connie and travis: on campus

i had to get just a few of these up before i headed out for the rest of the afternoon. i will be doing a lot of editing coming up, but i managed to get a few done in between my afternoon activities.

connie and travis are getting married in january, and i'm excited to be doing connie's bridals in a couple of weeks and their wedding at the first of the year. we are all ecu grads, so it only seemed fitting to do their engagement shots on campus.





(this is one of my faves)



for more, click on over to flickr to check out the fun we had this morning!

(almost) wordless wednesday

pepper's seat of choice during the game on saturday...

had to get right on his shoulder :)

and finally, the last part of our WVU bet. sadly, we could only find a hat that would be remotely close to her "size." so we have the sideways hat "hip hop" look....
and honestly, that last one reminds me of my grandaddy.

our blogging bet debts are done :)

i heart faces: contemplative

for this week, i went with one of my favorites from a recent senior shoot i did. meghan has a gorgeous smile, but when i asked her for a more serious, thoughtful face, she easily made it happen. i love the close-crop in this one, the colorful bracelets and background and the beautiful details around her eyes.


and for the pets entry this week, i gave another canine some attention this week! i have tons of photos of my girl pepper, but this picture of cooper, a basset hound, just seemed fitting for the already contemplative week.

check out the other contemplative entries over at "i heart faces" this week!

mountaineer music monday

a little music to enjoy as i put together my first "i heart faces" entry in a couple of weeks...




so far, i have a WVU hat that pepper could wear. might have to make a trip to wal-mart or hancock fabrics tomorrow to see what they have...

the 'eers have it

ahh, my dear pirate nation. pee dee supporters. purple and gold bleeders.

we lost. though we made several fabulous fumble recoveries, kept up for the most part, and fought against several unusual penalty calls (holding on the kicking team? delay of game on the defense?)--in the end, we are still win-less on mountaineer field.

i did have a great time watching the game with my friends, and yes, even my mountaineer cheering in-laws! i loved seeing the responses on both blogs, getting the fans involved and continuing this great rivalry between two powerhouse football teams.

but in the end, a bet is a bet and rebecca has the floor:

(p.s. pepper needs a navy and gold outfit for wednesday. can anyone give us a hand?)

WVU 35 ECU 20

So, when I first told the man (my hubs) I'd challenged Lauren to a bloggy bet, his first question was "Please tell me you did not bet on the Mountaineers?"

I, of course, had done just that.

I never almost never vote on the Mountaineers.

Why, if you are such a die-hard fan, would you not bet on your team, you ask?

Well, first, and most-relevant to this bloggy bet, is last year's game at ECU. Did anyone (come on ECU fans, even you) really think WVU would lose 24-3? Nope.

How about 2 years ago when WVU played Pitt at home and all we had to do was beat our 13-point underdog arch-rivals and we'd have a spot to play for the National Championship? Pitt 13 - WVU 9. 'Nuf said.

Still not convinced as to why I wouldn't bet on the Mountaineers? How about this little sad fact: WVU is the winningest college football program to not have won a National Championship.

Being a Mountaineer fan comes with tons of fun - and, sometimes, tons of heartache.

And yesterday had a whole lot of both.

For all of the first 5 minutes and much of the first half of yesterday's game, I thought I was in for more heartache. Don't get me wrong, I never give up on the 'eers, but I was worried. I even looked at the man and said, this is what I get for betting on them.

But, I must say, a victory like today's is made all that much sweeter because of the heartaches of the past. This Mountaineer team rallied from a 10-0 hole, through 4 turnovers, and 11 penalties (3 in the first 2 minutes) for 104 yards to a victory! This Mountaineer team proved it has what it takes and that maybe, just maybe, the doubters are wrong.

