Hawn-da, Hawn-da, Haaaaawn...Hooowwn-d, Honda

Oh rainy days make for the best sleepy days...too bad I had too much to do without sleep being involved.

Saturday morning we had planned on getting up and making our way to Momma and Daddy's for a belgian waffle breakfast with everyone before my little niece was scheduled to attend 2 Easter egg hunts. Morning rolled around and the snooze was hit (more than once...or twice. Okay, okay...I hit the snooze for almost an hour).

When the phone rang to see what my plans were, I was only slightly grumpy before telling my sister that I would call her back in a little while. I dialed my parents' number only to find out that we were rescheduling our big breakfast. Therefore, I decided to pass on the first egg hunt and meet up with my family.

Not too long after, my body told me that it was not going to let me fall back asleep. On top of that, Mr. Ican'twaittodothelandscapingforSpring was planning on meeting his parents for breakfast and to start hunting for a new lawn mower.

With my newly open schedule, I was invited to join him. This resulted in getting ready in five minutes before heading out the door.

We met his parents at the "old house" (they're currently building a new home) and sat down to enjoy a warm breakfast. As soon as we finished, we were back in the car and on our way to scope out mowers.

As I stepped outside, I thought about how dreary it was and how it was too cold for a 3yr old to be out and about hunting eggs. I talked to my sister and requested that we postpone the festivities until next week's events. Then, we kept on trekking.

After 4 or so stops, we made the logical determination that we were going with a Honda. Don't ask me why, but all of the "goods" it offerred was better than the Snapper, Cub Cadet, and the many others we researched. Also, we enjoyed a yummy hot dog from the 50th anniversary cookout at Smith's place...I like them.

We dropped of his dad before heading back to the house. Mr. Handyman started texturing the ceiling until we had to rush out to Lowe's to pick up some more texture and wall paper stripper. Surprisingly, we ran in and ran out with only what we needed (or so we thought).

We rounded the corner for Buffalo Wild Wings when we noticed multiple parking lots were full. Then, we kept driving on until we hit the local Taco Cabana...tortillas and queso...ymmm.

We took it back to the house so that we could work and eat at the same time. That's when it hit me that I forgotten to grab the wallpaper remover from the checkout stand at Lowe's. He worked his arms to death while I worked my mind going through brochures and magazines for hours. Soon enough, he had finished the entire living room and I had officially picked out the color pallette for each of the rooms in the house. The inspiration was an article called, "Vintage Chic" which featured soft corals, sages, and chocolate browns with creams. I cannot wait!

Homebound

Checkout at...1pm? Woo hoo! I got to sleep-in! There's nothing quite like the feeling of waking up and realizing you don't have anywhere to be, anything to do, and you can close your eyes and go back to sleep. Am I right?

Taking advantage of my sleeping-in rights, I slept until noon. Then, I showered and prepared for the longish ride ahead of me (honestly, it wasn't too long after a 10hr. drive previously).

A donut shop? Open past noon? Yes, we stopped for donuts for brunch before we were back on the road. It was sort of cute that we went to the same donut place that my parents used to go to "back in the day" when they were still dating (30+years ago).

Call me crazy, I was looking forward to the trip home. Not only was it a mere 2.5hours away, but I was getting used to spending the time together with my someone. I think we managed to listen to every CD he owned on our Texas trip, but I can't remember anything but those long conversations on nothing. It was wonderful.

Okay, I fibbed. It was unintentional though, honest. It wasn't a 2.5hour trip home from Dallas. No, apparently it was a 6hour drive home due to "construction" (with not a trace of construction), traffic, and a "blizzard". Did I mention there wasn't a trace of snow on the ground by the time we made it across the state's border? Because there wasn't.

This gave me the greatest opportunity to scope out all of the gorgeous places along the road that I want to take pictures of in the future. Stop...and go...stop. For 3 hours we screeched through hoping we had enough gas to make it to the next station.

By the time we were back in town, I wanted nothing more than food and my pretty little puppy. So, we enjoyed some yummy chicken spaghetti (courtesy of my mother) and went to get Laila Kay.

