What I'm Looking Forward To......

do you know what i'm super excited about?
an upcoming family trip!
the week after christmas, chris and i are taking a road trip to the big oklahoma!
my dad, stepmom, brothers, and grandparents are all renting a cabin for a little vacay.
i absolutely can't wait because i never get to see these people that i love dearly!
it's going to definitely be adventurous.
and fun.
and amazing.
and food filled! lots of food!
and i'm sure that drama of some sort is inevitable.
i mean seriously, how are we going to get through 4 days with 13 people staying in one place?
it will be happen.
but i'm sure it will be something we can laugh at!
i'm pumped either way.
i'm making all the gifts.
and of course pictures will follow.....after the trip! can't spoil the surprise!

you know what else i'm looking forward to?
christmas decorations!!!!
chris has promised me that it will happen this week.
the christmas decorating bug will hit our house!
absolutely can. not. wait.
i think it will help me tremendously.
i'm in a bit of a funk this week.
not sure why...just sad.
i hate being sad.
i'm a happy person!
so my hope for happiness lies in my christmas tree!
(well really it lies in jesus, but i'm keeping with the christmas spirit - which technically, it is his birthday!)

we all need things to look forward to.
always.

i also have lots of pictures to share.
maybe i'll get those up sometime this week too.
it's been crazy busy....in a great way!

Thankful.

This year Thanksgiving was a blast.

Seriously.

I love, love, love spending time with family.

Our first stop of the day was Chris' family at his grandparents house.

After all the yummy food, all the grandkids went outside and played and that made for some fun photos.

Here are the two baby girls....Chris' sister Maddie is on the left and Sarah is on the right.

Me and my sis-in-law Maddie. She's so pretty! ;) See those red cheeks? Yep they're always like that. All natur-ale.

The boys. There's 4 of them there. However, 3 of them have the 4th flattened on the bottom and he cannot be seen!

All us girls! There's one girl cousin missing....I'm not sure where she was hiding!!!

So after all that goodness, we rushed home because we were hosting my family at our place.

I'm a loser and totally did not take pictures.

What?

I know, I know.

But I have to say that this year was one of the best. Everyone just chilling out and enjoying the company of one another.

I definitely had a happy little heart.

And an extremely thankful one at that.

Today I headed out to the stores......later this afternoon and got a couple goodies.

BUT they were all for me, me, me!!! ;)

No gifts.

Selfish, I know.

But in all reality, it was really only chapstick and picture frames.

I know you're jealous!

Have a happy weekend!

Why Mondays?

Why are Mondays so dreaded? I mean seriously - do they have to be so crappy?

Today was totally one of those days that I needed a do-over.

It's just one of those stressful week where everyone needs everything right now.

Ahhh.....however, I have found something just fabulous that will fix an evening of pure anxiety.

Pizza+cheesecake bites+theanine serene ( a natural anxiety supplement) has made for quite a better evening!

While today has been a bit much..the weekend was great! 4 photos shoots of some precious families always put a smile on my face!

I will have a few photos to share with you in a few days......but for now, I want to let you in on a few CDs that I'm LOVING right now!

Miranda Lambert's new CD Revolution is awesome! I love every single song. And it's pure country. LOVE it! You need it.

Next on the list is Tenth Avenue North - The Light Meets the Dark. AH! Fab, fab, fab!

And finally, Dierks Bentley - Up On the Ridge...Mmmm mmmm mmmm. Aside from the fact that he's a cutie pie, this cd is awesome. It's a very bluegrassy feel, but perfect drive music.

There's a few more songs that have caught my ear and I'm unsure if I want to commit to the whole CD.....if you have any input let me know. I'm loving "If I Die Young" by The Band Perry and "This Is Country" by Brad Paisley.

***Sidenote: I would just like to say that "This is Country" truly is what country music is all about and makes me extremely proud to be a country girl at my very core! Love, love, love it!***

So in case you need ideas for a Christmas list for someone, or for you, I would highly suggest those!

Moving right along, the strangest thing happened to me yesterday. I was shooting a little girl and her family and I had this super cute prop I was using. I'll be darned if another photographer didn't take a picture of me doing it. I'm not sure if I'm flattered that he liked my idea or pissed that he's going to steal it! Give the little man a break!!!

I guess imitation is the best form of flattery...or at least that's what they say.

Alright you beautiful bloggers, make it a great day!

***Side-sidenote: yes I realize I have completely failed at the 30 day blog challenge. So, I will be randomly blogging about the missed topics over the next few weeks.***

Friday, Friday, Friday, Thank God It's Friday!

What up my blogging peeps?

Take a deeeeppp breath.......it's Friday! Ahhhhhh.

And to top it off - it's Friday Fives time! Be sure to check out Beth's blog and everyone that linked up to it.

This week is random Friday - We are taking next week off for Black Friday Thanksgiving!

