In the garden.

Posted on October 28, 2010 by andreaalley

As promised, I went to check out the garden with LJ yesterday. Turns out she's a huge fan of dirt, and I'm a pro at breaking things. The soil looked a little dry, so I decided to turn on the timer for a quick 30 minute soaking. As I was pushing the button to set it, the whole thing snapped off the spigot, and water started pouring out into our neighbor's plot! Uhh. Way to go, Andrea. Apparently I shouldn't be left alone in the garden unless you want important components to get completely destroyed.

Our radishes and green beans are champs just like last time, and everything else is either sprouting or will any day now. Since I can only post so many photos of the garden's progress before you want to stab out your eyes with hot forks from the boredom, I decided to add a little interest in the form of a cute baby in pink. Not that I don't post enough pictures of said baby as it is… but babies are a little more interesting to watch grow than sprouting veggies.

Agritopia Community Garden.

Posted on October 27, 2010 by andreaalley

I was super stoked when my friend Vanessa asked me to share a plot at the Agritopia Community Garden with her and her mom. I have been dying to learn to garden and this was the perfect opportunity. The soil is what Vanessa refers to as "magical soil" AND the garden is strictly organic. I love the idea of feeding my family things that I was involved in from seed to plate, and not only that, but to share in that fun with a good friend!

You may remember Vanessa and her husband Jason from this post featuring some of their maternity pictures. Their little boy Lincoln was born on 10.10.10 and he is such a handsome little nugget! I got to see him last week and he is sooooo precious! I forgot what it was like to have a baby that small… and it hasn't even been that long. Oh boy.

Anyway, three weeks ago (the day before Vanessa's due date/inducement!) we headed out there and seeded our 20' x 20' plot.

And thirteen seconds later, Lincoln was born.

About ten days later, Amber and I headed out to check on our little sprouts, and we discovered that we are indeed in business!

I'm heading back out there today to check out the progress and see if anything needs to be done. I love being a part of something that fosters community and friendship and mutual support and healthful living. We are in very good company with other novice gardeners, urban farm experts, restauranteurs and friends, all who are willing to offer advice and share what they are learning along the way. It's so much fun and I hope my little girl learns a lot from these experiences in the coming years!

Kelly and Mondo.

Posted on October 26, 2010 by andreaalley

The weekend of October 16th was a wonderful time of celebrating the wedding of our dear friends Kelly and Mondo! I have known Kelly and her family and friends for several years now, and although they all grew up together in a small town and have been friends since childhood, they have never made me feel like an outsider- they have always treated me as if I had been there all along, and I simply adore these ladies!

I hosted the bachelorette party that Thursday night with the sweetest MOH ever, Katie, at our house and it was a super fun, laid back time with some really great women. Katie and I set up a taco bar and a dessert table and asked the ladies to bring their beverages of choice.

My BFF Amber came into town that weekend to partake in the festivities, although we missed her at the bachelorette party. She came into town on Friday night after the rehearsal and joined us at Boulders on Broadway for the rehearsal dinner. Our friends Erick and Rochelle are the owners there and let me just say, the pizza was dee-lish!

Saturday was The Big Day, and all of the bridesmaids (all 8 of them!), along with Kelly's mom and cousin, came over to our house to get prettified for our big walk down the aisle.

I didn't have a chance to take many pictures over the weekend, but here are a few of my favorites (party printables made by moi via the TomKat Studio– Swanky Chandelier collection):

These delicious cupcakes were made by Kelly's sister, Lindy, who also happened to make the gorgeous, bird-nest cupcakes for my baby shower! SHE'S GOOD. If you need baked items, let me know so I can get you in touch with her.

Session Nine did the photography for the Rivera wedding, so be sure to check out their site in the near future for some amazing images of the event. It took place in the huge backyard of what quickly became our dream house- the Richardson family took a quaint little house and remodeled it into something that belongs on HGTV! Again, with the lack of pictures!

Kel, thank you for asking me to stand with you as you married the love of your life! It was truly such an honor! I adore each of you separately, but even more so together… and I can't wait to see what God has planned for the shared life that's unfolding before you. You both chose well, and it was an amazing weekend! Just remember, if it weren't for my and Amber's phenomenal and lawyer-like pursuasive skills at the YH last year, you may not have taken that risk and jumped in with that amazing guy from Colorado who is now your husband! Haha! Kidding. And p.s., the traveling pants will be making their journey your way very, very soon.

Busboom Family Photos.

Posted on October 25, 2010 by andreaalley

Over the weekend I had the pleasure of capturing this fun family and can't resist sharing a few of my favorites with you. Dena and I have been friends for a long time and I am so thankful for all the ways she has been a good friend to me over the years. She and her husband, Ryan, are hosting an exchange student from Germany- her name is Jenny and she's quite the supermodel! It was the first time I met her and she is a doll! We got to sneak in a couple of senior-esque photos and head shots for Dena's new business venture.

Dena, Ryan and Jenny, thanks for asking me to capture these moments with you guys- I had a blast and hope you enjoy this preview!

Shine.

Posted on October 21, 2010 by andreaalley

The hubby shared this video with me last night and I think it's just stunning… plus I have always loved this song. And! They used more than 700,000 Light Bright pegs to make it! Totally animation-free! Amazing. And what a sweet and sad and heartwrenching story to go along with it. It made me cry, but then again, I'm a sucker for these things- the song brought tears to my eyes long before I ever saw the video.

Thank you for overcoming this heart of mine, o God.

Shine by David Crowder Band.

http://www.vevo.com/VideoPlayer/Embedded?videoId=US82Y1000066&playlist=false&autoplay=0&playerId=62FF0A5C-0D9E-4AC1-AF04-1D9E97EE3961&playerType=embedded&env=0

I Heart Faces: In the Orchard.

Posted on October 18, 2010 by andreaalley

I've been tied up the past couple of weeks not only with work, but also with getting ready for Kelly and Mondo's wedding day! More on that later- it was an amazing weekend and I was so honored to stand up for one of my dearest friends as she married the love of her life!

I got really excited when I saw that this week's challenge for I Heart Faces is called "In the Orchard." On Saturday we did the wedding photos with none other than Jason of Session Nine with Chris Ward at this gorgeous Pecan orchard. I've seen the products of some photo shoots done there and thought it made a stunning backdrop, but I hadn't been there before. I took LJ back there today for a little mini-shoot and here's my entry- I love this sweet little angel!

The dirt and the boots are growing on her. The ants… not so much.

Be sure to check out the other fun entries here. If I can settle into more of a routine, I hope I will get to head out for shoots more often- ESPECIALLY now that fall seems to have officially made its debut here in Arizona!