We are both feeling better and back to normal. That sickness was no fun....I am glad it is over.
We had a small wedding out at Avalon this past Saturday. It was our first event since October and it went well. They did lights in the trees and decorated the tables very nicely. There were about 50 guests. We have had some trouble with them getting the place clean in a timely manner and getting all their stuff. They are supposed to be out and done by Sunday at noon but there is still some of their stuff out there today. We have a sorority formal there this Friday night. That should be interesting :) and then a Bridal Shower on Sunday. Then in May we have a wedding at Avalon on the 3rd, 17th and 24th. Darrin is doing the photography for the one on the 17th and we are actually going to be out of town at another wedding on the 24th so that will be a busy day.
The Texas School of Professional Photography is next week. I am not taking a class this year (I have taken a class the last two years). Darrin is working as a wrangler with one of the classes of course so he will be busy all week. We have a friend staying at our house all week so I have been busy cleaning. Our extra room was my "green house" for the winter so it needed some cleaning for sure. The cats were very excited to be able to investigate that room since they have been banned from it all winter. They love eating my plants and then throwing up .....and they keep doing it again and again. Gotta love the cats and their love of green.
We signed with a real estate company to list the studio as for lease---we'll do all the paperwork which cut down on the cost but that will hopefully reach more people than our large sign has. Getting the studio leased would be very helpful. We have been doing a lot of shoots out at Avalon this week....bride, engagement, family shoot, etc.
Hope you have a great rest of your week!
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Sickness in Hillville
It has been a week of sickness for Darrin and I. I am just finishing my antibiotics and Darrin just started his yesterday. This chest cold that we both have had is a really bad one. It zaps out any energy you have and really makes you feel bad. For those who know Darrin well----he was in bed all day Saturday--that's when I know he is really sick. Hopefully Darrin will start feeling better in a couple of days. I am still feeling fatigued and I got sick last Sunday.
We did make it to Round Top on Friday. Darrin was not feeling well but insisted on going. It was wet and cold. We went to one of the shows we usually pass up because it is $10/person to get in. We decided to check it out this year because we had met one of the vendors at an Antique Show in Houston and he said he had photography equipment that he would bring to the show. Darrin was not impressed with his photography stuff---it was all in really bad shape and missing large parts of it. The only thing we bought there was lunch. We drove down to the large sale near Warrenton and walked around a while. Darrin started feeling really bad so we went home. Hopefully we are well for the show in October so we can really enjoy it.
Otherwise we are just trying to keep up. We have a few things to finish up and clean up at Avalon before our wedding on April 19th. The studio is staying busy. Darrin is booked solid for evening sessions for the next few weeks. We rescheduled the ones for this past weekend and yesterday. We may need to reschedule today's sessions too depending on how Darrin feels. The birds are doing okay. We did some work this weekend to improve the circulation in our bird house and hope that will keep some of them from getting sick.
Hope you have a great week.
We did make it to Round Top on Friday. Darrin was not feeling well but insisted on going. It was wet and cold. We went to one of the shows we usually pass up because it is $10/person to get in. We decided to check it out this year because we had met one of the vendors at an Antique Show in Houston and he said he had photography equipment that he would bring to the show. Darrin was not impressed with his photography stuff---it was all in really bad shape and missing large parts of it. The only thing we bought there was lunch. We drove down to the large sale near Warrenton and walked around a while. Darrin started feeling really bad so we went home. Hopefully we are well for the show in October so we can really enjoy it.
Otherwise we are just trying to keep up. We have a few things to finish up and clean up at Avalon before our wedding on April 19th. The studio is staying busy. Darrin is booked solid for evening sessions for the next few weeks. We rescheduled the ones for this past weekend and yesterday. We may need to reschedule today's sessions too depending on how Darrin feels. The birds are doing okay. We did some work this weekend to improve the circulation in our bird house and hope that will keep some of them from getting sick.
Hope you have a great week.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Sick but doing better
Howdy from College Station. Hope you are doing well. I have been sick for a few days but I am doing better. I had a chest cold that grabbed hold pretty hard for a couple days but seems to be getting better pretty quick. So that is good news. Something is going around the office because there are several people out sick today.
I was in Austin and Round Rock for a conference Wednesday through Friday. It was good---but my manager was sick the entire time so we didn't make it to the outlet mall like we had planned so that was a bummer. But I did get several good nights of rest so that was nice.