Appreciating our "getaway" we were even more appreciative of the chance to get back home. All-in-all, our conclusion was this:

We cannot wait to go on another trip...NOT in Texas.

and...

We have yet to decide on a stain for our wood floors.

Goodbye Spring Break, Hello World.

Baby Blue Masarati on a Rainy Day

After a great night in a super cozy(non-air mattress/tent) room, we packed up all of our belongings and headed down to checkout. Since our stomachs hadn't seen an ounce of nutrition in a day or so, our options were a)drive less than a mile up the street to IHOP or b) pay for the overpriced somewhat "homemade" breakfast at the hotel. Since we could have IHOP any 'ole day of the week, we took a seat in the lobby. (The scrambled eggs, potatoes, bacon, and wheat toast with strawberry preserves made my tummy happy.)

We waited forever and a day for our check, paid and hopped in the car to make our way back into Austin, TX to pick out our wood floors. I punched the address into the GPS...12345...(This sounds a little fishy.)

Numerous twists-and-turns through the highway system directed us towards a side-street.

Convict Rd.? Really, Sweetheart?

"Turn right in 800yds."

Okay, Jane. You better not let us down. Here we are in the middle of NOWHERE driving on a backroad. I called my parents to give them the address and let them know where we were at. At last, we spotted the location. (A nearby truck had the address posted on the side of it, so we knew we were in the right spot.) We dialed the given phone number.

"This is Ben."

We were informed that the owner of the company was on his way and were told to "go ahead" since his business partner was already there. So, we ventured into the building to find the flooring we had been looking for! Yay!

Handscraped, locally manufactured, gorgeously stained to look just how we wanted it. Once Ben arrived, we got to look around the warehouse and see everything "behind the scenes". We couldn't have been more anxious. However, we were waiting for a lovely check from the IRS to be sent back in the form of a tax refund in order to cover the large investment we were deciding on. Although Ben offerred to let us take the wood now since we made the trip down there, we felt that it would be more comfortable for him if we waited until the funds were available. Therefore, we narrowed the colors down to two different stains and went on our way.

...but wait!

As we were leaving we noticed a beautiful, baby blue Maserati in the previously vacant parking place. So, we had to ask about the owner. Sure enough, Mr. Ben himself was the proud driver of the gorgeous car in front of us.

Once back inside the vehicle, we chit-chatted about the stain choices and started to get more and more anxious. Knowing that the industry legitimately existed set our nerves to ease, and we went back-and-forth between ideas trying to make up our minds.

Since our families had informed us that they were experiencing a snowstorm back home, we make the informed decision to start driving as far north as we could without hitting the state's border. This meant, Dallas.

Trusting Jane, we took her turn-by-turn directions to find our favorite steakhouse, Chamberlains. We had the opportunity of eating there a few months back to celebrate the big 2-5 for Mr. Wonderful and couldn't get it out of our stomach-minds.

"Arrive at final destination on the left."

Excuse me, Jane. That is a lake...NOT a steakhouse.

I was forced to call the restaurant for the address and location. Unfortunately, that didn't help us any with the GPS. Thus, we headed back to the highway to try to find the nearby mall we had visited back in September.

Finally, we arrived for dinner. Let me tell you, this is the one place you can get me to shut my little lips up. The food is incredible, and the only thing you can say is, "Yummm."

Then, it hit. Immediately, Mr. Iapparentlycannoteatsteak's stomach started fighting back. Over the past year or so, we have noticed a certain "sickness" that occurs everytime boyfriend eats steak. Sad day.

We stopped at the local Walgreen's for some Pepto goodness before finding the closest hotel available to get him tucked in for the evening. And yes, it was snowing outside. Fortunately, the same hotel we stayed at before was right across the street with plenty of availability. I ran into the front lobby, checked us in, picked up what little luggage he let me carry in, and slipped onto the elevator...floor 10.

After an hour or so of resting his belly, we went downstairs to enjoy the warmth of the spa for a little while until it closed. I'm telling you, I think I'm a misplaced fish sometimes. I mean, I love going to the lake, swimming, doing anything with water, AND I can make a pretty killer "fishy face"...just look at the pictures from my sister's birthday! Too bad the water was BOILING and I had gotten sunburnt the day before...it hurt! I was ready to get out before he was, and that's saying something.

