Kate Liverman Photography

Lance & Melissa: Engaged!

2012-01-25T19:59:00.003-06:00

Well Lance & Melissa can thank the rain for the quick turnaround time on their pictures. :) When it's wet outside, I'm inside. Give me a hot drink, a snuggie, and I'm good to go for hours. It's always more fun to edit the pictures when you know the people well and can see their expressions and love come through the pictures. Like I had said earlier, I had a great time with these guys and am so excited about their wedding in June. Let the countdown begin!!

Dog days

2012-01-25T16:17:00.002-06:00

Just in case you were wondering what Kash was up to these days..

Still costing us lots of money. I swear he gives himself problems just so he can go to the vet. He loves it there. Probably because when he gets there everyone swarms him like he's famous...he's a fan favorite everywhere he goes.

So, the vet scolded me because evidently I'm starving him and he's lost 4 lbs. You'd think I was feeding him chocolate with every meal the way she looked at me with her disapproving looks. They even brought out a diagram that showed pictures of dogs at healthy and underweight and overweight stages. They are the ones that gave me a special kidney food to give him and how was I supposed to know it had less calories and was uber healthy? All to say, Kash now gets heaping cups of food and he's not minding that one bit.

Another new development is that Kash likes to be with you during your shower. Not in it luckily but he will get in between the shower curtain liner and the shower curtain and just sit there. And watch you. Kinda awkward.

Lastly, Kash got an ear infection. Nothing serious but the vet packed both his ears with some gunky medicine and consequently now our dog is deaf. So, we feel like we are living with an old grandpa who can't hear anything we say. So, now we literally yell at him. "KAAASH! TIME FOR DINNER!!!" It's pretty funny...and sad...he hears the noises but is still disoriented so he looks all around and up at the ceiling and cocks his head trying to figure out where it's coming from...yep, he's a genius...

Lance & Melissa

2012-01-23T15:50:00.002-06:00

The bad thing about having to wait on a Time Warner technician to come to your house is that they ask you to be home from 8AM to 9PM. Seriously. Ridiculous. The good thing about having to be home for a 13 hr window is that you can't help but be productive...ie. edit pics from a recent engagement photo shoot!
Cue Lance and Melissa..some good friends of ours who just got engaged over Christmas and are getting hitched in June! We are so excited for them and I had a great time going around Austin with them. We went to Mayfield Park and then headed downtown to one of my favorite places - the greetings from Austin mural! And then we went over to South Congress to a very popular wall on the side of Jo's coffee. It's funny...when J & I got engaged I wanted to go there and get some engagement pics but it just never ended up happening because by the time I remembered it was August and literally 105 degrees like every day...and well, I'm a sweaty kid. So we opted out...maybe we'll still get down there someday.. All to say, I lived vicariously through Lance and Melissa and I love the shots we got there. Here are a couple sneak peeks! More to come...

Is this the right place?

2012-01-19T19:53:00.003-06:00

Yes, it is! Kate McCoy Photography is now officially Kate Liverman Photography! Still getting those last kinks figured out like domain names and tax id numbers blah blah blah but soon enough everything will be on the same page. So, in the meantime the blog and the website have gotten a makeover that may or may not be in the final stage. Since I do my own design and logo work, I'm never quite completely satisfied so I might change things around until I REALLY like them all. So, that's about it for now. And like my friend Kristen says...you can't have a blog post without a picture so here's a pic from a wedding J and I went to last weekend. He was a groomsman and it was at the Driskill downtown and super fun! Yay for weddings!

iPhone pics

2012-01-09T18:19:00.002-06:00

Just some things happening of late...

I posted a while back about my trip to Colorado for my friend Kelly's wedding. Well after the wedding a lot of people (Aussies, mainly) came back to Texas and did a tour de Texas which hit up Austin for a couple days. So we met up with the group at Hula Hut one night. Newlyweds unite!

This little guy is so cute and thought it was hilarious when he found his sister's sunglasses!

I was inspired by this and this on Pinterest and ended up with this. Like every craft project I've attempted thus far I like it okaaay. I think it would have been better with a bigger canvas...and thinner letters.. but oh well. So what was originally a living room item turned into a side kitchen wall item...demoted. But hey, at least I'm putting things on the wall!

Can't post without letting you know what Kash is up to. Him and I have really been enjoying the beautiful January spring time days. We sit out on the back porch and he does this..because this is what he does ALL day..and I read. Currently I'm reading the Tim Tebow book and am LOVING it. So anyways, Kash and I soak up the rays together...quite the bonding experience.

Brooks Fam

2012-01-06T14:04:00.002-06:00

I met the Brooks family out at the Arboretum for what ended up being a really easy shoot. It's amazing the difference it makes when there are no little little kids. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the little little kids...they are easily one of my favorite ages to photograph but it's not always easy :) So, as I was saying...easy shoot...great family...good times. Oh and course you can't go to the Arboretum without checking out the cows...and getting pictures on them. I never push that idea but if it's suggested I definitely don't turn it down :)

Gall Fam

2012-01-06T13:47:00.003-06:00

I was eager to meet the Gall family out at the Quarries for their photo shoot. I did a ton of my family shoots there the year before and it always provides great backdrops. It was a beautiful fall day and some of the leaves were starting to fall off the trees...I wish I had been able to capture that but we always seemed to be at the wrong tree at the wrong time! The Gall family was a lot of fun though. The kids loved to be goofy and play around which I had no problem with. Mom was loving it too because I think it's always nice to really have personalities come through in pictures. Gotta throw some fun in there, ya know?

Pretty Much Famous

2012-01-06T13:22:00.002-06:00

When J and I got married last September we knew there were two things we definitely wanted to incorporate into the big day to make it more personal. Things we both love independently and together...pictures and music. Picture wise we had a slideshow running and then also had a picture display with childhood pictures of ourselves, family, and friends. Music wise we wanted to enjoy and share the talents of some of our friends. I had asked our friend Jimmy McNeal years before I even got engaged if he would sing at my wedding some day. When the time finally came he performed the most beautiful rendition of "Heavenly Day" by Patty Griffin during our ceremony. It couldn't have been more perfect. Another long time friend of ours, David Ramirez, played his guitar for the processionals. He had helped J write a song for me that he came and performed for us the night that J proposed to me. So, he played that again as our first dance song. We also loved one of his other songs, Mothers & Fathers, so he played that while J danced with his mom and then I danced with my dad. As lovers of live music, it was absolutely perfect that David played those songs for us at our wedding.

So, you're probably wondering, why am I telling you all of this? Well, David Ramirez has an amazing song called "Fires." It's one of my favorites of his and actually is the first song that plays if you visit my photography website at www.katemccoy.net. Last night on the ABC show Private Practice, that song was played not only during the intro of the show but also in it's entirety as the show ended!! J and I were absolutely giddy hearing our friend's song on national television. So exciting for him and we hope this brings much more success! Please check out his music at http://www.davidramirezmusic.com/ Pictures below taken by Everest Road Photography.

Jacobs Fam

2012-01-05T15:07:00.002-06:00

As you can tell I am working hard to update the blog with all the photo shoots from the fall. This family was one of the last of the season and one of my favorites. It was a beautiful day in November and I met the Jacobs family out at the Capitol which is always great for photo shoots since they keep that lawn nice and green all year round. Now, let's talk about little Ellie...is she not absolutely precious?? They brought grandma along and Ellie was all smiles for her. Really she was all smiles with everyone and was showing off her new skill of standing up all by herself! Such a cutie!

