Niceness is Still Alive!!

Hey, guess what… Niceness is not lost!!! This morning we wanted a late breakfast and so I was off to Bojangles. It was raining cats and dogs, which was a blessing in itself. As I pulled into Bojangles, I immediately saw that the drive-thru was backed up. After pulling around the building to get in line, I noticed a girl with a huge umbrella standing at one of the cars talking. I thought to myself , “Why is she holding up the line talking in this pouring rain?”. Then I realized she was talking into an earpiece and taking orders. I’ve seen them do this before, but I thought it was especially nice today because the girl was getting close enough to the cars and placing the umbrella over the car windows to keep the customers dry as she took orders. The line was moving quite quickly, so when she started my order the line moved a bit ahead of us. There was at least a car space between us and the line. As she finished my order, another car pulled up and around us and got in front of me. She told her order taker to switch the orders because the car ahead of me had jumped line. My first reaction was that of extreme annoyance, but then I thought about my new year’s resolution which is to be more patient and kinder, so why not start now. So I dismissed my annoyance and proceeded to the window. The lady ahead of me that jumped line received her food, paid for it and then left. When I reached the window I handed the guy my money and he says, “Your food was already taken care of by the car ahead of you!”. I was so surprised I replied, “All of it?...It was a $13.00 order, are you sure?”, and he said “Yes, you must have done something nice”. I was so pleased that I said a quick prayer of thanks and asked God to bless her for her kindness. If that was one of those Pay-It-Forward deals, I had just broken it. I was so excited, I sped around the corner to see if I could stop her and thank her. She was quickly gone in her little grey Geo Prizm. So, Nice Bojangles Lady if you read this blog entry...Thanks and God Bless You!

Marriage Proposal Photography

With Valentine's Day less than two months away, many men, and women too, are thinking about how to "pop the question". Well why not make it even more memorable by hiring a professional photographer to capture the moment for the two of you to share and cherish forever. Marriage Proposal Photography sessions are a trend on the rise and quickly catching on. They involve an enormous amount of preparation and planning but the end results are phenomenal. Check out this great article, Proposal Photography, with excellent tips on how to make it successful. And remember, if you're planning it, better hurry, Valentine's Day is right around the corner!

Enjoy!

Wedding Photography Suggestions

For those brides in the midst of wedding planning here's a great companion article to last week's Shot List or Not? post.
Wedding Photography - Tips for a Wonderful Session contains a list of 12 suggestions for brides to help make the most of their wedding photography. It's a really informative article so be sure to check it out!

Shot List or Not?

I stumbled upon a great article on WeddingBee this morning entitled "Kill The Shot List". Here's my take on shot lists. I absolutely have nothing against them, especially if they are for "must have" group shots with specific people. While it is ultimately the bride and grooms choice on what photos they want taken, I don't think it is necessary to provide them for the obvious shots such as the ring exchange, first kiss, etc. It is important to make sure you sit down with your photographer and discuss what images you expect and would like to have. Also, make sure you communicate to your photographer if there is going to be a special event or moment that you absolutely want covered. An experienced wedding photographer will know the basic flow of weddings and receptions, so knowing about any planned moments ahead of time will help the photographer anticipate them and plan to be in position to capture them from the best angle possible. Remember, communication is the key, leave nothing to assumption.

I've Been Tagged!

Ok, so I've been tagged by the lovely Shanika at SJB Weddings and Events! My first tag and I'm so excited.

Like so many others out there, I've never been tagged before so I didn't really didn't know the rules. I was researching yoga techniques and came across this excellent blog, Yoga Like Salt, and just happened to find the tag rules there too. Two great finds in one day, awesome, thanks Suzi. So here's the rules:

1. Post the rules for your tagees.
2. Link back to the people that tagged you.
3. Share 7 unknown/interesting facts about yourself.
4. Tag 7 more bloggers at the end of your post and include links back to their blogs.
5. Leave a comment on each person's blog letting them know they've been tagged.

