Why in the world I fall into the indulgence of such material is mind blowing. Since my most recent birthday, Ive been experiencing many epiphanies. I don’t want to live in a surreal world where people make inspiration boards of things and/or places they’ll never get to. I don’t want to waste the little time on earth that I have “talking about my dreams”! No, I want to start living my dreams and I started with today…..

I woke up early, TOO early, and so did Jared. I was extremely restless for it only being 4:30am, must have been the tiramisu we ate before we went to bed. We decided to go ahead and crawl out of bed and make some coffee. Jared went about his abnormal morning routine by relaxing to a few games of the new annoyance known as, Call Of Duty (go ahead and hate on me, I said it). I took to the couch with my warm blanket and cup of piping hot coffee. Church didn’t start for another 6 hours so what in the world was I going to do? Especially so early in the morning. So….I got on Facebook, then Pinterest, then Facebook again, then my fitness blogs. Next thing I know Ive spent 3 hours on the computer. DOING NOTHING. How COMPLETELY self indulgent am I to be wasting so much time looking at useless material- or people complaining about the weather, Christmas budgets, or how cute their baby is?

Yuck.

I felt worthless. I literally accomplished nothing. Learned nothing new. Created nothing new. Nothing.

Then it dawned on me, START LIVING. Get off the couch, shut down the computer and START LIVING. I hopped out of my comfortable blankey, threw on my warmest PJ’s and grabbed my hubby in tow. “We’re having church at the dam today at sunrise” I proclaimed loudly to Jared. His response was nothing unexpected. “Whhaaaa?? Its like, cold outside!!!!” “We’ll grab coffee and keep each other warm. We’re never up at this time of day, lets take advantage of it!!”

So we rushed out the door- sun rising quickly mind you- and began scraping our windows…sun still rising quickly!! Once we were able to somewhat safely see the road we took off to Tim Hortons.

Crap, we forgot our wallet. We had to rush back home and quickly grab some cash, SUN STILL RISING! By this point, we could almost see the top of the sun peeking up over the horizon, I was thinking we weren’t going to make it. Its perfect timing for an inconvenience like this to arise when we’re already pressed for time. We ordered our coffee and sped to the dam, all while I had my favorite praise and worship songs playing, keeping me calm and at peace. The beginning was CHAOTIC, but we finally reached the dam, just in time to see the sun fully rise over the tree line.

This wasn’t enough for me. I needed to get out, I needed to walk the path that led me into the bright warm light. I needed to be refreshed. And I was….

I had such joy, such excitement and such LIFE!

I went out and lived, I saw the morning frost on the rock bed, I crouched by the water to take in the smell of the fog that rose from it glass-like stillness, I ran to the dam to HEAR the sound of the waterfall.

I LIVED IT.

I threw my arms into the air, faced the bright sun, shut my eyes and thanked GOD for creating such magnificence for us to enjoy. And what beauty he has created in my own backyard…..

We pulled back our sheets as we chit chatted about the details of our day. The fun part of talking to each other about our day is that we went THROUGH it together. 24/7, never apart.

I laid on my left as he laid on his right. We stared at one another smiling, laughing and giggling about little moments. He gently leaned into me and whispered that he never wanted to be without me. A flood of emotions ran through me as past memories swept into my mind. Then I said….

Remember our first night here? Our first night in our first house? What about our wedding night and staying in our VERY own place…We had nothing. Nothing but a bed, an old couch from a garage sale and our clothes. We woke up in our teeny little apartment and I brewed some coffee…remember? Then I sat in the living room, on our old couch, reminiscing about our wedding day and how it went too fast. Here we are, married, our own little apartment that held nothing but us and some old furniture. But what an adventure that was, what happiness that was….

Remember?

2 years later we were waking up in our own house. Our very first HOUSE that we actually owned.

I remember.

Once again, we had a bed, dresser, that same old couch and each other. We didn’t even have counter tops yet! But it worked.

I remember the smell. It was fresh. Like new construction, new carpet, new paint. I’ll never forget that first morning. We made coffee from our old brewer that sat on the floor. And drank from Styrofoam cups. Then ate cereal from Styrofoam bowls. It wasn’t lush…but it was with you.

For lunch we ordered Chinese take out from the place across the street. Again, eating from Styrofoam.

For dinner we didn’t have much money so we ordered some pizza from my parents. They were always happy to help…

Remember?

I would stay here forever as long as I was promised you’d be with me everyday. I never again want to go to bed thinking I wont see you when I wake up. I would be happy being poor, sitting on that old garage sale couch, sipping coffee from Styrofoam cups…as long as you were right there with me.

