Keeney Wedding - Vegas Style!

We're home - and I have a pile of pictures to share. :) At the moment though, here are just a few. Chris and Sara were married on Saturday in a BEAUTIFUL and simple ceremony at the Mandalay Bay Hotel - Sara was unbelievably beautiful - not just "knock your socks off gorgeous" but also "bring tears to your eyes stunning". :) Chris was so handsome and it was just really special to be with the two of them as they made their vows to each other as man and wife . . . AHH....I love weddings. :) I love LOVE!!

Here are just a couple of pictures I picked out and have played with - I will sit down shortly and get through them ALL and have so many more to share, I'm sure . . . and please excuse the colors if they are a bit off - for some reason I am once again having trouble with calibration - which I thought was fixed. So if they look wierd to you, just know they look a bit wierd ot me as well and they'll not stay this way for long. :)

One last one - more of an "out-take" . . . Chris threw his tie over her face as we were taking this and she just laughed. :)

Headed to Vegas!

We (sans kids) are headed to Vegas EARLY tomorrow morning. :) Matthew's sister is getting married Saturday evening and we're meeting up with them and a bunch of other friends and family - so it's not just a regular "vacation" - in fact, we'll be gone just a couple of days. :)

Matthew and I aren't exactly what you could consider "Vegas-kind" of people . . . I will be the one with my jaw hanging to the ground as I take in the people, streets, buildings . . . and everythign else. :) We tend to be more the kind of people who want to get AWAY from big cities - but this is going to be a very special trip and we are SO excited to see Sara and Chris get married on Saturday! (No, Elvis will not be attending the wedding - it's going to be a "proper" wedding, just in Vegas!) I'll have pictures, of course, afterwards - so keep checking back.

Alrighty - I've got to go finalize the packing and see what the big "boom" was that just came from my bedroom (Ella's in there alone . . . ) See ya in a few days!! Here are two pictures of Sara and Chris from way back . . . not their favorite picture but one of the few that I have of them. :)

(Gimme a break - I was shooting in the DARK!!) :D

(Gimme a break - I was shooting in the DARK!!) :D

For Sale . . . Memory Cards :)

OK so once again, I am going to prove CONCLUSIVELY that I have lost my mind with this third and final pregnancy. I bought myself a "great deal" - and bought for my family members a "great deal" . . . some Lexar Professional Memory Cards. They are 4G and 8G cards - perfect in every way (plus 30% off their regular price!) . . . and yet - there is one MAJOR problem. They are not Compact Flash cards. They are not in ANY way compatible with my camera. Or my other camera.

However - if I had a "normal" camera they would most likely work - problem is, I don't. (Hint, hint hubby! I'd LOVE a small one that fits in my purse!!) Anywho - they are going to do me NO good and I cannot return them. (See! I have indeed proven my lack of intelligence, right?!)

So - if anyone would like, just leave a message or email me at elisabethnixonphotography@gmail.com - the specifications of the cards are as follows:

8G Lexar Professional SDHC Memory Card, 133x - http://lexar.com/digfilm/sdhc_pro.html

4G Lexar Professional SDHC Memory Card, 133x - http://store.lexar.com/?productid=SD4GB-133-381

NOTE: These are NOT Compact Flash cards, they are SDHC cards - if you would like one (or 6 of each?!) please make SURE that your camera works with this format (unlike what I did . . . )

Regular price is $109.99 for the 8G and $54.99 for the 4G - however, I paid less than this and am COMPLETELY willing to sell them for what I paid! :) So, $65 for the 8G and $37 for the 4G :) PLEASE somebody save me from having to purchase a $4000 camera that DOES work with this format! ;)

Just for fun - The Zoo!

Here in Florida, when it gets 'cold' (like, 65 F), we like to do outside stuff as much as possible. We tend to hide indoors during the heat of the day in the summer - or even the winter when it's still 85 degrees out! - but this last week has brought a nice change of weather with it. :) Cooler days, highs of 68 . . . and "cold" nights (at least to us Floridians!).

Last week we took one of the colder days and went off to the zoo - we don't have to go far, we can hear the monkeys howling from our house on a quiet day. :) Emily and Ethan met us there and the kids had a blast. It was also the first time in a couple of weeks that I had picked up the camera - I went through some wierd "I just can't bring myself to do it" phase . . . and couldn't SEE anything, and therefore couldn't really photograph anything. But, I am happy to report that I once again can SEE in my head things that I want to try and do - and it pleases me to pick up the camera. I wonder if this is a normal thing or if I'm just a little "off" with everything going on? Oh well - either way, it was nice to enjoy photographing the kids for a change. :)

There are a pile of pictures - I don't think I'll bombard you with all of them tonight, but I'll probably stick a few up now and then some more later . . . because I can. HA! :) And because the kids are so darn cute that I can't exactly help myself . . . well, you know what? I'll put them all up.. :) It'll save me time later AND I want to see them all. So - here they are! (Hasn't Ethan grown so big? He was so proud of himself, doing "big boy" stuff like walking by himself, climbing . . . and Ella was so grumpy because he likes to bother her so . . . ) :)

Arlo & Kandy - Wedding

I am finally getting to the blogging of Kandy & Arlo's pictures - what fun! :) The editing is almost as fun as shooting the actual day - but I LOVE to share them! These two were married on Arlo's property behind the house - there's a little pond back there with a small island in the middle. Arlo had built a beautiful white bridge over to the pond and so the ceremony was set there - how sweet!! I'll have more pictures to share I'm sure - but for now, here's a start. :) Just a little teaser for them . . .

