So Much To Blog About! (Part 1)
May/100
I just had the busiest 4 days of my life since my wedding weekend. It was a non-stop, little sleep, working like a dog weekend. But it was so worth it. I had the best time celebrating so many big life moments. Most of my weekend was documented in photos, so I’m going to try to post as much as possible (and probably send you to my photoblog a couple of times).
Friday was spent at Evangel University’s graduation. Congrats to my baby brother, Andrew, who graduated from college! He makes Anthony & I look so small in this picture!
After graduation lunch, Anthony & Cynthia & I headed out to do an engagement shoot. The images aren’t completely ready yet, but here’s one sneak peak. I’ll post another link later.
On Saturday, we hosted a bridal shower for Cynthia. All the planning and hard work paid off - it turned out beautifully. Lyndsey, Becca & Cheri were amazing! They helped my mom and I pull it all together. I am lucky to have such great friends who go the extra mile for me and my family. You can see more images of the shower here.
Later that day, I shot a few images for my dad. He needed a picture for a magazine article, so I was happy to oblige. You can see a few more pics of ‘ol Tommy here.
I have more to come from my trip: Mother’s Day, Anthony & Cynthia, and Carrie’s Olivia. PLUS all the things that happened in Alabama while I was gone, Katie had a baby girl and Sonya found out she is having a boy! Seriously - this weekend was crazy! 
Anxious for September
Apr/100
Although THE girls’ trip isn’t scheduled until September, I am in the midst of all the planning and couldn’t be more excited about it. My “Springfield Girls” (even though only 3 of the 6 of us still reside there), are going to make the journey to one of my most favorite places in the world: Hwy 30A. This little strip of heaven includes the cutest little beach communities - Santa Rosa, Seagrove, Rosemary Beach & Seaside. We are staying in a 3 story house across from the beach in Santa Rosa. Here’s a little sneak peak into what the girls can expect.
They can expect to get in one of these:
And venture out into this beautiful, calm, emerald water:
They can expect to reach all their destinations, like the Amavida Coffee Shop
On one of these:
They can expect an amazing breakfast at The Great Southern Cafe:
Followed by a look at fresh fall produce at the Farmer’s Market
And some pretty great shopping at the cutest little boutiques:
Now, how am I supposed to wait until September for this trip?!
Meet Ya in Biloxi
Apr/101
Next weekend, Becca & her family will be traveling down to New Orleans. We originally had hoped to spend a good bit of the weekend together since N.O. is only 2+ hrs away. But due to schedules and such, we decided that we’d meet 1/2 way on Sunday afternoon in Biloxi, MS. Although, I’ve driven through Biloxi a few times, I’ve only stopped there once. It was for a Roman Street concert, so for the most part, I was stuck behind the merch table. Plus, it was pretty chilly. I do remember that.
In my mind Biloxi = casinos. But how could I forget that it sits directly on the beautiful Gulf of Mexico? So, even though we probably won’t try to teach Zeda how to play Black Jack on this trip, I’m sure we will find plenty to do. We could take a ferry to Ship Island where we can sun bathe and possibly see a few dolphins. We could check out the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art. Or we could settle into their historic Main Street and enjoy cute shops and eateries.
I can’t wait! Especially to see my Zeda girl.
Sunday in Seaside
Feb/100
I love the whole area in between Destin and Panama City Beach, FL. There is a highway called 30A (that you have probably have seen pictures of already on this blog or my website) that has the best little towns like Rosemary Beach, Watercolor, Seagrove and my most favorite: Seaside. Its just a little piece of heaven. Seriously. Roman Street had a concert there yesterday, so Nik and I headed out after church and stayed the night with all our Roman Street friends. I hung out in the courtyard area snapping photos while we all waited for the concert to start. I could really care less for Valentine’s Day, but I guess it was a pretty good way to spend it. We stayed at our favorite house, Sail On Inn and got a great night’s sleep in the super comfy bed. They have the best beds there. I caught Nik taking a picture with his phone of the brand name of the mattress. Haha. I am working today, but have tomorrow off for Mardi Gras. Yes, when you leave where I live, you don’t get President’s Day off, you get Mardi Gras day off.
For more pictures of the weekend, go HERE!
The White House Bed & Breakfast Now Open!
Feb/102
So - I’m totally out of vacation days. I will have just enough to see me brother get married come June. AH! I guess I went home a lot last year and used all our free tickets (which Nik reminds me of on a weekly basis. Haha). So, since I can’t come to you as often this year, I would like to announce that the White House Bed & Breakfast is now open to all my friends and family.
Here’s what staying at the White B&B will include:
- Quaint guestroom
- Private bathroom
- Breakfast Smoothies & Bold Coffee by Mr. Nik White
- Hammock in the backyard
- Spacious Kitchen with full fridge and pantry
- On-site Laundry
- Free Cable & Wi-Fi
- Office space to place small children (like Owen & Zeda)
- Hours of Mexican Train Dominoes
- Reruns of The Office
- Minimum of one photo shoot
- 10 minute drive to the Mobile Bay & downtown Fairhope
- 30-40 minute to Gulf Shore beaches, outlet malls & the Shrimp Basket
Hurry to book your spot, because our schedule is filling up!
