“Oh Lord, we beseech thee mercifully to receive the prayers of thy people who call upon thee; and grant that they may both perceive and know what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to fulfill the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

As I was browsing I knew I had to find something special for my smallest and newest niece. At 6 weeks old, she’s a bit too tiny for a tutu, so I settled on this sweet hooded towel that I was able to personalize with some mickey/minnie mouse ribbon and her name embroidered in the Walt Disney font. As Brooke’s mom is a big Disney fan, I’m pretty sure this one will be well-received.

And finally, I’m absolutely IN LOVE with these eco-friendly reusable sandwich and snack bags!!! I ordered a set for some friends who are like-minded and am excited to fill them with goodies to start them off.

Of course, as I was browsing Etsy, I couldn’t help but take a peek at all the fabulous things that could be used for a winter wedding!! I found so many beautiful decorations, favors, jewelry, etc. Winter weddings are truly beautiful! I got married in June. I chose that time of year so we could have an outdoor wedding and so I could have tulips everywhere (my favorite flower!); but I have to say, the possibilities for a winter wedding rival those of a spring or summer wedding! I just love their cozyness!

This boutonniere is fabulous!! I adore the use of the pinecone. It exudes a bit of manliness, doesn’t it? And the hair piece is flirty and classic! I’ve become a big fan of fun things, such as feathers and flowers, in the hair, so I think this is perfect!

Decorations at your wedding are oh-so-important as they not only help impart the mood of your event, but they speak of who YOU are as a person. Fancy, classic, elegant, whimsical, FUN, rustic, urban, country, etc. You get the idea! In my opinion, home-made decorations are ALWAYS the best because they will be more YOU than anything else! And you’d be surprised at how easy it can be to do. However, it can also be very time-consuming. So, when you need a little help, what better place to turn than etsy (if not just for ideas!). I really like these snowflake place cards. And these ornamental balls would add a very elegant touch! They remind me of mistletoe (perhaps this is why their creator calls them “kissing balls”), which is just perfect for a wedding!! Perhaps my favorite, and most simple, of the decorations I looked at are these perfectly romantic and simple mason jar lanterns. And these would be such an easy DIY project!!!

Finally, favors are another element to your wedding that you can use to carry out your theme. I thought these pillow boxes topped with Poinsettias would be a nice complement to a Christmas wedding theme. The splash of bold color will make them stand out nicely on white or cream colored table clothes.

So now you see what I’ve been doing with my time! Okay, I haven’t spent ALL of my time surfing etsy, but I sure could!!

Strong is another word I would use to describe my husband. His strength (through God!) and determination have amazed and upheld me through an illness we never anticipated. On days when I just wanted to crumble and give in to the fear, the heartache, and the sadness, Rich was going strong. He never hesitated, complained, or felt sorry for himself. And he never doubted God’s ability to carry him through. Needless to say, there are many lessons God has taught me through Rich, and I’m sure he isn’t finished!!

Last year during the week of our first wedding anniversary Rich officially completed treatment for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and was declared in remission. Remission is exciting and scary. Exciting because you are disease free and no longer required to practically live at the hospital. And I was SO excited when the chemo port was removed from his chest! I love resting my head on his chest without feeling that hard lump under his skin! But remission was also scary because we would no longer see Rich’s doctors on a weekly basis. There really was a lot of comfort in that. We felt a bit like baby birds being pushed out of the nest and told to visit every few months! We felt unprepared, and almost as though something would certainly go wrong if we didn’t continue to see his doctors frequently. I’m told this is pretty common and that we weren’t as co-dependent as we thought.

And now this week marks a FULL YEAR of remission!! We have gotten much better at being “on our own” over the past year. We don’t feel deserted anymore. Of course, we do still see his oncologist and radiation oncologist every 3-4 months for check-ups. But otherwise, we’re officially on our way! It almost feels like I’ve started TWO new lives with Rich, one at marriage, and another with remission. We are so blessed!

Happy Anniversary, Baby! I love you!!! <3

A few images from our wedding (thanks HinkleyPhoto!) and a session we did with the fabulous Braeden Rogers back in November…..

