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Well, love is in the air today. People are holding hands, cuddling and rejoicing in the feeling of love.  And really, what’s better than people in love? I hope everyone enjoys their Valentine’s Day and gets to spread the love to others.

Let’s celebrate life with love! I’d love to know how everyone celebrates this holiday, share your day in the comments.

For those of us in the Midwest, we have been bombarded with snow this last week. It’s crazy how much can fall, and really, where do they put it when the trucks take all that snow away? That’s what I want to know. Jamie and I ventured out and shoveled the sidewalk before Rob came home, so of course I had to snatch some shots. It’s amazing how much she has changed in the last month and a half, from the little girl that detested snow so much she would cry if we tried to make her walk on it, to the little girl that is now willing to eat the snow off her boots when we get into the car.

I will admit that snow and I have a love/hate relationship. I love the way it looks, blanketing the world so everything looks new and perfect, but oh do I loathe driving on it. It does make for some super cute pictures though, and Rob and I have been taking advantage of how gorgeous it’s been lately during engagement sessions. It may be cold, but so pretty.

Anyways, here are some shots of Jamie the day we shoveled the walk. Everything was going great until her big mean mama placed her in the deep snow. Poor kid, but she is so darn cute, don’t you agree?

I found out yesterday that I will be my sister in law’s matron of honor this fall. I am so excited, although it’s been five years since I have been in front of the camera myself. It will be quite the change and I am looking forward to the fun. Today we had an appointment at Specially Hers in Baraboo to look at the bridesmaids’ dresses. I can totally understand why brides can get so flustered, there were a ton of options, and even with Amanda giving us pretty free reign to choose different styles, we, the three bridesmaids that were present and accounted for, picked the same dress, although I was really hoping for something with pockets. I hear I’m not allowed to carry my camera around anyways.

After trying on a few dresses, and giggling at each others choice of socks, for one mine matched, we managed to get Amanda in a gorgeous ivory gown. The consultant also grabbed a glittering headband and veil and, deep sigh, Amanda finally felt like a bride. It was amazing to see the transformation and know that she finally felt that this was her moment. I know that I had a big goofy grin on my face as  I snapped a couple shots to capture the moment.

I’ve been eying up newborn props lately, especially the super adorable fringe blankets. Of course, I have no crocheting skills, so making my own would definitely not work. But my best friend Karen is a crocheting whiz and decided to give this a try and she did an amazing job if I do say so myself. I did have the hardest time choosing a color and decided on a green blend with some rich red running through it. Green is my favorite color and I know that several of my newborns this year are going to be boys, at least according to the ultrasounds, so green will be great for them, even though we did see a super cute fuzzy purple.

I didn’t have a newborn to practice with, so decided to grab a cute little teddy bear of Jamie’s to model for me, he did pretty good, although he is definitely not as cute as the next models will be. I cannot wait to beef up my newborn portfolio this year with my new props. Along with the new fringe blanket, I’ve got the cutest little wooden doll bed from my own childhood which is currently resting in my car as I decide what color to paint it. Right now it is baby girl pink, and as a little girl I was okay with that, but now I am thinking that white will be the perfect neutral color to go along with some colorful blankets and adorable newborns. I am just so excited to play with my new props!

Today we drove up to New Lisbon for the Mayor’s Chili Cook Off. We even made our own entry this year, our first year of entering and Rob will refer to our entry as “the loser chili”. Lol. We may not have won, but we had so much fun tasting all the different kinds of chili, there were 12 chilis, 5 soups and 9 different breads. The proceeds of this year’s cook off went to help out the local library. I think every kid should read and libraries are the best.

When I was a kid, I think we went to the library every single week. I loved being able to pick out new books to take home and read. I would get stacks of books, I’ll admit that I still love a good book. Just the smell when you crack open the pages, ahhh heaven. So, I am proud to admit that we helped out a bit today. Jamie even got her picture taken by the editor of the Mauston paper, how exciting is that?! She’s my little celebrity, as you can see she’s got the perfect oreo face for it.

Look at this turnout, I believe the final count was 107 people. Awesome!

Here’s my little taster, she really enjoyed the cheese, breads and, of course, the deep fried oreos.

Here is the mayor, reading out the winning entry. Sadly, not ours, but a very tasty chili.

After yesterday’s novel, this post is a refreshing turnabout. I know it says wordless, but Jamie and I were out shoveling yesterday, she did try to help but the shovel was just so heavy that she couldn’t lift it. Jamie is finally enjoying the snow, meaning when she steps on any of the white stuff she doesn’t burst into tears and screaming fits anymore, yay! She also enjoys eating it, as you can tell by the third shot, she’s contemplating putting her snow covered mitten in her mouth. She did. It’s days like this that I want to remember forever.

I will admit that I have forgotten a bit about the just engaged rush. Of course, Rob and I meet plenty of couples that are engaged and looking for a wedding photographer, but we have been married for five years now. It honestly doesn’t feel that long at all. I have forgotten how exciting it is to look through the bridal magazines, making copious notes of this centerpiece, that dress, the icing on the cake, etc.

But on Friday, my sister in law got engaged. Congrats, Amanda! She is a flurry of activity, ready to get everything planned for next spring, or this fall. She is so excited that it is contagious. I find myself getting excited about going to her wedding dress appointments, looking at flowers, perhaps even testing some cake. I think you all know how I feel about cake.

I remember shopping for my own wedding dress. We went to several different bridal salons, and I tried on so many gowns that one began to look like another. Until I found THE one. It was cream, with a little beading under the bust and poet sleeves. I was so in love. I ordered the dress, paid the deposit and left the salon feeling oh so excited. But then, I got a call the next day saying that the designer was no longer cutting that dress. Oh the horror. I will admit that I found something similar, but it wasn’t the one. Everyone says I still looked gorgeous, and the dress was me.

You know what? The wedding is not about the dress. I promise you, it’s not. It was about sharing the love that Rob and I felt for one another. I remember how handsome Rob looked in his tux, the way our niece and the flower girl were chasing each other around us during the ceremony and laughing about it.

Nothing is perfect. This is a fact of life. It is the way that we overcome those imperfections that bring out our character. I like to think that our wedding was perfect. It was also a blur. Looking back on the images from our wedding brings back all those memories. It doesn’t matter that the dress wasn’t the one that I wanted to begin with. It only matters that I had one of the most memorable days of my life in that dress, and that makes it the one.

I’ve spent the better part of my night looking at wedding dresses and bridesmaid dresses with Amanda tonight. My head is a kaleidoscope of colors, shapes and designs. No wonder brides are so stressed out, right? I know Amanda has a style in mind, as do most brides when looking for a dress, but don’t be afraid to try something completely different. You may be surprised when you look in the mirror. It may not be the one that you end up wearing, but if you are looking for an A-line dress and see a ball gown that says “try me”, do it for giggles. I did, and felt like a princess, even though I knew that dress would not be the one, it was fun to try on. It’s your wedding day. No one else’s and you should have fun with every step.

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