And I'm off!

catch me if you can =) Fun family session & then coffee with a girlfriend. The hubs is watching the baseball game with his friends tonight so I'm going to go get my next book in the outlander series & curl up to it in bed. Then I'll probably get some editing done. I am really looking forward to it. I love the crispness in the air and am looking forward to spending the next hour outside! Hope you have some fun plans for the night.

simple pleasures.

{white hot cocoa} from caribou while editing pictures. Add chocolate & substitute a cold diet coke and it's just as great.
{finger nail polish} you'll rarely find me with painted nails, but when you do you'll know it's a good day. they make me smile.
{book hunting} i love randomly finding a book i've been searching for on a whim.

{a good friend} that just gets you. no explanations needed.
{pearls} i wear them almost every day. they dress up any outfit and make me feel fancy.

{a warm sweater} a love being cozy at work.
{morning minutes} love chatting with my hubby as we get ready in the morning together.
{morning drive} love the alone time to think & create.

{an unexpected compliment} no definition needed.

what are your simple pleasures lately?

I'm back!

hello chilly weather!! Oh how I love thee.

No I'm not crazy. well, sort of =) I am just ready for a change of season.

I promised I would be better this week & I will. Here are all the updates...we had a blessed weekend. We had our fall photo shoot with Whitney which was absolutely hilarious!! Jay was soooo funny and making Whitney and I laugh the whole time. Sometimes from ackwardness and sometimes from his dance moves =)...haha I start giggling even when I think about it now! We like to do fun Christmas cards so we dressed up as a nerdy couple and did some fun nerdy stuff in uptown =) The tandem bikes were my favorite. Note: they are SO hard to drive! we were so wiggly and wobbly that we only got a few good pictures because I was cracking up so hard!! (or falling off!) I don't think I've laughed that much in a good while. But anyways-I have to give him tons of credit because he was a super good sport and came up with a lot of the crazy & silly ideas on his own. More pictures to come later!! On saturday I got a chance to spend some time with some old friends and that was really nice to catch up with them. We went over to Erin's house & everyone but me scrapbooked. I just sat and drank wine and ate chocolate and talked...it was awesome!

Saturday night Jay had his end of the year softball party and had everyone over to our house. So we watched football & played yards games and grilled out. It was nice to enjoy the afternoon outside in the perfect fall weather. We went out Saturday night for a few hours with Jay's uncle & brother and that was fun too. Sunday I had a session and then we were lazy all day. We got another Vikings victory & enjoyed a frusterating but good ending with an awesome touchdown pass by Farve.

Tonight Jay went to BWW with some friends to watch the Twins game and Whitney and I got together for a session at an awesome new location we found. Afterwards we got some dinner & talked photography & life....a perfect night!! I'm off to catch up with my hubby...

Almost there...

I know, I've been slacking on the blog-it's been one heck of a week. But here I am now =) First I want to share a news story that featured my sister and a few of her teammates. Kare 11 ran a news story on their soccer team after discovering they are 1st in the nation, and they shadowed the girls at school. al is the cute tiny little thing with the tebow jersey on. She has a few soundbites & clips of her dribbling. Check it out! and then come cheer them on at a game, they are so exciting to watch!! {find the video on the right hand side mid-page}

Here are some photos from Jay's trip to Florida & the Swamp. He got to see "the walk" {gators arrive on the bus & walk down a path to the locker rooms wearing suits & surrounded by fans every home game} of course Tebow got out last & he said you would have thought he was the President. People went insane! I wish I could have gotten to see that. Papa got tickets to the U of F vs. Florida State game {the last one of the year & Tebow's last game in his college career} and is taking al to the Swamp for it! so jealous!! They are HUGE rivals & that will be an amazing experience.