So, consider this the first installment in a series on “greening” up your life, and more specifically, Green Weddings!! I thought I would begin by sharing how Rich and I try to live a bit greener in our personal lives. In preparation, I gave myself an assignment! I made a list of all the ways Rich and I live earth-friendly, and then I phogographed some of the more tangible things.

The biggest thing we do is buy primarily organic foods. By doing so, not only are we supporting those who don’t spread harmful chemicals around or inject animals with needless drugs, but we are supporting our own health too! I do all of my own grocery shopping, but if I didn’t, I would use Greenling, a company that delivers local, organic foods right to your door! We are also careful about the cleaning agents we use. Rather than using harsh chemicals, we go the natural route. Seventh Generation is a brand of products that we really like, and they have everything!! Another brand we use is Method. Though both of these earth-conscience companies make fabulous products, what I REALLY want to do is start making my own cleaners. I actually think it would be fun! So if anyone has some good “recipes” for detergents or other cleaners, send then my way!!

Something that I really LOVE doing is using reusable bags when I shop. There are so many benefits to using these bags! Many of them are made from recycled products (such as water bottles), I don’t have mounds of plastic bags taking over my home, they are stronger and hold about twice what a plastic grocery store bag will hold, and I get to carry fun, cute bags when I shop! My favorites are from Whole Foods Market and Central Market. Every time they come out with a new design, I want it! But I don’t limit myself to using these only when I’m grocery shopping. I use them for everything!

Rich and I also love clothes and shoes made from earth-friendly and/or recycled products. Clothing (and even sheets and towels) made from bamboo is phenomenal!! It is extremely soft and comfortable, and even better, it is made from a renewable resource!! Organic cotton is another material we love. You can find some great clothing at Whole Foods Market (they have a clothing aisle!), Whole Earth Provision (Texas stores only) or online at Gaiam and The Green Loop. Great shoes made from recycled materials can be had from Rafters and Terra Plana. Something else to consider is the factories that produce your clothing (or anything else you buy). The type of material used is only a part of the equation. What kind of energy do companies use to make the things you purchase? There are some businesses that rely on wind or solar energy, an abundant resource most don’t take advantage of. Also, do they do things to preserve the environment around them, or do they continuously harm it? These are not factors I usually consider when I make a purchase, but I’m going to make a more conscience effort to pay attention to these things.

Finally, Rich and I have shared a single car for two years. Has it been hard and inconvenient? Heck yeah! But, we realized that we didn’t really NEED two cars, and that the benefits might outweigh the inconveniences. So, we sold my little Toyota Corolla and kept the Honda Accord. The benefits, you might ask? Well, we save on gas, maintenance, and car insurance! We are also contributing less pollutants to the air. Oh, and our Honda has some sort of gadget (no idea what it is exactly) that allows us to use Ethanol (E85), a corn-based alternative to gasoline, which is a renewable resource, biodegradable, low in toxicity, and causes little environmental pollution as it burns. But the jury is out on whether we get the same gas-mileage using E85.

While we would never win the Mr. and Mrs. Green Award, we do try to do our part. Things that we still need to do include recycling on a consistent basis, buying and using a rain barrel and composting bin, and harvesting wind and solar energy for our own use at home. Some of these things will simply take time (and money!), but they have a firm place on the must-do list.

Feel free to share any new ways/ideas you implement green living in your own life. I’m always up for suggestions! And keep your eyes open as I begin discussing how to plan and execute a Green Wedding. Right now my plan is to discuss the dress, the rings, the invitations, the favors, the cake/food, and the decorations. Is there anything else you’d like to hear about? If so, let me know and I’ll research it!

We got a kick out of the various animals waiting to greet us in our room each day! My favorite was the elephant.

We had a formal night where uniforms were encouraged. I didn’t mind at all!! I love seeing Rich in his uniform. Reminds me of our wedding day. Note to self….improve posture!

We ported one day in Progresso, Mexico. We spent the afternoon poking around some of the Mayan ruins and a little town nearby.

We found that the local cemetery was very colorful! And the local food, very good!

The water was beautiful. I’m afraid this image doesn’t accurately depict the color. Oh, and one afternoon they were serving ice cream swans at lunch. I thought it was cute.

Check back again soon as I do have some work I’ll be blogging!!

