happy birthday kyler!

i seriously can't even believe my nephew is 4!  holy cow.  he is getting so big!  we had such a fun birthday party for him this weekend, with lots of thomas the train, magna-doodles, lightning mcqueen, playdough, coloring books, crayons, and a spongebob squarepants birthday cake.  

awesome.

my favorite was when he was making up exuses during dinner so he could eat his cake.  he looked sadly over at me and said, 

"my tummy hurts."  

i asked him,

"are you okay?"

and he just said,

"my tummy hurts.  can i have some cake now?"  

then his little brother (who is also getting way too big in my opinion!) who wants to be just like his big brother said, 

"my tummy hurts too.  can we have cake now?"

it was hilarious.  they are hilarious.  cake won't help a hurting tummy! ha!

 

...and despite the rain,  we had such a fun time! 

face of sheer excitement...

his reaction opening his present from aunt nancy and uncle will:

a coloring book and lots of play dough!

mom & dad chillin in the swing

little brother niko couldn't get enough icing!!!

and grandma deedee loved taking the birthday boy down to the pond

he's getting so big! i can't even believe it!

bridal show | this sunday!

this week is going to be a fabulous week! i am very excited to be a part of the Perfect Wedding Guide's spring bridal show.  

if you are a bride and are looking for help with

caterers

photographers

videographers

florists

bridal attire

cakes

honeymoon

invitations

venues

limousines

music entertainment

then look no further than the Bridal Show this Sunday at the Crabtree Marriot in Raleigh!  contact me about getting a free ticket.  it's not too late!

Dave Ramsey.... Attempt

For those of you who know me personally, and are around me quite a bit, you know that my husband Will and I have a lot of interest in Dave Ramsey.  

Okay, so it's kindof an obsession.  

Like, we do not miss a single podcast, we have completed "Financial Peace University," we own his bestseller Total Money Makeover, and we even have his bumper stickers.  Yeah. 

So when we went to Nashville, TN this past weekend, we were super excited to go to Financial Peace Plaza to see him do his radio show... LIVE!!!   We listened to his radio show while driving to Brentwood, and when we got there we jumped out of the car to take a photo by the sign:

(please note how i propped the camera up in the grass.  classic "i don't have my tripod with me" shot!)

we went inside and....low and behold, we found this sad, sad sign:

We were totally bummed!  They are doing lots and lots of construction and his viewing booth isn't a viewing booth anymore, but is behind closed doors.  But we did see this cool light that says "On Air"  behind a glass door, which was right outside of where Dave Ramsey was! 

I will say that it was still a really fun trip! We went to their makeshift bookstore (bc of the construction) and I bought... another bumper sticker :).  And I am super excited about coming back in April because they will have a brand new coffee shop where you can sit and view Dave Ramsey while drinking coffee (I think they designed that especially for me - my two favorite things!) and a lovely new bookstore as well.

But on a more serious note, we are so thankful for him. Whether it's for your personal life or for your business, Dave Ramsey has advice to give that has really changed my life.  He truly saved our marriage from a lot of strife by teaching us how to get on the same page with our finances, and we like working as a team to be wise with our money and stay out of debt! We work with a strict budget and do not, and will not ever own a credit card! It is very rewarding.  

so find him on your radio today and listen!  

The Nance Family | Pinehurst, NC

first and foremost i must let you know how much i love my family. i have quite the large family on my mom's side, and we see each other every Christmas and 4th of July. (i know it's kindof random on the 4th, but it's become our tradition!) but seriously, i look so forward to every time i get to see them :). so when my uncle called to ask if i could do some family portraits for them, i couldn't wait! we laughed a lot and had a great time.

uncle jack is hilarious, and did plenty of "model walks" and told plenty of jokes to keep us laughing. aunt deann is so sweet and creative - she took us to the white gate and railroad tracks. caroline and liza are so much fun to hang out with, and i absolutely love their style! they helped me stage a couple of the shots with their creativity too. they remind me so much of me and my sister a while back, and they look amazing in these photos! i'm amazed at how beautiful they are. and how can i forget about their dog daisy! she's awesome, and she snorts a lot. pretty much all in all,this family is great. i love you guys :)

i particularly love the sister shots :)

i love this next one!!

daddy with his girls ;)

this next one was a little dangerous, but definitely worth it :)

Jessica Lyndon Ray Music | Project Concert

i had the honor of attending Jessica Lyndon Ray's Project Concert this past Saturday evening. the Shelly Moore Band opened the evening, as they are producing JLR's new cd. it was an incredible night of music, and i didn't realize how much i needed to hear the messages behind each song. it was like the Lord just took hold of my heart and reminded me of His overwhelming and unending love and grace. i was so blessed to be there! the Chad Lister Band closed the evening with JLR in worship, and everyone i talked with afterward was so thankful they had the opportunity to attend such an incredible concert. photography is a form of worship for me, and i loved being able to take photos of the evening. all in all, it was a great night!

oh, and i'm sorry for the ridiculous amount of photos i've posted. i just couldn't narrow them down... i loved so many of them!

shelly moore and mike pasarro starting off the evening...

jessica lyndon ray music

the chad lister band joining jlr

closing with three of my favorite photographs of the night: