**Heads Up**
Hey Ya’ll-
Eat.Drink&Be Merry: Part III, The Details
So, the whole idea of the this party started on the fact that me and Hannah:
Wedding: Robin and Philip- Part I
My lovely friends Robin and Philip said ‘I do’ in June. I was super excited to share their day with them…. from the delicious cupcakes at the reception to taking photos with our Team 1 band members, to bridesmaid dance parties and photos with Robin and Philip at sunset- it was a beautiful day. Enjoy!
From the rehearsal:
…wedding day:
Robin made a bunch of cake-plates with vintage cups and plates to serve goodies on at the reception! (like I did here) Such a great idea.
Yum…and that’s the best I’ve seen the Missions Cafe at Apex… that’s all I have to say about that….
So delicious- plus, check out their ‘logo’…. creative!
Robin is known for her fabulous shoes…. these did not dissapoint.
Is Robin GORGEOUS or what?! Seriously, beautiful lady.
So many smiles- so many wonderful ladies!
Future of Forestry
Last Wednesday I went with some friends to see Future of Forestry in Columbus while they were on their Travel tour…. (I highly recommend Travel I, II & III) I was able to pick up Travel III while at the show…and that’s pretty much what I was listening to all last week in the car.
Here are a few blurry shots from my point-and-shoot, if you want to see some better ones- head over to my friends flickr & check them out. (they are way better than mine) I’m not really one for toting around my camera/gear at a show… I know- what’s wrong with me?
The drummer/computer techie/ bassist/ guy who played every instrument played a toy piano at one point (and a trombone) and I took some video of it, however, I filmed it….sideways. Because I’m awesome like that….so, I’ll have to figure out how to rotate it so I can post it.
Recap: The 3rd of July
I spent the 3rd of July down at Riverscape with my new house church family (they’re an amazing bunch! I’ve been blessed these past few weeks with all the new friendships I’ve formed) and we celebrated with sparklers and the downtown fireworks….
Its too bad I only brought one box of sparklers- we ran out way too fast….but we had fun while they lasted!
These girls are amazing…and of course- beautiful. Obvi.
thanks to whichever lady shot this of me and my sister- check out how pale I am! I’ve even been in the sun, and only I’ve only used SPF 15 so far this year (as opposed to the usual 30+ I’m accustomed too!)
I like to take photos of the fireworks out of focus on purpose.
Robin&Philip- Wedding Preview
My good friend Robin got married yesterday…!! I was honored and excited to share in the festivities. It was a beautiful day… and I can’t believe she’s married! Crazy! The day consisted of a girl dance party in the dressing area, photos in the park, Dumb&Dumber references during the ceremony, and my favorite part of photographing the day… the just married Mr.&Mrs. snuck outside with me directly after the ceremony and shot some “newlywed” photos in the setting sun…
That one is straight out of the camera. When you have a beautiful couple and amazing sunlight, you don’t need processing!
…and, I must confess, I was pretty excited about all the cupcakes. They were amazing. Me & Kate both thought so.
Emily, Oh! Head Bands….
Hey all,
I’ve had a lot of inquiries about my flower head-bands…. as seen in these photos, sported by myself….
… and I’ve found a brand of silk(ish) flowers that I absolutely adore, so I was wondering if anyone has any interest in purchasing their own?
Right now, I’m offering two different types, the full-blown, dramatic, oversize Josephine Blossom Band:
…and for the girl who may not be prepared for to take on the ENTIRE blossom (that’s a lot of flower, I know!)… the more demure, but no less girlie, Juliet Bud Band:
Now, I just snapped these photos quickly this morning when I didn’t even have any make-up on, so I’ll post some more official photos later this weekend/Monday when I have the chance, so you all can see the product a bit better, but right now, I have a total of 2 Juliet Blossom Bands in light Pink (as shown in the photo) and 3 over-sized Josephine Blossom bands, 1 in Crimson, and 2 in light pink (as shown).
