Weekend Review: Girls Luncheon & The GridIron

I guess it's time to post my weekend review post since it IS Wednesday night, huh. This past weekend was a full weekend with well rounded activities including a Mother/Daughter Luncheon and the first LA Tech home football game.  Friday night I headed to Minden to help mom set the table up and surprise, surprise, she had already done it all! Didn't she do a great job!? Each hostess was responsible for setting up and decorating their own table. It was so fun seeing all of the different tables. There were LSU themed, Back to School themed and so many elegant looking tables all decked out in the finest china. My mom used my grandmothers china and it looked spectacular. 

Friday evening mom, dad and I went out to dinner with a few friends and came back to my parent's house for a visit. We had the best time chatting on their back patio telling stories and listening to my dad sing silly songs (Yes, my dad was singing. He was in rare form!) I love nights like that. 

THEN...Saturday night came. We had all been waiting for this night for a while! Even Makaylan was so excited and had been practicing all of her Bulldog cheers & chants. She sat in my lap for a good portion of the game and we clapped for the touchdowns and the tackles! I taught her that our team was the BLUE team and I taught her how to do the "Move the Chains" chant. She's such a good little Bulldog. :) Landon had a great time too. His daddy got him a HUGE bag of popcorn so he was a happy boy. hehe.

This was Buie's first game as an official Bulldog. 

And guess what! There's another Tech game TOMORROW night! I could get used to this. ;)

Our Arkansas Mini Vacay

Since B is a grad student once again, our schedule revolves completely around LA Tech's class schedule. They are on a quarter system instead of the more traditional semester system and so far we like it! Buie is a full time graduate student and is not working at the moment. We decided to go this route so he can fully focus on school and get out faster. If everything goes on track, he should be done with his Masters at the end of 2014.

Buie finished up his first two classes this summer and as the quarter system goes, you get two weeks off inbetween 12 week classes. We had tossed around the idea of going to the beach or to our favorite city, New Orleans, or perhaps both, but we ended up going back to our home, Little Rock, to visit friends. We stayed for several days shopping, eating, and relaxing with our best friends. It ALMOST made us want to move back to Arkansas... ALMOST. ;)

Here are just a few pictures from our trip::

We stayed with Alan & Jessica for a night and with Brian & Alicia for a few nights. We love our friends in Arkansas and didn't want to leave. I had a checklist of things we wanted to do and people we wanted to see. It's funny how much more *quality* time I feel like we get to spend with our friends when we are here for a few days as opposed to when we actually lived here. On our list of things to do: Visit our best friends. We saw a lot of our friends while we were here. I think it's impossible to see EVERYONE we want but we do make an effort to see most of our close friends and family, including Buie's parents. We usually stop in Rison on the way up to Little Rock. We stayed for one night there and they enjoyed seeing our doggies.

Other things on our list included: Eat at David Burgers. (We actually ate there twice.) Shop at Midtown: Pottery Barn, William Sonoma, James Avery, Container Store, Ann Taylor Loft. Eat at Big Orange. (Yes, we ate a lot of burgers while we were in Little Rock.) We even managed to squeeze in a couples massage for us while we were in Central Arkansas which was much needed. It was Buie's first professional massage ever and he's already been asking for another. I may have started something. Uh oh! ;)

We are getting ready to start another Fall quarter full of history class for B and fall family photo session for me! :) If you would like to book a Fall family photo session in North Louisiana or Central Arkansas, please email me at carabethstudio@gmail.com. I would LOVE to take your family's pictures this season.

Let's Catch Up, Shall We?

The last time we chatted, I was in a panic over Conner's scare that he gave us. Since then, my little buddy has been doing just fine! No more seizures to report! Let's hope it was a one time thing.

So much has happened since I last blogged... Let's get updated, shall we?

Peach season has come and gone in Ruston and they were AMAZING! Since this is our first summer as Ruston residents, we took full advantage in this little peach crazy town. If you aren't familiar with the town, Ruston is known for its peaches. They have a big family owned and operated Peach Orchard. Every year, the whole town comes together for the Peach Festival. I think I ate enough peaches to last until next summer! :)

We are LOVING being closer to some of our best friends. While we miss our Arkansas friends everyday, we are so grateful for the friends we have that live close. Some of us have only dreamed about living close to each other since high school days. I love being close enough to call them up to meet for dinner or an afternoon swim. 

