Weekend Photo Shoot

My friends Megan and Aric asked me to take some engagement photographs for them. They needed a good head shot to put in the paper, and we were able to get those and quite a few fun shots. We decided to do some wine tasting at Oliver Winery, and it was a beautiful backdrop for our shoot. Congratulations on your exciting engagement, Megan and Aric!

What's the best way to get the groom-to-be into the photo shoot? Wine tasting!

The happy couple.

I had to get a photo with these GORGEOUS purple flowers!

A photo with one of my subjects. :)

And that's a wrap!

You do the math

For some good laughs, check out the charts below. Where were these when I was studying statistics?




















All of these are user-submitted. See what you can come up with and post them here.

May in Richmond

May is one of my favorite times of the year. In Indiana the weather is perfect. The porch door can stay open all day, the grass is so green and everything is in bloom. I always wish it could stay like this forever.

I spent a week in Richmond with John's family. We enjoyed beautiful weather, baby Luke and wonderful home-cooked meals. Baby Luke is the cutest little guy ever and such a pleasure to be around. His smile makes your heart melt! Last time I saw him was in October, when he was not even two months old. Today marks his eighth month and he is such a different baby. He is so strong, happy and inquisitive. It is amazing to watch him learn. He has a few tricks and has mastered them quite well. With the aid of two steady fingers, he will grab hold and pull himself up. Each time he grins ear-to-ear with pride. It never gets old. He also learned to wave and clap his hands while in Richmond. He picked up this little, irresistibly funny gremlin laugh too.

Keenan, Luke and Carolyn

Luke's first Cinco de Mayo

Hanging out on the front porch

Carolyn's garden

Enjoying the day

Dinner & drinks at Gallo's

What a nice evening!

Baby's got rhythm.

Love the pointed finger.

Luke spilled water at the dinner party and was waiting for some dry clothes.

Luke with his Uncle Johnny

Playing Cranium. Brian drawing "lipstick" with his eyes closed. Hilarious!

I need one of these

See more funny videos and TBT Videos at Today's Big Thing.

The 1-2-3's of unemployment

I'm feeling an overwhelming urge to make lists right now. I've attributed it to my need to organize and plan for my life right now. It is funny that I feel this way because I don't really know what even to list to make things easier for me right now. I just want to make a list. I think it is the productive side of me trying to gain control of the situation.

1. My cats are obsessed with me. Well, I should say cat. Bella is just her normal, loving self, but Diego's love is stronger than ever. The past 6 months he has become very needy. I was actually getting a little annoyed a few weeks ago, but now it is kind of nice. He cuddles be non-stop, follows me around the apartment and gives unconditional support. Right now he is about 6 inches from me. He is showing restraint by not touching me at this time. The one thing that I cannot stand is his night howling. He started it back in 2006 and hasn't looked back. He loves the acoustics of the bathroom and thinks he should howl more often when he has more of and audience...like when John is visiting. I've tried every trick in the book and I cannot stop him. I took the kitties to the vet a couple weeks ago for their shots and the vet defined Diego as "very sensitive" and thought my stories were amusing.
2. My place is unorganized and I want to change it. I have dishes and laundry going right now and I'd like to go through much of my belongings. It seems like this would be a good time to simplify things. Maybe I can bring 3 bags of clothes to Plato's Closet and watch them give me $3.76 for it all.
3. Keeping things in check. I feel like I am in a state of either being overwhelmed or underwhelmed. I need to find the middle. It is easy to get caught up in thoughts about "Tent city" with our unemployment. I also get very overwhelmed when I start trying to figure out too much. It seems to almost paralyze with me frustration and I resort to watching Oprah or HGTV instead. I'm really looking forward to more comfortable talks with myself about the future. In time, and maybe with a few lists, I will get there.

Update: Diego has now thrown himself on me. There have been multiple attempts to try to actually sprawl out on the laptop. He has resorted to sitting the small piece of my lap that isn't covered by the computer, while resting his head on my wrist as a type.

Curveball

I've hesitated writing a new blog for a few days, but I suppose I should share my news now that it is becoming more public knowledge. On Friday I lost my job. I, along with 30 others, were laid off. With the state of the economy right now, I can't say that I am really surprised. I think we all our fearful of this happening. I tried to regroup this weekend. Monday, I was hit with another piece of bad news. John lost his job. He, along with many others, was laid off. I still cannot believe it. It seems so surreal. Today is John's birthday. I made a nice dinner and we tried to have a low-key, enjoyable evening.

I appreciate all the support thus far and once again, life shows me how wonderful my family and friends are.

Going green with gardening

This weekend I would like to plant a miniature garden. It is kind of an impulsive move on my part because I don't have a green thumb, but I would like to have one. The only way is to try, right? Apartment living doesn't allow for a large garden, but I think I will use my big pots to grow some good stuff. Now, what to grow? Any suggestions? I'm thinking I will definitely want to grow some tomatoes, but that's all I got so far. Please help and I will be sure to post some pictures!

Birthday and Hotlanta

Here are some pictures from my birthday celebrations and my long weekend in Atlanta. So far 27 has been good to me.

Yi and Erika, my friends from work

Me and John

In Atlanta with Kyleigh

With my sisters

Kyleigh and Courtney outside "The World of Coke"

Courtney and Ky, inside the museum



This is a video of the fam tasting lots of Coca-Cola products from around the world.



Ky tried to make me taste something nasty, but I liked it!



If you ever find yourself with a "Beverly" in Italy, run in the other direction.



This has nothing to do with my birthday or Atlanta, but just a cute video I had on my camera. This is John and Ashland (John's roommate's dog). Isn't she the cutest thing ever?

Spring in my step

Today marks the first day of spring! We've made it through the winter. I actually have dined al fresco 3 times in the last couple weeks. Wearing flip flops on the weekend is not too far off. Each time spring comes around I get so excited because I love 70 degree days, open windows, flip flops, pedicures, sunglasses, dining al fresco, beautiful walks, and not scraping ice off my car. I just cringed thinking about that.

As the seasons change, I also grow older. Yesterday marks my 27th birthday. Wow, it is strange seeing that in writing. I've decided I am very excited about 27--I think it will bring lots of exciting things. I also have a fondness for odd numbers and I'm happy to move on from 26. This makes my sister, Courtney, cringe because she only likes even numbers.

In just a few short hours I will be in Atlanta visiting my family. Kyleigh lives in Atlanta, Courtney is flying down from Boston and my dad and I arrive tonight. I am the first to get into the city, so Kyleigh and I will park ourselves somewhere close to the airport, grab a drink and catch up, pick up my dad from the airport, have some dinner, and then finally pick up Courtney. I'm taking Monday off and cannot wait to move into long-weekend-mode. What's better than nice weather and family? Maybe a few birthday presents thrown in there as well.