Jack's Mannequin & why I love Andrew

I haven't posted in a few days. The hectic new schedule I am adjusting to can be blamed for that. I will try to be better this week.

On Wednesday, Colton and I went to see Jack's Mannequin (I will go ahead and put it out there, that they are my favorite band. Yes, I am aware of the fact that the CD has explicit lyrics, I own it. It is due to one song that has the "f" word in it. I don't want anyone to get upset.) It is, by far, my favorite band to see live. :) The pictures kinda stink because of all the fog in the venue.

Andrew (the lead singer) found out at 22 that he had Lukemia. I am 22 now and can't imagine how I would take the news. He battled cancer, chemo and the sickness that came with it all. I don't know if it was his attitude through the battle. His amazing piano playing skills, his lyrics, or the fact that he puts on an incredible concert, but I love him. We found out that he is going back to his old band, so there may not be anymore.

I wanted to upload a video, but it was taking entirely too long. Maybe I will edit and upload a clip or two.

We have an engagement shoot tonight and hopefully we'll be able to get things cleaned up around the apartment. It looks terrible. :/

Energy-less

Edit: No, the news is not that I am pregnant. haha. :)

This new job has kicked my butt. I literally have no energy left when I get home. Imagine that. Spending 8 hours with 4 year olds and not having energy at 5:30 pm. tehe.

Friday was a hard day. It was hard watching the snow melt away. Hard going to work for just a few hours. Hard day at work. Hard night at home. I did get beautiful tulips from my lovely Husband though.

Saturday, I worked in the morning and my beautiful sister in law came over and spent the night. We worked on math until late Saturday night. We also went to one of Colton's shoots. So much fun!

Sunday, we went to church and celebrated Valentines Day by seeing the movie at Studio Movie Grill (and all you can eat pizza).

Monday, I had to be at work at 6 am for a training in Arlington and didn't get home until 7pm. Whew! Long day. I did get some really exciting news I can't wait to share, but it will probably be this summer I can do it. (You can email me if you are curious, I just don't want to post it on the online world).

Tuesday was a lot better. The kids were rowdy, but I'm used to that. I had a schedule set up with lesson plans and it worked AWESOME!! Things are looking up. We also drove around downtown Wylie (so cute!) and looked at our house again. Then, we ended up at Rooms to Go and bought our BEAUTIFUL bedroom set. I am SO EXCITED. It is the one I have wanted for so long now...and it is ours!! Eeeeekk!!

Closing date is in 19 days!!!!!!

My next post may be more insightful, but I want to get things together for our concert tonight (Jack's Mannequin). I have been looking forward to this since December and it is finally here. Yay!!

Let's play a game of catch-up.

HUGE THANKS TO MANDY for helping me make my blog prettier! (I made my own header, believe me she does a much better job at headers than me, so please don't be deceived. Her work is awesome.) I gave her personal blog a shout out last entry, so here's to her blogs blog. ;)

We last left off in October... Wow. Things have changed!

Thanksgiving and Christmas were awesome, spent with family and friends. We had our beautiful Christmas tree again and this year, Chuck posed perfectly in front for me. Becca and Zack spent Christmas with us at our apartment. I finally had the opportunity to meet my beautiful new cousin Chavon (who married my cousin Casey a week after Colton and I) who announced to us that she was pregnant. :) Hailey got a new boyfriend, that we all love so much and have had the most amazing time with. Here are just a few images from those...

Then, I graduated!! Actually, I graduated first, then Christmas, but oh well.

Colton's new website finally opened and business has been booming. We are so blessed with the most amazing brides, couples, families, and everyone who has contributed their wisdom and knowledge. It helps to know amazing photographers who have always been there, and meet new ones along the way. Everyone in the business has been so encouraging and helpful.

Finally, the event that Colton and I have been talking about, wishing for, and saving for 11 months finally came. Our cruise. It was FANTASTIC! Words cannot describe how amazing it was. I will let pictures do most of the talking (then caption) ...




Our huge, beautiful ship.


Cozumel, Mexico.


My new favorite people ever. Seriously, these girls became such good friends of mine in just a week. I can't believe Mandy (middle) lives just 10 minutes from me. You will probably see a lot more of her in the future. ;)


Colton and me with a giant stingray in Grand Cayman.


Colton ziplining in Jamaica.


Game night: I think this sums it up.

Our wonderful waitress, Renata from Croatia and our table mates. We had the best conversations.

I may break down each day in more detail with pictures/scrapbook pages, but for now...I hope you get an idea of what we experienced.

Humbled...

and exhausted. I am overwhelmed by the response that Colton is getting to his photography. We are seriously booked EVERY weekend in October with weddings. We have bridals and engagements throughout now and then as well. We have been so blessed by incredible support from family and friends. God is truly amazing, and I am so thankful for everything going on in our lives right now. Without him, it wouldn't be possible.

Our date nights now consist of going to weddings/engagement shoots together. We spend our free time editing (well...he edits and I say "good job"), making spreadsheets (all me, baby), and organizing.