This week was like a year for me. It was rough. I'm so glad it's Friday and we have a lot of fun planned. Can't wait to leave the office & hang out with my hubby tonight! We have a big day tomorrow and Sunday I have another newborn session & the Vikings game. I love it when there is not a ton of things going on...and I love being at home on rainy nights with Jay! I'll be better {blogging} next week when I have more energy. Enjoy your weekend =)

Thoughts on Thursdays

Keep things simple.

We received a book as a wedding gift that was advice on marriage from a third grade class. After readying the book (also with the children's illustrations) we realized that they are wise beyond their years. Their ideas were simple yet so true. They look at everything in black and white, simple fact. If only the world would live on their wisdom, we would be a happier place =) Their advice was darling. Here are a few of our favorites:

My advice is if there are two cupcakes and the man takes the ones with not as much frosting, he loves you.

Try to agree on things.

Love, never hate.

If someone comes home late from work, dont' make a fight about it because they have probably been working too hard.

When your husbands grumpy, give him some coffee.

My advice is to say you love each other for the rest of your lives.

Mostly say yes (like if you're going to have hot dogs for dinner and you really dont like hot dogs it's ok to say no.)

Take breaks from each other once in awhile.

Give lots of love to each other and respect one another.

Have at least one child.

Kiss and makeup when you get in a fight.

Be together when you can

Do not marry another person.

Most importantly, have a fun marriage and love each other no matter what.

Erin has now joined thoughts on thursdays with Amber & I too =)

smiling stranger.

A stranger smiled at me today & it warmed my heart. Smile at a stranger tomorrow....they might need it.

content.

Lazy saturday night=awesome. I'm sitting here editing and listening to good music & enjoying the peace and quiet. I love when I have a great session & then have the time to come home and edit a few sneak peeks. Today was a big day for me, I completed my first newborn session. It went really well! Thankfully Whitney was able to come along and help and that made it so much better. I found out that I LOVE newborn sessions. I am looking forward to a few sessions tomorrow, the Vikings game & more relaxing. I also get to pick up my husband from the airport!!!!!!!!!! can't wait to see him. He checks my photography blog all the time and I came home tonight to the sweetest message from him. he had checked it from his phone in florida because he knew I had a session this morning & he knows I'm quick to put up sneak peeks. He's so thoughtful & my biggest supporter! all it said was "you are amazing" but those three words gave me butterflies & a huge grin. I have a surprise in the works for him tomorrow morning...and I'm excited to see how it comes together. You'll find out what it is later =) I'm off to climb in bed and hopefully finish my book.

*I'm looking for a bride/wife who is interested in a boudoir session for a steal of a deal! If you know of someone who might be interested please send them my way for details. I'll probably post something on my photog blog but I thought I would start here for now =)

Random Fact Friday

Random fact friday is going to be random post friday because I have a lot of random things to share about what we've been up to lately.

What we've been enjoying: quiet nights at home. sweating through jillian michael's "the shred" every night after work & running to al's soccer games. The tops three random artists on our ipod playlist: O.A.R, ingrid michaelson & the frey. What we are excited about: just found out Aly's team is rated number 1 in the nation! 1st year ever. that's awesome. What we are looking forward to: vikings games, our fall photo shoot, fall & winter roadtrips, the holidays! Our accomplishments: jay's the head of the athletic department at his school. he writes the curriculum & basically runs everything...i'm so proud of him! I think I shared this before but I wanted to share again.

