Courtney's game

So games are fun right?  People generally like to

 play and especially with these blog games people like to learn new things about you.  I could consider this one of my top 5 favorite new things but I won't.  Courtney started this blog game where I have to tell you with a picture (if possible) my 5 new favorite things that I am into right now.  

So here goes.......

1.  So this is old and some of you know and some of you don't, but my panini maker is the best thing EVER!  I swear by it.  Every sandwich is better when it is hot and grilled.  I just ate my ham and cheese sandwich right off of the "grill" and it was amazing!

2.  My new 85 mm f 1.2 lens.  You know how you all love the pictures where the back ground is all blurry and the people just pop off of the page, this is why, and of course my amazing ability as a photographer.....just kidding!

3.  Well I need a camera to go with my amazing lens, and this is it.  A canon 5D.  I love this camera.  It is such a joy to take pictures with this beast!  I might surgically attach it to my hand soon.  I tell you my arms are going to be ripped after taking pictures with this camera and lens.

4.  My new LA Made racer back tank top.  I am wearing this shirt as we speak while sitting outside typing this post.  I see my reflection in the monitor and I just adore the top.  It is white and I love

 white clothes.  It is racer back my new favorite style of shirt (so lets count that as #5).  It has ruffle so it makes a simple shirt seem so much more elegant and fun.  I wish my wedding dress looked like this!  The even better part is that I got it 15% off.  You know you can almost always find a promotion code online for any clothing you want to buy, or any product for that matter.  Just google "promotion code" for whatever store you are shopping, and all sorts of goodness will come from it.  There are so many sales and bargains happening now that it is almost ridiculous to buy full price these days.  That was some free advice for you, no promotion code needed!

Thanks Courtney for the fun game!  

I would also love to remind people to go to my photo blog HERE and see pictures of Nick and Niki's sweet baby, Julia.

Mother's day

Check out my Mother's day present from my sweet sweet man!  I pulled in from my trip to Greenville and this was waiting for me (well not the flowers, but he knows I want to pick those).  I LOVE it!!!!  I just smile every time I walk past.  It has been my great honor in life to be BellaRose's mother.  She is just so special and so so sweet!  She is a helper to the core.  If I ask her to help me with something she stops in her tracks and gets so excited.  She is a ball of energy and never stops except for sleep.  I wish everyone in the whole world knew her because to know her is love her!

As I mentioned I went to Greenville for the weekend to help cele

brate my oldest sister, Kelly's, birthday, Mother's day, and Kelly's husband's birthday!  It was a jam packed weekend, but so much fun.  Rocco lost his 1st tooth while we were there.  Do you know how much the tooth fairy is giving out these days?  $5!!!!!  I wish I could lose some teeth...... just kidding!   I hope you enjoy all the pictures of the niece and nephews!

Full week

Even though I am pretty sure that we live in a rainforest now we were still able to have some good times outside and more importantly good times with friends!  Before I tell you all about the friends I would like to point you to the picture on your right.  I am choosing to call this little area on my deck my oasis!  I know all this rain is SO good on so many levels but one of the being the hope that my plants are just going to go wild with blooms. 

 Heres to hoping!

On to the friends now.  Kristin came up with her sweet little chunky newborn, Buxton!  He is just precious.  I have been wanting to meet this sweet little boy for weeks now and they were so gracious as to travel up to the mountains for this meeting!  Thank you so much!  Margaret also brought her 6 week old little Beckett over for the day to play.  Buxton is exactly one month older then Beckett.  BellaRose really was in heaven with these two babies around.  She LOVES babies SO much.  She is so tender with them and makes sure that they have all their needs met.  This is very encouraging to us (no I am not pregnant).  We also had a BOB rally around the neighborhood.  I guess some would say we were showing off, but when you have wheels like these, you just have too!

Yeasterday Becky and I went to the WNC nature center in Asheville.  BellaRose surprised me a bit with being afraid of the petting zoo.  One of the sheep "baaa'd" really loud and low and that sent BellaRose flying in the opposite direction.  She had no time for the goats either.  We thought that if Ellen and Becky were touching the goats then she would as well, no such luck.  Becky did, however, have a vast knowledge of goats.  You should ask her about it sometime.  I was also able to get some tractor pictures for Will's room that Annie has been asking for.  I think that they came out pretty well.  Check them out here.  Next we have to get a picture of an old firetruck and a picture of Dan's '88 (is that right?) 4 Runner.  

as I went down to the garden.....