Pou Fam

2012-01-05T13:56:00.003-06:00

I met the Pou family up at Mayfield Park which became one of my favorite places this season for family pictures. The grounds are really pretty and there's lots of different places you can go even if there are a lot of people out there. You gotta steer clear of the peacocks in the trees...and there are a lot of them...but besides that you're good to go. We snuck the dog in for a few pics and then finished up the shoot just as the sun went down. The girls were really good and not afraid to make funny faces when asked :)

Marx Fam

2012-01-05T13:51:00.002-06:00

The Marx family and I have been together for many years now and I love that. I love seeing them throughout the year and watching Charlie and Emily grow up. We always seem to pick the coldest day for our fall photo shoots and this year was no exception. Susan toughed it out without a jacket which was amazing because I think I had on 3 layers! The kids lost interest early with the cold freezing their little hands and faces quick but we were still able to run around the Arboretum long enough to get some pics for the Christmas card!

Tenorio Fam

2012-01-05T13:16:00.002-06:00

What a handsome little guy Charlie is. As you know I am an Aggie at heart and have not so nice feelings towards those Longhorns. But..how could you not be in love with this little guy even though he is sporting the wrong team?? :) He was all smiles for mom and dad and was such a good little guy as we were putting him in a wagon, propping pumpkins around him, changing outfits etc. Such a good sport!

Merritt Fam

2012-01-05T11:29:00.002-06:00

The Merritts live on a big beautiful lot that backs up to Brushy Creek and at dusk it is just beautiful. Big, tall trees with the sunlight peeking around provide the perfect fall backdrop...it is like a photographer's playground. I think I kinda nerded out couldn't stop gushing about how perfect the light was..I'm sure they were like, ok we get it! Needless to say, I love how these pictures turned out and the girls were really fun to take pictures of. They were really sweet and we eager to show their goofiness at the end when mom and dad allowed it :)

Dawes Fam

2012-01-05T10:51:00.003-06:00

I love multi generational shoots with all the family together. Great grandparents and parents and kids and grandkids etc etc. Get em all together and you never know what's going to happen! It's such a unique opportunity so it's a great occasion for a photo shoot! The Dawes have a beautiful backyard so we were able to take the pictures there which worked out great!

Morin Fam

2012-01-04T18:11:00.002-06:00

Sweet little Joaquin in his overalls. I wanted to find a little train conductor hat to put on him...but since I don't carry those around with me I couldn't. Regardless, he was definitely the cutest kid at Laguna Gloria that day and at one point when I was taking some pictures of him by himself a group of kids that were there gathered around and admired him. I don't know if they were enthralled with the idea of a photo shoot or just with him but either way it was pretty funny. He just loves his momma and daddy too and was so content just to be in their arms. Always fun to see that bond.

Smith Fam

2012-01-04T17:56:00.003-06:00

If I gave awards for most photogenic family it would probably be the Smiths. I mean, their smiles are perfect in every picture - I want to know their secrets! And they have these two adorable girls who were just so sweet. The family even brought the dogs along which is no small feat. Even the dogs were kinda photogenic...ridiculous. I can only imagine what would happen if I brought Kash to a photo shoot...he'd leave slobber stains everywhere, probably eat a camera lens and chase anything that moved within his eyesight range. Sigh. But anyways, the Smith family invited me to come out to their neighborhood in Crystal Falls and it was gorgeous. The golf course was really nice and had lots of fun places around it for pictures!

Weaver Fam

2012-01-04T17:36:00.003-06:00

I really enjoyed seeing the Weaver family again this year for fall pictures. The kids are really sweet and little Connor is on the move now! Makes for a more "active" shoot you could say :) But mom brought some great props to get their attention and we went out to the beautiful Avery Ranch golf course which I had never been to but ended up being really great. I love it when clients suggest new places to me!

Manning Fam

2012-01-03T23:01:00.000-06:00

Boys. They are something else. But in a good way. Rambunctious. Wild. Defiant. Hilarious. They keep you on your toes for sure and I'm just not sure how these parents keep up! Noah and Hunter are precious though and really were so much fun as always. Noah makes the funny faces and Hunter puts on his perfect angelic smile and there you have it. Mom and dad are great with them and there is a lot of love in this family. We went out to Mayfield park as the sun was setting and chased the peacocks around...while getting a few pictures here and there :) Here are some of my favorites.

Zander Fam

2011-12-30T16:07:00.000-06:00

I just love, love, love this family and we always have a great time. It's so fun to see how much Ava has grown each year and this time around she would not stop talking. Hearing kids talk right at the beginning is always so entertaining because they carry on what they think are very serious, in-depth conversations and half the time you have no idea what they are talking about! And those curls! Are they not just precious?? Love her!

Winter Wonderland

2011-12-29T21:06:00.000-06:00

So, I guess my posts are just going to go backwards...or just not in order at all really. So, maybe by mid January I'll have some posts up from my photo shoots in October! Anyways...

So, I went to Colorado a couple of weeks ago because one of my dear friends got married!! She's been living in Australia for what seems like forever (that's where the groom is from..they met in CO) and I can't wait until they move back to good ole America. It was a great wedding weekend full of festivities in beautiful Beaver Creek, Colorado. This Texas girl wasn't quite prepared for single digit temperatures but I bundled up and survived..even when we had to go up to the top of the mountain for pictures! Yes, it was freezing but after seeing some of the breathtaking shots you realize it's completely worth not being able to feel your hands and toes for 30 minutes. It was great to hang out with Kel for the weekend and meet all of the Aussies that made the trip over. The Americans all enjoyed listening to their accents and each group found it fun to compare words...social norms...prices of every day items...man, things are expensive in Australia!

All in all it was a great time with a beautiful ceremony in the chapel on the mountain and a fantastic reception in a cabin on the mountain complete with slippers for all guests and an incredible wedding dinner! Yes, I said slippers...probably the most awesome thing ever...I wish I could have worn slippers at my wedding reception! Needless to say, Kelly was stunning and the happiness between her and Scott was contagious all evening. I'm so happy to have been a part of it all!

Aww

2011-12-28T15:36:00.000-06:00

Kash's first Christmas with mom and dad..

2011-12-27T22:37:00.000-06:00

Well, sometimes I forget to take pictures of big events...like Christmas. So, lucky for you, I did get some pics of Kash opening his stocking so that will have to suffice. However, Christmas actually started early for him when he got into J's stocking and ate an entire container of shelled pistachios while we were out. So, naturally we came home and panicked and started googling poisonous foods for dogs and called the vet and they assured us he was going to be fine. Maybe just an upset stomach and probably a little gassy. And he delivered...he graced us with lots of beautiful odors.. So, we decided to celebrate his living by going ahead and giving him his stocking. He wasn't sure what to think at first but once he saw his new pink dino it was on. Now, 3 days later and the poor dino is merely a carcass with no legs, wings, ears, or a tail...

Greatest Gift

2011-12-27T21:06:00.000-06:00

I'll say first and foremost that Christmas isn't about the presents. Now, with that being said, we got some REALLY great presents! :) This is by far the best one of them all. It is a quilt made up of squares from our families and closest friends. J and I had a great time looking over each one of them laughing and reminiscing. A big thanks to his family for getting all of the squares gathered from everyone and to my very talented sister who quilted them all together. We really, really love it!