Places to share: Cravings wine bar. if you are ever around the woodbury area you should check it out. great for a special occasion or date night. they have unique & fresh entrees and everything including the desserts is homemade. get the chocolate turtle cake! they also have free wine tastings on thursday evenings. the owner is a friend of my dad's and really nice. Redwing, MN. being newlyweds & having a small budget has forced us to look other places for vacations, roadtrips & day trips. we have discovered some of the most amazing spots close to home. redwing is a small town in the mississippi river valley. it's romantic, it's historic it's cute & it's only an hour away from the cities. they have vineyards, a theatre, beautiful scenary & cute shops. they have an annual holiday stroll that includes horse drawn rides, carolers, a live nativity, live reindeer, chili, parade, etc. Pratt-Taber Inn. this is an adorable bed & breakfast in redwing. it's got reasonable prices and the inn keeper is great. they have a small theatre in redwing that has great plays for a reasonable price (jay's taking me to the nutcracker!!) and the inn offers discount tickets as well as discounts to local eateries. Vino in the Valley offers wine tastings & horse drawn sleigh rides. you can cut your Christmas tree down or sip hot cocoa (or wine!) & enjoy their famous brick oven pizza. Afton apple orchard is in hastings & has a yearly apple festival. this year it's october 10th & 11th. they have hayrides, cider demonstrations, a petting farm, face painting, etc. perfect for kids & adults. they also have a super fun corn maze that opens this saturday. it's over 5 miles. i believe last year we had the cheat to get out! it's hard =)

just a few ideas that are close to home & affordable that i thought some of you may enjoy this fall & winter! we've been trying to do small weekends like this often to get to know minnesota & wisconsin. if you have any places to suggest please share. have a great weekend everyone, thank you for being a part of our life!

just a dream.

I'm so ready for crisp nights & sweater season. I'm so ready for vacation. I'm so over working every day all day. I'm SO ready for the holidays. (yes, I'm one of those who starts listening to Christmas music months before Christmas!). I love making new family traditions with my husband. I just love all the family time.

::sighs and snaps back to reality::

I wish it was late October. One more hectic month & a half to get through & things will settle down (a little). I'm promising myself I'm not booking over 2 sessions in December. There. Now hold me to it everyone!!!! Ok sorry about the rant! I think I'm good now. I'm so excited for Jay because this weekend he flys to Gainesville with Max to go to the Swamp & watch the Gators vs. Tennesee football game! I'm so jealous!! He gets about a week and a half off for Ramadan at his school so he's got a bunch of free days off in a row (now do you understand the necessity of the vent??!). This means I have the weekend to myself. I'm heading to mama's for the weekend. Bunny & Papa are coming up to watch al's game on Saturday and then we have lots of fun planned. I am really looking forward to it. Now if I can just get through this darn week. Tonight we are headed to the Twins game with Jay's brother & girlfriend so that will help...now back to my dream like state of mind =)

Are you ready for some football?

I spent most of the weekend in bed with a fever. It sounds horrible but I'm actually glad that it made me settle for a few days & relax. I got over 12 hours of sleep every night...it was awesome! I got a lot of reading done & it was so nice to mellow out. By the time Sunday rolled around I was almost back to normal (with the help of meds!!) either that or I was just too excited for the vikings football kick-off game =) either way I was in great spirits. Jay was such a saint. He cleaned the entire house on Friday & Saturday. He took all the furniture off the carpets, vaccuumed & used my mom's deep cleaning shampoo carpet cleaner to shampoo all the carpet in the house (!!) It looks like brand new carpet-so awesome and it smells so fresh and clean. I love it. He also went shopping for some items for our bar-b-que on Sunday with my in-laws. I really didn't feel like going to the grocery store, especially because I was sick. Saturday I stopped by my friend Krystal's baby shower but didn't stay long because I was drained & I didn't want to get anyone sick. It was nice to see all my old work friends briefly & a nice break !!
Sunday we had delicious cheeseburgers and brats on the grill & the Feldkamp favorite....german potato salad. If you have never had any you are missing out!! We had fun with his dad, step mom & step brother. We watched the Vikes & played a game of mexican train (dominoes) It's always so fun to be with family! We were already talking about our Thanksgiving plans and we can't wait to spend that special time with them.

good food. good game. great company.

I looooove football season!!

