And the back.
Yesterday I met Melissa at the Rock Quarry for her bridal portrait. I thought we were going to have to find an alternate location due to the rain shower that decided to pop up! However, just before we were supposed to start it did quit raining. We had to be extra careful because the ground was still wet. I honestly don't see how Melissa wasn't sweating more than she was. I was soaking wet and muddy by the time we were finished. I can't show you my favorites just yet, but here's a sneak peak.
Melissa's rock of a ring - that thing is gorgeous!
And her beautiful bouquet!
Melissa you looked beautiful yesterday! I can't wait to see you in September!!!
For those of my clients who don't know me personally, the question I get asked the most is do we have children?? The answer - YES! We actually have 2 children....both of them have four legs and stay outdoors!
This morning Marty and I dropped them off at the vet to get a much needed bath. Since they were clean and exhausted, we thought we would let them come in the house for a little bit. Trust me, they weren't inside long at all!!!
Ruger is our very hyperactive Weimaraner. He is the oldest of the two.
He gives you some of the goofiest looks sometimes.
Rossi, our Great Dane, is the "little" sister. She is about the best dog I have ever owned. Danes are nicknamed the Gentle Giant and that she is. She always wants to sit in your lap and lick your face.
Rossi will be 2 this coming November. She is a big lazy dog, is great with kids and weighs just over 100 pounds.
After about thirty mintues of being inside unleashed - yep, Marty and I got brave and let them roam freely - it was back outside! Mommy didn't take her eye off of Ruger the whole time cause she didn't trust him at all being inside.
It didn't take Rossi long to lay down to rest. That visit to the vet really wore her out!
So, there's your answer to all of you who are wondering!!!! Maybe one day we'll have the kind with only two legs that stay indoors!!! :0)
Yesterday I had a visit from 2-week-old baby Presley who has the most beautiful, dark head of hair. 
I would love to know what she was thinking. She kept looking at me like she was trying to figure me out.
I love how you can see the little wrinkles in her arms on this one.
And of course those cute little feet! You can even still see where some of her skin is still flaking off!
Daddy had to get in on the action too! Presley looks so comfortable in daddy's hands.
A little cuddle time with mommy - we couldn't leave her out!
By the end of our session little Presley was so sleepy!
It was great seeing you again Heather and meeting Josh and Presley! She is such a sweet and beautiful baby girl!!!!
Wednesday I met the Crow kids out at Reedy River Falls Park for a session. It's so nice at the park during the week - on the weekends it is packed with people you can hardly find places to shoot. Here's some of my favorites from our session!!!
First some individual shots. Here's Jake....
The we have Taylor....
And finally Jackson....
Even though they were getting eat up by bugs, I was able to get a few shots before I let them get up off of the ground.
I kept threatening to step on Jackson if I didn't get a smile out of him. I don't think he took me seriously!!!!
This has got to be one of the neatest trees out there at the park. The roots coming out of the bank are cool.
I'm sure Jake appreciated me having his sister and brother tackle him!
The Crow kids were great and I think they even talked their mom into taking them to the Mellow Mushroom for pizza afterwards!!!!!
Yesterday I met Maddy and her parents downtown at Reedy River Falls Park. With the threat thunderstorms we have everyday during the summer, I was so glad we were able to avoid one! I have to say I was so excited to get to see Maddy's parents - they are friends of mine from high school and I had not seen them in probably close to four years. It was great to be able to catch up with them and meet Maddy! She is sooo cute - but I have to admit I cannot figure out which one of them she favors the most. I can see both her mommy and daddy in her!!!! Here are a few of my favorites.
I love her expression! 
I really like this bridge at the park - Maddy is cute standing on her tip toes!
This one shows her beautiful dress a little better.
And a close up! Can you believe those eyes!
This time I saved my most favorite one for the end. I love this one of her!
I am so glad we were able to spend some time with Hollie, Chris, and Maddy. It was great catching up on everything and having dinner together! It definitely can't be that long again!!!
We were in Easley last Sunday at George's Creek Baptist Church for Sarah and Andrew's wedding. The day couldn't have been more perfect! I loved Sarah's dress and it definitely made her look like a princess.
