Lucy and I have been adjusting to our new home in Nashville, and I took the time one afternoon to snap some photos of her, just hanging out.

It’s funny how a year and a half can change so much. When I took her home from the pound in July 2008, she wanted nothing to do with nature when it was raining. She would refuse to walk out the door, or, if we made it down the stairs, she would look up at me with sad eyes, turn around, then drag me back up to our apartment.

(She doesn’t like having her photo made. True story.)

It snowed this past weekend, and Lucy surprised us all by playing and WANTING to go out in the cold! No, seriously. I wasn’t sure how she would take the precipitation until we walked out the door. She took a few steps, slid, steadied herself, then kept walking like a trooper. When we made it to the little grassy area at our condo, she immediately started digging in the snow, sticking her nose to the ground the entire time, then tossing her nose (and all the snow on top of it) into the air, spinning in a circle.

The only thing I wish is that I had taken some photos of her out in the elements and that we had a backyard so we could have played more while the snow lasted.

Sooo Happy New Year, everyone! (So what if it’s a month late?) I hope it has been going well and that you have been enjoying yourself so far in 2010.

Things here have been fantastic. It has been a good year so far, complete with a lot of wedding to-dos crossed off of my list (more to come on this!), seeing some new and old friends (and family!), and getting a job in Nashville.

I’ve been getting to know the Music City during the past few weeks, and I love it. I love the people, I love the city’s personality, I love the nightlife, I love the food, and pretty much everything else… The only thing that I’m still getting used to is the weather. Being a Memphis girl, I’ve dealt with the Tennessee winter before, but this Nashville winter has thrown me for a loop.

Y’all heard what happened here this weekend, right? (Hint: I got off work around noon because of it.)

Let me clue you in, in case you didn’t know:

SNEAUX! (This one’s for you, Louisiana friends.)

Felicity had a rough time. And by the end of the snowstorm, she had a good six inches of snow piled on her roof.

Lucy kept watch as her mother plodded around in the snow.

And I wore boots with the fur, quite literally, and an awesome/obnoxiously orange scarf. (Not seen: My awesome fingerless gloves that make my hands so happy when it’s cold outside. Just ask my Hattiesburg friends.)

…

It snowed from Friday morning until Saturday morning. By the end of the storm, we had probably six inches of snow on the ground in some parts, and our parking lot was a glorified skating rink. (Which probably explains why no cab drivers came to pick us up Friday night to go over to some friends’ house. And definitely explains my nerves driving around town last night to and from a photo gig.)

However, it was a beautiful weekend. We all had a great time, despite the snow and treacherous driving conditions, and I plan on making some chicken soup with spaetzle tonight for the boys. Because chicken soup with spaetzle is the best for cold wintry nights.

What did you do this weekend?

Hoping your day has been as wonderful as mine, filled with family, friends and lots and lots of cookies.

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Last Friday night, we were all in for a winter-y surprise.

A snowy surprise.

In preparation for the chilly weather, I whipped up a mug of marshmallow lovers hot chocolate and snuggled in to the couch while I watched the state football championship game on TV. (You can see images from the matchup here and here.) The snow was coming down pretty hard in Jackson (where the game was held) by the end of the first half, and I knew it was on its way for us, too.

It was clearly sleeting outside, judging from the pitter-pattering sound on my tin roof, and I snuck a few peeks out the front door before deciding to give up and go to bed.

Later that night, I awoke to learn two things. One, that my power was out because of a blown transformer. (Have no fear, the power people were able to fix it within an hour.) And two, that it had snowed (and stuck!, if only for a few hours) and that I needed to hightail it out of my home to make some images for the paper.

I made my way across town to Southern Miss to find students playing in the snow.

And on my way home, in my little alleyway, I spotted the following photo and had to stop my car, pull out my camera, and make the image:

After the photo was made, I headed back home and crawled into bed a little after 2 a.m.

While it was a busy night, it was a good one.

…

What did you do for your last snow day?

I’ve spent the past few days in Nashville, the town I will be calling my own in the near future, and it has been a lovely time. Since I arrived Saturday evening, W and I have cheered on our Tigers to victory (narrow, but it was still a win), taken engagement photos with a college friend, made red beans and rice before watching the Saints on Monday Night Football and have spent numerous hours playing with Lucy Belle.

It has been a wonderful time, and the weather? It has been PERFECT. A little nippy, but beautiful. Like it’s supposed to feel in the late fall.

I was surprised when I walked out the door this morning to find frost covering the ground and covering my ENTIRE car. (Thank goodness for W’s ice scraper! That thing comes in handy… and I don’t have one anymore since I have lived in Mississippi and Louisiana for the past seven-ish years.)

As Lucy and I poked around in the cold, I found myself marveling at the plants that were frosted over and decided to snap a quick image before leaving for breakfast.

It’s hard to believe that the winter is upon us again and that today is December 1. Where did the year go?

How is your December so far?

We finally got to make a trip to Memphis last weekend to start wedding planning, and I couldn’t help but notice as we traveled from place to place that fall has finally arrived.

I should not have been surprised. I mean, it IS November, but since fall took such a long time to show its face in Mississippi, I was delighted by all the golds, reds and browns that greeted us at potential reception and rehearsal dinner sites.

