Hanging On For Dear Life 22/365

I pulled into the driveway after work today, only to sadly realize that the gorgeous hydrangea plants on the side of our house are officially dead and prepared for fall. Completely dead that is, except for one lone flower bud at the bottom of the front tree. It is bright and beautiful and hanging on for dear life. It made me smile :)

Welcome to the World 21/365

Our friends Andrea and Jeremy welcomed a BEAUTIFUL baby girl yesterday. Her name is Lincoln Clemmons Lange and after work we went to visit with mom, dad and the sweet little girl. Everyone is doing great...very healthy and happy :) We stayed for a couple of hours and took plenty of pictures! Our favorite is below but there are lots of great ones. Welcome to the world Lincoln, we are so excited to watch you grow!

Sweet Feet!

First mother/daughter shot :)

And the first family photo!

Me with Lincoln

Tyler with Lincoln

Goodies for everyone!

Away For Now 20/365

Yesterday I fasted for the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur and anxiously awaited Tyler's arrival back to the states. I picked him up from the airport at 5:00 and we headed home to drop off his bags. We caught up on Entourage from the weekend and headed out to dinner for me to break my fast. Eez was the destination of choice...one of our favs...and while it wasn't quite like being in Greensboro at my parents house full of family and friends, it was completely perfect and exactly what I wanted!

It is so great to have Tyler home! We unpacked all of the suitcases from the weekend and with little motivation to do much more than catch up on our weeks and spend time together, we decided to take a few pictures of our empty suitcases and call it a night. We will happily put them away for now even though we know they will not be there for long.

Wonderful Watering Can 19/365

Sorry I am a little behind on blog posting, but here is the last photo from the weekend of yellow. :) I had breakfast on Sunday with my parents and then headed to the movies with my mom and Maggie to see Julie and Julia. We all really enjoyed it and I am excited because it inspired me to pull out my cookbooks and try some new things! I am sure Tyler's tastebuds will be excited to hear this too. It was also fun to watch because in the movie, Julie takes on a blogging project for 365 days like Tyler and I have. It was interesting to see Julie change and grow as a person during that year and also to see how it affected her relationships with the people in her life.

After the movie, we dropped Maggie off and I noticed this yellow watering can in her yard. I decided I must take it's picture in case I didn't stumble onto anything else yellow during the day. It was a good thing I did! I helped my mom get ready for dinner and then headed back to Huntersville after we ate. It was a great weekend in Greensboro!

Please Play with ME 18/365

I got up bright and early on Saturday morning and headed to Chapel Hill to go shopping with my friend Maggie. I was working on a project for a friend and Maggie was in search of the perfect interview suit. We spent most of the day there and even made a small side trip to some outlets nearby. We both accomplished our goals (mine thanks HUGELY to Maggie and Carolyn), and were exhausted from the long day on our feet. We decided to stay in and spend a low key evening with Tess and Sophie.

The first time Sophie met Tess, saying she was terrified would be a huge understatement. Since then, they have gotten together several times and Sophie loves having Tess around as a playmate. Tess however, quickly tires of having a bouncing puppy tugging on her ears relentlessly for 3 days. So, when Tess does not want to play, she does one of two things. She either makes her way upstairs and takes a nap on a bed, because she knows Sophie can't jump up on the beds by herself yet. Or, she grabs the nearest bone and chews away, paying no attention to the excited pup. If Tess takes a nap on the bed, Sophie quickly moves on and finds something new to entertain herself with. But, if Tess is on the floor with a bone, Sophie does all she can to get Tess' attention before she finally gives up and lays her face as close to Tess as possible. This picture pretty much sums up their relationship. Tess can spend hours chewing on a bone and be perfectly content and all the while Sophie is not wishing she could play with the bone, but that she could be the thing that Tess gives her attention to. So, for the second day of my 3 day challenge to photograph all things yellow, here are my two favorite yellow labs :)

Hello Yellow 17/365

Every day when I come to work, I drive past this bright yellow fire hydrant. And every day when I leave work...I drive past it again. I decided yesterday morning to make this weekend "all about yellow." I am going to try to find interesting yellow things to photograph and see what I end up with. My friendly business park hydrant seemed like the perfect subject for Friday!

