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my bridal pics (taken by Littrell Photography at Lake Grapevine after our wedding) are in. Below is a selection:

it was fun to go out to grapevine lake with jeromy all dressed up - it’s such a special place to us so it seemed logical to do a post-wedding bridal session out there. jeromy always looks scared in his photos, which is funny since he’s usually so jovial in every other situation.

this week has been long and tiring. i’ve had a lot of field work and i’m just plum exhausted after this week. i’m so looking forward to this three day weekend… we have tons of little things we want to do around the house. we sat and made a list tonight so that we can stay on track. most of it centers around getting things put away and organized. i’m hoping to dive in on decorating the house this month so that it actually feels like a home - getting curtains, pictures hung, etc. but - for the time being - everything is a mess so we need to conquer that little task first.

i hope everyone has a safe and fun 4th of july!

“Oh, It is Love”
~Hellogoodbye

Oh, it is love
From the first time I set my eyes up on yours
Thinking oh, is it love?

Oh dear
It’s been hardly a moment
And you are already missed
There is still a bit of your skin
That I’ve yet to have kissed
Oh say please do not go
But you know, oh, you know that I must
Oh say I love you so
But you know, oh, you know you can trust
We’ll be holding hands once again
All our broken plans I will mend
I will hold you tight so you know
It is love from the first
Time I pressed my hand into yours
Thinking oh is it love?

Oh, dear, it’s been hardly three days
And I’m longing to feel your embrace.
There are several days
Until I can see your sweet face.
Oh say, wouldn’t you like to be older and married with me
Oh say, wouldn’t it be nice to know right now that we’ll be
Someday holding hands in the end
All our broken plans will have been
I will kiss you soft so you know
It is love from the first
Time I pressed my lips against yours
Thinking oh is it love?

Your heart may long for love that is more near
So when I’m gone these words will be here
To ease every fear
And dry up every tear
And make it very clear
I kiss you and I know
It is love from the first
Time I pressed my lips against yours
Thinking oh is it love?

Oh it is love from the first
Time I pressed my lips against yours
Thinking oh is it love?

I kiss you and I know
It is love from the first
Time I pressed my lips onto yours
Thinking oh is it love?

just a quick post before i head off to a bridal session over in rockwall…

this week has been just as mega-crazy as the last few. work was busy monday through thursday, which has become more and more of the norm.

on monday night, jeromy graduated from the hurst citizen’s fire academy. mom and dad came for the festivities, which included dinner and the presentation of their certificates (i’ll post photos soon). we were very proud of jeromy and i know that he’ll have a blast with future volunteering opportunities with the fire department.

we actually managed to go grocery shopping this week - something that had not occurred in months due to a general lack of time. our fridge and pantry are actually stocked with food and we’ve enjoyed being able to stay in and cook meals.

i took this morning off and got my last name officially changed at the social security office and driver’s license place. i’ll hit the bank tomorrow and have jeromy added to my account. it feels good to tie up this one little loose end… jeromy had been calling me by my maiden name all this time bc i hadn’t gotten this taken care of yet.

as mentioned before, i’m about to head to rockwall to do a bridal session. i have another wedding and bridal session scheduled for this weekend, too. crazy, huh? it keeps me busy but i sure love it. it’s like i feel nervous before each and every wedding, but once i get behind the lens, it just all flows. and it’s a uniquely great feeling that comes over me when i take photos for people. i’m nowhere as good as i want to be, but i learn with each session and event…and it’s something that i hope that i can continue to be successful at. i’m amazed at the awesome people i get to meet through this “financially compensating hobby” of mine… i am convinced i have the most amazing clients in the world. i have tons of edits to do (including some of my nephew, joshua), so i’ll be plugging away at those over july 4th weekend in between the various home projects we want to knock out.

dad and jeromy are going to the rangers game tonight. they have super good tickets, so i’m sure it will be a fun night for them both. if anything, it will give them a chance to relax and unwind from all the pressures/stresses in their lives right now.