Darrin and I went antiquing in Round Top on Sunday and go back again this Friday. We bought some urns and stands at a really good price for Avalon. It made me really happy last night when the bride who is getting married in two weeks said "It is so beautiful out here!!" It has been a lot of work and we really appreciate it when other people see it and appreciate it too. This month we have a wedding on April 19th and then a sorority party for 250 on April 25th. The sorority party should be interesting. But they seem to be responsible and they are going to be bused out to Avalon so we don't have to worry so much about drinking and driving with them.
I'd better get going. Please keep Jonathan, my brother, in your prayers. He is looking for a new job. Just pray that the right one would have the doors open wide.
Have a great week!
I was in Austin and Round Rock for a conference Wednesday through Friday. It was good---but my manager was sick the entire time so we didn't make it to the outlet mall like we had planned so that was a bummer. But I did get several good nights of rest so that was nice.
Darrin and I went antiquing in Round Top on Sunday and go back again this Friday. We bought some urns and stands at a really good price for Avalon. It made me really happy last night when the bride who is getting married in two weeks said "It is so beautiful out here!!" It has been a lot of work and we really appreciate it when other people see it and appreciate it too. This month we have a wedding on April 19th and then a sorority party for 250 on April 25th. The sorority party should be interesting. But they seem to be responsible and they are going to be bused out to Avalon so we don't have to worry so much about drinking and driving with them.
I'd better get going. Please keep Jonathan, my brother, in your prayers. He is looking for a new job. Just pray that the right one would have the doors open wide.
Have a great week!
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
House wiring
I forgot to mention the excitement that we had this past weekend, the night before Easter. We had just finished taking showers after spending the afternoon at Avalon. We were getting ready to eat a dinner of leftovers when the electricity went off in half the house. We thought we had a fuse out or flipped but when we checked them, everything was fine. That is when we noticed a funny smell and saw a small stream of smoke coming out of the breaker box. We called Darrin's Dad and started taking the cover off. The smoke was mostly gone by then. Darrin's Dad found the cause of our smoke and loss of electricity. A critter of some variety had climbed into our large fuse box (looks like the things in monster movies that the scientist flips on and the monster wakes up) and got fried. The fuse he was next to was broken in half. We got a new fuse on Sunday and everything seems to be fine. But it was exciting for a few minutes.
Birthdays and other fun
It has been a couple of weeks since I last posted. I keep meaning to take the time to post but then something else jumps in and takes that time. Oh well.
The last couple of weeks have been good for Darrin and I. March 10-14 was Bunny Time at the studio so Darrin was chasing bunnies and 2 year olds around trying to capture cute pictures of them. We didn't get chicks and ducks this year. That was just fine with me because I always had to clean their cage and they stunk. They were adorable but stinky. The bunny is not much better but at least we only have one. He is already gone. Yeah!
Avalon is looking beautiful. I will try to post some pictures of it soon. We put in a hundred or so plants on Friday. They look beautiful in the flower beds and really help it look more finished. Our wildflowers are starting to come up and we look forward to a great season this year. Darrin's Dad is working on the well house and the irrigation guy is getting our watering system all set up. We have a wedding April 19th at Avalon so everything has to be cleaned up by then. Then we have two weddings in May. I don't think I will know what to do with all my free time when Avalon is mostly finished and is just in the "maintenance" stage. We will always have something to do out there but at least it will be mostly finished.
Darrin's 39th Birthday was on Friday the 21st. We went out to eat for sushi with some friends that night. Darrin got a Anthony Bourdain cook book, a few movies and some Transformers peel and stick decorations for the wall.... :). We went to Houston the next day and had Dim Sum with some other friends. It was nice. For those who don't know, dim sum is mostly a Chinese meal where ladies walk around with carts and there are different food items on the carts. You can select what you want from each cart and each item has a price. It is mostly dumplings, meat dishes and noodle dishes. There are also unique things like chicken feet, tripe and other things that they serve that I don't even know what it is. But what we do get is really good and it is fun.
I had better get going. Sorry for the long post. Hope you have a great day!
The last couple of weeks have been good for Darrin and I. March 10-14 was Bunny Time at the studio so Darrin was chasing bunnies and 2 year olds around trying to capture cute pictures of them. We didn't get chicks and ducks this year. That was just fine with me because I always had to clean their cage and they stunk. They were adorable but stinky. The bunny is not much better but at least we only have one. He is already gone. Yeah!
