my new camera!!

have you noticed how much more awesome the photos on my blog have been lately?!

that's because my wonderful & amazing husband got me a new camera for christmas!!  because i am full blood little sister, i copied off of my big sister & got the one she has.  she named her camera onyx & her review of onyx is here.  & the expert's review is here.  {not that julie isn't an expert.}

maybe i should name mine little onyx.

the neat stuff it can do...

{normal picture}

{portrait}

{pop art}

{soft focus}

{grainy film}

{pin hole: blurred corners}

{diorama: blurred corners}

{gentle sepia}

everyone looks cool in grainy.  even the t-man....

happy friday!!

love love,

kjp.

thankful thursday # 2.

i am so super thankful for the snow this week!

on sunday evening while waiting for my beloved to get home from work, i got to snuggle up in my reading chair & finish my book.  it was so lovely & had been far too long.  what book was i reading, you ask?  ahhh, yes.  embarassing answer.  a nora roberts book - the 4th in the bridal quartet.  i became a little obsessed with the series while planning our wedding.  so the last one finally came out & i can be finished.  time to pass onto my soon-to-be sister-in-law!

 

what better meal for a cold & snowy day than tomato soup & grilled cheese?!

{blakey is a natural flipping the grilled cheese!}

but i can do one better - creamy tomato basil soup & grilled cheese with american & goat cheese.  oh urban, thank you for teaching me some of the finer things in life.

 

monday morning blakey learned he got the day off!  a day off in obgyn residency?!  craziness.  wonderful wonderful craziness.  so we each had a little workout on the stationary bike {thank you lisa & dave!}.  i even got to sit & drink coffee in the morning, my favorite past time.  {which is exactly what i'm doing right now too :)}

{ps this picture is before christmas.

i have taken down our christmas decorations.

promise.}

we both were quite productive - me with housework & blakey with schoolwork.  it is so nice to get caught up, especially with my husband by my side.

tanky got a little bit of cabin fever, so we all went on a walk to the railroad park!  i wish i had remembered my camera because he was adorable running around in the snow.  he thinks the whole world is his water bowl when it snows.

for dinner, we tried a new & healthy recipe - spicy thai tofu with red peppers & brown rice!  sounds a little out there, i know.  but it was actually really good!  next time i will cook the tofu before adding it to the dish.  i'm a huge texture person with my food & it was way too soft.  but all in all, quite a tasty low-cal dish!

oh, then we baked chocolate chip cookies & butterscotch cookies.  they're healthy too, right?

& then the national championship game!  i wasn't sure who i was cheering for until mr scam newton threw his first interception & i about jumped off the couch with joy.  apparently oregon.  or, more accurately, cheering for the sec to lose :)  blakey & i both fell asleep before the game ended, so we'll just act like we don't know who won.  {as if that were possible in the state of alabama.}

so so very thankful.  hope you think of something for which you are thankful today :)

love love,
kjp.

wedding wednesday # 22: choosing a photographer

one of the biggest decisions when planning our wedding was choosing our photographer.  the dress will become outdated, the cake will get eaten, the invitations will get thrown away, but the pictures will be there forever.  {yeah, you're nervous now too, huh.} 

but, brides be calmed, i have tips! 

1.  do your research.  if you're engaged, chances are you have friends/acquaintances/facebook friends that have gotten married in the last year or two or three.  check out their wedding pictures.  {thank you, fb, for making that task super easy.} 

take note of the ones you like.  check out their websites.  contact them to see if you can get more information - pricing options, number of photographers, number of hours available, if they travel, if your date is available, etc.

2. male or female?  just like you & your fiance, males & females see some things differently.  & i truly believe one of those things is photograph opportunities.  during your research, you'll see what i'm talking about.  & this is a super easy way to narrow down the field.

3. price is important.  as i said, i thought the photographer was one of the biggest decisions in wedding planning.  i was ready to spend a huge chunk of change on a fabulous photographer. 

but guess what, not everything falls into the "more expensive = better" category.  if a photographer would cost half of your budget, you can do more with that money.  truly.  there are phenomenal photographers out there in a ridiculous range of prices.

4. photo shoot or behind the scenes?  in addition to male vs female, another big distinction between photographers is whether they are super hands on, asking you to pose, & working to get the exact shot OR whether they are more editorial, capturing the moments that happen, & staying out of your way. 

also like male vs female, there is no "right way".  blakey & i, for instance, are super awkward in front of a camera.  so we wanted the behind the scenes type.  only capture the moments that really happened.  & please do not interrupt me on MY day :)

others love the photo shoot.  it is THEIR day & they want to be in the spotlight.  & they want the exact shots they want.  these type of photographers capture that awesomely. 

5. get referrals.  seriously.  talk to people you know that used the photographer.  was he/she professional?  easy to get a hold of/work with?  did you enjoy spending your entire wedding day with this person?  seriously.

fabulous news: my step sister & her now fiance got engaged this weekend!!  we are super happy for both of them.  & i am excited to have another family wedding this year :)

{lindsey & tony - the happy couple!}

love love,

kjp.

christmas @ my dad's!

christmas # 2 in the great state of oklahoma was at my dad's! 

most of my day was spent baking a devil's food chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream & chocolate ganache.  {it was yummy.}  ruth made a fabulous osso bucco, meaning "bone with a hole" - a fan-freakin-tastic veal shank.  the boys did their part watching football & sampling the appetizers :)

the beller/stanley clan waited for blakey & me to get home to open presents!  we had a great time.  my dad received his annual trivia calendar - a tradition since julie & i were very small.  each year, he keeps the ordering information just in case we forget to get it for him.  

our big huge present was a vintage ou football canvas!  it is the cover to the 1956 ou/texas program.  so awesome!

{playing with my new camera.

more on that to come.}

{my dad loves santa claus.

when we were little, 

julie would go around the house each christmas

& count the number of santa clauses.

i believe the biggest year was 167.}

{love you, dad!}

happy christmas.

love love,

kjp.

gig 'em!

we had a bowl game party aggie style this weekend.  the texas a&m aggies took on the lsu tigers.  big 12 vs sec.  although the football team fell a tiny bit short, we had a fabulous time.

chorizo queso & guacamole & a taco bar & margaritas!  {forgot to take pictures of all of the above.  but know:  it all was fantastic.}

tanky got to play play play with miss lola belle mcgowan.

{she is almost his size!}

{after play play playing all night long,

the puppies finally passed out around 2 am.}

the highlight of any good porter party is a shuffleboard tournament!

{amy & ogden are ready to roll.}

{"hey, josh & crystal - look awake.

no, look awake.  not away.

no, really..."}

& the winners of the 2011 shuffleboard tournament #1 are...

{OGDEN & KENDALL!!!!

we rock.}

then it was the puppies' turn.

& then a dance party broke out...

hope you had a fabulous weekend!  alabama snow storm 2011 is in full effect & we are enjoying every moment.  stay safe.  be warm. 

love love,

kjp.

happy friday from mr & mrs!

{fantastic glasses from cari & aric!}

a kappa sister of mine is town with her boyfriend for his medicine interview at UAB today.  we are having breakfast at urban, checking out beautiful birmingham, & making a "quick" stop at anthropologie.

tonight is the A&M vs LSU bowl game!  come on big 12!  we are having a little mexican feast to celebrate.

we hope you have a fabulous friday & wonderful weekend!  

love love,

kjp.