8 Years

So I am really....REALLY....late on this, but Matthew and I celebrated our 8-year anniversary on December 26th. Yup - almost a month ago - but it's been, well, busy since then and I haven't had a chance to blog about it yet. :) We got married almost straight out of high school - yes, HS sweethearts - and it's working out really well for us. :) Sure, PLENTY of people have let us know that those kinds of marriages are destined to fail - but we don't believe that to be the case. Not that we're "special" or that our relationship is perfect, because BELIEVE me - we've been through some hard times. But we are both in this thing for the long haul - and I can honestly say to you today that I am the luckiest girl around. :) I married my best friend and he is STILL my best friend. (Sure, we haven't always liked each other these 8 years, but what friends don't go through tough times when they're together 24-7??) :)

Anyway, this year Matthew surprised me and we went North a little ways to Amelia Island - stayed at the Ritz Carlton. WOWEE! What a beautiful hotel - and even though our stay was short (we only had one night because of other obligations) - we had a great time! For the first time in a LONG time we just sat around talking. We played checkers (I beat him!) and chinese checkers (he beat me...) and then pool - and for all my trying, he beat me at pool both times. :) Considering how bad we BOTH are at pool, you can imagine how long both games took for one of us to FINALLY win. :) (FYI - if you want to stay at one of the Ritz hotels, do it around that time of year - it's CHEAP! because the place is empty! - compartatively speaking of course - it is no Motel 6 . . . ) :)

So we had a really nice time together - sans kids - and then hurried home the next day to attend the wedding of some friends. :) They've just started out on the journey that Matthew and I did - almost exactly 8 years later. :) I look forward to hearing their thoughts on marriage in 8 years - knowing them though, they've got a PRETTY good grip on marriage even now - and I know God has great things for them in the future.

OK - this is turning into a book. So yesterday I had a few extra minutes and went through some pictures that Heather took almost a year ago. I've never had the time (or taken the time!) to go through and edit them - and I'm wanting some pictures for our walls. Sure, neither of us look like this anymore . . . Matthew has a beard and my hair is, well, gone . . . but that doesn't really matter to me. Neither of us look "great" by any means (our fault, not Heathers - ha!), but these pictures are the only pictures I have of Matthew and I that we look remotely good - again, Heather's skilz ROCK - it's the subject that needs work. Our wedding pictures were OK, but nothing I'd hang on my wall. And since then, one or both of us has been behind the camera - so THANK YOU to Heather, because now I have SOMETHING! :)

OK book over. You may now return to your regularly scheduled programming!

Are you ready??

I think this last one is especially funny . . . it took me a while to figure out what was "wrong" with it. :) haha . . . how long will it take YOU? :)

Baby News!!

OK, Internet! I've got baby news - Yes, I do realize that I just said a few weeks ago that we would probably wait to find out "who" is in here until birth - but anybody who knows me - really KNOWS me - expected this. :) Yesterday Matthew and I had an ultrasound - we'll be back every few weeks or so for more which means I get LOTS of pictures this time! :)

Little Nixon was BUSY - the poor tech worked very hard to get every little part captured on film and Little Nixon worked very hard to beat away at the person pushing and probing . . . and in effect made the process a LITTLE more difficult for our tech. :) She was up to the task though - what a fun job, eh? I'm certain they have very heartbreaking moments as well - but both ladies who were there said with much certainty that they LOVED their jobs. :) I love it when people get to love their jobs! I love mine! :) What a blessing! I get to be a mama - awesome job! :) I get to be a home-maker - another GREAT job! AND I get to be a photographer of the BEST people - I am SUPER blessed! :)

Anyway - I've decided to hold out on you, dear internet - but that's only because I'm trying to think of some fun way to announce "who" is in here. Obviously we don't have a name yet - another thing you should know about us is that it takes us 3-4 days IN THE HOSPITAL to settle on a name - nobody comes into this world, in our family, with a name COMPLETELY decided. :) There is way too much second-guessing to do!

So at this point, I'm going to say check back on Friday - January 9th - at noon (EST) - and there will be "something" here for you. :) In the meantime, if you want to make guesses . . . perhaps I'll be able to find something FUN for a lucky commentor - just make sure to check back to see if YOU were the lucky one, ok? :)

Happy Tuesday, friends!

Melanie T.

Last week Melanie and I got together for some headshots of her - and I was a little nervous. Not necessarily nervous about shooting Melanie - because honestly, she's so beautiful that I don't think you can take a "bad" photo of her! - but I was nervous because I've never had the opportunity to DO headshots. Like, real ones. :) It was so much fun though! There's a whole different approach - or at least I think there is - to doing headshots. I kept trying to think to myself, how can I best "show off" Melanie and yet capture WHO she is and what she's capable of?

I ended up with SO many options for her and of course am having a hard time narrowing it down - as usual - and the pictures I have picked for the blog were all of the ones I couldn't NOT show. :) Melanie, thanks for having me do these for you - I hope that each person you send these to is able to see just how incredibly beautiful you are - but not just outside - INSIDE TOO - and I truly wish you luck in all you reach for! :)