Empty Side 16/365

Tess and I are really looking forward to spending the weekend in Greensboro! We sure have been missing Tyler :) We did get to catch up with him a little yesterday though and it sounds like he is having a great time. The resort is great and the weather has been nice. Yesterday they went on an excursion with speed boats and snorkeling. I was chatting with him before dinner and he was planning on getting in a nice nap before meeting everyone. He comes back home on Monday and we can't wait!!

Wednesdays Need a Little Color 15/365

Tess and I are still missing Tyler, but he has called to check in a couple of times and is definitely enjoying the sunshine in Mexico! When I was trying to decide on a picture to take tonight, I noticed some of my shoes hanging out in their favorite spots in our living room. (My dad would be so pleased to know that I have yet to grow out of leaving my shoes wherever they get kicked off my feet!)

In the morning, after I have gotten ready for work, I typically throw on one of my staple pairs of black comfy pumps just as I am walking out the door. Today however, I searched around in my shoe rack for some color! Afterall, most Wednesdays sure could use a little turquoise :)

I snapped SO many pictures of these shoes tonight. First, they were all just lined up and I snapped from different angles. After looking at those, I had the idea to actually stand in the shoes. I tried several shots with my feet in different positions, but it wasn't until I started rotating the finished product that I really loved the result. Here is one other shot that I was very pleased with.

Maybe I Can Fit 14/365

Tyler hasn't even been gone for 24 hours and already Tess and I are wishing we could have hidden in one of his suitcases. We have been enjoying our girls night in and we know he will have a great trip and be back before we know it. But that doesn't stop us from thinking...

Uncorked 13/365

We had such a great weekend so it was tough getting back into Monday! We both headed to work this morning, already looking forward to the evening ahead. We grilled out steaks and had potatoes (sweet for Tyler and baked for me). We also opened a fabulous bottle of wine! Tyler is heading out of town tomorrow for a work trip to Cancun (I know!) while Tess and I will be holding down the fort. Since Tyler will be gone for almost a week, we figured our dinner tonight should be a great one! In addition to enjoying our only dinner together for this week, we are also celebrating! Today, we passed 2000 hits on our blog and we are so thrilled :) We are enjoying this project more and more every day and couldn't be happier that our friends and families seem to be loving it just as much.

Pretty in Pink 12/365

On Sunday we got up and headed back to Charlotte. Tyler mowed the yard and I unpacked from the weekend. Then we got ready for Tennley's 1st Birthday party. Jennifer works with Tyler and when she first went back to work, I babysat Tennley until a spot was available for her in daycare. She was a sweet baby at 4 months and it's hard to believe she is already a year old! She bounced around the whole time in her adorable tutu and I couldn't help but fall in love with this sweet picture.

Jennifer made her a great cake to dig into!
Tennley did not love her birthday crown but everyone was able to get a couple of shots before she took it off her head.

One of her favorite gifts was her new tea set. She carried around the tea pot while Jennifer opened all of the other goodies!

Time to blow out the candle! Happy 1st Birthday Tennley!

She didn't quite dig into the cake but with Jennifer's help she enjoyed a little. Everyone standing around waiting for a face plant must be quite a lot of pressure for a little one :)

To Have and To Hold 11/365

We woke up on Saturday morning and after running a couple of quick errands, we headed to Yum Yum's to meet Matt and Carrie for lunch. Yum Yums is another Greensboro staple. It is a hole in the wall on the campus of UNC-G that serves hot dogs and homemade ice cream. The hot dogs may be pink but if you close your eyes, you are in for a treat!

