Thankful A-Z

Apple butter.

Beckett

Cooking at home.

Dresses.

Eternal love.

Freedom.

God's Grace.

Hand holding.

Ice cream sundae's.

Jokes.

Keller.

Laughing.

Music.

Nutella.

Osborne Cash.

Photography.

Quiet time.

Red wine.

Simple life.

Trust.

Unconditional love.

Vision.

Warmth.

Xpedited shipping? [X's are hard...]

Your mom. [...sorry I had to]

Zombi [okay so Z's are hard too]

Today got off to a rocky start and I needed to remember the good things. Give it a try...I promise it will make you smile.

Cheers,

Lynsey

October: Thumbs Up x10

Hey all! It's time for another favorites post. I have a lot of good ones this time. Hope you enjoy!

#1 Clarisonic Brush. I love this thing! As I've mentioned before, I have really bad skin. Like if I don't wash my face before bed, the next morning my face will look like the Appalachians. This brush is great because the charge lasts me about 2 weeks of twice daily washes. The whole point is that it cleans deeper into your pores than you could washing with your hands or a cloth. The Clarisonic doesn't come cheap ($250!) but there are several over the counter versions that I highly recommend giving a try.

#2 Working with my husband. I have to say that we were both a bit skeptical that this could work at first because I'm extremely particular when it comes to my business but things are working out so well! We have a great time together and I think he is a great asset to my business. Plus he's not too bad on the eyes if you know what I mean! I'm a lucky lady.

#3 This video. Oh my lord this is hilarious. At the advice of our bride and groom this past Saturday, Tommy and I watched this video and nearly died laughing. I've watched it about 48 times since Sunday and I cannot stop.  



#4 Bagel Thins. I am completely obsessed. I haven't had the time to get out of the house and exercise much lately [two weddings every weekend in Sept will do it] so I have really been watching what I eat. I used to have a whole wheat bagel with CSA peanut butter and honey every morning, then I switched to toast and now I'm onto Bagel Thins. You can't beat 110 calories per serving and it's really filling.

#5 Red Wine. Definitely a fall favorite in my house. I love a glass of red wine while I'm working late into the evening on the computer. My favorite is Trader Joe's Charles Shaw Shiraz (so cheap and so good) and Target is now carrying (don't judge me for saying this) wine in a box that is really good! I love the red wine sangria.

#6 Gavin Degraw - Sweeter. I've been a GD fan for awhile now and I love his new cd.



#7 Canon PowerShot SD1400IS. I get asked more often than anything which camera I would recommend to someone who can't take good pictures. I am Canon loyal through and through so this Powershot is my fun, purse camera. When we're going to a concert or somewhere I don't want to lug my huge camera around, we bring this little guy and I can't say enough good things about it. We took it to the Dominican with us in December 2010 and when we went for the 2nd time this past July and I love this little guy! 

#8 Beckett Charles. This little cutie pie is turning three this Thursday. THREE people! Even though he keeps telling everyone he's four. Here are some photos of his birthday celebration at school my sister sent over this morning. This child melts my heart!

#9 Foster the People. I love this entire CD...minus the track 'Pumped Up Kicks' which is constantly on the radio.

#10 Haan Steam Cleaner. Yes, I realize how dorky it is to include this in a post of my favorite things but it really is the best. The hot steam sanitizes so you dont have to use any chemicals or cleaners. Love this!

Cheers,
LT

An amazing cover!

Kate Voegele did a cover of Britney Spear's - 'Til the World Ends and it's awesome sauce. Check it out here!

At last. A fashion post. Kinda.

Anyone else find it absolutely strange that Anna Wintour was seated next to Nicki Minaj at the Carolina Herrera Spring 2011 fashion show in NYC?  And that Anna always insists to wear her sunglasses at night ala Corey Hart?

A simple gesture.

I always say her best quality was how she verbalizes her appreciation so well. A nice deed never goes unnoticed in her eyes and I admire that about her. If she feels something about someone, she tells them and lets them know how important they are to her. She is kind and generous and I value my friendship with her more than I can describe.

I'm talking about Trisha, my great friend. She got married to the man she loves two months ago and she asked me to stand up with her while she said I do to my other best friend, Adam.

This photo was taken minutes before I gave her a kiss goodbye as Trisha D. right before she was about to walk down the aisle and become Trisha G. And I cried. I cried the entire time because I believe in their love and am so happy for their marriage.

This morning on my way into work, my mom told me that she received the best thank you note she's ever received from Trisha and Adam [let's be real, we all know T wrote them all ;) ]. My mom told me that in her note, she thanked my parents for raising me to be the person I am and that she's lucky to have me in her life. I, of course, balled my eyes out. Because I'm a crier and because that little act of kindness in thanking my parents, made their day and, unknowingly to her, mine. She is a beautiful person on the inside and out and it's impossible for anyone she knows not to love her. 

T:

You're an amazing friend and person and I'm eternally grateful for all you do for me. Even the small acts of kindness that you never think I'll know about or hear about, like that thank you card.

Love you,

Lyns

PS. Love you too Adam, because I know you religously read my blog and always support me as well.

