Christmas Portraits!

Tis the season to be jolly and jolly they are!  Meet the Schweizer family!  I had the most fun shooting with them on a beautiful crisp fall Florida day!  Their papa in the Marines and is deployed, so they decided to take pictures "with him" in this way and I thought it was the sweetest idea! Obviously, these kids are lots of fun, so my job was a pretty easy - I just snapped away while they laughed and rolled around in the grass.  Thank you Schweizer family for a such beautiful photo session! I hope you had as much fun as I did!

Oh Shoot!

Wordless Saturday

Day 14: A Picture I Love

(October 2010, finding out that her dessert was sugar free - love the expression)

This is Estelle.  She is a 92 year old spit fire that I joyfully call my very own grandmother.  She lives part time with my Mom and part time with my Aunt.  She survived the great depression, has had a triple bi-pass, been diabetic for years, fallen a few times, and up until just a few years ago, lived alone for much of her elderly life.  Her husband, Richard, died before I was born so I never got the chance to know him, but I can only imagine that as a pair they were nothing other than a sweet, funny, and loving couple.  GB (Grandma Bussman) reads just about a book a day, loves reading about animals, and enjoys sneaking any kind of "sweet" she can get her hands on, although she't not supposed to - but hey she is a spit fire isn't she?  She is the sweetest thing and speaks her mind which only adds to her charm.  I love that she used to babysit me & my brother before I could even walk.  She use to always reminds me how cute of a little baby I was and that she loved pushing my in my basinet throughout her neighborhood.  I will forever cherish our summers spent at her community pool and house, eating grilled cheese, watching Nickelodeon (because we didn't have that channel at our house), going to her annual rummage sales, eating the famous sloppy joes they always sold there, and playing cards just the three of us, or sometimes five if Aunt Thelma & Aunt Norma were in town.  I love you Grandma!  You're the best of the best!  I hope to be just as joyful, sentimental, and compassionate as you should I live as long! Much Love!

Day 8: A Place I've Visited

Each year since our betrothal, husband & I have been so blessed to be able to travel somewhere.  Whether it be visiting family or participating in wedding parties, we have taken full advantage of getting away.  Lucky for us we've traveled up & down the entire state of California, visited family in Iowa (this was actually one of my favorite vacations), Las Vegas (Pete traveled there solo to be a groomsmen in a friend's wedding), Washington State, and several local "stay-cations" to just get away for the day or weekend.  Among these, my favorite would have to be our trip up the coast of the great state of California.  We visited so many cities & sites along the way: Healdsburg, San Francisco, Sausalito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Monica, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, Tustin, Costa Mesa, and more!  Among these cities, however, my FAVORITE was by far, drumroll....... Healdsburg!

Okay, so this decision might be a little biased, but come on, we stayed in a B&B and the town was more than akin to, dare I say it, Stars Hollow from the ever popular sitcom series Gilmore Girls.  Not to mention, dear friends of ours own the B&B and told us all the amazing pockets of town to check out.  Here's Honor Mansion, the amazing place we called our home for two amazing days and one evening.

The day we spent there we enjoyed coffee at Flying Goat, lunch at the ever so charming Jim Town Store and shopped at the freshest Oakville Grocery Store.  Needless to say, I wanted to stay in this little charming bubble and never go home, but the sticker shock of real estate kept me pretty well grounded.  Honestly, the flowers & lush landscaping is what captured my heart - EVERYTHING is so green and beautiful.  Give me flowers and I'm pretty much set.

So a big thank you to the lovely Aunt Toni, one of our favorite traveling partners, whom we got the pleasure of site seeing with, and also Steve & Cathi (the owners of Honor Mansion) for putting us up for the night.  The hospitality (see the coffee/biscotti/fresh OJ/newspaper cart brought to our door the morning we left) and experience there will forever be one of my favorite memories and we are still smitten two years later!

(All photos original - Randall Photography)

Christmas Is Bittersweet

With so many new things happening this Christmas, it is a little bittersweet for me.  Although we have been abundantly blessed this year, it is a little sad to know that we will not be spending next Christmas in this house, which we have made our home.  Spending two Christmases in one residence is quite the record for us so I'm a little sad to see it go, but not bitter.  I love this place, the memories that we have made for our marriage, and the blessing it has been to us.  The sweetness that comes with the sadness is that I have a strange itch to redecorate almost all of the time.  The Lord must have a sense of humor while knowing this about me because we obviously will be redecorating in the near future, being we are moving in t-minus three weeks.

As for our new location, my gracious in-laws are taking us in, once again much to my joy, really.  The first time we moved in with them after being married only a year felt like such a failure to me, world wise.  To be independent and living with my husband for a year, and then moving in with my hubby's family for the entire second year of our marriage seemed like the worst thing a girl could dream of, but it really was one of the best years of my life, and the closest I have ever been with the Lord.  It drew me closer to my heavenly Father as well as stretched my faith and trust.  Also, I am forever grateful to my dear family for getting to know them all the better, and for allowing them to get to know me that second year.  As for where we will be next, who knows but I will keep you all well informed.  My hopes are in Jesus, and the sky doesn't even limit Him.

Also, another bit of news, I recently got a new job as a reading therapist in a privately owned reading clinic, about two blocks from where I live now.  It's a great position, with great pay, great benefits, on the job training, and did I mention I am going to be a reading therapist?  Something actually applicable to my degree that I can do NOW without a graduate degree (which I have no desire to obtain)!!!  So in this season of sadness for my home, I am over the moon at the Lord's favor in general.  He has been in the midst of it all, whether it be provision, decision, or indecisions, I am thankful for a God that knows all and has a plan for mine & Pete's life!  But to tide you over, as this was a doosy of a post, here's what my house looks like all 'decked' out.  I pray you and yours may find the Joy of Jesus in this season, for He truly is the reason.

welcome.

homemade felt trees with button snow.

 a place to hang our christmas wishes & cards.

 the tree - quite the deal this year.

 the t.v. well adorned.

 my vintage pre-lit christmas tree made by my great aunt norma.

 i love this one the best.

 my christmas decor has seemed to take shape this year.

 stockings, hung with care.

 mittens, mittens, everywhere.

 Jesus, celebrating Him above all else this Christmas.