The Lazy Five On Friday

Normally I have this post planned out and drafted by Friday but as y'all can tell blogging has not been my focus this week. I have been ridiculously busy! So today I am getting lazy with my Five and just posting pictures from everything that has been going on lately. Some are through my photography others were just snapped at family functions.

1} I did a session last night for the cutest family ever! We had big plans with lots of props but ended up having to rush to beat the rain. And baby girl had a melt down and she was beyond done. But we managed to get some really great shots. Excuse the poor quality/color imbalance, I am at work and had to take them off my Facebook.

Seriously, how beautiful is she! Those eyelashes are to die for! It was actually her brother Conner's birthday so I bought a few mini cupcakes for him. He was so excited he ate all four when no one was looking hahaha.

 

2} These are a couple from the wedding I did last weekend. It poured rain ALL day right up until the very minute the ceremony started. The couple already had a wedding at the beach they just wanted to do something with their families back home. Again these are off Facebook so are all kinds of distorted,sorry.

 

3} I did a pregnancy announcement for the sweetest couple I know! They are so sweet to be around, you can just feel the love! Random fact: Brittany & Travis are avid hunters. Not too long ago Brittany killed a huge bear! That's my kind of woman!

 

4} A favorite from an engagement session a couple weeks back.

 

5} And these are just a few from my cousin's softball game the other night. I love how you can see the fence a  little in some of them.

 

6} I am cheating and doing 6 because I almost forgot my blogger feature! Today's blogger is Katelyn at Imperfect Perfection. Katelyn is also an aspiring photographer and she has incredible talent! We have really bonded over photography and similar experiences over the past few months. I always love to see an email from her in my inbox! She is already a pretty popular blogger but if you haven't already, go check her out!

 

So there it is my lazy Five Six On Friday. As far as the pictures go, I am still learning. I see a million things wrong with these but I am trying to improve. I actually had a situation where someone in my family {married in, not blood, if that counts for anything} who completely tore me down this past week. Pretty much saying in no way shape or form was I a real photographer because I don't have a degree. She said some really ugly things but that is not the point here. My point is I never claim to be anything I am not. I have never misled anyone to thinking that I have any kind of professional certification, this is just something I have always been passionate about. The things she said really didn't hurt my feelings but it did motivate me. Hopefully one day I will get the opportunity to go back to school get certified and shove that piece of paper in her face! Rant over.

 

Have a good weekend y'all!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Five On Friday

oh I just love these little guys

 

Hey there Friday, how you doin'! I am really running out of catchy ways to introduce the Five On Friday link-up so BAM here ya go. 

 

1} I know I said this yesterday but I want to think all of y'all again for your kind, encouraging words on this post. You have no idea how much I appreciate your advice and I am so blessed to have so many people to lean on here in blog land! I have decided for now we are just going to relax, delete the ovulation app, have fun & enjoy being husband & wife! Letting go & letting God!

 

2} Sunday is this sassy little woman's 88th birthday! I am so blessed to have my Mamaw in my life, she is a 4'7, 85 lb. fireball! My whole family is getting together at her house for lunch and it is sure to be a great time. There are about 30 of us and it is always crazy when we all get together!

for example crazy photoshoots like this happen. This is my cousin Heather, she is HILARIOUS.

Amongst all the craziness priceless memories like these are made. I am telling y'all, my Mamaws house is my happy place, it is home.

 

3} I know everyone is sick of hearing about Fall because that is all anyone is talking about. But come on people it is the best time of the year! I know everyone loves the PSL from Starbucks but seriously Dunkin Donuts is where its at. Iced Vanilla Pumpkin Latte Lite, so much yum! I have already burned through my first Leaves (aka Fall Heaven) candle from Bath & Body Works and I need to get my hands on another one asap! Is it a coincidence that I just so happened to run out right when they are having a 2 for $22 sale? I think not. Well played B&BW, well played.  

4} If you read last weeks Five you saw that it was my fuzzy Hubs' birthday! I attempted to throw him a surprise party and it kinda sorta worked out. He didn't know it was happening but no one was at the door when he walked in (I was cooking and didn't hear the phone call to let me know he was home) so he didn't get the whole jump out & yell surprise, greeting. But he is 25 not 5 so it wasn't a big deal! He still had a great time & huge thanks to all our friends & family who made it possible. It was one of those nights where you are having too much fun to waste time taking pictures so I only have a couple and they are not that great. But oh well!

 

Hubs loves The Avengers and sugar cookies so I had these made instead of cake!

 

Taking a swing at his big boy piñata. It was filled with mini plastic liquor bottles and full size candy bars.

 

Who knew the piñata doubled as a party hat, looking good Cody!

