Mark & Uconda Engagement

Mark and Uconda have a love for all things UNC... and not just because it's March Madness... it's where they met. And after 14 years of mishaps, heartbreak and missed moments they are finally getting married in May. All three of us traveled up to UNC Chapel Hill yesterday for their engagement session... talk about fun! If their engagement session was this enjoyable I cannot wait until their wedding! Here are a few of my fave's from the campus...

Suzie & Don Engagement

So I apologize in advance for being a little slack with my blog... but life got seriously crazy there for about a week... if you've seen my Facebook updates you know!

My second favorite aunt (and yes, I have favorites) is getting married for the first time this May. I had the wonderful honor of not being a bridesmaid, but being asked to be her photographer (isn't it great when family hires you instead of someone else?).

We shot their engagement shots at Col. Francis Beatty Park in Charlotte, NC. Here are a few of my favorites... keep in mind they haven't been touched up because my life has been crazy!

Time to Relax? Not yet.

Whew! I am so tired.

I don't think I've ever felt this tired in my entire life. There are so many things to do... renovating my studio (which has meant more location shots), preparing for the weekend in Greensboro, going up to Asheville tonight... I just need a night where I can sit in my tub for an hour, read my cosmo and relax... but that doesn't look like it's going to happen anytime before... Sunday.

Not that I'm complaining... I love my life right now... I just wish I had time to slow down and enjoy it! And over the next 3 months I have engagement shots at the Biltmore, a wedding in Blowing Rock and 2 bridal shows... *sigh again.* But hence is the business of starting to finally get into marketing... maybe I should hire someone to do that for me? Nah...

On a side note... I love my friends and family! Thank you guys so much for your support, love and ability to pick up the phone just to hear me vent for a half hour... I know you have caller ID... thanks for picking up anyway. I need you in my life, and I wish I could just give all of you a giant hug. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Rantings on the Seatle Native

Now... I do NOT usually go and talk about reality tv, but this series had me hooked from the Bachelorette. He was billed as this great guy, and then the spoilers started leaking out. http://www.realitysteve.com/ told me all the facts I needed to know... and at first I couldn't believe it... until I fast forwarded through my DVR and discovered that he was right all along. Jason dumps Melissa on national television... I think I can plainly say... what the heck? Couldn't this have been done over the phone? As Melissa said, B@$*@&

"How could you go from being engaged to someone, to kissing someone else on the couch?!"

I think Trista put that just about right in her statement to US Weekly... because it's exactly how I feel.

There's this whole theory that Jason and the producer got together to do this for ratings, and when I put the pieces together myself it only made sense. All I have to say is that I'm done with this show. And here's why...

I know TV isn't supposed to be real life, but this was. And out there is this great girl that got cheated out of love... love that she thought she had found, and love that her lover wasn't willing to fight for. This is the exact opposite of what I hold dear and cherish... love and hope.

It's the hope that one day you will find the person you are meant to be with that keeps you going on all those first dates, kissing all the frogs and love that says "yes" when he finally pulls that fist sized diamond out of his pocket and proposes (mine was not that big :). But why does love have to hurt? Why does our hope have to keep being deferred? And why... do we become so heart sick that we can only sit in front of the tv and watch re-runs of Friends and CSI?

Because we know how it's supposed to be. We know that the guy is supposed to find us, laugh with us, cry with us and be that stable rock (not diamond... stop it!) that we can count on when our life falls apart. That's what Melissa should have had... that's what we all should have... that's what I've found. Who I found. And that's what all of you should keep holding out hope for... your mate is out there... just don't give up on love and keep hanging your hat on the door of hope.