September: Thumbs Up x10.

I'm not even going to go there with why I haven't been blogging. I suck. You get it. We're all good, right?

Since today is the start of a new month, I am starting a fun monthly tradition that I will surely only do for 2 months max and then die out of it because, let's face it, that's what I do around here.

It's called 'Thumbs Up x10'. It's going to be my top 10 Favorite things that I'm loving for the month. Little dumb? Yes. But I'm doing it, so like it. k?

#1 iPad 2. I love this thing so much. It's amazing and I take it everywhere with me. It's a little piece of heaven and I love all my fun new (FREE!) apps. I can have clients sign contracts in person on it, email them and myself a copy and I can accept credit cards. Big props to Apple.

#2 Pintrest. Yes I'm full fledged addicted and am inspired to do so much crafting it's ridiculous! I can't wait to put into action some of the awesome things I've found. If you have it follow me. If you don't, leave a comment with your email address and I'll invite you to join!

#3 Kelly Moore Bag. I bought the Posey style and use it as a purse, a camera bag and a clutch when we go out. It's perfect in every way! It doesn't quite replace my Shoot Sac for weddings and portrait sessions but I love that I now have a camera bag that can hold a camera. Profound, right?



#4 Sufjan Stevens. My favorite album right now is Seven Swans. His lyrics are beautiful and I love his voice even more.

#5 Kuerig coffee maker. I've saved so much money, time and energy by making coffee at home. I received this from my parents as a birthday gift this past February and I cannot explain my love and delight with this product. It's fast, so good and just makes life easier. Tommy doesn't drink coffee so the single serving K-Cups are great. I thought it would help me to drink less coffee but man was I wrong. So terribly wrong. I'm okay with my coffee consumption though.

#6 Homemade beer. My husband and I and two of our closest friends have been brewing beer together. It turned out so well that the four of us brewed a shitton as favors for Trisha and Adam's wedding this past July. It is so very yummy! We recently just brewed a Pumpkin Spice Ale that will be ready in mid October. Full review to come! Our "brewery" name is Grandesco...a combination of our two last names.

#7 Urban Decay De-Slick. This product is my secret trick to keeping my makeup on all day while shooting a wedding. Especially in the heat we've been having in STL lately. You spray it before your makeup and then again after you finish and put on mascara. I can go all day out in the heat and only have to apply a little powder before the reception. What a joy! I used to have to reapply all my makeup to look fresh again. I have very oily skin so this product is heaven-sent for me!

#8 Lulu Lemon Wunder Under Pants. These are by no means cheap but they are worth every penny. I don't have the best ass in the world but I look like J.Lo when I put these bad boys on. They are reversible so divide the price by 2. They're instantly cheap! Go buy some!

#9 J.Crew Vintage Cotton V-Neck. Love these shirts. They are so soft and wash really well. They come in a lot of beautiful colors too. Big fan of these with a pair of cropped skinny jeans and a pair of Toms.

#10 Something Borrowed. The book not the movie. I read this book in two days on vacation with my friends this past July. I then passed it on to Erica, who read it and passed it to Trisha. Within a week or so we had all finished it and loved it. So we were anxiously awaiting the movie but Kate Hudson was so-so, Ginnifer Goodwin was beautiful and great, John Krasinski was amazing, per his usual, and Colin Egglesfield was hot, hot, hot. But as usual, the book was much better than the movie. I highly recommend this read.

Hope you enjoy!

Cheers!
Lynsey



Trendley the Dog

Anyone who knows me knows how I feel about animals, specifically dogs. I have pretty strong beliefs when it comes to adopting dogs rather than contributing to puppy mills and breeders. I try not to preach because everyone has to do what's best for them but I do stand firm on my opinions. We adopted our Osborne from Gateway Pet Guardians here in St. Louis. He was rescued on the streets of East St. Louis and they literally saved his life. I will forever be supportive of this organization and indebted to them for the sweet boy they allowed to live and become an important member of our family. You can read all about the life of our beloved Ozzy Cash here, here, here or here.

When  GPG came across my facebook feed this morning with their newest rescue, the sweet face of Trendley tugged at my heart's strings. I immediately hugged Oz and started to sob. The gauges in her neck from the chain that was tying her up, skin infections and obvious malnourishment ate away at me all day. I could not get her blue eyes and sweet, sad look out of my head. It is beyond me how someone could hurt an innocent, loving animal. What kind of evil person could do that?

This evening, this link came up on facebook and I knew I had to help out. If you donate, it will go specifically to Trendley's vet bills which are estimated at around $2,000. If you go to the GPG Facebook Fan Page, you can see videos of her sweet demeanor and gentle nature. So instead of going to Starbucks tomorrow morning or spending cash on a soda and candy at the gas station before work, consider donating $5 or $10 to help bring this sweet girl back to her full potential!

CLICK HERE to donate!

Cheers,

Lynsey

These are my confessions....

Usher anyone? I have had a lot of thoughts on my mind lately and without blogging, only my best friend and husband hear them so I'm going to put it out there. Feel free to comment on my confessions or offer up your own. I swear it made me feel much better to get it off my chest. Some are goofy, some are small vents. Don't take anything personally.

