Nov 26
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thankful

By | Personal | 3 Comments

and it’s begun- the holiday season! let me first just say that i’ve a new found respect for anyone considering a family christmas card this year! yesterday afternoon when matt and i decided it was finally time to take our picture it was laughable. i’m so glad no one was there to watch- although, no doubt it would have been entertaining- at our expense. actually, i would have been ok with some company to giggle with me while matt perfected his ‘model’ pose… bottom line, the other side of the lens is just so intimidating. we tell our clients all of the time- ‘ohhhh, just pretend we’re not here!’ but when it’s time for us to get our picture taken- that camera on a tripod just intimidating- transfixed, unlaughing, at our antics- full of judgement. so basically, we feel your pain. go clients! you rock. way to show us how it’s done!

anyway, i hope we got a good image out of the 40 or so we took- we shall see. i’m sure we’ll be sharing the finished product on here for your scrutiny/viewing pleasure. please be kind- it’s the holidays.

in other news we woke up today to greenville, south carolina, in the home of my parents. i always get so sentimental at this time of year and one of the biggest things i find myself focusing on is just how awesome my family is. my dad is the man, always ready to listen and respond with humor and logic. mom is always encouraging and up-to-date, the woman has twitter and facebook, she is on the ball. my little brother is always the entertainment- never know what’s coming from him but we can always count on him eating whatever we cook and competing at everything now that he has a big brother (matt). we’re all really excited that matt’s now a part of the family- he changes everything in his own, um, special way. all that to say, i have so much to be thankful for and i can’t wait to celebrate it!

on a totally unrelated note: i got new boots today and i couldn’t be more excited. i promised my grandmother and granddaddy that they would be wrapped under the tree for christmas- and they will be- but until then they are on my feet and i’m ecstatic. loves it!

happy thanksgiving to you!

Nov 24
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ashley & joel are married!

By | Uncategorized | 4 Comments

just before the end of ashley and joel’s engagement session we felt a few drops of rain. the afternoon we met ashley for her outdoor bridal portraits it was raining. when we woke up the day of their wedding the forecast called for, that’s right, more rain. but when we pulled into warren baptist church to start our getting ready coverage the sun was starting to peek through the gray. by the time ashley’s makeup was perfected the sun had broken through and as guests began to fill the church the light was streaming through the open doors. we were all excited- so thrilled that someone so sweet and beautiful was getting the fairy-tale day she’d dreamed of! we took advantage of her sunlight whenever possible as the bright happiness perfectly represents her character!

i had a wonderful morning hanging out with the ladies as they got ready and laughed while nibbling on sandwiches and sipping starbucks. the atmosphere was light-hearted and casual, full of smiles and a few squeals of anticipation- truly the perfect way to start ashley’s wedding day! let’s begin the images with this light-struck picture of the classic details of ashley’s dress:

john ross, ashley’s nephew, floated back and forth between the guys and girls as everyone got ready. his carefree attitude and adorable little suit kept us all entertained:

the stunning bride:

matt captured these ladies as they watched the bridesmaids chatting in the foyer of the church:

matt and his ideas! i totally cracked up when i saw this series of images in the kitchen at the church- who thinks to do something like this!? well, matt. it was a hard decision but in the end this serious one was our favorite:

the handsome groom helping his younger brother with his tie, so sweet!

i love looking at the images of the groom as his bride walks down the aisle- it is always different but i think this next one is one of my favorites. i feel like all he could muster at this moment was a, ‘wow.’ so perfect:

a few casual portraits were in order directly after the ceremony:

and the first dance begins! i’m pretty sure neither of them are aware of anyone else in the room:

the bouquet toss was a little contested- not quite sure who actually caught it but let’s give ashley’s younger sister credit for at least catching part of it!

so our flashes didn’t fire for this particular exit shot but we love it- there were certainly enough sparklers to provide the light we needed!

ashley & joel, you guys are an incredible couple. flipping through our images we couldn’t help but notice the way you two look at each other and how, even if you’re talking to seperate people, you’re compleatly aware of where the other person is. your love and connection is so apparent. i hope jamaica was perfect and we look forward to keeping in touch!

Nov 19
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and it begins!

By | Personal | 5 Comments

let’s start with one of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite movies, the holiday (personal reminder: add to netflix!):

‘it’s christmas eve and we are going to go celebrate being young and being alive!’

now, i know it’s not actually anywhere near christmas eve but that’s just the way i feel as soon as mid-november hits. to me, that’s when the holidays start and joyous thoughts of love, thanksgiving, family, friends, gifts and decorations start for me. personally, i welcome the holidays to take over my life which means matt and i are already wading through tons of half finished decorations, numerous notes of holiday recipes, lists of gift ideas for all of our family members, candles, fabrics, garlands and wrapping paper- and we haven’t even started the gift shopping yet!

so yesterday when fed ex arrived with some decorations i’d ordered i could tell that matt was seriously over it. like in a ‘i’m so over this i’m about to ban the christmas music you started listening to last week from ever playing in this house again.’ and that is serious. i caught all of this from his fleeting look of exasperation when he took my package- it was in that moment that i finally realized i was out of control. from my spot on the couch i could see six tabs of holiday recipes open on my browser, a half finished garland that was obviously going to be too short for it’s intended purpose, a barely started homemade gift on the kitchen counter, and two home design magazines full of ideas for christmas decor. i’d lost my mind and my poor husband had been sitting quietly watching his wife’s madness take over his tidy organized life.

so yesterday when matt headed out on our weekly post office/bank run i stayed behind with the intention of tidying up. as soon as he left i grabbed my projects and ran for my little closet jewelry studio. as i carefully placed my different projects out on my desk i could feel distraction creeping in. i saw a scrap of pear green silk and fought off all of my immediate desires to turn it into an ornament. i saw a gleaming red glass decanter and started daydreaming about how that could transform our bathroom. the final straw was catching site of my stash of vintage lace practically begging to be worked into a fresh wreath with some cranberries. as i felt my resolve to clean slipping away, i quickly stashed a few more incomplete projects into the closet before allowing myself to plop down and allow myself the luxury of wrapping the one gift i have purchased so far. it was a nice sense of satisfaction when i put the gift on my dresser- one down. i can’t say that the craziness is gone but i certainly feel more like i’m controlling the holidays rather than them controlling me. plus, matt’s back to neat and tidy and i can tell that he’s starting to get excited about the holidays rather than resenting them for driving his wife to insanity. and really, i couldn’t ask for more, than him being excited with me to celebrate holidays and being young and alive!