Baltimore Wedding Photographer Kathy Freundel » Award winning Baltimore Wedding Photographer Kathy Freundel

We will be living with the snow for quite awhile, as the temps are supposed to stay below freezing all week. We’re expecting another big dump of snow tomorrow . . . so, why not make some memories??? Today, it was snow tunnels and igloo building.

And for some not so strange reason, the kids want to be wherever their Dad  is . . . he can make any situation a blast, all by his attitude. I think that’s part of the reason why I fell for him all those years ago . . . wherever he was, it was a party.

I love when our lives shut down for a big snow. It’s like  bonus days of catch-up/ snuggle days smack in the middle of winter. A little bit of productive . . . a whole lot of chillin’.

So, I think we got about 30″ this time. After digging out yesterday . . . yes, I’m a little sore across the shoulders today . . . we’re all set to be hunkered down. Finished research papers on T.S. Eliot and John Steinbeck. Now we’re onto melting popsicles for the science fair. Played Apples to Apples . . .watched a couple of movies . . . .alphabetized my spice cupboard . . . finished a book . . . oh, yea, and marinating some wings for the Superbowl tonight. And did I mention that this family can eat??? A huge pot of vegetable soup . . . double batch of noodles and marinara . . . gone.

And just look at the fun Micheal’s having in snow way over his head . . .

Sam knows he’s beat, so it’s a completely different attitude.

It’s all in the outlook. Hope you’re making the most of it!

Happy Snow Days!

Who says January has to be full of the “heart of winter” blahs? I’ve actually had a pretty great couple of days. I’ve spent the last four with my college roommates on Sanibel Island regrouping and rejuvenating on the beach, and I arrived home to shouts of “Mommy, we missed you!” That’s rejuvenation of the best kind. My Carl had a great time with the kids, house was neat as a pin (that’s a love note to me ) and dinner was planned. In fact, after I made the rounds hearing about the kids’ weekends, he sent me for a hot shower with a glass of Sirah. Now, that’s what I call a smooth re-entry.

I was kind of dreading jumping back into school today, but it’s been fun! We went to the library and read all about the everglades . . . the exotic birds and the alligators . . . about sea urchins and star fish . . . I had so much fun sharing all the exciting things that I did and saw. I am always astounded at the power of a couple of days in the sunshine.

Popped over to answer the onslaught of emails . . .and Woot! Look at the good news that came through.  It’s only because I have such wonderfully encouraging clients who bend over backwards for me. So, to my 2009 brides . . . each one of you . . . thank you from the bottom of my heart for the way that you feed my soul.

Baltimore, MD. 01.19.10 – WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, just announced Kathy Freundel Photography has been selected to receive the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™ for Excellence in Photo Journalism!

The annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ recognizes and celebrates excellence in quality and service within the wedding industry, as determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 500,000 newlyweds.

Kathy Freundel Photography is among the top five percent of all vendors in the WeddingWire community, which includes over 100,000 wedding professionals across the US and Canada. Awards were given to winners across 19 different service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers.

“We are excited to recognize and honor the success of the top wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “The annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ program has given us the unique opportunity to highlight the best wedding professionals in each region as reviewed by brides and grooms who have utilized their services in the past year.”

We are happy to announce that Kathy Freundel is among the very best wedding photojournalists within the WeddingWire Network, which includes WeddingWire and Martha Stewart Weddings.

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As he tells it, he was living out of his car, working three jobs and scrambling to get auditions going in the City of Angels before he was forced to move back east and eat crow with his Dad, who wanted him to be a scientist from the get go.  Then, he made the choice to believe that God had planted those dreams in his heart to bring them to fruition, and he started living without a net.  Quit his jobs, grabbed his guitar and started busking on the streets. Day one. Made (to the dollar) enough to pay the motorcycle payment.  And the snowball started rolling down the hillside. Ten years later, he’s settled into a principle role in Broadway’s Lion King, and loves every single performance.  James and my Carl have weathered their journeys together,  and they both take every chance they can to remind each other to live without a net.

Got me thinking. How do I live without a net?

Four years ago, Andrea asked me a loaded question.

“What would you do if you knew that you couldn’t fail?”

“I’d be a photographer. For real,” I answered quickly, without really thinking too much about it.

“What’s stopping you?”

hmmm. I could have answered that question with tons of valid excuses.

But it came down to fear. Fear that I’d fail.

It’s living without a net. Knowing that Jesus is the net above me, beside me, before me, behind me . . . and that at every turn, He already knew it was coming and has it covered. (and believe me, there have been some hairpin turns on the journey). It’s trusting that He knows exactly what I need even better than I. So, as long as I stay connected, take the steps through the open doors, windows and crevices . . . and dream big huge dreams . . . I’m living without the net.