Fourth of July came and went as well. This is probably my favorite holiday. I love everything about it. Unfortunately this year I was in bed sick for days so the only celebrating I did was listening to the fireworks from our back porch. 

 July 5th was our 5 year anniversary and since I was still under the weather we didn't do anything special really. We had a few gifts to exchange to each other and then we took the dogs on a walk around the neighborhood together. It was simple and quite nice actually. It's hard to believe it's already been five years!

Hopefully I can stay caught up on the blog. Some days I think, I don't have anything exciting to write about. Other days, I look back and wish I had written more...even about the simple things in life. So here's so writing more.

I hope your July is going splendidly! :)

Weekend Review: Road Trip to Arkansas

We moved to Louisiana, my home state, and never thought I would be homesick for Arkansas but boy was I ever! Arkansas we have missed you. It was so great to return for a few days!

Sometimes all you need is a roadtrip with your other half

to a place that is familiar and comfortable

to see friends that you just can't live without.

Sometimes you need to indulge

relax

and make memories.

Sometimes you just need reminding how much you are loved in this life 

and to spend a weekend with those who love you the most. 

Go Dawgs!!

Tonight was Buie & my's first LA Tech basketball game as official Rustonites! yay! It feels official now. We really live here. We can literally drive 10 minutes to get to the stadium. I know it sounds silly but I'm so sappy when it comes to anything Tech related. It sounds silly, especially since I didn't even attend Tech. Louisiana Tech has been such a big part of my upbringing and I have so many happy memories attending sporting events with my family. I hope we can provide the same for our family. As I watched my niece, Makaylan, cheering for the dawgs tonight, I couldn't help but remember me as a little girl cheering in my little Tech cheerleader outfits. 

As Buie and I were driving to the game tonight, he informed me that the last Tech basketball game that he went to was when he drove down from Little Rock to ask my daddy if he could marry me. My dad already had plans to go to the Tech game, so of course Buie went with him. I'm so glad Buie went to that game with my dad. Can you believe that was FIVE YEARS ago!?!

One day at a time

I work from home as a photographer. My office is my couch, my kitchen table, my desk in my actual office, (although most days it's too messy to see the top of the desk). Sometimes my office is at Starbucks and my absolute favorite place to "work" is when I'm actually shooting a session because my office can be anywhere! I purposefully don't plan shoots everyday so that I will have just days when I am at home working. I have tried shooting in the morning, then coming home to edit but most days when I get out of the house (meaning, when I'm dressed for the day), I want to seize the opportunity. I'll run errands, go visit a friend or go see my nephews who live close by. So I plan several stay at home days where my main focus is just to edit a recent session, promote my business, make client phone calls, etc.

On these particular days I'm doing spectacularly if I shower and put on an "outfit" of some sort. Most of the time, I'll throw on my yoga pants and a baggy tshirt, grab a cup of coffee and head for my spot on the couch. The days when I miraculously put on makeup, earrings, and cute shoes, I usually document it. (And you know this if you follow me on Instagram. View my Instagram pics.) Side note:: It really is a marvelous app. It can take an average looking person & with the right editing make you look (or at least feel like you look) like a million bucks. It really is a good job for me, not only because I truly feel like I have found my passion, but because the structure of the job itself fits my personality. I "structure" the days how I want. Sounds like a dream huh? Yes, it is definitely my dream job (no offense to my former job which I LOVED by the way and still miss all the people I worked with). But in the last (almost) two years, I have found things to not be so clear cut.

You see, I'm not a planner. If I could live my life minute to minute, I would. I love being spontaneous and often times impractical (according to my wonderful husband). So many times, I will get an idea in my head, grab Buie's arm and say "Oh let's go do this! RIGHT NOW!" Whatever it may be...it doesn't really matter because according to Buie, it wasn't in the "plan" for that evening. There are times when planning is crucial- like when you get married. Of course, you have to plan your wedding or if you have a wedding planner for a mother like I did, you just let her do everything. :) B and I make plans for date nights. We plan family trips, doctor appointments, time hanging out with our friends. I have learned to plan... a little anyway.

There is a certain amount of planning that goes into owning a business. I plan client photo sessions. I schedule time in my days to edit their pictures in order to return them in a timely manner. All of this takes planning. Heck I never imagined that I, the person who can't do simple addition in her head, would be the one paying the bills in our family. I am in charge of the finances for not only our household but also my business. Yeah, if you know me at all, then you are probably laughing, especially my math teachers.

