The Beginning of Summer (2012)

A little over two months ago I posted about my daughter turning nine. As if that milestone was not enough to swallow, she has just finished third grade and is officially heading into the fourth grade. A rather large transition, one that I hope will be smooth. Until we reach that stepping stone, summer is here to wrap us in warm sunny days and happy memories of outdoor adventures. Already we have visited the Squam Lakes Science Center, hiked a few local littles, enjoyed dinner outside, spent and afternoon on the boat (all inclusive of fishing lessons with yours truly), went out for ice cream (and agreed it counted as dinner), and have almost finished the book we are reading (Ida B.). There is so much ahead of us we can barely contain our excitement. We are looking forward to more visits to the Science Center, more hikes, a trip to Canobie with our fellow Girl Scouts, Christmas in July (injury and incident free - we hope!), more boating and fishing, day trips, and watching our plants grow. For now, it is nice to stop and capture Emma at this point, and of course, we will have to do it again at the end of the summer to see how it has changed her (well, her, us, and our relationship....). Happy summer everyone!

 

Kevin and Jill Married | Vermont Wedding Photographer

This past holiday weekend I was honored to not only attend a family wedding, but also photograph it. It was a wonderful event that was put together by friends and family. Which was so perfectly fitting for the couple. I met Aaron's cousin Kevin (can you see the resemblance? Yeah, they are DEFINITELY related), the first time I met Aaron's family (the Vermont family.....). Right away he was very welcoming and friendly (as was the entire family, I'm a lucky woman!). Jill came into the picture a couple of years ago and as happy as Kevin seemed before, what a difference! They are just perfect together and compliment each other well. Giving and caring barely touch the surface of describing them. They want nothing more than to just be happy and to see the people they love so dearly happy too.

As I said, this was an event put on by family and friends. Everyone pitched in a little bit to help and it all came together so nicely.

The favors were created by my husband's aunt and mother (super cute jars, go figure! we love the jars!). The cake was baked and decorated by my talented sister-in-law. The wedding ceremony and reception both took place at Kevin's father and stepmother's house and friends and family did a wonderful job decorating and setting up. (on a side note, the centerpieces were upcycled from Aaron's sister's wedding! So much heart went into this day!)

More family and friends hard at work....... Jill's new sister-in-law was the official hair dresser for the wedding and a friend helps out with nails ;)

 I had the BEST time hanging out before the wedding, these girls sure know how to make getting ready a party in itself!

Now, I may have had a slight obsession with this girl's outfit and white ipod (I SO want the white one!). Check out those boots!! (Eat your heart out Taylor Swift - no wait, just kidding, I love you).

Of course, the girls weren't the only ones hanging out before the main event!

What a beautiful day they had. The sun was shining and the flowers were in bloom :)

Check out these fantastic guests. The little one on the left helped showcase my awesome jump-rope-while-holding-a-camera-with-a-huge-lens-and-big-fat-camera-bag skills and the handsome fella on the right was a groomsman, Dryfus, Kevin and Jill's beloved golden.

Check out how excited Dryfus is to see his mama come down the aisle ;)

The first dance may have been my favorite part of the day. Just look how happy they are!

And then time for cake!

After dinner and cake the big kids went outside and were running around for a while until....... technology arrived. Probably another white ipod for me to be jealous of. Hey! There's Emma, who's surprised? lol. If nothing else, they were spending time together, outside, and safe :)

And back inside, the adults and a few other kiddos were having a blast too!

Kevin and Jill ran inside for a moment to get into some comfy clothes and then returned to party more! Kevin had a great time laughing with family while Jill busted some moves on the dance floor.

Even the goodbyes were a hoot! Nothing like a little wardrobe malfunction to end the evening ;)

Congratulations Kevin and Jill and thank you so much for allowing me to capture the events of your special day!

Sunday Special: Home Made Soft Pretzels

I have loved soft pretzels for as long as I can remember. I used to get really excited when I was younger and we would go to one of those big wholesale warehouses (I think back then we had Pace and then Sam's Club and THEN BJ's) and cash out. I would keep my gaze fixated on the magical wheel of giant pretzels. We would buy the frozen ones you can heat in the microwave, but they aren't really much to speak of. Then when I was a teenager I would go to the good old Belknap "mall" and hit up the pretzel place there. Even better than that, I worked at the bookstore in that mall for a while and would get either pretzels or pretzel sandwiches there and then I would be able to have pretzels AND be in a bookstore. It was THE best. Yup. Now however, I don't come across too many opportunities to eat giant soft pretzels. I rarely make it down to any of the larger malls and the one in the Belknap Mall is long gone. A few weeks ago I had quite the craving for one, but decided against trying to choke down one of those microwave ones. Instead, I found a recipe in my bread maker book and gave it a whirl. Emma and I had a blast making these (even when I played "Roll Out" by Ludacris as we rolled the dough, which my daughter pointed out was a horribly inappropriate song, worsened by my impressive dance moves - it rocked, and questionable lyrics aside, the song kicks butt). They were delicious and far better than many I have had. I think next time I might make some rolls so I can use them for sandwiches! It is comforting to know I am not the only one mesmerized by the bread maker :)