for the third year in a row, i had the honor of photographing the montgomery Relay for Life event.  it was just as full of energy as last year only this year…no rain!  yay!  cancer has touched my life, along with so many other people’s lives in much more devastating ways.  we just lost a dear family friend to cancer.  he battled so hard for so long.  enough is enough!  that’s why i consider it an honor to be a part of events like this.  each of us can only do so much but we are a part of a greater whole so, together, we can make a difference.  the highschoolers at the montgomery event made a huge difference.  it amazes me how socially aware kids are these days.  it is so enlightening to see them giving so much of their time, energy and money to causes they feel passionate about.  here are some numbers to give you an idea of the scope of the event i attended. they had 1,401 participants, 149 teams and raised $87, 875.00!  you can read more about Relay for Life here.   the next event i will be at is Ride Cincinnati.  i will be taking fun photos for my sixth year and printing them for free of anyone who attends.  it’s a wonderful event dedicated to the memory of a dear friend of mine.  i hope to see you there.  in the meantime, enjoy some images from Relay for Life 2012.

coming out of the winter blah’s makes me want to get mani’s and pedi’s on a more regular basis.  i want to dress cute, wear flip flops and get ready for being out and about in the nice weather.  whether you’re going to prom, having portraits taken or just out for the night, it’s important to remember the brows ladies.  i don’t think i give them as much love as i should but will now that i’ve been reminded how easy it can be!  watch the video and you’ll see!

it’s been a little over a week since i posted and i apologize for my absence.  life just got in the way.  family was sick (all but mom. amazing how that happens)!  and we’ve been dealing with a bathroom remodel.  you’re probably thinking, “cool” or “fun” or “wow, or anything other than what REALLY happened.

we moved into our home four years ago after josh and i got married.  i sold my condo and we bought a house in the same school district.  problem is, the schools are fantastic but most of the homes are dated and need work.  we were all set to do a bunch of remodeling until josh’s company closed the doors and he was out of a job.  needless to say, remodeling was NOT on our minds at that point.

the one thing about the home that we 99% liked was the master bath.  it was huge and pretty much updated with the exception of some paint.  so, while we couldn’t redo the house, we knew we had our 99% updated bath.  i mean look at these images we took when we toured the home before we purchased it.  not really our taste but with a coat of paint and our style infused; we figured we were good to go.

so much space and updates.

hated the carpet (in a bathroom…why?) but loved the tub!

anyway, on with our story.  we had some funky odor that started a few months after moving in.  we had plumbers and other experts out but nobody could fix the problem.  we tried many remedies to get rid of the smell but it was just relentless.  it was upsetting that our ONE room that seemed to need the least amount of work was causing us the most problems.  finally we had…duh duh duh duh…the mushroom!

it’s not the best image (shot with an iphone and a shaky hand because i couldn’t believe what i was seeing).  i sent the image to josh at work. after I FREAKED OUT,  we realized this problem was much bigger than just some funky smell.  this was around labor day.  before we left for vermont, we had a team out to check for mold and how much damage was done.  it. was. bad.  nobody, not even the insurance people who’ve seen “it all” have ever seen a mushroom grow out of the carpet.  so we had to put the fate of our bath in the hands of the mold remediators and share our kids bath for the next few months.

the mold is 100% gone now but so is most of our bathroom.  the good news is we have mold insurance that covered a lot of the remodel.  whew.  the bad news is we were taking on a bath renovation that wasn’t planned or budgeted for.  we found a great contractor, fred wolfe renovations, and got to work with his team to make our bathroom everything we ever wanted it to be and more.

thanks for your patience on the blog while this is going on.  expect more updates to come as our bathroom adventure continues.

josh and i joke around a lot.  anyone who knows us well will tell you he’s the ying to my yang.  he gets me better than anyone else which is why we work.  it’s why my work works. he is the back end of my business but he’s also behind me in everything i do.  when i take on a new personal project, he’s there to encourage me.  when i’m down about something, he lifts me up.

he calls me “baskin-robbins” because i’m sweet, a treat for sore eyes & their many flavors match my many moods.  well, josh is like the grocery store; dependable, bright and cheery, always open and filled with everything you could want and/or need.

that’s why this song, everything by michael buble, is the perfect song from me to josh.  we’ve been through a lot together in the short 51/2 years we’ve known each other…it is a crazy life with crazy times and i wouldn’t want to spend it with ANYONE but josh.  this song has been a part of us because it kind of “is” us:

“You’re a falling star, You’re the get away car.
You’re the line in the sand when I go too far.
You’re the swimming pool, on an August day.
And you’re the perfect thing to say.

And you play it coy, but it’s kinda cute.
Ah, When you smile at me you know exactly what you do.
Baby don’t pretend, that you don’t know it’s true.
Cause you can see it when I look at you.

And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times
It’s you, it’s you, You make me sing.
You’re every line, you’re every word, you’re everything.

You’re a carousel, you’re a wishing well,
And you light me up, when you ring my bell.
You’re a mystery, you’re from outer space,
You’re every minute of my everyday.

And I can’t believe, uh that I’m your man,
And I get to kiss you baby just because I can.
Whatever comes our way, ah we’ll see it through,
And you know that’s what our love can do.

And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times
It’s you, it’s you, You make me sing
You’re every line, you’re every word, you’re everything.”

you can hear it here

happy valentine’s day to my everything.

My first name is:  Matthew

My graduation date is:  March 28, 2011

The last thing I ate was:  Graham Crackers and Philadelphia Cream Cheese

My dream job:  Deep Sea Welding

My favorite music/artists:  Literally Everything. Including Classic Country

My favorite thing in my closet:  Sombrero

My favorite pastime:  Baseball

My favorite word:  Voluptuous

My favorite website:  Reddit

My favorite high school moment:  Throwing a stink bomb in class

I have never… eaten raw fish

If I had $1,000 I would…Buy a ridiculous sound system and be deaf by the time a graduate

I love Big Shots Photography and working with Marla because:  Marla is awesome and the photoshoot was far better than I had expected

Fun!  This was my ride to get around Matthew’s property!  Don’t worry…he drove!