Dish-o-the-week: Lasagna!

I realized after I started taking pictures while I was baking the lasagna last night, that really I've been posting a food a week.  And yes, they have all been from the Pioneer Woman Cookbook.  Before you start having visions of Julie and Julia, I just want to put out there that this is not my fault.  I like to use new cookbooks I have (if I can, sometimes the ingredients are ridiculous and expensive) and this one is really fun, easy to do, and lets just say it, darn delicious.  I am also not the cook in this household, Speed Racer is.  I can bake all day long and turn out delicious fatty things, but cooking, I get a little flustered with.  With that in mind, I'm looking at this as practice cooking...so I don't live on Mac and Cheese when Speed Racer is gone, even though I would love to.  So we're just gonna go with it for now, maybe there will be a recipe next week from a different cookbook, who knows.  And as always, you can check out her full, mouth water recipes at www.thepioneerwoman.com.  To the Lasagna!! I didn't realize that I have never cooked lasagna before.  Everyone's made lasagna right? No, not me.  So I did not realize how long it would take.   Really long, that's the answer, really long.  I also didn't realize how hard it would be to take pictures without Speed Racer around, it was tricky.

Rule numero uno, don't be afraid of meat.  Is that ok to say on the interweb?

Or the garlic...delicious delicious garlic.

Definitely a good idea to put your noodles on the aluminum foil.  I tried some that way and some without, and the without ones were really sticky and hard to manage.

I'm getting hungry again.  You let the tomato's and meat simmer for 45 minutes, which is just pure torture.

I am not a cottage cheese fan, but I do love it in lasagna.

Mmmm, cheesy.

Let the layering begin.

This was my attempt at an action shot, with the not kind of lens for that sort of thing, on.

At this point I was starving, 35 minutes in the oven and I was famished.  So what did I do?  I dug in as soon as it was out of the oven and burned my mouth.  Start this lasagna early, or have a snack ready while you wait.

The kitties concur.

How Did I get Here? Part VI

So I know what you're thinking...how many more of these "How Did I get Here" series are there?  And where is here? When is it going to END?!  Hopefully very soon.  Not to worry, this is not the Rocky Series.  Although who can deny that theme song? You're singing it now...I know you are. After our friends Mr. and Mrs. Hokie got hitched, our other friends Mr. and Mrs. Miami got engaged and had a date set for May.  Mrs. Miami is my friend Renee, she has her own blog so her identity is no secret.  But I love nicknames, they're fun, and different and we all need a little mystery in our lives, right? Right.  Maybe they should be called Mr. and Mrs. Atlanta since that's where they are moving to, but more on that HERE.  But it's my blog and I do what I want to...daggum it.  Mr. and Mrs. Miami recruited me to be their photographer for their wedding and I was thrilled!  Mrs. Miami and I happen to be engaged at the same time, so we were able to help plan or rather vent about the frustrations of planning a wedding.  The day of the wedding finally came and Speed Racer and I packed the very VERY tiny car we were taking up to Maryland, and hit the road.  “If you want to know if you love someone, take a road trip. If you want to know if you can marry them, do it in a roadster.” ~Unknown  That pretty much sums that up.

We arrived in Maryland a little road weary, but ready to go.  The festivities began, starting with the rehearsal dinner.

The Lighthouse in the background is the lighthouse where they would be hitched the next day.  Luckily the weather held out, and we started the morning off bright and early.

This is Little Miss, she is Mr. and Mrs. Miami's gorgeous baby girl, and she got to be flower girl for the day.

They're friends with Mr. and Mrs. Hokie too.

Love, the purple shoes!

These parasols were adorable!  They were so much fun for everyone to play with, not to mention get out of the sun, and made for fantastic pictures.

Sorry Mr. Miami, but this is my favorite picture out of the entire day.  I love it.  I want to hang it on my wall.  Is that too weird?

So apparently in the Greek Tradition, if you put the names of your bridesmaids or single lady friends on the bottom of your shoes on your wedding day, and they wear off, then they will be getting married.  Kind of an alternate version of throwing the bouquet, at this point in the day (2 weeks before my wedding) I was still 50/50.

Photographer's Note:  I was on a moving dock in order to get this shot.  I had visions of my falling off and drowning with all the camera gear.  But it was worth it, I love this shot too.  I also want to hang it on my wall.

Thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Miami for letting me be a part of your big day, and helping me learn and grow as a photographer!    After a long day of shooting in the hot sun, Speed Racer and I, with Mr. and Mrs. Hokie in tow, headed back down south.

Post from the Past: Warnie and Olie

In December my brother Warnie and (my now sister-in-law) Olie got married.  It was a beautiful ceremony (I'm sure there will be a post later) and we had a great time.  But before that, I had the privilege of assisting my brother in his scheme to propose to this beautiful lady.  We had it all planned out, they were going to come up and stay with me before they headed to their college town the next day for a "museum exhibit."  While they were at the exhibit I would sneak down, and with the assistance of my lovely friend The Twin, set up the romantic scene.  It was fool proof.  Almost.  It was suppose to rain all day.  Warnie was thinking about calling things off, and trying to do it another time, but I could tell he was disappointed.  I mean guys have a lot of pressure with these things!  So I pulled a couple strings and told Warnie not to worry, it would be magical.  And it was.

