Dinner for Two

"The discovery of a new dish does more for the happiness of mankind than the discovery of a star." -Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

Food brings so much happiness to my life in so many different ways. Almost every event I can think of in my life has been surrounded by food in some way, or even the food is sometimes the entire reason for the event.

I create events completely surrounded by food all the time. When Trevor and I want to do something but just don't know what to do (one of the problems of living in a small town), I'll think up this great evening filled with cooking, eating a wonderful meal, and enjoying each other's company with laughter and conversation. How can food create an entire evening? I don't know, but it does.

I really do enjoy cooking. At the beginning of our marriage I was always trying new recipes, but they were all new because I had never really cooked before that. I always said that I didn't cook because I didn't have to - my mom was and is a great cook. I was anxious and a little nervous about cooking when we got married. I was so afraid that I would be horrible at it and that we would never have a home cooked meal again. I'll never forget (maybe I shouldn't admit to this) but we were on our honeymoon, sitting on the beach, and of course I had my notebook along to make lists - I am such a list maker. I was asking Trevor to name every meal he could think of, and I would write it down because I thought that for sure, once we got home, I would not be able to think of even one thing to make.

I've come a long way from that, but lately I have not taken the time to try very many new recipes. Whether it has been because I've been busy or because I just haven't put the effort into it, I don't know. But one of my goals this year is to try one new recipe a week. I am sure we will find both good and bad recipes along the way (some probably ending with us ordering pizza), but it will also give Trevor and I one night a week where we can turn off the tv and computers, and just cook, talk, and enjoy one another.

Food is so much more than just food. And a new dish will definitely make me happier than a new star.

This is what I am going to be making tonight. (Now I feel like I am in the movie Julia & Julia) Maybe it should be Rachel & Leah because this recipe is from Rachel Ray. I love a lot of her recipes. This one is called " Teriyaki Chicken Legs" CLICK HERE to get the recipe. I will let you all know how it is, and if it is worth making either on my blog or twitter (follow me HERE). And if you have any good recipes that I should try, let me know in the comments. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Maggie + Brandon | Montpelier, Ohio Wedding Photographer

My heart has always had a special place for winter weddings. The chill, all the sparkle, the glow of the lights, the snow, and the holiday love all make it so special. Maggie and Brandon were lucky enough to get a beautiful snow on the day of the wedding, and it made everything even more perfect. Their love for each other is so comfortable, and it has really stood the test of time already. They have both become very special to me, and I thank them for treating Trevor and I like an extension of their family.

Trevor caught this special moment. I just love the way he looks at her.

This image has become my favorite of the day. It feels like such a classic black and white.

These girls had so much fun! Their laughter was infectious!

I love this moment!

If you want to see more, CLICK HERE for Maggie and Brandon's slideshow!

Float Wrap Sale

Attention all current clients! Float Wraps will be 20% off today (1/19) through Saturday (1/23). If you are interested in ordering one, Email Me or give me a call (419-551-6252).

Float Wraps are a great way to display your special moments because they become a focal point by standing out from the wall. They come in multiple different sizes and come completely ready to hang. Contact me for more information!

Here's to Three Years

Our story. It is not only a story about love but mostly about faith. We always had love, from the very beginning, but faith is what kept us going; faith in each other held us together. Faith in you, faith in me, faith in love itself. Faith that God was holding us together for a reason.

I wrote this to Trevor three years ago. Three years ago we made a commitment to love each other forever, to have faith in each other for a lifetime. Every single day, I love him more than the last. I never knew it was possible to love someone so much. I am so thankful to have him by my side in this world.

He is my best friend. He believes in me when no one else does. He supported me before we even knew if this business would work. He thinks all of my crazy ideas aren't so crazy. I don't know what I would ever do without him. So, here's to three years with many, many more to come! Filled with laughter, stories, and love.

I love you Trevor!

A Better Story in the New Year

There is nothing that I would love more this year than to work on making my story better. The story of my life, my everyday. I am reading a book right now that unexpectedly is the absolute perfect book to read at the beginning of a fresh new year. It is called, " A Million Miles in a Thousand Years" by Donald Miller.

If you look back on your life so far, are you living a great story? Great, not just average. Living a great story encompasses my entire list of resolutions or goals for 2010. But it is much more that that to me. I have been trying to figure out for the past three days how I would write about this, how to explain it. I have all these big ideas in my head of how to live a better story daily, but my mind spins so fast that it is hard to explain it into words. And then this morning, I read this quote from the book that described exactly what I've been trying to say the whole time.

... he didn't think we should be afraid to embrace whimsy. I asked him what he meant by whimsy, and he struggled to define it. He said it's that nagging idea that life could be magical; it could be special if we were only willing to take a few risks.

We all feel it, that idea that just keeps coming into our head. Some ideas are small like you should be helping that person that is struggling, or that you could be reading a great book but it's easier to just watch some mindless tv. Or the ideas could be huge like a trip that you have always wanted to take, or a race that you would love to challenge yourself to train for, or even a career that you would much rather be in than the one you are in now. Every single day we get these little (or big) thoughts in our head. I know many times, I ignore it. I push it back and tell myself that someday I'll do it. But when is someday? Why not now? I want to be able to look back at my life and know that I lived it to its fullest, no excuses.

So, while I sit here with a long list of goals for the new year in front of me, I know they all will help me live a better story. It will not be easy. I cringe just reading some of them knowing I will be completely out of my comfort zone. But, I am going to embrace a little whimsy into my life.

And because I want to have something pretty for you to look at too, I was trying to think of an image to show you and thought of this moment last year that describes this all perfectly. All fall, I would drive past these absolutely beautiful corn fields that would just glow in the fall sunlight. I kept saying in my head that I needed to stop sometime and photograph them, but I never had the time or was too busy to get where I was going. It was finally the middle of October, and I still had not done it. I was on my way home from an early Saturday morning photo session, when the voice kept telling me to stop at a corn field to take some pictures. I had my camera already in the back seat and the sun that day was gorgeous. But I wanted to get home so badly to spend the rest of my Saturday with Trevor so I kept ignoring it. Finally, all of a sudden I just pulled off onto a country road and took these images. Now, honestly, it took me less than five minutes to do this. Why hadn't I done it sooner? Why can things like this be so hard sometimes? Why don't we just do it? I am so glad I finally did. Now, I don't have to say, "I'll make sure to do that next fall", and I have these beautiful images to look at. Enjoy!

Best Image of 2009

Wow! This was a really close contest, and the image that won only won by one vote. The winner is... Elizabeth and Justin, image #21!



Thank you to everyone that voted! Elizabeth and Justin will be receiving a 10x10 Canvas Gallery Wrap! Congratulations!