So, off to bed we went. I couldn't even remember saying goodnight because as soon as my head hit the pillow...

...zzzzzzzzZzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzZZZZZZ

I've Got Sunshine....Before a Cloudy Day

*Tweet, tweet

Morning came all too soon Friday. However, my stomach was awake long before I was...growling the whole time. I'll admit that it was nice to hear the wind blowing around me and the trees swaying. The lake was gorgeous at sunrise, and the air felt nice after curling up in a tight ball all night trying to stay warm. I zipped the tent shut as Mr. Upandaround headed out to help some guys unload trucks off of trailers.

After slipping on my jeans and a t-shirt, I threw my hair into a bump-it & pony and stepped outside. Using a water bottle from the nearby cooler, I wet my toothbrush and enjoyed the minty clean feeling from my favorite toothpaste. I was ready to go.

I met up with Mr. Let'sgetyousomething to eat and we hopped into the truck to head to the closest McDonald's for breakfast. Where's that you ask? Brenham, TX was the verdict. Therefore, I plugged it into our handy-dandy GPS, Jane, and waited for her to locate us. "No valid GPS signal"-great.

We browsed the iphone to see if we could find it. Driving around in the historical part of Brenham, we ran into a mailman an hour later on a oneway street and asked for directions. His response was, "You are a long ways from McDonald's." The sweet blue-eyed, white-haired man gave us turn-by-turn directions that led us straight into the parking lot. On the way there, I got to see places like this:

Food...ymmm.

Once we pulled through the drive-thru, we made it back into Somerville to stop at a grocery store for lunch meat and drinks. Ham=$5, Cheese=$4, Bread=$2.50, Chips x 2= $8, Fruit snacks= $4...Seriously, it came up to $60 when we added in ice, drinks, and lysol to clean the porta-potty prior to using!

Back at the campgrounds the rest of our crew was starting to get hungry. With that being said, we offerred to take them back into town (since we knew the way there this time) so they wouldn't have to pile into a tiny truck one of their friends had driven. This time, we went straight to Walmart (which was apparently across the bridge from McDonalds). Man, we could have saved a fortune!

After they checked out, we stopped by Jack-in-the-box so they could get "cat food tacos"...don't ask. Then, we drove back to the campgrounds, again.

Warm and sunny...a perfect springtime day. Only, it was the last day of winter, and we were due for a blizzard the following day. We walked (and walked) the show, looking each and every truck over...twice. Then, we were bored. We sat in the pickup and ate our sandwiches with the windows rolled down, contemplating what to do about our current situation. After a day at the show, we were ready to go...already.

We pulled the truck down by the lake and I kicked off my boots to let my toes see the sunshine. It's been a while! We watched the people around us and talked to each other while sitting on the tailgate. Then, we drove around to the other side of the campgrounds to see the other cars that were there. Not too long after, the wind started to change and the sky turned gray.

Clouds.

Growing up in Oklahoma, we were both used to the wind. However, we had never experienced weather quite like we had back in December. So, when the weatherman said a storm was moving in, we wanted to get out.

We asked some of the people around us that knew the passengers we brought down if they could find someone else to pull the trailer back. Immediately they said that they would do it. One of the guys said his Avalanche had a trailer hitch on it and he wouldn't mind at all. Plus, he could give one of the guys a ride home and would find a way to get the others back with the rest of their friends. Man were we relieved! We called the guy that had told us to go pick up the trailer in the first place and let him know that we weren't planning on staying the whole time when we started out. He told us, "Man, it's not your responsibility. You've got other plans. I'll find them a ride home. Thanks for helping out!" We left him with the trailer hitch and headed out 90miles to Austin, TX.

The ride there was definitely one of worry. We didn't want to leave the guys hanging, but we hadn't planned on driving a trailer back to town either. Besides, the main reason we had made the trip was to check on getting our flooring from a manufacturer down in Austin. We couldn't really afford the extra gas of hauling a trailer AND driving back 90miles to pick them up and go back home.