So, all of that to say, should you call or email me, I won’t be getting back to you until NEXT Friday. But no worries, I WILL get back to you. And I might even send you a few of my snapshots!

Cheesy as it may seem, here’s the bit of Mr. Gray’s song that has been swirling around in my head:

Sail away with me honey
I put my heart in your hands
Sail away with me honey now, now, now
Sail away with me
What will be will be
I wanna hold you now

(note: should you know this song, or look up the lyrics, nothing other than this chorus applies!)

Rich had some studying to do, so while he sat on the balcony with his books, I explored the beach below and caught a couple of chick flicks on HBO. Of course, we did spend some time together too! We planned to go out for dinner on Saturday night, but as it happens, we both woke up sick that morning!! Neither of us felt like doing a darn thing, so we didn’t. I took a hot bath, Rich did some reading, we watched another movie, and we went through a couple boxes of Puffs Plus! We did still need to eat, and the idea of someone bringing us dinner was pleasant, so we ordered pizza. When we went to Papajohns.com we discovered that they were making heart-shaped pizzas! So corney as it was, we ordered one!!! Pair that with the bottle of Martini & Rossi Asti we brought with us, and we had quite the Valentine’s Day feast (okay, not really, but we didn’t care)!

All in all, the weekend was a good one. A bit rainy…..yes, and filled with a little too much Kleenex…..yes. But, it was sweet time spent with my honey! He dropped me off in Birmingham today and I was really sad to watch him drive away. I’ll spend a few days here with a friend before I wing my way back home to Texas. And then, in another month, I plan to welcome Rich home with another bottle of Asti…. minus the Kleenex!

Whenever I meet a client or potential client for the first time, I always have to check out the ring, and I’ll usually ask for the story about how it was picked out. I love, love, LOVE it when guys pick the ring out on their own! It tells me that he knows his girl, and also that he isn’t afraid of a little shopping. Of course, I’m not against giving a guy hints. Before Rich bought my ring I told him that I’m not a fan of yellow gold (doesn’t look good with my skin tone), and that I REALLY like square stones. He did the rest! I was really proud of him.

I think a ring can say a lot about a person. Are they traditional, or more modern? Do they like to stand out, or blend in? Do they tend to go against the crowd, or with it? It’s fun to note how with some brides the engagement ring just “fits.” I also love photographing the rings at weddings! It’s like a creative little game. I try to find a fun prop, or a way to communicate something about the couple in the ring shot. And I try not to do the exact same thing twice; after all, no two of my couples are alike!

I loved the ring shot from our own wedding! A friend made a card box for us, and she decorated the top with a toy camera for me, and a toy helicopter for Rich. It was fabulous! Well, our wedding photographers, HinkleyPhoto, used the helicopter as a prop for the ring shot, and we loved it!!

Rich has since lost that ring (5 moths into our marriage!). He CONSTANTLY took if off to play with it! Every time I caught him playing with it I told him he was going to lose it. I don’t think he believed me….. Do any of the rest of you married ladies have this problem???

And speaking of losing rings, I came oh-so-close to never seeing mine again this past fall. My hands were cold (rings that normally fit well seem to gain a couple extra sizes when you’re cold) and I was outside playing with my nephew. I threw a ball at him, and my rings flew off of my hand!!! I locked my eyes on one of them and dove for it, but it took a couple of days to find the other. I thought it was lost in the mounds of leaves on the groud for forever. I was kicking myself becasue I hadn’t gotten my engagement ring and wedding band welded together. I kept thinking, “What if I want to wear only one or the other one day…?” That day never has come, and in the meantime, had they been welded together, I could have saved myself a couple of very sad days. I still haven’t done it, but I do think about it from time to time. What do you guys think?? Will you/did you weld your rings together???

Oh, and as a side note, please, please, please insure your rings!!! Mine are insured, and that was the only thing that kept me from being frantic when I “lost” them. The peace of mind is worth it, for sure!

Here’s a shot I grabbed of them this afternoon. I just used window light and put them on top of the black sweatshirt I always take to the gym.

Okay, I’ve been rambling on long enough. I’ll finish this post off with a couple of images that don’t include my own ring, but the rings of my wonderful clients!