Anna Smith

October 2, 2021

Over the Years: The Wimer Family

Anna Smith

October 2, 2021

The other day I was talking to my favorite person (my grandma Jo) on the phone and we ended up talking about the career paths we chose. She was a nurse for most of her adult working years and I was an elementary school teacher for five years until I decided to resign and begin my photography business. She told me there have been times when she thought about doing something besides nursing, but looking back now she couldn't imagine doing anything else. She LOVED nursing! Then she asked me what I career I would have chosen if I could start all over again. As I thought, I honestly couldn't think of any other career choices I would have made.

I loved teaching, but I didn't love the confines of teaching. I loved that no two days were ever the same. I loved having to adapt and be flexible throughout the day as different situations arose. I loved the students and coworkers. But I did not love the schedule. I felt very confined. When I decided to resign I immediately felt a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders and I could now breathe freely.

I absolutely LOVE being a photographer! I love nearly everything about it - besides paying taxes. I love making my own schedule. I love creating wall art for families that will be treasured for years to come. I love it when clients tell me that my work captures so many emotions. But most of all I love meeting new people and connecting with them! I love to capture them year after year and create beautiful wall art that showcases their family! For this reason I have decided to begin a series which focuses on my loyal clients over the years titled, "Over the Years."

THE WIMER FAMILY

I met the Wimer Family in November of 2018 when they hired me to photograph the adoption of one of their children at an adoption ceremony at the Baylor Law School in Waco, Texas. The ceremony was held on November 16, 2018, which was a day that one of my younger children happened to have an early release from school so I had to bring her along. I asked the Wimer Family if my daughter, Lily, could come with me and they assured me that she was welcome and would enjoy herself at the event. They definitely were not kidding! The inside of the building was decorated in a Polar Express theme complete with arts, crafts, games and various activities. The best part of the entire day was the adoption ceremony for each family, including the Wimer Family. Through this one event, Lily and one of the Wimer children developed a friendship. To this day the two are friends. They don’t see each other nearly often enough (they have lots of children and we also have lots of children so we’re both very busy), but friendships were definitely made that day. I adore this sweet and fun family so much and look forward to photographing them for the years to come.

November 16, 2018 - Adoption Day for the Wimer Family!

Just a few weeks later on December 1, 2018 I would see these cute faces again at their Christmas Mini Session. Mom had one request - she wanted a picture with all six of the children together AND have each one actually looking at the camera! Challenge accepted.

Exactly two months later I saw them again at our Valentine Mini Session event at Cameron Park in Waco, Texas. I loved the themed shirts!

Later that year in June, I discovered that the Wimer children LOVED watermelon! Our Summer Mini Sessions were all about watermelons and smiles!

November is recognized at National Adoption Awareness Month and in 2019 I decided to celebrate by offering discounted mini sessions to families that have adopted at least one child. The Wimer Family adopted SIX! The Wimer Family had something come up and they were no longer able to participate in our November Adoption Awareness Mini Session event and asked to reschedule for a Christmas Session. What better way to wrap up 2019 than seeing these sweet faces at our Christmas Mini Session event in McGregor, Texas!

December 2019 - Christmas Mini Session in matching pj’s

I continued to photograph the Wimer Family throughout 2020. The COVID pandemic hit the United States in March and everyone was staying home as much as possible in an effort to slow the spread of the virus. In June of 2020 I ventured out to meet the Wimer Family for a Summer Mini Session. There were so many laughs during this session because one of the children refused to cooperate by looking at the camera. The plan had to change if I was going to be successful at capturing a photo of all six children. Instead of looking at the camera and smiling I had the kids interact with each other, just like they would if they were actually have a picnic in the park.

In August of 2020 the Wimer Family contacted me asking for a quick session while family was in town. I had a Fall Mini Session setup I wanted to try out so I asked for her help in return. A win-win situation for both of us!

August 2020 - When cousins are visiting, a quick photo session is a MUST!

