a blog on: being Snow White, loving people, and enjoying the small things.

Normally rainy days like today call for comfy pants, a good book (or an entire marathon of The Office), and *something-hot-and-cozy* while I angrily glare at all things work over on the desk.  However, I am kicking today's booty: Chuck Norris round-house style.  E-mails, check.  Blog post, check.  Album, check.  Mini-photo session for future blog post, check.  Cleaning house, check.  SHOWER, check.  The latter deserves a standing ovation.  Thank you, Internet.  Thank you.

stars of the show:

I re-painted a bright pink birdhouse (you're welcome, hubs) to make our apartment feel more homey and country (plus, I like to pretend I'm Snow White).   And I piled that thing high with bird-seed plus sprinkled the ground with it...to you know, entice them.  THE DUMB THINGS WOULD NEVER FLY ON MY HOUSE.  But I did have some cute Mama Goose and babies visit and pick my ground seedlings (first row, third picture).  *note: since said visit, birds of all sorts have found where the house is and fly there multiple times a day...something my cats both appreciate.
Karra fixing my purple peek-a-boo after a bad off-brand bottle of purple left half my head of hair slightly tinted blue (row two, pictures two and three).  A nice bleach, conditioning treatment, and much-needed girl talk, and I was all peaches when I got home.
Grandma's house is my peace (row three, picture three).  I feel God when I'm there.  I feel able to just breathe.  And I was able to visit her TWICE this past week: oh be still, my heart.  This woman brightens my life.
After reading Kelle Hampton's Bloom, I immediately composed a messy e-mail - with a mascara streaked-face and a pile of tissues next to me- to this girl who is my net.  The hour long calls where I have to hide in my closet so we can talk about boyfriends.  The long e-mails filled with our problems.  The happy every-so-often cards in the mail that make us smile.  I haven't seen her in six months, but it just fits when we're together.  And this past Friday, Adam and I got to hear her perform with her band (row three, picture four).  Her voice is powerful.  The room loved her.  And I needed to see her.


points of interest:

Sometimes, I'm lucky enough to have lunch with my husband during his busy day.  This past Friday was chilly, but I was determined to have a picnic (row three, picture one).  So we did.  In the car.  Blanket and all.  WITH bakery cookies.  I've learned that if you want the world, sometimes you just have to go get it yourself.  
I love this horse's mentality (row four, picture one).  He dreams big.
Lilacs (row four, picture four).  Oh, how beautiful to arrive at Grandma's house with a vase filled with these beauties that I blogged about only days ago.  Enjoying the small things in big ways.  Check.



*(Instagram is a free app for iPhones that features various filters that are easy-to-use and make posting to Twitter, Facebook, and ha, my blog, easy-peasy! You can follow me @ bgilsonburnett or on Twitter @brennigan)


This week on the blog: albums & dedications to my senior girls of 2012!  Wedding season countdown: 11 days.  I'm already full of appreciation for love and sweet touches and kisses and beautifully written vows.  And Hubs just called and informed me he'll be home an hour early: so if y'all don't mind, I'm ditching work early too for love-time! ;P

Happy Monday!

Douglas J & the Girl who is my .HAIR.ROCKSTAR.

Karra is one of my best friends, and I am forever indebted to this girl for making my hair gorgeous on my wedding day & my boudoir session (plus handfuls of trials & my most recent purple peek-a-boo).  FOREVER INDEBTED: because styling hair is just about as important to a bride as making sure the groom is waiting for her at the altar.   Especially when you have baby fine hair with zero body like me.

She is amazing at what she does, and when she asked if I could photograph her graduating class from the Douglas J Aveda Institute, I couldn't say "no."  I mean, these girls study hair.  Not only will I get to help out a friend, but I GET TO PHOTOGRAPH GIRLS LOOKIN' GOOOOOD.  Extra "o"s for gorgeous hair points.  

Now, let me introduce you to a few of these gorgeous girls (with Karra being in the middle of the first row with gorgeous thick hair).







