Video: Our 2nd Anniversary in Wilmington

My lovely photog friend, Rebekah (Tirzah Photography), told me about this fun app called "8mm Vintage Camera.  I went ahead and downloaded it for our little getaway this week to the coast.  Instead of taking all photos, I wanted to put a video together with lots of little clips of us throughout our day in Wilmington.  I love that it is so retro looking and artistic.  Hope you enjoy!

Happy Anniversary to Us

Here is a glimpse into our anniversary adventures. We left North Myrtle Beach and first headed to Southport, NC. A super cute and quaint little beach town. Population 2500.

While in Port City Java, I began talking to a local and was informed of a tv show being filmed down the block. Being curious, we headed to the site to see what was up. Ends up they were filming a new pilot for ABC called Revenge.

It was pretty neat to watch for a bit. Felt like we found a hidden treasure today. :-)

After Southport, we headed up the Cape Fear coast to Wilmington, one of my favorite places. I will also admit that I have fun going there because one of my favorite tv shows, One Tree Hill ( seasons 1-6 only) is filmed there.

Looking out over the Cape Fear.

An awesome key fence along the street.

Dining at the Front Street Brewery. Mmmm.

Me in front of 'Clothes Over Bros'. A location from One Tree Hill.

Taking a coffee shop break.

A great scenic restaurant along the River.

Downtown Wilmington behind us.

The "River Court", as seen on One Tree Hill.

I have more photos and even a video I am going to put together of our day. It was a fun and relaxing day with my hubby.

Cheers!

TJ & Rebekah Growing Up

For our wedding, my cousin Jared made a really great photo slideshow of Tj & I both growing up, becoming friends, and then dating.  I love it!  After several hours of frustration on how to actually convert the dvd to a file that would be viewable online, I finally got it to work. (Thanks to Paul Olson & Samuel Gatlyn...gotta love the video tech guys)

So here it is!  Enjoy...and leave me some comments, I'd love to hear from you. :-)

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! :-)

Maui = Honeymoon Pt. 1

We got married on a Saturday afternoon and did not leave for our honeymoon destination until Monday.  I really enjoyed not having to rush off Sunday morning to catch a plane flight.  We were actually able to get all dressed up and go out for a really nice dinner Sunday night(call me crazy, but I cannot remember where. ha).  When Monday morning rolled around, we gathered our suitcases, packed the car, headed to the airport and flew off to....ummm, I had no idea!!  Yes, you are thinking correctly, I did not know where we were flying to.  We had a layover in Tx and NOWHERE was it mentioned from Charlotte to TX where the connecting flights were going to.  Once we pulled into the gate at TX the pilot started naming off the gates where people needed to go to get to their final destination.  That is when I heard "Maui".  I turned to TJ with a huge smile on my face.....we were going to Hawaii!  He was so surprised that we were able to get to TX without me knowing.

Hawaii was a place that neither one of us had been to.  Actually, let me rephrase that...Hawaii was actually a place TJ has never been to. ha!  It was a new adventure for us both.  We stayed at a hotel called The Maui Prince.  It was gorgeous and our room had the most amazing view.  We were truly on vacation.  No cell phones, busy schedules, people to see.  It was just us and the beautiful Hawaiian culture.  

We did quite a few road trips around the island.  There was so much to see, and I know we didn't even scratch the surface of what we could have seen.  The road to Hana was probably one of our favorite days.  It is this road that leads you to many water falls, bamboo forests, and picturesque views galore!  Between each road trip day, we would have a beach/pool day.  

One night we went to the Luau that was held at our hotel.  That was so much fun.  It was right before sunset, so we were able to get great photos.  

Now that we are approaching our 2 year mark as husband and wife, I am longing to go to Maui again.  Someday we will go back.  But, for now, I will just remember the good times we had and look at our fun photos!

More photos coming tomorrow. :-)

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! :-)