These come on a one-size fits all elastic black band and look gorgeous with your hair up, down, curly or straight! I have about 5 of them that I wear whenever I need a little something to dress my outfit up! (As a wedding photographer, I find that they are the perfect accessory, as I don’t wear a lot-if any- jewelry other than earrings because it gets in the way of the camera and bag- so these add a little flair and are out of the way!)
I’m offering a deal for anyone interested, the Juliet Bud Bands are $10 ea (+shipping) and the 3 Josephine Blossom Bands are $15 ea(+shipping) - these prices are just for these 5 bands! If you’re interested, let me know- leave a comment with your e-mail and I will be in touch. Also, if you are interested in a color not offered- please let me know and I will create a custom band for you!
More photos to come!
The Peony.
I’m a pretty laid back person. I have opinions and tastes for things… but a lot of times if you ask me what my favorite [insert: movie, band, food, ect- here] a lot of times I’m like… “uh?” I mean, I LOVE music- so its hard to narrow it down to a single band or artist. I have like, a top 5 list…. the same with food… I despise when you’re in a group setting and they start doing ‘ice breakers’ and they ask you things like, “What’s your favorite meal?” Um? My tastes change depending on what I feel like when I’m hungry? I love pizza. I love Mexican food. Chinese. Mediterranean. Breakfast at any time…. and don’t even ask me what my favorite movie is. I mean, obviously, A&E’s Pride&Prejudice is pretty close to the top, but then again, so are the LOTR trilogy, and The Princess Bride, and Almost Famous…I could go on and on!
But I have 2 things that I KNOW are my favorite…. and they’re cliche too! I know my favorite candy. Plain, simply, Hershey Milk Chocolate. Bar form, or as Hershey Kisses. No fancy almonds, or mint, or caramel filling- just give me Hershey’s milk chocolate and I’m a happy girl. (My roommate is aware of this and sometimes blesses me with random acts of Hershies.)
And I am now sure what my favorite flower is.
I give you…. the Peony:
I seriously could have shot this one flower 100 times… its gorgeous. I was wanting to find someone I knew who had a Peony plant (bush?) so I could have one… and it just so happens that I pull up to my sister-in-laws house… and there one is, right in the front yard. Me to her: “You have a Peony plant! Can I have one?! Please?!” Her: “Oh, is that what that plant is?” …and she let me have one! Yay, yay, yay. Seriously- before this year if you had asked me what my favorite flower was, I would have said I didn’t have one. But now, its totally the Peony.
Weekend in Photos Pt III
Saturday, a bunch of good friends graced my home with their presence… we had good food, watched….amusing online videos, talked and just hung out. I love having people over. I need to do it more often.
Sunday I invited my family over for brunch so my mom wouldn’t have to do anything… our dining room table isn’t very large, so I set up the coffee table as a makeshift dining area….
My sis-in-law made this GORGEOUS(and delicious) fruit salad.
I had made this for my party… but I completely forgot to serve it! So the family got to enjoy it. Strawberries, yellow cake, white chocolate pudding and cool whip…. so good. Layers of strawberry shortcake yumminess.
Weekend in Photos Pt. II
Friday night I got to hang out around some amazing writers/musicians… completely inspired… they all shared original music and lyrics, gave honest critiques and inspiration ideas… all talented people who love music and God.
Closing In
Can I ever hope to capture even a portion
Of the majesty portrayed in the sky?
The clouds swirling and rolling
The branches shuddering in the air
Moments before the storm hits, glancing up at the teaming heavens
Hoping to seize even a touch of what I see, what I smell, what I feel
Seconds before fear and awe set in
I Heart Lists-I’m a Nerd. Its Cool.
“I’m intentionally ADD today- I feel like I have a million things I want/need to do… so I’m going to do them all at once.” - my latest tweet.
(Tangent- I kind of hate that word. ‘Tweet’. It feels like I should be starring in ‘Bambi’ and talking about being twitterpated. I hope whoever invented Twitter gets a good laugh every time a sane, grown-up uses those words- end of tangent.)
On my to-do list today:
-start cleaning/fixing up the apartment for next Saturday night (party!)
-Run to Goodwill to find some vases/glass-ware for my book shelf display
-Get sidetracked by the dress wrack at Goodwill and end up in the dressing room with 5 dresses. (I only purchased 2)
-Purchase a tray with GOSH-AWFUL cherubs on it to at a later date recover with decorative paper (something else to do!)
-Dishes
-Make Mac ‘n Cheese for a cook out tonight (its gonna be boxed, but its from Trader Joe’s, so, that’s healthy, right?)
-Driving home from Goodwill (in the full 3.5 minutes it takes me) I came up with a topic to blog about so I had to sit down immediately before the idea floated away and get some words down. I have written three(!) essay/posts this week… I haven’t posted any of them, but they’re there, waiting to be edited and posted. In the past few months, God has re-awakened the desire in me to write. I find myself putting pen to paper quite often, and you’ve probably noticed the blog containing more WORDS as of late, (partly due to the fact that photos+winter=blah) but I am so excited. I hope you all don’t mind me posting more ‘personal’ posts mixed in with the photos?
-Watch the ‘Anne of Green Gables’ movies with my sis-in-law and a friend
-My roomie is GRADUATING from CEDARVILLE Saturday!!!! (Go Evonne! You’re done!! YAY) and I have to figure out a super awesome grad gift for her… because she’s amazing and made it like Christmas the other day when she blessed me with an incredible random gift of encouragement.
-Finish my momma’s M-Day gift. Seriously. I told my friend to keep me accountable on finishing it (I’m kind of a ’start-a-project-then-go-on-to-something-else-without-finishing’ kind of gal… ) but I HAVE to finish this. She actually asks me, and… I kind of want to give my mom something next Sunday… because she’s pretty amazing and wonderful and super, and beautiful and one of the reasons I have my many artistic and musical talents.
So… here I am blogging when I have a million things to do…. yup. Sounds about right.
And because this IS a photography blog…here’s one from one of the first Spring days we had a month or two ago… straight outta the camera… my beautiful sister:
The Night Sky
My last twitter/tweet/whatever:
“the moon is GORGEOUS tonight & I’m on a mission to sit on a blanket in the field across the street and capture it.“
And the results…
My soundtrack? The Civil Wars. (perfect.)
More on the Flickr
p.s.- flickr pixelated them when it uploaded them… bleh… but they’re basically SOOC except for some white balance adjusting.
Adventures in the Kitchen
As I said in a previous post- I’m working on cooking more at home, eating GOOD food (non-processed, non-fast-food) on a more regular basis. Plus, I’m finding out that I love to cook. I love chopping and stirring and the presentation. I love all the colors…. so I’m going to do my best to document my adventures here on the blog- food photography is fun.
Friday night I finally got around to making some nachos…
They were so pretty- I almost hated to eat them. (almost)
I fried the chicken up with some lime… yum. Then I topped blue tortilla chips with the chicken, black beans, sharp cheddar, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, green onions and a little salsa. Mmmm.
Then this morning before I headed off to work, I finally got around to making the French Toast I’d been craving for a couple weeks now. (But I didn’t have any eggs till yesterday)
Topped the French Toast with fresh strawberries and powdered sugar (AND real Maple syrup) So good.
P.S. For those of you who enjoy my ‘outift’ posts, I’ve started a Tumblr account/blog/thing just for that…. so check it out! There’s a new outfit up! Its a Peacock Feather Day
More Words…
On a mission & looking for some of my old ‘poetry’, I flipped thru the pages of some of my old notebooks and journals tonight. Most of the pages I scanned quickly, almost chuckling at the urgency and emotion of the words I had written. At the time, I felt so mature, so justified writing of wrongs and teenage angst. Some pages though, I avoided. Amazed that though some things happened years ago, seeing them recorded in color, on paper, they still cause a dull ache to pulse in my heart.