Everywhere but here

2011-12-19T20:55:00.000-06:00

So...my last blog post was before Thanksgiving. Hmm...about that... Saying things have been busy would be a grand understatement...18, yes 18 photo shoots, a trip to Colorado, Christmas shopping, basketball games, etc etc... But no worries, I fully intend to fill you in on the last...err...month.. Until then I will leave you with a picture of beautiful Beaver Creek, CO where I spent the last week celebrating the wedding of my good friend Kelly!!

Thankful for..

2011-11-25T13:16:00.000-06:00

SO many things! A new husband, new family members, great friends, the list goes on and on...

Yesterday we went to the last A&M/tu game..at least for a while. The game was heartbreaking...not the way any Aggie wanted to see it go but oh well...life goes on right? The newest addition to the family made it to his first Aggie football game and we was decked out and ready to go!

And then I have to brag on my friends over at Lullaby Lubbock for a second. They are just so crafty and talented and my friend Kristen made me this awesome chevron circle scarf!! It's kinda amazing and cute and I love it!! So, if you ever need some inspiration for craftiness or party ideas you should definitely check out their blog because it's got all that plus much more. Thanks Kristen, I LOVE IT!!!!

Trevino Family

2011-11-23T16:47:00.001-06:00

I got to meet this beautiful family a couple of weeks ago and what a pleasure it was to take their pictures. Their easy going, laid back vibe set the tone for the afternoon and taking pictures of the photogenic group was easy and enjoyable. Sweet Gabriela loves her mom and dad and her new little brother Judson who was such a trooper. This family has a lot of love for each other and I think it shows in these pictures. Thanks for a great time, Trevino family!

A long awaited homecoming!

2011-11-18T21:52:00.000-06:00

J's brother's family have been in the long process of adopting a boy from Ethiopia and after getting through some hiccups along the way they finally got "the call" last week to come get their baby boy. They arrived in Austin this afternoon after some looooong hours of travel but you could tell they were so happy to finally be home with their new little boy. We are so excited to welcome sweet little Stone Chera into the family and cannot wait to get to spend more time with him! Here are some pictures from the airport.
The girls in their cute Africa shirts waiting for their little brother!

We all eagerly waited at the bottom of the elevators and then there they were!

The girls were very eager to see their momma!

And then eager to meet their little brother!

Uncle JoJo meets his new nephew!

This little boy was not going to let go of his dad

Lots of friends and family to come meet Chera!

Chera meets new friends...other recent adoptees!

Sweet little boy

Almost home!

2011-11-17T19:59:00.000-06:00

So, tomorrow is a very big day!! J's brother's family have been in the loooong process of adopting a little boy from Ethiopia and last week they finally got the call and are on their way back with him right now. We finally get to meet him tomorrow at 4:30 and we are sooo excited! His Ethiopian name is Chera which will be become his middle name and Stone, which has a lot of family significance, will become his first name. He is precious and I will post some pics of him after he gets here! So, I had the crafty urge to make a pennant banner. I kinda had in my head what I wanted it to look like so I went to the fabric store, got some felt and felt glue and put it all together. I really love how it turned out. J and I went over to the house and hung it last night so that they'll see it when they get home. Granted, Stone can't read so it won't mean much to him but hopefully his family will enjoy it!

Cousin-ly Love

2011-11-16T16:00:00.000-06:00

I did some back to back shoots for some sisters who had some adorable kids. We went out to Mayfield Park on a beautiful morning and did our best to not get attacked by the peacocks. Brooklyn here was not without some of the cutest outfits I've ever seen and accessories to match, of course. She was so cute when she laughed! The cowboys, Cole & Ford, were looking quite dapper in their button downs and boots and both had the cutest smiles. At the end we took some of them together and you can see the love between the cousins!

kashwomp

2011-11-15T16:11:00.000-06:00

I think I've officially thrown in the towel with the pics of the day...I know, I know...I've made it this far and to quit now? Well, I've already missed a few days so it's not like it's going to be complete anyways. So, my hope is that I can become a little more up to date with posting my latest photo sessions and right now I have a LOT so expect a lot of posts coming up.

And with lots of photo shoots comes lots of time working on pictures which means lots of time at home which means lots of time with my favorite furry friend, Kash. So, after a couple months of careful studying I've learned that Kash is maybe the laziest dog in the world. He sleeps allll the time...and snores...and farts...and groans...all in his sleep. Life is rough.

Staffel Family

2011-11-11T12:42:00.000-06:00

I love this time of year for lots of reasons...cooler weather finally, more trips to Starbucks, scarves and boots...but also because I get to meet lots of new families for photo sessions! The Staffel family helped kick off my fall portrait sessions and I couldn't have picked a better family to start with. No offense parents but the kids stole the show. Little Laine was just content as could be the entire time and I couldn't get over those beautiful long locks of hair on an 8 month old. And then there was Austin or rather, Mr. Personality. This little guy was such a little ham and I'm sure he keeps mom and dad very entertained! Thanks for a wonderful time, Staffel family!

Pics of the day what?

2011-11-09T13:39:00.000-06:00

Yeah, I'm not going to pretend that I don't realize I'm about 10 days behind on my pics of the day. Hmm. Life has been really crazy...crazy like my head my fall off crazy. So, unfortunately the pic of the day project is falling by the wayside. So, here are some of them although I missed a few days here and there...forgive me.

Days 304-313 respectively:

Starbucks holiday cups are back! And with some cooler temperatures I feel even more justified going there ALL the time..

I got some awesome pillow covers! I bought them off etsy and definitely plan on getting some more..

Still getting stiffed by customers...sigh.

I still love these things and think that all fast food places need to get them installed.

Basketball season has begun again! Sorry for the bad picture...these kids were just too fast for the iPhone.

I've had some extra days off work which has been great and I've realized that Kash is the laziest dog on the planet. He does this ALL day long..

I got these today! Our house is always cold so I don't know why I didn't get some good slippers before now. They are sooo warm.

MAUI!!!

2011-11-03T21:36:00.000-05:00

Get ready for the longest post evvvveeerrr.

J & I got married just two short months ago and I am fiiiinally getting around to posting some pictures from our amazing honeymoon! I snuck some in the pictures of the day but it did not do Maui justice. Oh Maui...how I long to go back. You don't realize how wonderful it is until you get back to "real life" and realize that Maui was really the good life. J opened his iPad the other day and said, "um, is it okay if I close this window about Maui house rentals?" Dangit..he caught me! I am SO eager to go back! Even though it was only 2 months ago that we were there it feels like soooo much longer and I feel like it's already time to return!

So, for now I will just lust over pictures and hopefully that can hold me over for a while..

p.s. I don't know why the wording is so wonky and spread out...I tried to fix it in the html and it just keeps going back and I'm giving up. But..just know that I know it's messed up, and yes, it bothers me.

Welcome to Maui. Where the beaches are vast, the water is clear, and everything around you is beautiful.

First day on the beach!

Lahaina Grill. AMAZING dinner. One of my top 5 meals of my life. Yes, I keep track. I will go back to Maui just to eat here.

We biked down Mt. Haleakala which was pretty incredible. Halfway up we stopped and the guide made us get in all sorts of awkward poses and this was one of the more normal ones...

At the top of the mountain. The clouds are BENEATH us. That is just crazy. CRAZY.

I don't remember the name of this place but they had the most amazing garlic, cheese fries. MMMMM.