ECU was a worthy adversary, as they frequently are, last year wasn't the first time they beat WVU. They came to play. And play they did. Convert those turnovers for touchdowns and it's a whole different ball game. A fan who sits beside us was calling for WVU's second team with 6 minutes to go and the score at 35 - 20. Coach Stewart knew better. He knew not to allow ECU to strike again and risk swinging momentum back. "Respect All, Fear None" is what Coach Stewart says all the time. ECU showed us real quick that we'd better respect them, and our team answered by not fearing them.

For today, my voice will crack and break as it recovers, but with each crack, I will smile ~ the cost of victory.

And most importantly, a Mountaineer team from which no one knew what to expect this year will walk a little prouder; will boast a 2-0 record; will have overcome a horrible start to play to victory; and maybe, just maybe, will have earned the respect of those who doubt.

Let's GOOOOO Mountaineers!!!!

a friendly football challenge...

my fellow pirates, we have been asked to defend our honor.

our spirit. our pirate pride. our johnny depp-imitating reputations.

(one of mine)

from--of all teams--the west virginia university mountaineers.

(from here)

my blog friend rebecca contacted me earlier this week to see if i was interested in participating in a little blogging competition. let's face it, these teams have had QUITE the rivalry over the past few years, and after our surprising (yet so satisfying) win last year at dowdy-ficklen over a ranked WVU team, i have a feeling those mountaineers will be out for revenge.

(from reflector last year--no rushing the field this year, though!)

actually, i'm quite positive of it. rebecca's blog has a "countdown to revenge." much like pirate football, the moutaineers are quite passionate about their team.

i should know. i married into them :)

so the game will start this afternoon at 3:30, and our swashbuckling record is on the line. here we are, defending C-USA champs and already made it through one mountaineer team, going for our first EVER win in milan puskar stadium!

rebecca and i have decided that the fan of the winning team will get a full range of blogging benefits of the next few days--a winning post on both blogs on sunday, winning fight song for music monday, and pictures of the dogs decked out in the winning team's colors for wordless wednesday.

so pirates, if we lose--that's an awful lot of mountaineer we have to endure over the next few days.

country roads.

wvu cheers.

couch burning.

(from here)

(yes, couch burning. google it.)

granted, since we live in a house-divided, i'm not entirely sure that my in-laws would mind the purple and gold turning to navy blue and gold for a few days. but i will back up my alma mater. i mean, do we want to discuss the games i attended in the john thompson era?

so, hop on over to rebecca's blog and let her know that the mountaineers will be walking the plank this afternoon! (while you're over there, check out some of her awesome "can of worms" posts, her 100th post that will tell you everything you need to know, and their recent trip to justin's hometown area along the cheat river and a steelers game. my husband approves of this blog friendship.)

then tune in (especially if you're suddenlink customers for cable or internet--you can catch the game on ESPN360.com) and cheer on our pirates!

ARRRRRRGGH! go pirates!

pepper's ready...

i told you i'm a sucker for wal-mart dog outfits. (and picnik collages.)

but we're getting set for the football weekend! already kicked it off with a steelers win last night :)

and if you're a pirate fan, make sure to stop by tomorrow morning to help share some pirate pride with the blog world!

more details in the morning...

scraps of randomness

first of all, on the litter box front, we have had no "clean ups on aisle four" all week long! (knock on wood.) my mom said to check and make sure grace wasn't finding somewhere else, but i think i just found the right combination of number of litter boxes, style, and mix of clay/feline pine litters. let's hope that it holds!

*

lynn sent me this photo (blackberry photo, so it's grainy--apologies) of one of my beach portraits from a few weeks ago in a fabulous 20" by 30" size over her mom's mantle. there's just something about seeing my photos all blown up and on display that makes me happy :)

i get the same feeling when i enter the avery house. i've been wanting to do a portfolio book to show to potential clients, but haven't gotten around to it. maybe that'll be a project for the next week or so.

*

i've calculated up my potential hours spent at church this coming sunday and am thinking it'll probably be around ten hours (like working a full shift for God!)