Summer memories

highlights. summer 2009

OAR concert at the MN state fair. tried the turket leg this year, it was delicious.

our 1st vikings game as a married couple! brett farve's debut as our QB in the dome.

dinner dates on the water in stillwater, prescott & hudson.

twins games. went to the 1st last home opener at the dome & are going to the last on oct. 4

al's soccer games. she was voted captain by her teammates this year =)

roadtrips to bunny & papa's. the road is never long there.

many travels & roadtrips including portland, duluth, & las vegas.

time spent with family. lots of it.

lots of photography for abbey. looking forward to fall!

baseball coaching, training & camps for jay & can't forget working at the fair!

time spent catching up with good friends.

another summer of great memories ♥

Random Fact Friday

Good: I acquired a horrible computer virus at work & got to leave at 10 am.
Bad: I'm sick. I sit here sweating in the 60 degree air conditioned room. yuck.

Thoughts on Thursdays...

Be an i n d i v i d u a l.

It's easy for individuality to get lost in marriage. Grow together as a couple but don't lose yourself as an individual. As we began planning our wedding, people would comment on the difficulites of marriage & the level of maturity and knowledge needed to succeed. We got looks all across the spectrum from horror to sympathy to naivety when people found out we were only 21. We would just grin at each other, smile politely & nod.

Now here we are, almost 3 years later. We survived the 4 years apart, both graduated with Bachelor's degree (one of us almost has our Master's!!), got married, bought a brand new home on our own & moved across town. We've been through a LOT of major change & big experiences in those 3 years, let alone the years of dating that led up to the proposal. Our relationship has prospered immensely. The only reason (besides God's good grace) that we have made it through so much is because we've kept sight of ourselves and grew as individuals as we grew together as a couple. And we embraced each other's independence & change. I sometimes (inappropriatly) scowl when I hear couples that say they could never live without each each. I am fully confident that Jay & I could survive alone, but neither of us want or need to do so. We hang out alone & we do things together. We have our own interests & yet we share some. I like things that he can't stand, & vice versa but we embrace that. We disagree on many topics & have our own opinions. How boring would we be if we were always "one person" with one voice and the same thought? Don't get me wrong, I think there are many things that you need to do together to function as a couple, and being a team is very important to a healthy extent. So much that we read about love is about being selfless, and I think that has validity. But I think you need to love & respect yourself first before you can fully love, take care of & grow with another.

{young} love can flourish if you embrace the individuality & change in your partner.

Check out Amber's blog, she participates in Thoughts on Thursdays with me =)

goodbye summer!

hello glorious fall.

This weekend was busy to say the least. I was running around shooting weddings, sessions, editing & hanging out with family. Jay was working at the fair. I was also able to see all my girlfriends in town & catch up quickly. It was awesome. After one of my long days at a wedding on Sunday, I came home to this:

Previously, it was a corner of weeds, dirt & random rocks. I have been wanting to plant there but just have not found the time to get it done (I think I was also a little scared, not being completely comfortable as a gardener either!) My mom & sister were garden fairies allll day. They worked hard to dig up, soil, mulch & plant these beautiful perennials that make it easy for people like me because they grow back every year. I pulled up to the driveway in the pitch dark but you better believe I still noticed my beautiful new welcome garden!! They also weeded, replanted & mulched our vegetable garden which needed it badly & it looks sooo great!! Thanks Mom & Al you are the BEST! What a great surprise to come home to. Oh-and notice the tomato on our front porch? cute little story behind that. When I got home on Monday night after our Labor day bbq, two of the cutest little boys ran over to our driveway and told me (one with crocodile tears in his little brown eyes) that the "mater" on the porch was for me because they picked a "mater" from the garden & "smushed" it. Are you kidding me?? so cute. Their mother was behind them telling them that it was wrong & that they needed to replace the tomato they smashed. I could barely contain my grin. So that's the story on our little tomato. I was wondering why it was sitting there on the porch! After I said thank you they scampered away. I hope I will see them again soon. I like nice neighbors.