I found words. Verses I had deemed poetic. Maybe they are/were… but most made another sort of ache swell in my heart. A pain that made me want to reach out to the girl of the past and tell her that the places that she was searching and looking were not ever going to make her feel anything other than confused and alone. So much bitterness and a surprising bleakness. This was a girl who had an amazing and loving family. I professed Christ as my Savior, I served and worked in youth ministry… but I had no idea what I was doing, or where I was going, or who God really was. [IS]
But in the midst of pages that made me sad, made me feel like I didn’t even know who this girl was… I stumbled upon pages from my second trip to Guatemala in 2004…
I had recorded about a day when we had visited an all girls orphanage, and the girls there. How even though we didn’t speak the same language, how we connected… and how when we finally left, they “…hugged me like a billion times…” and on the next page… I had penned a sort of love note…
July 25, 2004
What I cry out for
Deep in the greatest void
is fullness
Fill my emptiness
my void
My Love, My LORD
My Peace, what I search for
In brokenness, in weakness
Though I oppose and crumble
Though I fight and cry
I cry out for YOU
For your will
No longer mine, no longer theirs
A beauty not of this world
Worship rising, prayers cascading
Take my brokenness
From my heart and break it
Surrender
Full. Filled. Loved. Open. Yours….
…and what can I really say after that? I was once was lost… but now I’m found- amazing grace indeed.
All Things New.
Sometimes, I have so many words and thoughts in my head, that its best to stay away from them… so instead, enjoy some wonderful glimpses of God’s creation… (I feel so very grateful for Spring this year… was it an especially hard winter? Or is it an especially beautiful Spring? Maybe my attitude and heart are just in a better place…)
(all photos snapped with my Canon Powershot… its such a good little camera)
Just words…
We started the early evening off laying in the grass on a blanket in the sun. Our feet in the air, and our hair blowing in the breeze. We talked about life and the fear of putting yourself out there over and over emotionally and always being left empty handed[hearted]. We then spent time laughing and marveling at social networking and the insight it pretends to present us. (we also watched silly videos and checked Twitter for updates- we’re not completely mature or serious)
On our way out, we talked about what we find physically attractive in the opposite sex. We had fairly different ideas of what is attractive- which is good. How awkward is it to have a good friend and then find out that you’re both attracted to the same guy?
We sat in a bookstore and flipped through magazines, happily looking at the glossy photos, occasionally pointing something out, or oohing over a pretty photo. Dinner was in order next, and over dinner, we discussed guys, and hearts, and God. The fact that what you cherish is what you make time for was a topic that we were both pondering. The realization that we always make time to check e-mail, or whatever social networking site we’re into, or watch a movie ect- and think nothing of it, even if its late, or early, or a rushed moment. Regardless of if we’re waiting for a specific/special person to contact us, or just doing it out of habit… how easy do we make it to find just a few extra minutes on a daily basis? I know I personally struggle with finding time on a daily basis to sit and meditate on God’s word. How I can always find an excuse. I’m too tired, I need to get to bed. I don’t have time (wouldn’t want to rush my time with God!). Whatever. If its something that I truly, truly, hold dear and cherish, I will do it.
Spending time in the word on a daily basis is a discipline- that word normally has such a negative context to me. As a child, it meant spankings and extra chores. As a teen it meant groundings and having to learn to do something I didn’t desire or care about.(hello algebra) But now? I’m all grown up. My parents aren’t looming over me telling me what I can and can’t do, who I can see, or how late I can be out. They also don’t get on me about doing the dishes, or cleaning the bathroom.
As an adult, I have trained myself to do these things. I have a bedtime, I clean on a(fairly) regular basis, and I do the dishes whenever I get a chance. I’ve also ‘disciplined’ myself to do other things. As a musician, if I want to learn a specific piece of music, I sit down and play till I get it- it usually takes more than one try. As a photographer, I have taught myself through trial and error, practicing techniques and shooting thousands upon thousands of photos… just like a runner trains for a marathon. A writer researches and writes multiple drafts…. there may be an off day in there, a day where you feel like quitting, but you don’t. I don’t. If its something we desire, we get right back up the next day and keep at it….