8-12: praise band practice, first service, second service (i'm singing at both, justin doing A/V)

3-4: first rehearsal for the holiday program (by the way, LOVE that they're starting this early. i'm hoping we won't be quite as rushed there at the end like last year.)

4-6: "sunday on the lawn" that our small group is running. tag football, ultimate frisbee, kickball, etc. open to the public and should be a lot of fun! i'll leave early and go on over to...

5-8: the kick-off of six78, our new middle-school program. i'll be probably staying with them for the full time rather than going on down to our...

6-8: small group meeting.

either way, i'm at church until atleast 8, and realistically, 9.

and honestly, i'm excited about it. i love being involved in lots of different programs and facets of the church. i've missed my youth group meetings, our small group has grown so much closer during the struggles we've faced recently, and being a part of the worship ministry is just amazing.

so, if you're looking for me on sunday, you'll find me here. and if you really want to figure out why i'm so excited about it, come on over at 9 am or 10:30 am! wear your jeans and your t-shirts. we'd love to have you :)

*

and finally, tomorrow is eight years since--well, since everything changed. someone asked tonight on facebook, "where were you?"

i was just a couple of weeks into my freshman year at ecu. my first major psych test was schedule for that morning, and i was going to get up and study at the library before my 10 am (maybe it was 11...don't remember for sure) class. i remember getting ready and about to head out to the library when someone knocked on my door and asked if i was watching the news. we watched the planes crash, the towers begin to fall down, and studious freshman that i was, i still went to the library to "study"--but ended up watching the news in one of the meeting rooms up front where it was playing.

we still had that exam. (and i did well. psych 1000 was a piece of cake.)

the next fews days were spent "processing," a term i know now but was only beginning to comprehend at that point. there were candlelight vigils, seminar discussions, college ministry meetings that had us asking questions and searching for answers, and (somewhat selfishly) the realization that my weekend flight to florida (where my high school sweetheart was attending college) was not going to happen.

and slowly, life returned to normal. a new normal. increased security, coded colors of safety, flags on every front porch. walking past an armed guard as i finally made that trip to florida in october. i still remember, similarly, leaving early from my evening sociology class that following march to watch president bush declare war on iraq and begin bombing that night.

but in the same way that i'm sure the generations before us won't forget where they were when JFK was assassinated, when MLK Jr. was shot, when the challenger exploded, when princess diana died, when columbine and waco occurred (okay, i remember those last few) it was a moment that defined us. particularly my class, the freshman class who left home and entered the "real world" only to have the world become more real, more cruel, more harsh that we ever expected it to.

as a kid who grew up in a military town with many friends who are military families, i support our troops and the fact that they put their lives on the line for us and our freedoms daily. and i want them to come back home safely.

i remember the lives of those that were lost on 9/11. the passengers, the new york residents, the first responders. i pray for their families and the memories that they deal with every day, but especially tomorrow.

where were you?

pepper's anniversary

today, my friends, is pepper's anniversary with us.

she showed up as this little five pound, four-month-old puppy. on a trial basis (i knew she was staying--she just had to wear justin down.)

it's been 12 months of early morning trips out, numerous walks around the neighborhood, and more wal-mart dog outfits than i care to admit to.

it's been scads of stuffed animals that somehow lose their stuffing, rawhide chews and squeak toys that meet untimely deaths, and six weeks of obedience classes that helped her survive a little bit longer in our house.

it's been dog-proofing the house, guarding our food when we get up, and watching the cats slowly tolerate her more and more.

and finally, it's been a learning experience. the cats essentially took care of themselves. the dog is different. she needs you. has you getting up in the morning, checking on her through out the day. she teaches you responsibility and patience.

and loves you like no other animal can.

i know a day will come when pepper has to take the back burner to more persistant--more human--loves. but she has been our first "baby," our first attempt of taking care of a little one, and she will always be my dear, sweet pepper-dog.

happy anniversary, pep. and here's to many more...

