Replay Delay

   While going through all the wonderful pictures that Alana and I took last week, we realized that I barely posted any of the pictures from our great afternoon with Cody and all the horses in Tallahassee in July 2012. You can see Starpoint in some of these (the horse with black braids- the horse on the right in the first photo and in the Polaroid). So finally... *drum roll*... here they are!!

   I looked through these today and noticed that some of them were already edited. I'm sure I planned to post them when I should have, but got distracted and ended up posting more pictures of Miriam when I hung out with her a bunch before Michael and I moved to California. But you can see the six pictures that I did post in July 2012 here, here and here.

   Below are pretty flowers that Alana's mom had planted around the outside of their house. These photos were also previously edited. Sometimes I don't save the originals to save space on my laptop. But I still like these edits. Especially the "intrepid" effect on the little red and pink flowers.

** Fun Fact that I learned in a commercial we just saw: It would take 6 years of nonstop pedaling to bike to the moon! Interesting... Tonight, Michael and I left Clermont and drove to Orlando to stay with Mia for a week. Thank you to my super best friends for being such kind, generous hosts.

Super Besties

   I'm sure I have mentioned the story of how Alana and I became friends before. But a quick reminder ~ Thanks to my terrible memory of names when I meet people, our love for High School Musical, and my mom convincing me to be more social, we became friends though Facebook in November 2008. After talking a ton in messages about Disney Channel shows, taking pictures and probably sharing boy stories, she drove to Gainesville and we met and hung out for the first time in April 2009. We took turns driving to visit each other over the years, especially a lot during spring 2011 between the time that I quit my job at the Sheriff's Office in Gainesville and starting my Full Sail career in Orlando!!

   I thought it was interesting that we were wearing Batman and Superman shirts because there is a Batman vs. Superman movie coming out next year with Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill. But Michael and I are more excited for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in the summer.
*** Thank you, Cody for being a great sport and taking these photos!! He took a Polaroid for me too. Oh, also, Alana gave me this light blue button up shirt (it actually has very skinny stripes) along with a handful of other nice shirts that I will be sure to wear and show off this holiday season!

Portraits ~ Gore Family

   Today when Michael got home from work, he agreed to do a photoshoot with me. Yay! We promised to only take "a few", but in Rachel and Alana terms, "a few" means about 100. ;) My favorite moment was when Michael stopped to fix my necklace. It was something really simple, but made me feel special and cared for. Also whispering to me that I looked pretty was also quite wonderful and a compliment on my own make up skills.

♥ What a preciously suave smirk he has. I love it!
The picture is below on the right might be my #1 favorite of these.

   I also wanted to have Fancy in the pictures. She seemed a little neglected this week and unhappy about not being needed for the Amish pictures or the mythical pictures that Alana took this morning. Fancy had to be put in the backyard for a while, but she was able to escape through the gate and got in some of those pictures at the end. But today Squirt didn't like being left out either and kept trying to stand next to us. And its hard to argue with a 950-pound horse!

   Alana took all of these pictures for us, using our Canon T2i and I love them!! Michael had some really great smiles today. And I keep forgetting by writing that Michael came "home" from work, even though we won't really be home until four weeks from now. But home is where your heart is, right? ;)

Portraits ~ Smith Family

   Alana and Cody met at a Christian retreat in 2002. They didn't meet again until five years later when they played volleyball with a church group and immediately became friends. Their love of life made them enjoy each other's company and it wasn't long before they became best friends. In the spring of 2011, they took a magical trip to Disney World. It was Alana's first time and she fell in love with Cody that day. They got engaged earlier this year on Cody's birthday. He proposed to Alana after a picnic in her horse pasture. And were married in Tallahassee in May. ♥

   Alana has owned Squirt for 19 years and Fancy for 10. They got their dog, Oliver, last December (you can view his first photo shoot from January here!) and Penelope in October. At this rate they will have 17 puppies before they have their first child, but Cody did joke about having 17 kids too. "One for each puppy!" This family always bring lots of laughs to each photoshoot, which makes them so fun to work with and be around.

