Stephanie & Christoph: Wedding Session

Stephanie arrived at work on a Monday morning frazzled. She knew she had a lot of work to get to and Mondays were always her busiest days. As the day went on, rumors swirled through the office about a colleague that was in town from Austria. Stephanie, wrapped up in her work, didn’t think much of this visitor until she was introduced to the infamous Christoph. One thing went through her head when she met him; “Oh crap…I look like crap.” Discovering that their office was going to lunch in honor of Christoph’s visit, Stephanie rushed to the bathroom to freshen up. There she found women gossiping about how handsome Christoph was and how they all wanted to meet him. Well, Stephanie was the envy of the office, as she got to sit next to him during lunch. They started chatting, Stephanie giggling nervously, and later that week Christoph and Stephanie got to know each other through various work events. Their connection was instant and for those two weeks, they were inseparable. Their bond was so evident, even though they had only spent a few weeks together, two different strangers asked if they were married.

While driving home from a work party, Christoph told Stephanie that she was so special, he would leave everything behind in Austria just to be with her. It was inevitable, though, that Christoph's business trip would end, along with their fairy tale romance. They vowed to keep in touch despite the distance. Although they had a lot of odds against them, their relationship developed and six months later, Stephanie moved to Austria to be with the person she loved.

Three years went by and Stephanie and Christoph were married in a very private, intimate Austrian ceremony. Soon after, they decided that they wanted to move back to the States. Although Stephanie is currently in Georgia, and Christoph is in Austria awaiting a job transfer, their bond and love for each other keep their relationship strong and they eagerly wait for when they will be together again.

Over Christmas, we did a wedding photo session to celebrate their recent marriage. Unfortunately, it was FREEZING out and we literally spent about 20 minutes shooting. It was unbearable! Even though the shoot was short, I think it's clear how much these two truly love each other.

The Big Unveiling

I wouldn't really consider myself a "techie" person. Sure, I like computers, and obviously I love cameras. I know how to use design and photo editing programs, but I NEVER thought I would make a website, let alone learn html code. Heck, I can't even get our dvd player to work half the time!

I've wanted a website from the moment I started taking photos, but knew that it was a ton of work and money, and just an overall headache. But at the end of last year I decided that I desperately needed a website and couldn't wait a minute longer. I knew exactly how I wanted it to look but the problem was that I didn't want to pay someone to do it. The control-freak and graphic designer in me wanted to update and change the site whenever I wanted. So I took an intense 10-week web design course to try to figure out how the heck to put a website together. After some very late nights, a few tears, and about 10 weekends entirely devoted to the site, it's finally finished! MY WEBSITE IS UP!!!!! I can't express how excited I am and what a sense of relief, happiness, and a little bit of pride I feel!

My blog is now www.nicoledabbs.blogspot.com and my website is www.nicoledabbs.com.

I hope you like the new site! Look around and let me know what you think! Maybe I am a little "techie" afterall! Ha!

Old Made New #2

I love looking at old pictures of my grandparents. There's just something about the way they dressed that made that generation look so classy and beautiful! I retouched this picture a while back for my grandparents and I love their expressions. They were newly weds, in their twenties, and had just moved to Canada from England. So sweet!

For those of you not familiar with the "Old Made New" posts, click on this link to get some background story.

Scarlett: Pet Session

So I was watching the Westminster Dog show last week and loved every second of it. I always pay extra attention to breeds that I have photographed and when I saw the Westminster Pekingese, I couldn't help but think that little Scarlett is so much cuter. I mean, come on...look at this little face! I don't think the Westminster Pekingese even came close to the adorable Scarlett! I know I posted a lot of pictures, but I just couldn't stand it and had to share so many because she is so stinkin' cute!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I've never been big on Valentine's Day. I guess I just wonder why we need a specific day to tell people we love them because we should do it all the time. Then, on the other hand, part of me is a sucker and I get drawn into the flowers and heart shaped candy that are plastered everywhere. Every Valentine's Day I look forward to Douglas and I getting takeout, and every year, I check the mailbox for the Valentine's Day card my parents sent us. So there you go, I guess it's a love/hate relationship with Valentine's Day! Either way, I hope that everyone has a great day spent with loved ones!