The point is, I fail all the time at the things I "planned" to do. Two out of the four animals that we have were seriously overdue for their vaccinations...until today, that is. Our garage looks like a tornado went through it. I've had plans to organize it for years now. The power steering fluid has been low in my car for weeks. To make a sharp turn, I practically have to break my arm to turn the wheel. Yeah I know it's not safe but I don't think about it until I make a sharp turn and it takes me two hands to turn the wheel.

So why am I ranting about my failures? Who knows maybe I thought it would make me feel better. The truth is Im a laid back easy going person. I think this is why I dont stress too much over the things not done. I know it will eventually get done. (Side note: This system does not work well in college. When professors say they want a paper turned in by 5pm, they actually mean 5pm, not the next morning or the next week) But these days, in the early stages of my business, if I can get through the day having done one more thing on my "to do" list in addition to editing, promoting, ordering products, emailing clients, etc., I feel good about myself.

I'm still trying to find that balance. I will never be a super organized, rigid planning type of gal and that's okay with me.

I'm taking it one day at a time.

Wednesday I went for a walk with Scooter at Two Rivers Bridge Park, something Ive been meaning to do for a while now. Yesterday I bought pumpkins and decorated my front porch. Today I did a load of laundry, a few dishes and took the cats to the vet. One day at a time, people. Maybe one day I'll hire myself an assistant. Wouldn't that be a dream? But until then, I'll just dream of having a marked off to do list. (yeah, right!) Its a good thing I love my job.

Last week.

Last week and weekend was big for our family. Let's see, to remember it all I'll just go day by day:

Tuesday, July 3rd: Buie & I grilled out with our friends, Alicia & Brian. I didn't take any pictures for some reason but we always have a good time over at their house. We celebrated the 4th the night before because B had to work on the night of the 4th.

Wednesday, July 4th: This has always been my favorite holiday. Even when I was young I remember being in awwe of fireworks and no three colors go better together than RED, WHITE & BLUE. :) Since Buie was working, I celebrated by hitting up the 4th of July sales at all of the local flea markets and antique stores. :)

I found this great vintage needlepoint rug for our guest bathroom. I love it. Conner was too sure about it, though.

Thursday, July 5th: Happy Anniversary to us. We had a lot to do around the house and spent the day doing normal things like laundry and cleaning. We're so exciting, huh? We had decided to drive into Minden the NEXT day instead of on our actual anniversary so we went to a super "fancy" dinner. ha. We had gluten free pizza at US Pizza, then went across the street to a gas station and had gas station icecream. SUPER FANCY! :)

Friday, July 6th: We had the bright idea to get up at 5:30 in the morning and drive to Louisiana (instead of driving the night before). You see we had a doctor's appointment at 10am in Ruston we HAD to make. So, did we make it in time? Why yes we did! After dropping off the dogs in Minden at 9:20ish, we might have sped just a little - but we made it! Buie & I both are seeing the doctor now. Hopefully he'll make us nice and healthy, so we can make nice & healthy babies one day. :) 

Friday afternoon we got to meet our new little niece, Hannah Elizabeth! I snapped a few newborn pics that I'll share later with you.

 Saturday morning was party day. We started out celebrating Landon's second birthday with a Mickey Mouse pool party. Our family ended the day by celebrating mom's 60th with close friends and family.

What a crazy week! I wanted to document it all mainly so I wouldn't forget. I hope y'all had a great 4th of July week!

July.

Let's just talk about July for a minute. The month of July holds a special place in my heart. This is the month in which I was born so naturally it's the best month. :) Buie & I were married in July. Our nation won its independence in the month of July. Many of my family members were also born in this month, including my mother and my nephew. My brother, Craig, married Nicole in this month. Now that we have established that there are a lot of anniversaries and birthdays in this month, let's discuss briefly what else makes this month special. Here are just a few:

• Family bar-b-q's. & well, just family time in general. 
• Time in or around a body of water.  Let's face it, it's just too darn hot too NOT be by the pool, on the lake or at the beach this summer
• WATERMELON.  When God invented watermelons, He had the Fourth of July in mind, I'm sure of it. 
• Fireworks. Enough said. 

There is something about summertime that just makes me crave snow cones, family time and secretly makes me want to run through the sprinklers like when I was little. (I may or may not have done this just yesterday)  

So from one summer lovin' soul to another, HAPPY JULY! Go soak up some sun! 