After speaking with Jake (the guy we left the hitch with), we felt much better and decided to let it go. So, we followed Jane's voice to get to the city. Little did we know, it was some rock week down there and everyone and their dogs decided to come. Hotel after hotel, we received the same response, "Austin is booked." This left us searching...for 3 hours...for a place to sleep.

Literally, we were looking up nearby hotels, calling the ones that were up ahead of us so we could make it in time, and continuing to drive after we were rejected. Hungry and sleepy, we kept on going until we heard the yes...

We finally found a place to stay in Temple, TX. Too bad this was over an hour and a half north from where we needed to be the next day. Again, no dinner. Oh well, at least we were blessed enough to find a place. (And the bathroom sure beat the porta-potty)

Until tomorrow...sleep.

Keep on Truckin'

For my last Spring Break, we decided to enjoy our first big roadtrip together. Yes we were officially driving approximately 9hours to the south of "home" for a truck show and to pick out some flooring for the new house.

After sleeping in, I finally got up and around and packed my bags for the trip. It wasn't until Thursday afternoon that we finally had everything loaded into the pickup and we got the pups taken care of. Bailey went to be boarded for the weekend while we dropped off Laila at her Mimi and Pawpaw's house.

1pm- We were on the road, Texas-bound!
1:15pm- We were stopped beside the road, just outside the city.

Mr. Ihaveperfecttiming happened to notice a group of pickup trucks beside the road as we were on the highway. Taking a closer look, he realized it was some of his buddies that were going to the same truck show we were planning on making it to. However, they were supposed to leave that morning and we thought we had missed them.

After waiting for the flat to be changed on one of the trailers, we slipped in between the cars and attached to the caravan.

*SCREECH

Mr. Awesomereflexes slammed on his brakes and veered into the median while the cars in front of and behind us came to a 70-0 hault. So much so, that many of the cars experienced near-death accidents around us. Luckily, my safe driver had quick enough reflexes and smarts to pull away from traffic when everyone was stopped.

A few miles down the road, we stopped at a nearby gas station with everyone. Thus, we grabbed a barbeque-burrito from the convenience store for our brunch. Surprisingly enough, it wasn't all that bad. Now, I won't say that a burrito purchased from underneath a heat lamp that was cooked who-knows-when is "great", but it was pretty good on an empty belly.

Once we loaded back into the truck, it was off to Texas!

JUST KIDDING...

As the leader of the pack started speeding 80mph, we started to lose the croud with the rest of the people that didn't want to get pulled over. After making it through construction, we had made it close to Ardmore when we received the phone call.

"Dude, you have to turn around."

The leader had received notice that one of the trucks had started to burn up their motor by pulling a trailer and we were the only truck that didn't have a trailer attached to the back of us. So, we took the off-ramp and turned to the on-ramp going the opposite direction of Texas.

20miles later we pulled onto the scenic route where the truck and trailer was waiting. Little did we know that the driver was going to be taking his truck back to Missouri while the 3 passengers were coming with us...and that he would meet us back in Oklahoma on Sunday evening after the show to pick them and the trailer up. Since we hadn't really planned on staying for the whole show, this put us between a pretty large rock and really hard place.

The passengers did their best to hook on with the trailer hitch, but it wasn't going to last long without replacing it. Then, the journey began.

Stop#1 Gas station...no luck
Stop#2 Flying J, truck stop...no hitch
Stop#3 Wal-mart, really rude mechanic, and a brand new hitch

Back on the road, we made it across the border into Texas a mere 4hours from leaving the city.

Then, we had to stop for one of the trucks behind us to go to the restroom. (This made for the 7th stop so far)

Texas traffic = no fun. However, the sunset was beautiful at our 8th stop, Willie's Place. The convenience store was adorned with Willie Nelson albums, beef jerky, and faux hair-braids. After enjoying half of a Butterfinger just minutes before in the truck, I passed on getting something to eat (bad idea). We checked everything and refilled the transmission fluid for one of the guys behind us.
Waco, TX+construction=dead stop traffic for hours...