Fast forward a few months to our Christmas Mini Session event in December. The Wimer Family came to the future site of our studio for their session. All of the children have grown so much since 2018!

I have captured many memories for the Wimer Family over the past three years and I absolutely LOVE being their family photographer! I am looking forward to capturing many more memories for their family for the years to come.

“Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still.”

— Dorothea Lange

THIS IS THE FIFTEENTH FEATURED FAMILY IN THE "OVER THE YEARS" SERIES. CHECK OUT OUR OTHER FEATURED FAMILIES!

Anna Smith

September 24, 2021

over the years series

Over the Years: The Coslin Family

Anna Smith

September 24, 2021

over the years series

THE COSLIN FAMILY

I have known the Coslin Family for several years - after all, we are family! Kelsey and Hunter live in Ennis, Texas so we only saw them a couple times of year at family functions. I had the opportunity to spend more time with them when they got engaged and later when they exchanged vows. Fast forward a few years and they are now a family of four! They make the drive from Ennis to Ben Hur throughout the year to have updated photos of their family taken at various mini session events. It has truly been a pleasure to get to know this family as they continue to grow and I absolutely love being their family photographer.

August 2017 - Hunter and Kelsey’s engagement session

Hunter and Kelsey wanted to have their engagement session on Hunter’s grandfather’s property in Personville, Texas. Since their engagement session the family property has been sold, making the memories captured here between Hunter and Kelsey even more special.

August 4, 2018 - Kelsey and Hunter became Mr. and Mrs. Coslin!

Their wedding took place at the J Bar C Cowboy Church of Palmer in Palmer, Texas with the reception to follow at the family property located near Personville, Texas. It certainly was a beautiful summer day!

December 2019 - Christmas Mini Session…with their little boy, Fisher

Fisher celebrated his first birthday at the Children’s Aquarium at Fair Park in Dallas, Texas. He was O-Fish-ally ONE!

December 2020 - Fisher LOVES to run! And he ran nearly the entire time at their Christmas Mini Session!

As 2020 was coming to an end, Hunter and Kelsey were looking forward to all that 2021 had in store for them. Within a few months they would be welcoming another baby boy to their family. Fisher was going to be a big brother!

April 2021 - The Coslin Family is now a family of FOUR!

Westin arrived in the spring of 2021 so a bluebonnet field was a perfect location for their family session. They live in Ennis, the home of the Ennis Bluebonnet Trails so it just made sense to enjoy the view in Ennis. Fisher still loved to run and actually fell in a nasty mud puddle during the session! Never a dull moment with this bunch.

July 2021 - Fisher and Westin enjoying a day of fishing at our Summer Mini Session event!

Want to know the trick to keep Fisher from running around during this session? Make him be barefoot!

I have captured many memories for the Coslin Family over the past four years and I LOVE being their family photographer! I am looking forward to capturing many more memories for their family for the years to come.

“Time has a wonderful way of showing us what really matters.”

— Muskan Kumar

THIS IS THE FOURTEENTH FEATURED FAMILY IN THE "OVER THE YEARS" SERIES. CHECK OUT OUR OTHER FEATURED FAMILIES!

Anna Smith

January 21, 2021

over the years series

Over the Years: The Harringer Family

Anna Smith

January 21, 2021

over the years series

The Harringer Family

I have known the Harringer Family for several years. The Harringer boys played youth baseball with my oldest son. We would visit as parents who had kids playing on the same team in Riesel. In May of 2015 I was finishing up my first year of being in business and I was debuting a senior model program. Eric was one of the senior models for the upcoming school year. Since this first session I have continued to work with members of their family capturing memories during their years in high school. It is truly an honor to be their family photographer.

May 2015 - Eric was one of my first senior models.

September 2015 - Eric loved playing high school football in Mart, Texas.

Later that year I had the pleasure of photographing one of their other boys, Mike. He was no enjoying his senior year of high school and also played high school football in Mart, Texas. I photographed Mike for the first time during senior night at a football game in November of 2016.

