Recently, my friend Becky hosted a Girls Night Out party with our studio. We had a wonderful time with lot's of laughs! Here are a couple of portraits of the beautiful ladies attending the party!
As most of you who read my blog and know me personally, we had our Thanksgiving last Saturday. The day we celebrate doesn't matter so much to us as being with our friends and family does. We do this so that the kids dad, who has a ton of family to visit on Thanksgiving, isn't trying to shove it all in a few hours. Being able to compromise is important to us also, especially since we need to share the kids.
Anyways, some things I'm thankful for this year:
*4 happy, healthy children
*1 happy, healthy marriage
*lots of happy, healthy family
*lots of happy, healthy friends
*a good relationship with my ex and his wonderful wife
*having a career that allows me to spend time with my family
*also having a career that allows me to make others happy by capturing those memories that are so important to them
*having a roof over our heads
*food in our bellies
*a job that allows us to have these things
*a good, spiritual foundation that allows me to be confident in myself
*love
My fondest wish is that you who read my blog are surrounded by these things as well. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Saturday was the Galax Conservatory of Dance and Theatre's breakfast benefitting the Conservatory's production of The Nutcracker! In attendance was Santa, the Sugar Plum Fairy, Clara and her Prince, and many more characters from this amazing ballet! We encourage you to come and see the production! For more information or to purchase tickets, visit the Conservatory's website or call 276-236-2105.
Do you know someone who is getting married, but can't afford to have those precious memories captured? Maybe they have been hit by a layoff and are having to scrape their wedding together. There are a hundred reasons we don't always get the wedding of our dreams, but we settle for the I do's that we can manage.
We are giving away 1 Basic Wedding Coverage Package (up to 5 hours of wedding day coverage and images on CD) to a person who otherwise would not be able to afford to have their wedding memories safely captured. Interested? All you have to do is send me an email telling me who you are nominating and why (thompsons_photography@yahoo.com). Include your name and phone number in your email as well as the person you are nominating.
The last day for entries is December 20, 2008. This will give us time to decide on our winner and let them know for a fantastic Christmas gift! So hurry, get your nomination in today!
Today was Juliana's wedding! So... here are some of our favorites from her bridal session at Cumberland Knob on the Blue Ridge Parkway! She is such a stunning woman and was such an easy person to work with! She wasn't afraid to do anything! 
I was cleaning my cameras today and when I went to load them back up, my kitten, Spots, had decided she didn't want to give up her spot!
This is normally not the forum I would use to talk about this, but I feel I have to. I spent much time before the election doing research all the cadidates, and on that, based my decision on who was getting my vote. Well, the man I chose didn't get elected. Shoot, he didn't even get second place. Anyways, I voted Independent, well Constitution actually.
Anyways, after President-elect Obama appointed his new Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, I did more research and found something VERY disturbing! His Plan.
Emanuel's plan is about "asking" our children to be part of a national service, by spending 3 months of basic training in civil defense and community service. While this may be wonderful if he was actually asking our children to do this, he isn't. It will be mandatory for those between the ages of 18-25. Emmanuel calls for “a real Patriot Act that brings out the patriot in all of us by establishing, for the first time, an ethic of universal citizen service. All young Americans should be asked to serve their country by going through three months of basic civil defense training and community service… Universal citizen service will bring Americans of every background together to make America safer and more united in common purpose.”
Personally, this sounds like socialism rather than democracy. How can it be asking if it is mandatory? And what happens to those who don't do what they are asked? Will they be charged with a crime? Can anyone say draft?
What was our new president thinking?
Well, the old website is officially down! Check back for updates on everything!
Wow! I was so worried that since we were doing them on location that they wouldn't turn out very well. The weather was beautiful, the sky was blue, and Juliana was stunning! Of course the wedding isn't for 2 more weeks. Sooo... you'll have to wait a couple weeks to see them. And I can't wait to show you!
I just wanted to congratulate my son's football team, the Grayson County Blue, on a fantastic 2008 football season! Chase is number 54, can't miss him there in the middle! I would also like to congratulate all the rest of the recreation department teams from Fries, Galax, and Carroll County who all played fair games and displayed good sportsmanship throughout this season! All of you played some awesome games and all of us are very proud of you!
I had the good fortune to shoot another CD cover for local bluegrass duet, Bill and Maggie Anderson. I got to shoot the cover for their last CD, Going Home To The Fold, and let me tell you, they are wonderful! Bill and Maggie create custom guitars, resonator guitars, and straps, as well as teaching lessons and workshops! Thank you both so much for trusting me with something so important to you! 
Hey all! Wow, look outside at those colors! Now is the perfect time to schedule your fall portrait session! I'm free this week, except for the first part of Saturday, for outdoor portraits! Call me at 276-233-4797 to schedule yours now!
