Vacation in Asheville, NC

Back from vacation and what an amazing time we had. Nick and I headed up to Asheville, NC last weekend to celebrate my moms big birthday. It was to be the first time that the six of us (Mom, Dad, bro Jeff, new sister-in-law Kathleen, Nick and me) vacationed together and I was so excited. We managed to do so much in a short amount of time and still it felt so relaxing. There's something so great about a break in routine and the view - well, that was one of the best parts.

We rented a house in the mountains which was perfect for our size group. It was so comfortable and the extras were amazing. Hot tub and a hammock overlooking the mountains, a huge flatscreen tv in the living room and combination tv/dvd/vcr's in every bedroom. This was our view from the deck just outside the living room. I shot this just before a storm hit so the haze really illuminates the distance and ridges. How great would it be to have breakfast every morning looking out onto this view?


On Tuesday, we headed out to find some waterfalls and learned that there are hundreds in this area around the Blue Ridge Parkway. So beautiful...


Jeff and Kathleen. Yay, their one year anniversary!


Mom and Dad enjoying the waterfall from a small distance. I think that finger in the airs means "I see you taking a picture of us!" :)


And this is how I got down to the water. Notice the death-grip on my camera. :)


As we headed out the park, we stopped at the visitor center and saw these hummingbirds chowing down on nectar. Where did that saying, eating like a bird come from anyway? Every bird that I've watched at a bird feeder is eating like it hasn't eaten in a week! It's so fascinating to watch hummingbirds stop in midair and then change direction. Hard to capture with the short lens I had, but you can still see the speed of their flapping wings. There's a second perched on the feeder in the front.


We got back to town on Saturday and got up at 6am on Sunday to get to the Atlanta Jewish Festival at the MJCCA Zaban Park. It was the best festival yet! So many nice people and for the first time, they moved us out of the smoldering tent outside into the air conditioned gym. So much better, especially when they had to force everyone inside when the weather service announced a thunderstorm warning.

"You Should Be Dancing..."

Last weekend I second shot with Ben again. I enjoy the change of pace when I second shoot because I can get a little more creative since I don't have to concentrate so intently on getting the necessary images. That's Ben's job! It allows for a bit more freedom which in turn leads me to be more creative when I'm the primary photographer. Plus it's always great to work with another talented photographer and bounce ideas off one another.

We photographed Maria and Nick's wedding at Peachtree Presbyterian. If you've never been to PPC before you would be blown away by the size of this place. They literally have so much land (and they're building on more across the street) that you have to call it a "campus." They have their own gym, three chapels, a Sunday school and so much more.

So I spent some time with Maria and the girls while they were getting ready. I love this moment with her mom.


The glass doors to the Ladies Parlor were really great. So I thought I'd take advantage of the unique design and place Maria right in the middle. This image is so timeless to me.


This special moment of Maria and her dad walking up the isle is so graphic. Even all the prayer books are lined up. Maria's dad later got so emotional during the father-bride dance that he shed some tears. So sweet...

Just after the ceremony, Ben and I photographed Maria and Nick in front of the huge chapel windows. I love the softness and femininity of this image.


Nick's nephew was so adorable. All throughout the day, he was such a ham in front of the camera but I managed to snag this shot while he looked at a picture of his mom on their digital camera.



And this was CLASSIC. Nick must have been practicing since age 8 because when "You Should Be Dancing (Saturday Night Fever)" came on, he tore up the dance floor with every shake, thrust and boogie that John Travolta styled. He had everyone rolling on the floor in laughter, especially Maria.


The beautiful cake. Love flowers on a wedding cake. So rich in color and texture.


And this was PRICELESS... During the cake cutting, a crumb fell down Maria's dress. Take a look at Nick's quick response. He dove right in there! What a moment!
Thanks Ben!

Cabinets, Oh Cabinets...

Super excited about the cabinets! We worked through the weekend, got all the Sheetrock hung and then 6 wall cabinets. It's coming along great and I'm getting really anxious to get everything done. Once we got the two cabinets up on the right wall, we noticed how slanted the old ceiling is. We thought that maybe our level was off, but no, it's the ceiling. It's an old house so we can't be too mean to it.


The green on the walls is the Sheetrock, not paint. Haven't yet decided on the wall color but definitely something bright.


This week we'll continue with the base cabinets including a huge lazy susan corner cabinet and a breakfast bar.

Rock it, Sheetrock!

The remodel continues... On Wednesday, we went to Lowe's to get the insulation and Sheetrock. Sheetrock is heavy! Especially when the two pieces are still joined. I managed to help Nick load up 7 sheets and as we finished up, an employee came over to offer help. Funny that she showed up as we were loading the last piece. Anyway, she says to me, "You're strong! I can see that you're a do-it-all-your-own kind of girl! Even your hair looks nice." HA! So sweet and a total boost when I was feeling exhausted. :)

Ahhhh, beautiful Sheetrock...

Here are some pictures of the kitchen in its raw look. (The new look this Fall) Nick is still running all the electrical and phone lines, but since this picture, we managed to finish the far wall and put up some insulation on the long one.



Yesterday all the cabinets arrived! Wooohoo! And they look beautiful. Never thought I'd love a cabinet so much. I'll post some more pictures after this weekend of hanging cabinets. After all the DIY shows, now I finally get to see them installed in person and actually help too.