Two of Sarah's bridesmaids were busy lacing up the back of her dress while one helped her add a little extra protection!
The stained glass at the back of the altar made a beautiful backdrop for the ceremony.
One of the guests tried to give Andrew a warning - luckily he didn't listen!
After the ceremony, everyone traveled to the lodge at Table Rock State Park for their reception. I really liked the intimate atmosphere there - the exposed wood gave a nice cozy feeling to the place. The tables on the patio outside were beautifully decorated and provided a great view of the lake.
The guests watched as Sarah and Andrew shared their first dance.
A quick kiss before cutting their fabulous not to mention yummy cake! This was the first time I have tasted a cake from Couture Cakes - they did a marvelous job!
I love this dark brown fabric that was used at the reception.
The guests and bridal party had a fun time dancing - even the flower girl got in on the action!
I was able to steal Sarah and Andrew away from the celebration to take some shots of them alone. The landscape made for great portraits, although I tried my best not to keep them out there too long - poor Andrew was already sweatting before we went out the door!
These great rocking chairs are all along the porch overlooking the mountains and the lake.
I liked so many of these I had to post this last one.
Someone did a great job on Andrew's truck - they had it decorated before we even arrived at the reception.
I've always heard of tying drink cans to the back of a car, but never Freon containers!!!!
Finally, a few pics from Sarah's bridal portraits .....
Congratulations Sarah & Andrew!
So I'm back home from a much needed weekend away! Although I have a ton of editing to do, Marty decided a few weeks ago to surprise me this weekend and get me away from my computer for a little bit of a break. We left on Friday with me having no clue where we were going other than we would be about an hour from home. We finally ended just west of Asheville in Candler, NC....to a secluded little cabin in the woods. It was a small cute little cabin - a group of only 4 cabins, but with enough privacy to where you felt no one else was around. Our cabin was called Pisgah Paws and is managed through Cabins of Asheville. There was no cell phone reception, no computer, no email, only us, the woods, a hot tub, and a TV - definitely a treat!!!
We spent Saturday exploring the Blue Ridge Parkway and just riding around. We stopped at Mt. Pisgah where there was a little country store and bought this book.
The book was really helpful and told you the sites to see along and just off of the Parkway. One of my favorite stops was the Graveyard Fields.
Here's the sign explaining the meaning to the name.
There were 2 waterfalls there....Upper Falls - a 1.6 mile hike and Second Falls - a 0.3 mile hike. We went to the shortest one due to lack of proper clothing, shoes, and water. I took a few shots of the falls, but I didn't take my tripod with me so I really couldn't get the nice milky look I wished I could have gotten. After that we rode up to the highest point on the parkway. 
Our last stop was at Waterrock Knob. Here we hiked the 0.5 mile steep terrain to the very top. I was expecting a great view - but was disappointed in what we worked so hard to get to. This was one of my favorite shots taken on the way back down the mountain.
I did take my camera along (as you can tell) and got to do something I haven't done in a while - taking pictures just for the enjoyment of it. I love photographing flowers and these Turk's cap lilies were in full bloom all along the parkway! I was able to get up close to one on the way up the Waterrock Knob. 
The rhododendron were also blooming everywhere! Although I have several shots of ones in full bloom, this one that hasn't opened up is my favorite. The pink color on it shows up really well with the buds not open yet.
I don't think Marty and I have taken a picture of ourselves since we were in Hawaii on our honeymoon 4 years ago. I figured we wouldn't be able to do it with the lens I had on my camera at the time, but it worked just fine. 
We ended up our day in downtown historic Waynesville for dinner at Nick & Nate's. The hand tossed pizza was very good!!!!
Even though I had tons of work waiting on me back at home, it was nice to get away, even if it was just for a day or two. Trust me, I have definitely thanked my wonderful husband many times for the relaxing weekend. Unfortunately it's back to the real world - no more relaxing for me!!!
P.S. If you're wondering why it may taken me a little longer than normal to process your session and post your proofs, you can blame Marty - it's all his fault!!!! Just don't be too hard on him!!! :0)