Pitch black+behind schedule= bypassing traffic by using detour not listed on GPS.

10:55pm "Arrive at final destination"

Too bad we were starving, they locked the gates on the campgrounds so we couldn't leave, we didn't bring a tent (since we were going to stay in Austin the first night and pick one up later), and we were attached to 6 people that we knew nothing about besides their nicknames. Yes, we had gotten ourselves in a pickle.

Luckily, one of the guys had an extra tent. Another guy had an air mattress, and we had brought our sleeping bags and pillows. We were all set for the night. As the rest of the group cooked their chicken that night, we whispered to each other about the predicament we were in and fell asleep worried about the weekend ahead of us.

Fundue Party

After lazy-ing around for the rest of the afternoon, I decided to get up and around to get ready for an eventful evening with the fam (This is a new trend in my life lately). I curled my hair quickly, slipped into my skinny jeans, threw on a shirt to match my cutesy boots that Momma got me, and tucked my bangs back with my rhinestone hairpins. Then, I spritzed myself with a familiar bottle of perfume and headed out with my camera to meet everyone.

Since my grandparents had agreed to watch my niece for the evening, we decided that would be the best place to meet up. Much to our dismay, we forgot how traumatic it can be for a 3yr old to watch everyone leave without them. Z screamed and screamed while she pouted that she couldn't go with us. However, we bit our lips and slipped out the door when we could.

Reservations at 6:30pm gave us the perfect timeslot considering the traffic of downtown. We parked a quick jog away and headed across town to get to The Melting Pot.

They sat us quickly in a comfy booth with candles lit. Since my sister was a "first timer" our server graciously explained the menu and took our drink orders.

After looking the menu over, we made a mutual decision to split all the courses to celebrate both Momma and Lindsay's birthdays.

Therefore, we enjoyed:

...and let me tell you. It was delicious! We were so full at the end of the evening, that the brisk walk back to the car was pleasureable and needed. When it was all said and done, we didn't have the energy or enthusiasm to do much else. So, we picked up Zoie and I drove to stay the night with my sister so we could get up and around the following morning to take my niece to "Sesame Street LIVE!" What a day!

I've Defriended Lori

After struggling with my newly pretty tooth, I had to return to see the doctor to find out what was the matter. X-rays confirmed the root canal was a-okay, and I was examined to figure out the problem.

Well, they sawed my already little tooth down to reduce some of the interference with my bottom teeth. Apparently I had been hitting my teeth so much that it caused nerve damage and bruising. Bum deal.

They polished up the product and I was given a prescription for pain. After resting that morning, I headed off to class. I stopped by Hob-Lob afterwards so I could put the final touches on a cutesy baby girl gift for my best friend, Tehia. I was meeting her and her husband the following evening for dinner and was excited to see her baby belly and catch-up.

Morning rolled around and got up and around for an eventful day at school. Well, almost. I made it to my first class to take an exam and decided to head out afterwards since my next class was cancelled.

So, I stopped by my sister's work and met Mr. Inevergettoseeyouduringtheweekbecauseofourschedules in town. We picked out a slab of stone for our new hearth under the fireplace, and attempted to meet my Momma for lunch. Unfortunately, her busy schedule kept her tied down and we were forced to enjoy ourselves without her.

Mr. I'mprettyselflesssometimes let me pick where I wanted to go (even though he didn't like the place). After filling ourselves to the brim, we parted ways so he could go on to work. I, on the other hand, started to clean things up a bit before heading out to meet Tehia and Aaron and baby girl Worley (still in belly).

I had to make a quick trip on my way downtown at Hobby Lobby to return some unnecessary supplies, and they were SO SLOW. After 20minutes in the returns line, I was able to get back in my car and drive to Toby Keith's...ymmm.

One conversation led to another, and we ended up spending a good 2hours chit-chatting away about...well...nothing. (Just life and general, I guess.)

My sister even drove up to meet us there so I could go to a concert with her later that night.

