Veiled In Elegance

Last week I got to spend the day doing several things that I love: shooting wedding details, hanging out in a bridal shoppe, and doing someone a favor.

Kathy at Veiled In Elegance, in Geneva, is re-doing her website and I was honored that she asked me to shoot some detail shots for her new look. I have often driven by this upscale boutique hoping to get a red light so I can ogle the display windows. She does such a phenomenal job attracting your attention and keeping you wanting more.


Kathy takes a very personal approach to each bride and strives to offer a one-of-a-kind, custom experience.

Her style is fashion forward, yet elegant...even somewhat simple. She loves to see brides accessorize with sparkle, yet let the dress speak for itself. She is super excited to announce her brand new Veiled In Elegance line of dresses.

I was drooling all over the place as I got to photograph these dresses. Ugh, if I could do it all over again!! Is it tacky to wear a big, beautiful dress to renew your vows??

She pays such attention to all the small details. And the headpieces are to die for...

She offers it all...

jewelry...

shoes...

bridesmaid dresses...

flower girl dresses...

and did I mention shoes?...

purses...

If you are looking for your wedding dress, accessories, etc., you have to check out this adorable, chic little boutique. Tell Kathy I sent you ;)

Biting the Bullet

I did it. I made the switch. Look what just got delivered to me about an hour ago:

It's a real beauty. I can't wait to start using it. Especially if it will make my life easier like they promise ;) Right now it is charging up, so I am still on my old beater.

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Not sure if you noticed, but I just added a new feature recently to the bottom of my blog to track where traffic is coming from. It tells me is what country my visitors are from. I thought it was pretty cool when I looked at it today to see all the different countries. Most of them are only one visit...which means they probably got to my blog by accident, by hey, I'll take it.

United States (US) 2,178
Canada (CA) 18
United Kingdom (GB) 11
France (FR) 8
Japan (JP) 3
Spain (ES) 3
Argentina (AR) 2
Taiwan (TW) 2
Ukraine (UA) 2
Netherlands (NL) 2
Brazil (BR) 2
Australia (AU) 2
Romania (RO) 1
Switzerland (CH) 1
Estonia (EE) 1
Sweden (SE) 1
Russian Federation (RU) 1
Italy (IT) 1
Denmark (DK) 1
Germany (DE) 1
Slovakia (SK) 1
Poland (PL) 1
Malta (MT) 1
Malaysia (MY) 1
India (IN) 1
Singapore (SG) 1
Indonesia (ID) 1
Peru (PE) 1
Jamaica (JM) 1
Dominican Republic (DO) 1
Greece (GR) 1
Pakistan (PK) 1
Kuwait (KW) 1
Mexico (MX) 1
Turkey (TR) 1

Happy Tuesday! Hope you are enjoying the spring weather!!

He called me "Baby"

Whew...what a weekend. It still doesn't seem real. It was one of the best experiences of my life. The only thing missing is a picture to commemorate it. I am so used to just reaching for my camera when I am experiencing something I never want to forget. All I have is a mental picture...and these few snapshots of us before and after the show.

Friday night was the private screening of Kenny's movie. You would never guess that Court was suffering from an acute case of food poisoning. She was such a trooper. But all I am going to say is, it was a good thing she brought that plastic Target bag in the car with us for the ride down to the city ;)

I had never been to a 3D movie before and we sure enjoyed rocking these sweet glasses.

The next morning we had to be there at 7am, so it was still dark out when we were getting ready. Court rallied, I was so proud of her.

Once we got there and checked in, we went through security tighter than O'Hare and waited in a room upstairs where the excitement was electric. It was here that I had a random moment; Whitney Port formerly of the MTV show, "The Hills," and currently on the MTV show, "The City," came in the room filled with about 300 people and walked directly over to a group of women standing right next to me. I was literally "rubbing elbows" with her -- even though she was a good six inches taller than me.

We thought it was random that she was there. Especially after eavesdropping on the group's conversation and overhearing one of the women say, "Isn't Kenny Chesney the one who married Renee Zellweger?" So it was obvious they weren't fans of his.

It wasn't until just now -- after "googling" Whitney Port -- that I realized (1) why she was there, and (2) why she wasn't all that friendly when a fan came up to say hello. First, it appears she is dating one of the guys from the MTV show "The Buried Life" (a show that tackles a list of things to do before you die -- and the other guests on the Oprah Show that day), and second, she is getting sued for her new clothing line.

After a wait that seemed like forever, it was finally time to get seated. We were called fairly early in the pack and I couldn't help but be disappointed because I had heard that the earlier you get called, the worse your seats would be. Boy was I wrong.

We were brought right up to the second row!! Courtney and I reverted back to being seven and four years old and celebrated like we did when we got Cabbage Patch Kids for Christmas.