Just Down the Street

I stood in her driveway as the moving van pulled out, and I watched it barrel down the road. I was 12 and my best friend was moving from across the street to Atlanta, GA. I was devastated. Although Atlanta was only four hours away, she might as well have moved across the ocean. She had been my partner in crime. We built forts, caught fireflies, and talked about boys. Steph was my childhood and now she was gone.

It's funny how life works out. Ten years after Stephanie's big move to Atlanta, I got married and moved to Atlanta as well. I was ecstatic because I would only be twenty minutes down the street from my closest childhood friend. Steph and I were enjoying rekindling a friendship that for so long had been long distance. She was my only friend when I first moved to Atlanta and she kept me sane.

But again, it's funny how life works. A year went by and Steph told me that she would be moving to Austria for a new adventure and didn't know when or if she would be back. Cue the flashback to me standing alone in her driveway watching the moving van pull out. Sad times. Trust me. Somehow, we kept in touch, despite the miles.

I think that our friendship is just meant to be because this past December, Stephanie told me she was moving back to Atlanta. The dynamic duo would be back together yet again! Although the distance has been against us, Steph and I have been through a lot in our twenty years of friendship. We were in each others' weddings, supported each other through heartache, and have seen each other through the best and worst of times. When I am serious, Steph is goofy and lighthearted. When I overreact, she brings me back down to earth (or supports my reaction!). Steph, I am so thankful for our friendship and I am so happy that you are again, just down the street.

Happy Birthday, Douglas!

After ditching our plans to go out last night, Douglas and I sat on the couch eating takeout barbecue and watching episodes of Arrested Development. It was Douglas’s birthday and although the thought of going out for dinner was tempting, all we really wanted to do was stay in and spend time enjoying each other’s company. As he opened each birthday gift I kept thinking about how lucky I am to have him in my life. He’s one of the most talented, honest, and sincere people know and I am always bubbling with pride when I think about him. Although yesterday’s birthday celebration was simple, there is no one I would rather sit on the couch and watch re-runs with. Happy Birthday, Douglas! I love you!

I'll Help Myself, Thank You!

Lily was playing with her toys in the kitchen while my mom was getting out ingredients for her Saturday breakfast. She pushed a carton of a dozen eggs to the back of the counter, up against the wall. Since Lily is not only in her naughty teenage years, but is also too curious and smart for her own good, pushing items out of her reach is a typical precaution in my parents' house. Before she started cooking, my mom went upstairs to wash her face. As she was drying her face with a towel, she noticed that Lily was being exceptionally quiet, which is never good. My mom raced downstairs and into the kitchen. An empty carton of eggs was upside down on the floor and not one bit of evidence remained from all twelve eggs. Lily had decided to help herself to breakfast that morning.

It's pretty obvious based on my blog posts, but I love all dogs; especially Boxers. They just have a soft spot in my heart. The jowls, the funny ears, the notorious Boxer wiggle...I love it all! Although my parents' Lily is very naughty, she is the most affectionate dog I know and I love her to death! Looking at this face, how can you not love her!!!

I think this was probably the face Lily gave my mom when she was caught eating the eggs. "What?! I'm a little angel...I could never do anything bad!"

This one's for my mom. She loves Boxer profile pictures.

Since it's so cold in Buffalo, Lily loves to wear her coat and sit on top of the heat register when it's chilly.

And last, but not least, is Lily's "Billy Teeth". She is one of those dogs that will literally let you do anything to her. So my sister loves to show off her under-bite by sticking her upper lip behind her teeth. It looks a little scary, but it cracks me up!

A Little Addition to a Big Family

My mother's family is big. I'm talking, fill the whole house with 40-50 exhausted parents, hyper kids, and giggling babies big. It's so big, that whenever we have a family get together, I don't get to talk to everyone because there are too many people to visit at one time. Not only is our family large, but it grows at crazy speeds! Every time we go to Buffalo on our yearly visit, there is inevitably someone pregnant, newly married, or just born.

So I was so excited to see my huge family over Christmas because I got to meet a new cousin for the first time; little Luke. I was equally excited to take pictures of this cutie...he's such a doll and has the prettiest blue eyes! His parents, my Aunt Kim and Uncle Tom, just added a painting studio to their house, so we had really nice light for the shoot. I think Luke loved all of the attention and the photos of him in that little red hat just kill me!

