Waco Engagement Session: Courtney and David

Earlier this week, I went on a photoshoot with David and his fiancee Courtney. I met David through my good friend Addy (miss you!), as they were both international graduate students at Baylor. David's from Venezuela, and is getting his PhD in chemistry. Yes, not only has he mastered chemistry in Spanish, but is now rocking a dissertation in English! It's impressive. His fiancee Courtney hails from Texas and is one of the sweetest people ever. I'm shooting their wedding at the end of June and Courtney's bridals sometime early in June. They were a blast to be around, and we had a great afternoon!

We went to Cameron Park Sunday evening and although it started out cloudy, the clouds parted about halfway through our shoot and gave us some gorgeous warm light.

Happy engagement, Courtney and David! Can't wait to share your day with you!

This Weekend, I... v.34

<center> <a href="http://www.lifeofloveblog.com/"><img border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/GreatLakeSarah/TWI_zps1ab2c920.jpg"/></a></center>   Link up with me or sweet Syndal for another round of TWI! It's basically like fill in the blank, but with what you did for the weekend. Easy peasy!

This weekend, I added more "bursts" to my sunburst mirror and decided I like it 100x better. It will look great above a bed, or at the end of a hall. Kind of in love with it.

Easiest DIY project ever.

This weekend, I was invited over to Jason and Monica's place for a barbecue. Jason and Monica are on my trivia team and have a gorgeous house with a pool in the backyard (surrounded by banana trees and there's a waterfall into the pool--it's basically paradise in a backyard), so when they invited our trivia team over, I had to jump at it. Good beer, great people, and barbecue? Yes please!

This weekend, I was asked to take care of Britain and Jaclyn's dog Kodah since they were headed to Houston for Britain to kick ass in an Ironman (can you say beast?! Amazing!). He's the sweetest dog in the entire world and is so well-behaved, so we had a nice time enjoying the overcasty weekend.

So cute right?

Other than that, that's all I did this weekend! Nice and easy. What did you do this weekend? Link up and tell us!

Netflix series you should watch

It's now the summer here at Baylor, which means a little more downtime than the semesters (and a lot less students). If you're anything like me, one of your favorite things to do in the summer is start a new Netflix series. I'm always in need of watching a new series (I like throwing on a TV show while I'm getting ready in the morning, and love the flexibility of being able to rewind if I miss something without having to watch Hulu's damn commercials), so I figured I'd make a list of my faves for others to enjoy.

Show: Scrubs (comedy, sitcom), 2001-2010

Seasons: 9, all available via Netflix online streaming

Summary: The series follows medical interns and their mentors at a teaching hospital, and evolves into doctors using slapstick comedy, wit, and a lot of indie music.

You'll enjoy it if you like: Friends, Zach Braff

Show: 30 Rock (comedy), 

Seasons: 6, all available via Netflix online streaming

Summary: The series is about the writers, producers, and actors of "The Girly Show," a late night comedy sketch show. 

You'll enjoy it if you like: smart wit, sarcasm, Tina Fey's humor, shows that make fun of themselves

Show: Psych (comedy, mystery), 2006-present

Seasons: Currently on season 7, the first 6 are available via Netflix online streaming

Summary: Shawn is a "psychic detective" who really just pays amazing attention to detail, and Gus is his best friend/partner in crime-solving. 

You'll enjoy it if you like: Scrubs, Gilmore Girls, fun for the whole family, witty banter, 45-minute mysteries

Show: Ugly Betty (comedy, drama), 2006-2010

Seasons: 4, all available via Netflix online streaming

Summary: Betty Suarez is an average-looking girl (that they call "ugly," which is pretty lame considering America Ferrera is smokin') who gets hired as a writer for a fashion magazine solely based on the fact that her playa boss won't want to hit on her.

You'll enjoy it if you like: the underdog winning, success stories, naivety, fashion

Show: Numb3rs (mystery, crime), 2005-2009

Seasons: 6, all availble via Netflix online streaming

Summary: Don (FBI agent) and his brother Charlie (an MIT mathematician) solve crimes using statistics and probabilities. 

You'll enjoy it if you like: math (duh), shows that make you think, crime shows without the gore

Show: In Plain Sight (crime), 2008-2010

Seasons: 3, all available via Netflix online streaming

Summary: Mary is a tough-loving, badass chick who is a US Marshall, working as an agent in the Witness Protection Program. Each episode follows a specific witness's story and how Mary and her partner must keep them safe.

You'll enjoy it if you like: CSI, The Closer, crime shows without the gore

These are just a handful of my Netflix favorites, but a good place to start! What are some of your favorite Netflix series and why?

Intermet: Online Dating Success Story - Savanah and John

It's Wednesday, so time for another installment of Intermet!

Today, we're continuing the success stories series with Savanah from Savanah Smiles and her husband, John. Firstly, aren't they a stunning couple?

