Newsworthy.....

Not much happening on the homefront at the moment. Lee and I have both been sick this week. Ugh. Seemed like it wasn't going to end. So didn't have a lot happening because of that. However, felt like I did have something newsworthy....

HAPPY 40TH BIRTHDAY TO MY HUBBY TODAY!!!

That seems so strange to me! Lee and I started dating when he was 15 years old. And now he's 40!!! We've been through a lot in those 25 years. Needless to say - we came out much better on the other end. Love him soooo much! He is a great husband and father and I love being able to spend HIS old age with him! :)

He NEVER reads my blog - I will actually have to email him a link just so he knows I wrote about him! lol.

Got in the Valentine craft mood!

Snow - #1 of the year...#2 in three weeks!

Just a few bloggable pictures of the snow we got on Sunday, January 9, 2011. I got to stay home from work for three whole days!!!! Lots of fun. New bruises. Never.walk.up.the.Mahatheys.hill.again. :) A few things I noticed...my husband is MIA in these pics - and I have no clue where he was! And...Melissa hangs with us a lot! lol.












Not a real good picture...but this is the reason I will never walk up the Mahathey's driveway in the snow again....hence the new bruises. I fell FOUR times!!! And yes, I am on the ground in the picture. lol.

What we do when we have free time...and sometimes...it's better to just not ask questions. :)

We hang out with our family. In our living room that has no furniture at the moment. And play weird games.

Exciting changes!!!

As if I need MORE exciting changes in my life....lol. As most know, Shannon Byrd and I have been teaming up on numerous photography projects lately. Well guess what!? We are now making some official changes in the "Shannon Byrd Photography" business and hope to steer the business into the wedding market more for 2011! So please pass the word - tell your friends - tell all of those people that got new diamonds over the holidays! I am excited. I LOVE shooting weddings. But you just cannot get the coverage and the photos you need with just one photographer. So this is great! And we both possess different qualities that help each other - he is so good at the technical parts and I'm better at the creative parts...so we think together our wedding photography is going to excel! We have shot several weddings together already - but working together on a full-time basis gives us the opportunity to work out the kinks and get into a groove and improve. (I think I will make that our mission statement..."Getting into a groove which gives us the opportunity to improve!" :) Shannon will love it. lol.

We have set up a new blog just for the wedding portion of the business. It's still a little blah at the moment but give us a little time...it will be spruced up soon! And look for a sneak peek of our latest wedding that we shot in December VERY soon! Please visit the blog and be one of our "followers!"

And pass the word about the business if you don't care. We have both shot numerous weddings and are very experienced. Your word of mouth advertising is the best advertising we could ask for!

http://shannonbyrdweddings.blogspot.com/

Marty

Wow!

Have any of you seen this much SNOW! I have seen snow - we lived in Kentucky so I have seen lots of snow actually...but goodness! This was beautiful, white, falling SNOW! And on CHRISTMAS Day!! We have three floor to ceiling windows in our living room and we just sat and looked at it. I kept going back and forth to the window. Gorgeousness! :) Of course there were TONS of pictures! Here's a few of my favs so far...






This one is of the kids waiting to ambush Lee as he walked off the porch to play in the snow with them....


And yes....that's Melissa on the bottom of the pile! LOL!

ahhhhh...much better

Reworked Kade's Christmas tree. Actually "reworked" probably isn't the right word. It was more like.....take it completely down and re-do. It's better now. I don't walk by his door and cringe. :)

Gingerbread House....

This year for our Christmas Program at church, the decorating committee (ya'll rocked! :)) wanted each family to make a gingerbread house so they could be displayed on the tables in the fellowship hall after the program (we have to eat afterwards, of course!) So Kade, Konnor and Kensley were to make one together....well, it started off good - they were all in to it, but after about an hour, they were done. So me and Melissa and Kylee just HAD to finish it for them. :) Me and Kylee and Kade make one every year just for us normally - so I had a little experience. And a gingerbread house is the perfect thing to unleash my boxed up, dying to get out, over the top, Christmastime creativity. It's something about Christmas - my creativity levels get a boost. I constantly buy craft supplies around this time of the year! Anywhoo.....we finished it for them, and I even went and added some to it just before the program. LOVED it!! Here's the pics:

Christmas Trees in the middle of remodeling....