We went parasailing and although J is smiling here, he did NOT have a great time. The poor guy is afraid of heights and was praying outloud at one point... I, on the other hand, had a great time :)

Granted, we were REALLY high off the water.

We went on a sunset cruise on a catamaran. Kinda boring and J got a little seasick..

But it was all made worth it in the end when that sun set. So beautiful. Every night.

See, he perked up a bit.

We played in the ocean a lot. It was so much fun. The ocean is pretty crazy.

Speaking of crazy...we don't know these people but I wanted to show the size of the waves. It was mesmerizing. I felt like a little kid, "look at that one!" "wow!" "did you see that?!"

We kept very busy. Another day we went ziplining which was sooo fun. You could spin around in your seat and hang upside down. And the views were a little better than when we went ziplining in Wimberley, TX. :)

Me, flying through the air.

This was our resort lobby...there were huge koi fish and flamingos!

One of the last days we went on a helicopter tour!! To be real honest, the views cannot be matched from a heli but I was glad we only had a 45 minute ride because I felt a little nauseous by the end of it...and again, J was fearing for his life..don't let the smile deceive you.

Great views though.

Another great meal..this one was at a restaurant called IO.

More time in the ocean. That's J jumping in the waves.

It rained a little bit every day which always left great rainbows in the sky. I guess that's why it's called the Rainbow State!

Just a little artistic shot for ya

We got a disposable waterproof camera which we obviously had fun with...

We went to a great sushi place the last day which had this incredible fried ice cream dessert. Of course we had to get it!

On our last day we checked out some other beaches and resorts just for fun. I think this was at Wailea..

And they lived happily ever after...

Happy Halloween

2011-11-01T17:53:00.000-05:00

Day 304:
Well I don't have a child to dress up but I do have Kash! J maybe still hasn't forgiven me for trying to get Kash in a cow costume last year so I tried to go in the direction of something a little more acceptable this year. I found this football costume on sale and it even had a number 12 so since Kash is an Aggie dog I knew it was meant to be. The little striped part is supposed to go over his head and there is a little part that is supposed to go over his face but like THAT was going to happen. Once I wrangled him into it he actually didn't mind wearing this part of it and I think even maybe enjoyed it a bit...although he would never look at me so I feel like maybe he was being a little defiant.

Wedding

2011-10-31T18:26:00.000-05:00

Day 303:

J's friend from Chicago got married and lucky for us it was at Horseshoe Bay, right outside of Austin. It was set right on the water and everything was really beautiful. It was fun to enjoy another wedding because it made us remember ours just a short two months earlier!

Waldo...I mean..Big Bird

2011-10-31T18:21:00.000-05:00

Day 302:

Went to the Aggie game on Saturday...not a great game but oh well. Big Bird was there. Do you see him?

Bargain shopper

2011-10-31T18:15:00.000-05:00

Day 301:

I am a bargain shopper to the max. I will compare prices at the grocery store down the price per ounce, I always do thorough researching online for the best deals etc. I don't generally buy expensive clothes because it's hard for me to justify it most of the time. The only thing I will really splurge on is a good pair of jeans because when you find 'the pair' you just need to pay the price. All to say, I generally only get things at The Gap when they are on sale...because they always go on sale...and the sales are pretty good. Exhibit A. Awesome, cute, nicely lined wool jacket. Originally $90...on sale for $35. I win!!!

Less Carbs

2011-10-31T18:07:00.000-05:00

Day 300!

So, J gently informed me that if we kept eating carbs at the rate at which we've started then we are going to be 400 lbs by Christmas. Oops. So, the next day I went to the store and got a basket full of meat and veggies and that night we had these stuffed bell peppers which were absolutely amazing. We are definitely going to have them on the rotation..

Stuff on the walls!

2011-10-26T18:27:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I finaaally put stuff on the walls...or wall. I still have like 15 walls to cover but hey, baby steps.

I've found that pinterest is quite wonderful for helping one figure out their decorating style. After pinning lots of pictures I went back and learned that there were some definite trends. One being collages of photos on walls...not shocking since I kinda happen to love pictures. So, my mother in law had told me about a super smart idea for hanging things on the wall and sure enough, it was genius and easy. I took some pictures to show you just how easy.

First I got a big piece of paper. I happened to already have this leftover from a photo shoot but I got it at Hobby Lobby in case you're interested. I cut it out the size of how big I wanted my photo collage to be on the wall and put it on the floor. Then I laid out all my frames and such exactly where I wanted them. Then I used nail polish and put a dab on the back of each one where the nail would go and then set it on the paper. Then once they were all back where I wanted them I traced around the edges so that I could visualize it without them sitting on it.

I took the frames off and had nice outlines and a little pink dots from the nail polish. I then taped it onto the wall where I wanted it. This is where tracing them comes in handy because you can sort of tell how it will look.

Then you just hammer your nail in where your dot is through the paper. I hung my pictures as I went to make sure they looked right. So, then after you have all your nails in place you take down the paper and put up your pictures!

Voila!! ONE of our bedroom walls! And start to finish this took me less than an hour. Granted, I now need to decide what pictures will go in the frames and figure out how to make that 'L' not so wonky but I'm pretty excited I got this far! Oh, and I got a lot of these frames super cheap from IKEA.

So civilized

2011-10-26T18:16:00.000-05:00

Day 299:

I promise I didn't stage this. I came out of the closet...hmm, well that sounds weird...anyways...walked out of the closet and saw Kash standing in the room like this. And of course, because I think everything he does is cute, I had to take a picture.

Homemade deliciousness

2011-10-26T18:13:00.000-05:00

Day 298:

We made homemade pizza tonight and not only was it super easy and looked amazing...it tasted fantastic!! Now that we know it's a success we're definitely going to making that again soon. I do have a tip though...mushrooms shrink a lot while baking so make sure and add double what you think you should!

More of that dog

2011-10-26T18:07:00.001-05:00

Day 297:

Getting tired of pictures of Kash? Too bad.

One thing I love about Kash is that although he is a wild child, there is definitely a soft, nurturing side best seen when he has one of his stuffed animals. Man, when he gets one of those he closes those eyes, purrs like a kitten, and pulses his little paws around it and then as we like to say, "makes sweet love to it." That might be inappropriate but it's really the best description we can come up with. And he will stay like that for forever...it's like his happy spot..

Growing up

2011-10-23T20:03:00.000-05:00

Day 296:
I made sure to visit one of my other favorite babies in the world while we were up in Dallas, miss Isla. I can't believe how much she's grown. I did her newborn pictures way back when she was born and now she's over 7 months old! She is the happiest little girl too. She was all smiles and giggles and is absolutely adorable!!

Lil Jackson

2011-10-23T20:01:00.000-05:00

Day 295:

Our good friends had a baby a few weeks ago and we finally made it up to Dallas to see the little guy. And he is soo little and precious! Welcome to the world, baby Jackson!!

Words

2011-10-23T20:00:00.000-05:00

Day 294:

I saw this while I was driving around for work and thought it was a bit random to be on the side of a building downtown. Cool...but random...

Freedom!!!

2011-10-23T19:57:00.001-05:00

Day 293:

I have been working on subleasing my apartment for the last month and FINALLY after a million things falling through I signed over the lease and no longer have to pay rent for an empty apartment. Hooray!! The only bad thing is that I really enjoyed taking advantage of the big trash containers especially while we were moving in and out. So, on the last day I made sure and brought over all the big trash items we still had to throw away..