Tonight is DATE night! I say that with enthusiasm because we are pretty excited, we barely saw each other over the weekend. Jay is taking me to Prescott (WI) tonight to walk around & have dinner on the St. Croix. He's been wanting to take me for awhile now & we finally have a free night. It will be great to see the beautiful scenary, have great food & catch up. The rest of the week will be cleaning the house, some school work for Jay (almost to his second degree & Master's!!) and then getting ready for the big kickoff Vikings game on Sunday!! We are making Chili for that...sooo good!!

Simple Woman's Daybook.

September 7th, 2009 from the Simple Woman's Daybook.
Outside my window...
a layer of mist over a corn field.
I am thinking...
i'm glad i'm not at work.
I am thankful for...
my mom & sister loving me so much! & the surprise they left us (pics later)
From the kitchen...
eating at mama's today.
I am wearing...
jay's t shirt
I am creating...
editing pictures...does that count?
I am going...
to do nothing but have fun today.
I am reading...
still dragonfly in amber...it's like 800 pages!
I am hoping...
whitney had a good night.
I am learning...
more about the complex creature my husband is every day..he's got lots of layers =)
I am hearing...
crickets chirping, literally. I love living on a field.
Around the house...
nothing today, i will be gone most of the day.
One of my favorite things...
waking jay up with nemo (with nemo kisses) & hanging out in the morning together.
A few plans for the rest of the week...
hanging out with mama & al today while jay works his last day at the fair! i think lunch & a movie are in the plans. maybe some shopping? Happy Labor Day!

Late night thoughts

I don't what I'm still doing up because I have a wedding in the morning, but I'm restless tonight. It's hard to really relax & wind down without Jay here. We are both anxious for his fair working days to be over! He's been working so hard & this last week has been so tiring for us. Last night we were lucky enough to be taken to the Vikings game with my Dad & we had such a great time. I don't think I stopped laughing all night!! My Dad says that watching the two of us is either 1) a comedy show or 2) an old married couple. My vote is two ;) hah. We were so exhausted when we got home last night that we literally layed on the bedroom floor, cuddled with our puppy & talked. It was one of those moments where we knew we should get up & get in bed but we were too tired to move...so we just stayed & talked. Even though we were up way too late, I wouldn't have traded it for any amount of sleep. I didn't realize how long the week had been for us & how nice the "us" time was. We've been watching Jenni's dog as well so our house is extra full & bustling :) Now I can barely keep my eyes open & I am waiting for him to get home so we can get some much needed sleep!

Thoughts on Thursdays...

Celebrate the small stuff.

This is from my personal (if somewhat small) library of knowledge on marriage =) We make a point to make a big deal about the small accomplishments, experiences & opportunities we are given. Your life is not made up of big accomplishments, in fact they only happen every once in awhile & you are worth celebrating so much more than those few big times. Your life is made up of a series of small moments connected by the big ones-so celebrate them! Make a point to get excited about your spouse & what's going on in their life. Our marriage has electricity & excitement that is sparked by this & I think we take things for granted less often. You will also feel more appreciated.


Ignite electricity in your marriage.

Girl put your records on.

Pour the wine.
Get the fixings ready.
Sit down.
Relax.
Take in the smell of delicious fajitas.
Watch the guys grill.
Smile.
Be in the moment.
Hear your Mama humming in the kitchen.
Get up.
Set the place settings.
Hear your sister singing sweetly off-key.
Fill the plates with fajita-goodness.
Say a blessing.
Eat.
Laugh.
Look around the table at all the blessings surrounding you.
Feel the squeeze from your hubby's hand.
Feel completely fulfilled & satisfied with your life.
Let all of the good in life sink in.

It was just one of those days. <3

Another little (big) beauty

Guess what's on it's way to my doorstep? this beauty. Super excited about it!! Just in time for my fall weddings. I can't wait to get it & play around with it. I'm so lucky I have the work & ability to upgrade my equipment.

Next up...