Avalon is looking beautiful. I will try to post some pictures of it soon. We put in a hundred or so plants on Friday. They look beautiful in the flower beds and really help it look more finished. Our wildflowers are starting to come up and we look forward to a great season this year. Darrin's Dad is working on the well house and the irrigation guy is getting our watering system all set up. We have a wedding April 19th at Avalon so everything has to be cleaned up by then. Then we have two weddings in May. I don't think I will know what to do with all my free time when Avalon is mostly finished and is just in the "maintenance" stage. We will always have something to do out there but at least it will be mostly finished.
Darrin's 39th Birthday was on Friday the 21st. We went out to eat for sushi with some friends that night. Darrin got a Anthony Bourdain cook book, a few movies and some Transformers peel and stick decorations for the wall.... :). We went to Houston the next day and had Dim Sum with some other friends. It was nice. For those who don't know, dim sum is mostly a Chinese meal where ladies walk around with carts and there are different food items on the carts. You can select what you want from each cart and each item has a price. It is mostly dumplings, meat dishes and noodle dishes. There are also unique things like chicken feet, tripe and other things that they serve that I don't even know what it is. But what we do get is really good and it is fun.
I had better get going. Sorry for the long post. Hope you have a great day!
Friday, March 7, 2008
Snowing in the Brazos Valley
We woke up to snow this morning. It is not accumulating on the ground but the cars and roofs had an inch or so. It was really pretty. The flakes were big and some were drifting down and some were blowing around because the wind was really blowing. This is only the second time we have seen snow since I moved here in 1998. The first time it didn't accumulate but this time there was at least an inch on my car.
It is so pretty and is already melting. Too bad.
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
It is so pretty and is already melting. Too bad.
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Birthdays and Anniversaries
We have a birthday and an anniversary this week in my family. My Dad turns 60 this week and my brother's 2nd wedding anniversary is this week. Time is really flying. It is hard for me to believe that Jonathan has been married two years already. And he turns 30 in August....yikes. Makes me feel old just thinking about it.
We just finished unloading all our equipment. We had a nice short wedding today. I appreciate the receptions that don't last 10 hours like the one before this wedding did. It gets pretty boring after about hour 3 or so. Especially when you don't know anyone---and you are hired help so it's not like you can just get in there and party like the guests. Although, Darrin and I did dance several times at that 10 hour reception and the bride came up to us and said she was so happy we were joining in the fun because it made it feel more like a celebration. okay. Then later on she pulled me out onto the dance floor to dance with her. I have only seen this bride once before at her bridal session. She was an interesting but very sweet bride.
Hopefully this week will be a little less crazy than last week was. The conference was better than I had expected. It is a conference on school safety. They had a few break out sessions and one of them was on how the media is teaching our kids to kill (I think that is the title of the talk). It was pretty interesting and scary at the same time. He discussed the recent school shootings and the research that has been done on the shooters. Then he discussed how in 1965 there were groups going to congress saying that the violence in TV was too much---and think how much worse it is today). He made a case for not letting a child watch any TV, videos or movies til they are at least 6 years old. He was especially against video games. He says they are training our kids to shoot. I would like to look into his research a little more.
Anyways....I hope you have a great week next week. I definitely plan on it...
We just finished unloading all our equipment. We had a nice short wedding today. I appreciate the receptions that don't last 10 hours like the one before this wedding did. It gets pretty boring after about hour 3 or so. Especially when you don't know anyone---and you are hired help so it's not like you can just get in there and party like the guests. Although, Darrin and I did dance several times at that 10 hour reception and the bride came up to us and said she was so happy we were joining in the fun because it made it feel more like a celebration. okay. Then later on she pulled me out onto the dance floor to dance with her. I have only seen this bride once before at her bridal session. She was an interesting but very sweet bride.
Hopefully this week will be a little less crazy than last week was. The conference was better than I had expected. It is a conference on school safety. They had a few break out sessions and one of them was on how the media is teaching our kids to kill (I think that is the title of the talk). It was pretty interesting and scary at the same time. He discussed the recent school shootings and the research that has been done on the shooters. Then he discussed how in 1965 there were groups going to congress saying that the violence in TV was too much---and think how much worse it is today). He made a case for not letting a child watch any TV, videos or movies til they are at least 6 years old. He was especially against video games. He says they are training our kids to shoot. I would like to look into his research a little more.
Anyways....I hope you have a great week next week. I definitely plan on it...
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