   And together they shall live happily ever after.

Mrs. Smith

We took these photos down the street on Thursday, on the other side of Lake Minneola.

Due to a truck having to be towed out of the middle of the road, we had to make a detour so I got to see a different part of the neighborhood. They are nice houses, but not very many people have Christmas decorations outside. It must be too hot for that! We're all convinced its still summer.

 

Alana is wearing the bridesmaid flats that she got for my wedding.

And her rings! But overall, Alana is simply beautiful, beautiful.

Amish Photoshoot

   Is that not an enjoyable oxymoron? Especially with our naked heads (no bonnets), my fleshy neck, wrist tattoo and manicure, Alana's bare legs and our fancy wedding rings- not to mention all the eye contact with the camera. We have been shunned for sure! But I still feel like we did a pretty good job dressing up for the pictures with what we had. And most importantly, it was fun.

   Alana told me that she got the doctor's buggy with her dad in Helen, Georgia when she was about 15 years old. Last month she reminded me that she had it and I immediately added "Amish Photoshoot" to the top of our mental picture list. This afternoon Alana got the harness put on Squirt with a bit in her mouth and blinkers over her eyes. Squirt did a really good job standing still for the pictures even when I shook the reins a little for authenticity.

   I brought my Wide Polaroid camera with me and took a few film photos this day. I had to get one of our great photographer, Cody, who also moved the buggy from the garage into the shade. Being in the shade wasn't very hot, but it was still nice changing back into a tank top and shorts afterwards. Alana took the pictures of me alone in the buggy and of the "Polaroid tree".
   At 4pm, we all (with Michael) went to the shopping area where the movie theater is and saw Hunger Games: Catching Fire. It was really good. Michael already wants to see it again (it already was Alana and Cody's second time) and felt that it had more action. We all liked it more than the first movie.

Baby Christmas Tree

   Last night Alana and I played Wii Fit and Wii Sports then Cody watched High School Musical 2 with us while we waited for Michael to get back from work. We went to Wal-Mart to get a baby tree, but the garden area was locked and closed off. Why can't people buy plants at night? What if it was a flower bed emergency? So we went this morning and actually got the tree from Lowe's along with the little bobble ornaments. The other ornaments, top angel and tree skirt are from Hobby Lobby. Michael did not approve of the Florida weather being 85 degrees as we gathered our winter holiday decorations.

   Of course I made Michael do all the work so I could take the pictures, but doesn't the tree look wonderful? This morning I watched the newest Christmas episode of Glee and I thought their tree looked super cool. It was decorated with berries, pinecones, sticks and thin burlap ribbon and antlers!! Even if I bought myself a wreath or a small plant (which I mistook for a poinsettia since it has red ribbons all over it), it would be cool to decorate it every year. Just a thought.

   I always have to get an Amish-y ornament. Cody asked me why, but I just do. I like them. They look more crafty I suppose. The owl's tail and beak are made out of sticks. That's as crafty as Hobby Lobby could get. Target is much better with Amish ornaments with their soft sewn together animals, but we don't really know our way around this area. (Cody took the picture of Michael and I as well as this one of Alana and I with the doggies.)

   Tonight Alana, Cody and I (with the dogs, Oliver and Penelope) went to "Light Up Clermont" in their little downtown area. They stopped by the food trucks for dinner and got shredded beef tortas at El Cactus Azul. Then we walked along and got free popcorn and a photo with a Santa who gave us jelly blue glow-in-the-dark "Jesus Loves You" bracelets. They had bouncy castles and a foam machine that blew out soap to look like snow. We got free cookies from a place that sells ovens and fixes air conditioners, then at 7:30 there was a very anti-climatic countdown before even more lights in the trees were flipped on. I didn't bring the camera, but it was a fun time and made me want to go to other similar events.
   Well, off to play more Wii Sports and watch High School Musical 3! ;)