But it’s also about surrounding myself with the voice of truth on all sides. It’s about loving myself . . . the shortcomings, the wrinkles, the things I let slide, and things I hold dear to.

It’s about letting my freak flag fly . . .

So, what would YOU do if you knew you couldn’t fail???

From our family to each of yours . . . we hope you had a blessed Christmas, surrounded by those you love. And that you draw closer to God in the coming year than ever before.

I am so thankful to my blog readers for taking the time to shoot me an email, respond to a post, or offer a word of encouragement. Those life giving words are like nuggets of dark chocolate in my mouth, and they are precious to me. You, reader, remind me constantly of the power of building up those around me. Thank you, and I hope each one of you feels Jesus’s incredibly perfect love for you this day.

p.s. I mean it with all my heart

Saturday, December 12 was National Help- Portrait Day. It’s simple. Find someone in need. Take a portrait. Print the portrait. Deliver the portrait. Best part? the whole thing is a gift.

Tim  and I were shooting a wedding at the Historic Savage Mill in Bowie, MD, and he said, “Hey. I’m thinking of putting together a Help-Portrait session here in town. Do you want in?”

Over the next weeks, Tim went to town on this project, praying that God would bring us the right opportunities and people.   I called my peeps . . . Baltimore makeup artists  Jamie Leboe , Jenn Cassell and Debbie Williams. They wanted in before I even finished my explanation. My incredible sister, Nancy hosted the hospitality room, my husband, Carl entertained the kiddos with his guitar. Videographer, Jeff Fritz kept the camera rolling and Tim and I were armed with our best portrait lenses.We did twenty one portrait sessions in an afternoon!

Our team set up camp at the Crossroads Restoration Church in Westminster and we did portraits for the residents of New Life for Girls . . . one of the best things our community has going. New Life for Girls is a residential rehabilitation facility established and committed to freeing women from addiction, restoring self-worth, and providing tools for success . . . all in a Christian context.

These women are fighters. Day by day, they fight to break the clutches of addiction. But the women are so much more than that. They are bright, strong women, full of hope and grace. When they smile, it’s real, and when they can’t smile, it’s real. Tim and I have already been back to the facility to deliver their portraits. On that cold winter night, they had just finished eating a homecooked ham dinner, and were gathered in the kitchen humming Christmas carols and drying dishes. In the time that we were there, they had a choir of Christmas carolers serenade them, and then another group of women from Lifepoint Church come to spend the evening hanging out with them.I can understand why many women who go through the New Life program want to come back and help other women through the program.

Tim and Jeff . . . armed with the big guns.

Our photojournalists on set. Megan Hinsche, Abigail Howard, and Kristiana Freundel.

Chattin’ with a mother- daughter pair.

MAC makeup artist, Debbie Williams works her magic.

Jamie Leboe . . . artist to countless Baltimore brides paints her canvas.

And MAC makeup artist, Jenn Cassell doin’ her thang.

I love this shot of Jamie Leboe. It came from Megan Hinsche’s eye!

This is our team (sans Debbie Williams who had to scoot for another gig). I am honored to work alongside these huge hearts. Baltimore has some of the most amazing industry professionals.

Here’s just a little taste of what we caught that day.  Yea, the portraits turned our beautifually, and the women brought their children, their mothers, (some even brought nieces and nephews!), because ,after all, free is free. But it’s not all about the portraits. It’s about taking the gifts that God has given you and finding a way to share those gifts with others. And that can be done in myriad ways.

For the makeup artsits, it was about speaking life giving words while face to face with another woman. For my sister, Nancy, is was about drawing women out over a cup of tea and some cookies and for our kids, it was about making bellybuttons to share, playing with shy kids, and spreading the joy that bubbles up inside.

Sharon, Suzie and Tito are the directors of New Life, and have poured their lives into countless struggling women.  Suzie and Tito are parents to ten children, five of whom they’ve adopted from the New Life program. Faith in action.

“School, schmool. I wanna go work on my Christmas cards.”

“Why do we have to do school today? Can’t we go Christmas shopping and let that count as math?”

“Gingerbread men. Gingerbread men.”

And that’s me talking. It takes every ounce of self discipline I have these days to do the have to’s before the want to’s. But the kids are being good sports about it.

“Come on, Christmas break!”

I played “lurking camera lady” to give you a peak.

Whadduya get when you cross a rookery of middle school boys with the cushion top of a wooden bar stool?  The entertainment for a holiday party, apparently. That’s what I love about these kids . . . it doesn’t take much to keep ‘em happy . . . all that joy is such lying inside, waiting to bubble up.