Oh, and Happy FOURTH! :) 

Wednesday's thoughts

Well, May has already kick started and I feel like I haven't stopped to breath in quite some time. From the birth of Carson, trying desperately to keep with a new business in it's busy season, eat healthy, pay attention to my own family, get enough exercise and lose weight, oh and have some sort of social life...well, there is little to no time left. But isn't that everyone struggle in life? Finding the balance in life. I just feel blessed to wake up everyday and do what I love everyday. I know not everyone in life is that lucky. So if I don't blog as often as I used to, just know I'm busy doing what I love...enjoying life, making memories, loving on dogs & cats, taking pics and soaking up life's little sweet spots. :)

Sweet JoJo is still with us... not sure what this means in the long run but for now 

we are lovin' on him like he is already a part of the Buie's zoo. :)

 Whenever I am gardening this is my view. They just sit by the gate and watch me.

 And I caught them when they were perfectly lined up by height. Small. Medium. Large.

 I love it! I'm pretty sure this is a framer! 

Hazel has been enjoying more days outside this Spring. I always watch her to make sure she stays right around the house and she always does. She loves the sunshine but when she wants a little shade, you can find her in the dog house because heaven forbid my little princess get a sunburn. ;)

Hope y'all are having a great week!
-The Buie's Zoo

Easter Weekend

This Easter weekend was all about family. My mom and dad drove up from Louisiana to spend some QT time with us. This was the last time they would spend with Craig, Nicole & Landon before Carson gets here! yay! He's due on the 25th of this month. So we soaked up as much Landon time as possible! :)

Friday evening Buie's parents drove up as well from Rison and the whole family had dinner at Maddie's Place. We all shared a plate of Louisiana crawfish and watched Pop teach Landon how to howl like a coyote which was quite entertaining.

Saturday morning I dropped our foster dog JoJo off at CARE for adoption day with my fingers crossed. Each time, JoJo goes to a new home for a trial run or to a adoption day it's bitter sweet. I have high hopes he will one day find the perfect family to take care of him like we do but in my heart I wonder if there is anyone who will really love him as much as I already do. I'm kind of mad at myself for falling in love with this dog. Why oh why do I love animals so much? Well, I picked up JoJo from CARE and no potential owners asked about him. No one wanted more information on him. No one. But I was just as happy to take him back home to me. Sometimes I wonder if this is where he belongs....

Mom and I headed over to Dempseys Bakery to get a couple of Easter treats and grab lunch. They had a gluten free hot dog stand! I was pretty excited actually. It's been about 5 years since I've had a hot dog with a bun on it (which is actually just a wiener). If you're gluten free and live in the Little Rock area, you HAVE to check out Dempseys Bakery. EVERYTHING they make is GLUTEN FREE! EVERYTHING. I only allow myself to go in their every month or two for a treat. It's so tempting just to open up my purse and start dumping things in and screaming "I've been deprived of these things for YEEEEAAARS!!" But I don't. They might call the cops or something. I managed to only eat a hot dog, some chips and two gf cookies and I was stuffed. But man! was it gooood!

Saturday night, we went to a swanky engagement party for one of my dear friends and I'm mad at myself for not taking any pictures because it was at a gorgeous house overlooking the Arkansas river. Oh well. You can just imagine how pretty it was. Sunset over the river. Aaahh. Pretty huh?

Sunday was Easter and I woke up to this: Sweet right? Not only does my husband cook all of my meals for me, he surprises me with Easter baskets filled with my favorite magazines, favorite candy and a new book to read on the beach next week. Oh, and he's all mine, so no, you can't have him! ;)

Monday mom, dad, Landon, Craig and I spent some time downtown and I rode my first trolly but I'll save that for another post... Hope y'all are having a great week!

Cousin Time

I'm catching up on some blogging and I can't NOT blog about these two cuties. After our Mexico trip, I did a quick load of laundry, picked up my car at the dealership, packed up some photo props for my next shoot and headed down to Louisiana. I had made plans to shoot two birthday parties in Shreveport, but FIRST I had to see my niece and nephew. My family (minus mom & Buie) met at our favorite local catfish restaurant, Port au Prince, to enjoy a little food & fellowship and of course entertainment from these two:

Lately I've seen my niece, Makaylan, more often than usual. My oldest brother, his wife, and Makaylan came up to Little Rock a couple a weeks ago for some family time. We loved seeing the two of the kids interact. I just know they are going to be best friends!

Pretty soon we will have one more niece and one more nephew to add to our family! My nephew, Carson, will be here in less than a month! Woo hoo!