Life by Brandi

Miss N {Newborn}

2012-02-05T22:08:00.004-06:00

It's so much fun to grow with a family! I have photographed these sweet family twice before and was honored to be asked back to photograph their new addition! It seems like only yesterday when Miss A was a baby and now all of a sudden she's all grown up being a big sister! And such a good big sister at that! I really enjoy watching this family interact with each other. Marcy is the calmest mother I know, seriously she's unruffable! (that's a word right?!) She and her husband make a great team! As if that wasn't obvious by their darling girls!

For more of this session, head over to my Facebook! Enjoy!

X's and O's,
Brandi Sue

Mr. E {6 mo mini}

2012-02-05T21:13:00.004-06:00

In case the pumpkins aren't a dead giveaway, I'm late in posting this little cutie's 6mo session! He slept for most of his newborn session and wasn't sure what to think during his 3mo session so I was excited to see him for his 6mo session! Okay I'm always excited, but 6mo is my fave session! I love seeing the smiles and bright eyes babies have at that age and how their personalities are developing! So much fun!!

I just love this little pumpkin patch! To check out more of his session, go to my Facebook! Enjoy!

X's and O's,
Brandi Sue

C Family {Life}

2012-01-05T21:42:00.008-06:00

When my co-worker asked me to photograph her family, I of course jumped at the opportunity! Then I found out that not only are her kids older than any I have photographed but all three are boys! Yes, THREE...BOYS! If you've been following me at all then you know that my clientele generally range from still in the belly to age 4ish and most are girls. I was terrified at this new challenge! Okay, that's being a little dramatic but seriously, what was I going to do? I quickly threw out the old "say the alphabet wrong" trick as well as the "funny animal noise" trick. I decided to just wing it the day of the session. I mean, surely they would laugh at something right? Besides, I had one more trick up my sleeve and it allllways worked!

I stood there in front of OU campus watching them walk towards me. They were rough housing just like little boys do and no matter what, I couldn't get over the fact that they had the upper hand in this. I mean, come on here I'm the adult after all! I took a deep breath and quickly had them posing on the steps for a group shot. That's when I let them have it. My ace in the hole. "Smile big or you're getting barbie dolls for Christmas!" *crickets and stunned looks* My heart dropped. My 5 year old nephew gives me a killer smile with that line! Now what was I supposed to do?! That's when the mom saved me by teasing J about a "girlfriend", two of them busted into giggles while J held a bashful red faced smile. I quickly filed that in my "5 y/o and older age group" folder and shot like crazy. I learned which one fake smiles and to lightly tease him about it as well as the "girlfriend" trick, once I had that down it was a piece of cake! There was also a moment when the boys caught mom fake smiling, they flipped the tables on her and teased a real smile out of her making an awesome photo moment :)

Older children and boys both posed new challenges for me but it was fun learning new tricks and I'm looking forward to seeing how well they work the next time I have that age group! To check out some of my other faves and some of them just having fun (a definite trick to photographing kids) check out my Facebook!

X's and O's,
Brandi Sue

S Family {Life}

2012-01-05T20:37:00.004-06:00

There just aren't words to describe the love that these two have for each other. Maybe there is but I'm just not that good of a writer haha. (My English teacher probably has my blogged black listed!) Either way, I've watched these two from afar over the past few years and it's been fun to cheer them on as they went from high school sweethearts, then newlyweds, and on to recently celebrating their first year of parenthood! Together they made a handsome blue eyed boy who is a living doll! He was more interested in the geese and running around than he was in being photographed by me but I'm used to that by now! :) I had fun chasing him around and getting him to smile with silliness!

Who needs words when you have gorgeous pictures?! ;) For more of my favorites from this session go to my Facebook! Enjoy!

X's and O's,
Brandi Sue

Mr. C {Newborn}

2011-12-27T18:26:00.003-06:00

I have been so blessed with great clients this year, this sweet family included! They asked me to photograph their maternity session and I was honored when they had me back out for Mr C's newborn pictures! Along with great clients, I was also blessed with amazing lighting for this session! It was a little warm but that's perfect for newborns to keep them nice and cozy! Luckily for me, and you, Mr. C is one of my "Watch me Grow" clients and I'm looking forward to capturing all the precious moments over this next year!

Oh yeah, he's a Sooner fan which makes him extra great and precious :) To see more of his session, check out my Facebook page!

X's and O's,
Brandi Sue

E Girls {Life}

2011-11-18T20:55:00.006-06:00

"It's time for pictures again!!!!!" I always get excited when I get that text from my friend Shawna! I always have so much fun and this last session was no different! Okay, I lie, it was different. Miss P was more mobile than EVER! haha I was literally running all over the place and trying every trick in the book to get her to smile! It's always worth it though when I take a minute to scroll through the pics and see I was able to capture a few of her in action :) I was also super stoked to see Miss L again! I hadn't seen her since her newborn photos! She was all smiles for the most part and has a matching set of those gorgeous blue eyes!

Shawna, I'm waiting for your next text!! ;) For more faves, head over to my Facebook page here! X's and O's, Brandi Sue

*Bows- https://www.facebook.com/Nellie.Belle.Couture

*tu-tus- https://www.facebook.com/isabella.bows1?sk=info

G Family {Life}

2011-11-18T20:05:00.002-06:00

I am so far behind in blogging! Anyway, here's a sweet family I photographed awhile back at a park in Moore. Pro for photographing at a park? Bribing the kids that if they smile big and sit still long enough for the pics that Mommy wants, they can play at the park. Con for photographing at a park? All they can concentrate on is the fun they are about to have playing at the park! haha Lucky for me though, these two cuties were easy to distract long enough to get the shots we wanted :)

Aren't they adorable?! Hope everyone has a great weekend!! For more of this session, visit my Facebook page here.

X's and O's,
Brandi Sue

Miss B {9 months}

2011-10-21T22:22:00.005-05:00

Sweet laid back momma who also looks like a model? Check! Darling 9 month old who couldn't stop smiling? Check! Fancy smancy looking dog that works perfect into the "mood" of our shoot? Check! This was such a fun session, although I've come to expect nothing less when Miss B's minis roll around! Her happy personality is so contagious, I could literally photograph her all. day. long!

It's so hard to believe that in a few short months this sweet girl will be ONE YEAR OLD! Where does the time go? She's not even my child and I want to just freeze her at...well...she's just so darn cute at every age that I don't know which one I would pick! haha For more of my faves, check out my Facebook! Enjoy!

X's and O's
Brandi Sue

Miss L is ONE!

2011-10-10T20:41:00.003-05:00

All these kiddos I've photographed lately are giving me baby fever! I mean, look at Miss L all decked out in my fave colors! We had a fun session complete with balloons and a cupcake! It was her first taste of sugar and I'd say the wrapper was a big hit! haha You can't tell from these photos but she really liked that shiny sugary wrapper! A big shout out to her mommy for letting me try out an idea that didn't work as I had planned! And a shout out to Miss L for rockin it out for the camera!

