and speaking of weddings...

... here is an *etsy article about a handmade wedding. not only did golriz and devon use many handmade and vintage items, but they have to be the happiest couple i have ever seen!! their wedding was the most unique, meaningful and joyous celebration i have ever witnessed (through their video)!!! it is twelve minutes and twenty seconds long, but watch it, you won't be sorry. i could watch it every day and not get tired of this couple's obvious zest for life.

they're young

they're cute

they're silly

they are "doomed" to be happy!!

*for those of you who do not know what etsy is, it's a website where artists and crafters can sell their stuff. and also where you can find really cool vintage items.

grateful:
1. for brief glimpses into the happiness of others
2. for laughter after tears
3. for ice cream cones on a hot summer day

the hottest wedding photos EVER- conclusion

oh, a-wedding we will go!!!

i know, it must seem to you that this wedding goes on and on, but really, it was only one afternoon. last post ended at the end of the ceremony. there was a newly married couple, smiles all around, much congratulations and, of course, profuse sweating.

as the guests drove over to the church where the reception was being held, the bride, groom and i drove over to the groom's dad's house. he had just built a house on the edge of a bluff and the view was amazing. because of that, mel and erica wanted some pictures taken there.

here are a few:


i have to tell ya, i kept getting the urge to say "please don't lose your balance!" especially when they took this pose:

apparently they are captain morgan fans.

then we walked over to the pond on the property for a few more shots:

after that, we went on to the reception. there were not many chances for good photos, but i did get this:

and this...LOVE it!!:

outside, we took more family pictures and some "gal pal" shots, such as:

so, ok, i've tortured you enough. but...but....oh, just one more!

awwww!!

the end.

the hottest wedding photos EVER- part 2

so, ok, where was i? oh yeah, i was busy bossing around parents and grandparents at a wedding. here are erica and her parents:

about this time, the guys were going to put their boutonnieres on, when they realized there were no pins attached. a mad search for some kind of pins ensued, to no avail.

here is a shot of mel holding the boutonniere bouquet:

he looked very pretty, don't you think?! ok, on with the ceremony...

it took so long for the little flower girl, tina, to do her thing, that i was not prepared for the rest of the procession. everyone was busy looking at tina, they didn't turn around to see the rest.


there was no music or announcement- they just started coming. i did the best i could. but unfortunately, i didn't get very good shots of anyone!

here is an unflattering picture of elle (shh, don't tell her) :

and here came erica and her dad:

her dad and her son walked her down the aisle, very sweet:

the before ceremony prayer:

who gives this purty gal's hand in marriage? her mama and her daddy do, ya'll. yeah, that's not really how it went, but this is tennessee, it was something like that!

yes, that's a tiger on my baby girl's back:

this picture is just too cute- curt holding best man, sam's, hand:

now, these next shots (and i'm not too proud to say it) were taken from the ground where i was crouching down at the bride's dad's feet. at one point, i was actually crawling along the ground to the other side of the aisle. i am that good.

do you mel? i do.
do you erica? i do.

ok, here comes the kiss. i love this shot. notice the smiles on elle and sam at the sides of the picture:

folks, here are mr. and mrs. married people!

yay!

the bridal party:

i know this post was long and image heavy. but here is one more:

i'm sorry, but i am proud of my pictures, so i will conclude tomorrow with one more wedding photo post....promise!

the hottest wedding photos EVER- part 1

ok, ok, the weather was HOT, not so much the photos. as i stated on my last post, i was photographing a wedding this past saturday. i am not a photographer, just a serial picture taker. i was asked by elle's friends, mel and erica, to take pics at their wedding. they offered to pay me, so i said i would. (duh!) i was prepared, i did my research, i charged my batteries.

well..........i gotta tell ya, i earned every bit of that money!!! it was HOT! maybe the hottest day of summer so far. the outside wedding took place at the groom's grandparents' home. the ceremony was to take place in a partially shady spot under some trees, with a pond and a pasture of cows in the background. very picturesque.

i started taking shots inside as the bride-to-be was getting dressed. her mom and bridesmaid, (my elle), and two friends assisting. (the bad lighting and close quarters made photos a challenge)

lacing up the back of the gown proved to be quite a challenge and also time-consuming. here is elle giving it her best effort:

the bridal party chose to all wear converse high top sneakers...gotta love the look!

so after taking a few shots in "the dressing room", i went out into the living room and, in a roomful of people, asked for all the wedding guys (including two little ones) to follow me out back. it was really a rush to be bossing people around and having them listen unquestioningly!! i took a few decent shots of the guys and sent them back into the air conditioning to rest.

here is mel in the front, erica's dad to the left and best man to the right:

here is mel, his 8 month old son and erica's son, curt:

after erica was all dressed, i pulled her and the gals outside for a couple shots. here are erica, elle and their friend dee:

and here is erica's son, cute curt!

i continued to drink massive amounts of water, as i started pulling moms, dads and grandparents from the crowd. i was on a roll, playing the role, man! i would just say, i need you now and, boom, they were there ready to do my bidding!

