weekend in review

My holiday weekend consisted of....

...a little bit of driving...

...my must-have road trip drinks...

...a beautiful Georgia wedding...

...a $3 DVD...

...an inappropriately funny movie at the theatre...

...good times with old friends...

You just can't beat a holiday weekend.

what 7 years looks like...

Lance and I celebrated 7 fabulous years of marriage yesterday. After 7 years, your anniversary looks something a little like this...

::Your amazing husband makes a surprise visit to Georgia so you can celebrate in the same state.

::You share a toothbrush, because he forgot his.

::You get a mani/pedi, while he picks up his repaired fly fishing rod.

::You buy him a $3 DVD.

::You decide on a dinner date at one of your long-time favorite local restaurants.

::You make a stop at Dairy Queen for dessert.

::You watch the $3 DVD you bought him and fall asleep half way through.

Happy anniversary Lance! I love you!

anna & greg getting hitched!

This adorable couple is tying the knot today... and I will be there to capture every little detail...

janaye & jonny :: married!! {louisville wedding photographer}

Last weekend I traveled to Joplin, MO to photograph a beautiful outdoor wedding... A sweet Missouri girl said "I do" to the charming Irish boy that stole her heart. You may remember Janaye & Jonny from their adorable engagement session last fall. This couple has captured my heart and I'm so grateful that I was able to be a part of their big day.

There were so many sweet touches that made this day so special... one being the simple fact that the bride and groom chose to have a Friday wedding... and for those of you that have seen the news about the terrible tornado that devastated the city last Sunday can understand why one day makes such a big difference. I'm so thankful that all of the guests and bridal party had safe travels before the tornado hit. The Lord was looking down on this bride & groom.

We woke up on Friday to quite the thunderstorm. Which obviously is not what you want to wake up to when you're planning an outdoor wedding. But we made the most of it... we gathered up our umbrellas and braved the soggy ground and had a blast. The bridal party was amazing. Sure enough, the sun started peeking out right before the ceremony... and stayed out until the reception... it was perfect.

Here's what made me smile last weekend...

...a beautiful flowing dress, with "accidental" lace straps...

...a stunning bride...

...the little things...

...shielding the bride from the elements...

...bridesmaids that know how to rock it despite the weather...

...a pack of Irish groomsmen...

...the air guitar...

...a magazine-worthy bridal party...

...rustic vintage details in a happy color scheme...

...horses that want to be in all of your bridal portraits...

...a groom that is head over heels crazy about his bride...

...tears of joy...

...a simple hymn that was the heartbeat of the ceremony...

...the blushing bride...

...sealing the deal...

...a wet first dance...

...a bride & groom that know how to work the dance floor...

...and guests that aren't half bad either...

...an amazing photo booth with an even more amazing 2nd shooter...

...borrowing photo booth props for the dance floor...

...bridesmaids that take over the photo booth...

...happily ever after...

thankful thursday {link up}

{link up your own Thankful Thursday post here or over on Jamie's blog}

This Thursday I am thankful for:

1) ELECTRICITY. I am so thankful that Benjamin Franklin woke up one day and thought to put a metal key on a kite and fly it in a thunderstorm. Stupid idea... brilliant outcome. After being without power for the past few days this week, I realized just how much I rely on electricity. Yes... computers, television, etc... but just the simple things like being able to reheat my pizza, or being able to actually see the toilet before I pee... you know, the small pleasures in life.

2) Trips. Tomorrow morning I head for basically a 3-in-1 trip... photographing a beautiful wedding in Gainesville, then working at the Atlanta office, then off for a weekend in Houston for wedding showers and parties for my sister. If I'm being quite honest, I'm actually very overwhelmed about this 3-in-1 trip. I have to strategically pack work clothes, dresses for bridal showers, 2 computers, and all of my camera gear. I have to drive to Georgia, but then fly to Houston, and then to Louisville. Lance and I will barely see each other over the next couple of weeks, and we won't get to spend our anniversary together this year. But... I'm trying to change my focus. I'm thrilled I get to photograph another wedding... I'm so blessed that I'm employed by a company so willing to let me work from home... and I'm completely stoked that my little sister is planning her dream wedding to her dream guy. I'm trying to remember my one little word for 2011... delight. I want to delight in my experiences.