They all knew how to work the camera and were such an exciting group with crazy, fun ideas!...(having a girl on each level of the parking garage, going on the roof, climbing on top of lockers: oh, and I shot this session wearing heels & standing on a table.  (10 rockstar points for me!)



I'm convinced if this below picture is how school has been for them, I want to enroll.  STAT.  Just so I can be crazy fun with other girls who can curl my hair for me.



Congratulations!  Wishing you all the best in your future careers.  People like me would love to offer your fabulous hair & makeup skills to my brides and senior girls! :)

Lavender & Old Lace

I've had home-buying fever since I was old enough to use a hot glue gun.  And while my fever was quelled by marriage fever for hardly long enough while Adam and I planned our rustic+chic wedding, the home-buying fever returned the minute we returned from our honeymoon.  Or before.

OKAY, OKAY, I ADMIT IT.  It totally just never left.

I believe my love for all things vintage and country stem from my grandmother who lives on a large piece of property (once) filled with gardens of fruit and vegetables, tall and beautiful hydrangea bushes, and a dirt road that led to imagination-filled walks.  She donned her and Grandpa's home with hand-made lace curtains in the kitchen and let me hand-pick wildflower bouquets to place in the center of her table.  And when we'd sit on the sofa with our afternoon tea and the windows & doors open, a faint breeze would sweep through the hall accompanied the song of wild birds.



Early on in our relationship, I begged, pleaded with, made Adam promised to fill our backyard with lavender bushes.  We are thankful for our apartment: a roof over our heads and large enough to give us space when we argue and small enough to create a special intimacy during these first few months of our marriage.

But lately, we'll sit in our two-bedroom apartment and dream of redecorating a place that is all our own:  mud-rooms created from a gutted closet, palettes of color to set the mood of our rooms, a garden to grow everything wild and beautiful to sit in the mason jar on our dining table, and a green bead-board backsplashed kitchen complete with old lace curtains.

[personal] a week in the life of...

I like adding things to my to-do list that should already be a given to anyone's routine.  Crossing off extra things ("Shower.  Load dishwasher.  Put on real pants.") no matter how mundane make me feel like I pretended worked hard today.  I was pumped when I crossed off "Package and ship orders.  Finish contracts.  Deposit checks.  Get groceries."  But then when I realized I failed to ever get around to putting on real pants today, I kind of felt like a loser.

But, hey, at least I'm not blogging in my underwear.


stars of the show:

My nephew Landon is a second-grader; and every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, he gets extra time after lunch to practice for a walk-a-thon.  Last Wednesday, he got to pick a special person (*ahem*) to walk with him (second row, second picture).  Bonus cool points to Uncle Adam who installed a cool app on my phone to track our walk and tell us how fast we were going!
Once you graduate college (or high-school), your group of friends kind of disperses.  And you can't run down the hall to your girlfriend to complain about boy problems or spontaneously watch hours and hours of Sex & the City.  So, when the chance to organize a Girls' Night (third row, first picture) presented itself, I threw myself in.  Girls did not disappoint!  And the eight of us talked babies, houses, marriage, jobs, and memories-- with a heaping cup of hilarity (which may or may not have included one of us spilling a glass of water on her lap).
Our kitties are frequently called the babies.  And the babies love the warm weather and rolling around on the cement outside our apartment (fourth row, first picture).  Love our calico and her miss priss attitude.  "I'm working on my tan, Mom.  Where are your ferns to fan me?"

points of interest:

If you read last week's post, you'd remember my mantra: "I'm a rockstar. I'm a rockstar. I can do this. I'm a freakin' rockstar."  The first four pictures inspired the mantra.  And man, did we ever rock-it-out. 
Look for this gorgeous girl (second row, third picture) and the rest of her class from Douglas J Aveda Institute later this week! :)
4:30AM Saturday morning.  I could hear the bird in my dreams.  But the chirping was getting louder and louder, until I realized 1) birds aren't that annoying and 2) the chirping was inside the apartment.  I go into panic attack mode (I was awaken from my sweet dreams after all...) while Adam swears and swiss-army knifes it out of the ceiling fixes the chirping.  And still it hangs: dismantled wires and all (third row, second picture). 
We stopped out to eat on Saturday just because we needed to get out of the house.  Two Jimmy John's sub-sandwiches plus a quick look on my phone calendar (and an "oh heeey!") made it our official eighth month anniversary dinner (third row, fourth picture).  Still feels like a sleepover with my best-friend every night.  I hope it never changes, Sweetheart.


*(Instagram is a free app for iPhones that features various filters that are easy-to-use and make posting to Twitter, Facebook, and ha, my blog, easy-peasy! You can follow me @ bgilsonburnett or on Twitter @brennigan)


Holy long blog post.  I think its time for tea and one of those donuts I just had to have! from Meijer.  Portrait blog post coming soon...and what's that?  18 DAYS UNTIL THE FIRST WEDDING OF THE SEASON. :)

Weekend Newsreel | Babysitting | Being a Rockstar

"A Week in the Life..." got pushed back because of Happy 100!, and to be honest, all I can remember about last week was snow early on and a weekend jam-packed with visits to Grandma's house and my parents, talking way too fast to my May bride&groom ("Its just something I do because I'm so excited..." I explain to Adam) during our pre-wedding meeting, a musical, and something about THE.BEST.DAY.EVER spent with my husband window-shopping, eating sugar cookies, swinging on the beach, and an impromptu manicure.

It's Tuesday now-- not like you wouldn't know that or anything; but on Tuesdays, I change diapers, make lunches, cradle babies on my hip, play one of Spiderman's nemeses (and yes, that's the plural of nemesis-- I just checked), make beds & fold laundry, create pretend campfires out of connectable race-tracks, and tell ghost stories at nap time while letting kids eat suckers. "And when the lunch-time scramble hit with a 15-month old crying for food, a 4-month old on my hip, and trying to drag a 2 year-old away the TV, I began chanting, "I'm a rockstar. I'm a rockstar. I can do this. I'm a freakin' rockstar."

The house is quiet now, and I'm playing catch-up. Senior picture orders, boudoir album, e-mails, and the ever reliable "A Week in the Life..."

stars of the show:

Jake (Adam's little brother) was able to perform for the first time with Adam's older brother (who is graduating this year) on stage this past Saturday. After the show (and saying hi to Mom & Dad), Jake bypassed all the other relatives because he locked eyes with his big brother, Adam. And big brother Adam kinda rocks it out too (fourth row, second picture).

points of interest:

Early last week, a freak-snow storm hit (first row, second picture): giant, huge flakes fell slowly to the ground (but thankfully weren't able to stick), while I texted my sisters in Florida and brother in California. They were, obviously, quite happy for me and misery (first row, third picture). 80s in March. Snow in April. That's Pure Michigan.

Tuesday night, I had to opportunity to photograph the most recent graduating class of Aveda Douglas J Institute in Grand Rapids (second row, first picture). I couldn't say no, well, because I'm forever indebted to one of the girls in the class for doing my hair for my personal boudoir shoot and wedding day (and my mid-20s crisis purple hair). These girls knew how to work the camera (not to mention a hoot to work with), and I'm excited to blog a few of their pictures later!

(second row, second picture) Kelle Hampton on the Today Show featuring her recently published memoir Bloom. You inspire me, girlfriend!

Do you think my clients would like me better if I sounded like YoYo from Hoops&YoYo (second row, fourth picture)? "Work it, baby!"

Aaaaand the last two rows dedicated to a beautiful weekend.