It's great to see the passion he has for this. He loves taking pictures, editing and delivering CDs. I love meeting new people, going new places, and being a part of such an important event in someone's life. His work isn't bad either. :)

Saturday, we had an engagement shoot with Crystal and Ray. They were such an adorable couple. Seriously, they were a lot of fun. We had a great time.

Then, Sunday, I witnessed one of the most beautiful weddings of all time. The Piazza in the Village was INCREDIBLE. Although I loved our little chapel, this place was a dream. The staff, the art, the halls, EVERYTHING was perfect. The couple, Tera and Terran were absolutely adorable. They smiled from begining to end. It was a beautiful ceremony and a super fun reception. We danced and danced and danced.

Also, we are both not only blessed with all that, but we are extremely blessed with our "real" jobs. Both of us have jobs that we love. We never complain about them, our supervisors, or fellow employees. We are both finally happy where we are. Thank you, God. :)

Not to mention we have the best dog in the world.

And two mini vacays coming up.

Along with a WONDERFUL cruise in January.

no pictures post

I wish I had pictures to post, so that it would make this entry pretty, but I don't. :(
I cannot believe it is already AUGUST. Where did the time go? Colton and I have been busy with photoshoots and stuff, so I haven't noticed how fast the weekends go by. He was supposed to have three shoots this weekend, but two were canceled (family reasons). We did get to do one and we drove out to Keller for a children shoot. Fun!
We also went by colleyville to look at the venue for the wedding next weekend. IT IS BEAUTIFUL!! I can't wait. I get to wear my new black dress. Whee!
I went shopping with my mom this week and got that dress and then a plaid dress for $10. (Not together...the plaid was $10). It was a lucky day for me. I never get to go shopping, so it was a little exhilirating.
I made enchiladas (that we are STILL eating) Friday because I thought Hailey was gonna come over. :( She ended up staying home since Coltons Sat. morning shoot was cancelled and she didn't need to help him.
When we got back, we went to Steak and Shake with Sam and Jen (after attempting to go to the movies) and went back to their apartment to play games. SO MUCH FUN! I love game nights, so it was a blast for me.
As far as my diet and exercise plan...I haven't been very good this week, so I need to whip myself into shape again. haha.
Hopefully I'll have pics for my next post.

Lots of Links

I know, it has been a little while, but there hasn't been much to update about in the past week. Last weekend, Colton did an enagagement shoot with an absolutely ADORABLE couple, Eryn and Michael, in Ft. Worth. You can see the teasers here.
We got a *new* car. A 2006 Honda Civic. His Hybrid is up for sale now, and I hope and pray we can sell it quickly. He wanted something with a little more horsepower, but he loves Civics because they are great cars.

On Wednesday, I had a Haute Facade makeup/hair model appointment. It was a lot of fun. They were training a new girl, Chris, and she did my hair and makeup. They do such a great job on everything, so its super fun to be a model and get it all for free. You should definately check them out Here.
After the appointment we went to Southern Junction for buy one get one free steaks with my parents. That was a blast and super delicious.
Then, we came home and took these pics...I forgot to get pictures of my makeup and hair for the appointment, and although it was a few hours later, it still looked good. :)





Lastly, I am SO PROUD of Kandice and Jackie for making the DFW WFA A*List for wedding photography. They did my wedding together a year ago and decided to become a team. One year later, they entered the contest 4 (or was it 3?) days before the closing of votes and went from 88th place to 5th!! Great job ladies. I am so happy for you both.
check out the list Here and their website Here.

Until next time... :)

I'm walkin' on sunshine...

That song is stuck in my head for some reason. It is absolutely NOT sunny outside right now either. It's rainy and in the 70s(which is a lot better than the 100s). This weekend was super busy. Saturday, Colton was supposed to be shooting engagements pics in Las Colinas(where he paid a $50 deposit) at 2:00pm, plus lunch and a meeting with them about their wedding. He tried all morning to get a hold of her and couldn't reach her. We showed up anyways, just in case something happened with her phone or something. Well, of course, she didn't show up. Finally, we called her from my phone, and she returned my call, only to hang up as soon as she heard Colton's voice. How inconsiderate.
Seriously, this girl didn't even give any kind of explinationa nd stole 50 bucks from us.
Hailey spent the night, so we could go to church in the morning. We shopped (thrift stores and such) for her to find a cute sundress to wear when we trash my wedding dress this week. I wanted some pics of her with me and definately a shot of us jumping in the lake together.
We went to downtown Mckinney (where the following pics were taken), swimming, and just running around.
Colton got the idea that it would be fun to "spontaneously plan" a trip for this weekend (July 4th). When I get back friday from my TTD location, we will leave for Beaver's Bend Friday night (we=Colton, Hailey, Forrest and me) It should be an exciting time, but super busy weekend.

Check out my new sunglasses. tehe.


We found a Starry Night Frog (Starry Night being our favorite painting and frog being her favorite animal).
Can't wait to leave for my trips!! I will post many pics.

Happy Birthday, Chuck...

