the most beautiful brides of 2011 | east texas lifestyle photographer

This past year has turned out to be more than I could ever imagine or wish for. I owe a lot of this to my couples, families and the beautiful brides of 2011. I learned a few things while shooting the weddings of this past year and one is the value of true beauty. Once I worked with a fashion photographer in Las Vegas and he despised weddings. He always said, "Why put an average girl in the world's most unflattering color of white?" He wouldn't touch a wedding or ever shoot a bride. I totally disagree. My brides have shown me, as a woman, just how beautiful and radiant that "average girls" truly are. More than girls, these are woman who exude an elated sense of confidence on their wedding day. They may not be professional models but it is my goal and absolute joy to capture their inner beauty and the love that they are feeling on one of the most important days of their lives. Making a bride feel like she looks is one of the best times out of the whole day. So I want to thank my brides of 2011 for showing me, an "average girl" just how beautiful we really are. 

young house love | east texas lifestyle photographer

If your a super saaavy blog reader, you may notice that the title of this post is from the name of one of my favorite blogs! Young house love has changed my life. Okay maybe just a little. It has taken me a little while but I feel pretty satisfied with the way that the house has turned out! It's our first home and I feel that there will always be something to improve or change around but it is in a good place right now. Here is a little preview into what I have been up to the past month or two.

Our living room. My favorite room in the house. It has all of my favorite things, the wood floors, plenty of light and windows and a fireplace (I am still trying to get Caleb to burn a stinking fire in that fireplace!)

If you want to come and visit or just crash for the night, here is the room that you will be staying in.

Here is our bedroom. King sized bed = bliss. I couldn't be happier with those paisley pillow cases. Do you know how freaking hard it is to match an orange bed spread! 

Of course there are many more rooms, but this is a good start!

first album (!!!!!!) | east texas lifestyle photographer

Yea. Super. Duper. Supercalafragalisticexpialadoshus excited! Unwrapping this box was so magical. A project from start to finish. Like a fo real, black-tie affair kind of finished look. I unwrapped these little pretties like Christmas morning. I have created other albums from mine and mostly other's photography. Never before have I designed an album with such amazing caliber. Madera books did such a great job taking my designs and making them real into leather, embossing, lay flat beautifully bound kind of way. I am so happy for my clients that they and their parents will be able to forever cherish their wedding day. I want to have a wedding every year just so that I can have a hundred of these albums to cherish... I'm just not sure that Caleb would like that so much. 

Oh and just fyi... incase you are keeping up this is #26 marked straight off the 99 in 999 days list. Don't you go letting me forget about that! 

merry christmas | east texas lifestyle photographer

Ho! Ho! Ho! and Merry Christmas! Just a quick happy holidays and the gooiest, covered in chocolate warm wishes to all my readers. 

home. Home. HOME. | east texas lifestyle photographer

The theme of Thanksgiving seems to be following me into the Christmas season this year. I just keep on feeling so blessed! Ever since I moved to Texas my life has taken a dramatic turn. It's real. It is all real.  I finally moved out of the desert and into the Lone star state surrounded by the smell of open fields, and scenic land with horses and longhorns resting about. It's real, I am a Texan. I am finally building a home with my ever-loving husband; as being separated by miles was the theme of our entire relationship. It's real, I am a wife. I am finally (in a most definitely, can't miss it, without a doubt kind of way) very pregnant and everyday that goes by I am closer to meeting my first child, my son Levi. It's real, I am a mother.

Caleb has asked me time and time again what I want for Christmas. I send him a list (okay it was an email with links to the things I wanted, I know, I am a little redic) but when he read over the list he said that these were all small, menial things. He asked again, "Sarah, whatever your heart desires, I want to get it for you. What do you want for Christmas, our first Christmas together?" Yes, this year we will get to spend our first Christmas together! I don't even know what to do with myself.... I bought him a ton of gifts! I hope he isn't reading this because I don't think he knows I got him so many things! Back to the story though....

What Caleb asked of me I never answered, because I have all I could ever want. In a few short weeks (2 weeks and 1 day to be exact) I will have the tiniest little chubby toes to squeeze into those precious booties.... and take home. Home. HOME. Amazing.

I have all that I need or could ever want. Merry Christmas. 

the nursery is done!!! | east texas lifestyle photographer

The plane has landed and Levi's nursery is done! I can't believe it!!! We pulled it all off a few weeks before his birth, and by we I mean the great culmination of over a hundred people. Caleb has always said that it takes a village to raise a child and I think that I am getting the gist of that now. From having three baby showers that were in different corners of the continent, to online orders, Fedex gifts at our doorstep, lots of manual labor, (this was not performed by me..... thank you, thank you, thank you to my wonderful Husband, Mother-in-law and Father-in-law) we all pulled this room off. Levi is loved by so many different people and we are so blessed. 

The theme of the room all started with a little plane and I when I said, "antique fighter planes" for the theme, people replied, "for a baby's room?" Yes. The planes that are displayed above the red armoire in the room are Caleb's, collected from his Father's journeys across the states while off at work. The furniture is antique as well, all refinished and sanded bare first because Lord knows that our child will gnaw on if he gets the chance. The mobile is hand-made by a friend and the rocker... well that's just one of the bad a** gifts that his Aunt bought us. My parents, Caleb's parents, co-workers, aunts and uncles, friends and family. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. 

i heart faces photo challenge | east texas lifestyle photographer

This week's challenge over at I Heart Faces was furry faces and I just couldn't resist this playful little pup! 

 This photo was entered into the I Heart Faces photo challenge – iheartfaces.com

sara + justin | east texas lifestyle photographer

Sara and Justin are a couple that I hold a little closer to my heart. They are a unique couple who have a great sense of style and most of all they are super duper thoughtful. We headed out to the dry lake beds with a few balloons, an old chair and a blanket. I think that Justin looked at me a little sideways and was probably thinking, "Okay, I know this girl is pregnant but she is has got to be kidding me!" I just assured Sara and Justin to trust me and they did just that. What most people don't know is that it is not the location that makes the shoot, but your lovely smiles and great energy. I could have put these two in the middle of a swamp and they would have had great images! So thank you for trusting me and best of luck to a totally fab couple!