I love you. Never forget.

You’ve not been writing lately. Much at all, actually. I visit your blog looking for material to read AND pretty pictures to look at. Please come back.

Sincerely,

Me.

Okay, Im sorry. Here’s the scoop, I actually TRIED starting a new blog. That’s right, I was cheatin’ on ya. My new blog WAS called Rachel Is Running. My thought behind it was that I wanted to blog my running and dieting adventures but I updated it twice.

Oh yes, TWICE!

Rachel has been running, but not since last Saturday. To be VERY honest its way too hot out there right now and Im finding that to be my main excuse. But then I drive down the road and see these ripped, dedicated people, running and sweating the crap out of themselves, and I feel Ive failed.

Eh, their nuts, I say to myself. Yup…diagnosing their mental health issues made me feel much better about not getting my run in those days.

Today is a new day and we are NOW 12.5 weeks away from the half marathon and the farthest Ive gone is about 4 miles. I need to get back to work. Starting, again, today Im rededicating myself to my fitness and Clean Eating plan. I will continue to update THIS blog on my running adventures so that you can all be with me as I kill myself to run this half marathon.

I took my before picture about 2 weeks ago. I think I’m actually fatter than that photo right now. Ive been indulging in these DELICIOUS brownies I made on Sunday, which Ive since made ANOTHER pan. Yikes…want me to post the recipe?? huh?? do ya?? okay, I will…..

THANK YOU BETTY’S

One package of Betty Crocker fudges brownies
One package of Betty Crocker chocolate chip cookie dough (found next to brownies)

Prepare brownies as directed on the box. Pour into 9×13 greased pan. Set aside.
Prepare cookie dough as directed. Spoon cookie dough into brownie mixture and smush SLIGHTLY.

Bake that for 35-45 minutes in a 350 degree oven, let cool for ONE HOUR.

Then, OHHHH THEN….make the Ganache…

12 0z semi sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
6 oz butter

Melt the butter on medium heat, add whipping cream, heat JUST until boiling point. I wait til I see a couple little bubbles and then remove.
Pour the butter/cream mixture onto the chocolate chips (in a glass container) and wait 20 SECONDS before touching.
Stir until smooth and pour on top of brownies.
Then AGAIN, chill for one hour.
Indulge.

http://www.bakerella.com/thaaank-you-betty/

There is the link in case you want better directions

I leave you with this:

(Photo by: Bakerella)

And then with this….

What???? I love working out…AND Brownies….

Happy Thursday folks!

I’ll get there.

Someday.

The only thing worse than failure, is to have never tried at all.

Dont be the one to “fit in”. Be the one who STICKS OUT!

We took this time to upload our images from the day to have an extra backup and refuel our bellies. I leaned up against the wall next to Jared and let out a large sigh. Sigh of relief and relaxation. He took my hands and placed them on his shoulders in an attempt to give me a hug. He knows me well and knew that I looked like I could use a big comforting hug. In his arms I felt security, love and intense passion. A faint slow song started in the background of the reception for light dinner music and he took my right hand.

We giggled and fell deep into the moment of our little slow dance in the back room. No one around but us, engulfed into each others arms, slow dancing and falling more in love with each other in every moment.

Complete Happiness.

We got in late. The air was thick and muggy. I took a deep breath and filled my lungs with the sweet Carolina air. I smacked my lips. Salty. The fragrance brought back a rush of childhood memories of playing on the beach with my little sister. Did I say playing? What I meant to say was Hannah chasing me around the beach with some kind of squid, baby shark or slippery ocean creature in hand. I giggled lightly to myself and blinked away the memory becoming conscience of the wonderful men in our family unloading our super stuffed car. We all exchanged hugs and kisses, filled our arms with luggage and headed into the house.

Wow. What a gorgeous home.

We found our surfer themed room and unloaded from the long day’s drive. After we were able to settle down and snuggle up I was ready to be wrapped up into Jared’s arms. Snoooooze.

I woke up to Jareds hands rocking my shoulders back and forth….”You ready to get up now??”…..huh, that is definitely not the normal way of waking up.

I slowly rolled over, rubbed my eyes, supported my upper body with my left forearm and peeled back the blinds. My eyes must have gotten as big as watermelons! I saw vibrant pinks, purples, blues and yellows shining from behind the sun rising over the boundless Atlantic Ocean. I hopped out of bed like a bolt of lightening, grabbed my camera and headed out barefoot into the chilly sand. Jared followed close behind with our cups of coffee.