I have been trying to DL my pics to this post for three days now!! Sorry it's late.

Tuesday was Chuck Taylor's first birthday. I had the day off, so I took him to a few doggie stores and went by the dog bakery to get cookies for him and his birthday guests at Unleashed. He got a round one with "Happy Birthday" on it and everyone else got paw print cookies. I let him walk around the store and pick out whatever he wanted...he grabbed a giant pig ear, so I guess that was the winner.
We went to Unleashed, which is pretty cool since it is indoors, but I prefer the free one in Plano. Hailey and Sadie, my mom and Foxi, Ryan, Amy and Zoe all came too. It was fun for all.

Chuck and I waiting for Colton to get home so we can leave.

At the store, I let Chuck pick out anything he wanted...he picked a pig ear.

My mom's dog, Foxi and I.

Baby Zoe.

Baby Zoe and her mom and dad.

What happens when you give Chuck a stuffed animal. :) He LOVES them though.

One year ago today...

The doors opened...

and the groom watched.

We kissed...

and sealed the deal as husband and wife.

A year later,

we celebrated with a well deserved day off for both of us. I got a NEW white dress (as seen above) and we had a great day hanging out together.
It was perfect, just like our day a year ago.
Colton, I love you and I am excited for "80 more" anniversaries to come.
Your wifey.

Taste Addison

Ok, so I have been really busy studying for finals and writing papers.
However, Hailey came with Colton and me to taste of Addison (huge rip off if you ask me).
This is us on our way...

One of the only cool things of the day...check out his utters. haha

It's been a long time coming

I decided to update with pictures...
First, Easter...

Next, we had a double date night with Sam & Jen as a pre-birthday and pre-wedding celebration. :)


Then, my birthday (April 28)




Lastly we had Sam and Jen's wedding on Saturday (May 2)

Less than a week...

Since my last post. I am doing SO GOOD. haha.
I am going to *try* to update AT LEAST once a week. I haven't been updating because I have been REALLY bad about taking pictures. I want to get better about that too. Let's see. What has happened since March 12, 2009. Friday I didn't go to school because I was exhausted. See their alarm (like wake up alarm, not house) went off at like 5 something in the morning. Well, it continued to go off for the next HOUR. We have NEVER had any problems with noise in our apartments, so it was really weird that the alarm we could hear. I was a little scared because I thought that maybe our neighbors were unconscious. Needless to say I didn't get any sleep, so I skipped school. Then I went to work at noon. I can honestly say I have no idea what we did Friday night, so it was probably not at all interesting. Saturday we intended to go to the comedy club, but got done to Mockingbird Station only to remember it was the St. Patrick's day parade and it REEKED of beer and throwup. People were so trashed walking around, yelling and being obnoxious (it was only 6pm). We decided to leave and get burgers instead. Then we spent an hour and half hiding in Sam & Jen's apartment waiting to scare them. Haha. We are losers.
Sunday I worked all day.
Then we begin Spring Break. I worked 2-10 Monday night...I was off yesterday, so I went to mesquite to visit my MeMe and Aunt Motsy. Chuck got to run around in the backyard all dayl, so he was a happy camper. It was a good bonding, obedience day for the two of us. Oh, and we looked completely adorable in our matching outfits (since it was St. patrick's day). I wore black gauchos and a green "Made in Ireland" shirt and chuck wore a giant bandanna bow that was black with green clovers. :) Now I'm at work.
Ok... sad post...no pictures. Maybe I'll do better next time.

I am officially a blog-procrastinator

I am SOOOOOOOO Sorry. Seriously. I should have been waaay better than this.


I left off before Zaza. Let me just say it was awesome!! I wouldn't recommend staying there because for what you pay...they should have been waaaaaaaay nice, waaaaaaaaaaay better and EVERYTHING should have worked, but w/e. I mean...we were staying in the MOST EXPENSIVE hotel in Dallas. We should have been treated like, uh... rockstars. tehe.


Here are some pics:







(Top to bottom: Kandice and Nush at Jake's after the first night, Jackie and me at Jakes, Nush and Janette & Nush on work day, Colton & Jackie (the boys got to come see us on the last night), Jackie, Kandi, Sarah and me at the Dragonfly VIP.

We also had an ice day that cancelled school




Top to bottom: chuck outside trying to figure out what the heck is covering the grass, ice hanging from my side mirror at my car when I had to meet at IKEA to get a new phone (yes, that is ICE on the ground).

Colton and I were bored one night (while it was still cold) and headed out to Mockingbird Station...

I do have fun pics from a date night with a bunch of friends for Nush & Janette's birthday. We went to Chaucers in frisco...







Chuck's ear was great for a few days after taking the stitches out, but it split back apart (guess they werent in long enough) but it isn't as bad (half of it stayed closed up, just part of the bottom). I am trying to not let it bother me (except for the part that we paid all that money and now its back apart). :(

Also, I started something this year that I am real proud of. It is my "Good things in 2009" That I will post monthly. Of course I have it done, but it is at home and I am at work. I will post it later today.