This shall be deemed the eating post.  Apparently I was a bit overzealous at the restaurants…

If you’ve not been to Lambert’s, you really must go!  Home of Throwed Rolls!  It’s like Cracker Barrel on steroids and crack at the same time.  No trip the beach is complete without it!

So that was our very redneck lunch.  Apple Butter and Fried Okra (not together) – YUMMMMM!

On to dinner.  LuLu’s is a fun little restaurant on the shore of the gulf.  Evidently everyone knows this because there was an hour long wait to get a table.  We opted for killing time in the goofiest, most geeky way possible.

One kind of iphone image spawned another…

and then another…

and then….yeah….we shouldn’t be left to our boredom for very long…

By the time we got in to eat I was soooo hungry that I didn’t take any pictures but I had the chicken quesadillas, in case you were wondering.

Adrienne is such a good little newlywed wife!  Chris had a birthday while we were at the beach.  We got back late from the restaurant that evening but she still went straight to the kitchen and made a birthday cake. )  Something about sea level didn’t sit well with the cake mix though so the cake was a little “level challenged”.  I think it’s cute and it tasted awesome!

Chris loves it when we call attention to him and sing happy birthday!  Really.

Ok so all this talk about food and dreaming of throwed rolls has made me realize that it’s 9:30pm and we still haven’t had dinner!  My very favorite images from our trip are yet to come so stay tuned and/or thanks for indulging me! )

This almost never happens but I was looking through some old photos a few weeks ago and I was reminded again of just how important it is to document our life.  In an attempt to change our ways, out came the camera on our beach vacation this past week.  I was vigilant and even took it to lunch and dinner with us – a big bulky 5D with a 16-35 lens sitting in my lap because there was nowhere else to sit it.  I looked like the most hardcore tourist in southern Alabama but it was worth it!  We went on vacation with our friends and we have the pictures to prove it!  Our life, or some extreme derivative of it, has been documented.  See, as we are all photographers who like being behind the camera, we took being in front to an obscene form of ridiculousness to compensate for our “in front of the camera” insecurities. )

It started off rather tame.  Mac much?

Once we decided to go out to the actual beach, things deteriorated rapidly… )

Peter Frog of Dove Wedding Photography

Fun in the Sun Phil of Phindy Studios

and Shark Boy — otherwise known as my husband

Peter was a brave soul and got into the cold ocean!

What’s a day on the beach without a good parade march?

Like the good wives that we are, we were all around to take embarrassing photos

Mindy, get to posting what came out of that camera! ;o)

If you haven’t seen enough of us yet, go check out Whitney’s photos on their blog

They may not be an accurate depiction of our everyday life but they make me laugh. )  More to come soon!

I am loving the diversity of our couples this year!  Julie and Craig’s session was one that I especially couldn’t wait to do!  They are just so cute and so retro and SO in love!  Julie says that they were meant for another era and I totally believe it.  In honor of such, we visited some of our favorite old school locations for their session.   

Oh laundry mat.  How we love thee!

I had to add this one because I love her expression – it’s like a full heart worn on your face. )

Hope you enjoy them!  Thanks for dropping by! )

- Mel and Sean

Now that Chris and Adrienne have seen their images, I am so excited to get to share more with you!  These guys are just so stinkin’ adorable that I can hardly stand it!  Seriously, don’t you just love them already? )

This is going to be the biggest. canvas. EVER hanging in their stairwell.  I can’t wait to see it!

When I think of the Grand Canyon, I think of warm desert but NOooo!  It is cold up there in January!  Observe…

Chris is always doing this completely cute thing where he kisses Adrienne on the forehead.  I love it!

Still cold but getting warmer…

and then just a couple of hours to the south – warm weather and lush greenery.  This is my favorite part about the west!

Adrienne has the best laugh!  It comes from deep inside her and shows all over her face. )

Thanks for looking! )

Sean and I love to learn about our couples so that we can incorporate who they are into their engagement sessions.  When I started planning things out with Ashlee, she sent me a description of them that said “Ashlee loves pink, coach purses, shoes, etc…Ben is a farmer, hunter, and fisherman! Ashlee has to learn to love farming, tractors, etc. and Ben has to learn to shop, buy pink things, and understand why I need more than one coach bag!”  LOL!  They really could not be more different and yet it’s completely adorable just how much these two love each other and want to make the other happy! )  It’s so nice to see two people with big, polar-opposite personalities and no desire to change who the other person is.   

Ben’s family farm was the perfect backdrop!

Since my two favorites for this post are far away, here’s a third so you can see their bright, shining faces. )

This is probably my favorite from the entire shoot!  Sean quite frequently sees these killer compositions and executes them in just such a way that it makes me totally envious – seriously, why didn’t I see this?? ;o)  

Thanks for inviting us into your home and sharing your farm with us!  It was great to see you guys again! )