 

5} Today's featured blogger is Miranda at Life In The Lowcountry! Miranda is another blogger who I have formed a friendship with over the past few months. From pet peeves to racy books we have so much in common! She also has a BEAUTIFUL little girl and I love to see her pictures of her! It is so comforting to know if I ever need someone to talk to Miranda will be there (and vise versa). She is also hosting an awesome giveaway, all you Southern gals need to check it out!

 

{Miranda, I stole your new about me}

 

 



Throwback Thursday: Miranda Lambert Style!

First & foremost I want to thank everyone who commented/emailed on my last post! You have no idea how much your support means to me. As hard as this is to go through having friends like y'all makes it easier. From the bottom of my heart, thank you!

 

Moving on to today's post. Tonight my #1 favorite artist, girl crush & spirit animal is in town for a concert and it is the first time in 4 years that I will not be attending. (Technically we didn't go in 2011 but went to 2 in 2010 so I am giving one of those to 2011) I have been a Miranda Lambert fan for years now. I didn't watch Nashville Star but I will never forget rushing to Wal Mart with my older cousin to get Kerosene the day it came out and blasting it driving down my Granny's dirt road! Miranda's music has always spoke to me on a deep personal level, she is raw and real and I just love her! I thought I would share a few pictures from my past concerts and a few of my favorite ML songs. I tried to limit it to 5 but that is impossible and these are in no particular order!

Top 10 11 Favorite Songs
Love Your Memory
Lying Here
Making Plans
Greyhound Bound For Nowhere
More Like Her
Mama I'm Alright
Love's Looking For You
Over You
House That Built Me
I Just Really Miss You
*Bonus: There's A Wall

And this isn't even including EVERY Pistol Annie song & her duets with Blake and anyone else (seriously if you haven't heard Bad Angel with her, Jamey Johnson & Dierks Bentley you need to look it up) Told y'all, serious fan girl.

2009 with my Little

She sat down on the edge of the stage, sang Dead Flowers and bawled her eyes out. I was right there with her, I just love her vulnerability.

 

2010 @ Wild Bills with the Hubs. I forgot my memory card so the only pictures are a cell phone one and one with my camera once we got back home :( but it was still amazing!

it is my goal to get that skinny again

 

2010 again with the hubs & little! We bought our Dad & Stepdad tickets for this one, it was actually Brooks & Dunn's farewell tour and Miranda opened.

we look so white trash here...

 

The best one yet, 2012 with our friends Jordan & Garrett. I finally splurged and bought actual seats. OMG so worth the money, most definitely one of the best nights of my life we were SO close!

barely zoomed, it was amazing.

 no zoom, standing up on a chair. we were 8th row I think.

She is incredible.

House That Built Me 

 Brett Elderege, Patty Loveless, Lee Brice, Pistol Annies & Miranda (of course) singing King Of The Road.

 <3 <3 <3

Can we be best friends Miranda, please!?

Patty Loveless came out and sang Dear Diamond, I about stroked out. Patty Loveless was my first concert ever when I was like 6 years old (the beginning of my addiction). She is incredible!

 

One of the best things about Miranda Lambert's concerts are her covers. These first two videos I took at the last concert but the other one is my favorite Rod Stewart song that she always covers (I found the video on youtube) Excuse the poor quality of my videos as I was jumping around, dancing, singing, having a big ol time!

{via}

So if any of you are heading to the ATL to see this AMAZING woman perform, I hate you have fun and sing so loud you lose your voice. Just do it for me and I will be rocking out in the Sorento all the way home!

 

 

Crying On The Commode

**I know, what a weird title but Tears On The Toilet was the other choice so you're welcome..**

I wasn't sure about writing this post because it is raw, real and uncomfortable. It is the farthest thing from a fun giveaway, fall decorating, fabulous weekend kind of post. But recently I felt myself getting lost in this blog and noticed I was doing things that weren't me for the sake of a post. That is not what I intended this blog for, I wanted this blog to be an outlet for me to talk about whatever I wanted with no filter. So this is what this post will be about and if you're not interested in that kind of post you might need to skip over this one.

 

Before I start this I need to say a few things.

-Yes I am only 22.

-Yes it could be worse.

-Yes I know it takes time.
-Yes we have only been married a little over a year.

-Yes I know there are women who have this struggle x100 and my heart goes out to them but this is the pain that I know right now.

