Stay-cation!

So last week David and I went on a stay-cation!  And for those of you that know us, that means that David also got sick.  It's basically tradition for David to get sick on vacations now, which is no bueno!  Still, it was a very relaxing and much needed rest from work for both of us!  And we did manage to do a few semi-exciting things.  Check out our wonderful stay-cation!

I made Wild Alaskan Salmon and sweet potato fries...

Picked some of the first tomatoes from our little garden...

Painted our spare room/future offsprings room green (and LOVE it)...

Found sheet music for the Piano Man and decided to learn to play it (it's still a work in progress!)...

Took a mini road trip to small-town Iowa for David's family reunion...

And then road tripped it back on home, making a few stops along the way!

Project: Frames

As some of you may know, my husband and I bought our first house a few months ago!  Of course as with any new home there is so much to do and it has definitely been keeping us busy!  I have been dying to share some photos regarding the house, but I have been holding off because I want to have a room that is 100% complete before I show it!  To date, there are a couple of rooms about 80%-90% done, but none all the way completed.  So, because I could not wait any longer and just had to show something...here is a peek at a little project I just finished for our bedroom and LOVE!

I am newly OBSESSED with painting frames!  I LOVE the look and have decided that our whole house is going to be packed with painted frames, David really has no say in the matter!  For this first set, I simply went to Goodwill and picked out about 6 frames for about $2 a piece.  Obviously for this project I did not use all of the frames, but trust me, I will find a spot for those other two!  Here's a look at my process:

I lightly sanded the frames before painting (and I really mean lightly, I've discovered that I strongly dislike sanding and I do not have the patience for it!).

Then I simply painted each frame with 1 to 2 coats, waited for them to dry, and inserted the pictures!

Hanging them was another story.  Instead of measuring, I like to estimate where to nail in the wall (not a great idea after you've just spent 2 days painting the room!).  So for the frame on the right, I ended up putting 3 holes in the wall before getting it in the spot I wanted...ooops!

Just Because: Mandy

Today I'm bringing you what has become my favorite session to date!  Some of you may remember Mandy from her previous blog post.  She graciously agreed to let me photograph her again and we had a blast.  I am so pleased with the images we got, I could not have asked for a better model!  And just a warning, this post is heavy on pictures, it was too difficult to decide which ones to use!  Enjoy!

Today

Each day is a new day to learn, to create, to love, to dream, and to make your dreams come true.  Don't let even a day go by without creating, loving, dreaming, or pursuing your dreams.  Each day has the potential to become what dreams are made of.  Make each day count. 

A Wedding Story: Patsi & Derek

Today I will be bringing you my first wedding blog post!  And I'm so excited!  Patsi and Derek had a beautiful out door ceremony on an absolutely perfect day!  I had not met them prior to their wedding, however, I immediately felt at ease and welcomed by them.  I met Derek first as we had both arrived early and so I took the opportunity to get some shots of him and his groomsmen, I'll start with some of my favorites of those:

We grabbed a few shots of the bride as she anxiously awaited for the ceremony to start:

Shortly after the bride arrived, the ceremony was started:

Husband and Wife!

Of course we had to have some fun with the bridal party after the ceremony!

And now for my absolute favorite part, portraits of the newly wed couple!  Patsi and Derek were amazing to work with, their love and affection was so natural which made my job easy!

A little ways into the reception I snuck out with Patsi and Derek to grab some sunset shots with the two of them, our timing was perfect, check out this beautiful lighting!

Patsi and Derek, thank you so much for letting me be a part of your day!!  And thank you also to Mark from Z Video Productions who came out to help me document this wedding!