After saying our goodbyes, we drove over to see one of my sister's old classmates play at a concert. I was so proud of her parallel parking skills! We sat in the car for a while debating whether or not we wanted to go in. Finally, I whispered, "Where are you going to put your purse?...Wait, why am I whispering in the car?"

We laughed it out and poked fun at the statement for a while until some passersby walked next to the vehicle. Lindsay reached to lock the doors.

"Linds, mine didn't lock. Push it again."

-Nothing

"It's still unlocked."

-No it's not, I locked it.

"No, you're locking the trunk."

-No I'm not. I'm pushing the lock button.

"Well, it didn't lock."

-Your door is just messed up then.

"All of your doors must be messed up then, because they are all unlocked."

Yes, leave it to us to be pressing the UNLOCK button the WHOLE TIME.

Finally, we opened our doors and walked into the unfamiliar, smoke-filled atmosphere that many college-students have experienced long, long ago. We stopped in the closest ladies' room before heading in to hear the loud, overpowering music that many Americans love.

Let me just say this. I am NOT a fan of smoke...or loud music that makes you feel like your ears are bleeding inside...or being around people that are only out for one thing. Therefore, I had a half-good time.

Good? Yes, my sister is my best friend you can think of. She is the only person that I can stand around for hours with without the pressure of having to talk. I can simply look at her and we both die laughing. We have so many inside jokes that we can't even remember them. She makes me feel better about myself and gives me a reality check when I need it because she isn't afraid of hurting my feelings. Put simply, I love and adore my big sister. So much that I am willing to go to a place full of strangers and listen to rock music because she knew the singer "back-in-the-day".

11pm...yawn.

Yes, we are getting too old (and have real lives) to stay out late. So, we headed out the door to go home, jump in the shower, and wash the smoke smell out of our...everywhere.

Therefore, I scrubbed my body and washed my hair (multiple times) before getting ready for bed and taking my much needed prescription for my lousy ache...Loritabs.

Who would have thought that I would feel the same adverse effect that happens every time I take some type of medication that "causes drowsiness". Yes, you guessed it...it didn't work. Not only did it not work on me, but it made me act like a crazy person that didn't get a wink of sleep all night long.

After much consideration, I made the educated decision to break off any future ties with Lori. It is with great remorse that I renounce our friendship, but the pain I feel of living without her is better than the problems she has caused. I resulted to resting until the pain subsided so I could enjoy myself that evening with my real friends...my family.

Whatabirthday

First-things-first, I got up and around to head to work. While I was driving, I couldn't help but call and wish my Momma a very happy birthday.

-Happy Birthday to you.
Happy Birthday to you.
Happy Biiirthdaaay dear Mooommmaaa.
Haaaappy Biiiirthday toooo yoooou.

Then, I went on with my day.

After a semi-long day of work and classes, I headed over to my parents' house to go out for her birthday. We already had a great birthday night in the works for the following Friday at The Melting Pot, so we decided to go somewhere simple for the evening.

When my Daddy asked what she wanted to eat, she laughingly commented how much she loved Whataburger. Yes, Whataburger.

On the way there, we spotted hundreds of black birds lining the electrical wires. It was almost eerie how many there were. Then, in her precious 3yr old mind, my niece simply said, "You better watch out! That's a mommy bird and she's about to poop!" After calming my giggles, I asked how she knew that it was a mommy bird. With a frustrated look, I disregarded the question. (I guess I should have understood that a 3yr old...just knows.) Then, she continued by saying, "There's a billy of them!"

Oh...to be three.

Once we got to Whataburger, (somewhere I hadn't been in years) we devoured our meals and decided to stop and get dessert on the way home. ColdStone, Braums, Starbucks...

I asked Momma what she wanted for "D-E-S-S-E-R-T".

-"It's called dessert aunt Brittany."

Wow, she's catching on so fast.

Having tried Pink Swirls and Orange Tree (Now split up and called Orange Leaf and PeachWave...odd), I had yet to try Lushberries. So, decided to stop by and give it a whirl. And?

Taro is still my favorite...and I was a little disappointed that I couldn't have my sprinkles on top of my deliciously nutritious frozen yogurt with strawberries, blueberries, pineapples, and other yummy fruits. However, the company made up for it.