For more of my faves, check out my Facebook! Enjoy!

X's and O's
Brandi Sue

Miss A is 3 months!

2011-10-07T19:39:00.003-05:00

I can't think of a more fitting session to blog about tonight than this one! And it just so happens that they were next on the list anyway, pretty perfect! In the first and last pictures, Miss A is on a blanket made from her daddy's shirts. I think most (or all) were OU vs Texas related haha For those of you reading this who aren't from around this area (or aren't football fans) this weekend is practically a state holiday! We take all our football games seriously but it's tripled for the OU VS Texas game!

*bathing beauty*

She's such a cutie! Her mommy made the cute bow and onesie! And look at her tiny little painted toes! Can't wait to see her again for her 6 month session! For more of my faves, check out her album on Facebook! Go OU, beat TEXAS!!

X's and O's,
Brandi Sue

S family {Life}

2011-10-02T01:09:00.004-05:00

Neither fire or thunderstorm kept me from this fun session in Stillwater, OK! There was a fire trying to jump the interstate on my way up and I later learned that the interstate had been shut down a few hours, re-opened for about 1 hour, and then shut down again. I'm lucky that I snuck through during that brief 1 hour window! It was pouring when I arrived in Stillwater though and the lightening was not being outdone by the rain either. Okay, so the storm delayed the session until the next day but that's beside the point haha.

This is a new location for me and, even though I'm an OU fan, I was excited to see what OSU's campus had to offer. It was a hot morning but this family toughed it out and I think we got some great pictures in the end!

For more of my faves, check out the album on Facebook here! Enjoy!

X's and O's,
Brandi Sue

B Family {Maternity}

2011-09-16T00:02:00.005-05:00

I'm so fortunate to have so many sweet and kind hearted clients, the B family did not disappoint when it came time for their session! I couldn't tell you how hot it was the day of the session but let me tell you, they were both all star troopers! Every location was outside and there wasn't any breeze to stir the humid air. The pictures were well worth it though!

If you would like to see more of my faves click here! Enjoy!

X's and O's,
Brandi Sue

Mr. E is 3 Months!

2011-09-10T00:49:00.006-05:00

Little E is my second "Watch me Grow" client and my first boy! These sessions are so much fun! Not only do I get to see these little newborns grow and change but I get to know the family a little more. And this family? They are just too cute and easy going! Mr E's mom requested a quick session outside their house since this summer heat is just too much to battle. We got some fun relaxed pictures and then sought refuge of the a/c!

For Mr E's album click here! Enjoy!

X's and O's,
Brandi Sue

Mr. C {Newborn}

2011-08-31T23:14:00.003-05:00

Newborn babies are so captivating and even more so when they belong to your best friend! Michelle took me under her wing when I was the "new girl" our freshman year and we have been friends ever since! I couldn't wait to meet baby Carter and also pick my friend's brain all about motherhood! She may not admit it but she is a born natural. She's so at ease with this little guy and you can just see how much she loves him by the way she looks at him! We had the whole day to capture this little guy at his finest. Problem was, he'd wake up (and usually begin to cry) every time we put him down haha. Lucky for me, Michelle wasn't over protective of him or stressed out about it and I was able to sneak in some shots in between crys :) I can't wait to see this little man grow up, I know it will happen all too fast!

*Michelle's dad is the fire chief so we used some of his gear for pictures!*

*No worries, his mommy was behind him holding his little leg and arm so he wouldn't fall!*

This little face just melts my heart! Have a great week!

X's and O's,
Brandi Sue

Michelle {Life}

2011-08-23T20:35:00.004-05:00

What a fun session this was! Michelle wanted some "just because" pictures and I was more than happy to assist! I was afraid of it being extremely hot (It was July after all) but we were blessed with rain that afternoon and evening! One of the few times we have had it all summer! We ran all over Bricktown and downtown OKC stopping anywhere we thought would make a great backdrop!

To see more of my faves, checkout the facebook album here! Enjoy!

X's and O's,
Brandi Sue

S family {Life}

2011-08-19T16:29:00.004-05:00

Oh how I love life! Capturing life! Happy little giggles, funny faces, and sweet moments that just make life so much fun. My hobby allows me to experience so many things with the people who ask for me to. My friend Marcy is so laid back when it comes to her sessions and they always result in some great snapshots of life at it's best. Soon there will be double the happy giggles, double the funny faces, and double the sweet moments as this little family is growing and expecting a new baby girl in just a few short months! I can't wait to continue experiencing a little of their life through my lens! and sharing it with you of course :)

To view more favorites, check out the Facebook album here! Enjoy!

Once again, the headbands are all handmade by Marcy! Check out her business, Frilly Millie, via MarcyKK facebook, her Frilly Millie Etsy site, or keep up on her blog! Isn't social networking fun? She's super sweet so don't hesitate to ask her any questions about her creations or to request something you have in mind!

X's, and O's,
Brandi Sue

Miss A {Newborn}

2011-08-16T01:42:00.006-05:00

I'm sure we looked pretty silly as we walked to our first location on OU campus. I was armed with a metal bucket, several blankets, a camera bag, and a bag of hair accessories while my accomplices carried a basket, beach towels, a paper umbrella, several outfits, a dog, and a stroller! All for Miss A to make a beautiful debut in her newborn photos! She was a dream to photograph. I was worried about it being too warm for her at first but then I reminded myself how when I do I session indoors, I'm usually sweating in 5 minutes from the warmth the space heater puts out to make the baby comfortable! She slept through the whole thing making for some really adorable photos!

Her 3 month session is coming up and I can't wait to see how much she has changed and see her pretty blue eyes! For more of my faves from her newborn session, check out the Facebook page here!

All the head pieces are handmade and part of the Frillie Millie collection by MarcyKK. Find her on facebook or check her out on etsy .

X's and O's,
Brandi Sue

Mr B {One year}

2011-08-06T13:33:00.004-05:00

It's such a great feeling when clients ask you back again to photograph them! I really enjoy catching up with them and, if they have children, seeing how much they have grown! This little guy was so much fun to photograph when I met him at 7 months and he didn't disappoint the second time around for his one year pictures! Only this time he was faster at outrunning...well crawling, me and my camera! haha

Such a personality! If you want to see more of my favorites, check out the Facebook page here. Enjoy!

X's and O's,
Brandi Sue

Miss B {6mo mini session}

2011-07-31T17:34:00.004-05:00

If it seems like this little girl is the slowest growing baby ever, it's my fault! These are her 6mo pics I'm just now getting around to posting...a few weeks before we take her 9mo pics! haha I know I say it every time but it has been so much fun watching her change and reach her milestones! Both Daddy and Mommy were at the session (remember, last time Daddy was called into work at the last minute!) and she was such a happy lil thing, slobber and all! :)

For more of my faves, check out her album on my Facebook page here! Enjoy!

