It's not the FALL that kills you...

It's fall again already, I swear it was just yesterday that we were ringing in the new year and April showers were bringing May flowers. I hate how time goes by so quickly these days. Don't get me wrong, I love fall, it could possibly be my second favorite season if it's presence didn't mean winter was swiftly on it's way. For those of you that know me well, know that I am not a big fan of winter. I tend to get very depressed and a haunting lonely feeling sinks in with the first sign of cold in the air. But, I always try to make the best of it by enjoying what I love so much about fall. The beautiful colors, the smells in the air, the season of family and the holidays. After watching the news last night and getting wind of a very nasty storm that could possibly bring us our first snow fall tomorrow, my mom and I decided today was the perfect day to take in autumn. We drove up Little cottonwood canyon today and enjoyed a warm fall breeze and the gorgeous changing leaves. Here are some photos from our day up the canyon.




My mom tried her hand at portraiture.

My beautiful mother

The day I turned 26

So my 26th birthday was on the 16th and I was fortunate enough to spend the majority of the day with three of my best girl friends. The day started off with lunch with my friend Sani at California Pizza Kitchen, one of our favorite restaurants, and a little bit of shopping at the Gateway. Afterwards we met up with my sister at Four Season Nails and we all got pedicures. I went with a deep slightly sparkly red, Sani chose a dark brownish red, and Brianna of course, went with a near black purple. Then they patiently waited while I got my nails done as well :)


After killing several hours at the salon we met up with my friend Signe, whom I am proud to say is my oldest friend, we have known each other our entire lives. Although it is rare that her and I actually get to spend time with one another ON our actual birthdays, so it was definitely a treat! We all got together for dinner at the Cheesecake Factory where they decorated a slice of Peanut Butter Fudge cheesecake and the staff sang me happy birthday (in a completely non-embarassing way, I might add) so that was nice. After stuffing ourselves of some seriously fattening food, Sani went home to her husband and the three of us, Brianna, Signe and I all went to the Utah State Fair.


By the time we got there we only had about an hour or so to kill so we just walked around being silly and checking out all the odd and disgusting things they have at the fair. Like a miniature, and quite scary looking Harry and the Henderson's doll, fried alligator, all kinds of cheap knick knacks and odds and ends and deep fried twinkies, oreos, candybars and brownies. Blah!


then we decided to check out the animals at the fair and walked around looking at the sheep and goats. One goat kept trying to eat Signe's shirt, it was pretty funny. Then some random guy showed us how to feed goats peanuts with our mouths. It was kind of scary and a little gross, but still kind of funny so we all tried it. Signe and I look totally freaked out, while Brianna looks somewhat comfortable and at ease. Maybe she's done this before???


After the fair we were pretty much pooped out and decided to call it a night. The next evening, since I didn't even see my husband all day on my b-day, due to me being gone with the girls, Rob and I went out. After coming home and surprising me with 2 dozen long stem roses we then drove down to Sundance where we had dinner at the Foundry Grill. The atmosphere was great, the food was delicious and the service was perfect! I couldn't have asked for a better dinner.


I've decided I'm at the point where birthdays are not as exciting as they used to be because along with celebrating and cake, you also get a year older and I'm not sure I like that my early and mid 20's are now behind me. But I do love being able to spend time with my best friends, my wonderful husband and seeing my family, so I guess if it means I got get older too, then so be it.

Thanks to everyone who wished me a happy birthday and made my day special. I love you all!

Cabinet Overhaul

Well it's finally done. We are completely moved in (although not nearly completely unpacked) to our new house. Before moving in we repainted the entire upstairs, had the whole house professionally cleaned, the carpets stretched and cleaned, stained all the cabinets in the kitchen and master bathroom, made some major and minor repairs and got all new appliances. While we hired professionals to do everything else, my mom, mother-in-law and I decided to do the cabinets on our own. I have never taken on anything even remotely close to a project like this and really had no idea what I was getting myself into, but I can definitely say that it was worth it. For those of you that saw our old house, our new kitchen is at least twice as big and has A LOT more cabinets. What I thought we could accomplish in a day ended up taking 3 days from start to finish, but it looks great and I couldn't have done it without my two mothers :)

Here are some before and after photos of our handy work.

Before they moved out...



After they moved out, before the paint job...



Cabinets before and after...



The finished product...



Like I mentioned, we're still in the process of unpacking everything and putting it away. We also still need to finish furnishing and decorating the place but once we're all settled there will be more updates and a big house warming party!

Our life thus far...

Well I finally decided that I should start a blog for our little family so I could keep everyone updated on our personal lives and not just my photography. So here is a little update to get everyone up to speed.

Rob and I purchased our first home just before we got married and planned to live there for two years then turn around, sell it, and move into something a little bigger, newer and nicer. So when that time came we were a little apprehensive given the recent economy but I am happy to report that we have successfully accomplished that goal! We listed our home in Sugarhouse on April 11th and exactly two months later it was sold, and we even made some money! We closed on that home on July 15th but had not found another place to move into. So, for the time being, we have been living with my in-laws in their basement while we found a new home. After many weeks, several offers and a new Realtor we finally found the perfect place. We had a little bit of a nightmare trying to close but we struggled through it and closed on our new home on August 24th. We are now in the process of painting, staining and cleaning and then we will move in!

The home was built in 1998 and is located in Draper on the lower east ridge, we have big plans for it that among completely repainting the entire main level, also include pouring a patio, updating hardware and counter tops, darkening cabinets etc. I will be posting some before and after photos once the painters are finished and cleaned up to keep everyone updated on the step by step process. It's amazing how much a little paint can completely change a home! Although it gets a little overwhelming at times, we are excited to have found a home with so much potential that we can make our own.

As far as our jobs are concerned, Rob is going on his 4th year at Clear Channel Broadcasting where he is the marketing and promotions director for 3 of the 6 radio stations that they own locally. There have been a lot of changes lately including layoffs that resulted in Rob losing all of his assistants and changing and reformatting all the radio stations under him. Despite the adjustments Rob is still loving his job and is excited to be involved in some of the recent changes. He is learning a lot and hopes it will help him continue to move up the corporate ladder.

Work has been incredibly busy for me lately as I have been juggling weddings, concerts, portraits and a few special events I have been involved with, not to mention I have also started doing more invitations, cards and customized photo albums for clients. I will also be participating in two upcoming wedding expos back to back. One on the 12th of September at the South Towne Expo Center and one the following weekend on the 19th at Thanksgiving Point. I normally only do 2 a year, so I'm not used to two in one month. But I'm hoping the exposure and hard work will continue to pay off. Wedding season is starting to wind down now though, which is nice but it's just in time for family portrait season to start up! Yes, there is a family portrait season, it usually starts about now and goes strong through October. I don't know what it is about the fall, but everyone loves to take advantage of the many photo ops that the changing leaves and vibrant colors of fall provide. So though I will be able to get a little bit of a breather, going from shooting every day to every other day, I am happy to stay busy and be doing something I love! If you'd like to stay updated on my photography, please read and follow my photography blog at StacyMariePhotography.blogspot.com.

That's about it for now. Keep checking back for more updates and photos!