When Kenny finally came out, we were so close, we could hear him talk without his microphone. During an uncomfortable pause during a commercial break, Court said to him, "Happy Birthday," and saved him from an awkward silence. During the next commercial break, Oprah's stage guy was talking to her, and again, Kenny was left to fend for himself. Quietly, I asked, "So, did you go out last night?" and he said, "What's that, baby?" :D HA!! He called me baby. I smiled my best smile and repeated myself, "Did you go out last night...for your birthday?" (I also was making reference to his song "We Went Out Last Night"). He said, "No, I was a good boy (winking). We went out the night before."

When you are sitting there in the audience, it is so easy to be caught up in the moment. I hope I don't look goofy if I am on TV because I had to lean forward a little bit to see well. I hope it doesn't look like I am ready to pounce.

Oprah is an amazing interviewer. She used no notes or teleprompters for the interview and she asked some great questions. I won't spoil it for you, but it was the best interview I have ever seen Kenny give too. He was candid and honest and even played a few requests...just him and his guitar.

And just like that, it was over, and he was whisked away.

What an amazing day! Thank you, Tim, for the experience of a lifetime. It is something I will never forget.

Be sure to tune in on April 9th for the show.

The. Luckiest. Girl. In. The. World!!!

I really don't want to brag. But somehow the stars have aligned for me and I have been wanting to scream from the rooftops all week. That's how excited I am.


I got a call out of the blue on Tuesday from a friend from high school who works as an editor for Oprah. Apparently, he's a blog reader, because he said he had two tickets, one for me and one for my sister, if we were interested to go to see Kenny Chesney perform for a taping of her show. Are you kidding me?? Did I hear you right?? Interested? Um, yes please!


The rest of this week has been a blur to me. I have been unable to concentrate and the headache I have had from the surge of adrenaline has been almost unbearable. Not to mention the lack of sleep from the butterflies and the stress of trying to find something to wear!


To say I am excited is a slight understatement. I have been wanting to blog all week about it but Oprah doesn't want this kind of info to "leak" too soon. The blast I posted on my Facebook page was slightly premature, in case anyone saw that. I did notice they posted it on Kenny's website today, so I thought it was fair game.


He is promoting his new movie "Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D" and we get to go to a free screening tonight and then the taping tomorrow morning.

This is a pic I took at a concert in Dallas a few years ago when I snuck up to 4th row. We are not allowed to bring cameras in to the movie or Oprah's show, but I will try to find a way to get some pics.

Have a fabulous weekend!!! I know I will ;)

Sassypants

Today I broke my cardinal rule. I left the house in my comfy-est, frumpiest, gray sweatpants I own. Today is one of those days that all I want to do is curl up on the couch with my pillow and blankie and eat nothing but those little powdered donuts that you can fit all in your mouth at once. Oh, how they just melt when you close your mouth around them. I have just cut myself off after two, but I can't stop thinking about them sitting in my pantry. Two more wouldn't hurt anyone, would they?

Chad ate a whole bag of them one night after I had gotten home from the grocery store. When Brynn woke up the next morning she couldn't wait to have one for breakfast, but to her dismay, they were GONE! I think Chad even still had a little ring of powder around his lips. Brynn knew he was the culprit and was pissed. Now when we buy them and unpack them she shows them to Chad (a/k/a "Chaddy Daddy") and she says he can have some, but not ALL!

I don't want to be the victim of her wrath, so I better not eat all of them.

It's a good thing I have my daughter to keep me in line. A couple of weeks ago I was having one of those days where everything annoyed me. I think it started when I was trying to get dressed and nothing was fitting right. Then Brynn questioned what I did decide on wearing:

Brynn: "Mom, is that what you are wearing?"

Me: "Yeah, you got a problem with it?"

Brynn: "Mom, why are you being so attitoody?" (attitude-y?)

Me: (fighting back a smile) "Attitoody?"

Brynn: "Yeah. You're being a ninny puggits."

Me: "Ninny puggits? You mean cotton-headed ninny muggins?" (from Elf, the movie)

Brynn: "Yep, that's what I meant."
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Now these are the faces of sweet, innocent boys that I am sure will never sass their parents like my lovely daughter.


These little ninny muggins are the adorable off-spring of Tiffany & Adam, whose maternity session I did last fall.

You can tell the difference in their personalities just by looking at their natural expressions. Max is a bruiser who is happy as long as things are going his way. Aidan is a little more apprehensive or nervous; maybe even slightly concerned.


But both are absolutely perfect and beautiful and I loved getting to know them. You will get to know them well too. They are my newest addition to my baby plan collection.

LOVE baby rolls!!!!

I liked these little onesies so much, I picked one up for Kyles from Baby Gap.

Many congrats to Tiff & Adam. I am so happy for you both. May they grow up without "sass" in their vocabulary ;)