3) Marriage. This coming Sunday will mark 7 years of blissful marriage for Lance and I. Photographing these weddings has reminded me how beautiful a wedding can be... but even more than that... how beautiful the union itself is. We have a wedding to get married... we don't get married to have a wedding. Marriage is hard work. Don't let anyone fool you. Lance and I have definitely learned a lot in the past 7 years, and he compliments me in a way that no one else could. His strengths are my weaknesses and vice versa. I am so thankful for him and the marriage we share.

What about you? What are you thankful for this Thursday? Feel free to join in below...

what happens when the lights go out...

So we lost our power at 6:00pm yesterday. Louisville had a really bad thunderstorm come through... lots of rain, lots of thunder, and lots of wind.

Sure enough our electricity went out. Little Cat huddled in the corner of our bathroom like he usually does when riding out a storm, and I was about to meet Lance at the seminary so we could catch a movie. I debated canceling our movie night because I wasn't sure I wanted to brave the monsoon. But the rain let up a little and I realized there wasn't much for us to do if we stayed at the house in the dark... well there is, I guess, but this is a PG-rated blog, folks.

I grabbed my rain coat and hopped in the car and headed down the street only to find this:

The main culprit to our power outage, I suspect. A giant tree that cracked at the base, only to land directly on our power lines... which was the only thing holding the tree up, allowing my little Prius to pass underneath.

So, what does one do when your power is out, with no hope of getting it back anytime soon??

First, you head to the movie theatre to buy some time. We decided on Bridesmaids. Absolutely hilarious. Think The Hangover, for chicks.

Once you get home and realize that there is still no power, you light all the candles you can find... creating a major fire hazard. Then you bring home a pizza and set up your iPhone so you can catch up on a couple of episodes of The Office. Of course you both have to sit with your heads really close to one another so you can actually see the 3" screen.

Then you realize that all of the food in your fridge and freezer will need to be thrown out tomorrow, and are so, so thankful you still haven't made time to go to the grocery store. You also realize that the wet clothes that are sitting in your dryer will need to be washed all over again.

You get in bed and make a mental note of how dependent you actually are on electricity... mainly TV and your computer. Oh, and your hair dryer, which you have yet to use, and will sleep with wet hair tonight. You then vow to lay off all the multimedia for a while, because you are sure it's rotting your brain. But then you make a deal... vowing to lay off the multimedia, if you can at least have a fan to sleep with at night, because the still silence is just dreadful and you cannot fall asleep.

You wake up a little late because you have no alarm and your cell phone is dead. You grudgingly realize you need to pack up your work and your laptop and head to your 2nd office... Panera Bread. But all is okay, because you get to eat breakfast and lunch there... and are thrilled about trying their new blue cheese salad.

But now you are just hoping that the power comes back on so you can clean out the stinky fridge and re-wash your now moldy clothes... oh, and sleep with a fan tonight.

what i've been doing...

I was in the car... a lot.

I spent a lot of quality time with this girl. You may recognize her from here.

I learned about her crazy gluten-free diet and how it makes for a really sad sandwich.

I learned how to put air in my tires at a gas station... in the rain.

I ate an amazing bowl of potato soup from the Red Onion Cafe in Joplin, MO.

I visited extended family that I hadn't seen in over 5 years.

I photographed a gorgeous country wedding.

I celebrated with the bride and groom.

I was in the car... a lot... again... and on Lance's birthday.

I bought & wrapped Lance's birthday present.

And thankfully, I was far, far away from Joplin, MO when this tornado devastated the city yesterday. Praying for those that have lost everything and are still searching for loved ones.

What about you? What did you do? Where were you... or where weren't you... this weekend?