X's, and O's,
Brandi Sue

Bree {Senior 2011}

2011-07-19T20:27:00.003-05:00

When I was first asked to photograph a senior session, fear made me want to politely decline. First of all, her mom is a 15yr veteran photographer and would be at the session!! What if she didn't like my ideas? What if I couldn't think of any ideas?! Talk about intimidation! Most important, this was a senior we were talking about! One of the cool crowd! I was never part of that crowd and I guess it's something that sticks with you no matter how old you are. I mean, what if she didn't like any of my ideas? What if I couldn't think of any ideas?! I'm awful at saying no though and besides, my first "official" client session was amazing so why wouldn't my first "official" senior be any different? That only comforted me a little so I decided to fake the rest and do the best I knew! Thank goodness I didn't let fear and "what if" rule my life because if I had, I wouldn't have captured these awesome photos of the gorgeous Bree.

Bree, you were such a rock-star!! I couldn't have asked for a better model, it took you no time at all to warm up to the camera. What was I worrying about, all teenage girls love photos!! ;) You were a natural at posing and it really made my "job" easier, all I had to do was point you in the right direction! I hope you had as much fun running around downtown as I did! and a extra shout out to Bree's mom who was in no way intimidating! Thanks for "oooohing" and "awwwwing" at the sneak peeks/previews, you're enthusiasm reminded me why I love capturing moments like this for others. :)

*Just a friendly tip...trains move faster than they appear! It was a shock to see and feel how fast they go by, I think she and I were both a little scared at first! I'll keep it in mind when attempting another shot like this haha*

Congratulations on your achievement! I wish you the very best in the future, have some fun though because being an adult can be over-rated sometimes ;) So soak it up as you go and embrace life as it comes at you! Check out my other faves on facebook! Enjoy!

X's and O's,
Brandi Sue

Rone {Maternity}

2011-06-29T20:57:00.004-05:00

"You're going to be an AUNT!!" Those were the words my high school best friend told me late last year!! I had to wait several months to see her and congratulate her in person, and here's what I was greeted with! My glowing, beautiful, and blue eyed friend! I can't wait to see if Mr. C has her eyes! In high school, we drove around with our music blaring looking for boys, friends, or cool places to hang out. Things haven't changed much over the years. Except this time we were looking for cool places for pictures! ;) It was a great afternoon talking about old friends and events, making new memories, and discussing the future. It's always an amazing feeling being around people who really know you, and love you anyway! Thanks for loving me best friend and for being such a gorgeous maternity model! I'm so excited for you and to be apart of this wonderful journey you're about to begin...just a few days to go!!

If you want to see the rest of my favorites, click here!

X's and O's,
Brandi Sue

Mr E {Newborn}

2011-06-19T22:46:00.007-05:00

Goodness, it's almost time for this baby boy's 3 month session and I haven't posted his newborn session yet! He was born during a super busy time but I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to photograph him and his sweet family! It's not like I could say, "Hey Mr. E...can you wait until next weekend when my schedule is clear?" haha He's my first "official" baby boy newborn and it was lot of fun getting to know his family and celebrating him!

A few hours before this session I had found out that, due to cut backs, I was being let go from my job that I had been at for almost 3 years. Rather than be depressed or upset, I found comfort in documenting the miracle of new life and a beautiful blessing to a sweet family. I'm now working for a great company that is very patient orientated and a much better fit for me. God is amazing and always provides for his children! If you'd like to see more from his session, here's the Facebook album! Enjoy!

X's and O's,
Brandi Sue

W Family {Maternity}

2011-06-07T21:55:00.005-05:00

Last year, my friend and former co-worker was a blushing bride to be. We spent several lunch hours talking about all the wedding details, because really that's more interesting than whatever they were talking about in our meetings anyway ;) The big day came and went and she made a gorgeous bride! Several boring meetings later, she passes me a legit note high school style and tells me the new subject of the lunch hour...she was expecting a baby!! Before we knew it, we were discussing ideas for a maternity session planed for early April. In just over a year she went from blushing bride to a glowing mother to be. Easter is my favorite holiday so what better way to celebrate than with a cute maternity session, a wonderful example of new life! Oh, Mr. W played a role as well (other than the obvious haha)...he set up our gorgeous location! The parents of his best friend have a beautiful house with equally beautiful landscaping by OU campus. I just love that part of Norman! I tend to shoot more close ups than anything else so you can't really tell how pretty the whole place was, so you'll just have to take my word for it :)

If you'd like to see more of their session, check out the album on Facebook. Enjoy!

X's and O's,

Brandi Sue

Mr. and Mrs. S {Wedding}

2011-06-01T23:44:00.005-05:00

So I'm a little behind on sharing pictures! Here's some of my faves from a wedding I photographed a few months ago. I had a hard time deciding, it was a fun wedding with a happy and gorgeous couple and there were lots of details which means I took a ton of pictures! :) I have more on my facebook page, click here to check them out!

X's and O's,

Brandi Sue

W Family {Life}

2011-05-21T14:03:00.002-05:00

Here's the last of the little princess I photographed back to back one weekend! This little girl had me cracking up because she kept looking at me like I was just bizarre! Maybe babies have a 6th sense? haha We had to work hard for some of the smiles you see in the following pictures but it was so worth it! I just loved how her outfits matched the locations so perfectly as well! Her purple dress really complimented the green grass for a pretty and bold look and the second outfit was a perfect match for the spring look and yellow flowers! Mom and Dad looked great as well :) I was happy to capture some special memories for this sweet family, especially since Dad will be gone for several months...oh the life and sacrifice of a military member. Please pray for his safe return!

To view more from this session then click here to be taken to my facebook page, enjoy!

X's and O's
Brandi Sue

Miss B {3 months}

2011-05-08T23:35:00.007-05:00

Oh. My. Goodness!! Can we say Gerber baby model?! This little princess is just adorable and I'm happy to share some of my faves from her 3 month mini session with you! It's so hard to believe how much time has gone by! I'm sure I'll mention that in every one of her mini session posts and especially in her 1 year session!!! I look forward to spending time and photographing this scrumptious baby as well as her family, they are all so sweet! Unfortunately, Miss B's dad was called in to work just minutes before our session! To see more from this session you can click here! Enjoy!

X's and O's,
Brandi Sue

M family {Life}

2011-05-03T00:12:00.004-05:00

A little over a month ago, I had several sessions back to back and I am finally getting around to blogging/posting their sessions! Sweet M was the first of the three little princess I had the pleasure of photographing. The neat thing is, the girls "know" each other and attend the same church. After the third session that weekend, we joked that they all must have made a pact to completely ignore me no matter how high I squeaked, how loud I clapped, or what Mom and Dad did to grab their attention haha. However, they didn't know how determined I would be and I managed to sneak a few smiles and giggles in there with help from their sweet and patient parents! Here's a few of my faves from this session, which includes my first "official" wheat field location :) Yeah, I know that's stereotypical now days, but who can pass up the chance at a location this pretty? And we were dyyyyying for some color since it was technically spring afterall!

The picture of them actually kissing her is cute as well, but there's just something I love about this shot more than the actual kissing one. :)

The girls showing off those pretty blues!