 

I can't tell you why exactly but this month felt different. I just had a feeling that this would be it, the month that our lives would change forever! I was a week late, woke up twice sick as a dog, was unusually tired, and peeing 15 times a day, I even spotted for 3 days, I just knew. I knew, until I didn't. Until I went to the bathroom and saw that mother nature so rudely made her presence known once again. That was when I cried on the commode. We have been trying to get pregnant for quite some time now and I never expected it to take this long. I know that I sound like the epitome of impatience and I know that everything happens in God's time so I guess I should say I hoped it wouldn't take this long instead of "I never expected". I have been doing pretty good as far as the not getting upset goes. Except for this month and the month that I was 3.5 weeks late and 1 flipping hour after I called to schedule a doctors appointment, shark week commenced (my sweet husband refers to my time of the month as shark week).

My whole life I have wanted to be a mother, it is just who I am. From a VERY young age people have told me how great of a mother I would be one day. All I could think of this day was that I did everything "right". I can count on one hand the times I have drank alcohol, I don't smoke, I waited  until my wedding night and I have been a pretty good person/Christian my whole life.(I know these are petty things to say and I know that by no means do all of these things mean you will be able to have a baby right when you decide you want one. But these were the things going through my head as the tears were falling.)  I know it isn't fair for me to say this but I do not understand how all of these 16 year olds and people who have one night stands are popping them out like it's going out of style. Why does it come so easy for them and not for those of us who want it so bad we can taste it? (I know that every single one of these babies are a blessing no matter what the situation. And I will never get anywhere focusing on them. But once again this was a thought that went through my self pitying mind on this particularly hard day.)

I will stop right there and say that no, we haven't been trying for years and I know that my complaining is laughable to women who have been facing this for a long time. I am so sorry and I am not trying to be insensitive to those who have tried for years, lost children or who cannot have them at all. My heart truly goes out to you. I have a cousin who is also one of my best friends & she has been trying for 13 years. She got the opportunity to adopt a few years ago and that baby is such a blessing, I am so happy for her! So I know that at this point my struggle is minor but to me it is real and it is painful.

 

 A while back I was at church and I felt the Lord dealing with my heart, I went to the alter to pray and couldn't help but sob as I begged God for a baby, an answer, peace, anything really. At that moment my Preacher's wife came to pray with me, she had no idea what my need was but boy she prayed hard. She was praying (aloud) so hard that I just gave it all over to her because I couldn't even focus on my own thoughts. After that I felt a peace come over me and I wasn't quite sure what it meant. I guess now (that I am still not pregnant) I know it means that I need to Let Go & Let God. For a while now I was worried that something was wrong with me/my husband but I am hoping this peaceful feeling means that everything is okay and it just isn't our time yet. So I am putting this in God's hands (not that it wasn't already) and praying for the best.

This isn't something we have shared with many people. At this point when people ask, "When are you going to pop one out?", "It's your turn isn't it?", "When are you going to give us our little girl?"; we just smile, shrug and say "Whenever it happens...". But I know there are very few people who I know IRL that read this and the few that do I know I can trust. It feels good to actually talk about it openly.

If anyone is still reading this, thank you for letting me vent. I may lose a couple readers because of this post but it is what it is. After a week of just being a draft , I am taking a queue from Katelyn who shared her story and deciding to share.

Have any of you faced an issue like this? What is your advice about getting through it?
 

 

Five On Friday!

Happy Friday y'all! And Happy Birthday to my fuzzy other half! I am going to keep it short and sweet today because I have a million things going on.

 

If you haven't done this link up before you better jump on this bandwagon because it is all kinds of fun! Just hop on over to April, Darci, Natasha or Christina's page and join in.

 

1} Of course my number one is dedicated to my sweet husband! Happy 25th Birthday babe! I hope I get to spend 100 more with you! He says he doesn't read my blog but just in case he really does I am not going to tell y'all about my plans for tonight but hopefully he will have a good time.

Birthday muffins for my stud muffin! 

2} I just recently jumped on team IPhone and I LOVE my phone. I am not going to lie, one of the main reasons I wanted one was so I could buy cute cases and stuff. So let me just say I seriously need the new 5s in my life, in gold. Hubs can I just buy that for your birthday..for me?? Sounds legit, right?

 

3} This is seriously my jam. Who says that anymore? Apparently I do, whatevs. But seriously this song pumps me up every time I hear it, I put it on repeat at the gym to keep me going. The video is a little odd but that is Katy Perry for you, she's totally hot though.

 

4} I am adding the "Southern Blogger" button to my little blog today! I already added the "GA blogger" button so I figured, what's one more!  I got this cute little button from Rebecca so if you're a fellow Southern blogger go grab one for your little blog space.

 

5} Today's blog I want to feature Pamela over at Pamela's Place! Pamela was one of the very first people to read my little blog. She is so sweet & encouraging! Her blog is a lot like mine, just a southern girl talking about her everyday life with her Hubby & fur baby. I also just found out she has an Etsy shop, you go Pamela! So if you haven't already stop by her blog and show her some love!

 

I hope y'all have a great weekend! Mine will be busy, busy, busy!