It is that time of year folks, it is garden time!  We Grants love this time of year.  We scout the weather meticulously to make sure that no more frost is coming our way.  We have the bebe gun all pumped full of pellets in case some bird has their eye on our little tomato plants.  The horse manure has been spread, the ground as been tilled, and the rows have been hoed (?), the plants are in!  After much begging on my part Worth has finally let me have some access to some rows and I can plant my beloved pumpkins.  I thought he wasn't going to waiver on this, he says they take up too much room, I say it is my joy.  Was he willing to let my joy be tossed away with the compost, nope, not my man!  Lets me honest though, this is really his garden.  He plants, he tills, he hoes, I just go out and observe and pick the fruits of his labor!

Uncie Ben helps us out by entertaining BellaRose.  

Have I mentioned BellaRose's obsession with water before?  

Big Daddy planting his tomatoes, and BellaRose "helping".

Blog worthy

Worth and I had the wonderful opportunity to go to Hilton Head Island, babyless, to celebrate Leah's wedding!  It was SUCH a fun time.  I just wish it was a wedding week and not weekend!  The blog was the subject of several conversations and whether people would make the cute or not.  So here you go Smith family women (Peanut where are you?), you are officially blog worthy and have made the blog, it only took an awesome wedding to be on here!  Good thing you have two more girls to go, just more chances to be on here :)!

We got to meet Newell's new man who cannot be mentioned by name, something about a warrant....... ha just kidding.  Dottie you have made it too!  And believe it or not I have finally made it in some pictures.

The gorgeous bride living The High Life!

Thank you again everyone.  Thank you Leah for getting married and having us at your wedding.  Thank you Hefners, big Poppa, and T-love for watching the little girl.  It was an awesome trip, just went by way too fast!

Phew!!! 

 Been busy around here.  

We had such a lovely Easter.  My mom came on Good Friday and we enjoyed a great lunch at the Veranda and BellaRose enjoyed getting new Easter shoes from her OG!  We got so many compliments on them Mom, thank you so much!  Saturday we celebrated Ellen's first birthday.  It was such a wonderful party, Becky!!!  You can check out those pictures on my photo blog.

 We went to church on Easter morning and then brunch at the Singeltary's.  Thank you for including us in your family meal.  BellaRose and Will had a blast hunting Easter eggs.  I was not sure that BellaRose would really get it, but once girlfriend found her first egg, the hunt was on.  

I am not sure if it is just BellaRose or all babies, but this child could be a little OCD about some things.  For instance we can't pass an form of water without the child wanting to strip naked and jump in said water.  Swim lessons can't come fast enough.  Another obsession of hers is lotion.  We can't put it on anywhere around her without her wanting some.  This will be beneficial to us in the summer when we are having to load her down with sunscreen.  The middle picture below is of her on Easter afternoon after her nap.  We were putting sunscreen on her and she could not get enough, she had to put it on herself and then sit there and smell it.  She is one funny kid!

Isn't that just the sweetest Easter dress EVER!

So I feel like I have been totally consumed with the photo blog, the photo website, and reading, reading, reading about photography and cameras.  My brain is on complete overload.  I know I have completely bogged down my computer with huge pictures and am not sure what to do.  Do I need an external hard drive?  What do I do once I get one?  Also what is better photoshop or adobe lightroom?  So many questions!  I could go on and on.  I mention this, not to complain but to tell you where my mind has been recently.  I really do feel like I am learning, which is exciting.  I really do feel like I am doing the right thing, which is also exciting.  I really do live and breath photography right now, and I have to tell you I could not be happier.  A photographer is all I have ever really wanted "to be when I grow up".  Thank you all for your support.  It has meant the world to me having you as my supporters!

One final note on the Grant family.....Worth has finally gotten Lasik surgery.  He has been saying he is going to do it for years, but he finally has.  His vision WAS terrible, but already the day of the surgery, he can see.  It really is a miracle.  A miracle that God gave us humans the ability to change our eye sight and the ability for the doctors to perform these surgeries.  Praise the Lord indeed!  He is doing great, a little uncomfortable at times, but amazing considering what they do to your eye.  

Launch Party!

I know all I have talked about is photography and I do apologize for that but I am just SO excited to announce my official Sunday Grant Photography website.

Lets have a party, a launch party, right here right now.  Do a crazy dance if you want.  BellaRose and I did.  Tell me what you think!

Exciting times

So sorry to MIA lately.  Like I said on my photo blog I have been a busy girl lately, learning as much of this photo business as I can.  I am almost ready to launch my official website!!  This is so exciting.  I had many frustrating moments learning about the website, but I powered through and it is really looking good.  I also got some wonderful camera equipment (thanks Courtney!) that I can't wait to start using.  I am so excited about this adventure.  So please tell your friends and family about me, spread the word!!  Sunday Grant Photography is happening and I am ready to start shooting (my camera)!!