here is erica and her grandparents:

erica and mel's grandparents:

mel and his mom:


i guess that's enough for today's post. you can click on any image to enlarge. i will have part two tomorrow.

for now, i will leave you with this photo of erica and her son:

dearly beloved

so, i am going to a wedding tomorrow. actually, i was asked to be the photographer at the wedding tomorrow. i am just an amateur with a very amateur digital camera, but the bride and groom said they'd PAY me so...hey, tomorrow, i'm a wedding photographer!! my mama didn't raise no fool! well, actually, she did. have ya met my brother? hahaha kidding! just kidding!! no fools in our family tree. just monkeys....

anyhoo, it will be another scorcher tomorrow. 97 degrees again, lovely weather for an OUTSIDE wedding. and the ceremony is at 1:00 in the afternoon, peak baking hour!! i plan on wearing my dressiest bathing suit and sunhat. okay, not really but i wish i could! me and heat don't like each other so wish me luck at not passing out long enough to take a few food pictures. hopefully, i will have some to show you next week.

have a great weekend......

(click on photo to purchase that beautiful shabby chic bird cage)

grateful:
1. for my digital camera
2. bottled water
3. shade trees

all's well

hello.
i have had my oral surgery, my mother has had her "female" surgery and we are fine and dandy. i am very tired, i have nothing else to say tonight...
but...
i love ya!!

grateful:
1. for positive outcomes
2. for beautiful orange skies
3. for my hubby...he's a keeper

bike wreck

ha! but really, no cats were injured in the filming of this stunt! he just happened to lie down under the fallen bike. in fact, before i took the picture, his head was resting on the handle bars! goofy kitty....

in other news, there will be no post tomorrow as i will be having oral surgery and probably won't feel much like talking. blog talking, that is...or any talking, but you know what i mean!! i do hope to be back in action on wednesday with another riveting post for all my loyal readers. don't worry, it won't be a play by play of my surgery!!

grateful:
1. for easy summer suppers
2. for friends made in the blogging world
3. and also for friends made elsewhere!

they read minds

if you have children, did you ever think they read your mind? when i was a young mother with a husband who was in the navy and seldom home, kaye and i had a special bond. this was before elle was born( and life got more hectic).

i would just be thinking a random thought, like "hmm, we haven't been to the library in awhile, maybe we'll go today." and within minutes, little two year old kaye would say "mama, we go libewy? i want lotsa books." it would blow me away. or i would be thinking i could really go for having grilled cheese and tomato soup for lunch. and then she would ask for it. there was not any rational explanation for it, she just felt my vibe, man!!

this happened over and over. after elle came along, she would read my mind too, but not as often as kaye.

now one morning recently, i took the dog out and noticed the first big tomato in my garden was ready to pick. i thought i'd wait til later when t.willie awoke and let him pick it. i went back inside and into t.w.'s room. he sat up and the very first words out of his mouth were "i pick a mato?" i said "what?!" and he repeated "i pick a mato, gammie?" so i repeated after him "you wanna pick a tomato?" he answered "yes." i just stood there amazed. how could you explain it? we were not in the habit of picking tomatoes yet, and certainly not first thing in the morning! freaky!!

and a couple nights ago, bilbo told me this story... he and t.w. were riding over to my parent's house. bilbo saw a box turtle in the road and thought about stopping to show it to t.w. but then he noticed a car was right behind him so, he didn't say anything and just drove on. then, as they were returning home, at that spot in the road, bilbo thought about the turtle and was glad to see it was not dead in the road. at that moment, t.willie said "wanna see turtle, pop." bilbo just looked at him and said "you wanna see a turtle?" "yeah", said t.w.

how do they do it? you tell me.

i am grateful:
1. that they can't seem to read "dirty" minds!
2. for sonic's two-for-one shakes
3. tv shows that play online

a funny site that's FUNNY!!

if you are a wannabe decorator like i am, you probably have perused a pottery barn catalog many a time. i save my catalogs and decorating magazines and reread them OVER and OVER. they are my bibles. and although i love the pottery barn catalogs, i do have to laugh at some of the room accessories.

apparently, i am not the only one. i have come across a website/blog that pokes fun at these catalog pictures. it is called "catalog living" and is described as "a look into the exciting lives of the people who live in your catalogs."

when i started reading the captions below the pictures, i just had to laugh! i have thought similar thoughts while looking at catalog photos.

here are a few favorites: (click on the images to see a larger view)

While Gary and Elaine were in the kitchen getting popcorn, the brave yellow sweater attempted its escape.

Secretly, Gary had always wondered if all these children were indeed his.

and my #1 favorite:

Elaine wasn't about to let some hot flashes get in the way of balancing the checkbook with the abacus.

hahahahaha OMG!! too funny! she kills me!
so, this got me inspired to do one of my OWN, here goes:

Wanting to wear Aunt Myrtle's swimsuit one last time, before taking it to Goodwill, Elaine searched the house, but didn't know what Gary had done with it.

Please, do yourself a favor and check out CATALOG LIVING and have a good laugh!

(all images courtesy of pottery barn)

grateful for:
1. hummingbirds
2. my computer printer
3. little boys, who when you say "be careful", they answer "thanks, i will" !!!