I moved. Maybe, 3 weeks ago. House is under construction at this time, AND we live there. But it's Christmas!! So up go the trees! Five of them at this time. And I REALLY want to add just one more - okay, I'm contemplating 2 or 3 more but it's probably not going to happen...

I guess during all of the chaos that is my life right now, my brain got overwhelmed and went into shutdown. So a big thanks goes to my friend Lindsey! Poor thing - I called her (more than once), and text her numerous times. She even had to text me pictures of how she did part of her tree. I knew WHAT I wanted - just couldn't seem to get it there!

But I perservered! Is that spelled correctly? Doesn't look right - anyway, I did it! And BEFORE December 1st!! YAY!! Here's pics! (And sorry for the quality - I was being lazy and didn't want to get my flash out.)

Living room tree:



Master bedroom tree:



Kylee's tree in her den in her apartment:



Den tree:



Kade's bedroom tree: I think it's going to be reworked....he up and changed themes on me and now it don't jive.... :)

For those that may not know - New Harmony consists of my brothers, Dustin and Justin, and my cousins, Joe David and Chad, and some really good friends, Cassie, Erica and Dustin M. And they are opening for The Isaacs!

I got my tickets today, the concert is April 1st, 2011. Tickets went on sale today and are selling out fast. If you're interested, better hurry! I'm at the end of the third row; and can't wait!

Go to http://www.perfectharmonypromotions.com/

HURRY!!! Christmas Sessions now booking!!

Here is the email that went out to our photography clients this morning, wanted those blog followers to have an appointment also!!!..........................

And I am not joking when I say you really need to hurry! :)

As you all probably already know, we shot our Fall sessions this past weekend and I have had three people email me to tell me that saw some of them and were soooo sorry they didn't book! They were super duper cute!!!! I am telling you this because not only did all of the folks from Saturday get a $5.00 discount (if they bought the $35.00 package, which most did!) on the Christmas session, they also got the chance to book their Christmas session appointment before we announced it!! And even more important: THEY ALSO ALL GOT HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES FROM THE CAKE LADY THAT LIVES NEXT TO THE WAREHOUSE WE SHOT AT! They were SOOOOO worth whatever money was spent! lol.

And because we LOVE our repeat clients.....IF you buy Package C at the Christmas session, you get $5.00 off of the Valentine session PLUS you get to register for a FREE 11x14 at our Valentine session!!!

We will be offering the 10x20 storyboard that we had at our sessions Saturday (people fell in LOVE!) and we are planning to add Christmas frames to the frame line this time!! THEY ARE AWESOME!!!!!!

Just to verify - if you want to book - you need to do so soon! I only have ONE, I repeat ONE, morning appointment still available!! They are first come first serve! Fastest one wins!! :)

We are still finalizing details but here is where we are:

They will be shot in the same spot as the Fall and Easter pictures. The warehouse on Walter Bird Drive in Owens Cross Roads.
They will be shot on Saturday, November 6th, 2010.
The set will be suitable for children, pre-teen, teens, adults, couples and families (up to a certain number).
We WILL be offering Christmas cards!

We do have the set in mind - however, we are making some last minute decisions on it this week and will let you know when we are 100% sure what we are doing!! Will also have the prices on the next email - still VERY affordable!!

Email me at mkrogers3081@hotmail.com or call or text me at 256-656-9580 to book! I don't always get to answer during business hours (8:30 - 5:00) but feel free to leave me a message and I will call you back!!

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS!

AND THANK YOU TO THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE ALREADY BOOKED YOUR APPOINTMENT!!

Marty
Shannon Byrd Photography
with Marty Rogers as
Creative Director :)

Why?

am I doing this?? ugh. Just to prove to Cassie that I read her blog everyday she posts I guess. Still doesn't make me WANT to. ugh.