After lunch, Tyler and I headed back to the house to get ready for Mandie and Drew's wedding. The ceremony was in Winston-Salem and afterwards, everyone hopped into their cars and drove to Castle McCulloch for the reception. The castle is tucked away off the road and the grounds are absolutely beautiful! The picture below was taken when the bride and groom were introduced at the reception and before we all headed to our tables for dinner. We had such a nice time and are so happy for our friends!

The grounds were amazing and I would have loved to snap pictures all day long!

The beautiful bride and groom!

Quick photo of Tyler and I :)

The wedding cup was something I have never seen done before but what a great tradition! The cup has been passed down in Mandie's family. It is a large cup with a small cup that hangs off the bottom of it. The tradition is that both cups are filled with champagne. The groom drinks from the big one while the bride drinks from the small one. They start at the same time and whoever finishes first will be the "head of the household."

Light the Way 10/365

On Friday we headed to Greensboro after work to spend the weekend there. Our good friends from college, Matt and Carrie, moved to Greensboro a few months ago and we all couldn't believe that it had been 2 months since we have gotten together! Matt has been away training in Charleston, so it was great to see them settled into their new place. The apartment is adorable :)

We met them out for dinner at Stamey's for Bar-B-Que. I have been going to Stamey's since I was in a high chair and it is still one of our favorite spots to stop into whenever we are in town. After dinner, we headed back to Matt and Carrie's for the night. Our wedding gift to them was beautifully on display, so we decided to use it for our picture of the day. It was great catching up with them throughout the weekend and we are so happy to have them close by!

Left on Bridgeton Lane 9/365

Tyler left yesterday morning for a quick trip to Ohio. I went to work and then headed over to our good friends Andrea and Jeremy's house for dinner with Andrea and her parents. (Jeremy was out of town for work as well.) Andrea is in her 9th month of pregnancy and she looks so beautiful! It was great to catch up and we had so much fun going through all the adorable stuff for "little lange" in the nursery. I know we are all excited for this little one to make it's debut!

As I pulled up to the house on the corner, I saw the street sign resting against a tree out front. I stopped for a couple quick snaps before I went inside and they ended up being some of my favorite shots I have taken yet. I love the rust and the green together and am really happy with the composition of this one. Enjoy :)

What Are You Looking At 8/365

During this lengthy project, we will probably be doing some smaller themed projects to help us get through 365 days with our creative juices still flowing. I have been making some lists to hopefully help us as we go forward. One is of pictures that inspire me and spark ideas for pictures I hope to take during the year. The other is of concepts and themes to use when the day does not seem to inspire anything on it's own. So since yesterday, hump day, was looking to be one of those less than inspiring days, I decided to pull something off of the list.

The idea is to dedicate yourself to finding completely new places to shoot. Whether you decide to commit to once a week or once a month, walking out the door to someplace you have never been before can only be a positive thing. It will allow you to find new favorite places and will offer new subjects and opportunities for your pictures. I thought yesterday could be the perfect day to start this! I love the idea of using this project to find great new places in and around Charlotte, so my hope is to use this weekly.

I work in an office building that stands in a business park with several other buildings. My building is at the end of the line and when you drive in you can either park on the left side or the right side, there are entrance doors near both lots. Since day one I have parked on the left side, in the bigger lot, because I like the fountain out front and it is closer to my office door once I get into the building. So, for my first attempt at finding someplace new to explore, I decided to walk out of the doors on the other side of the building when I left work yesterday to see what the lot on the right side had to offer. What I found on this overcast day, were beautiful weeping willow trees who all seemed to be checking themselves out in the mirrored windows of the offices. The thought of this tree staring itself down made me smile.

It's Your Move 7/365

Tonight, after I got off work, I picked up my little brother Ethan to hang out for a couple of hours. We decided to go check out the library near his house. After arriving at the library, we found a couple of comic books and sat down to enjoy them. After about 30 minutes of reading comics, Ethan noticed a chess table and we sat down to play. I was very impressed with his knowledge of chess and what pieces moved where. Unfortunately, my competitive nature could not let me lose and I beat Ethan all three games.