Beautiful experience. In that moment of watching the sunrise holding my coffee in one hand my hubby in the other I began to recognize and appreciate the simplicity of our lives. Peaceful.

(Taken with the iPhone)

I’m thrilled to announce the winner of the Chocolaterie giveaway!! When I received Jeanna’s entry I about balled my eyes out. I loved all of the entries but what it really came down to was who really captivated me with their description. For me, just recently losing my Grandfather to cancer, this really hit home. I’m very fresh in the feelings of losing that special part of my life. While reading her story and looking at the image I really feel a calm and peaceful spirit. I smile, I cry, I laugh. The image resembles such a soothing and tranquil life. Simple.

I love the color of the deep blue sky paired with deep green grass. I feel the cool fall day. I even smell the aroma of living in the country. Everything about this image and story was just a solid hit home.

CONGRATS JEANNA!!!!! You’ll be contacted to make arrangements on getting your box of chocolates. Maybe you’ll even want to share one with me??? HUH!???

The picture was taken this past October in very rural Wisconsin. I call it Grandma’s View.  My grandmother passed away last October and being from the country, she was buried in one of those small cemeteries in the middle of no where. The day after her funeral I went back out to spend some time with my grandma alone – away from my very large family.  Her cemetery sat on the corner of two roads and was surrounded by a dairy farm. I thought this was such a great location for my grandma to rest because she had been a dairy farmer all her life.  As I looked at my grandma’s headstone, I just turned to the left and saw the view depicted in the picture. A beautiful fall tree and an old outhouse or chicken coop (not sure what it is). Of course that day was filled with a beautiful blue sky. I couldn’t help but capture the image that reminded me of how beautiful my grandmother was – inside and out. I have since had the picture blown up on canvas and it hangs at the top of my stairs.  Everyday, my grandmother and I get to share the same view.

Well….maybe a beef biscuit bribe would get his attention…

Happy Wednesday!

Over the past 3 years we have experimented and worked very hard at defining our style and look. Shooting in so many different areas we found the we most enjoy shooting nature type settings. Whether it be out in the woods, out in the country, or some wide open field, it is who we are and what we love. I also found that I was most attracted to colors like pastels and neutral coloring. I just love the way it looks soft and simple behind the lens.

I will release more material as it keeps arriving. We have only received the bag tags so far so once we get everything in I will share the new promo work!

Now that Im a bit older my views and excitement for snow days are little to non existent. In fact, it makes me want to take a permanent vacation to the beach. But when I get feeling like this I just look back at our photos from previous trips down to the beach house. And it makes my heart smile…..

(Last photo by: David and Cathy Bock)

First off, if you remember last year I created an action called “Sassy Pants“! I got a lot of great reviews and responses to the new action so I created another one! I’m still working on the name of it so for right now we call it….Sassy Pants 2! ha! Here are some examples of Sassy Pants 2:

I’m so fond of this new action and cannot wait to apply it to our new look for 2011!!

The logo…this is a tough one for us. We sat down for a few hours and really thought about who we are, what style we want to reflect and what target market bride we want to attract. After all said and done we came up with an awesome logo that not only reflects Jared and I personally but will also attract the type of bride we want to shoot! Its perfect in every way. Our release date for our new brand is set to be launched by March 1st!!! Get ready for a bangin’ new face lift peeps!!!!

I would love to hear your thoughts about the new action! Leave me a comment below or shoot me a personal message on Facebook or at Contact@jacobusphoto.com

1. Become a fan of our Facebook page if you’re not already. All you have to do is hit the LIKE button!

2. Comment on THIS POST with the names of who you are voting for.

3. You can only vote ONCE. So, if you are the Bride and Groom, get as many of your friends and family on here to vote for you!!

4. If you are the couple with the most votes at the end you will receive a FREE 16×20 ($100 value)  print of your choice!!

5. All votes MUST be submitted no later than January 12th 2011 at 8:00 p.m. The winner will be announced on January 13th at 8:00pm!

HAVE FUN!!!!!

Heather and Alex G:

Jen and Andy:

Mattie and Tony:

Lauren and Bryan:

Holly and Ryan:

Grace and Zack:

Jenna and David:

Bryn and Justin:

Megan and Robert:

Brittany and Tony:

Dustin and Mel:

Stacy and Noah:

Courtney and AJ:

Lauren and Dan:

Cyndal and Ric:

Kandice and Dan:

Alicia and Von:

Ashley and Justin:

Heather and Tony:

Jen and Scott:

Nealie and Donavin:

Mariko and Dan:

Megan and Tim:

Heather and Alex R: