It has been a long time since I have blogged. We have been busy, busy bees as of late. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving (I fully intend to do a thankful post sometime this week.) and a great "Holding Party" for our friends Mike and Casey and their new baby, Abby Kate. It was so nice to see everyone. The weather has been amazing. Warm weather that isn't supposed to occur always stirs something inside me....I find myself thinking back to all of my summer memories. Summer is such a great time of year. All the seasons are great...but summer seems the most alive. The most energized.
My mom came to visit last week and we were able to mark a huge item off the ol' to-do list...WINDOW TREATMENTS. She was there for moral support (even though she always says I have crazy ideas) and together, I am more than pleased with the outcome. I'll have to post some pictures soon. I had to dust off the old sewing machine. The last thing I had sewn, prior to the window treatments, was my half-finished sorority t-shirt quilt. Might want to finish that project soon. Seems like a waste of my parents' money to have all those $20 arrogant t-shirts cut up into squares....serving no purpose at all. I'll have to be sure and put the "You better watch your boys cause your boys are watching us" tee in the very center. Yep....hard to believe I ever wore that. But I did. And I probably had it tucked into some very flared Abercrombie khakis complete with the darkest pair of running shoes (not that I ever really ran) I could find. Maybe even a sorority hat to match....IF I was running late to class.
Proofing lots of holiday and baby photos lately. I have moved all photos to here.
(Holy cow, I made a link. Thanks, T.K.) I have to stop and remind myself that I am actually doing exactly what I have always wanted to do. I am photographing people....and their relationships.....and their love....and their bonds.....and I couldn' love it more. I certainly have lots of improving to do...especially with tiny babies (they are so hard) but I am truly enjoying the process. Tommy says that I say, after every photo shoot, "those are not going to turn out." Well, I get nervous. I can't help it. And....with lighting, the moods of your subjects, the clothing, etc....you never know! Thanks for always believeing in me, babe. I think I could take a picture with a disposable and he would say something like...."Now.....that is AWESOME! They are going to LOVE that!" Ahhhh, the eternal optimist.
Looking forward to putting Christmas up around here. It is usually up in early November---but I am just now getting regular decor situated...haven't had time for holiday stuff. We need to pick a night this week to drag it all out. I will make Tommy turn on the Harry (Connick) for the Holidays CD and sing along and drink wine even though I will be fully aware that he'd rather put on a football game and scream along and drink beer. Hey, marriage is about sacrifice, right?

Speaking of love and marriage and inspiring things....something has been weighing heavily on my heart since June and I want to share it today. The internet is a crazy thing, isn't it? I know it has it's dangers (You're talking to the most faithful watcher of Dateline "To Catch a Predator Volume 467" here) but I have found blog reading to be such a blessing in my life. I have a collection of about 30-40 blogs that I read weekly. That number could be way bigger if I didn't have a job and other interests. I am an avid reader and find that blog reading is like a giant, ever-changing edition of something similar to Chicken Soup for the Soul. There are a myriad of different genres, topics, emotions, etc. I have learned, and changed, and laughed, and grown.....all from reading tiny snippets of other lives. Many of whom I will never know personally. None have touched my heart quite so much as this one. I first ran across this blog from another way back in June and I vividly remember sitting at my desk (which was actually more of a card table at the time) and just sobbing. I went to Tommy and sat in his lap at his desk and just fell apart. I tried to tell him, through heavy tears, and he listened and offered his faith and optimism. Since that day, I have prayed for this girl, who is so close to my age...who is so full of life....who is so in love with her husband...evey single day...multiple times a day. Perhaps I have prayed for her more than I have prayed for anything. And I don't even know her. Yet I check on her at least 5 times a week through her blog (or her husband's blog, as he updates for her) just to make sure she is still fighting. This has scared me....but this has shown me strength, too. The courage of this young woman....and the love that she and her husband share have changed me in a way that I will never forget. I encourage you to go to her site. And to his, too. (It is linked on her sidebar under "My Love.") I am certain that it will touch you the way it has touched me. You will have t go back into the archives for the whole story. But it will be well worth your time. Just yesterday, her sorority sisters created a fund for her benefit. In this, the season of giving, I can think of no better cause to give to. Check it out....and then please, please join me in lifting this girl and her husband up in prayer. It would mean the world to me....and I'm sure it will to her, too. They need a miracle.