Oh, if you have sent me an email in the last 2 weeks and didn't get a reply, post a comment on here and shoot me another email, firey_cowgirl@yahoo.com, as some emails have been going to my bulk!
Angie
We are very fortunate to be offering portraits at Steiff on the Mountain Teddy Bear Festival at the Galax Recreation Center this weekend! With an amazing background provided Bearly a Memory, these will be keepsakes your family will love!
Also, see the 2008 Steiff Product Line, Meet Claire Steiff Meisel, granddaughter of Richard Steiff. Antique & Vintage Steiff dealers from around the globe. Teddy Bear & Animal Artists. John Lamb-Teddy bear Mystery writer with his new book. Good Bears of the World-Auction & Steiff Charity Raffle. Display of Rare & Unique Vintage Steiff items from private collectors, Steiff Videos, Gifts & door prizes, Steiff 125 Karat Bear, SPECIAL EVENT BEARS AVAILABLE. Friday night reception & Saturday night dinner with live music by No Speed Limit. (Reservations required for both evenings)
Portrait Packages:
A $20 - 2 5x7's, 8 wallets
B $40 - 1 8x10, 2 5x7, 16 wallets
C $75 - 2 8x10, 2 5x7, 4 3x5, 24 wallets
D $100 - 1 11x14, 2 8x10, 4 5x7, 4 3x5, 24 wallets
Hours for Steiff on the Mountain:
Saturday, October 11, 2008 (9:00 AM-4:00 PM)
Sunday, October 12, 2008 (11:00 PM-3:00 PM)
Admission Fee: $3.00
Since I'm not doing much this time of year, I thought I would do some research into something not many people think about... games for your wedding reception. I found some cute ideas to involve the bride and groom or your guests.
The Anniversary Dance - Well, not really a game, this is a neat little dance that the DJ announces before hand. All married couples come onto the dance floor for a slow dance. The DJ starts of by asking anyone married less than 24 hours, please leave the floor. Well who gets to leave first? You guessed it, the bride and groom. Then a few months, then a year, then a few year, then a decade, then 15 years, and so on till the last remaining couple is on the dance floor, usually the great grandparents of the bride or groom. And their names are announced, congratulating them on a long marriage and a well wish to the bride and groom for a marriage as happy as these two.
When is Your Birthday? - Don't know what to do with those centerpieces you paid a fortune for? Have your DJ announce the person with the birthday closest to the bride or groom's birthday at each table gets to take it home!
Bride or Groom? - This game is played by the wedding party, with the women forming one team and the men forming another. Each receives two signs, one with "BRIDE" and one with "GROOM" written on them. Ensure the signs are large enough for your guests to see clearly.
Have a list of "who" questions such as, "Who do you think will snore the loudest?" or "Who is he neatest?" or "Who will hog the bed?" The entire wedding party raises the applicable sign in answer to the question. Imagine the varying answers you may get! Choose modest questions that will not embarrass the newly married couple too much in front of close family, co-workers, and young children (especially if they are relatively private people). You know them best!
Can't Touch This - Inspired by the classic children's game of musical chairs, this wedding game requires guests with quick hands and a rhythm for juggling! You will need to create small bags of candy using cellophane and ribbon (or any other trinket) and an energetic song to mimic the up-tempo pace of this game (our title may give hints to a possible song choice).
Have all the participating guests stand in a circle. The objective: at the sound of the music, guests will have to quickly pass the candy around the circle. When the music stops, everyone stops moving. The person with the candy is eliminated and returns to their seat. Let him/her keep the candy as a sweet token for playing the game. This continues and the last person left receives a prize!
Marriage Advice 101 - This is a great game to play at a small wedding reception with close friends and family. Raise the laughometer with this simple yet fun game of "Marriage Advice 101". Provide guests at each reception table with index cards and pens. Their task: to come up with the best marriage advice they can give for the newlyweds. Read out some of the highlights during the night. Award gifts for "The funniest advice given", "The best advice given", and any other category you can think of.
The Guessing Game - This game is fun for the guests as they get insight into how the bride and groom think of each other. The bride and groom sit back to back with one of each others shoes. The DJ or friend of the family asks a question, like "Who does the housework" or "Who wears the pants in the household" and the bride and groom raise the shoe of the person they think does this.
Due to the cancellation of our current website, my studio email is down temporarily. If you need to contact me, please feel free to use my personal email, firey_cowgirl@yahoo.com.
Saturday, we had the pleasure of shooting the wedding of Eric and Karen. This down to earth couple had a simple, yet elegant ceremony in Independence, attended by friends and family. After finishing the wedding party's formals, we went to the reception and did all the important stuff, then I ran off with the bride and groom to get some more formals of just the two of them. I love the ceremony shot with the groomsman having the lapse in protocol (I had to laugh at him)!