All-in-all, it was a great night.

*I've learned over the years that I love my family...and ice cream.

Happy Birthday, Momma!

Birfday at B Double-Dubs

Attempt #2 = Success

After a terrible birthday experience at Carino's, we took my sister out for her actual birthday at one of her favorite places, Buffalo Wild Wings. By the time I made it out of my class and back in town, my family was already there. Altogether there was: Gramma and Pawpaw, Aunt Tracie, Momma and Daddy, Lindsay and Zoie, and me!

After ordering our drinks, placing our dinner order, and receiving our meal in a timely manner, I enjoyed my boneless wings with parmesan garlic and cheese wedges (ymmm). After some killer trivia games, I briefly mentioned the fact that we were celebrating my sister's birthday. The came out with a chocolate cake and ice cream and offerred up a birthday song.

After deciding that she could do without the music, we enjoyed the cake as a family and wrapped up the evening with some great photo opps.

Lastly, I stopped by my sister's house to drop off the cutesy gifts I had picked out. All-in-all, BWW saved the Birfday!

Timothy and Bailee, Sittin' in a Tree

K-I-S-S-I-N-G

As of March 8th, I have officially booked my first set of "big-girl photographer" clients. Have you ever met someone that when you looked at the way they interacted with one another...you just knew they were in love. No, I'm not talking about the, "I'm so in love with the way you look that I can't keep my hands off of you". I'm not even talking about the, "I love you, I love you, I love you, I'm SO in love with you" people. You know the type, they look all "googly-eyed" at each other and you can't tell where one personality stops and the other begins.

After meeting Tim and Bailee during their engagement session, I realize that they are the couple that you think, "You show the world what it means when God says unconditional." They are so tapped into each other's spiritual lives that they shine in love when you see them together...

AND

I have the amazing honor and blessing of capturing this love on film on the biggest day of their lives. Yes, I'm officially shooting a wedding.

Believe-you-me, I am nervous like you wouldn't believe. Seriously, I have that shaky feeling in the pit of my stomach that doesn't even allow you to actually shake because you're so far beyond just "feeling" scared. This isn't something you can re-do if I mess up. However, I have to start somewhere...right?

-Right.

That's what I thought. So, despite my inmost fears...I'm going for it. (Thanks for your understood agreement that I graciously answered for you).

Now, it's off to work...

Researching photographs, planning poses, making checklists, meetings with the clients, testing equipment in the venue, and shooting the most amazing pictures I can possible take...I love photography.

Carino's or NO Carino's...

Over the weekend, we decided to go out to dinner with the family for my big sister's and momma's birthdays. After debating on where to go, they settled on our local carino's (bum deal).
Usually, I would have been enthusiastically pleased with the decision to have any italian. As we walked in, they took our name and we began to wait for a free table. We were escorted to a cozy table for 7 in the corner. There, we sat...and sat...and sat. For 15minutes we sat waiting for a drink order to be placed.

Several waters, a couple of teas, and a coke or two...we didn't ask for much...and again...we waited. (*Insert jeopardy music here*) After a mere 20 minutes or so, we asked a nearby hostess if we could place our order and possibly get some drinks. She replied that our waiter was probably still getting our drinks because they only had one person on fountain and to be patient. So, we didn't make a scene and we sat patiently.

After another 5 minutes or so we received our drinks and placed our orders. Then, we waited. (Are you beginning to see a pattern here?) 30minutes of hunger led to the wrong order for the birthday girl and a salmon sent back to the kitchen. TWO HOURS later the birthday girl was without dinner, the rest of the us were finished with our meals, drinks were empty, the ticket was yet to be seen, and we hadn't heard from our waiter since he took our order.

Finally, we spotted the manager. With a wave of a hand, we beckoned him to our side. Without any remorse, he brought a pitcher of water, to-go boxes, and the ticket. Did he ask if we were discouraged with our service? No. No such luck at all. Instead we payed full price for a half-decent meal and time well wasted.

It was a bum deal birthday for two! Until next time...