Edited to add....her husband has added a section on his sidebar that gives you links to their journey. This will make it easy for you to be brought up to speed on their story without searching through months and months of posts.

perhaps the longest blog post in a while...

Well, well, well...it has been a busy couple of weeks. There are many things to catch up on! Lots of pictures, too! And...since blogger is so wierd...they are posted in the wrong order! Anyway, most recently...we traveled to Chicago with 3 other couples. We had such a wonderful time. It was my first time to visit that city....and it was beautiful. Cold...but beautiful. We had a blast and hated to see the weekend come to an end. It's always too short!

The view from our room. Such an amazing thing to wake up to. It didn't even seem real to wake in the middle of the night and see the city still all lit up...as though it never sleeps. It's one of the aspects of city life that I am positive that we would love. The aspect that we wouldn't love? No yard for our pups. The rest of the home was just as great. So much to read and look at...an interesting lil something in every corner.

Here we are proving to Justin and Libby that it isn't just Virginia that is for lovers....Illinois is, too!

Here we are behaving ourselves! from l to r..jason and becky....justin and libby...tommy and me....allison and chris.

We took care of some wedding details while we were there. Here the guys model part of their wedding attire.

Chris and Allison at Libby's birthday dinner on Saturday night.

J & the birthday girl

Us girls...celebrating!

The boys have longer legs and always seem to walk faster! Could this possibly be a NorthFace ad?

And we back up a bit here....this is us at Jerry's surprise Halloween birthday party. I was a cat with a sinus infection and Tommy was a tourist. (We are lame costume people.) The party was so much fun. There were some great costumes and lots of great toasts!

Chris and Brigit are not lame like us. They go all out. Aren't these cute costumes for expecting parents??

And here is the birthday boy himself...with his cavewoman.

And here we have the event that has been in the works for several months now! Mom's surprise birthday party. It was a complete success. She had no idea and was totally shocked to see 38 of her closest friends and family all gathered to celebrate! It went better than Tommy and I ever imagined. We all enjoyed ourselves to the fullest. I think Mom had a wonderful time. Below is another of my cake creations! Again, couldn't have done it without my co-chef, Janae.

Some party-goers enjoying the food and company.

Mom opening gifts by the fireplace.

Mom and me.

Awwwwwww....aunt Tracy gets a kiss from uncle Alan.

My other co-chef for the event...my future sister-in-law, Libby.

Mom with two of her best friends, Karen and Patty.

Some decor...

Pictures and memories...

Overall, a great party. We felt blessed to have pulled it off and relieved that we could stop lying to mom every time we talked to her. We spun alot of tales trying to keep it from her!
We love you, Mom and we couldn't have given a party for a more deserving person!

How is it Monday again??

shades of brown...

BEFORE

HALFWAY THERE

Dad...remember when I used to make fun of you for painting your entire house beige? Welp, looks like I am a chip off the old block. Tommy and I picked about 10 different paint colors for the new house and they are all shades of chocolate. We both love brown. We are even painting one of the guest bedrooms brrrrooowwwwn....as in Godiva- dark -chocolate-is -it- black -or-is-it-brown? brown. Dark brown and white-white. I hope it turns out just as I have it pictured in my mind. Tommy has been a real trooper about the painting. I am the trimmer-outer and he is the roller. My job is more tedious but he covers all the area. Poor guy...he was up way past our normal bedtime. I was falling asleep at the brush and had to hang it up for the night!
Last week's project was to faux finish the powder room. It took way longer than I thought it would, my arms hurt way worse than I thought they would, and it looks way different than I thought it would ....but we like it. It doesn't photograph too well--so you'll have to really use your imagination. There are several different shades of ...surprise...brown swirled in there...lots of different textures, too.