Home for the Holidays
Dec/090
Tomorrow, Nik & I will be heading to Springfield to spend Christmas with my family. I’m so excited to be at home for Christmas this year (we were with Nik’s family last year). I did manage to squeeze a visit home right after Christmas last year, but being there on the actual DAY will be even better. I checked the weather a couple of days ago, and it was calling for snow on Christmas Eve. I have been away from snow long enough to actually want to have some (especially, since I’ll get to leave the cold!). But of course, I checked the weather today and there is no snow in the forecast anymore. I think that Nik is bad luck when it comes to the snow. The two just don’t mix, I guess. Since I have my camera this year, I will probably take tons of pictures this year. I can hardly find any from last year except this one of the girls. 
Here’s a picture of my parents house in January when it WAS snowing. I’m hoping and praying that we get to see at least some flurries!
Well, I am off to officially start my Christmas Vacation!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!
Whirlwind of Life
Dec/090
Alright, I’m taking a second out of my non-stop Christmas Parade week, to write a post. Such an exciting time in life, and I can’t let it pass me by without saying anything at all! If you read my post below, you know that my brother is getting married! That’s the news of today! He proposed in Kansas City among all the Christmas lights of the Plaza and then took her to a concert (The Swell Season). They will probably have a summer wedding in the San Francisco area (that is where Cynthia is from) and I just can’t wait!
Our trip to Thanksgiving was a total blast. It was great to see Derek. It was so funny to see how disciplined his life had been over the last few months. It took him a second to relax and pull his mind away from the Boot Camp life he had been living. I can’t really imagine doing that, but it totally fits for him. He did really well and left today for A School in San Antonio. He will be there for about 2 months and then will get his assignment.
Here are a few of my favorite photos from our trip (most of these are also on Facebook & my photography site along with more from the week). Speaking of photography, I’ve had a ton of shoots lately and have been updating my photo journal like crazy, so check it out if you are bored one day and want to browse some pics!
PS: I think I am getting more OCD as I get older. Germs are really grossing me out lately. This is really just a side note and random thought and has nothing to do with this post
Emerald Coast Weekend
Oct/091
Our mini vacation is already winding down. So quick! A Thursday - Saturday is just not long enough. But, I could only afford to miss one day of work and we had to back to lead worship at church in the morning. Such is life. We are finishing the trip off with some Alabama football (Roll Tide!). I thought I could probably manage a little multi-tasking and post some pics from our trip.
We stayed in Carillion Beach (right between Rosemary Beach and Panama City Beach). It seriously was such a relaxing weekend. I slept a lot. And just had a good time enjoying Nik. I’m so glad we pulled away for a couple of nights. A cold front swept through while we were there - of course, but that didn’t take away from how beautiful the Emerald Coast is.
Sail On Inn - The house we stayed at.
My awesome husband
The "Rosemary Thymes" - The Rosemary Beach newspaper. So cute.
Yummy Chai! Just like the Mudhouse!
Me & the hubs
You can check out a few more photos HERE.
all over the place
Sep/090
I am back from my crazy, all over the place weekend. I am pretty sure that 1/2 of the last 5 days were spent on an airplane or in the car, but I had a great time. It was so good to be home with my family and friends. There is nothing like it. It helps me breathe better. I met baby Owen, who is the cutest little man, and saw Andrew play football. He is a great player and I am so proud of him. He is done so well at Evangel and I am excited to see what his future has waiting for him. He is a leader on and off of that field. More photos of him can be found on my site. 
The second half of my weekend was spent in Nashville. I had never been to Nashville before and I found that I really liked it. If you ever go, you need to eat breakfast at the Pancake Pantry. Yum. I had the Carribean pancakes: bananas, pecans and coconut! So good.
Recording was awesome. We did 5 of Nik’s worship songs. He had already laid down part of the tracks in July with Chase & David (accoustic, drums, electric & bass), but we laid down the vocals, piano, CELLO (Esther rocks!!!) and finishing touches this round. My most favorite song, Stay With Me, included everyone. It turned out so great - many layers of different instruments, but still so simple. It was cool to see it all come together with many important people in our lives being a part of it. I’ll keep you updated on the progress of the CD and post photos soon! [Becca - if you are reading this, we took some really great pictures with your camera. Hahaha!]
Today, I really do feel all over the place. I’m just trying to get my bearings and focus at work, on youth tonight, and on all the things we are planning on for the future. Sometimes life just seems a little overwhelming, but God is faithful and bigger than what I can see. So, as I come back to reality today, I am holding on to that.
tulsa, springfield, nashville
Sep/091
After a quick weekend in Springfield (seeing Andrew play football and meeting baby Owen), Cheri and I drove to Nashville to meet Nik and everyone at The Tracking Room studio. Our friend, Warren, works there and Nik is recording some worship music today and tomorrow. I’m going to be taking some photos of the sessions and also singing. Haha. I’ll keep you updated on how that goes….
If you want to see some pics of baby Owen, click HERE.