Why don’t I treat spending time with God the same way? Instead I feel like a failure. I feel bad for having times where I’m in the word and growing, but the next moment, just utterly flailing and forgetting. The highs and lows make me feel like throwing in the towel and admitting defeat. I feel like a ‘bad Christian’- a fake.
But if it is truly in my heart, I will change my attitude. Disciplining myself to meditate on His word is not negative, and its not an obligation. I should get up each day with the awarness that God’s mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:21-23) and His gift to me is a saving grace… and I am living and working towards an eternal promise…
Music to Fit the Mood
So if I had to describe my mood tonight with music… these two songs by Tegan & Sara come to mind…
Call it Off & Where Does the Good Go . Both these songs have been played over and over again on itunes, on mix CDs, in the car, on the ipod…
Beautiful Things…
Working on a creative project with some lovely ladies…I love that I have some people who enjoy being creative with me….
The wind in all its glory…
The sunshine in all its golden warmth…
The flowers formed in delicate beauty, & the majestic clouds skirting high above…
Nothing compares to the glorious wonder of a God who sent His son,
To save a wretch like me;
An imperfect, flawed and tragic being.
The grace and mercy of the cross can never compare to anything else on earth.
He makes beautiful things out a vast expanse of nothingness. Writers block never plagued Him, He never had a lack of inspiration… He is truly the Great and Magnificent Creator.
Day in the Life…
Snow,Snow, Go away….
All these snow days are like a time warp- leaving me with no real perception of time….
These snow days leave me bored… here’s a few things I’ve found to occupy my time while stuck indoors….
- Jeremy Larson, Stacy Dupree & Darren King Silver Springs download (so pretty!)
- I found this girl’s blog the other day… I adore her photography: allister ann
- This tutorial on creating faux light leaks on photos via Totally Rad Blog- I’ve been having fun playing with this
Inspiration Friday Spring 2010 Style Edition
Its been a while since I’ve done an inspiration Friday… I’ve been working on a list of things I want to accomplish and try in 2010/year 25 of my life and one of those is put together inspiration boards for the different seasons- fashion focused… (its one of the smaller, more shallow items on my list, but its fun.)
Lately, I’m thinking back to the days where I wore dresses over jeans constantly (I know, guys don’t seem to understand this, but I don’t care. I love the look, plus its super comfortable and I don’t have to worry about being modest.) I’m aching to travel, and drawn again, to bright colors and items with a bit of an ethnic feel…
A few definites on the list are the blue printed dress (I already have it) and the Toms shoes…(which I don’t have, but am getting with Christmas money. For a good cause, and I have been wanting some casual canvas shoes- I won’t say need, since clothes and shoes are not something I lack)
I’m really excited about a few things 2010 may have in store for me… it’s already looking up in comparison to 2009.
Inspiration Friday Vol. 10 (I’m tired of Roman Numerals)
This week… I am tired. Exhausted has crossed my mind on several occasions… I’m looking forward to my furlough from work (unpaid though it be) and the upcoming holiday… spending time with my family and having time to really appreciate and contemplate the reason so many celebrate this time of year…
With that being said… these photos are inspiring…
notice a trend…. sleep…. I’m still sleepy.
Lastly… I’m really feeling the urge to watch ‘Eternal Sunshine’ over my break… which is fitting… because that’s when the red hair dye is coming out… Its such a good movie. Weird, confusing and, yes, warped… but at the end, when you realize the meaning, the purpose of the whole movie… it’s so neat….
Clementine: ‘ This is it Joel. Its going to be gone soon.’
Joel: ‘I know.’
Clementine: ‘What do we do?’
Joel: ‘Enjoy it.’
(all photos found via WeHeartIt)