The tent was the real saving grace.  Luckily my previous employer let me borrow it, even though I'm sure he thought I was crazy.  There was also a terrible wreck, so we thought we were going to be late.  But it all worked out.  Let me add that this was all Warnie's idea, I'm not taking any credit at all, I just set everything up.  But I was so excited to be a part of that moment.  His love and devotion for her is absolutely moving.  I am blessed to have Olie as my sister.  She makes me laugh, she puts up with my craziness, and she is one of the most caring people I know.  I really lucked out with both my sister-in-laws, which is great since I never had sisters.

Thank you Warnie and Olie for letting me be a part of that day, and then posting about it...without asking first.  I love you both very much.

Dam Blog Post

Last night Speed Racer and I were feeling a little antsy in our pantsy after a lazy afternoon.  We had managed to go on a nice 23 mile bike ride in the morning before the rain started.  But after that were trapped inside, and quite frankly, took advantage of it with a long Sunday afternoon nap.  After dinner with some friends, the clouds cleared up and we hit the highway. To Norris Dam.

We really got there at the perfect time of day.  The rain had cooled everything off, leaving a slight mist on the water.  It was gorgeous.

This is one of our favorite "date nights."  We just get in the car and drive somewhere.  We've been doing this since either of us could drive and it's great because it's cheap, and relaxing, and just the two of us.

The two of us AND my CAMERA!

Unfortunately for Speed Racer...but he's very nice and lets me take picture of him...except when he decides to start moving around, to be mean.

Of course we were lucky to get a hot press car to ride around in too.

It was a wonderful night, and a great way to start the week.

The Darkroom Saga

As most of you know we are slowly but surely updating our house.  We are not even close to starting on the downstairs portion, but I decided to tackle the downstairs bathroom that will eventually be my darkroom.  It's a tiny room, but perfect for a starter darkroom.  And let's face it...any darkroom is better than no darkroom at all.  So my goals were to draw out an eventual layout for the darkroom, clean out things we didn't need, organize the camera gear, and possibly start some demolition.

So here is the basic layout.  I know, I'm fabulous at drawing.

This is what we're starting with, and this is actually after I have cleaned it up some.  And by cleaned it up I mean moved everything out into the other room.

As you can see.

Including the surfboard that was in there.

So after 12 hours of cleaning I decided it was time to show off my cute new haircut.  Just kidding...about the 12 hours, not the haircut.

Can you tell I'm easily distracted when it comes to cleaning?

After awhile I got it looking organized and cleaned out.

I was all ready to start demolition, but Speed Racer came down to see my handiwork, and didn't think it was such a good idea to get carried away with it right at that moment.  He took my sledgehammer away.  But he's very right.  It's so easy when you are remodeling a house to look at everything and want to work on it right that minute.  If you do that though, you have a huge mess on your hands.  So we're trying to FOCUS (focus? what? where?) and finish Speed Racer's office that we are currently working on.  Then hopefully we can at least gut the darkroom, so I can start purchasing items a little at a time.

Until then, we'll keep plugging away, and keeping you updated.  Sookie is very excited about being a darkroom kitty...you can tell.

Ecstatic.

And HGTV, if you're listening...Please Pimp My Darkroom.

How Did I get Here? Part V

So after a few portraits here and there, I got to try my hand at another wedding.  Our friends Mr. and Miss (at the time) Hokie were getting married and asked that I shoot the wedding.   I was so thrilled and honored that they wanted me as their photographer, I was so glad that my friends were using my skills (note: this is a blatant request for my other friends and family to use my photo skills.  Come on guys, weddings, births, birthdays, anniversaries, USE ME...ahem...please, I would love to be part of your lives in every way, and it's an excuse for me to visit).  I also got to give my two cents in some of the wedding planning, since Speed Racer was living with Mr. and Miss Hokie at the time.  It was lots of fun, the wedding was absolutely stunning.  Miss Hokie was beautiful, and now she's Mrs. Hokie. Mr and Mrs. Hokie:

After Mr. and Mrs. Hokie road off into the sunset, in a beautiful Ford F150, Speed Racer and I went to a bar with some of our friends.  I was sitting there, absolutely exhausted, listening to the stories and laughter from my friends, and I had an overwhelming sense of peace.  I could do this, I love how happy everyone is at weddings.  I love getting to know people.  I could do this, I wanted to be a photographer so badly.  It would be hard, but I'd get there.

