November: {Five Things I Love}

12.31.10

I have been sick in bed for literally days and have felt like I have hacked up half a lung. Luckily I have another one, so I should be good to go. Although it has not been the most pleasant experience and least of all the most productive period in my life, I am fortunate to recognize love. Through all the medications, visit to the doctors, and in and out of cold sweats and sleep, I realize Todd you have seen me at my worst and still love me. For this I am grateful.

Ironically talking about my love for Toddy made me realize I haven’t posted this month’s five things I love. Please pardon the tardiness and indulge in some lovely goodness:

First up is Chai Tea Latte.

Quick back story. About five years ago I was obsessed. There is this adorable coffee shop on CMU’s campus called Kaya. I went there daily and ordered Chai until I couldn’t drink anymore. I didn’t go there for about a year and when I was back in my mood I couldn’t remember where it was located and I thought it went out of business. In November I discovered it was still there and in the exact same spot. THIS ENTIRE TIME! Now, I’m back but only drink in moderation ;)

My Perfume

Lately, I’ve discovered my feminine side and have been dabbling in a little bit of everything. I have started wearing perfume and although I absolutely love it, I don’t know how to describe it. It smells good and doesn’t give me a headache and that’s all I can ask for :)

Post cards from my Step Mom

I don’t know if it’s because I was so busy and didn’t have a good balance on my personal and business life but I didn’t set any time aside for my family. I think my step mom took note and every day for the month of November and into December, I received a post card from her with some cute little thought or message written on it along with a picture . I saved each and every single one and it not only made me smile, it made my day. Thank you Cheri. I love you.

Homemade Slippers

Every year for Christmas, Todd’s mom makes these wonderful slippers of all different sizes and colors. I love, love, homemade gifts. These slippers are just adorable and so comfy—and best of all WARM!! I love them so much and I can’t wait to share what homemade gift I got for Christmas this year. Believe me, it’s incredible.

Outsourcing Thanksgiving

This year for Thanksgiving I did something completely out of the ordinary. I outsourced everything. Not to sound all snotty and my time is so valuable, but I would rather spend time with family than cooking and cleaning. So I bought two dinners and believe it or not, it was good. So good in fact, I would order it again. It was the most stressed free holiday I have ever had at my house :)

So tonight is New Year's Eve. I have hope everybody has safe and happy celebration. I know Toddy and I are going to be spending some quality time together. Have a good one! :)

Merry Christmas

12.24.10

Merry Christmas!!! I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and please.... if you are anywhere near a Jack-in-the-Box, eat a sourdough Jack, curly fries with buttermilk sauce, and an iced tea for me.

mmmmm......yum!

It's a Christmas Miracle!

12.23.10

I just about burst at the seams. Literally. Perhaps it was more like being blind sighted. No I think it has to do with being overwhelmed because my wildest dreams came true and Christmas came early for this Chickie.

First up, I can’t believe I received the most awesomest coffee mug in the entire universe. I know once people see me drinking out of this mug they are going to be in awe. More like being hypnotized by its beauty and I’ll have the ability to make them cluck like chickens every time someone claps their hands. Yes this mug has such powers. Thank you, thank you, thank you :)

There it was. Sitting on my desk nicely wrapped. I shake it first trying to guess….then I gave up and quickly shred the paper like it was confetti. Then my jaw dropped to the floor and I let out the loudest laugh that would frighten a child and make it cry (unfortunately I speak from experience—several times). Anyway, my Cake-in-a-Cup kit is so awesome. I can’t wait to start baking.

Then, things got crazy. It was an early Christmas gift from Haylie because we just don’t have patience for waiting for Christmas. We each opened one single present and I could not believe my eyes. Haylie picked me out a Snuggie. Not just any Snuggie, a DESIGNER Snuggie. A blanket with sleeves AND pockets deck out with clouds is right up my alley!

Like I said folks….it’s a Christmas Miracle :)

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Christmas Randoms

12.22.10

Because today is one of those days where I'm not my normal witty self and I don't have really anything prepared for the blog, I do have a bunch of Christmas randoms, so here you go:

*Lyrical dancing to Christmas music is much harder than it seems. And requires a warm up and stretch (must remember that for next time).

*There are no calories if you eat Christmas cookies from other peoples plates.

*While wrapping presents, a glass of red wine helps.

