Here we go again!

What a weekend! Jay & I had a great time celebrating our Anniversary. Thanks to everyone for the cards, calls & happy wishes...they were appreciated! We can't believe it's been a year-and a great one at that! We are really very lucky to be surrounded by loving family & friends and it's made all the difference. Jay was surprised to open a package with a pair of little red socks inside (and at first I think he thought I was pregnant-I could only find children's socks in red!!) but then I told him to look inside & he pulled out the word "Boston." We are going to Boston in the fall!

He's wanted to go for so long. My Mom, Sister & Grandparents decided to join us & we planned a trip together. It was SO fun to surprise him & see his face light up, I love surprising people!! I'll post some picture later when I get a chance. We also went to Melting Pot & had an amazing dinner & saw the movie Away We Go.

Today is my first & last for the week...I'm so lucky! We are headed up to the cabin tomorrow morning with the family. That means I've got a LOT to do at work today so I probably shouldn't be blogging =) Oh well. My sister & I have planned Survivor: Northshore and we are finishing the last minute touches on the games, challenges, teams & supplies. It should be fun!!

Louise & the family get in tonight so we'll be headed to my Mom's after work for dinner & I can't wait to see her!! We'll be gone until the 5th so it will be a really nice break from work and fun to be with the family. This year I made my red velvet cake rounds but I also tried something new-Oreo truffles. If you like oreos you will die for these. They are mouth-watering, addicting, deliciousness full of double-stuffed oreo filling. If you are patient & daring, here is the recipe. Enjoy!

1 package of oreos (I use double-stuffed)

1 package of cream cheese

2 packages of baker's almond bark

Place 8 oreos in a bag & crush until reduced to fine pieces. Reserve for later. Let cream cheese soften. Crush the remaining bag of oreos in a large bowl & mix in softened cream cheese. Refrigerate until the mixture is cool & then form into balls. Dip them into the almond bark & sprinkle the tops with the reserved oreo pieces. Refrigerate until hard & enjoy!

Ok so much to get done & so little time...have a great week & a happy 4th!

Time to celebrate!

It's nice to sit on the stairs knees together, hand in hand... not saying much of anything, but on the same page. Life is sweet in moments like that, when you look at each other, smile, blink, & say i love you, although your lips don't move at all. I love the comfort of silence. I love this picture of us. I love it because I remember exactly how I felt at that moment, blindly & blissfully filled with joy. I remember thinking life can't get better than this. I was wrong! 365 days of love, 52 weeks of happiness, 12 months of bliss...1 year of a beautiful marriage.

I like Martina McBride's song, "I just call you mine"
Cause everyone who sees you

Always want's to know you
And everyone who knows you
Always have a smile
You're standing ovation after years of waiting
For a chance to finally shine
Everyone calls you amazing
I just call you mine.

Jay: thanks for loving every single crazy thing about me. Happy Anniversary!!

Love to you & yours on this special day.

Waiting impatiently...

For my new camera, it comes today!!...so excited, & so glad it's Friday. Tonight Jay's got a few games for the tournament he's coaching so my sister, mom & I are going to see My Sister's Keeper in the theatre. What a beautiful day it is today. I'm looking forward to the weekend & all that it has in store for us! Patience is a virtue, patience is a virtue....

Celebrate good times...come on!

Tonight I have a hair appointment & then some family celebrating to do. My dad's been out of town at my sister's regional soccer tournament so tonight we are celebrating his birthday & father's day! It a double celebration-family style. We are going to grill out & then take a trip to Nelson's ice cream in stillwater. I can't wait to see my brother & as always, my sister!! Afterwards I need to get to work-so much to do before next week. I only work Monday & then I have the rest of the week off. Then we are headed up north! So these next few nights will be jam packed with editing, packing & of course a little celebrating ;)

Bite the bullet

I did it! I bit the bullet & purchased a brand new canon 50d. This is SO exciting for me because it's twice as nice as my already awesome camera I have now. The megapixels are more than doubled on the new body. I paid $9 extra bucks to get it in two days so I can make sure I have it when I leave for the north shore next week. My family has already planned about 4 sessions they want me to do over vacation so I will get to use my new equipment & I will be a busy lady! I also purchased an L series (yes!!!) lens to go with it. Super pumped about that. Take a look at this beauty coming my way in 2 days!!
She's a real beauty!! *If anyone is looking for a great starter camera let me know. I am debating over selling my current camera or keeping it as a back-up. It's less than a year old & in great condition.

