Bethany and Dan: A Ski Lift Kind of Wedding

Let's see where shall I start...Well, I first met Bethany at WVU.  I believe it was our freshman year at the Creative Arts Center.  We were in a 2-D foundations class together, and our friendship grew as we bonded over hours of sitting in class cutting tiny "2-D" shapes out of construction paper and gluing them onto, I believe, another piece of construction paper. (yeah not my favorite class!)  From there we spent a lot of time together at the CAC and our friendship stuck :)  Bethany was a bridesmaid in my wedding and when she asked me to be her photographer for her special day I was honored.  Since then, I have gotten to know Dan a little more over the past couple of months and it is so clear to me that they are made for each other.  He can make her laugh like no one else, and the looks that he gives her, you know he's in love!  The ceremony as on the top of a ski slope in Maryland.  It was an absolutely beautiful wedding with breath taking scenery.  Everything went so smoothly, it really was a perfect day.  Bethany and Dan, I am so honored that you allowed me to be a small part of your wedding day!  I know that you are going to have a lifetime of love and laughter together!  

                                                                                                  I thought that this was sweet, Bethany's sister practicing the scripture verse she was going to read during the ceremony.

                                                                                                               I can not take credit for this photo, this was totally Dan's idea and it turned out awesome!

Love this pic that Doug took!  He's a great second shooter and he's cheap :) 

Collections

So those of you who know me pretty well, you know that I am a collector.  I'm pretty sure it all started with my rock collection from primary school.  I would pick up really sweet looking rocks on my walk home from the bus stop and the put them in my really sweet Lisa Frank pencil box.  Then my sister and I started a weird collection of Dum-Dum wrappers, don't' ask why (which I'm pretty sure we still have to this day), next was my marble collection, and then my pog collection, then stamps and coins...the list goes on and on.  To be honest, I've never really thought much about why I love collecting things, just figured it was something that everyone does. That is not until this weekend.  As Doug and I were sorting through some boxes from the move, we came to a large Rubbermaid bin that my mother so kindly brought with her on her last visit to the house ;) labeled "Courtney's Beanie Babies."  Doug suggested that we go through the bin and try to "downsize" the quite large collection.  At first I agreed, but as I pulled out each one, memories started filling my head.  After sorting through maybe ten beanie babies and not finding any that I felt comfortable departing with, Doug finally smiled and said "let's just keep them in the bin."
You see this collection is extra special because it actually started with my grandmother.  She was a collector too, in fact I would often sit down with her and we would sort through our coin and stamp collections together.  So when it comes down to it, I guess you could say collecting is in my blood.  Even though the Beanie Babies aren't worth much today, they will forever be priceless to me because they made me feel close to my grandma again.  So for now, the Beanie Babies are staying, and who knows maybe one day I can share them with my children!

Just a couple of my favorites :)

Happy 2 years!

May 31, 2008... I married my best friend.  I know that is so cliche' but there really isn't a better way of saying it.  Doug is my best friend, the love of my life, my better half, he is all of those things to me.  Yesterday was our 2 year wedding anniversary but we have actually been together for 9 years!  Yes, we were high school sweet hearts that fell in love at first glance.  I am still to this day amazed that my parents even allowed me to date a 17 year old when I was just 15 (and a half)!  Especially when the first time my dad ever met Doug he had bleached blonde hair with 3 inch spikes.  But what can I say, Doug is a charmer and my family quickly accepted him as one of us.  I can't believe that it has been two years already, I remember our wedding day like it was yesterday.  My most vivid memory was the moment just before I walked down the aisle with my dad.  We were hiding in the door way anxiously waiting for our cue in the music to begin our walk, and I snuck a peak around the corner and saw Doug for the first time....he was so handsome and I could see that he was starting to tear up.  It was the sweetest thing I had ever seen, we had waited so long for that day to arrive that it seemed unreal that it was finally our day.  Doug, thank you for loving me, I promise to love you as much as I did in that moment forever!

