Charlotte Photography : That's who we are!

For those of you who follow The Yellow Pepper and don't know, my husband and I have a photography business, "Charlotte Photography".  We began the business a few months before we got married in 2009 and then both went full time last summer.  It is something that we both love and we work really well together.  A dream of mine was to own a photography business and not only has that come true, but I get to work with my best friend.  I feel very blessed!

Charlotte Photography Blog

Charlotte Photography Website

Maui = Honeymoon Pt. 2

Today is a kiss from heaven with this fabulous weather we have!  It is Friday afternoon, I'm wearing shorts, Zoe's got her summer cut, I had lunch with my momma, the windows are open, Tj is enjoying an afternoon with one of his friends, and I am blogging.  Happy Friday!

Yesterday i posted about our honeymoon in Maui along with photos.  There were so many photos I loved and wanted to share, so I decided to post the second half of photos today.  Enjoy!

 We had the most amazing homemade Chinese food on the side of the road on our way through the road to Hana.  It was SOOO good!

 The Bamboo Forest!

The view from our room!

I would be so appreciative if you wouldn't mind voting for The Yellow Pepper at Picket Fence Blogs by clicking on the link below.  One click is all it takes! :-)

Our Engagement Story

Lets go back to the year of 2008.  TJ had been talking to Mark Mathis, of Public Radio, and had heard they were going to be out in LA for a couple of showcases.  With us just beginning our photography business, he thought it could be a great opportunity to photograph them, see LA, and hang out with friends.  TJ ran the idea by me and of course I was super excited about the idea.  Never had I been to the West Coast before.  One of TJ's roommates at the time, Joel, also decided he would like to be apart of this trip.  So, we all booked our plane tickets, found some friends to stay with, and headed to LA ( it was the last week in September).

While we were out there we photographed the two showcases that Public Radio had, did some band shots for them, saw the sites of Hollywood, and just had a great time.  We saw a lot, took a ton of photos, laughed, and ate good food. All in all it was shaping up to be such a fun vacation.

We stayed with a friend who lives right on Malibu Beach, with one of the most beautiful views EVER from his condo.  I remember waking up pretty early on the day we were to fly home.  I began packing and making sure I had everything ready to go.  When I walked out the the living room, TJ asked if I wanted to take one last walk on the beach before heading out.  Of course!  How many times will I be able to see the sun rise in Malibu?  I wasn't dressed special at all, my hair was wet and pulled up, but I was happy and ready to go for a walk.

***Side note.

We had been dating for over 2 years, so I had no idea when we would get engaged.  I knew it was going to happen as we had briefly spoken about our future together.  He did know my ring size because we had been at Jared's with some newly engaged friends, and TJ thought it would be fun to try a ring on.  Oddly enough, I was the one freaking out inside.  But, i tried a ring on and we had both decided we liked the something simple as I have tiny fingers. LoL.  So, he knew my size and what I liked.....but, it was definitely still a mystery as that was 9 months prior to our trip to LA.

Back to Malibu beach.

We started walking on the beach, soaking up our last moments in CA and glad to be enjoying it together.  Being photographers, we obviously always have our cameras with us...actually let me rephrase that, TJ always has the camera with him. (why carry mine when he has his. ha)  So, TJ had his camera bag around his shoulder, we stop and are just looking out at the beautiful ocean, the sun is coming out, and it's so peaceful.  Oh, and I forgot that he had already taken his camera out and was snapping photos of me.   All I remember next is that he is kneeling and holding a rose.  Now this wasn't a real rose, but the kind of rose that was velvet and opened like a box.  (He had given me jewelry in it before, so it was very special.)  I stood in shock - the moment I had been waiting for was here!  When he handed me the rose he also asked me if I wanted to be his roommate!!  (FYI, I would always say that I wanted to be his roommate, which was me hinting at wanting to be married to him..ha.  So this was a fun and special way for him to propose) I immediately knew this meant he wanted me to be his wife and said YES!!!  My heart was pounding so hard as he put the ring on my finger.  It was gorgeous and I was glowing.  We then took lots of photos and walked back to tell everyone back at the condo.  I couldn't believe I was going to marry my best friend...it was my dream for so long, and now it was coming true.

After we called all our family and announced the news, we headed to the airport and enjoyed the excitement and let it set in.  On the plane, I remember the sunlight hitting my ring just perfectly that it reflected sparkles all over the wall and seats in front of us.  It was such a special moment! :-)

That is the beautiful story of how the man of my dreams asked me to be his wife.  I couldn't have imagined it any other way.  Best "Yes" I ever said.

Here are some photos from that week leading up to the engagement.  Can't believe that was 2 1/2 years ago.  Time flies when you're in love.

BTW - If you want to read a great article about Public Radio and the upcoming project they are working on, check out BohoBabyBump's fantastic interview with Public Radio here!

Here are a couple of the photos we took of Public Radio.  It was such a great experience being there for their label showcase!

We toured Hollywood on a double decker bus!  

The Special Day!

So happy and in love

So that is the story of how I became the fiance of such a wonderful man - or should I say how he snagged such a beautiful lady as his fiance. hehe!

I would be so appreciative if you wouldn't mind voting for The Yellow Pepper at Picket Fence Blogs by clicking on the link below.  One click is all it takes! :-)

I'm on vacation and living my dream

July has begun and I feel like every day is a vacation. Why? Because my husband is home almost every day and we have had the best times. With TJ’s new job transition he has now gone part time - BUT it is also July, and most of the church slows down and takes off as a time of rest for the ministry. So he is going in 1-2 days during the week and working from home the other 3 days. I absolutely love having TJ around to do errands with, photo jobs, and take adventurous day trips with. I know Zoe is really loving having both of us home during the day - more play time for her. haha!

These past couple weeks have just made me so thankful for having such a wonderful husband. We have so much fun together and are learning to work together smoothly. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world that I can do what i love (photography) and do it with my husband. It is a dream. Thank you, Lord!