Nearly-Weds: Sara & David

Meet Sara and David. They are getting married in May, 2009 at a church in Phoenix and then having their reception at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge.

This last weekend they had their engagement session with the wonderfully talented MelissaJill. They went up to Cave Creek and had what appears to be a really fun time.

Here are a few of my favorite shots:



To see even more from this shoot, please visit MelissaJill's blog and stay tuned for their wedding day photos which are sure to be just as awesome!

Awesome Husband Award

My husband Brian and I have the kind of relationship where we bicker all the time... we have the "little old couple" thing down and we are in our 30's. Imagine when we actually get to the "little old couple" ages! Look out!

But I just have to publicly say it. My husband is awesome. He deserves some kind of award or something. I seriously don't know what I would do without him and I really, honestly, don't know how he can deal with me some days.

I am not overly high-maintenance and not overly emotional. I am, however, really annoyingly obsessive-compulsive and anal retentive, which has its pros and cons.

When it comes to my career, being anal-retentive is a GREAT thing. My clients can sleep well at night knowing that I am the one obsessing over the details... that is why they are paying me!

On the other hand, when it comes to putting away the dishes... SERIOUSLY.

It really doesn't matter what position the bowls are in or whether the cups are lined up straight and evenly. But I just can't help myself. I have even tried to do it differently just to show myself "it will all be ok" and yet, my mind will not let it go until I go back and "fix" it.

I know! Can you imagine living with me??? I will be the first to say that it is not easy and yet Brian not only puts up with it, he goes along with it, positioning the bowls and cups just so.

But I digress. These feelings of overwhelming appreciation are not because of an empty dishwasher.

I just wanted to take a moment to give a little credit to the man behind the scenes, indirectly making each wedding I do successful just by being my steady rock.

In a demanding and service oriented career like mine, I feel so blessed to have a husband who is all about taking care of me and providing the love and support that I need, so that I can be the support that my clients need.

Thanks Sparky... I love you!

#39 - Done!

Starting at the beginning of February, I invoked a new personal and business related rule: I am taking Sundays off. No checking email, no going on appointments, no answering the phone. Sure, there will be an exception from time to time, but as a rule, Sundays are my day off. And man have I been enjoying them.

In fact, just a couple Sundays ago, I decided to use my whole day off to check another item off of my 101 in 1001 list: Plant flowers in the front yard.

As they say, the first step to solving a problem is admitting you have one, so bear that in mind as I share the next couple of photos with you.

Here is a shot of the little patch of gardening area by my front door:

Ah, but look closer and you will see why this made the list in the first place.

You can see the attempt for beauty was there in the past, what with the small trellis and brick border, but that was from days gone by when I had MORE than one day off a week... and one less child for that matter. (Ok, brace yourself...)

Eeek. Not pretty. But I knew just the place to go to rectify this situation. My friendly neighborhood Home Depot. Look at this marketing quality photo below, complete with employee hard at work.

I am such a flower person, so I just love the garden center. Just look at what my eyes beheld:

But I was a woman on a mission. So, I carefully made my selections, packed up my car and headed home.

To begin, I dug out all of those ugly weeds and added some fresh soil.

Next, I dug a couple of holes for my climbing roses and added a much more substantial trellis.

Meanwhile, while I was working on the roses, my husband Brian was digging up the main drip line for me. You see, the reason that my little patch of garden has never quite been successful, is because it doesn't have a drip line running to it.

For the 9 years we have been in our house, I never realized that the little plastic channel in the crack of the sidewalk, was in fact there for that purpose. Der! And what a simple solution.

I purchased a little kit with all kinds of little connector do-dads and Brian ran a line from the main drip system, through the plastic channel and into my garden bed. Voila!


Once we laid the drip line throughout the patch, I began to add my flowers. I selected a variety of Marigolds, Snapdragons and Alyssum. Here is how it turned out:

So, what do you think? I am so happy with it. Not to mention I got one more thing checked off the list... What a beautiful Sunday that was!

Emily Edwards featured on The Smart Planner

For the very few of you out there who have not heard of Liene Stevens and her two very popular blogs, you absolutely MUST check her out!

Liene (pronounced Lynn and pictured above) is also a wedding planner. Her company is called Blue Orchid Designs and she has not only been busy growing her company, but has also found great success in writing both the Blue Orchid Blog (geared towards brides and grooms) and The Smart Planner Blog (geared towards wedding professionals).

I am a fan of both. They are chocked full of relevant and straight-to-the-point advice, which is not only helpful, but also extremely refreshing.

Every Friday on The Smart Planner Blog, Liene features a different wedding planner from across the country. And last Friday, it was my turn in the spotlight. You can check out the post by clicking here.

Thanks Liene for putting yourself out there and sharing your voice. I wish you all the success your heart desires! ;)