I love pretty pictures! You can see more of my faves from this session over on my facebook by clicking here! Happy Tuesday!

X's and O's,
Brandi Sue

Miss C

2011-03-19T02:36:00.002-05:00

It's been three months since I have seen this sweet little face! I was asked to photograph her 9 month session at her house and, as long as she was standing, she was a little ham! She's learning to balance herself but is a little too brave sometimes! I also learned that she loves to crawl backwards, how cute is that?!

*This pretty little dress is from Tulip Tree in Norman, I think that's what her mom said anyway!*

It was fun seeing how much she has changed in just 3 months, I can't wait to see her again when she's 1 year old! Although, I'm sure mom and dad wish they could just pause the time for a little while! I know I would like to!

X's and O's
Brandi Sue

Miss L

2011-03-13T19:51:00.004-05:00

What's cuter than a blue-eyed blond toddler? How about a mini version of her?! That's right! Miss P, who I have had several sessions with, is now a big sister! Although, Miss L has darker hair right now, she's a mini version of her big sister who is a mini version of her momma who is a mini version of her momma!! What can I say, these girls have some good genes!

*This "carriage" is actually a planter I got from Hobby Lobby that I painted pink! Since Miss L was a little over 5lbs, I thought we could snuggle her inside for some cute pictures. Well, it didn't quite work out that way but we made it work anyway! haha*

It was so much fun photographing this sweet little girl. If the pictures don't tell you that then you should have seen the fabric, bows, bands, beads, boas, fur, and tu-tu's that decorated my living room during her session! Speaking of bows and tu-tu's... All of the bows and outfits seen in these pictures are handmade by Nellie Holman of Nellie Belle Couture. Check out her facebook page here , custom orders are more than welcome! She's great to work with and very creative! And if you think boys clothes can't be cute, then you should definitely check out her page because she rocks at both! And to see more of my favorites from this session you can go to her album on my facebook by clicking here.

Hope you all remembered to spring forward last night! I'm not a big fan of "losing" and hour but I love having more daylight at the end of my day! Plus it means green grass, tulips, Easter, and all other things Spring are right around the corner!!

X's and O's,
Brandi Sue

Mr B

2011-03-03T22:40:00.004-06:00

This sweet little boy is the grandson of my co-worker (and older cousin of Miss A who I blogged about recently) and was so much fun to photograph! I had my work cut out for me when it came to deciding which images to keep and edit because every time I took a picture, his expression would change! He made the cutest little faces, especially when we put him in the sink for some splash time. See for yourself :)

I mean, seriously?! Isn't he the cutest?! The cold weather poses a challenge to me as I prefer to shoot in natural light and I don't have a studio, so I wasn't sure what to expect before this session. When I walked in the house though and saw the gorgeous natural lighting from the big west facing windows and an open kitchen/living room floor plan, I knew I was good to go! Again, thanks Jill for asking me to photograph these sweet grand babies of yours!

I have more of my favorites on Facebook, click here and enjoy!

X's and O's,

Brandi Sue

Ten in Ten: Day Nine

2011-03-02T21:50:00.002-06:00

Ten Days: Day Nine: Two smileys that describe your life right now.

Huh? I mean really? We have all these deep meaning days or whatever and now all I have to do is pick two "smileys?" I mean...what is that? Okay, so I'm going with this:

*Whichever smiley is for "happy"
*and whichever smiley is for "full of life"

There ya go! One day left!!

X's and O's,

Brandi Sue

“Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes…Anything But A Face!”

2011-02-27T23:00:00.004-06:00

The theme for this weeks challenge over at I Heart Faces is “Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes…Anything But A Face!” Which is GREAT news for me because there is a photo I have been wanting to enter but couldn't because normally the entries for this contest have to include a face! So...here it is! Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Head on over to the contest site to check out all the great entries!

X's and O's

Brandi Sue

Miss A

2011-02-25T18:39:00.001-06:00

Yay!! Another newborn to show off! I just can't get enough of their tiny little hands and feet! This sweet little girl is my youngest one to photograph yet, I think she was about 1.5 weeks old at the time and soon she will be a month old! Where does the time go? She has a really sweet name too but I don't know if I'm allowed to share it, so you'll just have to trust me on that one! ;)

*I was happy to use my hat box again! It matches perfectly with her room!*

This is the grand-baby of one of my co-workers and I'm so happy that she asked me to photograph her! Thanks so much Jill! You definitely don't look like a "grandma" yet but you sure are a great one! Seeing you get excited about the pictures made me want to keep snapping away, I could have stayed there all day! :) You and Natalie did a great job on the nursery as well, I love how girly it is and yet so elegant to! Click here to see some more of my favorites I have posted on my facebook!

This little girl has an adorable cousin a few months older than her who I got to photograph as well! He was such a little cutie! Look for his pictures soon, I'm soooo close to finishing them. It was super hard narrowing them down because his expression changed with every click of my shutter haha

Happy Friday everyone!

X's and O's,

Brandi Sue

The newest little "stranger"

2011-02-16T22:16:00.004-06:00

If this sweet couple looks familiar to you then that means two things: You've seen their gorgeous faces on here before when I blogged about their fun maternity session! It also means that you're a blog follower! Holla!! That makes me happy :)

They asked me back out again to photograph their new addition and I couldn't have been more thrilled!! Especially when I saw the natural lighting they had in their home, it made my nerves melt away and I went straight to work capturing tiny hands, feet, and smiles! Oh...and a few bigger feet... :)

I literally could have stayed there all day and photographed this sweet, perfect little girl! Thank you two so much for letting me come into your home and capture these precious moments! And a special thank you to your mother and best friend as well! They were so sweet and I loved their input with some ideas! Soak up every tiny detail, these moments will fly by quick!

All the head pieces are handmade and part of the Frillie Millie collection by MarcyKK. Find her on facebook or check her out on etsy .

You can find the rest of my favorites from this session by going to my facebook page!

Yay for two posts in one day :) And since this one is beyond gorgeous, it makes up for me missing a few weeks right?!

XOXO,

Brandi Sue

Ten in Ten: Day Eight

2011-02-16T21:42:00.005-06:00

Ten Days: Day Eight: Three turn ons

Well, if you don't fall into any of the categories in the last post, then you're doing pretty good! But for fun I'll list 3 things that attract me to people in general. (I don't think attract is the right word since I don't mean it as a dating term...I'm talking about for friends too. But I don't know what other word to use at the moment so it stays, with this disclaimer haha)

1. A love for life. You're gonna have your bad days as well as the good days, but there's those of us who take them both with the appreciation for just having another day at all. Oprah said, "You are not what happens to you, you are what you choose to do." Choose to wake up on the right side of the bed, choose to be happy, choose to see the lesson of a "bad day/situation", and choose to enjoy each day. Cherish life and appreciate the moments you have with the people you love. Oooo...there's the next one...

