For the Love!

I was going to start this post with something like "Hey, we're having a get together!" 


And then, for some reason, I looked up "get together" on Urban Dictionary. 
Get Together: What a person with not enough friends to throw a party calls it when they throw a party. (www.urbandictionary.com)

So we're not having a get together! We're having a chat it up, drink some coffee, take some photos, rock it out, have some fun, shindig. You might remember me introducing the idea of For the Love awhile ago. Or you might have read about it on Wendy's blog.  Just to refresh you if you have heard us talk about it, or to introduce you to is if you haven't, For the Love is a group of photographers that love photography, love art, love good friends and fun times. It's a group to bounce ideas off of, to talk with, to find inspiration and motivation, and to chat with about all things photography and not (because seriously, I know Jared and my family get tired of me talking about this light and that aperture and this other lens, etc!).  So come join us! Where, you ask? Here are the details:


Where: Starbucks in downtown Gainesville (Corner of SE 1st St and SE 2nd Place, near The Hipp)
When: 9:30am Saturday, November 20th


Our plan is to grab some coffee, do some chatting, and wander around downtown G'ville with our cameras, playing with locations and head shots of each other (I know, none of us like to be on that side of the camera, but face it -- we all need head shots, right?).


We hope you'll join us!! Please drop us a line and let us know if you're coming in the comments section -- we don't want to wander off without you!

Josh and Wendy ~ Orlando Wedding Photographer

Here it is! The full blog post from Josh and Wendy's wedding in Orlando! Just one word to describe this wedding - FUN! I haven't ever met a more fun loving couple. The wedding and reception were held at the Hilton in Altamonte Springs. Enjoy the photos!

Wendy and her girls were fabulous! So much laughter and love!

We drove over to Crane's Roost Park in Uptown Altamonte for some bridal portraits. Wendy, you are beautiful!

Wendy and her daughters -- I can't tell you how much I love this family!

Some fun shots of the girls at the park and the guys at the hotel bar.

 More evidence of the fun had by all!

Lovely flower arrangements by Jonathan's Flowers of Winter Park

The cake was beautiful! (Sylvette Ortiz-Wittmer, Cakes by Design, Inc)

More casual dress by the end of the day!

Horse Shows in the Park ~~ Gainesville Equine Photographer

It's been awhile since I posted horse photos! I haven't been to many shows lately, due to not being around a lot on the weekends and because I haven't been showing. But I snuck over to Canterbury today for a few minutes and caught Ella and her girls as some of them were showing at the Horse Shows in the Park Hunter/Jumper show. It was such a beautiful day for a horse show -- sunny but not too warm, with just enough breeze.  Wasn't there for long, so just a few photos:

Bailey and Sam in the 2'9 jumpers

Dee and Sterling during one of their flat classes.

Quick poll

Ok, so I have a question for all of you blog followers out there.... When I post a new blog post, how do you find out?  Please take a few seconds and answer my poll down below; not only am I curious, it will help me keep in touch with you better!!

Just breathe

I'm a list maker. If I'm packing for something, I make a list. Groceries? List. To-do's? List. Errands? List. Yesterday I had a list. Finish work, stop at the barn, stop at the store, ride, do laundry, make dinner, call Beth, wash dishes. And that was just my "on the way home" list....

What wasn't on my list was photos. Or flowers. Or bright blue sunny skies. Or bouncy puppy dogs greeting me anxiously at the door. At least, those weren't on my list until I got home. Then they became my list. I didn't make it to the store. Didn't go ride (hey, I will tomorrow!). Haven't washed dishes (at least not as of writing this!). What I did do was take my girls outside and run around a bit. Take some photos of the wonderful wild flowers that populate the overgrown fields by my house. What I did do was breathe. Remember to thank God for the little things. And live.

My favorite. :)

Wendy & Josh Sneak Peek ~ Orlando Wedding Photographer

Just a quick sneak peek for you from the Shull/Richard wedding this past weekend. Wendy and Josh were such fun! Hopefully, they're off somewhere in Hawaii, soaking in the sun. (no rhyme intended....) Until I can get the rest edited, here are a few to hold you over:

LOVE the back of Wendy's dress. She had it customized with the blue and it was gorgeous! Love this area of Crane's Roost Park in Uptown Altamonte, too!

Livvy (Wendy and Josh's daughter) was adorable as the flower girl! How can you resist those big eyes!?!?

More to come!

Saturday

I had a plan for Saturday. It was a good plan. And then it blew up. Not just slowly disintegrated, but exploded, like the secret messages self destruct in Inspector Gadget, leaving Chief Quimby with a sooty face and shreds of paper slowly floating to the ground. (And if you don't remember Inspector Gadget, I feel sorry for you. I still say "Go, go gadget arm!" when I need something. And yes, I'm a dork. I'm okay with that.) But when I called, you were there, willing to step in, to do something out of your comfort zone. Because I needed you. You were that cool, calm that only you can be, that constant steadiness that grounds me. You stood by my side on Saturday, worked as a partner. You did what I needed. When I got bossy, you smiled, nodded, and did things your own way -- just what I needed you to do.

Driving home Saturday night, I was overcome with emotion. Exhaustion, to be sure. But also with love, with gratitude, with amazement. Love for you. Gratitude to God that 13 years ago (!)he put you in my life, to be my partner. That he created someone just for me, and that that someone is such an incredible guy. Amazement that someone out there could so completely complete me, balance me out. Thankful that there is someone who has walked beside me in this life, and continues to take each step into the future with me. And I know I told you then, but I'm telling you again now. Thank you. I love you. You're amazing.

Old photos! Can't remember when I took the one on the left -- sometime in undergrad? 

The beach photo on the right is from 2004. Sorry for the bad quality -- scans/crappy old digital camera photos!

Fall

The air is crisp. The sky seems bluer. Everything has a crackle of excitement about it.

I love fall. Here in Florida, the leaves don't turn pretty colors, but oh, do we get some beautiful fall days. Fall days that make me excited to carve a pumpkin, to play outside with my girls, to breathe in that crisp air and not feel stifled any longer by our blessed summer heat. Fall puts me in the mood to bake again -- apple pies, pumpkin whoopie pies (for those of you not from the north, these things are amazing and I will bake some at your request!), and all kinds of fall goodness. It seems like with the beginning of October, God flipped a switched and bang! It is fall!

In honor of all of that fall goodness, I made beef veggie soup. I can't remember a fall season going by that my Gram and/or my Mom didn't make yummy beef veggie soup and just thinking about the fall weather made me a little homesick and a little ready for some soup goodness. So I chopped everything up Sunday night, cooked my soup in the crockpot yesterday, and came home last night to a house that smelled delicious!  (and don't worry, I'll be getting my homesickness taken care of the end of this month -- headed home for the baptism of my niece and nephew! Hopefully lots of fall goodness!

and because I can't end without a photo, here's a shot of the yummy-ness that is my beef veggie soup:

Sometimes, you just need to smile

Sometimes I'm in the mood for pretty pictures that inspire me. This week, I've needed some serious cuteness. Things that embody love. So because it's been that kind of week, here are a few photos that make me smile. Because sometimes, you just need to smile.

Yes, it's Annie... I love the big dog she's grown into, but I do miss that puppy!

Because this is how I've felt all week... (courtesy of Fat Orange Cat Studio)

Just because it's pretty... even though I said I wasn't in a mood for pretty. 

(photo courtesy of Jim Zuckerman)