labor day weekend

after justin returned home on saturday, i got to see a different side of pepper for a while. you have to understand, as much as i loved her company while he was gone, she was driving me nuts. way too much energy, wanting to play fetch until 11:30 at night, never able to sit and relax until i put her up for the night. justin told me that it was probably because she responds to me different than him--i rile her up, giving her lots of energy, and he relaxes her and calms her down.

sure enough, within just a little while of being home, here's what i saw on the couch...
she hadn't done that the entire week.

sigh.

we spent the rest of saturday like that--watching football games and only heading out to run a couple of errands in the evening. i picked up the next "professor layton" game for the nintendo DS--it's a great brain teaser/puzzle game that will keep me busy for the next couple of weeks. i played the first one earlier this year and loved it. one of the few games that i really got into.

yesterday, we got up and went to church in the morning. i stopped by the playground to check out ayden's garden that jeremy, lindsey and their friends and family worked on the day before. i can tell it's going to be a beautiful spot. what a wonderful way to remember him and create a peaceful spot on the church property for family's to enjoy!

after church, we spent the afternoon relaxing, grocery shopping and picking up around the house. i'd gotten the idea to have our small group and other friends over that evening since we weren't having our regular meeting with the labor day holiday. i love having people over every now and then because it forces me to pick up :) we got everything set up for rock band and wii games and had a great time jamming out until almost 11:30.

joshua and jake were over, as well, and we got to see how pepper and the cats did with them.
pepper was very interested in josh and gave him lots of kisses while he was in his carrier. milo wasn't so sure about jake--he's always been intimidated by the little people. jake toddled in the game room after him and then came back out making hissing noises and mimicking one of milo's infamous swats.
by the end of the night, jake had tested out wii resort sports (he was actually pretty good at fencing) and crashed in the guest bedroom while we continued playing rock band.
and pepper eventually lost her socializing rights and ended up in the kitchen. too many people, too much energy. we had 10 adults there, including ourselves, and it was just a little busy for her.
overall, she did okay--she just got a little snappy by the end of it and it was easier to keep her in the kitchen than to have her running around.

we had a great time, though, and it was so much fun to have everyone over. we will definitely have to do it again soon!

today, we have no plans. we've had a nice big breakfast and we're getting started on some rainy day movies. should be an incredibly relaxing day :)

what's in your plans for labor day?

contentment

with the added bonus of a (just barely) ecu win.

life is good.

football friday

after i "painted it purple" on friday (my toenails and a great purple tank-top that i found at target on thursday night)...i was already in a football mood. "paint it purple" fridays are a tradition around here, where on fridays before home games, everyone wears purple to work and school. to keep to "football momentum" going--i was able to join some friends at a local high school football game.

i LOVE high school football for the opposite reasons that i love college football. where as college football is loud and choreographed and projected on the jumbotron, high school football is all about the atmosphere--watching the families, the groups of high schoolers at the game, the young players that are still learning a lot of the basics and surprise you with often unpredictable plays. my four years in high school marching band were some of my favorite times--crisp fall nights with stand tunes, halftime performances and third quarter breaks :) i'm excited about going to some more south central games this year (where jeremy coaches) and also maybe making it over to wilson occasionally to catch my brother's band in action.

just a couple of pictures of the boys hanging out. i had the best time catching up with doug and robin, david, lynn and josh, and brent and jake.
the little guys loved watching the game.
so blessed to have these friends to spend a beautiful friday night with. in just a couple of hours, justin will be home and we'll be tuning in for the pirate football game.

and if i had to guess... i imagine we'll be watching some pre-season nfl football tomorrow.

yes, folks, it's that time of year again. football, football, football!

pirate pup

look who's ready for the game tomorrow...

now granted, we aren't actually going to make it to dowdy-ficklen. it's a sold-out game. it's on TV. i'm on crisis phone and could get called out. it's the first week of september with a 12 pm kick-off. though we have had lovely overcast skies and comfortable weather the past week, it potentially could have been 95 with 100% humidity. and i just don't do well with those odds.
but we'll be cheering them on (either from home or a local establishment with wings and many many tvs and other fans.)

purple!

