Rock the Dress Photoshoot

Once upon a time I received a text from a blogger love muffin named Shalyn. While I don't remember the exact dialogue, I do remember it had something to do with her wanting to build her wedding portfolio, me in my wedding dress, Beau in his suit and her taking pictures of us. Quicker than the speed of light I {obviously} agreed. {Per any man's usual demeanor, Beau was less than thrilled to know we'd be taking more wedding photos. Ha!}

After many, many conflicts in our schedules, we finally set a date and a place. We would be heading to my favorite place in this entire world, the Frio River {a place I've literally DREAMED of taking wedding photos at for just about my entire life} and would have our very own wedding photo shoot. 

Dream come true?

Yes.

(I should also mention this would be the first time ever I'd be meeting Shalyn and her husband, the infamous DDHP, so to say I was beyond excited would be the understatement of the year! Read about the entire weekend here.)

Well...lo and behold...that little fancypants Shay has the photoshoot up on her blog and for the first time EVER, I got to see the pictures from that day...

(Yes-that would be Beau lacing up my dress)   :)

Y'all.

I have no words.

 

If I had it to do all over again...there's no doubt Shalyn would be snapping my wedding day. I've never met someone so creative, so fun, so talented and so thoughtful as Shalyn. Coming from someone who's taken wedding photos 3 {yes, THREE...read here and here} times now, she made it so non-awkward, non-stressful and so much fun! Winning!

 

A girl who once cried hysterically over her wedding photos for days on end, now has something to treasure forever...

So thank you, Shalyn, for giving me this opportunity, for making this photoshoot SO much fun, for giving us pictures that we'll be proud to show our grandkids one day and for overall, being such a kind, generous and loving friend!!

(&& thank you, Beau, for putting up with yet another wedding photoshoot. You rock my socks!)

 

I Believe

{Linking up with Erin from last week. Sorry for being an entire week tardy...I only had to announce a very special engagement the day Erin originally posted this link up!}

Anywho...let's get this party started.

I believe in a thing called love {just listen to the rhythm of my heart}

Ok kidding. I mean, I do believe in a thing called love but I didn't really intend on starting this post out with the chorus to a rock song...

Ok really this time...

I believe every girl should wear their wedding dress as many times possible. 

{& jump on the bed in it}

I believe meeting best friends via blogging is
one of the greatest things that has ever happened to me.

Love love LOVE these girls. {Katie & Shalyn}

I believe the most perfect pair of cowgirl boots can change your life.

I believe sunsets, rainbows and babies are God's little ways
of showing us how beautiful this world really is.
 

I believe in cheap wine.

I believe in laughing until you cry.

 

I believe in good, quality girl time {preferably on a regular basis and the type that includes wine}.

I believe in using way too many smiley faces in work emails
and every emoticon possible in text messages.
 

I believe in getting excited over the little things, like good hair days,
happy mail days and a fresh manicure.

I believe trips to the country do the body good.

I believe in helping others get what they want in life.

I believe Duck Dynasty was created specifically for Beau and I. {God bless the rednecks!}

 

Screw Real Housewives of Whatever City...seriously...Si...I love you.
 

I believe vacation is good for the soul.

I believe a little bit of zebra, a lot a bit of bling and
a big ol' poofy pony can totally turn your day around.

I believe Saturday morning coffee with Beau is my favorite part of the week.

 

I believe Texas is {& always WILL be} the best state in the country

and people from the South are as good as they get.

 

I believe in angels.

God, I miss that face.

***
What do YOU believe in??!!

Totally Rocking My World

Yes-this is random.
Don't say I didn't forewarn you.
Just a few things that have totally been rocking my world as of late!

 

So no baby fever here (yet!) but tell me this is not most adorable family picture EVVERR!

 Don't worry...I pinned this for future baby Howard photoshoots! ;)

 

High protein pumpkin pancakes - tell me these don't just SCREAM fall!!??



Cannot wait to make these!! Get in muh bellayyy!

 

The fact that I married a big kid...

Though he drives me cray cray 50% of the time, I seriously pink puffy heart this guy! :)

 

New (& might I add "fabulously sarcastic & witty") bloggers like Whitney @ I Wore Yoga Pants

 

(Foreal though...where have you been all my life? I blame Katie for not introducing us sooner...)