i’ve been going to bed for the last two nights at 9:30… and it has done wonders for how i feel the next day. i totally have a huge crush on sleep right now. heh. gotta run…

this week has been full of work. i’m still at the office, actually - my mind just needed a break. ’tis been a relentless cycle - early mornings, long days, evenings filled with red brick work or real-job work, bed, and repeat. the next two weekends are chuck full of red brick stuff… which is fine, but i’m honestly wondering when i’m going to ever have time to clean house and take care of the million little things i need to do. we still have a garage full of boxes to be sorted/unpacked as well as two storage units. people point it out to me and anymore, it’s just funny. jeromy and i have been on autopilot and it’s becoming unhealthy… we’re fast food zombies these days and i find myself being able to talk to him less and less. the goal when we get home is to chunk food in our mouths and get to bed asap for well-needed sleep. conversations seem to have shrunken to brief status updates. maybe it’s just a rough time right now… and perhaps this shroud of sleepiness is just making things seem worse than what they really are.

there is a lot of thought about the future. what little bit we have talked has been centered around future plans and i find myself wondering what it is i really want. and i think i’ve found the answer… but it’s nothing like what i thought it would be five years ago. there are some big decisions for us on the horizon and i just need to remember to remain prayerful about it all so my silly human mind doesn’t mess things up.

why do we naturally look backwards when things get hard?

need something interesting to read? there is a woman who is suing victoria’s secret over a “thong malfunction“…. heh. friggin’ amazing.

jeromy’s undergoing a lot of stress at work - his coworker left this week and he’s been scrambling with various problems that have come up. jeromy’s been up late for the last two nights - poor guy. i’ll be gone most of this weekend, so i hope that the down time will be good for the hubby. *throws away the “honey-do” list*

i don’t mean to so negative, especially when i’m usually a “glass half full” individual. i really am so blessed. i have a stable job, a loving family, a roof over my head, and the most amazing spouse a woman could ask for. there’s just this overwhelming feeling that has been on my shoulders lately and i’m ready for it to lighten.

the dogs are doing good. turco and bacon seem to be getting along better and better every day. i’m glad that they each have companionship on long work days. they are so funny with their long ears and blank stares. each has their quirks, but both have adjusted nicely. the other night, though, i was a little alarmed when turco jumped up in to bed with us out of nowhere. i let out a big scream when this mass of 50 pounds landed on me unexpectedly in the dark. ’twas quite the adventure.

i think i best be going on my way now. i’ve killed enough time. happy friday eve!

so turco is a pro at the doggie door. bacon? not so much. she came from a house with a doggie door, but this one has magnets at the bottom and i think the resistance is throwing her off. oh well… maybe with time she’ll get it. poor little girl. everything else with the doggies is good.

i’ve had field work the last two days and i know i sound like a total wimp, but i have over 200 chigger bites from the waist down. ’tis not pleasant. and yes… i had bugspray. the critters just go bonkers for me. my boss probably thinks i’m nuts… i was all scratchy today. and i can deal with several elements separately - being scratched up, heat, bugs, etc. but when they are all combined, i have come to the realization that it’s not a good thing and it causes me to go into girl mode. ugh - hate that. my boss was doing the hard work of actually tagging the trees, which meant he was getting way more cut up by greenbriar than i was. we actually had to use a machete today to get through to the trees. i don’t mean to be debbie downer, but my legs feel like they are on fire - jeromy’s on his way home from work with some medicine stuff (he had the car today so i’m vehicle-less). he’s going to be my knight in shining armor when he walks through that door with campho phenique.

i’m excited because this weekend, i get to ride out with lori. twelve hours of police action. she’s such an amazing sweetie and i think it’s going to be a blast. jeromy’s fire department ride out was not very exciting last weekend (ten hours with no calls… a record for the department) so he may re-attempt this weekend.

i want a tuna sandwich. jeromy just called - he’s around the corner with bread. can he be any more amazing? no.

we are now an official two-dog household. both bassets are passed out in the living room as i type. i’ve wasted the last three hours and will be starting laundry and cleaning shortly. mom and dad came over last night to drop bacon off. mom got all teary-eyed and said she was going to miss bacon. i know she will, but at the same time, i know that they’ll be better off with less dog (they still have two active ones at their house). turco and bacon weren’t so sure of each other at first, but i have seen a quick improvement.

i had a red brick consult this morning in dallas (with the most adorable bride and her mom and sister… such a joy!) and then ran by work to grab some files… i have a report due monday morning that i found out about yesterday afternoon. and that’s fine… i’ve just got some more schedule re-arranging to do, as tomorrow has commitments. sleep is optional, right? i had tried to get some red brick edits done this afternoon but my laptop is flaking out and running abnormally slow. roadblocks to progress are popping up. bleh.

jeromy is working on installing a doggie door… we bought a new door, hoping it’d be an exact fit, but that’s not the case… so we need to replace the jam. i think daddy is going to help out with that. i can’t believe daddy’s day is next weekend. i have no idea what to get the guy. he’s been so amazing lately… well, he’s always been amazing … but moreso recently. there has been a new bond and some good discussions.

it’s really sweet… when daddy met my mom, i was in my terrible twos. despite the fact that i managed to ruin all of his things and demand attention, he married her and adopted me and has treated me like i was his own. it’s been experiences like these that have shown that “blood” doesn’t really matter all the time. my birth father ran off and left us. i know his name… daniel schultz… and i’ve seen a couple of pictures of him. but that’s it. i’m told that i have his nose. there is no desire on my end to ever have a personal relationship with my “donor” (although it would be nice to have his family’s medical history). he missed out on his opportunity and i doubt i have crossed his mind over the last 25 years (nevermind that i have half of his DNA). my mom’s dad was an abusive alcoholic - he would tell her “i love you” all the time and would do unimaginable things to her as a child. empty words and meaningless blood. i’ve never subscribed to the train of thought that harmful actions or a break in trust should be overlooked or dismissed just because someone is “family.” my mom and dad didn’t tell me she loved me very often, but i knew i was cared for because of my parents’ actions. through the years, i have understood how actions speak louder than words and are indicative of character and intent. heck… my ex husband had told me he loved me just hours before i found out i had been betrayed. actions seem to rank #1 on the communication list - most of our communication is nonverbal, and with good reason. don’t get me wrong - i absolutely adore when jeromy tells me that i’m beautiful… but it’s even more powerful when i catch him gazing at me from across the room. so…does that mean we should stop saying things? no apologies, words of affirmation, etc.? not at all - speech has a great ability to move mountains and build/destory bridges. i guess what i’m trying to say that words are great… but they are only meaningful if they are supported by genuine follow through. when the two conflict, typically people go with what they have experienced rather than what they have heard.

i digress…back to my original train of thought…

considering all the crappy fathers there are in the world, it really has been a blessing for dad to be in my life. he has integrity and it’s a quality that i have admired the most. he is stalwart in his convictions and morals and his approval meant the world to me growing up. he taught me the meaning of hard work, independence, and humility. i remember how hard it was when we all lived in stephenville and we were living on dad’s janitor wages and he was going to tarleton full time. he was still a good father and heavily involved in church. there were many things then that i didn’t understand that i have come to appreciate now. i honestly don’t know how they got through some of the trials we have had. i cannot say enough good things about my dad and i enjoy our relationship now more than ever. so if anyone has any rockin’ ideas for daddy’s day gifts, pass them along.

jeromy is with the fire department today - he is going on a ride out with them. he won’t be back until late tonight, so i guess i should get busy and clean so he doesn’t wonder what the heck i did all day. not really… he doesn’t care. but yeah. have a great weekend!

i’ve been promising photos in the last couple of posts i think…

to see a picture of our new dog, turco, click HERE

to see photos from our trip at beaumont ranch, click HERE

to see photos from san angelo, click HERE

on our way back from san angelo, we stopped at the wind farm, bronte, and stephenville.

there … i think we’re all caught up now.

what’s better than owning one basset hound?

owning two.

after living with me on a custody basis and shuffling her back and forth, she is coming to live with jeromy and i permanently tomorrow. in preparation of having bacon full time, we adopted another basset hound yesterday. bacon has been used to living with other dogs and i didn’t want her to get lonely during the work week while jeromy and i are at work. the new dog is bacon’s age and looks/acts almost just like her. he was a stray and has been living in a foster home for months. he’s been called “buddy” but we’re thinking of changing his name to “turco”… as in marty turco from the dallas stars in case you’re not a hockey fan. he’s bright, loving, affectionate and mellow. we’re both happy to give him a good home and are tickled to get sweet bacon over here full time.