GOLD!

(i have leftover material if anyone else wants a bandana for their pup...)

not just for wet floors, banana peels or freudish comments

quick poll---how many of you out there own (and wear) a slip on a regular basis?

alright, now how many of you are under 30?

for whatever reason, there is a generation that has missed out on the benefits--nay, the necessity--of the slip.

and they sell them at target, so i know they COULD be purchased by our teeny boppers and young professionals.

so what's holding us back? is there a slip stigma? that these are only allowed for our mothers and grandmothers (who have narry a visible panty line in sight, might i add) but it's okay for ladies under 30 to flounce around in flimsy dresses and skirts without that extra layer?

do the 360 degree mirror check. all the way around (often times, that's the viewpoint that needs the slip the most.) watch how the skirt falls, where it might catch, and ask yourself, "do i want everyone to see this?" ponder what might happen if the sunlight hits you just the right (or wrong, rather) way. walk around a little bit and see how the fabric moves. and then, go out to target (or any other department store) and invest in a slip or two (always helps to have different lengths--i've been known to wear a longer one higher up on my waist empire-style to cover any waistband-area issues). and WEAR THEM.

your sunday school class, fellow students and party-goers will thank you :)

(a quick google search showed me that i'm not the only one concerned about this trend.)

old friends and new offices

so i made a quick trip to fayetteville this past weekend to celebrate my mom's birthday with my family. we had a fun time reminiscing, particularly about all of the crazy stuff that alan got into when he was younger. nothing like digging up embarrassing stories on your brother infront of his wife to get some entertainment :)

later on, i was able to meet up with elizabeth, one of my long-time friends that was in town for the weekend as well. granted, she had to travel from manhattan--a little further than me, but we were excited to see each other nonetheless. she was at home working on some wedding details for her and jeremy's big day coming up in december.

while she was at home, she was cleaning out her room and happened upon the motherload of notes, letters and general nostalgic items. this included a typed "story" that we created of our futures during one of our "gang green" sleepovers in high school.

yes, "gang green." the name stuck after the group of us all showed up one night wearing various shades of green, and being that we all enjoy puns that also sound like decaying skin diseases, we took it and ran with it. we were big fans of st. patrick's day. and even got t-shirts a couple of years. (i still wear mine occasionally around the house.)
our "initiation" included dressing up in poodle skirts for midnight outings where we purchased the ingredients needed for making chocolate chip pancakes with green food coloring--and general band dork merriment. along with a fair share of drama, boy issues, competition for seats or positions in band, etc. but i still love those girls.

and the letter that elizabeth unearthed showed just how much time i had on my hands back then. i decorated the three-page letter (written in 1999 while she was at governor's school) with colored pencil drawings all around margins. this was also around the same time i spent every thursday night making "happy friday" cards for about 5 or 10 of my friends to put in their lockers. granted, it's not like i didn't have a life. i just loved my friends dearly.
i'm so glad that we keep things like this, cause i know i'll have blast reading back through them one day. and i imagine my kids finding them and reading them, too. and in a way, as long as we keep them, it reminds us of those friendships and allows us to keep in touch and "pick up where we left off" when we get that next opportunity.

and finally, i spent yesterday morning creating my new space.
my supplies had grown over the weekend after mom and i went to ollie's, sorta like a big lots on steroids. they had so many books, games and puzzles, including a huge selection of books from lifeway christian bookstore (not work stuff, obviously, but i did get a couple of things i thought we could use for youth group.) at any rate, i'm happy with the new set-up and to have a great working space. in a crazy way, i do miss all of us being in one room and getting to socialize, but it is nice to have a little more peace and quiet. and the shelves! the glorious shelves! (they continue to the right, and i put my puppets out this morning...) when we expand our office a little bit more, we're hoping to have a play therapy room and then i'll get to move a lot of this stuff again :) but i'm happy with where we are now--back on the side of town where i used to live, used to work, and am very familiar. yay!

alright, that's it for now. have to start thinking about bed soon...

catching up with some cuties

i'm sure you all know maddie and marley by now (of letter fame) and today, i got do a photo shoot with the girls and their buddies colin and drew. it's late and i'm sure i could add lots of cute captions, but honestly--i'm a little tired and i think some of the photos speak for themselves.