But add a group of high schoolers with a desire to invest in the lives of the kids coming up behind them,  crazy skits,  inspired ice breakers, presents, unlimited snacks and sodas by the case . . . well, you get the point. It’s the place the kids WANT to be- and it’s delivered laced with a pretty powerful spiritual message. But just as important as the message, it’s the place where my kids know they are safe, loved and covered. Where they will never stand alone on the sidelines. And hanging in the shadows are the adults that have always come alongside our family to speak truth into our kids’ lives. So if the going ever gets tough, our kids will know where to go.

That’s something that Carl and I have always purposed . . . that our kids would have a cadre of adults available to them that would speak light and truth into their hearts and minds. And that doesn’t come by accident. Part of the vision is choosing who we’d like those adults to be and the other part is getting our kids in regular relationship with those people. For us, it’s making time spent with grandparents, aunts and uncles regular and meaningful. It’s joining a small group at church where families are living life side by side. It’s being focused on who is filling the role of car pool driver, soccer coach, youth group leader and babysitter . . . because life is HARD- even in middle school. And Carl and I do not do this thing even close to perfectly. It’s a constant struggle with good days and hard days and honestly, sometimes I’d rather be home in my jammies on a cold Friday night . . . but I only get one chance to raise my kids, and it’s already gone way too fast.

So, you are invited. Email me if you want to get on the mailing list.  WyldLife is the middle school version of Young Life. We meet monthly and if you are in middle school, you are invited. Crossroads Community Church.

Where else are you going to find a furry bunny, an pouty elephant and a chicken-o-hubris at the manger? At Crossroads140. Let’s face it. We’ve heard the gospel according to Holden Caufield, The Wizard of Oz, Romeo and Juliet and Schindler’s List . . . and for the last six weeks we’ve had a live worship artist creating on a huge canvas right in front of the congregation as the whole worship service was taking place . . . so, it’s not surprising that the children’s Christmas pageant was something WAY out of the box. Not at all ordinary, but very special.

We three kings. And this one took it very seriously.

Rachel and Steph were  ”narrators-with-attitude” and had us all mooing, braying, and bleating “Goat-Boy” from the congregation. How two beautiful high school girls could get totally enthusiastic audience participation? . . .  Well, not a surprise.

Margaret Newton,  has invested so much life and love into our children’s program. Are you looking for a safe place your precious ones? Margaret’s your girl.

Kudos to Lisa Nibbelink, who kept a corral of excited kids totally quiet and hidden on stage.

Reid’s teaching righted my heart for the Christmas season. Every single Sunday I leave challenged and encouraged and poised to process for days. This day was no different. (see the canvasses on the wall? . . . live art!)

Generations worshipping God together. That’s one thing that I love the most. My own family worships together every Sunday. Four generations. 99 down to 3. What a gift.

So, if you’re looking to put the Christ in your Christmas, you will feel comfy and loved at Crossroads.  No pressure, no fuss. Just come check it out. That’s what I did and I never left.

Dec. 11. County Wide WyldeLife Christmas event- 6:30 (middle schoolers) in the warehouse.

Dec. 19. LIVE nativity 5 pm. Stan and Kelly Dabkowski of Spring Meadow Farms are heading this one up, so you’ll KNOW they’ll be lots of animals and who knows what else. Oh, and hot chocolate too.

Dec. 24. Christmas Eve Service. 5 & 8 pm.

We are the big red warehouse building right behind the WaWa on 140. (formerly the TSC)

The future of our family traditions. Right there on the rock. And they know by now that Thanksgiving  means spending the day as a family,  complete with silly games, football, skits, recitations and lots and lots of food. It Dolly’s pretzel salad, Dawn’s succulent apps, David’s coffee chocochip cookies, Nancy’s spinach mashed potatoes and Mom’s fresh turkey and stuffing.

So, here’s a little taste of the Freundel Thanksgiving, from the kids’ perspective. I used to LOVE Thanksgiving as a child. I remember being with my siblings and cousins in north Jersey . . . eating too much, conducting interviews with an old reel to reel tape recorder, finding chocolate turkeys in the back of my Gram’s frig . . . and ending the evening watching the Gene Wilder Willie Wonka.

Katie and Dan planned the games this time. We had about 40 friends and family  at our celebration this year, and this game was a super ice breaker. You were given a sticker and had to ask questions to discover your own identity. Then, you had to find your “better half.”

Sam and Michael created these friendly critters to welcome the guests.

The “big kids’” table.

My beautiful 99 year old Gi-Gi with my sweet nephew Jake.

Miss “My eyes are most certainly not bigger than my stomach.”

My gorgeous mom who was and will always be the sculptor of everything good in our family.

Abba and Lils.

My gorgeous sis, Nancy and her Katie.

As usual, the evening ended in sleep over negotiations. We traded two for two. We’re set . . . Carl bought the Crunchberries yesterday

I remember my dad used to buy the Lucky Charms for us.

And here I sit in my warm bed, head spinning from too much dessert, and I’m grateful.

Sweet. Life.