Nature

2011-10-23T19:08:00.000-05:00

Day 292:

I was driving around in Georgetown and came across this family of deer crossing the road. I wasn't quick enough to get the shot until they had crossed but you get the general idea.

Touch of Fall

2011-10-18T15:50:00.000-05:00

Day 291:

So this morning it was 60 degrees!!! After a summer of torturous heat, 60 feels like winter. I immediately went around the house and opened all the windows. I love the cool, fresh air circulating throughout the rooms. Fall is here!!!!!!!

Long day needs queso

2011-10-18T15:48:00.000-05:00

Day 290:

Today was Boss's Day which for me means super busy day in the cookie world..you know, all those people trying to get in good with their bosses? So, after a long day I wasn't ready to whip up a meal for dinner so I told J we were going to Chuy's. He didn't protest. And then we decided we needed queso...because queso makes any day better...

Singing Bells

2011-10-18T15:45:00.000-05:00

Day 289:

J and I went to the east side to check out a small music fest featuring some blues and gospel groups. This is Bells of Joy and there are a LOT of people in this group. I think one guy was about 90 years old. And you can see they have these snazzy red outfits they wear. Evidently the guy on the end on the keys did not get the memo..

Amusing only to us

2011-10-18T15:43:00.000-05:00

Day 288:

Sometimes you get bored..so you put socks on your dog..and it's funny. But probably only to you. So, I won't pretend like it was hilarious or the best thing ever because I realize it's probably only that when it's your own dog...

Birthday Boy!

2011-10-18T15:13:00.000-05:00

Day 287:

J turned 32 so we went to celebrate at one of his favorite restaurants, III Forks. It's soooo good. The waiter told us the specials including a 26 oz. tomahawk steak, "perfect for sharing." Well, as you can see, J decided to get that all by himself. Impressive or gross I'm not sure. Either way the meal was fantastic and we got complimentary bread pudding dessert that was divine. Happy Birthday Hubby!

Scott, Class of 2012

2011-10-18T14:50:00.000-05:00

Scott is a senior at Hyde Park and although enjoying his senior year, he is eager to get to the next stage in life - college! He hasn't decided where he is going yet although J and I did our best job to convince him that Aggieland was the only answer :) J has coached Scott in basketball since junior high and they have become great friends as a result. Scott's parents did our premarital counseling so we really love this family all around! We had such a great time going around Austin for his senior pics and wish him the very best wherever he chooses to go!

Big time

2011-10-13T21:33:00.001-05:00

Day 286:

Well, I still have anxiety about putting things on the wall so I decided to instead start with some curtains. Really, I happened to see the curtains and then decided I couldn't live without them. And I really do love them. The chevron pattern is so yummy and the colors are neutral enough that I really think they could go anywhere. It's amazing how much cozier the room feels. Got them from Crate and Barrel in case you think you "need" them too :)

Art in Austin

2011-10-13T21:28:00.000-05:00

Day 285:

I was out delivering and came across this up off Lamar St. Normally I'm not really drawn to graffiti and what not but there was so much of it and it was all so colorful that I thought it was actually pretty awesome. I kinda like that the City has allowed it to be like that..

Crafting

2011-10-11T20:43:00.000-05:00

Day 284:

For some reason I have in my head the notion that now that I'm a wife I need to become uber domestic as well as crafty. I think I've done ok so far on the food and cleaning front so it was time for my first crafty task. I got it from this idea on pinterest, of course. And of course, I like the one on pinterest better but I think it had to do with the nice gray ribbon they used. I was trying to go with a more fall look but in return I got a wreath I like kinda as much. Oh well, it's on the door and it's not coming off. Oh, and it was super easy to make in case you are thinking of taking it on. Easy as in cutting ribbon and tying knots...that's the kind of easy I'm all about..

The Kash dog

2011-10-10T17:18:00.000-05:00

Day 283:

I happened to have my camera at my desk while I was working today and Kash loves to hang out wherever you are so I took the opportunity to snap a few pics while he was right by me. I love this profile pic of him! Good looking pup if you ask me :)

The king of the blues

2011-10-10T17:16:00.000-05:00

Day 282:

We saw BB King at the ACL Live Theater and he was pretty good. He's 86 in case you were wondering and still touring year round which is crazy. I think most people hang the hat by now but not BB..he loves the blues too much to quit!

Details

2011-10-10T17:09:00.000-05:00

Day 281:

As I was organizing our home office I found some of our wedding stuff in a bin. This was one of my favorite details of our big day. They were program fans since it was an outdoor wedding and I thought it might be really hot...luckily, we had amazingly cool weather! But, on the back of the fans was an idea I had seen online and I was dead set on recreating it. J and I both made lists of things we liked about each other and characteristics of each other and then I listed them on the back of the programs to give guests something to read while they were waiting for the ceremony to start. I loved them!

Final Touches

2011-10-10T17:06:00.000-05:00

Day 280:

We've decided to keep the Aggie spirit alive at our house both inside and out. And the neighbors across the street have a tu flag so maybe it has a little something to do with that too..

Something for everyone

2011-10-06T16:30:00.000-05:00

Day 279:

J has been really good through all the gift receiving process because let's be honest, he doesn't get excited about towels, dishes, pillows, or cake pans. So, luckily we've also received a lot of cash that he can spend on "man" stuff ie. a new TV because evidently you need one in every room of your house...and sports paraphernalia. But, luckily I kinda like the man stuff too..especially our new authentically signed Von Miller jersey. Vonnie was one of our favorite Aggie athletes and is now doing great in the NFL. We just thought we needed some Vonnie in our house...

Welcome home

2011-10-05T20:17:00.001-05:00

Day 278:

When I pull into my driveway I am often greeted by this cute little face. It just makes my day. Then I walk around the car and he eagerly stands there until he thinks I'm going to go for the door and he runs inside through his doggie door and greets me inside the house. That's the wonderful thing about dogs...they are always happy to see you when you get home. And just an update on this little guy...he got some recent bloodwork done to check the status of his kidneys and while they have improved some, they aren't doing great. He seems healthy on the outside which the vet says is a good sign and he eats and drinks just fine which is what he wasn't doing when we first found out he was sick. So, we are just supposed to keep him on some special food and make sure he gets lots of water in him. Hopefully he'll keep improving...please keep our little guy in your thoughts...he's definitely a part of our family and we love him!!

College Days

2011-10-05T20:15:00.000-05:00

Day 277:

The other day I was at the arboretum and I saw this sign and got real excited. It's Blue Baker and it's coming to Austin! The only Blue Baker I've been to is in College Station so naturally it reminds me of good ole Aggieland. I can't wait for it to open and get a bread bowl with soup in it..mmm.

A month and still going

2011-10-05T20:10:00.000-05:00

Day 276:

So, today was our one month anniversary so we had to celebrate! No...we aren't planning on celebrating every month that we are married..although we love an excuse to celebrate anything. But hey, we've made it a month and still love each other and we're feeling pretty good about things. So, because I didn't have anything to cook..I mean, because it was our anniversary we went to Bartlett's and it was good. I had the ahi tuna salad...and maybe a loaded baked potato that I didn't photograph because I didn't want you to judge me...

Wheels are falling off

2011-10-05T20:06:00.000-05:00

Day 275:

Ok so I forgot to take a picture again. I know, I know...what is wrong with me? I take pictures for over 270 days in a row and then I just forget all of a sudden. It's pathetic...I don't really have excuses..I think I already used them up. So, I've decided that from now on if I forget then I'll just post a picture from Maui because a picture from Maui is better than any picture I could come up with in Texas..