So it is hump day....and I still have lots to do this week. Report cards for my students is at the top of the list! Been working on some invitations for a baby party and licking lots of envelopes. (Why wouldn't someone come up with a more desirable tasting adhesive by now?) Case, I need your address to send you your copy. I have some family pictures this weekend (nervous!), and I have some serious sewing projects that I want to do. My sewing machine hasn't been out of it's box for more than 2 years. Hope she still sews.
We got our pumpkins for the season. They are resting proudly on the front steps. Don't know if they'll get carved this year or not? We might just have plain, old orange pumpkins with a ribbon around the stem. We have about 6 jack-o-lantern (the kind you plug in) so I think that will suffice. I am anxious to see how many trick-or-treaters come out in this neighborhood. Seems like we used to come out in droves whn I was a kid. Now days....they seem to trickle through for an hour or two and that's it. Perhaps the crowds just looked bigger to me back then. Another thing I have noticed is that kids don't gather candy in grocery bags or pillow cases anymore. They now have monogrammed plush pumpkins in which to carry their sweets! It won't be long before Prada comes out with a style called the hobo-trick-or-treater.

G'night.

I love weekends....
~on Friday...dad and Janae came to visit and see the new house. We had so much fun. They brought us a great housewarming gift, too...the infamous smoothie blender aka danny boy blender. We had an amazing dinner at a restaurant that is known to have the best steaks in our city. Tommy says the rumors are true.
~on Saturday I got up early and headed up to my hometown. I got to take a very few pictures of the girls I love to pieces (seen above). I got to have a margarita with one of dearest friends who has been like a mother to me. I got to go to a baby shower for one of my oldest and dearest friends who is having a baby girl in December. Among other fun things at the shower, I got to drink some amazing hot apple cider. While I was in town I got to see my wonderful mom for a bit and do some quick shopping.
~on Sunday, I got to sleep in! Tommy and I opted to watch a church previous church service on DVD from the couch this morning since we were exhausted and since the sermon today was on parenting. Now I'm doing some laundry and watching football...cheering for my husband's fantasy team...because to him...it is so NOT fantasy!

must love dogs...especially weims

Lots of fun times this weekend....in spite of a sinus infection that can be likened to a vice grip on the head!

We went to a great concert on Friday night! Box seats were so fun. They didn't play my favorite song--but it was a fun time, nonetheless. We went to bed early on Friday and slept in late on Saturday...some much needed rest! I worked on some pictures to drop off to a client and we headed toward the farm for the annual fall party that Tommy's brother hosts. It turned out to be a beautiful day despite the rainy start. We took a hayride, played games, ate, sat around the fire , talked...etc. I was surprised at how cold it got!

We got up early this morning and went to church. (2nd Sunday at our new church....and this one was even better than the last.) Loved it! Can't wait to go back! Can't wait to get more involved!

After church we got ready and went to the annual Weimaraner Rescue Party. I really look forward to this each fall. We left Pepper at home this year since he has a bit of trouble getting along with other dogs. I hated to see his sad face as we pulled away--but had a much less stressful time without worrying about him acting up. There were twice as many dogs there this year! It is disheartening to see so many come into rescue--but so uplifting to see how loved they all are now. There were big weims, little weims, skinny weims, fat weims, weims that barked, weims that howled, weims that played, weims that swam, weims that tried to steal lunch from the table, weims that stayed close to their humans, weims that peed on chairs, weims with scars, weims without...every kind of weim!! I was in heaven! Abby (aka Real Deal) wore her pink pearl necklace and her brother's sunglasses. Everyone thought she was a real priss! Toward the end of the party she decided that the grass was too itchy for her paws so she hopped up in the chair. She was so good. She was one of the smallest weims there...and certainly one of the most docile. There were plenty of doggie contests to enter...but none that included eating underwear...so she had to settle for just watching.
I love the pictures of her with each of us, below. She is a perfect example of a rescue. She came to us so empty and scared....and we filled her up. She has returned the favor one hundred fold!

