How we Spent our Second Anniversary

Photo by Steph Carson.

This year, our anniversary was spent in a way that is unlike any other: on tour. Brian left to join the corps mid-June, and I flew down to Texas on the 17th of June to meet them and primarily so we could spend our anniversary in the same state on June 19th. We knew we really wouldn't get to spend our anniversary "together"--he had to teach all day and I had to cook. But we did have one "special" moment when we rolled into our housing site sometime between probably 2-3 am the morning of the 19th. 


To set the scene: 

We get to the housing site at a very questionably "nice" school and find out we'll be sleeping in the auditorium. Which is fine. They're really dark when you turn the lights off. Usually plenty of outlets and a flat stage to sleep on. But then we walk into the auditorium and find out that it has obviously been locked up since school ended. With no air conditioning. 

So we're thinking we'll hear the AC kick on any minute and set up our air mattress in the back of the auditorium. For some reason everyone else went to sleep and turned out the lights in like 2 seconds. So I'm fumbling around in the dark trying to find my contacts stuff and glasses in my suitcase. We try to settle in and it's obvious we're not getting any AC. And it's not like we can just prop some doors open. It's Texas, and unless you want to wake up with a snake or some insane spider for a bed buddy I'd keep the doors shut tight.

The plot thickens:

So we're down to wearing as little as can still be called decent, keeping in mind we're sleeping in a room with 20 other people. We're lying on our backs trying not to move or touch besides a couple fingers because it's SO HOT in that room. And that's when the noise starts. I questioned whether it was human at first because I've never heard a noise like that in my life. And then it became apparent that a staff member, who shall remain nameless on this blog, was snoring. I seriously thought he might be slowly dying. And it was relentless. It was probably going to continue all night. 

In the midst of this, all the staff got a text from the corps director about the next day's schedule. So one by one around the room we watched all these little spots of light flare up and alarms go off as everyone's phones registered the incoming message. It was quite a funny little choir of beeps and songs. And then on top of that I realized that if you used your imagination the snoring kind of sounded like a chorus of tree frogs. And if you REALLY used your imagination maybe we weren't really in an unairconditioned  auditorium at 3 am listening to the most insane snoring I've ever heard. Maybe we were on a blanket under the stars, listening to the sounds of night. 

And then we lost it: 

Once I shared my tree frog thought with Brian the giggling and laughing began. We couldn't stop. I could barely breathe because there's nothing worse than laughing really hard and having to be as quiet as possible. And the fact that we were exhausted. Tears were literally pouring from my eyes. And every time there was another snore we lost it all over again. At one point we calmed down and Brian looked over and said "Happy Anniversary!" and I realized that it didn't matter if we went out to a fancy dinner or spent every minute of our day together. We had what will probably be one of the most memorable anniversaries ever, sharing his passion for drum corps with me and laughing hysterically. And I couldn't think of any way that would have been better to spend the first few hours of our second anniversary. 

My Roomie Claire is getting married today and I couldn't be more excited for her and her fiance Brad. They are wonderful people and are going to have an amazing life together. I am so lucky that we get to be a small part of their wedding day. I hope they get to have some amazing, unexpected anniversaries together for many, many years to come. 

Designing my Wedding Album

So some time ago (at the end of May according to the time tags on my documents) I decided I was going to start playing with our wedding photos in InDesign and see what happened. I wanted to make an album--specifically a Leather Craftsmen flush mount album. I was so excited, and almost a year after our wedding it was wonderful to look through all the photos again and from the point of view of a designer, and not just the bride. Before I knew it I had about 10 pages (20 sides) finished. I know some very talented designers (Exhibit A) but ultimately realized that when I saw my finished album and knew that I had created this for us, it would be a wonderful feeling. Which led to me bumbling through InDesign, having no idea if my files are set up correctly or if I'm doing the right things so that they're ready to print (I still have no idea), etc.


It was time to start researching Leather Craftsmen! And once I did, all my hopes and dreams just flew out the window. Because only professional designers are allowed to use them. FAIL. So I was really annoyed and just completely stopped working on any more pages. But 4 months later, Imagination for Sale was born! And Leather Craftsmen actually let me on their site to view pricing. That was quite an exciting day. I thought for sure they would reject me.


But the funny thing is, I was so busy making cards that I didn't have a spare second to even think about making an album. So I completely forgot about the project again until this morning, when I decided to take a look at some of the spreads I'd designed. Man was I surprised. It had been so long that it was literally like looking at it all for the first time again. (And this is super conceited, but I was kind of impressed with myself.) So now, it's back on! Full steam ahead! 


