Marvelous Monday #16 : Already thinking about dinner tomorrow

As most of you know, one of my very favorite things to do is eat. It just doesn't get much better than consuming a well-prepared meal full of tastiness. If you're already feeling down this Monday, I suggest you start planning your dinner for tomorrow night and that may lift your spirits.
Speaking of dinner on Tuesday nights, have you heard about Bar Louie? They have two locations (one in downtown Kirkwood and the other in the Central West End), and on Tuesday nights, they offer $1 hamburgers, you pay like 25 or 50 cents for anything you want to add (like cheese, bacon, mushrooms, etc), so you end up getting a burger for pretty cheap. Seriously, you can get something awesome for 2 bucks! And they don't skimp on these babies either..... they're huge! AND they have buy one get one free appetizers until 7pm. So, if you're looking for a fun night out full of inexpensive but delightful food, check out Bar Louie tomorrow night. It'll be marvelous :).

Brook and Josh are getting married... tomorrow!

I'm so excited to shoot Brook and Josh's wedding tomorrow! It's outside... at night... under a pavilion.... with only candles to light the way :). It's going to be a fun one!

For now, here's some of their engagement pics :)

Losties tie the knot

So many things make me smile... a warm breeze after the rain... elderly people still madly in love... having coffee with good friends...

...but nothing warms my heart quite like meeting another individual who loves LOST as much as I do.

And that, my friends, is just one of the reasons that I have LOVED working with Audrey and Josh. When I first met Audrey for coffee, I was so hoping that I'd have the chance to work with her... so when she let me know that she wanted me to shoot her wedding, I just about jumped for joy! During the planning process, Audrey and I shared many emails - most of them about LOST theories :).

I had so many favorites from this day that I had a terrible time narrowing it down. Here are some of my very faves...

Audrey had her make-up done at Bare Escentuals, which is a great place for wedding day make-up because it doesn't fade in warm weather. One of my brides wore it last August during a heat wave and she looked great all day. I, on the other hand, was a hot mess, so Jon made me go buy some Bare Escentuals :).










Audrey and Josh opted to see each other prior to the wedding (which I LOVE!), so we had plenty of time to take pics during that beautiful afternoon. Jon captured this moment shortly after they met for the first time that day.






Another one of Jon's shots


I love these girls! Seriously, this was such a fun wedding party. For reals.


The gents


Ok, I went a little crazy with these photos. I have always had a fascination with trains, so when we decided to begin the day at the Kirkwood train station, I was so hoping that we'd have an opportunity to catch a train in some of the frames. And we did :).





my favorite train pic


I really just love this one. I feel like it should be on the cover of a folk/indie album


Right before the ceremony


Right after the ceremony


The reception, held at Rose of the Hill was AWESOME. Some of the best food and a great set up.

And the music kept people out on the dance floor all night. Here's a shot Jon grabbed... can you name that dance?


This little guy was riding the pony. No joke.


Audrey and Josh, you guys were so great and I'm so happy for you both! Don't be a stranger, seriously. And we only have 6 more months until LOST comes back. I don't know about you guys, but I'm dying to know what the heck Benjamin Linus is up to! God bless you both!

Marvelous Monday #15: This might just be the most marvelous-est ever

I would be lying if I told you I wasn't tired.

This past year I have been so blessed to work with so many wonderful clients and their families. I've worked every weekend since April (minus one), and most weeknights, I've been meeting with clients, shooting sessions, or editing the night away. It's been such a blast, BUT because I've been working a full-time job as photographer/graphic designer at the University, I've been pretty much worn out for about a year. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't have traded the experience for anything, but wow, I need a vacation!

Earlier this year, I turned in my resignation at the University so I could pursue photography full-time (and have a chance to get my life back again!), and I thought the day would never come, but last Thursday, I packed up my dark office with no windows, bid my co-workers farewell, and officially became self-employed. My heart was beating a little fast as I made the trek from my third floor office to the parking lot for the last time, and I felt a little nervous. After all, I was giving up a great job with amazing co-workers and unbelievable health benefits. After all, my husband is in grad school. After all, we're about to have a baby. Why wouldn't I feel a little nervous.

But now, as I sit here in front of my computer in my home office, sorting through photos, looking out my 4 huge windows and listening to my dog snore, I couldn't be more content.

All my energy is now totally focused on photography, which means all those ideas I've had buzzing around my head for the last few months will finally come to fruition. And, boy oh boy, do I have a lot of blogging to catch up on! Be watching for Audrey and Josh's wedding in the next few days!

I know I've said it before, but thank you, thank you, thank you to all my clients who have allowed me to capture your memories with my camera. I've been so blessed to work with you, and you've truly enriched my life. Without you, my dreams couldn't have come true.

So from now on, my Mondays are going to be a little different :). And I think that's pretty marvelous.

Marvelous Monday #14 :: I've got some 'splaining to do

Thank you all so much for the kind comments and emails regarding our big news! I've been a little swamped lately with wrapping up my job at the University and being in the middle of the busiest wedding season ever, and I apologize for not responding to you all sooner. Here are finally some more details :).