Paparazzi!

2011-10-01T20:55:00.000-05:00

Day 274:

So, the last day we were in Maui for our honeymoon we had to keep ourselves busy around the town since our flight was late and our checkout was early. So, we drove down to Wailea and walked around some of the fancy resorts like the 4 Seasons. We saw a lot of paparazzi hanging around and at first we couldn't get them to tell us who they were taking pictures of but finally one of them told us Vanessa Hudgens was there for a photo shoot. So, today I was looking through People magazine and what do I see? This! I was totally there! :)

Failure

2011-10-01T20:52:00.001-05:00

Day 273:

Well, I did it. It was inevitable.

I forgot to take a picture today. EEK. I guess somewhere in the unloading and labeling of hundreds of items for a yard sale and thinking about having to get up at 5 am I forgot to take a picture for the day. Oops.

So, now the question is...do I keep on going or quit the project? I guess the easy thing to do would be quit but that doesn't seem like much fun so I will carry on. And with my mishap of misnumbering a while back there's a good chance I've already missed a day somewhere else. So, let's just pretend like that didn't happen..

Rays..shooting across the sky

2011-10-01T20:50:00.000-05:00

Day 272:

Sometimes things will really catch my attention that are nature related...a great sunset, a great bolt of lightning, a serene lake. Well, one of my favorites is when you can catch the sun shooting it's rays through the clouds either up or down...or really any direction. It always catches my attention and I was able to get a quick shot before it moved too much behind the cloud.

For sale

2011-10-01T20:46:00.000-05:00

Day 271:

Well this is what your living and dining room can look like if you're getting ready for a yard sale. This was 3 days before...you can imagine what it looked like the night before. One of the great things about getting married as I've already touched on is the fact that you get a ton of incredible stuff. Suddenly, the pots and pans you've been using since college don't really match up to your new Calphalon set. So, what do you do? You have a humongous yard sale!! It's a lot of work but if you have a lot of stuff it's definitely worth it!

Ain't no party unless..

2011-10-01T20:43:00.000-05:00

Day 270:

...unless there is creamy jalepeno dip. If you've ever been to Hula Hut or Chuy's then you know this stuff is so good you could almost drink it. Chips and salsa are a thing of the past. Chips and creamy jalapeno is taking over. I found this knockoff recipe a while back but didn't get a chance to make it myself till now. My good friend Christian made it for one of my wedding showers so I already knew it was fantastic. It's not 100% the same thing but it's a really good substitute! Oh, and it's super easy to make.

Official

2011-10-01T20:41:00.001-05:00

Day 269:
Well, I made it happen. I said goodbye to my old..wonderful..solid..last name. After an hour and half at the Social Security office and a 50% chance that I left with some disease, I am now officially Kate Liverman, not Kate McCoy. It's just crazy, this whole married thing..

Anchored

2011-09-26T09:52:00.000-05:00

Day 268:

Well, one of the joys of marriage is that when your husband is sick, you get sick. But despite being sick, we went out to the lake because it was our friends Chris' 30 birthday. I thought maybe the lake would have magic healing powers too. At one point we decided to get out and swim so we tried to anchor the boat which has always been a hit or miss activity. We thought it was a hit and were pretty proud of ourselves until we pulled the anchor up and realized this is why the boat wasn't moving. I thought it was too ridiculous not to post. So, a tip...if you ever need to anchor your boat just find a huge amount of weeds and whatever this stuff is to lodge your anchor into!

More fun things!

2011-09-26T09:38:00.000-05:00

Day 267:

J and I went to the big Aggie/OK St. game on Saturday and while it was a great game for the first half, the second half didn't fare quite as well for the Aggies. Sadly, one team had to lose and it had to be us. So, to cope I came home and put together our new cabinet for our kitchen. I'm kinda in love with it...kinda how I was in love with my new desk. Our pantry is pretty small so we were needing some more storage/cabinet space and I found this awesome cabinet at Crate and Barrel that fits perfectly. So of course it's meant to be that we get it right?? And be able to buy it all with those wonderful things called gift cards...makes me love it all the much more. Isn't it great?!

Expert

2011-09-26T09:36:00.000-05:00

Day 266:

With every job comes specific tasks and skills unique to the job. Well, with delivering cookies comes parallel parking. And after 4 years of practice, I gotta admit, I am really good. Can I put that on a resume?? :)

More nesting

2011-09-26T09:32:00.000-05:00

Day 265:

I'm quickly learning I'm not a decorator although it's one of those things I really wish I was good at. So, right now we have all bare walls because I'm afraid to put anything on them because I'm afraid it's not going to look good, or I'm not going to like it, or I'm kinda gonna like it but will be too lazy to take it down and think of something else so I'll just leave it and forever just kinda like it. See, the dilemma?? So, in the meantime I just paint old furniture...it's still risky because what if you don't like the color after it's all said and done? Well, luckily I did like the way this turned out...the color is La Fonda Jalepeno!

FInished product

2011-09-26T09:30:00.000-05:00

Day 264:

One of the things I was most excited about at our wedding was our guestbook thumbprint tree. It turned out great and is the first thing we see when we walk in our front door. I LOVE it!!!

Little Miss Housewife

2011-09-26T09:25:00.000-05:00

Day 263:

Well, I've been trying to take on the role of housewife well. I've cleaned the house up real nice, got the laundry done, got the groceries bought, and have been trying to cook more. Honestly, I really enjoy cooking so it's been fun finding recipes, trying them out, wondering why it says 30 minutes prep time and it took me 50.. So, the first two nights I went with meals I knew I couldn't screw up to give my husband some confidence in me :) First night, spaghetti. Night two, fish tacos and homemade guacamole. MMM!

These times they are a changin'...

2011-09-25T11:29:00.000-05:00

Sorry if you tried to visit my blog in the last day and it wasn't there. I forgot to renew my domain...oops. With that said, there will be some changes happenin' with Kate McCoy Photography soon. For one, I'm not Kate McCoy anymore! How crazy is that?! So, seems like the thing to do is get a new business name...although it has such a nice ring doesn't it? However, I think to make the transition the smoothest with the legal and boring (taxes) side of things I'll keep it the same until the end of 2011. But come 2012, get ready for a new name, some new things, maybe some new prices (sorry!) and who knows what else. In the meantime, hold tight for the bi-annual sale..it's coming I promise!!

ACL! ACL!

2011-09-23T23:15:00.000-05:00

Please excuse my posts being weeks behind and now out of order. I am definitely going to post some awesome Maui pics soon but it's taking me a while to get through the 500+ pictures...I figure you don't want to see 500+ pics right?? So, for now I update you with ACL pictures. I've already given you some brief summaries through my pictures of the day but here is the whole shebang. It was a fantastic weekend and I can't wait for year 11! So, here is the weekend best explained in picture form!

Day 1, here's the entrance! Let the good times begin!

We started the fest off with Ray Lamontagne who was awesome! He ended with "Henry Nearly Killed Me' from his Gossip in the Grain album and it was one of the best performances of the fest!

Here we are at Foster the People. Sorry no pic of the band...we were pretty far away from the stage but it was still a great set!

Local Austin Favorite, Gary Clark Jr. He was phenomenal! And although he's getting pretty big, he still plays a lot in Austin!