November 2016 - Mike with his parents at Mart High Senior Night during a football game.

April 2017 - Mike’s senior session took place in Personville, Texas.

A couple of years later in 2019 I was asked to photograph Eric again when he learned that he was going to be a father of a baby girl. During this session we also decided to include some photos of Eric wearing his bull riding gear.

February 2019 - Eric is going to be a daddy!

February 2019 - Eric wearing some of his bull riding gear. He competes in several rodeos throughout the year.

In 2020 COVID swept the area - as well as the rest of the world. This pandemic forced many closures of public gatherings, including schools. With that came the cancellation of school activities, such as prom. Mike’s girlfriend, Scarlett, was a senior and was going to miss out on her senior prom, but the mothers of Mike and Scarlett put their own prom together for the two.

May 2020 - Mike accompanied Scarlett to her senior prom.

November 2020 - Mike and Scarlett had a photo session in Personville - the same location Mike had his senior session.

I have captured many memories for the Harringer Family over the past six years and I LOVE being their family photographer! I am looking forward to capturing many more memories for their family for the years to come.

“We take photographs as a return ticket to a moment otherwise gone.”

— Katie Thurmes

THIS IS THE THIRTEENTH FEATURED FAMILY IN THE "OVER THE YEARS" SERIES. CHECK OUT OUR OTHER FEATURED FAMILIES!

Anna Smith

September 3, 2020

over the years series

Over the Years: The Cardwell Family

Anna Smith

September 3, 2020

over the years series

THE CARDWELL FAMILY

I first photographed the Cardwell children in 2015 when I took their school portraits. I continued photographing the children in the school setting for three years. In December of 2018 I finally had my chance to photograph their entire beautiful family! Since that time I have continued to photograph their children both in the school setting, as well as outdoors when I offer mini sessions. It is such an honor to be their family photographer.

Two months later the Cardwell children were again in front of my camera for their Valentine Mini Session. That year they would actually participate in THREE of our Mini Session events - Valentine, Easter and Christmas!

April 2019 - Easter Mini Session - and the Cardwell family brought along their real bunnies!

Throughout 2019 I also photographed them at school for spring and fall portraits, basketball portraits and class portraits.

I continue to photograph them in 2020 and so far they have already had two sessions - one was a surprise A & M session for their dad as a gift and another was a fun summer session. We hoped to find a big field of sunflowers, however they were mostly gone by the time the session arrived. Their mom decided to let them have a fun summer session and they got to pick their own clothes and just have fun…and it was very HOT outside!

February 2020 - Surprise session for their dad with the kids wearing Texas A & M shirts

July 2020 - Fun Summer Session on a VERY HOT day in Texas!

I have captured many memories for the Cardwell Family over the past five years and I LOVE being their family photographer! I am looking forward to capturing many more memories for their family for years to come.

“We don’t remember days, we remember moments.”

— Cesare Pavese

THIS IS THE TWELFTH FEATURED FAMILY IN THE "OVER THE YEARS" SERIES. CHECK OUT OUR OTHER FEATURED FAMILIES!

Anna Smith

June 18, 2020

Family Session, Extended Family Session

Life at the Old Pecan Inn

Anna Smith

June 18, 2020

Family Session, Extended Family Session

Recently I had a family contact me regarding an Extended Family Session. The session was going to be a surprise gift for the parents, Gary and Pam, in celebration of their 45th wedding anniversary. As I drove to the location I couldn’t help but notice how beautiful the Point Enterprise area was, which is located just outside of Mexia, Texas. This quaint little community was covered in large trees and the golden sun was peeking through the leaves kissing the ground.

As I drove up the driveway and approached the family home, I noticed an eager family standing outside waiting on me. They were all so welcoming and proceeded to show me around the property where they’d like the portraits to be taken. They had a couch in the front pecan grove, a large windmill out back looking across the green landscape as the sun was setting and a 1971 red Ranchero parked out front. I was looking forward to spending time with this wonderful family that was so excited about capturing the precious memories, along with the history of Gary and Pam, for generations to come.