*(Instagram is a free app for iPhones that features various filters that are easy-to-use and make posting to Twitter, Facebook, and ha, my blog, easy-peasy! You can follow me @ bgilsonburnett or on Twitter @brennigan)


I've got less than an hour before another KIMC (kid in my care) comes home from school and we head outside to play some mad hoops on the new driveway set-up. In the meantime, I think its time to dig out my book for these special, quiet occasions on days like these. ;P May your week be filled with finding happiness in the ordinary!

Old & New Dreams: Happy 100.

I didn’t always want to be behind the camera. Honestly, I wanted to be in front of it. And since my chest resembled more of a boy's than a Victoria Secret Angel, I dreamed that even modeling for JC Penney would pretty be earth shattering. Me…in print!

Summer 2008, and my mom’s friend let me borrow her Canon 20D because “I liked the way the clicker (who knew what a shutter was then?) sounds like a real camera and not my little Powershot.” Pretty soon, my girlfriend and I were in my parents’ bathroom, squishing close together so we could both fit our faces in the oval mirror to apply dramatic make-up. America’s Next Top Model: College (but-really-just-playing-dress-up) Edition.





We’d each take turns posing while the other one took the photo. I remember getting frustrated because my photos weren’t turning out how I envisioned them. I’d sigh and start commanding: Don’t put me right in the center of the photo! or Only from chest up! before quickly scurrying back into my (*ahem* much practiced) model pose—pout and all.



But I knew. I knew right then that no matter how much I wanted to be in front of the camera, I belonged behind the camera.



While I’ve switched from automatic mode (and flash—oh no) and no longer revel being in front of the camera (yikes!), I still feel a sense of belonging as I gently press my left-eye to my viewfinder and capture everyday fleeting moments, significant occasions, and simply…beauty.





Old dreams have done goneand packed their bags to let new dream move in. So while I don’t necessarily want to be featured in a JC Penney catalog as a model; YES, I’d die-and-go-to-heaven LOVE to be featured in The Knot or Martha Stewart Wedding as the photographer. ;P



Happy 100, Blog. Cheers to another 100!

[personal] a week in the life of...

53 days later, and I still can't get my password correct on the first try. Dumb hackers. But my land, it does show how routine rules my days.

I'm not sure why I started to do these weekly blogs on Sunday when Mondays are my catch-up days. For most people, they wind down on Friday and restore their energy for a new week. On a normal Friday afternoon, you'll find me running last-minute errands, hurriedly checking off my mental to-do list, attempting a perfect homecoming for my husband. Normally, I'm mid-laundry-cycle and am half-dressed by the time he comes home (which the latter, I'm sure he doesn't mind); but ever since he's been physically absent during the week, I want the weekend to be ours. And we make it so with routine Saturday morning breakfasts and spontaneous house-hunting trips. But by the end of our weekend, I've sucked the last bit of marrow, and I'm exhausted. Mondays are mine to enjoy...slowly. With breakfast consisting of hot tea and an english muffin and my latest read, answering client e-mails with extra enthusiasm, and running out of the apartment like a bat out of hell to enjoy some sunshine and another attempt to rid myself of this cold.

Maybe these updates might shift a day or two in the week, which probably doesn't matter much right now, but in 4 weeks from this Friday: FIRST WEDDING OF THE SEASON, BABY. I'm beyond excited for a wedding at one of my favorite venues (and the sister barn of where Adam and myself were wed), The Blue Dress Barn.

But I digress.

stars of the show:

adam is a rockstar when it comes to making me feel better. whether its flowers (helloooo, gorgeous flowers row 1, picture 2) or taking afternoon naps (row 2, picture 2), or making me get my butt out of the tissue-infested house (i went through 2 150 count boxes in almost 4 days), he knows what i need when i need it. and i love him (and his silly self: row 3, picture 2) all the more for it.

points of interest:

i'd like to very humbly and graciously point out ROW TWO, PICTURE ONE. BRIDAL PACKETS MADE BY YOURS TRULY. oh, my sweet brides. these packets contain information and goodies i wish i would've known (or did, thankfully) on my special day to make it even smoother. y'all get one as your wedding date approaches (i felt like a grandma mixed with paula deen there with the "y'all" trying to calm down crazy reaching brides- as if you're that excited), so don't worry!