Two days after I turned in my resignation at the University, I decided I should maybe - just maybe - take a pregnancy test, especially considering I was about to start insurance shopping. Even though I felt like I was wasting money by wasting a test (those things must be made of gold!), I took a test anyway. When I saw the plus sign, I was truly shocked. Truly. So, after a frantic morning of calling my doctor, sending very vague text messages to my boss about why I couldn't come in to work, and taking three more tests (all of which sported a nice blue plus sign), it all started to set in. There was officially a bun in the oven.

And we couldn't be happier!

Although Jon and I hadn't planned on starting a family for at least a year or so, the timing really has worked out perfectly. I couldn't have planned it better myself :). The baby is scheduled to arrive December 28, a month after the last wedding I have the calendar and about 2.5 months before the next wedding we have on the books. In addition, Jon will finish up his master's degree at Covenant two weeks before my due date.

Everything has been wonderful thus far... no morning sickness or evening sickness or anything. Well.... there was one time when I accidentally used Jon's toothbrush and it grossed me out so much that I puked... but I hardly think I can blame that on the baby :). I was terribly exhausted through the first trimester, but that's probably also to blame on my insane work load. But now that I'm into the second trimester and the end of my university job is in sight, I have TONS of energy! Oh, and I am looking a little chunky these days, but again, not the baby's fault. I blame it on those dang blueberry eggo waffles. If they weren't so darn tasty, I wouldn't eat six a day!

And yes, we are definitely finding out the sex of the baby. We don't have any names picked out yet, but I'm pretty partial to Hannah Montana or Jack Bauer. I'm just sayin....

We're hoping Stella is going to like the new little guy or gal. Speaking of Stella... she was having some ear problems, so the vet had to tape her ears. I think she looks a little like a martian...




And now some details for my clients... just in case you were wondering :).
Because of the awesome timing of the pregnancy, I'm still completely able to fulfill all the wedding contracts I have (minus one December wedding, but we've already talked :( ). Weddings taking place during the month of November, even though I still will most likely feel pretty good, will come with an extra shooter at no charge. So yeah, that means if you have a November wedding, you'll get three photographers for the price of two :). From the other photographers I've talked to, I should have no problem shooting well into November, but because I know my brides value peace of mind, I'll have that third photographer there just in case there should be any kind of need.

I will be on maternity leave (wow, it still feels crazy to say that!) from Dec 1 until March 10. So, if you're wanting to do an album design and would like to have your design completed before I take my leave, please be sure to begin your order by October 30 so we'll have ample time to complete your book.

So yeah, is that marvelous or what.

Marvelous Monday #13 :: a pretty important piece of punctuation

Sure... it means a lot in math equations, but I never knew how important a plus sign could be for me until I saw it one morning on a stick.


more to come....

Tyler and Robyn are married!

I have been looking forward to Tyler and Robyn's wedding ever since the day Tyler proposed to Robyn. I've just loved working with these two and their wedding day was nothing short of fantastic. Some of my favorites from the day:

We started the day off early at the beautiful Celeslie's Salon.


Robyn getting her make-up airbrushed. Very cool.


The beautiful bride


Tyler's wedding shoes.


the rings, held by the most handsomest man in the room ;)


While the girls were getting glamorous, the men serenaded Tyler one last time a la Ray Charles. Jon had a great time hanging out with the group of guys :)








Married!


Because Robyn and Tyler had an early afternoon wedding, we had planned to shoot some portraits of them at a park after the reception ended. The beautiful day, unfortunately, turned very grey and rainy, and forced us to stay indoors. BUT, no need to fear, I got PLENTY of shots of the two of them at their day after session we just shot on Washington Avenue. Can't wait to share it!


reception fun - shot by my assistant who seems to always becomes part of the party :).


all the ladies in the family showing off their tattoos

Marvelous Monday #12 :: Threadless.com

I think that unique t-shirts are one of the coolest pieces of clothing a person can buy. AND, I think that having a hilarious, unique t-shirt is even cooler. If your Monday is off to a slow start, spend some time shopping at Threadless, home to some of the best t-shirts I've seen. I have a friend who has a birthday coming up AND hates raisins, so I thought this would be the perfect gift (Megan if you're reading this, pretend to be surprised :) )


This is one of my all-time favorites:


And some other notable favs:





Have a marvelous Monday!

Time to book your portrait session!!

I was just looking though my calendar for this fall, and holy crap, I am busy! I keep putting new bookings on the calendar and I didn't realize how full I was already! So for all of you still wanting to schedule a portrait session, whether it's a senior session, family, or engagement photos before the end of the year, the time to get something scheduled is now :). As of right now, I have no saturday dates still available until March of 2009 (I know... holy crap!). There are two Sunday dates still available (October 5 and October 26), and that's pretty much it for the weekends. I have a limited number of weeknight spots still open this summer, and a little more still open sept-oct-nov. If you'd like to schedule a session for 2008, please shoot me an email soon so I can get you on the calendar :)

I've got so many fun wedding day and portrait images to share with you that I can hardly wait! Here's a sneak peak at Tyler and Robyn's wedding. Check back soon for more!