Alex and Lisa. The Wedding.

Alex and Lisa's wedding was at the Tuscany Restaurant. It was such a beautiful atmosphere for a wedding. I wish my yard looked like the grounds at the Tuscany! Their wedding was an intimate gathering with only their closest friends and family. It was a really special ceremony, with lots of emotion. Here are some of my favorite shots of the day:
We got to hang out in the men's restroom with Alex. There was some really dramatic lighting that was super cool...

I love this picture of the groom...
Thanks to Jessie (my assistant) for this amazing shot...





I loved Lisa's champagne colored wedding dress...







The darling flower girls...










A HUGE thanks to the beautiful Jessie Evans who assisted me at this wedding. There is NO WAY I could've done this wedding without her! I was so busy the entire time and felt the need to be in two places at once. Luckily I had Jessie!! She took all the reception detail shots which turned out amazing! Thanks my darlin'!

Something old, something new

Today was a special day for me to give tribute to my grandma's wonderful life. A few days before grams passed my mom pulled out grams vintage wedding dress that was 77 years old. When I saw it I gasped. It is SO beautiful. Then with the recent passing of grams I asked my mom if I could wear it to the funeral to honor her and her beauty. The dress really is amazing. It's a delicate beige colored lace, but has a very modern cut and doesn't look old fashioned to me. It's just timeless and beautiful and I felt so special that I was able to wear it.


Here's me wearing it:

Here's grams wearing it 77 years ago. Isn't that cool?

Goodbye to my sweet Grams.

I am a little hesitant to post about this, because the matter is so personal, and close to my heart. But my beautiful and sweet grandmother passed away on Saturday. She died at the age of 97. We all thought that she would make it to 100 because of her stubborness and fear of dying, but her body just couldn't keep going (though I think her spirit could've gone on forever).

It's been an emotional time. In a way, I'm happy she's passed on. Because I know she is in a better place. Without the aches and pains of old age. And she is with all her loved one's now. But I'm also sad. Because she is gone. And I will miss her. And I loved her so much.

She died with all of us surrounding her at the hospital (all my siblings, seven of us total). The nurses kept saying how wonderful it was that all of could be there with her in the end. And I'm glad we were. How could we not be? Grams was there for ALL of us at many times in our lives.

Grams was feisty as hell, racist, stubborn, and downright hilarious too. My family and I could quote grandma's sayings all day. She used to tell us things like "Mayonaise is good for the heart because it has iron in it", and other great tidbits of advice like "He that takes the shit gets to the top." And though I laugh, and remember how she was always criticizing me for not cooking enough for my husband, I will always remember her loving spirit and charity towards others.

Spinach Smoothie. You know you want one.....

Due to a large demand (actually only two people) I am posting my recipe for the BEST, most healthiest, and delicious smoothies EVER! Spinach is so good for you, and people usually don't get enough leafy greens in their diet (which is great for cancer prevention, and good health in general). So I really can't rave enough about these smoothies. They've also helped my energy level a ton (since it has been low since my surgery, and being a mom to a BUSY little two-year-old). So try one out! At first, they taste a little weird. They definitely aren't sugary and sweet like a Jamba Juice. But after awhile, you will LOVE them, and crave them. And you will get to the point where you add less and less fruit because the spinach flavor is so tasty.

Here's the recipe. It's not exact, just more of a guideline. You can alter it to suit your tastes.

In a blender add:

1 C. orange juice
2 C. fresh spinach (not the frozen kind)
1 C. fresh kale (cut out the thick center stem)

Blend until smooth, and runny, and nasty green.

Then add:

1/2 a banana
1/4 C. frozen raspberries
1/4 C. frozen blueberries

Blend again and then add ICE while blending!

YUM! DELISH!!

Even Violet likes them!





p.s. this recipe makes a 32 oz. glass of spinach goodness.

More baby Chase. One week older and wiser too....

Lance and Jen.

I've been so excited to post these pictures from Lance and Jen's awesome wedding! It was fabulous in everyway! Jen was SOOOO beautiful in her vintage style dress that I seriously want to redo my wedding (renew vows or something) just so I can have her dress and wear it! She looked like a movie star! The day started out early (7:45 a.m. to be exact), but no one seemed to mind since they were there for Jen and Lance who are so incredibly wonderful and sweet. I loved going to their luncheon and listening about their first kiss, and the way Lance proposed, and about how they first met. And it was so sweet how Jen's dad dished me up a plate of food and insisted that I sit down and eat at the luncheon. I get so involved in taking pictures that I usually forget to eat or drink at weddings. So the reminder from him was much appreciated.

Here are some of my faves from the day:



Jen....um, hello gorgeous!
And Lance, who is "really really really ridiculously good looking" (said in Zoolander's voice)












A few vintage style pictures that I'm totally lovin'....


















Thanks to Jessie who assisted me at this wedding, and who shot some of the images posted:)