I don't know if I could ever do this on the side for other people. I have no idea if I would have the time/talent/know-how, etc. Or any clients interested in using my services! But for now, I'm just so happy to be able to play with our wedding photos and hopefully turn it into a book we'll cherish forever. 


Here's some spreads I've created thus far. Click on them to make them bigger. Enjoy!

I Hate Winter

It's depressing. It makes my brain produce too much melatonin, causing me to wonder if it's time for bed at 7pm. You're always achingly cold or being precipitated on by achingly cold snow, sleet and freezing rain. My heart palpitates when I have to drive on the ice (Legitimately. I've ended up sideways on the highway two years in a row now...). There never seem to be enough hours in the day. And certainly not enough daylight hours. And what's even more torturous is the fact that I have seen that my mornings are brighter, earlier (very slightly)...but when can I get more daylight in the evening? In a show of solidarity for the warmer months and a hope for some springtime in the near future, here are some photos of TULIPS from our wedding. My most favorite flower, and the epitome of spring. 

All photos by the amazingly talented Steph Carson. 

My beautiful bouquet Mom made. 

Pretty drooping tulips over the tables--exactly how I'd pictured it.

I still haven't found the cake topper I bought! Tulips were the perfect backup. 

Not Far from Friday: {Sneak Peek}

I'm making a whole bunch of thank you cards for my lovely roomie's wedding. It has been SO MUCH FUN. I'm getting to work with a glitter pen, one of my favorite stamps of all time, beautiful papers and whimsical details. They're coming together quite quickly now. Here's a sneak peak: 

Looking for thank you cards for your wedding? I've got you covered. :) 


Also, the kittens have really done well with my evening routine of making cards at my desk. Finny sleeps on my lap, and Vivienne sleeps on the back of the chair. I can roll around in my chair, get up and plop back down and she could care less. (And she doesn't try to eat my hair while she's back there which is much appreciated!) So here's a pic of the pretty girl for you: 

Our Wedding Photographer--Steph Carson

I've been meaning to share about our wedding photographer for some time. I get questions about our photos regularly. And we consider Steph our "life" photographer. We want her to document everything important that happens in ours lives--starting with our engagement photos a year and a half ago. 


Brian and I decided 3 things were super important for our wedding: an awesome live band, a great and beautiful location and an amazing photographer. We were SO LUCKY to find Steph Carson. It was like hanging out with a great friend all day. We had so much fun laughing and taking pictures and just experiencing our day and knowing we would be able to relive it when we got home from our honeymoon, and then for the rest of our lives. 


You have to pay money for great photography. If someone is just giving away their talents for free all the time...how good can they really be? I just feel like if you're good and you know you're worth it, then you charge the money your artistry is worth. (I have this issue when pricing my cards--I have to remember that I think my stuff is worth something, as well as the time I took to make them!) You can't skimp on this. You have this one day to get married--make sure it's documented to the best of your ability. What would you expect to get for $250? Probably not much right? Then why sell yourselves short and even consider that option? I discuss money because weddings are so budget-driven. Everything has a dollar value when you're planning a wedding. And it's easy to see bigger numbers and panic. The important things with your wedding photos is you have to think long term. 


Anyways, here is everything you need to know about Steph. She recently redesigned her brand. It looks just wonderful. Shows off her photos even better if that's possible--they stand so well on their own in any context. Her blog is a great place to get a feel for Steph. You get to see previews of what she's working on and keep up with her life vicariously through the blog. (This woman has some cool experiences--believe me it's not a boring read!) :) 


Her professional site has galleries you can get lost in for hours. You get a real sense of her style and what you can expect. [A good side note my friend Mary has mentioned before: you have to make sure the style you want matches what your photographer does. You won't be happy with modern or more edgy photos if you are really a more traditional person. And your photographer might not do their best work or enjoy THEIR day if you make them shoot in a style way outside their specialty.]


Something that is very exciting? Steph's work is at the Cincinnati Art Museum right now for an exhibit called "Wedded Perfection: Two Centuries of Wedding Gowns." Brian and I can't wait to check it out. 


And finally, here's two more of our favorite photos of Steph's from our wedding. :) You can find our whole gallery on her website. It's under "Megan and Brian" and well, you know our last name for the password. ;-) 

We're hoping to get some "just because" photos done soon with the kittehs. It's time the babies got the Steph treatment. :) See--Finny is so good at posing. He's ready for his closeup. ;-) 

Finny says it looks like he's got Viv in a choke hold, but it's really a "hug."