Winter photo sesh

Jenni's bothering me to post these so here you go, just for you! my friend took these in February after she got some new equipment she wanted to try out. We were her guinea pigs :)

Happy Monday!

This weekend was awesome. I wish I would have snapped a shot of Bunny's sewing room. We had patterns laying everywhere, swatches & yards of fabric, pellon, pins & other materials all over! We were busy sewing bees & had so much fun. But not without a few road blocks- I now understand the saying, "as ye sew, so shall ye rip"! We took on some pretty hard projects and I was so proud when we were through. I made my first (full size) dress, a purse, some baby booties, and a few hooded baby towels. If you want to take a peak at some of them, you can visit my creative blog, handwritten love notes . Finally a place to put all my creative ideas!
We also did some landscaping, rock hauling & other household projects (including making chocolate chip cookies & iced coffee coolers) we need some fuel! The Hubble House was so delicious. We all had steak & lobster. We also went to the sewing store to investigate the new sewing machines on the market. Bunny is going to get me one for Christmas. Computerized & all. What a lucky girl. Papa also got me (drum roll please....) a dvd burner! This is especially awesome & exciting because I really need it to burn cds for my clients. Normal cds can only hold up to about 300 high resolution photos & dvds can hold 3 times that much. I was pretty excited. We cooked out on the grill & enjoyed the weather and the company we were in all weekend!

I feel like my to-do list is so long this week! I have a lot to accomplish. Every night is jam packed. Tonight I'm meeting Jenni for dinner & to catch up-I haven't seen her since before our trip! That's long for us. I miss my friends. Summer is so busy!

Big plans

I'm off to Bunny & Papa's tonight. Mr. Man's coaching a tournament this weekend so I'm getting the heck outta here. He'll be busy the majority of the weekend so I decided a road trip was in order. We have a big agenda! Tonight they are taking me to the Hubbel House (a famous restaurant in Mantorville). Then we'll do a little sewing, Bunny's a magnificent sewer so she is going to teach me a thing or 12 about sewing, probably see a movie, and finish a few bottles of wine. My Grandparents are so cool it's not even funny. I'm fidgeting in my seat I'm so excited.It's also my last weekend to finish Jay's anniversary gift. ahh! Have a lovely weekend!

Random Fact Friday

RFF: I've never broken a bone before. Jay broke his hand once. He didn't know it was broken for about a week. Yep, he walked around using a broken hand for a week. He was in college & I still think he's crazy for not knowing. He kept complaining it hurt & I finally made him go to the doctor. Talk about high pain tolerance!

The time traveler's wife

I read this book in two days, and it immediately went to the spot on our bookshelves that hold my favorite books. It's an incredible love story about a man with a genetic disease that causes him to involuntarily time travel. He can't control where or when it happens. It's one of the most creative & imaginative books I've ever read. The story was so emotional & touching that I could not put it down. They are coming out with a movie later this summer based on this book... I can't wait to see it because my favorite actress, Rachel McAdams, plays the main character & love interest Clare. She is the perfect character for the part! It will be interesting to see how they portray the story on film. I highly recommend this book!