We met up with Kristen at Sara Bareilles and we all sang along like 8th graders! And Brycie got to come to her first ACL!!!!

Babies with headphones were everywhere. Starting the kids out young, I like that. But gotta protect those precious little eardrums!

Aloe Blacc started our Saturday off and did not disappoint. He was a lot of fun and danced all over the stage!

Our traditional, annual ACL pic together! I think this is our 4th or 5th year to meet up at ACL and I hope it continues for years and years!! (And moments later it poured on us...yes, the one day it rains in like 3 months is when we're all standing outside).

Young the Giant didn't mind the rain though. And they ended on "My Body" which is a favorite song of mine right now and gets stuck in your head forever!

J & I took a breather from ACL for a couple hours and walked over to Baby A's. It was nice to sit, be in A/C, and eat some food while watching some football games. I was a little alarmed by this menu item though...really, a baby chicken salad?? Seems like there's a better name for that.. no I did not order it. But our waiter did quit in the middle of his shift (not because of us) and we got free queso...not bad.

We came back in time for Fitz and the Tantrums and they were awesome! That girl can SING!!!

J and I are waiting for Stevie Wonder...and are excited..

And there he is!!! And he was WONDERful!!! :)

Went back Sunday for just a short bit...a full day Saturday wore me out!! Saw this tattoo and I thought it was pretty cool..

Saw Head and the Heart and they were really good. They played their set exactly in the order of their CD which is kinda awesome because you know exactly what song is coming next!!

Goodbye ACL. You did well once again. See you again next year!!

Nesting

2011-09-21T21:47:00.000-05:00

Day 262:

Ever since we got back from Maui I have been a mad woman organizing the house...unpacking, cleaning, moving, nesting. I love it though...it's a great sense of accomplishment to get a room exactly how you want it and organized and clean. What's even more fun is that we have SO MUCH wonderful new stuff that we are definitely enjoying. I am completely humbled and blessed by our friends and family's generosity and love and the outpouring of gifts we have received. It's like a brand new house and it is SO fun to enjoy the gifts and be reminded of the people who gave it to us. What's been equally exciting is how much gift cards add up and allow you to get some nice big items. I was able to get this new desk from Pottery Barn at a great price because it was the floor model but it barely has a scratch on it. The lady was laughing as I kept feeding her gift card after gift card until my balance was $0! I know you shouldn't love material items but I really love this desk :) It has so much storage I don't even know how to fill it all..I'm really looking forward to spending a lot of hours this coming fall working away on pictures. It'll be so nice to have so much room to work with! So, if you gave us a Pottery Barn gift card, THANK YOU!!!

Wrapping up

2011-09-21T21:42:00.000-05:00

Day 261:

Saturday was a day filled with great music...Aloe Blacc, Young the Giant, Fitz & the Tantrums, Cee Lo, and of course the great Stevie Wonder. By Sunday I was pretty tired and wasn't sure I could put in a full day. So, I saw Head and the Heart which was awesome and walked around a bit, got a t-shirt, got some strawberry lemonade and called it a day. I kinda wanted to see some of the bands that night but not enough to keep myself occupied for 4 hours until they went on. So, I wrapped up my ACL weekend and as I was walking out I thought this was a perfect picture. The great skyline in the background, blue skies, great music. A great weekend!

The Greatest!!!

2011-09-21T21:34:00.000-05:00

Day 260:

Everyone always has an ACL wishlist...the list of all of your favorite artists that would all happen to be at ACL the same year and of course not overlap any time slots. Well, Stevie Wonder has been on my headliner wishlist for YEARS...I never thought it would happen and this year it did! And it was AMAZING! Best of the fests of all the years. J and I had a great time singing along, dancing, watching other people dance... He played all the hits and the crowd loved it...Superstition, Living for the City, Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I Just Called to Say I Love You, etc etc etc.. It was great...I love you, Stevie! :)

10th Anniversary!

2011-09-21T21:29:00.000-05:00

Day 259:

I love many things about Austin and one of them is the yearly ACL music fest. It's been going on for 10 years and I can proudly say I've been to every fest except the first. And they just keep getting better. Busier, but better. This year was really great. The weather wasn't too bad, the lawn was nice and green, and the food was great too. But enough about all that stuff...the music is always the best part! Friday we saw Ray Lamontagne, Foster the People, Gary Clark Jr., Sara Bareilles, Coldplay, and Kanye. They were all fantastic with the exception of Kanye...with the spectacle of a person he is I was expecting more of a spectacle of a show...boooring. Lots more pics of ACL to come...when I get around to it...

Safe? Or not Safe?

2011-09-21T21:26:00.000-05:00

Day 258:

I don't have a child nor have I ever so I don't know the rules and laws. But as I was driving my motherly instinct told me this wasn't right. The baby is in the carseat facing out in the way, way back of the car. Is this allowed? I just didn't feel good about it. I feel like if that mom slammed on the brakes the baby would go out the back window..no? Maybe it's completely fine..like I said, I am not a mother.

Start Em Early

2011-09-21T21:11:00.000-05:00

Day 257:

The day after we got back one our good friends came over with her sweet little baby McCrae..I've gushed about her many times on the blog before. Well, like any good baby she was desperately trying to get inside her momma's sonic drink. I don't blame her...who wouldn't want a strawberry limeade!?

Reunited

2011-09-21T21:07:00.000-05:00

Day 256:

It is probably no shock to you that we were very eager to get home to this little guy. If you recall, he decided to play a fun trick on us and tried to die the week before our wedding. Yeah, great timing Kash. But luckily, with some great vet care and around 1 trillion dollars we were able to get his kidneys back to functioning again. He is still on meds but is continuing to make positive progress and he seems like our same ole dog now. Maybe even better...we decided he's a good married dog...just a sweet little companion. I'm sure he's a little confused as to why I'm always around now but he doesn't seem to mind!

Sad, sad day

2011-09-21T21:03:00.000-05:00

Day 255:

The saddest day in Maui is the day you have to say goodbye to Maui. We got kicked out of our hotel around 1 so then we had 8 hours to kill until our nighttime plane flight. But that was no problem. We drove down to the south of the island and checked out some of the other beaches and of course ate some more food including one of the locals' favorite sushi restaurant called Sansei. Try it if you are ever there...it's awesome! But anyways, when we were on one beach we couldn't not take a picture of this sign. It's just way too entertaining.. "Possibility of Crime" Seriously??

Yep, more beach

2011-09-21T20:59:00.000-05:00

Day 254:

Like I've said a million times, Maui is breathtaking and the beaches are phenomenal. Since the closest thing we have here in Texas is Galveston, we really felt like we needed to make the most of our beach time. And it's not even like we were super productive....we didn't bury each other...didn't build a sand castle...although one day we did put our initials and footprints in the sand..I know, real creative. But anyways, I have a lot of beach pictures so here is another for the day. J was a lot more active in the ocean. He liked to jump, dive, cannonball, whatever. I stood and took pictures..we are a match made in heaven ;)

Flying High

2011-09-19T22:53:00.000-05:00

Day 253:

One of the last days we were there we went on a helicopter ride over West Maui and another island, Molokai. Again, J revisited his fear of heights and grinned and beared it. Although I wasn't scared at all, I did get mildly nauseous near the end and was glad it was only a 45 minute ride. We had maybe the oldest pilot on the island which was a little scary but hey, we made it! The views were one of a kind and we saw the longest waterfalls I've ever seen in my life. After we checked out the waterfalls we went over the edge and saw some of the tallest sea cliffs in the world. They were pretty ridiculous!