It was truly gorgeous, and I had a good time snapping images of the fall foliage.

I have always been an autumn fan. It probably goes back to me being a fall baby and the fact that I loved playing outside in the fall because it wasn’t too hot or too cold. Dodger, Leigh and I could play outside for hours at a time. And my love of this season has carried into adulthood, even though there is less rolling around in leaves and playing in the backyard these days.

These days, it’s about the weather and the scenery. It doesn’t get any better than this.

What is your favorite season?

I know, I know. I said I was hopping back on the bandwagon of updating you daily, and I fall off as soon as I make the statement.

If last week was busy, this week has been HECTIC with the amount of assignments I’ve shot and everywhere I have been. It has been a really good experience, and I’ve done a lot of good work, even though I am really tired. Y’all are in for a HUGE week in review post on Sunday. Trust me.

…

So the following image was snapped Sunday at the fair. I love the fair, and I went quite a bit when I was a kid. Especially since my school district let us out one Friday every year for ‘Fair Day.’ So when I think of the fair, I’m immediately brought back to my childhood, eating a corn dog, riding the swings and wondering if maybe this year I could ride the roller coaster. I had horrible motion sickness as a kid, and I wasn’t able to ride many rides because of this. So that roller coaster? Not a good idea.

I want to dedicate the following image to my friend, Elizabeth, who has never been to the fair. We need to remedy this, chica!

Happy Thurdsay, y’all!

I love cooking. Especially baking. My family, obviously, knows of my affection for the culinary arts and for my birthday a few weeks back, my mother and sister sent me a gift card to a local kitchen store to be spent on a cooking class.

I was thrilled, never having taken a cooking class, and signed up for the “Seafood Bounty” session as soon as I received their present.

I spent almost three hours at the store last night, and it was definitely a hit. I came out with some awesome seafood recipes and a better understanding of how to cook seafood, as well as to not be intimidated by it. As a Tennessee girl, we only made fish on special occasions. Since I’ve moved South, I figure I need to figure this out because fish? Is tasty. And healthy.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I walked into the store last night, and I was surprised there were almost 20 chairs, each with a little handout of recipes placed in it. The seats were arranged in front of the stove, and our teacher, Miko, and other ladies who worked at the store greeted everyone as they came in.

It became apparent that since the kitchen was so small, the class wasn’t going to be hands on. However, I feel like watching our teacher make the recipes was informative enough so whenever I make these recipes on my own, I won’t have any questions or be fumbling around in the dark.

The first dish served was sauteed crab claws.

These crab claws were lick-your-fingers (and maybe plate, too) good. I think everyone in the class was pleased with the first dish, and we anxiously awaited as Miko whipped up the next one. She chatted about a restaurant in New Orleans, talking about oysters on the half shell and poboys, as she prepared the next dish, fielding questions as she cooked.

Shortly after, we tried the margarita shrimp.

This was probably my favorite recipe of the evening. The shrimp were marinated in olive oil and various spices for a few hours, then thrown on the grill (pan) and brushed with a sweet margarita sauce as they cooked.

The spices gave the shrimp a kick, then the margarita cooled you down. They were delicious, and I will definitely be making these for a dinner party or something similar in the future.

Next, seared scallops with a blueberry gastrique.

Before last night, I had never had a gastrique. Or ever paired a seafood, like scallops, with a berry. I was skeptical when I first saw the recipe, but the combination was amazing. I am convinced whenever I make this gastrique at my own home, I could probably drink it out of glass. It was THAT tasty.

And the last dish of the night was Flounder Jerry.

The recipe we were given can be used for any kind of light, white fish, but since the flounder at the seafood store looked best, Miko purchased that. This is her father’s recipe. Simple and easy, but delicious. Dredge the flounder in flour. Place it on the grill, and let it cook for just a few minutes, flip, then pop in the oven. The fish is topped with a browned butter sauce with capers, a crab meat sauce and toasted almonds.

All in all, it was a successful evening, and I hope I can take another cooking class soon because this one was a lot of fun. There’s nothing like spending your evening eating good food, drinking wine and conversing with interesting people.

At the beginning of this month, my mother, my boyfriend, one of my best friends from high school, her mother, her sister, and me convened in Charlotte, North Carolina for my other high school best friend’s wedding.

He and his wife were married on the roof of a hotel in downtown Charlotte that Saturday morning. We spent the afternoon and part of the evening watching college football. (I may or may not have been snoozing by the time LSU made it to their second quarter. Hey! They were playing in Seattle!) We took a break, however, and walked around the downtown area in between the action.

We ran across this:

We spent about an hour walking around the city, and I fell in love. It’s gorgeous. The people were friendly. There were bands playing and a street festival and girls in cowboy boots were walking around. (We later learned Taylor Swift was performing that evening.)

It was a relaxing time after a hectic day, and I hope we make it back to Charlotte sometime soon.

I went to the local airport last Saturday to photograph some troops coming in for basic training. (Photo gallery this way.)

I was waiting in the shadows for the plane to land behind a HUGE blue hangar. In my time sitting there, I noticed how the light and shadows were playing on the side of the building, and I knew I had to photograph this.