2. A love for people. This means everyone, not just the people you choose. I've been stuck for two days trying to think how I want to describe this "trait" and I can't get it right. When I would list the things I meant, it sounded more like "respect others and have nice manners" but that's not what I mean. It's so much more than holding the door open for someone, asking if they need help with directions, and things like that. Make someone (anyone) smile from ear to ear! You know, that goofy smile that shows all your teeth and makes your eyes squinty! (spell check says that isn't a word...it soooo is though! right?! haha) Make someone's day! If you like that bright yellow shirt they're wearing, say so! Who cares if they roll their eyes at you and walk away, they're smiling as they walk away so you got that at least!

3. Be passionate. It can be about anything you choose, (um hopefully something good haha) but have something that drives you. Something that you feel so strongly about that you can't put into words how you feel about it.

Ah, so I had writers block (or bloggers block?) with this one but I couldn't delay it any longer so there you go!! Yay, almost done just 2 more days!!

X's and O's,

Brandi Sue

Ten in Ten: Day Seven

2011-01-17T23:52:00.005-06:00

Ten Days: Day Seven: Four turn offs

*Well, the first thing that came to my mind when I read this was: smoking!! being illiterate on purpose!! laziness!! dirty teeth!! But I figured I'd go past physical features, I'm not in the dating scene anymore anyway, so here's what turns me off about people in general!

1. Insecurity/lack of confidence. Everyone is always slightly insecure, I know I am at times. It can get exhausting to be around someone who always needs reassurance about themselves. I have learned that it sometimes helps to "fake it" on the days you aren't feeling very confident! It will make others more confident in you which will in turn boost your confidence in yourself! Also, just keep in mind that people are faking confidence more than you might think...when I remember that, it makes me more confident. Everyone needs a little reassurance here and there. Boost others and they will boost you!

2. Lack of ambition. There are those who at by age 10 "know" who and where they want to be when they grow up. (some with the help of their parents) Then there are those of us who, by our senior year of high school (you know when practically everyone expects you to know) still have no clue what we want to do for the rest of our lives! Some of us just wing it and go for something and it turns out to be the best thing ever for them or it's not and so they try something new. Then there are those who never figure it out or even try. They just seem to float through life, wanting more out of it but not really doing much to get what they want. They make excuses...wait! That's going to be my next turn off!! So I'll end this one with, if you want something then go after it! Want to make more money? Then enroll yourself in school!! Can't afford school? Then learn about what grants you may qualify for or bust your butt off at your current job and save what you can until you can afford it. It's not easy but people do it all the time! Or maybe you already have a good job, then work your way up the ladder! Make yourself unique, indispensable! Don't buy unnecessary things if you are wanting to go on vacation, save it for a trip somewhere! Life is short, too short, to just sit on the couch day in and day out. Do something, be someone, go somewhere...make a difference in your life or someone elses.

3. Okay, as I said above...making excuses! I don't mean the ones like, "Weeeell, the weatherman said it was going to rain so I'll wash my car next week." I mean the ones people make for the reasons why they think they can't get anywhere in life or why, in their opinion, their life sucks. It goes hand in hand with the blame game. They blame others or blame situations for the reasons they can't make their life better or be happy. Someone has to break the cycle!! Look at Amelia Earhart, President Obama, Princess Diana, Oprah and oh so many others who rose above challenges to reach their dreams and their goals. Those are famous people, but there are everyday people out there who do the same...just without the cameras and all that jazz!

4. Mean people. Flat out negative, sarcastic, mean, hateful people who have no reason to treat others the way they do. It literally makes me sick to my stomach. Sometimes they are just so miserable in their own lives that they just can't seem to be happy for others and they pick other people apart just for fun. I don't understand it. Especially when it's their own actions and behavior that are keeping them from being happy. Life is all about attitude and perspective people! :)

Okay, so this post took forever! I got caught up in editing photography sessions that I lost track of time! But here you go! Happy Wednesday!

XOXO,

Brandi Sue

Ten in Ten: Day Six

2011-01-16T19:06:00.003-06:00

Ten Days: Day Six: Five people who mean a lot (in no order whatsoever)

"I have too many for this!!!! I am going to do categories" That's a quote from Wendy's blog, the girl I got this idea from. I agree with her and I chose to do categories as well!!

1. My "every day" best friends. Meaning the ones who I talk to a few times a week in some way or another and we see each other at least a few times a month.

2. Childhood best friends. I wish I were able to see them more often.

3. Devin

4. My patients.

5. Family. On both sides and including Dev's!!

Have a good week!!

X's and O's,

Brandi Sue

Ten in Ten: Day Five

2011-01-07T17:31:00.005-06:00

Ten Days: Day Five: Six things you wish you’d never done.

*Okay, so my real answer would be cliche. Ya know, where we all agree that we wouldn't change anything because it made us who we are today and all that jazz. I'm not dissing that answer, because that is how I really really feel as well. BUT...there are some things I wish I had never done. I did have to think about this a little longer, and then I let time get away from me!! Anyway, I wanted to be honest but also not too revealing so there are some that are short and sweet and some that are more detailed!

1. When I was a freshman I took swimming and our early morning practice counted as a class so I had a free period the last hour of the day. Another girl from swim class did as well so we started hanging out waiting for school to get out. We got along pretty well and soon became friends. One day an upperclassman I knew saw me hanging out with her and later told me that it wasn't a good idea. (for "coolness" reasons not safety reasons) I really don't remember what they said but for some reason, it made me stop talking to her. Like, ice cold stopped. I stopped writing her back, I found another place to hang out while I waited for school to be over, and I took different paths to my classes. (it was a big school) The funny thing is, I really wasn't "popular" to begin with and I had never cared before what others thought. I got along with and was friends with practically every type of person/group that there was in our school...so why change now? I have no idea why I did that and soon I moved away so I never did get the chance to make up for it. I even ended up back at that school less than a year later, but she was gone. What makes me feel even 10x worse about it is, I know what that feels like to be treated like that. My childhood best friend and I were inseparable until my family moved and I decided to go live with my Dad. Well, just two years later I moved back with my Mom and started a new school. I was so surprised to find out that she had moved there as well!! Now we could be friends again!!! In those two years though, her mom had become a nurse so they had better income which we all know...makes you instantly popular. So, she was way to cool to be seen with me. I wrote her letters and everything, I just couldn't understand how she could be like that. That was just in 5th grade. Here I was, in the 9th grade, and doing the same thing. I was disgusted with myself. I think about her every now and then. I wonder if she even remembers me and if she does, I hope she doesn't think about that and just remembers our friendship. I'm sure our paths will never cross again or if I would even recognize her but I'll always wish I could take that back. Even if it was a good reminder to ALWAYS treat others with kindness and not to care what others think. She would have been my friend forever and that upperclassman? I can't even remember their name.