As I walked around with the family from place to place I heard several stories about so many places and things on the property. It was clear that family means a lot to each of them! Family is embedded into nearly everything on the property - pecan trees, the original house with the stones from another piece of family property, the Ranchero and the windmill. After all, the property has been in the family since it was purchased in 1887 by the Franks Family.

“Every family has a story...welcome to ours.”

History of the Old Pecan Inn

T.L. Franks was a Civil War Confederate Army veteran traveled from Houston in search of sandy land to purchase for farming, as well as living. He found 45 acres of a perfect piece of sandy land in Point Enterprise, Texas in 1887.

T.L. used the land to raise food and crops to sustain his family. Cotton and strawberries were raised and sold to help provide the family with money. He planted pecan trees in an orchard and 10 of the original pecan trees are now massive and still growing. They are now over 130 years old and still produce pecans!

T.L. Franks had a great-great-granddaughter named Pamela Sue Franks that was born in 1955 while her father, Dan Franks, was in seminary and her mother, Sue Wiggins Franks, was teaching school. Pam grew up in a military family as her parents served 30 years in the United States Air Force.

Pam visited Point Enterprise growing up during the summers, but never lived in Texas. However, she dreamed of someday living on the farm she loved to visit. Pam would quilt with her grandmother, Edna, in the Point Enterprise Clubhouse with the Quilting Club when she visited. As a young girl, she often dreamed of quilting in that same clubhouse when she lived on the farm.

Gary and Pam

Gary bought his 1971 Ford Ranchero brand new in November of 1971 for $3100 when he was a new airman in the United States Air Force stationed in Denver, Colorado.

One year later, Gary and Pam met in the Edwards Air Force Base Chapel. After Pam graduated in 1973, they had their first date in the red Ranchero. He was so nervous, but he prepared note cards to assist him in keeping the conversation going throughout the date. The first card read, “Hi, my name is Gary Smith.” The second card read, “How are you doing tonight?” These were followed by several more cards!

The note cards must have worked because they exchanged vows on June 21st, 1975 in the same chapel where they first met in 1972.

In 1981 they welcomed their daughter, Amity, into their lives and 8 years later in 1989, they welcomed their son, Daniel, into their family as well. Amity is married to Will and they have 2 boys of their own. Daniel is married to Chante’ and they have 2 daughters of their own.

Gary still owns his 1971 Ford Ranchero, 49 years later. Pam has stuck with Gary for 45 years now. She says she married him as she thought it would be “an adventure.” It turns out it’s been more of an adventure than she could have ever imagined!

Gary and Pam celebrate their 45th anniversary with a kiss next to the 1971 Ford Ranchero that took them on their first date in 1973.

Life at the Old Pecan Inn

The Franks Family almost sold the farm in 1998 when Pam’s grandmother, Edna, passed away and none of the brothers wanted the farm. Pam called her dad and told him, “Do NOT sell the farm! Gary and I will buy it someday when we finish all this moving around in the military.” Her dad agreed to buy the farm from his two brothers so he could sell it to Pam someday.

In 2019, after 31 years in the United States Air Force, Pam’s dream of owning and living on the Frank’s farm came to fruition as Pam and Gary bought the Franks farm along with the old farmhouse. In 2000, they built a new home on the property. They decided to restore the old farmhouse and turn it into a bed and breakfast which is now called the Old Pecan Inn. The original pecan orchard separates the two houses.

Pam quilts every Monday and Wednesday afternoon in the Point Enterprise Clubhouse, just as she dreamed of doing as a young girl. Some of the quilters are still alive who quilted with Pam’s grandmother, Edna.

Gary and Pam spell Point EnterpriZE with a “Z” because they say it is a prize to live there.

A family portrait to celebrate Gary and Pam’s 45th wedding anniversary with the windmill in the background overlooking their favorite view from the property.

“Following your dreams is nothing but hard work.”

— Brandon Stanton