• During the week, I drive from IL to downtown St. Louis to work at my part time job. Every time I realize it's Tuesday, I turn the station to the local rap/r&b station to listen to paternity test Tuesday which always falls during my 20 minute commute. For this, I love Tuesdays.
• I despise the fact that some people do not send a simple thank you not for gifts. Hello? Did I not take the time to drive 30 minutes to the closest Babies R Us and listen to a mother scream at her kids for touching the breast pads? Did I not pop ibuprofen while I attempting to figure out where the toys you registered for were located? So yes, I feel as though I deserve a $.44 cent stamp and a line or two thanking me for spending my hard earned money and time on your gift.
• I love writing things in bullet points? It makes me organize and gather my thoughts.
• Love handles suck. How do you get rid of them? Why must they latch on to my hip bone and and implant themselves for life.
• Using the excuse that you're busy. Everyone is busy. Life is busy. Get over it.
• In our pre-cana class (marriage class for all your non-Catholics), a couple from our church that practically invented NFP, spoke to us. They might as well been green with two heads because Tommy and I were all "Um, that's irresponsible." "Have they heard of a new invention called the pill?" "What a dumb method of birth control." Well fast forward 3.5 years and guess who just bought a book on the subject? This girl. I am very interested in the natural factor of it. Then I had a conversation with my sister, that changed my idea of it's effectiveness.

            L: I'm thinking of giving NFP a whirl. Thoughts?
            K: We tried that.
            L: How did it go?
            K: We ended up with Beckett.

• I was irritated that Barack Obama name dropped Biggie and Tupac during the 2011 White House Correspondents Dinner. Did you do it because there are celebrities in the audience? Did you do it to announce your street cred? And dissing Matt Damon? No, Barack. Just no. I found it quite irritating. At least he announced that for the status of his presidency, the honeymoon is over. Indeed.
• And I'll end on a high note. Last night I dreamt that I was pregnant...and I told everyone it was Justin Bieber's baby.

Cheers,

Lynsey

B's Special Day

Our nephew, Beckett, is getting so big! He's 2 1/2 and in preschool already. This week, it was B's special day at school where the teacher reads letters written from family members to him.

Here are the letters that Tommy (Uncle Mimi) and I (Auntie Momo) wrote to him. I have to be honest when I say I got a little teary writing this. It was a very big realization that my little baby nephew is not a baby anymore. He knows so much and is so bright and good at sports. I could not be prouder to be his auntie!

Dear Beckett,

You are special for so many reasons. You are such an amazing little boy and every time I see you, you bring a huge smile to my face. Some of your best traits are:


• You’re very, very funny!
• You are a great dancer
• You’re good at soccer
• You have the BEST smile and the best, big blue eyes
• You’re a good listener
• You love my puppy Ozzy very much and always ask me about him
• You’re great at playing the guitar, drums and singing
• You give the best hugs and kisses to let everyone know how much you love them!

We are all very lucky to have you in our lives. You make every day better and full of more love!


Love you!

Auntie Momo
__________________________________________________________________________________
Dear Beckett,


You are such a fun boy to be around and I am glad you are my nephew.


We both enjoy the same things like kicking the soccer ball, going on the paddleboat, and eating a lot of food. You make me very happy with your smile and your great dance moves. You have so much energy and personality and are a great little brother to Keller. I am very blessed to have you in my life.


Love,


Uncle Mimi

Tommy and I both value our relationship with our nephews, Keller and Beckett. Since Kel didn't have a special day at school, we're planning something special for him too.


Cheers,
Lynsey

Mic check, one two, one two...

Anyone still listening? Wow...long time no blog, huh? I am a sucktastic blogger, I realize. But in my defense, when life gets busy, blogging is the last thing on my mind. Here's a quick catch up to what's been going on with us:

• So far this year, 6 wedding down, 23 more to go. Yikes.
• I'm booked for sessions through mid June. Another yikes.
• Our organic garden is in full swing and more will be planted this week
• I'm still on the hunt for the perfect garden gnome and have yet to find the little man that will live with my crops
• We have had 3 full cycles of our CSA and are loving all the fresh produce and other goods
• Forget William and Kate...my best friend is getting married in 65 days and will be the wedding of the year!
• We are leaving for the Dominican Republic v2.0 in 70 days
• I am still running, doing yoga/pilates, spinning, panting through Tracy Anderson kick-your-ass videos and working hard to stay in shape. I am determined to get Gisele abs by the time we leave for the DR.
• I am not eating any meat out but am eating meat from our CSA and free range, no hormone chicken and beef when I know where it's coming from. I'm playing this whole vegetarian thing by my own rules and I am okay with that
• I'm making a lot of headway on my 101 in 1001 list
• Ozzy is an asshole dog and ate our blinds and parts of the woodwork in our house so he's back in the crate. Don't wanna talk about it anymore than that

That is pretty much the extent of my life right now. Just living, working and being insanely happy. I promise to give more fruitful, entertaining updates in the next week or so.

Cheers,
LT