Old Made New #1

I knew they existed, but didn't know the condition they were in or the extent of the collection. So about a year ago I asked my grandparents to pull out their old photographs from when they lived in England. As they dragged out a large, dusty cardboard box from their closet, I stood behind them with the same anticipation a child has on Christmas. My heart sank a little when I saw the box's state because I knew it would be a hint to the condition of the photographs inside.

Although unfortunate, as I rummaged through the box, the poor condition of the photos added to the feeling that I was uncovering something rare and really special. Every picture revealed people and places that, although foreign to me, seemed oddly familiar. Every photograph offered a glimpse into my family's past. Occasionally, I would be lucky enough to find a date, name, and/or location on the back of a picture that gave me a little more insight to the context of the photograph. They ranged from late 1800s photographs of unknown family members, to my dad's baby pictures. The people in the photographs are all connected to each other and to my family so I couldn't bear the thought of the images being forgotten, lost, or destroyed.

As I sat on my grandparents' bed with hundreds of photographs surrounding me, I knew what I had to do. After begging my grandparents to entrust me with their photos, I brought them back to Atlanta, scanned them, and returned them back to their rightful owners. Now I face the daunting task of retouching about 300 old, dusty, wrinkled, and torn pictures. I'm not kidding myself...I know it will take years for me to complete, but I know it will be worth in in the end! I think that if I commit to posting the before and after photographs on my blog, I will stick to it and slowly work my way through the files. So with that, here is my first "Old Made New" post of my great-great-grandfather and his dog in an English pub. I think it's one of my favorite photographs...ever.

Iced In

I ran to look out the window after hearing tires squeal loudly in our parking lot. While a car tried its hardest to get out of the lot, it slowly slid down to the bottom of the hill that leads out of our complex. Eventually cars started to line up. One by one, each car took a turn trying to go up the hill, sliding down it, and then eventually turning around to go back home. We weren't snowed in, but iced in! Since today was a work day, I was determined to not let the ice beat me. I went outside with my snow boots (which I was so excited to actually wear for snow!) to get a good look at what I would be dealing with. I slipped and slid across the parking lot which had literally become an ice skating rink. I couldn't even see the pavement...it was solid ice! There was no way I was getting out today, so instead of sitting around inside, Douglas and I decided to go on a little walk on our hiking path behind our apartment.

Since one of my goals for 2010 is to be a little more open and personal on my blog, here are some fun photos from our "Ice Day"!

Douglas looking adorable, as usual. I particularly like that you can see his breath!

I LOVE THE SNOW!!! Can you tell?

He's a cutie.

This is my general feeling toward having my picture taken. Douglas was trying so hard to learn how to use my camera...I'm afraid I'm not a very good model.

The Falls Never Get Old

So Douglas and I just completed our annual Christmas trek on Monday. We drove to Nashville, TN and stayed with the in-laws for 2 days. Then we flew to Buffalo, NY to visit my family for a week. Then back to Nashville for 5 more days with the in-laws, followed by our drive back to Atlanta. Even though it's exhausting, I wouldn't trade this trip for anything. It's our fifth Christmas doing this vacation and I wouldn't have it any other way. Being around family and friends for the holidays is so priceless and we'll do what we have to do to make it happen!

Every year Douglas and I do our snow dance when we get to Buffalo. Atlanta's idea of snow is a few baby flurries that you have to see with a magnifying glass, whereas Buffalo is more like 2 feet of snow! So, to the dismay of my family, we cross our fingers for snow every time we visit. We didn't get too much snow this trip, just about 4 inches, but it was beautiful!!!! Douglas and I added to my family's annoyance when we not only wished for snow, but insisted on going to Niagara Falls in a sleet storm. Come on, it's tradition! We have to visit the falls every time we go to Buffalo and the magic never wears off. If you haven't been to see the falls, it's hard to explain how pretty they are. The photos don't do it justice, especially since it was sleeting and absolutely FREEZING!!! Just trying to take pictures was difficult and scary! The wind was so strong I worried my camera would fly away!

Here's Douglas and me at the falls. We were freezing, but loved every second!

And here are the falls...so pretty.