(Confession: I've been drooling at the amazingness of Savanah's "Trash the Dress" shoot the day after her wedding in Mexico. Seriously, y'all, I want this.)

How long have you and John been together?

John and I started dating at the end of March 2008. We dated almost 4 years before we got engaged and we got married this past December, just a few months before our 5 year dating anniversary.

Which online dating website did you use?

We used Match.com. I also had a profile on Yahoo personals, but rarely used it.

What was your worst experience in online dating?

I honestly didn't have a bad experience with online dating. I went on a few other dates but none of them were terrible. It was just with guys there weren't connections with.

Do you tell people you met online? If so, how do you do it?

Now, yes we tell people. The first year or so that we dated, I lied to a lot of people about how we met. Even my mom didn't know! Once I realized that John and I were pretty serious, I finally had to come out and tell people. If it comes up in conversation now, it's really easy to tell them how we met. It's definitely a lot more socially acceptable now than it was 5 years ago.

Do you recommend online dating?

Absolutely. Obviously we're a success story and I can't imagine my life without John. I think that if you haven't found "the one," you should definitely give it a shot.

Thanks for telling us about your relationship, Savanah! Do you want to be featured in our Intermet's Online Dating Success Stories series? Leave a comment below or email Sarah for more information! Next week, we have Jaz's story about meeting her boyfriend!

This weekend, I... v.33

<center> <a href="http://www.lifeofloveblog.com/"><img border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/GreatLakeSarah/TWI_zps1ab2c920.jpg"/></a></center>   Link up with me or my favorite lady Syndal for another round of TWI! It's basically like fill in the blank, but with what you did for the weekend. Easy peasy!

This weekend, I started it off right with Friday night drinks with J.Riddle. I took no photos, but we were too busy laughing, philosophizing, and just being. We met at 8:30 and talked at the pub 'til midnight. Whoops. 
Late night didn't affect an early morning, when this weekend, I went bridesmaids dress shopping with Jess and her MOH Megan (who is also the most inspirational person I know!). We all agreed on the same dress for Jess's December wedding, which is a miracle in itself, and had a great time doing it.

(The dresses won't be either of those colors, click here if you care!)

This weekend, I did a quick engagement shoot with Britain and Jaclyn (you may remember Brit as the man proposing in this photo). Britain's an avid triathlete and Jaclyn just loves Brit, so we did a bicycle engagement shoot. We wanted to go to the Woodway arboretum (y'all know how much I like it there!), but sadly it was closed for a private party. Maybe I can convince them to go out another sunny evening? Regardless, we got some good pics! I included three because I have no other pictures from this weekend.

While changing locations, the sun was setting quickly and I yelled at Britain to forget his shoes so we could get this shot. I'd say it was well worth my bossiness. ;) 

I'm not too happy with the post-sunset photos because the lighting was just getting too dark, which is why I think I'll try to convince them to go out again. I had a blast with them!
This weekend, I did nothing else. I mean, I ran twice on Sunday (I know, you're all thinking seriously?!) because I had nothing else to do, and my allergies were killing me. Kind of a quiet weekend, but I'll take it! 
What did you do this weekend? Link up below or with Syn to let us know! 

Happy Mother's Day!

To my two favorite mothers, Sandra and Liz:

Happy Mother's Day to my sister-in-love and mom! I'm so grateful both of you are in my life.

Such gorgeous women, right?! Here's my mom helping me out, like she's done every day since I was 0 months old:

I love you, mom. 

(To read my favorite Ode to Mom, click here--it's two years old but still totally relevant, plus with neat photos!)

90s rap throwback: Never trust a big butt and a smile

Friday is 90s Music Day in my office, which B.Rizz begrudgingly puts up with. (To be fair, he's not here today so I can rock out all I want!) In honor of 90s Music Day (heeeey, Friday!), I present to you awesome 90s rap songs:

Firstly, my favorite karaoke song, Salt-n-Pepa's Shoop. Please take note of the awesome dance moves:

Here I go, here I go, here I go again, girls, what's my weakness?
Next, we have Bone Thugs N Harmony's Tha Crossroads. I have no idea why I was allowed to listen to this because it's pretty gangsta compared to my let's-always-wear-pink-and-purple childhood. I blame my brother for my amazing ability to sing 95% of the lyrics. 
Ah, back when rap songs were about your deceased homies instead of bitches 'n' hoes...
I love me some 90s rap. But I cannot for the life of me listen to Coolio's Gangsta's Paradise, because Weird Al's Amish Paradise is so much better.  An Amish with a 'tude? You know that's unheard of!
Lastly, because no 90s rap throwback is complete without some Bel Biv Devoe, here's some Poison.
Wrong move, you're dead.
What's your favorite 90s rap song?! Linking up with Whit for this lovely Friday!