So here goes...

1. I've decided to incorporate yoga into my get fit and healthy program for next year. I found this great blog, Yoga Like Salt, that's full of good yoga stuff.

2. I have two little mixed Chihuahua doggies that I absolutely love. I've taught them to wink back at me and my husband has taught them to sing. They're hilarious.

3. My partner in crime is my identical twin sister. We get a kick out of our clients and guests trying to figure out "how did she get over there so fast?"

4. Twins run ramped on our Dad's side of the family. There's at least 3 other sets running around out there.

5. I was a mortgage loan processor in my former life. Looks like I got out of that field just in time!

6. I love to cook and bake when I find the time. I like to experiment with new recipes and change them up adding my own personal touch.

7. Although I absolutely love photography and shooting others I cannot stand having my own picture taken!

Ok, so right now I only know one other blogger that I can tag and that's Krista Lucas of Krista Lucas Photography. So tag Krista, you're it!

Merry Christmas!

One of my favorite Christmas treats has always been sugar cookies. I love to bake around the holidays but just never had the time. Well, this year I've finally found the time. Here's a quick and excellent sugar cookie recipe for all those new and future brides out there that want to impress your sweetie with a sweet holiday treat. I found this recipe online and tweaked it a little to fit my tastes. Since I'm a big coffee fan I added a little extra ingredient, 1 tablespoon of Coffeemate Pumpkin Spice Creamer, that gives them my own signature taste. The original recipe can be found here. Enjoy!

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
4 eggs
1 tablespoon CoffeMate Pumpkin Spice Creamer
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs, creamer and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight). Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

Tip: The dough will be easier to handle if you keep it chilled at all times. That means dividing it into small sections then rolling and cutting one section at a time. Keep the other sections chilled in the refrigerator until ready for use.

Christmas Tradition or Christmas Obsession?

So when does a Christmas tradition turn into a Christmas obsession? Over the past few years I've collected a small assortment of Christmas village items which I've put on display each year. Well, it seems I can't get enough of them. Every year it just gets bigger and bigger. Since moving into a larger home I now have gobs of space for it. My hubbie even built me a nice new display table this year. Of course that wasn't good enough for me, I had to add an extension to it just to fit everything.

I usually start looking for new items in November and get this incredible sense of excitement just thinking about shuffling off to Lowes, Michael's and Garden Ridge to see what's new. My favorite brands are Lemax and Carole Towne which I think are now one and the same. I always have to add some sort of new building which is a Post Office this year. But what's really exciting to me is finding those small detail items. Now, I'm adding anything I think is interesting. This year I found a neat little fence with Christmas garland and a set of shrubbery from Wal-Mart, their brand of course. I'd really like to be able to add a few Dept 56 pieces but they're a little out of my budget right now. I think my Christmas tradition, for now, may someday get to the point where I am easily willing to shell out the big bucks but right now it's just whatever's interesting and on sale. So what Christmas traditions do you have that may be tetering on Christmas obsessions?

No village is complete without a Post Office. How else will Santa get his letters from the little kiddies?


I love this gate and fence I found at Wal-Mart.








I also found these lighted shrubs at Wal-Mart.




Of course the gas is free in Christmas Towne!








And my favorites piece of all. The Coffee Shop!


Here's my little town all assembled. My next find? A gorgeous background!

Pharr Mill Road Park

I'm always on the look-out for new and interesting locations for engagement and bridal shoots. Today I discovered a gem of a location just down the road from me. Pharr Mill Road Park which is located between Hwy 49 and Rocky River Road near Harrisburg just celebrated it's official grand opening in October. It boasts 37 acres of nature, a scenic overlook of Rocky River and a beautiful boardwalk. To me that sounds like the perfect settings for gorgeous portraits. I'll be checking it out in the next few days, so for those clients with with bridal and engagement portraits coming up, stay tuned!