Alicia's Wedding

It's strange to be on the other side of the camera during a wedding! I was a bridesmaid in my roommate's wedding this weekend, and I couldn't keep myself from snapping a few photos while we were all getting ready!

This was a lovely group of bridesmaids, and one gorgeous bride! I feel lucky to have spent all day with them and celebrated my friend's special day together.

Alicia's Bridal Shower

It's a lot of fun to be a part of a wedding, because you don't have the same stress as the bride, but you get to throw little parties and get your nails done and stuff. My friend Lindsay and I were in charge of the bridal shower, and we put together an afternoon tea party in honor of our tea-loving friend, Alicia.

I even made cake pops for the event! (It's not as easy as you'd think, but check out Bakerella if you'd like to try).

There was fresh-squeezed mint lemonade and Trader Joe's supplied the iced tea, macaroons and flowers.

Lindsay, my cohort throughout the party planning! 

Emi showed up with a lovely gift coordinated with her outfit! It was too good to not get a photo.

And the gift-opening commenced:

She got Wisconsin cheese since she's moving up to Madison in a month!

All the guests (sans Ashley, who had to leave early for her graduation party!) We had a great time, and I'm going to miss this lovely bride.

I'm eBreaking a bottle of champagne against an eShip hull!

I am proud to announce the launching of my brand new website:
Serendipitous Photography

I am so proud. In fact, it's a little silly how proud I am.
You never realize how much time is poured into changing font colors, making sure links are activated, editing the html code to get just the right spacing between page elements... It's been a couple years since I've delved into web design and it's humbled me.

But regardless of the long process, it's up!
Go check it out, and do some ooohing and ahhhing over the pretty brides and snazzy seniors.

Summertime is vacationtime.

Ah, summer. I've always said I prefer the heat to the cold, and living in Ohio means you get both in extremes. My family and I took a trip to the Great Smoky Mountains a couple weeks ago, which is probably my Dad's favorite place on earth. The temperature was sublime, and we spent the time camping in the mountains surrounded by nature. 

My family has been camping since I was a tot. We started with tents but graduated to a trailer when we went through hurricane Floyd (fairly literally) in 1999. One of my favorite things about camping is fires. I love everything about them: the smell (I'd buy a perfume if I could!), the heat, the stories told around them, and the general feeling of famiality.

We did a little sightseeing and hiking to Laurel Falls. The Smokies are a gorgeous place.

Out in the wild you need to improvise. This is my brother with duct tape around his shoe. :)

My sister was so proud of her "Jr. Ranger" badge that she earned. Way to go, sis!