 

 

 

 

Blogtember Catch Up Part 2

I have really got behind on my Blogtember posts so I am going to catch up here.



Friday, September 6: A story about a time you were very afraid.
 

In the 7th grade I went over to my friend Brittany's after school. We were home alone, in the basement watching the movie The Craft (huge mistake). We were already scared out of our mind when someone rang the doorbell. We looked out the window and no one was a the door, seriously you could see everything from the window and there was no one there. But the doorbell rang again, while we were staring at the door. Then we heard a knock on her little sisters bedroom window. We still saw no one. So Brittany climbs up on the counter gets a gun out of the cabinet (WHAT?!), we go lock ourselves in the basement and call her Mom.

 

Nothing ever happened, we have no idea who rang the doorbell/knocked. Looking back on it why the heck did a 7th grader know where the gun was and what was she thinking toting it around!

 

That is nothing that huge, especially compared to some of the ones I have been reading. I am looking at you Morgan, your story scared the bejesus out of me! But it is the only one I can remember distinctly.

 

Monday, September 9: Take this short personality test and respond to your results. (at the end, find the detailed profile of your personality account - click "click to view" under "You" and "self awareness and personal growth." You can even google your type and find more info on it!)

 

 

These are my results! Some of the ways they describe ESFJ's are motherly, sensitive, hyper-vigilant & generous entertainers. It also says they excel in acting, teaching or the medical field. Pretty fitting I guess.

About ESFJs via

• Concerned and supportive people persons who are often able to take the lead in social situations
• Strongly linked to the Compulsive personality
• Somewhat linked to the Narcissistic and Dependent personalities
• More common in women than in men
• Repress their Introverted Thinking function, meaning they may over-align with public opinion

 

Famous ESFJ's

Rachel McAdams

Sarah Palin

Regis Philbin

Shania Twain

Prince William

 

Wednesday, September 11: Share links to your favorite online shops, preferably with a few photos of your favorite items in each shop.

 

{If you're wondering where Tuesdays is, it is getting it's own post.}

 

I don't have the funds to do a lot of online shopping but this is some of my fall wishlist from my favorite places to "window browse".

Gameday necessities from Cheeky Peach

 

 

 These fringe beauties from Southern Charm

Everything Junk Gypsy sells..

Ditto for Southern Fried Chicks..

 

 

Thursday, September 12: Discuss ways that blogging or social media has changed you.

 

I am choosing to mainly answer the blogging portion of this prompt because I could go on and on about the pros/cons of social media.

 

Pro: The main way blogging has changed me would be my confidence. You "meet" these random people from all over the world on here and without even knowing you they encourage you to go after your dreams. I was really struggling with launching my photography business due to lack of confidence. I used this blog as an outlet for my concerns and received overwhelming support. Now, my readers may never be my customers due to location (although that would be awesome) but the fact that they believed in me after seeing a few pictures means the world!

 

 Con: This con is completely self inflicted but I can't help it. If you let it good ol' blogland can affect you in a bad way. I had this weird cycle of emotions when I started blogging, it went something like this. Starting out my intention was to use this as pretty much a diary. I have so many things going on in my head and it feels nice to let them spill out here especially since I am no good at keeping up a real journal. I also LOVE reading blogs, always have. I wanted to start one during my wedding planning but never did. Anyway, I swore this would be an honest, raw, non filtered blog. I wouldn't hold anything back due to what people might think because that is what the purpose of creating this blog. Boy did that change. Upon my introduction to blogland I started following some of the more well known blogs and quickly realized that my life was really not up to par compared to some. I don't own a single piece of Lilly Pulitzer clothing, make 5 course meals from scratch and my house is never spotless or flawlessly decorated. I started feeling inadequate and like I had to make my life seem as "shiny" as possible to fit in.

 

 Then I had another epiphany (told ya, cycle) I don't know these women's life just as much as they don't know mine. I am sure they have days where the house is a wreck, the roast gets burnt and they just throw on their husband's ratty t-shirt. They choose to share the shiny & that is 150% fine! I just choose to share the shiny, the dull & the downright rusty. I am still struggling with being a 100% comfortable and finding my niche. For example, right now I have a post sitting here with the word Draft next to it that is a whole new level of personal and I am really struggling with whether or not I can take that final step and really put it out there. We will see.

 

 Now don't get me wrong I still read the shiny blogs and have "met" some seriously sweet ladies but I have also "met" quite a few who lay it all out there like I do. That's what is great about this little corner of the internet, you meet people from all walks of life and end up making great friends!

 I may not have 1000 followers, probably never will, that is just fine by me. I am so grateful for the 27 people that want to hear read what I have to say, bear hugs to everyone of you!