***update: the results aren’t showing after you vote like they were. Continue to vote! I can see the results when I log in and will share as the contest nears its end! Looks like we have some fun competition going. Because I’m in a giving mood, we will have a prize of an 8×10 going to the picture in 2nd place!***
It’s here! The annual top ten with a twist..plus an extra picture because I couldn’t make up my mind…so its the Top Eleven!! This year it is a contest, so vote for your favorite! The lucky client that wins gets that picture in an 11×14! So, tell your friends to come vote so we can have some fun! (be careful when voting, the numbers on the poll aren’t in order…sorry!) Contest closes on 12/31/08 at midnight EST.
1. Christmas at the Kelley’s was quite fun! We woke up and asked Beans if she wanted to opened presents. She immediately ran to the tree and picked up one like “I’m ready”! She had fun for the first couple presents but as soon as a Dora cup made its debut she wasn’t interested. So we saved the last couple for later when nana and pops came over. She would open a present and say “ooohhh” and then want to try it out. We had a great time, complete with some scrabble where I beat dad (this is very rare!!) Here’s a video for the Auntie L and Uncle E…we missed you!
2. Some pics of Beans and her dada at a tree lot in their ho ho hats. We went and took pics while waiting for the parade to start the other day and thought I would share some….(ignore the pepsi in Brad’s back pocket…the man loves his pepsi!)
3. The evolution of a cookie…
-It starts on a shelf, getting picked up by someone who sees its potential. Then is given the perfect temperature to make it become what it was meant to be, perfect in the eyes of its maker -It then gets decorated (with a little nibble here and there!) -All ready for its debut to meet the others… -Then into bags it goes, with all its different friends, ready to make the day of someone special
(on Christmas eve, we took about 45 bags downtown and walked around to give out to the homeless and hopefully brighten the Christmas of these special people. What I learned: what a shame that I wait for Christmas eve to do this. Wouldn’t it speak more volumes if we did it on just a normal day? Also, how much are we like a cookie?…think about it!)
I didn’t want to take pictures while we handed them out but here here is a pic of us walking downtown…
4. Do you know Flat Stanley? An introduction for the fabulous Flat Stanley coming soon on the blog!
5. The Top Ten (or so) of 2008 coming to the blog very soon. Get your fingers ready to vote!!!
Rachael and John braved the COLD last week to take some engagement pictures in Knoxville! I mean, it was frigid! These photographer’s hands were cold! They are both huge UT fans so we made our way to the Knoxville campus to take some pictures. They were great sports with the cold and we managed to have a good time! Here are a few of my fave photographs!
John got into the different looks…no cheese smile in every picture for him!
we found a great patch of sun and got some good ones in before it set…
and yes, Rachael may hate me for putting this one on the sneak peek. And yes, there were other awesome ones we took in front of this wall…but I couldn’t help myself. I love the pureness of it, just great happiness:)
day three was our explore the strip day and go to a show. first off, before we took back the car we drove to the end of the strip to see the infamous sign! Since we’ve all seen the sign, I put a vintage spin on this one to jazz it up:) the mgm grand…love this pic! we visited the luxor. Brad loves Criss Angel so we went to the Luxor to his shop and also tried to see if we could spot him (no luck there). We walked ALOT! We stopped by the M&M store (which was amazing!) and saw the lions at the MGM Grand. We went to Mystere, a Cirque du Soleil show. It was amazing! We didn’t know what to expect and it exceeded our expectations tenfold. It was funny with audience participation and so riveting at the same time. At one point there were about 10 huge drums onstage with acrobats going on around it. I love drumbeats and it was probably the coolest thing I have ever seen. I would go back just to see it again! I wanted to take pictures in there so bad but they were very stern about it and what with the audience participation and all I didn’t want to get called out…so no pictures of it:( After the show we went outside to experience the newly reopened volcano at the Mirage…