*Electrical tape, although is tape, does not look good on Christmas presents and requires a reasonable explanation on Christmas morning (so be prepared).

*Candy for stockings is meant for stockings--not late not indulgences that requires another trip to the store.

*When you hear your favorite Christmas song, don't be afraid to sing it out loud--even if it is in the middle of the Men's clothing department.

*If you're shopping with your significant other and you each have your own shopping cart, it is totally acceptable to play bumper carts in the store (trust me on this one).

I hope this list of Christmas randoms caused more harm than good--wait I mean the other way around ;)

I'm leaving you with a fun Christmas portrait of two sisters that came in the studio. Gotta love holiday portraits. Have a good one!

Caleb & Henry's Portrait Session

12.21.10

We are officially in Christmas week and what better time to post a Christmas session. Caleb and Henry are the cutest cousins and having them together at the studio was pretty interesting. Some may even say it was like a circus ;)

We all worked together to get some adorable smiles and of course everything came together at the end. With two babies (1 year and 6 months) they fed off each other emotions. If Caleb was crying, Henry was smiling and vise versa. It was a tricky combination, but we managed to crack the code.

Here are a few of my favorite images of their session:

Fist up is Henry. You may remember him from his previous session.

Here's the adorable Caleb. Their Grandma made homemade stockings for the both of them! They turned out great :)

And this is where things got hilarious. Both Caleb and Henry were getting a little pictured out and here's a behind the scenes picture trying to bring them back. I still laugh out loud every time I see this :)

But it worked and the rest of the session was smooth sailing.

And I'll end with one of my favorites images of the year!!

Thank you so much Molly, Meghan, and Erin! I had a blast!
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The Shaffer Family

12.20.10

It was a Sunday, the Detroit Lions were playing, and it was cold out. I seriously couldn't believe how smooth the session went in such a short amount of time. We managed to get everything done in a matter of minutes and I mean everything. All the pictures for their session and even the ordering of Ryan's senior session. Talk about using time wisely.

Although the session was short and sweet, the Shaffer's were a breeze to photograph. We all were in the zone and I wouldn't have change one single thing (well maybe the weather or maybe having the Lions win). I'm so lucky to have returning clients. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy and knowing they come back for more craziness is beyond me but definitely puts a smile on my face.

Laurie, thank you for being such a wonderful client. I LOVE the image you chose to go above your fireplace :)

Here are a few of my favorites:

Cory's Senior Session

12.17.10

It's not uncommon when I photograph senior guys that they are not the most thrilled about it. I do however try my very best to make everyone feel comfortable--even if I have to sacrifice my coolness. I tend to say things that are a little quirky but that's where the genuine smiles come in. That's where Cory and I get in "the zone" and he delivers the smiles.

Cory was so much fun to photograph and the best part is we have some of the best inside jokes. Precious, treasures, and macho are just a few words that will always make me chuckle--and hopefully Cory too.

Thank you so much Laurie and Cory. The session was incredible and I just can't believe how well his session went.

Here are a few of my favorites:

To see more images of Cory's Senior Session, please click here for the slideshow.
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Choiniere Family Session

12.13.10

As I relive these sessions on the blog, I can't help but smile. I smile because the weather was perfect. I smile because the leaves look wonderful, and most of all I smile because I get so spend my time photographing wonderful families.

The Choiniere's were were Part Two of a family session held at Bertha Brock Park. They were so much fun to be around and of course has such a beautiful family.

Here are a few of my favorites during their session:

Ebels Family Session

12.10.10

I love, love, love photographing families who have visions. When Tracy contacted me regarding their session, she had some of the coolest ideas she wanted to incorporate. I of course was excited and nervous because I wanted to make sure I wouldn't disappoint.

We loaded up Cleo, the new amazing couch, and headed to the big city of Greenville. The session was such a blast, despite the cold, and everybody looked incredible.

This session was so much fun in more ways than one. For starters, Tracy even requested to use Cleo during their shoot. Uhm hello....Cleo. Need I say more? Then Tracy had a really cute saucy idea with her husband. Then to top it all off, Tracy allowed me to bring along a friend to capture some behind the scenes of their session.

Thank you so much Tracy for allowing me to document your family. I loved your session and I can't wait to see what you come up with next year! :)

Here are some of my favorites:

How adorable are these two!

Saucy! Love it :)