1. Describe your IDEAL Saturday.

Ah, my IDEAL Saturday would involve sleeping in, my house magically cleaning itself, wrapped up in a blanket on the porch with some quiet time. Then maybe a couple random trips to various little stores with absolutely NO agenda!

2. Whats your favorite Thanksgiving dessert?

Hmmm...this is a hard one. See I pretty much hate all food Thanksgiving. I'm just not a fan. Never have been. So usually my family always hooked me up with a chocolate French silk pie. Yuuuum.

3. Whats one of your favorite Thanksgiving tradition?

My family does something different every year. I think my favorite part about it is everyone just being together and visiting. I love that. A Lot.

4. Who does the cooking?

At Chris' family, his grandparents make the big stuff and everyone else brings snacks and desserts. With my family, everyone brings a dish. We like to spread out the load!

5. Do you shop on Black Friday??

Truly depends on the money situation that year. I'm still undecided for this year. Guess I better decide fast!!!

However, some of my favorite memories are from Black Friday shopping!

Where've I Been You Ask???

I've been in a photo taking frenzy!!! So, I'm going to need you to CLICK HERE and go check it all out!!!! Happy Friday!

Dreeeaam, Dream, Dream Dream

Day 16 people day 16! Today.....What's your dream house?

I don't have any pictures of this one....most of them are all in my head. But I'll try to describe it the best I can:

I would like 3-4 bedrooms, with 2-3 bathrooms.
I want a huge kitchen, with white distressed cabinets, a big island, and granite counter tops. I want a double oven. And a lovely dishwasher.

I want a big living room with lots of comfy furniture.
The master bathroom needs to have a huge garden tub. I would like another bathroom with one of those old timey classic tubs.

I want people to walk into my house and feel right at home, yet be wowed by the decor.

I want an actual laundry room....not just a closet. And a mud room.
I want a big wrap around porch full of beauty.
And of course, a beautifully landscaped yard will be necessary.

And a craft room completely decked out.

Ahhh.....we can dream right?

Christmas List....Friday Fives Style

Happy Friday!

Ok, you know the drill....check out Beth's blog for her Friday Fives!

Today's fabulous topic is 5 things that will be on my Christmas list! Yay!

And we're off!

1. All things from Charming Charlie. OMG, you must find one near you! It is the most fabulous women's jewelry store on the planet! Nothing (jewelry wise) is over $15 and it's awesome. You walk into the store and it's coordinated by color. Sheer fabulousness. Check out their website at www.charmingcharlie.com

2. Lenses for my camera - I really, really need some. They're SO expensive, but make all the difference in a picture. It's a good investment for my business.

3. Skin Care Products - I really want to get hooked on a good line of skin care products. I just feel like drug store brand stuff isn't cutting it anymore. Problem is, I don't know where to start. I've done Clinique and I'm not a huge fan. My dermatologist told me their yellow classic moisturizer is horrible for your skin. Sadness - it was the one thing I loved! Any suggestions?

4. Home Decor - I'm in great need of this! I just need some stuff to go on my walls and such to liven the place up. Really need to define a style.

5. A Spa Day - oh what this would do for me. Or, for about the same amount, the massaging chair insert. I tried one at Brandsmart and it was GREAT!

Ok, now join in on the fun!

Don't Judge Me...

Well I've really done it now!
Started a blog challenge and only got 9 days into it!
The last 6 days (yes that's how many I've missed) have been quite, quite, quite busy.
But I'd like to catch up on the topics of the days I've missed.
So, let's play ball!


Day 10: Something you're afraid of:
I really have a lot of fears. We could start with spiders.
Or even better - my fear of my house catching on fire while I'm in the shower and having to run out naked.
And then a few more serious fears - losing more people I love, never having a baby, failure.
Failure is a BIG one I struggle with. A LOT.
I'm working on that one tho!


Day 11: Favorite TV Shows:
Right now I'm love, love, loving Parenthood and Modern Family. I would have to say they're at the top of my list. But a few other shows I really like is Rules of Engagement, Flipping Out, Jerseylicious, and Big Bang Theory. I could seriously watch Parenthood over and over.


Day 12: What You Believe:
I believe in Jesus - that He's the only way.
I believe in love.
I believe in laughter.
I believe that we all have a purpose, and together we can use it to change the world.
And as Audrey Hepburn would say - "I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles."


Day 13: Goals - I posted this up several weeks ago - my 30 before 30 list.

Day 14: Picture I love - this is from a photo session I did last weekend and I ABSOLUTELY love it!

Day 15: A Bible Verse

Ok, so I have tons of verses that I love. Tons. But the one that has gotten me through a lot of tough times is 2 Corinthians 6:2 - And God said "At just the right time I heard you. On the day of salvation I helped you."

For me, in some of my darkest moments, this was God's way of letting me know that He heard me (hears me) and that everything is going to be ok.

And that's it for today folks! Here's to getting back on track!