New Bridals!!

Here are some of the newer bridal portraits that I've taken this month. I think they turned out pretty great! :)

This bride wanted her bridals taken at the Raleigh Rose Garden...It was really beautiful there. The roses were in full bloom.





The photos below are of a bride named Laura. She was extremely nervous and shy...not that you can tell from her pics! She is such a beautiful girl and she took amazing photos!

Great News!!

Dustin isn't getting a motorcycle!!! I am soooo happy! He decided that getting a truck would be better! I breathed a HUGE sigh of relief when he told me this. I never told him that he couldn't get a motorcycle, but I did tell him that it scared me. I feel a lot better about him driving a big truck around than a teeny tiny motorcycle!

So that is my news! Sorry if you guys thought it was going to be something bigger...like a baby ;) However, Dustin and I have talked about it some more and we've decided to start trying for a baby in about 6 months!!!! We figure that by then I should be established in the wedding industry and he's due for a raise around that time. I have to say...I'M NOT WAITING ANY LONGER THAN THAT!!! LOL!

On another note, I worked out yesterday. I lifted. I haven't lifted in a while. I normally do cardio classes like kickboxing, Zumba or step. I AM SO SORE!!! I can barely move!! I started hearing from different trainers that I needed to mix in some weight lifting into my workouts. I've always been afraid of getting bulky, but they showed me how to do it the right way. Lifting smaller amounts of weight for more reps. So...I am in pain today! It's good pain though ;)

I also got my hair done yesterday! I've been putting off going to the salon for 6 months because it's always scary going to someone new when you move. My hair was ridiculously long and it was badly in need of a cut. The girl that cut my hair did a GREAT job! I'm so glad I went to her! She cut my hair about an inch past my shoulders, put some layers in it and added some subtle carmel and dark blond highlights. I LOVE IT! I will post pics soon. I told her that it sucked because I finally got my hair done but I was just going to turn around and put it up into a ponytail for the gym.

Hope you all are having a great week! It's almost over!

Sushi Sushi Sushi!!

Okay...I am really REALLY craving sushi right now! I'm trying to stay away from so much white rice, but boy oh boy I want some sushi!!

I am really excited for this weekend! We have a wedding shoot in Pinehurst, NC and we get to stay in the hotel for free!! For those of you who have never heard of Pinehurst, NC, it is a town based around 8 HUGE golf courses. The US Open is held there, it was voted the best golf course in the US for 2008, famous people and people all over the world are always golfing there. It is beautiful! The photographers I work for are the featured photographers for Pinehurst, so when someone gets married there they have to use our studio. I was there a few weeks ago for a meeting with the wedding planners and I felt like a sheltered little girl. It was so pretty and southern! I loved it! The wedding we are shooting this weekend is a $350,000 wedding! Can you believe that? I can't even fathom what it is going to look like!

I hope everyone is going stong with the challenge this week! It has been great reading all of your emails and stories! They are all very uplifting! There really is strength in numbers! We can do it girls!

My week 3 results

Here are my week 3 challenge results:

Pounds lost this week: 1
Total lbs lost in challenge: 5
TOTAL cheat eats used: 3
Total inches lost (all over my body): 15!!! (my butt and my arms are being the most stubborn!)

I know that the rest of you only have 2 weeks left and I am only halfway through...but keep up the good work! Those of you who are struggeling, I am praying for God to give you strength! Good luck beauties!!!

End of week 2, starting week 3!!

Okay, so last week was difficult! There was a lot going on and it was really hard to be good!

On Monday my sister Kristi and I went to Carolina Beach. We hadn't been to the beach yet since we moved to NC and we wanted to check it out. We had so much fun! We haven't been able to have a sister date in a while because our schedules have been so different, but things worked out for us that day. It was a cloudy day, but we still had a lot of fun! We played in the sand, found seashells, got sprayed by the waves...it was great! That night we went and ate at a seafood restaurant. I didn't get anything fried (which is a really big deal for me! I LOVE fried shrimp!!) I got snow crab and ate it without the butter! It was DELICIOUS!! I ate like 2-3 bites of my mashed potatoes and all of my veggies!
































The next day I drove to Asheville, NC to visit Dustin's family. It was so hard to eat healthy on this trip! I used one of my cheats one night when we went out for Chinese food. It was really yummy, but a few of us got really sick afterwards. :( Asheville is so beautiful! It is in the mountains and there are millions of trees and flowers. It's soooooo pretty!! Car rides are always hard to eat healthy too because I am always wanting something to munch on. I stuck with bottled water and sunflower seeds though.

So, at the end of week 2 for me, I weighed myself and I have lost 4 lbs!!! I am so excited! I also measured myself. I have lost a total of 10 inches all over!! I couldn't believe it! I am so excited! I haven't had too hard a time avoiding the fried food, but I still stuggle with the sweets. They have always been my weakness.

I hope all of you are doing great in week 4. I am going strong with week 3. I just ate a really yummy chargrilled chicken and fruit salad from chick-fil-a. If you guys haven't tried one of these you really should! They are AMAZING!!

42 Day Challenge (Days 5,6 &7) Going into week 2!

Wow! I didn't realize how rough the weekend was going to be! I used one of my cheats two nights ago when I went on a date night with Dustin. We went to dinner and ate yummy Italian food. I was proud of myself because I only ate about a fourth of my food! Then we went and saw the new Wolverine movie...it was great and Ryan Reynolds is pretty! :) It was SO hard not to get popcorn! I LOOOOOVE movie popcorn and the smell of it was torture!! But we were strong and said, "NO!"

Last night was SOOOO SO SO hard!! I worked a wedding and they always feed us along with their guests. Well, they had the famous 2006 Iron Chef winner as their chef!! I was good though. I didn't eat anything fried or any of the delicious looking pastas. I'll be completely honest though....they had the #1 ranked apple cobbler recipe in the world, 10 years running there, and I did try three bites of it. How could I not?????? Does anyone think that should be considered a cheat? If you do, I won't use a cheat next week, but it was only three bites! LOL! It was worth it though! Oh my goodness! It was like Heaven in a spoon! I didn't get to work out because I was at the wedding all day yesterday, but I am feeling sore today from running around everwhere last night and standing on my feet for 9 hours! The wedding was at such a cute location. It's a barn that has been around since the civil war. They've turned it into an event pavilion with a lake behind it and there is also a fine dining restaurant. Check out their website: http://www.angusbarn.com/index.htm If any of you ever come to Raleigh, you should check it out :)

Well, I am going into week 2 now. I'm hoping that I can stay strong. I know that the rest of you are all starting week three so you have been where I am already. I know that you all can be strong and make it! I totally understand how frusterating things can be! I am one of those people who does not lose weight easily! I have to work HARD and sometimes I still don't lose weight! But it will all pay off! I know it!