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 :)

the NEW website is up!

i am so excited to announce that my new website it up and running! 

check it out at www.nancyrayphotography.com

please let me know what you think or if you have any helpful suggestions.

i will be updating my website and my blog regularly, so stay tuned :)

new year, new things coming!

hello all, and happy new year!

i am quite amazed at 2008. what a monumental year for me! i began my last full year as a student while planning my wedding and leading a Bible study for some incredible girls. then came June, quicker than i could have imagined, and i had the privilege of marrying my best friend. life has been quite amazing since then! living life with william is BEST. then came summer school, working at the crippen's, and then my last semester of school. summer and autumn were beautiful and fun, and december came quickly! graduation, christmas, my birthday, and the new year. wow, what a whirlwind.

all the while i have been developing and growing my passion - photography. i graduated with a degree in technical photography and a minor in spanish from appstate, and now that life has slowed down a little i have some exciting things coming! i am very excited to see what 2009 holds.

firstly, a new website. i am working on it now and it should be up within the next few weeks. keep your eyes peeled! it's going to be awesome!

secondly, i am now using a new and improved album company. they are custom, flush mount albums made with super soft leather in a variety of colors. they are clean, professional, and look something like...



























so all in all, i am very excited. tonight i am up working on my website, but as one of my new years resolutions it to go to bed earlier, i should probably finish up pretty soon here :).

speaking of new years resolutions, here are a few of mine:

• go to bed earlier. i don't know why i'm such a night owl but i am.
• get to know God more. know Him deeply. know Him daily.
• make more of an effort to be healthy. (i just bought wheat flour and fresh vegetables!)
• live simply. i'm currently reading Freedom of Simplicity by Richard J. Foster
and it's changing my world.

well, i'm off to website designing! blessings to you this new year!