our second weekend out of town was amazing and then some. we got into san angelo friday night (a little later than we had intended) and checked into the hotel. we got up the next morning and headed to cain’s cove for a wedding. the wedding was beautiful and it was a pleasure to shoot. the bride (kasey) is an old friend from my days in stephenville, so not only was it cool to see her tie the knot, but it was neat to see her parents, siblings, and other friends as well. kasey, and her husband flew california yesterday after their wedding and ran in the rock and roll marathon today! what a couple!

after we got back from the wedding, we both crashed for a much-needed nap and then headed out to find some dinner. while we were cruising around san angelo, we noticed that there were different painted sheep around, much like the cows in southlake. i can’t resist colored livestock, so after chowing on some mexican food, we headed out searching for sheep. we continued the sheep search this morning after checking out of our hotel.

we took our time driving back and stopped along the way to take pics of different things - wind farms, murals, etc. it was super fun. we took a detour and headed to dublin to pick up some dr. pepper. we continued on to stephenville, where i took jeromy down memory lane and showed him different places - where i lived, went to school, etc. we stopped by mom’s on our way home (to drop off some dr. peppers and say hello) and scored when dee-dee sent home some sausage rolls for us.

it was a great weekend - we saw a lot of fun things and got to spend some quality time together. i love road trips and the great conversations that result from them. i’m hoping to get some photos up from this weekend and last weekend soon.

had a great and fantastic weekend. on friday, we (jeromy, me, jenny, josh, lori, sarge, and hambone) all went to beaumont ranch for the weekend. when we showed up, we saw that there was a choir banquet going on in the main hall. we got our rooms and took our things inside. jeromy, hambone and i stayed in an amazing room called the “red room”… it was beautiful. all of the rooms were, acutally. everything is decorated and looks super cute. jenny and josh’s room was in the town part of the ranch… i’m hoping to post some photos soon.

we went out to the hog lease later on that evening and met up with shannon (who goes to jenny and josh’s church). the poor guy was out hunting and had the church van. when he got back, the door to the van was wide open and the keys were gone. shannon, jeromy, and i met up with shannon’s wife in burleson to get another key while the rest of the gang kept eye on the van. craziness.

on saturday morning, we woke up and enjoyed a great breakfast (and boy - it was good!). the boys went off fishing, shooting guns, etc. while us girls spent the day at the spa. we all got pedicures, manicures, a massage, and lunch. it was fan-tab-u-lous. LOVED it… and much needed from what the massage lady told me. the moment she felt my upper back, she was all like, “what do you do for a living? you are way knotted up!” i was happy that she actually got deep enough to work out some of the lumps and bumps and i can honestly say that i feel so much incredibly better now that i’ve had it. i had a massage back in february around the time of the wedding, but this was so much more intense… aaahhhhh! after that, us girls walked around the little town. lori and i both almost got attacked by a bird… must have been too close to a nest or something. we met up with the boys, who were down the way shooting. after that, we went to dinner and hung out. the boys went out hunting and us girls unwound in my room and read issues of glamor, cosmo, etc. probably one of the best days i’ve had in a long time.

on sunday, we enjoyed yet another great breakfast (i love the cooking there) and packed up to go home. i forgot to mention that there was a wedding at the place on saturday night… it was cool because the bride and groom left in a helicopter. ultra nifty. there was a multitude of drunk people late saturday. pretty interesting. as we were leaving on sunday, i guess the place was the location for a muslim retreat of some sort, as we saw like three or four buses of people dropping people off. i had a blast and i hope that we can go back to the ranch sometime soon.

i’ve been mega productive today (monday). woke up - cleaned, did laundry, and organized stacks of paper that have been sitting around for months. after that, i worked on some edits, worked out with jenny, cooked dinner and dessert for jeromy, took a shower, and am now catching up on the blog. i would love to have a couple of more days off to accomplish some projects around the house, but alas, the three day break is over. i’m supposed to have field work tomorrow, so it’s time to get to bed.