day two was my favorite. We rented a car and headed out to Hoover Dam and then over to the desert at Red Rock Canyon. and in the desert you don’t have deer to worry about but rams! I was a little worried about one getting in front of us due to my history with deer but we managed to avoid any rams:) Red Rock Canyon will go down in history as one of my favorite places on earth. It was magnificent! Simplistic beauty. You have these huge mountains of amazing colors but all it is is rock. I never imagined rock could be so moving and beautiful. brad being silly… I put this pic here for a story. Brad LOVES taking pictures on his phone and would randomly take some all over vegas. The only bad thing, he has his phone set to quack like a duck when it takes a picture. So all over Vegas you would here this very loud annoying quack and people would just look at Brad. That’s right, we’re from Tennessee:) now, my favorite part of the desert and something that just enthralls me are joshua tree’s. I love them. They are so unique and stately. They are everywhere but no two are the same. Here is one I thought was cute. after the desert we made our way to some outlets and did a little shopping. On the way there we saw an In and out burger and had to stop. For those that aren’t celebrity stalkers like I tend to be, In and out is where all the celebrities go for their fast food burger fix. It didn’t disappoint. Customer service was phenomenal! You can choose a bag or box, we got the box to have the full experience! a look out of our window
so, our first day in pictures for you. First, the fabulous Mirage…again, nicest room ever! we made our way to the Forum shops and saw all the glitz and glam. No celebrity spottings…and believe me, I was a lookin:) They had a FAO Schwartz there and I was beyond thrilled. Brad had never been there so we went exploring, got Beans a couple small toys for Christmas, and played on the giant piano of course! The entrance was a giant horse that was 3 stories tall! then we walked down the strip and caught the fountain showthen to the flamingo. We searched far and wide for the real things in there and finally found them:) these are dedicated to mom:) and then, flamingo butts…gotta love it:) then we capped off the evening (actually more like afternoon because we were on EST so we hit the hay early like big dorks!) with some quarter slots!
well, we’re back from Vegas. It was quite fun but glad to be home. If you left me a message, I’ll be going through them today and my email…just an fyi. I’ll be posting pics from Vegas here in the next week so stay tuned:)
Here are some random musings on my Vegas experience: -It is a great trip to win and fun to see what all the hype was about. I don’t know if I would pay to take a vacay there though. -Red Rock Canyon was a highlight for me…unbelievably beautiful. I would go back there. -If ever in Vegas, go see a Cirque De Soil (is that how you spell that?) show. Amazing! We saw Mystere and it even had Brad loving it. That particular show is quite funny and has audience participation. I can’t even put into words how awesome it was. At one point the ceiling opened up and huge drums came down with people suspended and banging them. Meanwhile, these amazing acrobats were all around the auditorium. Breathtaking! -The Mirage is the nicest hotel I’ve ever stayed out. -Since they are 3 hours behind EST we were up quite early…and not to fear, the action was still going on. As we walked to get breakfast people were still up from the night before. -Vegas is not a kid friendly place. Just my opinion. They may say it is but… Overheard by a 9 year old walking through the Casino to get to the hotel “mom, what is that?” I mean, do you really want to explain everything you see in Vegas to your 9 year old? (we didn’t take beans, fyi, she stayed with the nana and pops) -We’re not big gamblers but wanted to at least try it…quarter slots here we come! I lost $40 and Brad won $30…almost even. -$40 lost is nothing compared to what you will see…it’s almost sad at the amount of money wasted in Vegas but I’ll not get on the soapbox:)
All in all, a fun time was had. I’m getting back in the saddle today but I have a feeling it may take a day or two to get organized. I have orders to get mailed out, Christmas presents to wrap, cookies to make, food shopping to do, etc. Definitely need a list:)
Heather and Chase were married at the Orangery, a beautiful venue for weddings here in Knoxville. My now favorite place in Knoxville and definitely where I would get married in Knoxville if I had to. It was beautiful and a dream for a wedding photographer! Here are a couple from the wedding…enjoy the sneak peek:)
these flower girls were the best ever! I have such cute pics of them but wanted to share this more candid one. Here they are making their flower baskets…such a cute moment. and one of my favorite ring shots off all time…kinda different I know, but love their names on the matches in their rings! and finally, a look at the wedding and all the lights…beautiful!
