{my instant lunch}

daryl here! I've been thinking it' about high time I contribute something to this whole blog thing. And I'm excited to do so with this latest post. Our friends of the local band My Instant Lunch asked if we could catch some moments during one of their live shows. Great guys, they were nice enough to let us follow them around pre-show and listen to an impromptu rehearsal backstage! Once onstage, they delighted the audience with a commanding presence and great tunes, as was expected by the Sky City faithful. The band recently won our local battle-of-the-bands competition called BandAide (congrats!), and will be featured in an upcoming interview in Augusta's Metro Spirit. So go right now to iTunes, or MySpace, or Facebook and check em' out! Our thanks again to the guys for a great show!

{lynn}

there is nothing better than photographing someone for themselves - not for anyone else. Just to remind themselves that "YES! I've still got it!" :) lynn is a super sweet, not to mention beautiful, friend of ours who has just come through some pretty trying circumstances. she has come out stronger than ever and looking quite lovely to boot! :) we hope that these pictures really speak to her beauty and boost that confidence even further!

i couldn't not throw this one in...i just love it... :)

{we are advertising!}

our very first little ad come out in the augusta medical examiner newspaper this week in augusta! :) you can pick one up at most any local hospital! our friend dan is the primary writer and creator of this augusta staple! check it out if you work in the medical community - and BONUS it has really great articles for those of us not medically inclined as well! And cartoons! so check it out if you get the chance! but more on that later - he deserves his own post! :) but for now - here is the ad! isn't it pretty? :)

{artist i love...}

so i am loving me some prints these days. i want my whole house to be covered in the most beautiful original works of art. too bad we are broke. :) but for now - i can have internet envy and just love on one of my favorite etsy artists Freya Art. i swear that i love every single piece in her shop and i'm not even kidding that i may just by a ton of tiny cards to make me feel like i've got one. :) isnt she amazing?...

{YARD SALE TOMORROW!}

Hey everyone! Yard sale tomorrow at the corner of Wrightsboro Road and the cut-through road to Dairy Queen! (Not our yard!) This is before you get to Belair Rd. just in case you wanted to stop by! 8-12pm - we are even selling lunch for anyone who will come buy our crap! :) Multi-family yard sale though - bookcases, chairs, and more goodies!! STOP BY! Please!??!!

{hilton head weekend round-up}

we went to the beach in NOVEMBER! can you believe that? i couldn't get daryl to the beach in the summer if i drugged him and dragged him there - something about rogue waves and deadly microscopic jellyfish...that aside - my girl marissa just moved from the grand state of new york 14 hours south to the beautiful south carolina island of hilton head...BIG CHANGE! we went saturday to help her unpack and situate her stuff and really just be there to help her settle in...
she is rooming with an old friend named kristina - who is really fantastic - really. you know when you meet those people who are just so nice and you keep wondering if they are really thinking how they can't stand you? well i hope she doesn't hate us -haha- but she was just super sweet and i think they will be great roomates...we had a great time and now we have the peace of mind that rissa is now only 3 hours away rather than 17 hours...which really is just TOO much...and we also now have a new vacation spot! (don't tell daryl.) :)

well - we went to the beach (which is only 2 minutes away from their condo - which might i add is ridiculous!) and even though i was a little chilly it as still beautiful. how can you not sit and look at the ocean and just be in awe of its creator? its just that amazing...anyways - back on point - we just took silly pictures of each other with the sun setting and the yummy golden light and had a ball...

this is daryl's favorite...and i pretty much love it too...

all mine...

p.s. this watermark is taking over my face in this one...gotta fix that...

and how hot is kristina in this picture? doesn't she just look so sweet and beauiful...(now stop saying that you hate this picture because you know you look good!)

how beautiful is this girl in that light?? yummy :)love this face...

hope youre having a happy wednesday/thursday... :)

{the little parkers}

we photographed ryan and kennedy last weekend downtown and just had a ball...these little ones were really really really shy at first but by the end of the little session we had them warming up to us...here are a few of our favorites of these two - i especially adore ryans funny faces! they make me smile just thinking about them!

{on being thankful and happy}

this past week i went to help daryl's grandpa Milt harvest what was left of his little garden...sharon (daryl's mom) and i picked beans, cucumbers, turnips, kale, small onions, eggplant, peppers, and even some garlic from the little patch. its so awesome to see the love and care that grandpa puts into his veggies. i have always wanted to have my own little garden, so it was a nice little lesson on how to plant and when to pick certain things. im so happy to have inherited such wonderful family by marrying daryl! i have to admit that when people talk about thier in-laws and new extended family with distain, it makes me laugh. i came out sitting pretty on the end of that deal. i immediately felt comfy and cozy with the reids/cooks and was so welcomed into thier family - i really couldn't have asked for more... (and did i mention that i gained the awesomeness that is heather :)??)

and i just can't help but share how big our little scout is getting! shes 9 months old now and 50 lbs!! holy moly! we always laugh at how much she brightens our day...no matter what has gone on in your day - no matter how crappy it has been - she is always happy to see us and love on us...



oh how much we have to be thankful for...

{this is my game face...}

or as i like to put it - the "determined to succeed at all things weddings" face. And it just so happens, its awful close to my "if i don't get some rest i may pass out" face...humm...

lately, daryl and i have been throwing around the possiblities for our little business and tryin to nail down what we want for the next year. whenever you lose your day job so suddenly, all at once so much pressure is put on your side job to produce a living! i have a hard time with this idea because i feel like in a way it stifles my creativity...i find myself looking for the literal "money shot" versus what i used to consider the most creative defining my style shot...its strange - but i guess there has to be a balance between the business side and the art side of this sort of job. needless to say, i haven't quite found the balance yet. i find myself trying to remember why i love photography. i have to remind myself that its that moment that you grab right out of time and keep forever. its the smile on a grooms face as he sees his bride for the first time...a mom's nervous laugh as she helps with the finishing touches of her baby girls wedding gown...its the sighs when the day is over and the photographs that tell a story of a love that will last a lifetime...its knowing that the images that you capture on someones wedding day will be the ones that thier children's children will look through and talk about how beautiful she was and how much he looks like he loves her...

its these little things that remind me that sometimes, even though you might think you can't edit one more picture or send one more email, you gotta keep your game face on. and you can't help but pull through.