2. I wish that I hadn't spent so much time wondering why you didn't like me and arguing with you over why they should. It wasn't my fault that we didn't get to grow up together and when we were finally able to have a relationship you didn't want to be bothered with it. That was almost 10 years ago. 10 years of memories we could have had. I wasted so much time trying to get to know and build a relationship with you, that I neglected the ones who were there. All for what? I started to list all the things that you (they weren't good) but then realized that I would be putting myself on the same level as you, and I'm way above you. I've come to realize that that must be one of the main reasons why you can't stand me. Funny thing is, I didn't realize I was better than you until recently. One day it was like it hit me out of no where. Why was I trying to prove myself to you, why was I looking up to you, why was I seeking your love...when you didn't and don't deserve it? You've done nothing but hurt me and most of the ones I love all for nothing. Well, you have your reasons but in the end, they don't stand for anything. You could have a much happier life if you would just learn to truly forgive and love those around you like they love or want to love you. Think about how these last 10 years could have been if you had done that and more important...how the next 10 could be. We all have so much in common but instead of embracing it, you see it as a threat. The truth is, I'll always still want to be a part of your life no matter what and I don't really think I am better than you...but I won't keep walking on eggshells around you or keep you on a pedestal. I wish others would do the same to you, maybe then you would learn how relationships are supposed to work.

3. I wish I would have spoken up for myself more through out the years. There were many time that I was too afraid of being labeled a "B" or aggressive, so I just kept the peace and stayed quiet. I didn't realize that by doing that, I would become a doormat. I put up with a lot more attitude and crap than I should have.

4. I wish that I hadn't settled for second best. I should have tried harder in school instead of being happy with average. I was never taught to be determined though and it wasn't something I picked up naturally. I could easily "wing it" and do pretty good, so why try harder? I wish I had! I wish I had known that it didn't matter how much money I had, what I looked like, who my friends were...that I could and did deserve better.

5. I wish I hadn't cared so much about what people thought about me.

6. I wish I had told you the hurtful truth instead of a comforting lie.

X's and O's,

Brandi Sue

Ten in Ten: Day Four

2011-01-06T20:21:00.003-06:00

Ten Days: Day Four: Seven things that cross your mind a lot.

*Ohhhh I couldn't even BEGIN to tell you the things that run through my mind. The main reason being because I have a LOT of "thinking" time since sometimes I have 45 minutes in between each one of my patient's houses haha. You don't need to know the other reasons ;) But I'll give you a short version...well...the shortest that I am capable of haha

1. I could really just stick with this one and just say, the future in general. That would pretty much cover a lot of what I think about. I think about where I want to be in 5 years, 10 years... I think about when I want to have kids, which makes me then think about why I am waiting to have them. I think about their names and how I would want to decorate their nursery. How I wish they would just be about 3-4 years old already so I could start doing some fun things up here like go to the zoo, the park, the arcades. Then that's about when I text our friend's Daniel and Brandi and ask them to bring Clay (their son) up to see his "Aunt Brandi", he cures my baby fever haha.

2. I think about what I should be or could be doing with my time. I spend a lot of it editing photos but when I'm between clients I could be doing something productive. Like helping out a non-profit organization, making care packages for soldiers, visiting the elderly (although I kinda do that all day haha), meeting with church groups...anything. When I have kids, I'm sure this will work itself out by being busy with all their activities!

3. I think about photography a lot. As I drive around in the different towns I spot places that I think would make awesome or interesting backgrounds, but I don't have anyone I know in those towns haha I also just see things begging to be captured on film...a hawk on a fence post, a heard of wild looking horses heading towards their food, a flock of geese on a pond, an old Chevy that's a pretty shade of blue... I really enjoy that part of my job, getting to see life outside of a cubical. One day, on the way back from Ardmore, I saw a paint horse in a field of yellow wild flowers and just though to myself...I wish I could capture that life in a picture. I had been tossing around a theme for my photography as well and realized I could play on those words, "capture, life, picture." It took awhile, but then I came up with "Life pictured." It was perfect I thought! It's what I do after all! I don't normally pose the settings I come up with and the people, it's just life pictured! Well not 2 days later I ran across a new blog with pretty pictures, a Norman photographer at that, and guess what her theme was? Yep. Life pictured. Ugh. She's pretty good too and definitely better than me so I can't dislike her for thinking of it before me haha. I also think about how much effort I want to put into my photography. If you aren't careful, it can consume you!!

3. You. If you think this means you, then it most likely does. But don't feel special, I think about everyone haha No really, I do! I'm just weird like that haha But it's in a good way. Something will make me think of you and I'll wonder how you are doing. Most likely if you get a random text message from me (if I still have your number) it's because something just reminded me of you. Ask me next time it happens haha Told ya, I have a lot of free time when I drive!

4. My family. There are some of them that I just want to yell, "What are/were you thinking?!?!" Stop complaining about how bad it is when you are the one who is in control of your life!! There are some I wish I could see more often, because they understand me and because we have a lot in common. I think about the ones of us who don't get along and the stupid reasons they have for it. Then I feel bad because in a way, I don't care anymore if they are in my life or not. I wish there was more I could do for some of them. I wish I could spend time with my Grandma, I love and miss her so so so much!! We have so many happy memories from when I lived with her! I wanna move her down here with me :)

5. What in the world am I going to do for the weekend? Drive to Texas to see friends? Go to Lake Texoma to see Dev's parents and my cousin? Go to Kansas to see my family? Go to Olustee to see Dev's family and our friends? Go shopping with Jenna Sue? Girls trip to Dallas? Hang out with friends here? Stay at home and do nothing? mmmm plan a fun trip?! so many things and not enough weekends!!

6. ummmm how I wish I knew how I wanted to decorate my house. I like so many different things and so many different styles that I have a hard time committing to just one thing. It's really annoying sometimes and probably the reason why I won't ever have curtains! haha

7. Sometimes as I am thinking of things, I relate it to it having a deeper meaning. Or relate it to God somehow. Like, the other day I was in the company car and really really wanted to pass this guy who was annoying me and going under the speed limit. But it wasn't a passing zone (although the way was visible) and since I was in my company car, he could easily report me if he got mad at me. I thought about how if I was in my car, faceless behind tinted windows, I would be an unknown to him and I could easily pass him without worrying about who he would tell. It made me think about how we act in public, where people can see us and our actions vs how we are when no one is looking. I thought about it more than that, but that's a different blog post! and one I don't have time for right now because I'm going to be late to the movies!! :)

So there ya have it, I'm sure there are more interesting things I think about or that I could describe those in more detail but that's how it is for now :) Goodnight!

X's and O's,

Brandi Sue

Ha! Just realized that I accidentally did a #3 twice, so I really thought of 8 things. Whoops!!

Ten in Ten: Day Three

2011-01-05T21:48:00.002-06:00

Ten Days: Day Three: Eight ways to win your heart.

**"Win" isn't the word I would choose but I didn't make up the rules, just so you know ;) And I really have never ever thought of this before and after a day of thinking about it on and off I still wasn't sure but I couldn't put it off any longer. So, here ya go! These answers are subject to change ;)

1. Make the attempt to try and see things from the other person's perspective. You are still entitled to your opinion but don't be so stubborn about it. Get to know them and what their story is and maybe you will begin to see them in a clearer way. For the most part, everyone all wants the same thing. To be accepted and understood. So, if that's what you want then you need to do that for others as well. Give of yourself the way you want others to give to you.

