Protect

my friend Paul Watson is in the final stages of publishing his first full novel.  i had the privilege of taking the author photo for his book, Protect.  It is a Christian fiction/fantasy novel that incorporates an array of interesting characters with life lessons.  like narnia, the story even has its own map!  i am excited to read it.

neither of these is the final photo... you'll have to get the book to find out what his "real" author photo is. ;) i'll let you know when it's available for purchase!

amber & eric | december 27th | pinehurst, nc

this wedding was absolutely breathtaking.  it was at the carolina hotel in pinehurst, nc.  that place is magical at christmastime!  they had a huge gingerbread house display (photo below) that mirrored the entire property.  garland, lights, trees... i think i'll have to take a trip there again at christmas.  i loved it.

this wedding was special to me since i've known amber since we were 8.  i remember going home at 11pm from sleeping over at her house because i was afraid of a freddy kreuger commercial we saw.  i remember us dressing up in our big sisters' dresses and taking pictures of each other in front of the fireplace.  i remember going to see titanic in the theaters 10 times (we loved leo!). we had so much fun growing up together!  it's amazing to continue to see one another "grow up" and get married.  her husband, eric, is a wonderful match for her.  it was wonderful getting to know him a little more on the wedding day.

the ceremony and reception were breathtakingly beautiful.  despite the fact that the ceremony-music-iPod was stolen the night before (he just used his computer) and despite the fact that amber's wedding ring was accidentally dropped down the elevator shaft (it was recovered minutes before the ceremony!), everything turned out amazing.  the decorations were gorgeous, the food delicious, and the dancing... fun! 

hope you enjoy the photos...

my sister's having triplets

congratulations to my beautiful sister and her husband who just found out they are pregnant with TRIPLETS!
i am quite excited about their journey ahead. i'm putting my bet out there right now that she's having 2 boys and a girl. not sure why, but i just have this feeling. or maybe they will be...
3 boys

or maybe 3 girls...

either way, there will be THREE!  congratulations!!!

Five Christmases and a Birthday

I realized I haven't posted anything about my holidays yet! So here it goes...
I got to experience a total of FIVE Christmases this year and they were AWESOME. The first was with my husband, just the two of us on the morning of Christmas Eve here in Boone. Then we traveled across NC to visit the rest of our family. We ended up back here in Boone a few days after Christmas to have "Minki Christmas," which is a tradition between me and my 3 best friends. To finish up the holidays, my birthday was on New Year's Eve, and all I wanted to do was go to Panera. I had my favorite Chicken Frontega and Baked Potato Soup with a Green Tea. It was lovely! Hope you enjoy the pictures :)

Christmas # 1: our first married Christmas in Boone






Christmas # 2: Christmas morning with the Rays (Will's family!)





Christmas #3: Christmas afternoon with the Millers




They always make us do a crazy scavenger hunt. Notice my husband in the top of the tree!


I was supposed to "cross the monkeybars" but since I have ZERO upper body strength, I crossed them like this:


Christmas #4: Christmas with my Mom, Brother + Fam, Sister + Fam
My niece and nephews are the CUTEST.












Christmas # 5: "Minki" Christmas















and a Birthday! i turned 22 on new years eve :)