Speaking of powering through, I ran my 2nd 5k race of the year.  It really was a blast.  It was much hillier then the treadmill, but I powered through and beat my last time by 5 minutes!!  I was very pleased.  It was just a fun race in general because it was pretty much all of Black Mountain there, and it started and began at Pisgah Brewery.  You just can't beat that atmosphere.  If you have never been to Pisgah and are in this area it would behoove you to go and support our local economy!

Beckett Hales Lowrance

We got to go to the hospital and take Matt and Margaret some lunch and meet that sweet baby boy we have been loving on in utero!  The family is doing fabulous and they are so in love with Beckett.  

Matt giving BellaRose some love.  I think that Matt is BellaRose's super hero!  She adores him!

She also adores babies and especially Beckett.  She was so very sweet with him!

Thank you Matt and Margaret for sharing your sweet boy with us. 

Sweet Baby Beckett!!

Sweet Baby Beckett made his grand entrance into the world yesterday!  He is the son to Matt and Margaret Lowrance, some of our best friends here.  We are so excited to have this little boy around.  We can't wait to meet him today and bring you back some pictures.  I think that Margaret might have had the longest labor I have ever heard of, but she did so well, and is in super high spirits!  Always the trooper, that Margaret!

Beckett weighed 6lbs 15oz and 19 inches long.

Sweet little peanut.

Believe

I believe in black and white pictures.

So Becky is starting a pretty fun game and I would like to join in and support her, because I believe in supporting your friends :)

Here's how it goes, write 5 beliefs or rules you live by, you can't be preachy, serious, religious, or political.  

1. I believe in the SUN and being outside!

2. I believe to sitting down and eating a meal with your family with cloth napkins and place-mats

3.  I believe in recycling, composting, and bringing your own bags

4.  I believe in a great pair of jeans (or pairs)

5.  I believe in fabulous vegetable and flower gardens and sharing them with your friends, and I believe in ALL seasons.

I know that there are many many more and maybe I will continue to add to the list but Becky only said 5 and I already snuck in a few extra.  So tell me what you believe in!

Dreams

There has never been a time when I have not wanted to be a photographer.  I have the chance now to follow that dream.  As many of you know I have recently launched Sunday Grant Photography.  I am so excited about this adventure.  It is scary to put myself and my work out there  It is only because of all of your encouragement that I am even doing this.  Thank you!  I invite you over to my photo blog, and I invite you to tell me honestly what you think, what could change, what could be better, and what is just perfect.  My photography captures life as it happens.  It is not staged or posed, it is just me and my camera following the subject (usually BellaRose) around in the places that they are most comfortable.  I hope that it speaks to you and that the images are something that would be treasured for lifetimes to come.  As Margaret says life is so much more exciting then staged photos.  I hope people allow me the chance to show them the world, their families, their special events, their lives through my lens. 

Southern Living

It seems a little odd for me to be writing to you about snow when yesterday I was in a sundress sitting in my front yard getting a tan.  But like I have said before you gotta love the south.  Snow on Monday, snowboarding on Tuesday, laying out Friday!  Speaking of snowboarding, Worth and I got to go thanks to Annie!  What a gorgeous wonderful day.  It did my soul good to be back on my board!  THANK YOU ANNIE!!!!

What would a snow day be without a picture of my Christmas tree, which by the way is now gone!  I was so sad.  Last night we had a fire, and I see the fire get real big every few minutes and then Margaret mentions my tree being burned!   My beautiful Christmas tree, which by the way still had not lost a single needle, BURNED!  Boys just like fire.  I do realize it is March and time for this to happen, but it is still just breaks my heart!

 

Yesterday I went with Annie and Sara to the Jcrew sidewalk sale.  It opened at 10 and we were there by 9:15.  We sat in line as we watched the Jcrew staff line boxes of clothes up in a U shape, and as this happens I see the people in front of me start to stretch and eye the few things we could see.  I started to get a little nervous what was about to happen?!  I am not a digger or a thrift store shopper (although I used to be).  I would much rather have clothes be beautifully lined up so I can see and then pick my size and be gone.  This digging thing is almost animalistic.  People become savages when any sort of bargain is to be had.  I am not real aggressive when it comes to this situation, but I have to tell you I am pretty sure I got the best deal to be had!  I bought a pair of gorgeous boots, THESE to be exact!  Check out the original price $300, want to know what I got them for?  $10.  That's right people, $10!!!!!  And they were in my size, are you kidding me!  They really are gorgeous and worth the whole trip.  Annie did get the only other pair in her size too, just a darker color.  I did get a few other things, but the boots certainly are the highlight!