Zip away

2011-09-19T22:49:00.000-05:00

Day 252:

Another thing you have to do if you go to HI is to go ziplining. It really beats ziplining in Wimberley, TX that's for sure! You have valleys and trees on one side and the ocean off in the horizon...so much fun!! Breathtaking views the entire time and you can go up to 45 miles per hour! Zip away!

Bad day for J

2011-09-19T22:44:00.000-05:00

Day 251:

On Thursday we learned two things. One, J should never go parasailing again because it terrifies him and he prays outloud the entire time. Two, if you get really sunburnt then you might stay away from a sunset cruise because the movement on the water plus said sunburn will make you kinda nauseous.

Yeah, Thursday wasn't J's favorite day. We went parasailing which he's done before but it had been a while and maybe he forgot that he didn't like it. He was quite scared...I had a great time!! It was so fun...we were on a 1200 foot rope in air over the ocean with incredible views of Maui and the other islands. The sunset cruise wasn't too eventful until the last 30 minutes or so when you get to experience the sunset out on the water and that is something not to be missed. I don't think they ever have a sunset that's not picture worthy. It was amazing!

Haleakala

2011-09-19T22:41:00.000-05:00

Day 250:

Wednesday morning we got up early and biked down Mount Haleakala. The top of the mountain was INCREDIBLE. It's something that I still can't really wrap my mind around. We were literally above the clouds on that mountain which just seems crazy to me. I feel like the only time you should be above the clouds is when you are in a plane. The fact that I was standing on ground and looking down over the clouds and into the crater of a mountain is surreal. It was beautiful and COLD up there! Biking down was so fun and the views were phenomenal. If you ever go to Hawaii I'd say this is a must do. One of my favorite things of the trip by far!

The beach!

2011-09-19T22:36:00.000-05:00

Day 249:

We were staying at the Westin which had an enormous elaborate pool but we didn't go there once. How can you go to the pool when you have a beach 10 steps away!? The beach was so much fun although I will admit I was a little cautious. The waves at times were huge and the power that was behind them was unbelievable. It was fun to watch people get destroyed by them but for some reason I didn't like being THAT person :) J thought it was great and loved to feel the power of the wave knocking him down. Different strokes for different folks. I would try and get past the breaking point and bob around to avoid being washed onto shore like a beached whale. I wasn't so lucky every time though.

MAUI!!!

2011-09-19T22:29:00.000-05:00

Day 248:

I should apologize for the next week of pictures. Well, because they are going to be pictures of beautiful Maui, HI and it's maybe one of the most beautiful places on Earth if you ask me. :)

Needless to say, a week in Maui was pure bliss and J and I had the TIME OF OUR LIVES! Maui is just stunning and we found ourselves stopping mid sentence multiple times in the week and saying, "wow, it is so pretty here." I could literally sit and watch the ocean for hours. The waves are absolutely mesmerizing and felt like a little kid telling J, "Look at that one! Look at that one!" It was so much fun and we filled our week to the brim with food, beach time, and plenty of fun activities. I will post lots of pics of Maui later on in the week but for now I'll just tease you with a pic a day!

Ok, this first picture is maybe not stunning but it was a little cloudy when we got in but that didn't keep us from pulling over at the first viewing point on the mountain on the way to our resort.

First game of the season

2011-09-19T22:27:00.001-05:00

Da7 247:

We put the honeymoon on hold a day to go to the first Aggie game of the season. Yes, we are die hard! Honestly though, it was nice to not have to rush off to an airport the next morning. We had some time to recuperate and well, we just wouldn't miss the first game of the season! It was a lot of fun. We got to see Von Miller and of course the Aggies won!!

Wedding Day!

2011-09-19T22:16:00.000-05:00

Day 246:

I didn't get 9.10.11 as a wedding date but I did get the 2-4-6 day of the year. The day of the wedding was absolutely perfect from beginning to end. CK had come in town on Thursday and thank goodness she did. She was there to help with all the loose ends, keep me sane and fed, and just provide me company till the very minute I got married. I think I was a pretty calm bride and everything seemed to come together perfectly. We got to Salt Lick about 2 hours before and hung out in the bride's quarters until wedding time. It was so fun to hang out with my best girlfriends and family and have everyone from all over in one place together. I think that is what makes a wedding so incredibly sweet is that all of your bestest, closest friends are all in one place to celebrate together with you and that is pretty awesome. From what I remember, the wedding was pretty great and from what people tell me, my memories are accurate. Everyone said they had a great time and my hope was just that. The food was great, the music was beautiful, the weather was COOL, hallelujah!, and my groom was as handsome as ever. We cried, we laughed, we prayed, we danced. A perfect time. It went by in a second as people told us it would. I tried to remember as much as I could though.

I almost forgot to take a picture that day! But I was able to snap one when we got to the Driskill that night and before we collapsed from exhaustion!

Roasted and Toasted

2011-09-19T22:14:00.001-05:00

Day 245:

Rehearsal dinner. Wedding tomorrow! Our rehearsal dinner was wonderful with absolutely incredible food from Parkside. All our closest friends were there to toast and roast us and we had such a fun time with friends and family. I will post more pictures from the evening eventually but here is just one from one of the tables. Parkside makes cute personal menus with your names on it - loved it!

Bad at counting

2011-09-19T21:19:00.000-05:00

Bad news. I am off on my 365 day project. I have indeed taken a picture every day this year but somewhere in my blogging I got off count. I found this out when I was going back and trying to figure out what day I had left off of and resorted to googling "day 240 of 2011" and found out that's August 28th which doesn't match up to my blog. So, evidently I am not good at counting from 1 -365.

Regardless, I don't feel like I can quit now so this is what's going to happen.

I'm skipping to Day 244 which is September 1st which is the furthest back I can remember for now. I will try and sort out days 241-243 after I catch up! And yes, that means I am about 18 days behind on my blog...eeeeek.

Day 244:

Night before rehearsal dinner to some. First night of college football to others. I'll let you figure out what was which to J & I. :)

Back! And MARRIED!

2011-09-14T23:30:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone! Did you think I was never coming back? Well, after a good long week in Maui, I wasn't sure I was coming back either. I think I'm about 2 weeks behind on my photo of the day but don't worry, the project still continues. I didn't miss one day amidst all the wedding and honeymoon bliss. Hopefully I can start weeding through the hundreds, yes hundreds, of pictures and get up to date.

Needless to say, married life is fabulous, the wedding was picture perfect, the honeymoon was a week of incredible memories, and going back to work is a real drag.

But life is back in full swing and about to get a whole lot crazier. J starts basketball season soon, photography is about to go into overdrive, and ACL music fest is this weekend! Not a minute to slow down now!

For now, I'll leave you with a picture that sums of our time in Maui...FUN TIMES!

Reunited

2011-08-30T20:35:00.000-05:00

Day 240:

We got to bring our Kashy home today!! He has been gone since Saturday and I have seriously been a little depressed. Not that he even lives with me but just knowing he has been in vet cages since Saturday really bummed me out. But we got to bring him home and he has been really happy. He is still on multiple meds and we will find out current bloodwork results tomorrow. Praying that his little kidneys have recovered some. It's 4 days till the wedding and honestly this is the only thing I've been thinking of so it would be really great if everything would just work out!!! As you can see, Kash was really excited to be home with his owners!