 

 

Plumbing going on in the Howard Humble Abode &

knowing I'm close enough to stop by ERRDAY on my lunch break!

 These poor construction guys...I hope they're prepared to have their pictures taken on a daily basis!

 

Yep. Random.

Told ya.

 

What's currently rockin' your world?!



Groundbreaking News

No.

Really.

Houston...we have officially "broken ground"!

That's right! Look who haz dirt (& a few boards)!

...and it only took FOUR flippin' months to get here. {PS-I spy yellow shorts!}

{This entire "homebuilding" thing is really testing the little bit of patience I do have...}

In other news, I sure do hope y'all had a great weekend!
Mine was filled with beautiful sunsets...

A husband who can't seem to dress himself...

 {Pockets all hangin' out...}

Aaaand hogs.

Well.

Dead hogs, now.

Lez just say it was a bad day to be a pig...

Happy Monday lover pants!

Kauai: Part Three {The BEST Part!}

Let me just preface this by saying that our trip to Kauai (read here & here) was absolutely, without a doubt, fabulous! I have not one single complaint except that I'm not still there chilling on the beach sipping mai tais...seriously. If you ever get the chance to visit any of the Hawaiian islands...GO. RUN! (& take me with you!!)

In saying this, there was one point of the trip that was quite possibly my favorite. It has nothing to do with beautiful beaches or breathtaking views. I'm not talking about rainbows or sunsets. Nor am I referring to monk seals or waterfalls.

I'm talking about my beautiful best friend, Ashley, and her boyfriend, Todd. (If you've read this blog for any amount of time, you've probably seen Ashley's face a few times by now...)

So here we are, sitting poolside on our second to last evening in Kauai when Todd walks up, tells Ashley "out of the blue" they have to go upstairs a get dressed because they were leaving for dinner in 45 minutes, just the two of them, and he wanted to get there in time to "watch the most beautiful sunset". Ashley and Todd leave (Ashley with the most confused look on her face) while the rest of us (Beau's family and I) are left down at the pool wondering what the hay we were gonna do for the rest of the night.

Fast forward about thirty minutes and here we all find ourselves...cleaned up and at the most incredible restaurant in all of Kauai (The Beach House, to be exact). Ironically enough, we also had the "most beautiful sunset" right in front of us and, of all things, Todd & Ashley would be showing up at any moment but Ashley had no idea we would all be there. It was planned and executed without a single hitch...and this, party people, is when it all went down...

{Please note the chugging of the beer in several of the shots...homeboy was NER-VOUS!}

 

Yep...you know what happened next!

Needless to say...she said yes.

Y'all...I am not kidding when I tell you I have threatened Todd for the past 4 years that he HAD to tell me when and where he was proposing because I would  be there to take pictures whether he liked it or not. I am also not kidding when I tell you I have never been so nervous in all of my life and my only job was to take pictures of the entire thing. My knees were literally shaking, I was sweating like a pig and terrified of being seen by Ash.

But...alas...take pictures of the entire thing I did...in a bush, I might add.

The things I do for my girlfriends...  ;)

Y'all know me. I love love. I love engagements. I love proposals. And here I was...waiting (in a bush?) for my best friend to be proposed to and I would witness the entire thing! Words will never explain how much it meant for me to be a part of it and to have these pictures for her! Ashley's face was absolutely priceless when she saw me jump out of the bush and run towards her with the cheesiest grin on my face and my camera in tow! She knew exactly what I had been up to...

Talk about icing on the cake! I cannot WAIT to help her start planning everything and see her walk down that aisle!! She is going to make one gorgeous bride!

Congratulations, Ashley & Todd!! So SO happy for you (obviously!)

Kauai: Part Two {Days 5-7}

If you missed the first part of my Kauai recap, you'll want to read here first. 

The second part of our trip was filled with, well, just about everything! From hiking to secret beaches to  climbing our way to secret waterfalls to taking a helicopter tour of the island...we literally covered SO much in just 3 short days!