"bloom where you are planted." row three, picture one. i've followed kelle hampton's blog for years, and when i heard she was publishing a book (and offering incentives on said pre-orders), i clicked "add to cart" on amazon.com faster than...than...okay, i did it pretty quickly. while on the outside, nothing in our life seems related: she is a mother of two children, one of which has down syndrome (on which the book is primarily about) who lives in florida and always dreamed of being a teacher and having lots of babies. hardly relative to my life. but, i laughed. and oh, good Lord, i cried. and she met me in a place where i desperately needed to be met emotionally. and i'm so thankful for that.

beach shell from my sweet niece in florida. now every-time i get in my car, i close my eyes and let the sun warm my face and desperately wish i was on my way to her house to spend the day having tea parties and playing with dollies.

*(Instagram is a free app for iPhones that features various filters that are easy-to-use and make posting to Twitter, Facebook, and ha, my blog, easy-peasy! You can follow me @ bgilsonburnett or on Twitter @brennigan)


I never did win the big Adorama give-away, and I'm okay with that because I am learning that right here and right now is mine to grab and take ahold of. To make beautiful and memorable.

And part of that, my responsibility, is designing this boudoir album for a bride who is making her marriage beautiful and memorable - purposeful with this gift to her new husband.

Happy Monday!

Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? - Mary Oliver

[personal] a week in the life of...

I write multiple introduction paragraphs (I blame my [self-diagnosed] OCD). But I was struggling tonight with words, and I read the few sentences out loud to Adam. I started the post with an impressive list of my "16 hours days, forgetting meetings and realizing it last minute, temper tantrums" kind of week, when Adam so sweetly stepped in to remind me, "But I also got you flowers!" Then a pause while he looked over to them: "...that...now...are...dead." He smiled. I smiled. Thank you, hubby.

And here we are.

stars of the show:

my hair. my PURPLE hair. besides feeling like a complete radio-transmitter ("E.T.?") with a heavily foiled head, my four-hour "crazy-hair" volunteer appointment at Douglas J Institute was well worth it. i mean~ I HAVE PURPLE HAIR. rockstar.

points of interest:

the "introduction" flowers at their best & brightest. adam's always been a romantic (second row, last picture: sweet note to which to wake up). i've always been a realist (which i've actually admitted to meaning pessimist). prince charmings do exist. just take your eyes off of mine. ;P

"XXX" ~ i finished wrapping up a boudoir session this past week, and i can't wait to begin designing her *little black book* album. wish i could blog all my sexy bride-to-bes, but these are for their future husbands' eyes only!

we've finally upgraded our 13 year-old dell laptop to a macbook pro i found on craigslist. adam's friend works at the apple store in our area, and gave us the "genius bar of approval" on our investment. yes, my friends, we have completely branded our house with apple products.


*(Instagram is a free app for iPhones that features various filters that are easy-to-use and make posting to Twitter, Facebook, and ha, my blog, easy-peasy! You can follow me @ bgilsonburnett or on Twitter @brennigan)


While I didn't win it big with the Mega Millions, here's to hoping for new camera equipment from Adorama! They're featuring a give-away (fingered crossed for these goodies: Canon 5DMII with Canon EF 24-105L Image Stabilized Lens, Think Tank Photo Roller Luggage, SanDisk 16 Extreme Pro CF Card, and SanDisk 8GB Memory Vault) that ends tonight. If you enter your e-mail for the $200 give-away, you're automatically submitted into both give-aways.

While I may seem absent on the blog, I'm busy in the office. I'm booking another wedding for this summer, re-designing the blog, ordering senior pictures (2 more months! you can do it!), and drum-roll...I'll be sending out bridal packets this week! We're on the brink of wedding season, and I couldn't be more excited! Happy Sunday!