THREE WAYS I AM STILL A KID:

1. I cry at totally stupid stuff.
2. My stomach still does flip-flops when the love of my life (my husband for those of you wondering) walks into the room.
3. I love cupcakes. (But not GiGis!)

THREE WAYS I AM ALREADY OLD:

1. I like to go to bed EARLY! Even though I don't.
2. I use "Remember when......" A LOT!
3. I hurt all over all the time! :)

THREE THINGS I WANT TO DO:

1. Go on a honeymoon!
2. Get my house closed and move to our new one!!
3. Be off work!!


THREE WAYS THAT I'M A STEREOTYPICAL "BOY":

1. I can watch football with the best of them!
2. I LOVE four-wheelers, as long as I'm driving.
3. I LOVE to build things.

THREE WAYS THAT I'M A STEREOTYPICAL "GIRL":

1. I love clothes/shoes.
2. I scream when I see mice/hamsters/rats/snakes of any size
3. I cry.

THREE NEW THINGS YOU WANT TO TRY IN THE NEXT 12 MONTHS:

1. Living in a new house???
2. Building those Christmas frames I saw.
3. Being debt-free. It won't happen but it's getting closer! :)

THREE THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:

1. I get over things really quick.
2. I usually have a pretty positive outlook....except for Kylee and Lee - which doesn't count, because they ASK me my opinion or thoughts, then they say I'm negative when I give them. Duh? I don't lie.
3. If you want something done - I normally can make it happen. Except when it comes to getting my own house closed obviously.

THREE THINGS YOU DISLIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:

1. I have NO will-power to lose weight.
2. I can't keep up anymore.
3. My body feels old. Hence #2.

THREE THINGS THAT SCARE YOU:

1. Mice/hamsters/rats/snakes
2. Scary movies. Hate them. Can't stand them. Drives Lee and Kylee crazy. I refuse to let them have them on in the house.
3. Something happening to my family.

THREE OF YOUR EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS:

1. Mountain Dew
2. Cell phone
3. My husband/best friend.

THREE THINGS YOU JUST CAN'T DO:

1. Sleep through the night!
2. Keep my laundry caught up.
3. Quit work.

THREE CAREERS YOU'RE CONSIDERING:

1. My goal in life is to stay at home.
2. My goal in life is to stay at home.
3. Photography, but only part-time, because.....
My goal in life is to stay at home!



Ten things you wish you could say to ten different people right now:

1. Why did you fill this out on your blog!?!
2. Just let it go already!
3. I don't want to hear it!
4. It closed!!!
5. Believe in the Lord!!!!!!!
6. Cheer UP.....my brotherrrrrr. (Insert musical notes....)
7. No!
8. Booked!
9. Don't judge.
10.This is forever. Deal with it.


NINE places you feel at home:

1. Mom/Dad
2. Dustin/Melissa
3. Melia/Jeremy
4. My old house.
5. My new house.
6. Church
7. My car.
8. Pat and Jen's
9. My office. Unfortunately.



SEVEN people of the same sex who mean a lot to you:'
1. Mom
2. Kylee
3. Melia
4. Melissa
5. Alicia
6. Jennifer
7. Hilary and Goody - and more but they only asked for 7, except I slipped in 8. :)



FIVE things that cross your mind a lot:
1. I have the holyghost.
2. I'm almost pretty near close to 50.
3. Aunt Libby
4. Brian
5. Where are my kids and my husband and are they safe?

FOUR things you do before you fall asleep:
1. set alarm
2. pray
3. tuck Kade in.
4. tell Kylee goodnight.

THREE songs that mean something to you
1. Through the Fire - it kept me sane when I was lost!
2. that song that Br. Ethan sings that for some reason I can't remember.
3. He Touched Me.

TWO confessions:
1. I actually don't know EVERYTHING, even though I really think I do. ;)
2. I have now sat at my desk for fifteen minutes - AFTER the time I was supposed to get off.

ONE thing you're thinking about right now:
1. I don't want Lee to work tonight.

Perfect picture.

Maybe not technically - but definitely emotionally! Such a sweet sweet session!