Beach Bums: Aults' 2nd Anniversary

Happy Anniversary Bear and Tommie! This makes me happy, and warm and fuzzy all over. Call me a sucker for love, but they are two cute peas in an adorable pod. They are, essentially, the same person. They laugh, together, at the same things, and both see the world through passionate, loving, driven eyes. The Aults met in college and have been together ever since. They were MADE for each other. It was a good day these two souls found each oher. The world literally experienced more laughter.

We're fortunate enough to love them both dearly. While on vacation in Naples, Florida, we wanted to freeze their today, just a couple weeks shy of their second wedding anniversary. On the beach where our friends would marry the next day, we ended up barefoot, capturing grins, laughter, and a whole lotta love.

This is the standard. Haha

These next few photos are completely blown out, as I tried to get my bearings on the beach, but I found myself liking them anyway. Bear and Tommie are the only focus of the photo, which is really cool, despite my mistakes!

Exhibit A of why I love Photoshop: I had to crop three rear ends out of this photo- in the air, bent over collecting shells further down the beach.

"We're at the beach!" I love this.

Two happy, blissful years. Congrats you two.

One of my favorites. They are going to have beeeeeautiful children!

And ornery children. Haha!

Bear, you're gorgeous. No wonder he can't take his eyes off you!

And that husband of yours is pretty darn handsome too.

Celebrating Mom

Mother's Day. A day to celebrate moms everywhere, thanking them. For everything. For life, for love, for patching our skinned knees. For sharing their lipstick and high heels. And drying our eyes and fixing our broken hearts. For stitching up our wedding gowns when they rip ten minutes before the ceremony. And for unconditionally standing next to us.. for the good and the bad. Nomatter what.

Mom. One syllable, so easy it's one of our first words as children. The person who brings us into this world, who sings softly over our cribs, who hurts along with us when we hurt. Mamas would do anything to keep us happy, healthy, safe, and cared for. Today was her day, and in true I-need-my-mama fashion, her 26-year-old daughter (a.k.a. me) had a rough start to the day, changed plans, and needed her to make it better. And true to her selfless, giving spirit, she hugged me tight and said all the right things. My mom is remarkable. Beautiful from the inside out, her love and dedication to our family seeps through her pores and radiates outward beyond measure. A constant steady in a life full of crazy, I'm SO thankful for her. 

Thanks mom, for being my best friend. Thank you and Dad for showing us what real love is. Thank you for building a safety net surrounding our home, and thank you for my ridiculously happy childhood. If I'm half the mom you are someday, my life will have incredible meaning. I love you SO much.

Drive (Fly) Until the Map Turns Blue

Brad Paisley sings a song called "Water," and it speaks to the very core of my soul. Besides being fun to sing my head off to in the car, any guitar-playing cowboy can melt me into putty within seconds. This particular song makes me think of up north, and down south. And out west. Lakes and beaches and oceans. Cool, refreshing, umbrella-garnished boat drinks. Sandy toes and sunkissed shoulders. It takes me to a place free from work, and alarm clocks. And bills and to-do lists. It plops me down in the middle of a beach towel, as I mumble to my husband, in my half-sleepy, beach-nap stuper, What do you want to do the rest of the day? And he replies, This. That kind of day. For the past week, we've been playing around Florida, barefoot on the beach, standing next to our best friends as they said I do, and stuffing ourselves full of local seafood. I'll have several lengthy posts up soon, but for now, I thought I'd post the reason I'm having "re-entry issues," as my mom calls it. But to sum up our trip... my love affair with water continues...

All you really need this time of year,
Is a pair of shades, and ice cold beer,
And a place to sit, somewhere near.. water.

Accidental Good Stuff

So. We all have days where silliness and stupidity follow us around in our shadows. The days where you wear two different color socks, or totally wreck your workout regimen by stuffing your face with fortune cookies. So I've heard anyway. It's these days that can pass with annoyance, or with humor, depending on your outlook. My day, fortunately, was a sunny day. A good day, filled with positive feedback on my hard work with my beloved black box, sprinkled with moments that passed with my head in the clouds. Like when I washed my hair twice this morning in the shower. Or when I left work and started driving in the direction of my parents' house, instead of my own. Or my running over Matt's brand spankin' new bicycle when I drove into the garage. Oops. Luckily, the bike came with fenders and a rack he was meaning to take off anyway. Those things alone saved his bike's fate!

While I may have looked like a walking blonde joke today, I realized two things. Two very important things. 1. I married a very patient man. One who merely looked at his bike, shrugged with a simple, It's not so bad Babe, nothing I can't fix! and 2. By stuffing my face with five fortune cookies, I came across these following tidbits. Maybe tidbits I was supposed to find, digest, and use to better myself, and my craft.

Here's proof I inhaled five cookies.

Lisa & Will: Married!

A simply breathtaking bride, dressed in all things white, stands ready to marry the man who makes her heart flutter. She can't contain her joy, smiling, arm and arm with the man who has been her number one her whole life- Dad. A handsome groom, clad in his military blues, declares, proudly, to love forever and protect the woman who makes his heart melt. In a touching ceremony, our wonderful friends, Lisa and Will, became one. Vows full of strength, love, devotion, and adoration for one another. The uniting of two strong families. Tearful speeches. A gigantic cookie table; italians do it right! A gorgeous quilt, adorned with memories and best wishes, crafted with love by mothers, aunts, grandmothers, and bridesmaids. Heartfelt sentiments, and details that could only be shared this day, by this couple, in this moment.

When it came time to cut the cake, Lisa asked her grandparents to join them. Her grandparents just celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. A sweet sentiment, and one with a huge thank you attached. Lisa thanked them for being a cornerstone of love in her family, and with a foundation like that as an example, how could any marriage be anything but strong? As a newlywed, I found myself captivated by these two people, still holding hands after 60 years. Glancing in own husband's direction, it was a great reminder of the gift we receive when we marry. To share a life together, to never walk alone, to love wholeheartedly and selflessly.

True to form and her giving spirit, Lisa let me tag along with her and her bridesmaids all day to try my hand at wedding photography. HUGE hugs and thank yous all around- to Lisa and Will, to your giving, beautiful families, to your photographer, who, graciously, allowed me to be his shadow for the afternoon. What a joyful, touching celebration of love to be apart of.

Lisa & Will: we love you both, and wish you a wonderfully relaxing, sunshine-filled honeymoon!