baby carter.

As many of you know, my beautiful sister is getting marriage in the fall. To start off the wedding planning, we made an appointment with Bella Vista Bridal in Columbia - the same place I got my gown. My sister tried on a few dresses and there was no doubt that when she put on the right one, it was the right one. It is gorgeous!

Once we all said "Yes!" to the dress :). We had a celebratory dinner and then dessert at Nonnah's in the Vista. It. Was. Incredible! We ordered a "Flaming Dessert for 2" and boy was it a production! No only was it definitely flaming....

It was DELICIOUS! Made with butter, brown sugar and rum, the pineapple and pound cake combo was out of this world. Probably one of the best desserts I've ever had! It was my first experience and I will most definetely be back.

I'm back tracking a little (the dessert/dress date was last week), but this weekend has been just as successful. You've already seen my jackpot that I found at Goodwill on Friday, but you haven't seen the cutie that I brought home with me Saturday :)...

Carter is his name and he is the handsome son of one of my best friends. I've been practicing my photography on him since he was born and he is just the most adorable subject. Not to mention PLEASANT! He only got fussy a couple times. But, we were able to get some great shots!

Isn't he the cutest? Love him!

I'm going to continue practicing so be sure to come back! Oh and btw, HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY! Night all!!

the goodwill motherload, a storms a brewin' and bohemian rhapsody

Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone! Hope everyone has become fishes this wonderful holiday weekend. It's always a fun day in my book when there is sun and water involved:). And of course I always like to take a little time during this celebratory time to think about those who have fought and are fighting for our freedom. Without their sacrifice, none of us would be able to do what we do (love it or hate it) every day of our lives. Thank you to all the soldiers and veterans for all that you do - we are truly blessed to have people like you willing to fight the good fight.

And by saying they allow us to do what we do everyday, I mean go to goodwill and find awesome deals :). That's right! I love a productive goodwill trip! Normally, I walk out with one or two items, but yesterday was the absolute bomb.com goodwill score. I'll be moving into a new apartment in the next couple of weeks and there are few things I need to get. Any other time I would usually just go to Target or Tuesday Morning or something, because when I'm usually looking for something specific, I end up NEVER being able to find it a yard sales or thrift stores. But, I figured what the hay. I'm not in any hurry to find a new rug or artwork, so I'll just run by the goodwill and see what they have. Weeellll, I'm pretty sure I was there all of about 25 seconds when WHALA! A jute rug with my name written ALL over it! Yep, a gorgeous little 6x9 number that was just waiting for a ride in my car! I quickly (and by quickly I mean like lightening McQueen fast) I snatched up that scratchy textile and into the buggy it went.

Now, I'm not want for snatching things out of people's hands, but I'm almost positive I would have beat a punk up should they had tried to wrestle me for that rug. I mean finding a decent rug for a good price is like trying to find the perfect swimsuit or jeans; almost impossible! But with a pricetag of only $25.50, that baby was mine!

I walked around about 3 minutes later and BAM! an adorable canvas painting of a black and grey basket with yellow flowers. Why am I so incredibly excited about this vintage find? Weeelll, it was just days before that I had decided to do my new room in gray and yellow! Yep, that's right. Not only was the rug calling my name, but so was this hunk of funky love. And again, with a pricetag of only $12.50, who would pass it by???

And, I'm not done yet. I did another sweep around the place and also walked away with 3 vintage suitcases, 3 pairs of shorts, a cheese grater (yeah, I needed on), some Christmas presents and a cute little canvas painting of a kitty (awwwww). My goodwill shopping spree was complete. I walked out with a practically a whole new room and a smile :) on my face. My Friday was complete!


So, thank you again Veterans for allowing me to have a mega good time finding fun deals and decorating my new pad!

After I'd had my fun at the goodwill, it was time to settle in for the storm that was headed my way. I got all unpacked and started heading to my bedroom and find this...


Apparently, my little man could sense the storm and felt that this thin piece of fabric was going to shield him from harm. Cute = camera comes out = cat shots. (Yes I know, yawn...)


Ok, enough of my main man... :). Lately, I've been going a little bohemian. Not my usual style, but I love the more free, vintage, anything goes feel that comes with it. My new favorite store? Forever 21. Love it! We just got one at our mall and it. is. awesome.

So, before I left for work on Thursday, I got a little funky and came up with this!

Well, it's not too funky, but I'm getting there. Give me a couple a months and I may have dreads! (just kidding. i wont have dreads.) The white tank = Banana Republic, cardigan = Forever 21, skirt = Banana Republic, shoes = Sacha Too, jewels & belt = Forever 21.

Anywhoo - it's time for me to sign off for tonight, but stay tuned, I've got some photography gigs to share :). Night!

friends, pins and photolings

I wanted to start off the post with the saying above because it is so very true. Today I had the pleasure of spending the afternoon with some girls that have been through "it" with me. And we prove the saying true because although we work together, we don't see each other all the time, but we always know that if we need something - we can call on each other.


