Meet Davecat.

Meet Davecat.
He's incredibly intelligent, articulate and thoughtful.
He's also committed to his RealDoll wife, Sidore.

The frames above were from my first visit. She was somewhat constricted
to the couch yesterday, so there will be more variety in the coming weeks, I promise. :)

Fall 'Tweener

The top photo... Tweener? Maybe. Awkward shape? Probably.

Happy Halloween, Kids.

Cheerleader in Training

Cece Dodd, 2, of Mt. Pleasant is held up by Mt. Pleasant High School cheerleaders,
including Kylie Boyd, left, during a mentoring program Sunday afternoon on the high school's
football field in Mt. Pleasant.

A Boy's First Love... continued.

I can't believe how drastically a year can make someone grow and mature.
I become really attached to Sam last fall while photographing him & knew his story wasn't complete.
(I also know it won't ever be complete.)
I am so excited to be spending time with him & his family again.

(Above)
Sam Neyer, 13, of Shepherd laughs and uses his phone as he sits on top
of his cow's head after feeding his family's cattle animal crackers outside his home Sunday
afternoon in Shepherd. Neyer, a third generation farmer, works on his family's dairy farm and
intends to take his father's job after college. In addition to the hundreds of cattle on the farm,
Neyer and his family raise several in their backyard.

Suicide Awareness Balloon Release

About fifteen students stand in a circle and release yellow balloons to
symbolize their experiences related to suicide as part of Suicide Prevention Week
Wednesday evening outside Charles V. Park Library.

Noises at Monster Truck

CITIZEN PATRIOT • ASHLEY MILLER
Alexis Stackling, 1, of Jackson reacts to the monster trucks Friday night
during their performance on the grand stand at the Jackson County Fair.

NASCAR Sunday (WIDE!)

Slap me on the wrist and tell me to put away my wide angle.
(For the record, I promise I mixed up my lensing.)

As much as I made fun of NASCAR before this summer, I will admit it...
I like it. I like NASCAR.

"My Religion saved me."

Montel Beavers, 15, of Summit Township is a devout Christian and attends the
Church of God in Jackson almost daily. His religious beliefs, he said, separates him from most
other teenagers. "(My religion) saved me and prevented me from doing things other teens are
doing now a days, like drinking," he said. Beavers said he was saved by God on a Wednesday
evening during service when he was 10 years old. "I felt like I needed to be saved
because I knew if God came back, I wouldn't go to Heaven," he said.

Neighbors | Sharon Arntson

Technically speaking, this portrait could be a lot better.
But I really appreciate it.

I learned this summer not to obsess over making a portrait that is completely literal –
Instead, capture personality. Life.

I left with several different portraits, but this one consistently stuck out to me.
This was the most genuine and warm. This defined Mrs. Arntson.

Great-Grandma Love.

CITIZEN PATRIOT • ASHLEY MILLER
Jessie Parker of Jackson laughs as she lifts her great-grandaughter
Isabella, 2, into the air while playing outside her home Thursday morning in Jackson.
"I love them," she said about Isabella and her great-grandson, Cameron, 3.
"They are a joy to have. They keep me going, energized, ready to go."

Queen for a Day

CITIZEN PATRIOT • ASHLEY MILLER
2010 RoseQueen Casey McKay flexes her muscles and laughs with two
participants while 2011 Jackson County RoseQueen candidate Quinn Fischman, 18,
of Jackson gives Halle Arehart, 9, of Jackson a high-five for doing the splits
Wednesday afternoon between activities during the "Queen for a Day"
event at the Cascades Golf Course clubhouse.

Hot Air Jubilee

Hot Town, Summer in the City

CITIZEN PATRIOT • ASHLEY MILLER
Alaijah Boyd, 5, center, reacts to a stream of water while standing in a blow-up pool
with cousins Dwayne Hood, 5, right, and Imonii Hood, 3, of Jackson as her
grandmother sprays the kids with a hose Wednesday afternoon outside their home in Jackson.
"We're enjoying the weather in the pool and keeping the kids together,"
grandmother Sarah Iveson said.

Vigil on Lake Columbia

CITIZEN PATRIOT • ASHLEY MILLER
About 200 friends and family gathered along the shore of Lake Columbia
in Brooklyn Sunday night to remember 19-year-old Broc Fejes, who died Saturday
evening in a boating accident. Fejes loved the water, friends said, and
was supposed to leave for the Coast Guard in August.

The reporting intern and I spent the majority of our Fourth of July weekend on Lake Columbia. Unfortunately, instead of celebrating, we were covering devastating breaking news. A 19-year-old drowned while boating with his friends the afternoon of Saturday, July 2. Two males and two females were passengers on the boat when they said it went airborne, landed and tipped. The recovery effort lasted through Saturday evening and started again early that Sunday. The victim's brave sister gathered his friends and family for a vigil that night, shown above. Alanna and I were warned there would be tragedies to cover this summer, but covering this story hit both of us hard.