Mamamallows

Last night Jay had two softball games & my Mom, Al & I decided to have a girls night in. We make homemade pizza & a yummy salad for dinner. We are all history nerds so we rented the movie Frost/Nixon. It was really interesting & entertaining. The coolest part was listening to my Mom tell us the story of where she was & what she and the family were doing when Nixon actually resigned as President. My Papa made everyone come in off of the beach in Florida and sit and watch the announcement on tv & told them to pay attention because this was history. But...before the movie started we had to make some yummy dessert. We made chocolate dipped strawberries & mamamallows. Mamamallows are a delicious family recipe that my Mom created. We all love smores, but sometimes in Minnesota you can't have campfires year round. A mamamallow is a marshmallow dipped in chocolate & then rolled in crushed graham cracker crumbs and chilled. So chewy & delicious! So we made and enjoyed those as well. After the movie we talked & laughed until 11:30! I was so tired driving home but the night was so much fun & worth every minute of sleep lost.

My sister's keeper

This one's a tear-jerker. I read in while on our trip, it's a long book but it's hard to put down. It's about a family of 4 who learn that their oldest daughet Kate is diagnosed with leukemia at the age of 3. In order to find the perfect donor, Anna is conceived to be her perfect bone marrow match. Her purpose in her short life has been to undergo countless surgeries, shots, procedures & transfusions in the hopes of prolonging her sister's life.
Without giving away the ending, Anna makes a life altering & heartbreaking decision that could potentially put her sister's life at stake and ruin her family. I really enjoyed this book because it seemed very real-a struggle that could happen to anyone & a difficult situation to be put it. They are releasing it as a major motion picture later in June, and I'm glad I had a chance to read the book first because the books are always better. I am looking forward to the movie too though!

Summer's here!

We're back & feeling so refreshed! It was just what we needed, and a perfect start to our summer. Portland is an amazing city.

We'll just share a few of our favorite pictures for now. Later we'll write a review on our travel blog for those of you who may want to venture to Portland in the future. we spent hours in powell's bookstore. we ate fantastic food. we drove to the pacific ocean & ate seafood. we went to wineries & drank glass after glass of wine. we danced after midnight. we laughed about everthing & nothing at all. we acted like teenagers. we went to an outdoor baseball game. we sampled oregon beer at several breweries. I yelled at jay for driving like a crazy man in the city (probably every day). we ate voodoo doughnuts, yum! we saw bella's house. we ate dessert before dinner, more than once. we hiked in the pacific rainforest. we ran around in the rain & loved it. we saw the most romantic scenary we've ever experienced. we bought matching nerdy sweatshirts & coffee mugs. we dined at expensive restaurants. we talked each other's ears off. we did absolutely whatever we wanted for 6 days straight. we had a perfect west coast vacation.

And we're off.

I'm finishing up some stuff here at work & then my sister & I are going to Manny's for a delicious lunch. Dad's flying out to DC today so hopefully we'll be able to leave early again and head for home. So much to get done today before I leave! Luckily my sister will be working while I'm gone so I won't have mounds of work waiting for me when I get back. Training her today. Tomorrow morning we leave bright & early! Can't wait to get away!!It will be nice to take a break from reality for awhile & just do whatever the heck we please. Sounds kinda nice. See you in a week!

Relaxing here I come!

I'm really excited for today because my sister is working with me this week until we leave :) It's so fun to have her around the office & we're doing a little planning for our eurotrip next summer (shhh!). This afternoon we are taking off early & running some errands. I have a big checklist of things I need to get ready for our trip. Thankfully, she brought me a suitcase this morning so we have something to pack in!! Then I'm off to the spa. I'm using my giftcard from my father-in-law & step mother for a manicure & pedicure. I can't wait to relax! It will be so nice....then it's home to finish packing & watch the bachelorette :)
Dad's been out of the office for the whole day so it's nice to hold down the fort alone without distractions!

Congrats Brad & Jess!

Here we are, Sunday night again! Jay's at the store picking up some stuff to grill tonight so we can relax at home. Thursday night's festivites were fun-the shoot went great & we had a nice visit with the family. Friday night we saw them again at Jay's cousins graduation party.