How Did I get Here? Part IV

Graduation came and went.  At first I was determined to live purely off of my fine art photography, but as I continued my job at a local pool for the summer, I realized that some other cash would be necessary.  I mean, I do have a shoe habit that needs cash to be fed.  And there are lots of pretty shoes I still do not have. (It was a horrible, rainy day, and as I came down the ramp a huge gust of wind blew a puddle of  water off the tent and onto me and the girl in front of me.  She looked pretty worried, I thought it was hillarious.)

Not only did I have a shoe habit that needed aide, but I realized how much I love to take portraits.  I love capturing people, whether it's a couple, a wedding, a family, super cute babies, or goofy pets.  So I set out to take me some portraits.  My first test subjects were my previous boss Krissy, and her two adorable children.  Krissy works for SwimKids Swim School as well as teaching for George Mason University.  If you live in the Northern Virginia area, you should definitely check out SwimKids.  I had never before seen a 4 year old do butterfly, let alone teach a 4 year old to do butterfly.  They have a fantastic program, and I know 100% it has saved childrens lives.  They teach, safety, Mommy and Me classes, as well as competitive swimming.  And their instructors are the nicest, friendliest people you will ever meet.  SO, Krissy let me borrow her and her children for one of my favorite portrait shoots.

Krissy, Nayarit and Thrace

One of my favorite parts of a shoot that involves children, is when the kids finally start to relax around you and forget that you are there.  Then the great pictures start to flow, and their personalities start popping out.  It's a ton of fun.  More Posts from the Past to come!

What's Cookin'?

Last night Speed Racer and I decided to try another recipe out of The Pioneer Woman's Cookbook, so we tried Chicken Pot Pie.  Now before you think I'm a crazy person for constantly talking about The Pioneer Woman (see Meatloaf Mania, and PW Journey), what else are you suppose to do with a new cookbook other than try it out? That would be a waste.  So, it's legit.  That's what I'm telling myself.  I don't have a problem.  Really. Moving on....

Although this recipe was not as knock your socks off as the Meatloaf (how could it be, there is no bacon in it...duh) it was still fantastic, and Speed Racer and I oohh and ahhhed over the entire meal.

There are no prep photos because my hands were covered, absolutely covered in dough from making the crust.  I didn't want to dirty my poor camera that I already abuse.

The 30 minutes that it takes to cook is pure torture.  Speed Racer stared longingly at the oven the whole time, while heavenly aromas wafted out.

Ta-da!

Speed Racer was in charge of putting slits into the crust to vent the heat.  He put our initials, how sweet.  Come on I know you want to say it, give me a big "awwww."

Speed Racer is also a dough FIEND.  I cannot keep him out of the kitchen when there is dough around, he just lingers, waiting to snag a piece.  You can just see him in this picture, "Oh, hmmm, whatcha got there?  Looks like this little piece over here might be falling off...."

"Let me just pop it in my mouth really fast before you can catch me, and then move around so you can't take my picture in our dark dark kitchen..."

"Whew, that's hot."

Yeah, I know his game.

These pictures were actually taken by Speed Racer, he wanted to make sure we let the people know about the flakiness of this homemade crust.  He was very excited about it, and the piece that he stole.

That's it folks.  I rate this one, a success.

Cades Cove

If you live near Knoxville, you know about Cades Cove.  It's part of the National Park and is a fantastic place to get away, read a book, ride a bike, enjoy nature, and maybe...just maybe takes some fantastic pictures.  I love Cades Cove.  Speed Racer's Uncle (also a photographer who puts me to shame) took me up there a couple Friday's ago for some fun shooting.  I'm sure you will see many more pictures taken there, but here are just a few of my favorites.

How Did I get Here? Part III

Next up in our "How Did I get Here?" series, is the first wedding I ever shot.  My friend and adopted big sister, Stephanie contacted me when I was a Junior in college and asked if I could take some pictures at her wedding.  I was super nervous, not really sure what I should do, and had dreams of my camera crashing and all the pictures being destroyed.  But the wedding and the pictures turned out beautiful.

So here is a quick run down of things I learned at my first wedding.  These are good rules whether you're doing it for free for a friend/ family member, or whether it's someone you've just booked.

1. Make up a basic contract.  This just lets people know what you're offering and the time limits you're working with, that way they know what to expect.

2. Have a shot list.  This can be something you come up with and go over with the bride, or that you have the bride make.  Either way this list will insure that you get the photos that are most important to the happy couple.

3. Lots-o-Memory.  You can never have too much memory, that way you don't get to the middle of the ceremony and have to start deleting photos.

4. Take your time.  This is hardest for me to remember when I'm doing group shots.  Sure you don't want to have the posed photos take 2 hours while everyone is waiting at the reception.  But remember that this is a happy day and that most of the time, these people have been rushing to this point all morning.  Take your time and rearrange people until it looks right to you.

5.  Jump in there.  This sounds dumb to say, but don't be timid!  Sometimes when you're first starting out you don't want to get in the way of anyone and ruin the wedding, which is true, you want to be respectful.  But whether you're doing this for fun or for coinage, they picked you to be their photographer!  So have fun and jump in there to get the good shots.