I had not taken any pictures all day and thought the chess pieces could turn out really cool. I snapped a picture and right before it took, Ethan put his head right in the middle of the picture.

During our 365 days, we hope several pictures of Ethan will appear in our blog as he has become an important part of our lives. I hope you enjoy getting to see our time together as much as I enjoy getting to spend it with him.

Monday in the Mirror 6/365

Since we started the blog on 9/9/9, we have yet to have a Monday to take a picture for our picture of the day. We had a great weekend and woke up bright and early for work this morning. The last couple of days had been very easy to take pictures with Lindsay enjoying a fabulous spa resort and me attending football games. Of course work doesn't have as many photo ops as the weekend, so we went the majority of the day without anything good.

The weather was beautiful so I put my top down on the way home and started to enjoy the drive. As I thought about Monday and what the picture would be, I looked into my rear view mirror to change lanes and thought how most Mondays "mirror" themselves. Always tough to wake up in the morning and always one of the tougher days to get through. When I got home Lindsay liked the way it turned out and thought how it was like we were leaving Monday behind us. But like the mirror says, "Objects in mirror are closer than they appear." Monday will be here again before we know it.

2nd and Goal 5/365

Football season is officially here, as it was the NFL opening weekend. I was in Columbus, Ohio for the USC vs. OSU game on Saturday and was able to get a free ticket for the Colts vs. Jaguars game in Indianapolis on Sunday. A few of my clients were going to the game, so I was able to get a ride from Columbus to Indy with them.

Walking into Lucas Stadium for the season opener was a great experience. The crowd was a sellout and I had seats almost on the field. I was on the Jaguars sideline, around the 5 yard line, in the 3rd row. I was able to get some great pictures and there was a lot of exciting action near the endzone I was sitting near. The picture for today was 2nd and goal for the Colts and on the play after I took this, the Jaguars made an interception to stop the Colts from scoring. Despite the Jags close loss, the day was fantastic for a football fan.

Lindsay and her mom also had a great Sunday. They slept in and got packed up before taking some final pictures to remember the weekend by.

We both met back in Charlotte after great weekends! We have a busy week ahead as Tyler is heading back to Ohio for Thursday and Friday. Then we will be celebrating this weekend at our friend's wedding. Keep checking back for daily pictures! We are really loving this project so far, and we hope you are enjoying following it just as much.

With Love for Rosebud 4/365

My mom and I woke up on Saturday morning and headed to the spa. We had pedicures, facials and massages and just enjoyed a relaxing and beautiful day. September 12th is the anniversary of when my grandmother passed away, so we had a nice time talking about our memories of her and when we left our aromatherapy massages we knew, before asking, that we had both chosen to use Rose oil instead of the others.

The flowers on the grounds are incredible but I was hoping to find a rose to photograph in rememberance of our Rosalie. These beautiful yellow roses sat in a vase in the parlor room of the mansion and seemed like the only choice for our daily picture. So, in honor of our Rosebud, I dedicate this picture to her. We miss you and will forever hold you close in our lives and in our hearts.

This is the side entrance of the mansion where we stayed. There are 6 guest rooms upstairs with a dining room downstairs in addition to the parlor room and den. Off of the parlor room is this incredible porch with a perfect view of Grandfather Mountain. We enjoyed drinking our wine our here in the evening before dinner. What a slice of heaven!

This is the other view from the top of the mountain.

The flowers on the grounds were in full bloom. I did nothing to alter the color of this flower in the picture below...I thought it was beautiful in person and I could not have been happier with how it comes through in this photo.

It was tough to capture the sky as we were heading in to dinner, but here is my best shot.

An after dinner shot of me and mom!

The chandeliers in the foyer were so gorgeous at night.

While I was falling more in love with photography on top of a mountain, Tyler was enjoying one of the weekends biggest college football events...the USC at Ohio State football game. He even wore a sweater vest for the big occasion :) He said the day was great, from the tailgating through the game, and even though the Buckeyes couldn't hold on for a win, it was a great game to be at.