2. Have a positive outlook on life in general. Being negative isn't going to make your life better, solve your problems, or make you happier. So keep your heart happy and light and you'll be surprised at how your gloomy days start turning around! Plus you will be more enjoyable to be around! Well for the most part anyway. There are those out there who can't stand to be around sunshiney people, but that's because they are usually so miserable that your happiness is painful. Love them anyway, don't let them darken your heart!

3. When my light starts to dim, remind me what I just said in the above paragraph! and take me out for ice cream! Or whatever it is that we like to do together haha

4. Be an active part of my life. Not just someone I hear from when you need something. The internet, phone calls, and roads go both ways ;)

5. Be thoughtful and show compassion to others. Be passionate about what interests you. Respect yourself and others, including me. (duh)

6. Love/like/accept me for who I am. Realize that I am learning as I go. No one is forever who they were when they were 10, 15, 20...people change and they grow. So grow with me or let me go. If you don't like me then don't pretend. I don't want to hear your life story, your problems, and your dreams if you secretly can't stand me. That's not fair to my time or my heart.

*Seriously, I have to think of 2 more things?! haha

7. Have dreams for your life. Set goals and actually make the effort to reach them in some way or another. Don't expect luck, money, love, life, adventure, excitement, whatever to just fall out of the sky and in your lap. Go after it! If you don't go for it, then don't complain about or be jealous of those who do.

8. Read my blog :) haha jk I don't know if you read this or not anyway...unless you leave a comment! ;) I could say, "buy me flowers/chocolate/jewelry" but those things aren't important (and really that's for my husband to do)...although, I wouldn't turn them down ;) So, I really have no idea what to put here for now. Just have a love for life!!

The week is half over!! :)

X's and O's,

Brandi Sue

Ten in Ten: Day Two

2011-01-03T18:31:00.004-06:00

Ten Days: Day Two: Nine things about yourself.

This should be easy since I have already done this facebook chain a few years back. (If you can't see it, it was some chain letter thing where you were supposed to list 25 things about yourself)

1. I have a hard time answering the question "Where are you from?" because I have moved around a lot and so I don't really know which place to pick haha.

2. I choose to wake up on the right side of the bed 99% of the time and I find it hard sometimes to understand why others don't. It's a choice so why wouldn't you choose happiness? But everyone is entitled to a bad day too ;)

3. I'm told that I over think things 99% of the time. But usually it ends up being a good thing so I don't take it personally. I sometimes wish they would give it a try. Even though I am an "over thinker" I don't worry about things. God has always taken care of me and I believe that he will continue to do so. But I don't like to test his patience so I try and live a good life and make proactive choices!

4. I feel the need to explain things in detail sometimes...okay most of the time! I can't help it though, really I have tried. It's who I am. I mainly do it because I see so many conflicts happen from the result of miss communication or from people reading into things wrong. And sure enough, the minute I leave out a detail someone says "Well you didn't say that" it's annoying but I've come to accept it! haha

5. I always wished that I could play sports but always let my fear of failure keep me from trying it plus classmates can be so cruel sometimes and I didn't want to go through that.

6. People are my down fall. I love them and yet can't understand them all in the same breath. They fascinate me and I love to know their stories. I enjoy people watching when I am out and about although I am not any good at making up what their story could be. I truly love hearing what my friends and family are up to and looking at their pictures too. They crack me up with stories of their kids and I often repeat funny things they have shared (with permission) since I don't have any stories of my own yet, like that anyway haha.

7. You will most likely NEVER find me without a camera on me (esp now that cell phones have them) I am addicted with pictures and obsessed with capturing every memory as it happens. That's not limited to only my pictures and memories either. If you invite me to your kids birthday party I will most likely bring my camera along and shoot away as I please ;) Seriously, my photo archive is half full of other people's baby showers, birthday parties, weddings, and other events. (friend's of mine of course not strangers haha) Sometimes I have to remind myself to put the camera down and enjoy the memory with both eyes vs one peering through a tiny hole of a camera ;)

8. I'm one of the numbers in the last post, can you tell which one? (It rhymes with beehive)

9. I sometimes wish I had lived in a different time period. One where people dressed up to go out. I mean as in like hats, gloves, button up shoes, ties, vests, jackets...yeah the whole thing. When people sat on their front porch and visited with each other. When it was scandalous to be seen in a car/wagon with a top on it. ;) When trinkets and other items held more value. When small towns were booming with life. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy the modern day pleasures and medicine as well as woman's rights...but sometimes I wish...

X's and O's,

Brandi Sue

**Edited ummm 5 mins after posting this:
Can I change #5?! I really don't care about sports anymore or that I can't play them. So I want to change that statement to... I LOOOOOOVE to travel!!! It's so much fun to explore a new city and all it has to offer. I take pictures of it all of course and then I read up on the places later when I get home. It's nerdy I know ;)

Ten in Ten: Day One

2011-01-02T17:22:00.006-06:00

I saw this on my friend's blog and decided to do it as well. There is a different theme for each day and today's is...

Day One: Ten things you want to say to ten different people right now. (Names not included)

*Disclaimer: I have actually thought about this post for several days and could not chose who in particular I wanted to write about, so I chose groups of people (friends, family, mean people...yes mean people. But I still did not list the group, although you can probably figure it out yourself.) and a few individuals.

1. You are the reason I am here. I question the path you have laid out for me at times although I continue going down it with faith as my flashlight and you as my strength. I never know what is around the corner waiting for me but I know that you do and that you will be right there with me, so I never have worry in my heart. Your love comes easy and without question so at times I take it for granted as well as the blessings you have given me. So I am glad that your forgiveness also comes easy and that it's pure forgiveness.

2. You give meaning to my day. You challenge me every day to be better at what I do. I love to watch your face as you talk about your memories, like you're dusting off a good record and playing your favorite song. Sometimes you get so caught up in them that it's like I'm not even there. There are stories that make us laugh until our sides hurt and some that make me yearn for a different time. Then there are the ones that you can't finish because even though they were so long ago, the pain sneaks back up on you as if it were yesterday. You put life in perspective for me and help me to realize what and who really matter at the end of the day. Sometimes you don't remember my name and even when you do, I'm just a mere dot in your life. But I will never forget you or the lessons you have taught me while I make my own life full of memories.

3. I see you where ever I go. As I am driving to the mall, running errands, at a party, everywhere. I don't know you and the chances are I never will but I smile at you anyway, as if we were old friends. Sometimes you smile back and ask about my day but that's usually as far as it goes. For you anyway, I always want more. I want to know your story, what brought you across my path. I want to know why you have a scar across your forehead, did you fall when you were little or is it from a battle with cancer? I want to know the story behind "Maria" tattooed on your arm, was she your high school sweetheart and did it work out? I want to know if you like what you are doing and if not, why don't you make it better? Did you give up on your dreams or is this everything you dreamed of? I tip you extra when you give bad service because I wonder if you are going through something difficult and just can't shake it. I compliment you on something if I can tell your sad or upset because sometimes it's enough to put a smile back on your face. I motion for you to go first at the stop sign because you may be in a hurry somewhere. I hold the door for you with a smile on my face because I know sometimes you think young people these days don't have any manners. I try not to get annoyed when your kids don't behave because I know that could be me one day and I would want some one to do the same. Everyone has a story and I want to know yours.

