Holiday Weekend

Today I am happy about everything! I have 4 glorious days of vacation ahead of me that I'm spending at Lake Gaston with Jason and some of my very best friends. I got into work at 7am (say whaaat?!) and have been viciously attacking my 20 deep to-do list (only down to 6 tasks left! uh-oh!). Keane is serenading me through my headphones and I'm loving it. I found more fabulous pictures taken by Pat Dy that made my heart smile. I might spend a little too much time stalking his site and gawking at all the incredible moments he captures. This one was my favorite today:


So it's time to wrap up the day, go spend some time with Janay (my little sister through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program) and head to the lake to jump off 2 story docks, cook out, and spend unforgettable moments with unforgettable people.

It was just another night
with the sun set
and the moon rise not so far behind
to give us just enough light
to lay down underneath the stars
listen to all the translations
of the stories across the sky
we drew our own constellations.
-Jack Johnson

Have a great weekend!

Trash the Dress?

What are your thoughts on trash the dress sessions?! I have one opinion...I want one! I want to get all messy in my dress and take hot, steamy pictures with Jason in his suit - the kind you can't take in the 45 minutes between the ceremony and the reception with your entire family and wedding party around. I want to put on some bright colored pumps and a hot pair of sunglasses, vamp up the make-up and just have fun with it! Here are some of my favorite TTD pics. Enjoy!






And check this out...


...further proof that Stephanie really knows her stuff! Can't wait for post-wedding photo sesh fun!

Here's to Happiness

One of my most favorite things to do (especially on a Monday morning...) is read people's happy lists. Rockstar Diaries frequently serves up top-10's that never fail to pull the corners of my mouth up regardless of where or when I read them. It's Monday and both my home and work to-do lists are getting a little scary. I couldn't think of a better time to document my own happy list...

Rebecca's list of 10 things that make her *incredibly happy*

1. the sound of my niece laughing
2. brightly colored furniture
3. the smell of an oncoming thunderstorm
4. falling asleep with my head nestled between jason's shoulder blades
5. pictures of people in love
6. a cold shower after a hard, sweaty workout
7. getting flowers unexpectedly
8. writing my name with jason's last name
9. laughing so hard you cry
10. carrot cinnamon bittycakes

Passion

I woke up early enough to walk Jonas this morning. I thoroughly enjoy the mornings I drag my butt out of bed early enough to take him for a walk. He's a good dog to walk - minus his unreasonable and exaggerated fear of storm drains. I could walk him for hours if I had the time. The sweet smells of springtime permeate my thoughts and my mind wanders aimlessly. If I can't spend the morning tangled up with Jason, I'd chose to spend it walking Jonas. I always smile when I pass the obnoxiously bright turquoise Adirondack chairs down the street and seeing the purple and gold flowers planted in the neighboring apartment complex takes me back to a place where springtime flowers were synonymous with perfection. A former teammate of mine, Allison Keel, captured the true beauty of a JMU springtime on her blog. Check them out here...

And on the topic of amazing photography, I was gifted yesterday with a peek into the world of Pat Dy . As a wedding and fashion photographer, I spent an entire hour combing through his website and oogling at the breathtaking skill he has behind a camera lens. People have got to be born with that kind of talent. He shot engagement pictures for a Parisan couple. Two beautiful people + one gifted photographer + the streets of Paris = perfection. It was hard to pick a favorite, but I could almost feel the passion behind the picture below jumping out at me from the computer screen. I felt like I was peeking into a really personal and private moment between the two of them - but it left me feeling overwhelmed with my own personal happiness.



And on that note, check out the poem Le Love posted on her blog earlier this week titled "i want." It makes me fall in love with being in love every single time I read it.

Happy Friday!

Something Blue?

Inspired by The Unbride's fashionista Friday from last week - I have been giving a little thought to the whole "something old, something new..." thing. More specifically, something blue! Her post of several fabulous options for this part allowed me to feast my eyes on the likes of these lovelies:

Blue pumps - sheer genius. My dress is long anyways, and how fun would it be walking down the aisle knowing I have a pair of kick ass heels underneath that gorgeous satin gown? I'll have Nana's pearls around my neck and a stunning pop of color just waiting to make a guest appearance!

I found these on Aldo's website...who says keeping with tradition can't be fun?

What is real?

From "The Velveteen Rabbit" by Margery Williams
"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

Shameless

Here are a few of the amazing pictures that photographer Stephanie Mosher took of Jason and I at the Duke Gardens in Durham, NC for our engagement session. You can see more on her blog if you're interested! Jason and I had such a great time working with her - we had *perfect* weather and it was so much fun! Cheeks were a little sore - but I think Stephanie did a fantastic job capturing the essence of our relationship. I can't wait for her to work her magic at our wedding!

Recently, 'Mad World' by Gary Jules came on my radio station on Pandora - made me think of Donnie Darko - anyone remember that movie?? Erica, my roommate freshman year of college, and I LOVED it. Netflix queue? We'll see! :)