Wow right!?  This photo was from our first homecoming together in 2001 :) 

Home

So Doug and I bought our first house!  What a crazy thing to type, it's still a little weird saying that out loud.  I'm not even sure how it all happend to be quite honest.  It was like one morning Doug said "Hey let's just look, it doesn't hurt to look right?!"  Then next thing I knew we were putting in an offer and deciding if we should get the smooth or textured finish on our appliances!  (we picked smooth by the way)  Life is crazy how it kinda sneaks up on you.  First you dream of one day going to college and then getting married and having the dog, the kids, and the white picket fence...and boom it's a reality!  It really has been a crazy two years for Doug and I, we graduated, got married (litterally two weeks after graduation), moved to Columbus, new jobs, bought a dog, and now the house.  It's funny that I always pray for God to show me what His path is for my life, and when I stop and look back it's so clear to me that He truely is in complete control.  I totally would have screwed this all up if my life was left up to me.  Who knows what will be in store for me in the future, all I can do is continue to pray that God stays in control and enjoy the ride!     


I don't have any pictures yet of our new house, (don't worry those will come soon enough) so I thought that I would post a picture of the house that I grew up in, well for the begining part of my childhood that is.  Good ol'  513 Fredrick Street.  I remember reciting that over and over in my head when I became the age that you were expected to know your full name, birth date, phone number, and address (that's a lot of pressure on a kid!)  Anyways, here she is in all her glory!  She was a great house to grow up in, and I can't wait to start making memories of our own in our first home :)

Treasure Hunt

Call us weird, strange, even crazy, but Doug and I absolutely love going to flea markets and antique malls. It's one of the reasons I married him :) not only is he willing to go with me, but he actually enjoys them as much as I do.  I'm not sure where my love for antiques comes from, I think it's the thrill of finding objects that have so much history.  I guess in a way it's the same reason that I am drawn to photography.  Much like the 3-dimensional objects I find, I am creating an artifact that will forever serve as a reminder of a special moment in time.  Since Doug and I just recently bought our first home together, we were so excited to be able to search for some great treasures that we could furnish it with!  We had such a great afternoon together and discovered some cool finds.  Here are a few photos that I was able to snap on our treasure hunt :)

Doug and I have always had the dream of creating a line of something together that we could
possibly sell.....so we found these antique keys that we plan to make into jewelry.

I found him!!!!

Love these tables :)

Ooo shiny... wish I could buy the the whole case!

Just a little creepy, but I couldn't help myself I love photographing brides :)

This find gave me a chill...you might not be able to read the label on these but they were had cuffs
that read "Property Of Georgetown County Plantation Police."  A very sad piece of history.

Doug's find!  Although we had to dump out a cigar box full of miss-matched jewelry but he was happy.

This is my buddy Roxy, we met her as we were looking around her owner's booth.  They put the

sofa out to sell but Roxy thought it was just for her :)

One of the antique pins that we bought in hopes to create some amazing jewelry!

Doug found this awesome 1940's fan

And finally this was our last purchase, an old wooden frame that I am going
to paint and turn into a mirror...Raisin just happened to be in the right place at
the right time I swear :)

Lauren and Eric

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of photographing Lauren and Eric.  I know that I am a little late putting this on my blog, but hey better late then never right?  Lauren and Eric live back in my home state of West Virginia, so I packed up my gear and took a little trip back to the Wild n' Wonderful!  It was a  beautiful day and they were so much fun to shoot!  They decided to take their photos on the campus of Bethany College, it was a great choice.   The college was founded in 1840 so it was full of beautiful architecture and history.  Before Lauren and Eric arrived I had a lot of fun walking around the campus exploring with my camera.  It was a great shoot, and I want to thank Lauren and Eric for making my job so easy!! 

My wonderful husband, Doug,
carrying my camera bag!

I couldn't help myself :)  Thanks Doug for all your support, I couldn't do it without you!

Photo workshop!

This past weekend I was invited to join in a photography workshop that was put on by Columbus wedding photographers Kevin Keefer and Heather Claypool. It was a great day of learning and shooting!  It is so encouraging to know that there are successful photographers willing to share their knowledge and talent to help other aspiring photographers gain the skills and confidence needed to thrive in this business. As an artist, it is so important for me to learn as much as I possibly can from other photographers in order to be continually inspired and challenged. This workshop not only pushed me to be a more creative shooter, but also a better photographer for my clients.

Thanks again Kevin and Heather for putting together such a wonderful day for us, and for Kira and Jason our amazing models who put up with all nine of us at once!!