(i will add here--i love this photo, including the fact that it looks like she's ALMOST picking her nose. but not quite!)

(ahh--a good shot of drew. he was tough to please but we finally got some great smiles with one of my dollar tree playground balls. it's a good thing i work out of my car :) )
(serious look for colin. and i love it.)
(so sweet...)

alright, it's time for bed. more editing to do tomorrow, but i figure this is a good start!

on a lighter note...

i want to thank everyone for their kind words about the last few posts--i'm simply happy to be able to share my pictures and thoughts with those who weren't able to attend the service or who don't know the jones family. images are powerful to me--they have always invoked emotions, brought up memories, captured those moments for others to see and experience. the images from yesterday--they're incredibly powerful and it hurt to take some of them. i had to compose myself a couple of times to keep from shaking the telephoto lens (i was a good 30-40 feet back from tent when i took the majority of those pictures as to not intrude.) but again, i appreciate the comments, the prayers for the jones family, the amazing support of our church family and our brothers and sisters in Christ who have reached out to this family.

so, on a lighter note, there has been other stuff going on that i thought i could share. it's a bit of a hodge-podge, but you're used to those posts by now, right?

i lost my keys twice last week. each time with about 15 minutes spent looking for them. i decided that i needed to bigger keychain, and found this one at kitty hawk kites when i was down at the beach last weekend.

it is quite large, quite "me" and i love the message. live simply. and don't lose your keys, cause now you have this big 'ol keychain attached to it.

on sunday evening, we had a banner painting party to promote a new activity our small-group is heading up. it will be called "sunday on the lawn" and we want people from the community to come hang out, play kickball or frisbee and be able to socialize without the pressure of a "church" activity. i got nominated to take care of the banner painting/design, and the girls stayed inside to paint while the guys ransacked the storage building and then stuck posts in the ground for the banners. we got done a little early and one of the girls decided to do some cleaning in the kitchen (note--i did not propose this idea. i was still painting. obviously.)
she pulled out one of the bottom drawers in the fridge and found this goopy, syrupy brown substance that smelled funny and stuck to everything. needless to say, it took us a while to clean that fridge. we also disposed of condiments and containers with dates ranging from 2 years past date to six years past date--yes, six years! and when all was said and done, we ironically read the sign on the front of the fridge that said, "please label personal items. refridgerator will be cleaned periodically and all past-date items will be thrown out."

monday was justin's birthday, and we had a great dinner at home and then went over to his mom's house for dessert. she had baked gingerbread, but got cupcakes as well, so he had candles to blow out all over the place!
and on tuesday, i had the great mud encounter of '09. the yard behind us for the house that is still being constructed had turned into a big mud puddle with rain from the weekend. on tuesday, as i walked pepper out back, she was exploring and i thought it had firmed up enough to walk on. FAIL.
my feet sunk down several inches and i completely lost my rainbows in the mud and had to fish them out. then i had to wash off all of the mud and clay that had caked on them and leave them outside to dry. not pretty, but they have survived.

and finally, robin has given me another great cut and color. a little darker than what i've had this summer, but i love it for the fall. and we added some bangs and some more layers. i've been really happy with it and have an easy time styling it in the morning.
and now begins a kinda crazy weekend as justin heads to the beach with his family from west virginia, i make a quick trip to fayetteville to celebrate my mom's birthday, and i get used to flying solo all next week. so if you've been wanting to get together--call me! we'll make plans :)

alright, i hear some pre-packing laundry calling me.