But other than being able to call each other whenever times get tough, we love planning nights out or weekend shopping sprees (mostly with Mexican food involved :)). This weekend was no different. We had planned a day of shopping and hanging out and we decided to meet at the Mexican restaurant for dinner. So we enjoy a festive meal with a not so festive waiter (typical according to our experiences) and as we are getting ready to leave, my friends say "Surprise! We're not going shopping...we're treating you to a pedicure!"


I was so excited!! I didn't know what to say! It was just what I needed and we had a great time. They truly are the best friends anyone could ask for and I love them dearly!


Our trips these days are a little different than those 5 years ago - mostly because both of them have babies now :). But we have a good time no matter the number of guests and this time we had Baby Carter join us for a pedi day :). He was absolutely perfect! I don't think I heard a single fuss! And what does no fussing deserve?? A photo opp! So Auntie Ebonn whipped out the camera (yes in the nail salon) and snapped a couple. He is just the most handsome baby!!

Again, we had a great time! I'm so blessed to have them in my life and can't wait for future Mexican meet-ups and spa days :). xoxo girls!

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Ok, who else is completely obsessed with Pinterest??? You haven't heard of it? Well, get out from under that rock people because this could very well be the next facebook (well in terms of addiction level). I absolutely <3 it! My latest pin addiction is in my fashion and home boards...and to keep with the theme, I thought I'd snap a pick of my outfit for today's girl afternoon! {please ignore the incredibly filthy mirror}

I'm not one for accessories much, but I certainly changed that today! Forever 21 just opened at our mall and I was sucked in immediately when I entered the mall. I was there for like 2 hours!! Nonetheless, any future fashion postings will probably have more jewels because mama when jewelry crazy!

{For those even the slightest bit interested in my outfit above the shorts and banana republic, top is ann taylor, and flats are nine west.}

Ok. Moving on. So, after my F21 shopping extravaganza, I decided to come back and do a little photography practice. Below are some shots I took with a little help from Photoshop of course.

This sign was just boring, but I put a little punk flair too it and it turn out pretty cute!

These are the plants on my front step. I love a cute entrance way...

Looking through a hole in a fence.

And finally my favorite...

I decided to walk around the middle school right up the street from my house and snap some shots. I saw this and it made me laugh...kids are just too much these days. Sadly, no Photoshopping was needed for this poor fella, but for those of you having a hard time deciphering the scribble, it says..."F*&K Hand (the name of the school) and "Suck D*$&ks" (and that's not ducks...). Ahh, the minds of middle schoolers...

Anywhoo, it's late and I've got a busy week. Toodles for now!! Night!

the mommas and the poppa the question!

Mother's Day 2011 was an exciting year for our little family. My future BIL decided to finally pop the question to my big sis and asked me to help :). Aaand being the lover of surprises that I am, I said "absolutely!"

So after some thought as to how this was going to go down, I knew for sure that somehow we were going to have to incorporate the one thing my sister loves more than her family - Starbucks... I'm pretty sure she pays out a mortgage payment each month to that place... Anywhoo, so without hesitation I started racking my brain, and short of bringing a perky barista to the place we were having dinner, I decided we would just have to use a Starbucks cup instead. Yes, I know...strange, but I knew it would work. Aaand I was right :).

We all ate an amazing dinner and when were just about to get ready to leave, Walter rang his water glass and proceeded with a very sweet and caring announcement about Mother's Day, how much he loved Mecia and how he accidentally purchased a "first mother's day" card for her :). Then, exactly as planned, he says to Mecia, "Sweetie, I have one more dessert for you. I hope you can handle it..." Right on cue, I pass to him a "full" Starbucks cup and he hands it to her. Of course she's looking at us like we have 12 heads, but nonetheless, she takes the cup and begins to shake it with confusion (as I had anticipated). Once Walter realized she wasn't going to open the cup on her own, he popped open the lid and the waterworks began! (See below)


It wasn't long before she whispered her answer and then this began...

Yuck!! Just kidding. Soooo cute! I'm super happy for them both and that means that now I'm a MOH and ready for some high gear wedding planning! Watch out Fall 2011/Spring 2012 - you got one fancy wedding heading your way!

Of course before all this engagement holla-ba-loo took place, the family had to keep their cool. And of course the only way people would think things were normal was if Ebonn whipped out the trusty camera and went to town - literally :). I grabbed up 2 of my nieces and a low country photo shoot began.

Have I said recently that I absolutely LOVE old brick. And the railroad tracks didn't turn out too shabby either. It's always fun to have interesting backgrounds. It helps tell a story - something, I feel, some studio portraits lack.

Well, I'm off for now. It's move night with me and Gracin ;)!

zooin' it, cola style.

I had a wonderful day with the fam at Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia this weekend. I didn't realize how much I liked the zoo until I went! It's so neat to see all the different kinds of animals. And because I love animals, I enjoyed it tremendously :).

So of course, while I was there, I snapped a few pics. Hope you enjoy!