Five On Friday

Oooohh Hello Friday!!!

I tell you what this whole being off on a Thursday and going back to work on Friday is not for me. It feels like the dreaded Monday all over again, my body is totally confused. But at least I have a job to come back to and for that I am thankful. I always look forward to Friday not only because it is the beginning of the weekend but because I get to link up with the girls for the Five On Friday link-up. Out of all the link-ups I have done this is my favorite because it always leads to discovering new blog friends!

{1} I am loving Carrie Underwood's new song "See You Again". It's one of those songs that reminds me of my Mom but doesn't make me sob uncontrollably! Last Thursday marked 5 years since she passed and being in the hospital made the day almost unbearable. My Mom was a nurse that, combined with her condition, we spent a LOT of time in hospitals growing up. I know that sounds horrible but she always had a way of making it fun! When I was little she would take me to work with her and I would ride in the cart when she would deliver medicine, every shadow day I ever had she made her job seem like a dream and she could even make hospital food seem glamorous by making it a game to see who could get the best tasting food out of the vending machines with the sliding doors. She was truly incredible. So naturally sitting there with my sister last week was memory overload. Not only was it emotional seeing my sister in that position but every time the IV dripped I thought about all the IV's I helped my Mom mix on shadow day; so then I would leave the room to gather myself and I would see the super fun vending machine then I would reach up to wipe my tears and my arm smelled like her. I know that sounds incredibly weird but she always smelled like hospital and Escada perfume and it was the most comforting smell in my world! Anyway this song lets me have my moment without completely destroying me, it is a nice uplifting way of thinking about things!

 

wow that was long enough for a whole post I will keep the other ones short

 

{2} Yesterday I picked up this little gem at Hobby Lobby and now I have got the redecorating itch,  bad!

The coloring is off but it is a really pretty light blue. It is super cute and different but I think I am going to take those yellow rhinestones off, I'm not digging them. We live in a rental house that is painted poop brown, literally it's horrible. So I am trying to bring in some color and this just opened up a whole slew of options!

a little inspiration from the ADORABLE Little Miss Momma

 

 

 

{3} Speaking of color I have recently become obsessed with prints. In my last post I mentioned the chalkboard prints from J&Paper. This week I discovered two new shops that I am loving!

These from Paper Finch Design

 

And these from Lettered Life Shop

 

I am seriously considering making an entire collage wall filled with prints. Too much?? Oh and while I was brainstorming Hubby suggested we blow this picture of our wedding venue up and hang it. And you know what, I think it's perfect and has plenty of color!

{4} Yesterday with all the rain I decided to do a little shopping! I went to one of my favorite stores Charming Charlie, seriously this girl could do some SERIOUS damage in there. But I demonstrated some self control and only got two little bracelets. I am going to go ahead and pat myself right on the back!  

A little love & a monogram makes for a very happy girl!

 

{5} Tomorrow is going to be a great day! A couple weeks ago Lauren asked me to be one of her bridesmaids!! Not to get all mushy or anything but Lauren has so quickly become one of my best friends. As I get older I have figured out that the length of time you have known someone doesn't necessarily make them your best friend, it's the people that come into your life and are a genuine, true friend and that is 100% Lauren! Her fiancé Cody also asked Paul to be his groomsmen and we are so excited! Now that she has asked all her bridesmaids I can share the super cute way she asked me, so stay tuned for that! Anyway, tomorrow we are going to try on bridesmaids dresses {my body is TOTALLY not ready for that} but it will still be super fun! After that Paul & I have not one but two 4th of July family cookouts to go to. One in Cornelia and one in Clayton, story of our lives. But it is totally worth it to spend time with family!

 

Well that is it for me today, talk about a sCatTerbraIneD post! But that completely describes me today. Have a blessed weekend y'all!!

The Good Life

 

 

 

 



Weekend Shenanigans

Happy Monday y'all! I know, I know what is happy about a Monday?! But hey, I am just trying to make the best of it! On this wonderful Monday morning I am linking up with Sami's Shenanigans for Weekend Shenanigans. I am having trouble figuring out how to attach the button with the link so if anyone has any tips please let me know!

 

My weekend was actually pretty amazing, so here we go!

 

 

Friday night we went to Cheddars with our favorites! Anytime we get together with Cody & Lauren we have a blast and it is always a plus when there is good food involved. But I had to get home and get in the bed because the next day I had a wedding to shoot and that means a very long day!

I love this picture Lauren snapped of me working, me & Lauren exhausted & headed home, the beautiful wedding location 

By some miracle I convinced Lauren to go with me Saturday to be my second shooter  lifesaver,

I seriously have no idea what I would have done without her!! You should check out her blog at Peach State Of Mind .We got to Clayton around 10:30 a.m. to start shooting at the hair salon and except for a few breaks here and there we pretty much didn't stop until we left the reception at 11:30 p.m.. Needless to say we were exhausted! We literally felt like our legs were going to fall off, we sounded like two whiny babies but we had a right! When I walked into my house at almost midnight I could not get into my bed fast enough. What matters is, the wedding was beautiful, the bride was sweet as pie and the weather was perfect. I can not wait to see how all the pictures turn out. I have a little sample for you though!