Congrats to Brad & Jess!! They had a beautiful wedding yesterday despite the rain. We had a great time seeing old friends & dancing the night away. My sisters a dancing machine!! Max even got my Mom out on the dance floor! My legs are really sore today...it was great workout, especially dancing in heels!

We spent the day today preparing for our trip on wednesday....so excited. We went shopping for a few things we needed & are going to begin packing tonight because this week is crazy busy & I know it will fly by. We are going to look over & finalize our itinerary (according to the weather forecast, etc.) tonight!! So excited to only work two days this week, this is a much needed vacation for us. THANK YOU to our parents for bringing us to & from the airport & Uncle Al for watching Nemo while we are gone.

Off to edit some pictures! So much to do before we take off.

Random Fact Friday

RFF: Today is my Grandparents 53rd Anniversary!! Fifty-three years... wow what a long & happy life they have led. We are so lucky to be a part of it. Their love is an amazing example & I hope that one day Jay & I are as happy as they are now, after years & years of love. Happy Anniversary Bunny & Papa!! We love you very much <3

Calling all farmers!

It's time to dust off those cowboy boots! Jay & I are looking to rent a barn for an event. We need your help!! It doesn't have to be red but it does need to be older & vintage looking (and the inside available for use). Other buildings on a farm would work too- as long as they have the vintage look. So if anyone knows someone who owns one of these within a few hours distance from the cities please e-mail me. I can give more details as well. Here are a few photos of some fabulous barns we like. Yehaw!!

Big Night

After work I'm headed to the Mill City Museum for an engagement session for Jay's cousin & her fiance. They just got engaged a few months ago & live pretty far away but are in town for a wedding this weekend. Jay's going to meet us at the shoot & get a look at me in action ;) Then we are headed to Rudolph's in Uptown for a family bbq. Grandma Bernice is in town from Missouri so everyone is gathering to see her & catch up. I can't wait!

We have a wedding to attend on Saturday & then the weekend is free. I am looking forward to having nothing to do (photography-wise) & spending some quality time with my husband. This week has been crazy so far & I can't believe it's already Friday tomorrow. I have a quick meeting with a client & then some grad parties to attend, and then the wedding festivities!

Why he's a keeper.

I woke up in the middle of the night convinced I had a tick on my back & started freaking out. Mr. Man patiently turned on the lights, checked my back, let me wear his shirt & switched sides of the bed with me so I wouldn't have to lay where I thought the tick was. Gotta love him :)

June is here!

What??? this is crazy, we can't believe it's June. That means almost a whole year has gone by since we've been married. Even crazier. This weekend was very productive! I spent Friday night with Jenni, working hard while she painted a wall in her dining room "burnt rust." It was more like "happy halloween I'm a pumpkin." So after some quick thinking we mixed in some old brown paint with the orange & it came out a perfect rusty color. Disaster averted! We made a yummy Indian curry pita for dinner & had some frozen yogurt when we ran to ikea. Saturday's wedding session went awesome! check my blog for some favorites. It was nice to be open on Saturday night & spend some time crafting at home. I have some big projects underway!! Sunday I had another morning session & when I got home Mr. Man was already there waiting. On a whim, we decided to clean out the garage. We went through every box in that place!! (let me remind you this is our only storage, so everything we have is boxed out there-it was a lot). We got rid of so much stuff our garbage was piled almost as high as our two cans! It was awesome. Look at all that!While cleaning we came across a few childhood boxes....& I couldn't resist. We had a lot of good laughs looking through everything!! Here are a few of our favorite things we came across. Awww so cute! That's Mr. Man & his brother!!We also came across some articles on the family farm (Justin's Mother's family) Soooo cool! It was so interesting. And below some awesome older family photos...on the farm.After a few hours of cleaning we watered our garden & then went to our favorite mexican place for some dinner. I had been good all day waiting to go out for dinner! It was delicious. We spent the rest of the night laying around & relaxing & watching Made of Honor.