Oh-and because I feel the need to toot my own horn right now, you should all know that I either ran or walked every single morning of the trip...which is a FIRST, ladies (& gentlemen). Don't go thinking I'm some overachiever...because I most definitely am not, but when your views look like...

THIS...

and THIS...

...it's kind of an easy thing to do! ;)

Anywho...enough about me.

More about this gawgeous island...

***

Secrets Beach & a whole lotta lava pools

Queen's Bath was hands down, the most incredible thing we saw! If you ever go to Kauai...this is a MUST! It's literally a natural swimming pool formed out of lava rocks perfectly placed in front of the ocean. Amazing doesn't even begin to explain it!

This is an iPhone pic, if that tells you anything!

We ended our day at Ke'e Beach, which is famous for monk seals! I was seriously mesmerized by this little guy! A REAL LIFE SEAL! In nature! All on it's own...just chillin' on the beach!! Perhaps I'm easily amused but is that not the coolest thing ever? 

Ke'e beach is also famous for incredible sunset shots, in my humble opinion.

Top to bottom: Me/Beau, Ashley/Todd, Mother-in-Law/Father-in-Law

The next morning we got up bright and early, stopped for Starbucks and hit up Poipu Beach. This was, by far, the most beautiful beach we visited in Kauai. I've heard it's known for sea turtles but apparently the turtles decided to hibernate on this very day because we didn't see a damn one. #jerks

We ended the day with a helicopter tour which was the most incredible but nerve-wracking view of the island. (Sidenote: we went with the doorless helicopter, which I do not advise. If your chopper has doors, go for it. Otherwise...don't say I didn't tell you so...)

If there is one thing that'll make you truly appreciate how beautiful this world really is, it's Hawaiian rainbows! Especially perfectly placed Hawaiian rainbows in the middle of canyons. Tell me this next shot isn't breathtaking?!

NaPali Coast & TONS of waterfalls via chopper.
{Choppa style...chop chop choppa style! ... Sorry. Had to.}

 

Ooookay. So now that we're all sitting behind our computers drooling over these pictures, what do ya say we all quit our day jobs and go live on the island?! ;) Oh come on....live a little! 

I'm not makin' any promises but tomorrow I may or may not have pics of one of the most exciting parts of the entire trip! I DO, however, promise you girls will L-O-V-E it!
***
Speaking of L-O-V-E...7 (yes...SEVEN) years ago today I forced Beau to be my boyfriend. ;) Okay...so maybe not "forced" but severely persuaded him to make our relationship "Facebook official" and call me his girlfriend. ;) You know...back when we had Facebook.

Soooo happy 7 years of lovin' my BeauBeau! Cheers to 77 more! ;)

 

Kauai: Part One {Days 1-4}

I'd be lying if I told you I did not take 2,000+ photos over the span of 10 days. 

Perhaps I got a little snap happy. Maybe I lived up to my nickname of "Paparazzi". I'd like to say I captured every single moment...the good, the better and the best (since there is obviously no "bad" or "ugly" when we're talking about Hawaii). 

Let's just say Kauai did not disappoint. 

It's the most lush, green piece of land you ever did see. It literally rains every. single. day. but it pours for two whole minutes and then goes away like rain never even existed. Fun fact: it rains 350 days out of the year in Kauai (someone paid attention on the kayak tour...) 

 I should probably preface this by saying the main reason we went was for our college friend's, Jack and Kelly's, wedding. We got there on a Thursday night, the wedding festivities were Friday through Sunday, and we stayed until the following Thursday. 

While I'd like to sit here and say it was "just the right amount of time", who the hell am I kidding?! Seven days in Kauai will never be long enough. It's just so gosh darn beautiful and there is a TON to do and see. 

If I could pick up my friends, family and job and move them all to the island...I wouldn't even think twice about it.

...But enough of this jibber jabber. I'll let the pictures do the majority of the talking

***

Rehearsal dinner & private luau on the beach

Malini/Page wedding at Na Aina Kai Botanical Gardens

Only the most incredible reception I've ever seen!

Sunset dinner cruise along the NaPali Coast

PS: I'll have 3 recap posts total...tomorrow I'll finish out the rest of our trip and then Wednesday I have something that's still vacation related but is so special it deserves a post of it's own! :)