 

Sunday was of course Fathers Day so Paul & I headed back to Clayton for church & to see my Dad(s). I am lucky enough to have several father figures in my life and I got to see all of them Sunday. My stepdad came to church with us but I didn't get to take a picture with him. After church we went on a picnic at Terrora Park with my Dad, Step Mom, Granny & sister. It is such a beautiful park and reminds me exactly why I love where I am from. My Dad & I have had a rough relationship but we are working on it and I will always love him no matter what!

 

our picnic spot

yes I wore the same outfit after church as I did Friday night, don't judge

 

After that we went to my Mamaw's house to visit with one of my absolute favorite people and the most influential man in my life, my Papa. I cannot put into words how much that man means to me

I wouldn't be who I was today without him! He is the man I look up to, the one who walked me down the aisle and my hero! I love him so!  

don't let the lack of smile fool you he was crying {this was right before we walked in}

 

Sunday afternoon/night we headed back to Flowery Branch to spend some time with Paul's Dad! We took him out to eat at Crossroads Grill and had the most delicious steak I have ever tasted. Mark is another one of the amazing father figures in my life. He may not be my own but I love him like he is, I am so lucky to have him as my father-in-law! We didn't get any pictures with him either unfortunately.

 

here's a picture of me & my baby Hank just b/c he is adorable

 

Well that is it for my weekend shenanigans!

What did y'all do this weekend?

 

 

Sami's Shenanigans

 

 

This Weekend!

Gosh my last two posts have been really long, maybe today I can keep it a little more light!

 

I love weekends! For us they are almost always busy busy busy but it's ok because I LOVE spending time with all of our family and friends. Tonight I am having dinner with my best friend from high school who is now dating one of Paul's best friends after we set them up a few months ago!

It has been forever since we did anything just by ourselves so it should be fun!

 

me & Sammy circa 2008

 

But tomorrow I get to do one of my FAVORITE things. My friend Lauren asked me to go wedding dress shopping with her! I absolutely love weddings and I had such a blast planning mine so I was honored when she asked me to tag along! Lauren & her fiancé Cody have quickly become two of our favorite people! We just love them they are just the sweetest couple and they are getting married one year from today! If you want to follow her wedding planning journey you can visit her blog at Peach State Of Mind!

 



 

these cuties!

 

When Lauren asked me to go with her it got me to thinking about the crazy experience I had trying on wedding dresses. I made the huge mistake of taking 10 people with me to my appointment even though I knew better. I had watched plenty episodes of  Say Yes To The Dress and that is one of the big no-no's they preach all the time. But I have a lot of people who care about me and I wanted to do one appointment with everyone just so they could have the experience. I did NOT want to buy a dress that day I wanted to shop around more and I told everyone including the consultant that. But long story short no one listened and I ended up leaving with a dress that I did not love. After months of trying to convince myself to love that dress I just couldn't do it. I ended up taking it back and getting a dress that I had picked out when I was 16 years old! Now don't get me wrong I loved my dress, I just wish I would've had the experience of trying on more dresses at different places.But at the end of the day I married my best friend, in a beautiful dress and it was the best day of my life!

this was one of the big NO's for me

 

 

 

& this was THE dress. Simple, sweet & comfy!

 

 

Happy weekend y'all!!

 

 

Big Things!!

Big things are happening right now!! As I said before being a photographer is my dream. I always knew I loved taking pictures. I love capturing a moment, a memory that

can be looked back on for the rest of your life. It really became my passion when I lost my Mom. She didn't really take many pictures and she would try to dodge the camera if it was pointed at her. Therefore I only have a handful of pictures of her and I hate that! I think that is a huge reason that I feel the need to document every moment I can. Nothing makes me happier than hearing that shutter click when the toddler stuffs a handful or dirt in his mouth or when a groom is staring dreamily at his bride. Freezing those moments in time for people is my happiness. I know as long as that picture is there that moment will never be forgotten.

 

I unfortunately don't have any professional training or schooling so my confidence is still a little shaky. I have done a few different sessions; maternity, family and a couple weddings. But this past weekend was BIG! I had the opportunity to be the second shooter for a wedding with Valerie Shelton Photography! Valerie is incredibly talented. She was the second photographer for my wedding, she has done several shoots of me and Paul and we grew up together! So I was honored when she asked me to come along. It was hard, hard work; thirteen straight hours at two different locations shooting nonstop. But the couple and the experience was amazing and it reaffirmed that this was for sure what I want to do.

 

Then I got a call last night from someone asking me to be the primary photographer for a wedding in a couple weeks! HUGE HUGE HUGE I have done a wedding before but it was a small ceremony for a family friend so I knew she would be easy to work with and wouldn't tar & feather me if her pictures weren't perfect! But this is completely different and nerve-wracking, having a whole wedding for someone I don't know resting solely on MY shoulders. As if that wasn't enough if this wedding goes well it can lead to an every weekend gig at a business in my hometown (no pressure)! It is more of a touristy job but I need all the experience I can get!

 

I know I will be a nervous wreck but everyone starts somewhere!