How does Monday creep up so fast? I swear, the weekends pass by at twice the rate of the regular week. Better head in the direction of bed. Mondays always hit me like a brick wall.

boat dock portrait session

took some time to relax tonight and work on proofing some pictures. steph...what do you think? You have got one gorgeous little fella!

sunday

Finally...a change for the blog. We've been busy moving. Moving is not for the faint of heart....seriously! (Or for the faint of back, for that matter!) We move things every night and there is still more to move. None of the guest rooms have been moved yet....but we aren't in a big rush. I suspect that we'll finish up by this weekend. The dogs are finally settling in! They acted like neurotic lunatics for the first 2 weeks! They miss their old house. They have a much bigger yard here, though. The fence was completed last week so they are able to run and play now. Tommy and I have settled in, too. It is starting to feel like "home" here. Wherever the 4 of us are is "home" to me.
Had the pleasure of photographing Meg and John this week...and then attending their wedding on Saturday night. It was beautiful...such a happy occasion. We wish them the very best!
Here is a shot of the new house prior to moving in. We came here directly after the closing. Such an exciting time. We wanted the dogs to see it and give it their approval. They are not used to hardwoods....so they slipped and fell while rounding the corners at mach 80. Much to our dismay, the dog's claws and the hardwoods are not a good combo. Oh well, a house is for living in, right?

Some random things...
We are enjoying the cooler weather. I love fall! I am looking forward to a trip to the local pumpkin patch and winery.
My grandmother is finally feeling better (Thank God!) which is a huge relief. She is 89....so I was worried!
Tommy and I found a new church that we love! We are happy and optimistic about the new opportunities that lie ahead.
Our new house has dimmers on every light...we love our dimmers!
We were in the middle of a massive cleaning/putting away on Friday night when our electricity went out due to the storm. I was stuck in the middle of huge piles of stuff and couldn't even see my hand in front of my face to get up and find my way to a candle. There was alot of tripping and stumbling. The good thing was...it forced us to go to bed. We were tired, and we were able to get some much needed rest.
My feet are revolting against closed toe shoes! OUCH! I have been so used to sandals. My feet and back aren't making a smooth transistion at all.
I miss reading. I haven't been reading any books because I am trying to put things away and get organized....which usually leads right up to bedtime. When I get a chance, I plan to read Night (by Weisel) and Dr. Phil's wife's book.
I want to see Little Miss Sunshine.
I want to whip out my sewing machine and make 15 feet long window treatments. I want to go to the fabric store and find the exact fabric I'm looking for for 95% off.
My eyes are slamming shut now.....I'm off to bed.

she's the one...

Justin and Libby are engaged! They got engaged Saturday morning at the very place that they first went to talk. After he popped the question...they drove all the way to the boat where we surprised them with an engagement party! We had planned to have the party on top of the boat...but fall came early and we thought it was a bit too chilly for an outdoor party. So...we set everything up inside the boat on the bar. See how surprised Libby was when she came through the door!!

She was even more surprised to see her WHOLE family (sans dad...he had to work) pop out of the bedroom! She could hardly believe it! They drove 9 hours to be at the boat when she got there so that we could all celebrate together. Sooo sweet!

See Katers (above)...that is Libby's family's dog. She is tiny!

They hugged and talked and laughed and cried. Libby was overwhelmed! It was a day FULL of surprises...very good surprises!

This is the way the party table looked. There were lots of candles and roses...and pictures of the two of them. It looked really beautiful. Janae and I have decided that we should quit our day jobs and become party planners!

Here's Libby calling her dad to tell him the big news! I love Justin's smile in this one!

Champagne for the many toasts!

Same kind of cake I made for Tommy's mom...only different decorations! Janae was my co-chef on the cake....we were quite proud of ourselves at the end! You can't tell from looking at the picture--but the little spots on the cake are engagement rings.

Libby with her mom and sisters! They are all such fun people. I am excited that our families will be merging!

Of course...she spent a lot of the first couple hours letting us all see the ring. I love her smile in this one...so happy and proud. Her ring is beautiful...and it looks perfect on her!

Every newly engaged girl has to have bridal magazines, right? Janae and Becky bought a stack of the most recent issues. We all had fun sitting on the top deck folding the corners down on the pages that displayed the newest and greatest wedding trends......from dresses to cakes to save the dates!

We are all so very happy for these two wonderful people. Their smiles light up the room. Their love for each other is contagious! I can't wait to see what their future holds....

Tommy and I love you guys very much!