distancing’ (I’m SO over that phrase). Just normal life. Spending time with my nephew and documenting his incredible Senior Year.

Basketball has been a huge part of Sean’s life for many years, having played for Heartland Christian School his whole high school career. He served as Team Captain for the Eagles and also was awarded the Bernie Saggau Award, given to the player who exemplifies character on and off the court.

Sean was gracious to be my guinea pig as I experimented with a few specific shots in order to create this Artistic Sports Montage. His parents ordered this as a 24x16 canvas and not only was it the perfect addition to his graduation Open House display this summer, it serves as a reminder of the amazing basketball career he had as an Eagle.

We then moved on to the Haymarket Square District of Council Bluffs to continue his session. This part of town has several historic buildings as well as some great restaurants including Boxer Barbeque, who graciously allowed us to use their upper level party room for a portion of Sean’s session. If you’ve never been to Boxer, go! Really! Their food is absolutely INCREDIBLE and you HAVE to have their Bread Pudding for dessert. Save room for it. Trust me, it’s worth the calories!

When I was growing up this was the Council Bluffs Free Public Library, but in 2003 it was converted to the Union Pacific Railroad Museum. It’s a beautiful iconic building in the heart of the city, with Bayliss Park across the street to the north. After a quick shirt change we grabbed a few shots here before moving on to other spots in the Haymarket Square District.

Another great area of town is the Historic 100 Block of West Broadway with great shops, restaurants, and loft apartments. So many great options here for brick walls and alleyways to really add interest and dimension to a photo shoot.

With the majority of Sean’s pictures having an urban vibe (very popular for Senior guys), we headed to the Iowa School for the Deaf Nature Center Trail to incorporate this very popular bridge and lush greenery to mix it up a bit.

A Senior photo session isn’t complete until you actually get some tangible photos! It’s great to share photos online, but when your baby leaves for college (like Sean is today...sniff sniff), what do you want to have on your walls as a visual reminder of the deep, never ending love you have for your son or daughter?

Mom and Dad opted for this 16x16 framed collage in the same layout as their other son’s so that everything would coordinate nicely on their wall. This came professionally framed and ready to hang, perfect for the busy family that already has too much on their to-do list. No shopping around multiple stores for the ‘perfect’ frame and hoping it lasts; just hang and enjoy! I sit down with you and go over all of the options available to make the process quick, easy, and fun!

They also selected a 10” album with a leather embossed cover with all of their favorite pictures. These albums truly are an heirloom keepsake and will last for years. What a great way for Sean’s future children to enjoy seeing their dad!

The Basketball Montage canvas turned out great!

Don’t forget to display your child’s photos at their graduation party. All of these products really helped tell the story of Sean’s Senior year.

Sean had an amazing 4 years at Heartland Christian School and truly finished strong. Besides earning the Bernie Saggau Award for Character in Basketball, he also earned the Eagles of Excellence Award for being on Gold Honor Roll all 4 years, and was elected Homecoming King, Court Warming King, and Student Council President. It’s no surprise that he chose to study Organizational Leadership at Ozark Christian College - pretty sure this guy has a future as a CEO ahead of him!

No matter what God has in store for Sean, our prayer is that he will always seek and follow the Lord in all that he does.

Sean, we are so incredibly proud of you and love you so much!

xoxo,

Aunt Wendy

Is your son or daughter an incoming high school senior? If so, it’s time to get their Senior pictures scheduled! Fall weather can be really unpredictable here in Central Iowa, so the sooner you can schedule the better. Plus, Senior year is just really busy, so it’s best to get pictures done before their schedule (and yours) is too full. To learn more about a stress-free and FUN senior picture experience, click below to contact me today and let’s chat!