4. No matter what, you're supposed to be there. That's why I'm still here. There are days when you frustrate me so much that I wish I didn't know you, but I stay because that's what we do and because I know you have a heart of gold...even if it's buried deep sometimes. I wish that you could learn from your lessons though or the mistakes from those around you, then you wouldn't make things so hard on yourself. You have the potential to be so much more than what you settle for. You hold grudges against each other too and sometimes without good reason. You have to learn to let things go and just enjoy things as they come. I love that you love those around you with the fire of a thousand suns and how you would do anything for them if they needed. Sometimes you contain that love to just select people and I wish you would let others in, you would be surprised at how easy it is and at the joy you would get in return. Remember, if you ask of others then you should also be willing to give yourself. No matter what though, I'm still here for you...even if you push me away.

5. You are your worst enemy. For real. You give of yourself without expecting anything in return and often run empty because of this. I think you need to be a little more selective in who you invest in that way you aren't disappointed when the favor is never or rarely returned. But it's not why you do what you do so I know you won't listen anyway. You know God will take care of you so you never worry about your feelings and desires. You drive yourself crazy trying to be politically correct even though you don't understand why you should be, people should just know that you have good intentions and it frustrates you when they take your words/actions the wrong way. At times you're an old soul and rather hang out with the older generation because they understand you better than those your own age. That and they know how to let go of the unimportant things and to hold on to what really matters. It's funny how you don't like when people make excuses for the way their life is although you make excuses for them when they let you down. You always manage a smile even when your heart is aching inside, because you feel the need to be strong for others and you aren't sure they really care to hear your troubles anyway. I pray that you begin to realize your potential and beauty like your biggest fans do, it's the only way you will be able to grow. I pray that you continue to dream even when it seems pointless and that you won't ever lose the naive side of you that you get teased about. There are two sides to your personality, most people just see your semi-confident always in control side. I see the shy dreamer who just wants everyone to love you the way you love them...and ask you what your story is.

6. I will never understand you or what makes you the way you are. Your smile drips with honey but sometimes your words are poison and I fall for them every time. Just when I think I am gaining ground with you, you show me why I should just walk away and leave you in your misery. But everyone has a story and I like to believe that you really are a good person at heart but that maybe you are just going through something that has your heart hardened. So I continue to smile at you and wish you the best when we pass each other and I listen to how your day went with active interest although you never inquire about mine. You make the saying, "Kill them with kindness." a full time job but for the most part it isn't that hard so I continue at it. You have no real reason to dislike me or treat me the way you do so it doesn't affect the outcome of my day. If anything, I sometimes secretly hope it drives you crazy that you haven't broken me. ;) and that you will begin to see that you can be a happy person too!

7. You know me from when I was a gawky little kid all the way to who I am today and you have been there for me through it all. You laughed at all my embarrassing moments, from accidentally setting off the fire alarm in front of my high school crush to getting sick in front of everyone at a classy hotel lounge and you remind me of it to keep me real. You also know I'll remind you of yours! You tell me what I need to hear while also telling me what I don't want to admit myself. You push me to try new things and the memories we make because of that will last a lifetime. We go months without talking and then carry on a conversation as if we saw each other yesterday. On the other hand we talk or text everyday, and if the day has gone by and we haven't talked I text you just because. You're my partner in crime and one of the few who really gets me and my crazy ways. The times you don't get me, you just laugh and love me anyway! You're each in my life for different reasons and I'm so glad that God knew I needed you. I hope I'm there for you like you have been there for me, even when we are miles apart.

8. I see you every day but don't really know that much about you. I don't like to assume that just because you're apart of my everyday activities that we are automatically friends, I've been burned that way before. So I just go along with the way we are now and wait to see if you try to make an effort to be friends or not. That might seem a little snobbish but I promise that's not it at all. Although, I admit that it does make for less drama in some situations and makes it easier to voice when I am unhappy about something...since I'm not afraid of ruining a friendship that doesn't really exist. But really I'm the type of person who wants to be friends with everyone so most of the time I don't say anything anyway.

9. You are my rock and keep me grounded even when I try to jump. But you also encourage me to fly and challenge myself. Your my biggest fan and believe in me more than I do. Most of the time I don't deserve your love. You have seen me at my best and have seen me at my worst and you continue to love me anyway. You are my secret keeper, my dream holder, and my protector. We have grown up a lot together and have made so many memories along the way. You stay strong for the both of us when I feel we have reached our limit. You're the brains of the operation and I'm the heart and together we have it all. You know how to push my buttons but also how to sooth my aching heart. We are complete opposites in so many ways and yet for the most part it works perfectly. I don't know what the future holds for us but I know that you will always be there and that means everything.

10. You do not exist yet and yet I think of you every day. I wonder if you will have my smile or my eyes. I wonder if we will share a love of animals and dream of the good we could do together if we took in every stray that came our way. Will you enjoy staying up late with me playing card games? I'm scared that I will try too hard to give you what I didn't have and it will scar you for life or turn you away. I'm scared that you will make stupid choices in life and have to learn things the hard way. I don't want you to ever push me away and feel like you can't come to me when you're in trouble but I don't want to enable you to keep going down the wrong path. I pray that you will love me like I love you, that you will have the same upbeat chipper outlook on life, that you won't let others get you down, and that you live life to the fullest. I pray I don't fail you or that you ever feel you have failed me. I can't wait to cuddle you while your little, cry when you run off with your friends forgetting to give me a hug, and for when you have these very same feelings yourself. Right now you can still be anything since you aren't here yet and that's the main reason you aren't. I can't fail you yet, you can't outgrow me yet, you can't be born with some illness or defect yet...if you don't exist. And yet, I think of you every day.

Whew! That was harder and took longer than I thought! I'm glad these get shorter as the days go on! Hope you had a happy New Year!

X's and O's,

Brandi Sue

Crimson and tears

2010-11-14T11:59:00.004-06:00

This sweet precious little girl could not decide if she liked me taking her picture or not! One moment she was all smiles and content with her surroundings and then big alligator tears would fall from her beautiful baby blues the next!! Which I captured of course because, well, she's just so darn cute no matter what face she is making ;)

*Quick family shot! Daniel and Devin met at school and became friends and actually work at the same place now! Marcy, his sweet wife, has become quite the crafter! (is that a word?) Look below for links to her super cute creations!*

*Happy happy baby!!*

*Not so happy anymore haha but still adorable!!*

OU campus always provides gorgeous locations for pictures, I always get excited to shoot there! I could spend a whole day there just walking around looking at all the possibilities! Lucky for me, the Schuermann family was more than happy to follow my every whim complete with smiles and laughter!! I have the best clients ever! Thank you guys so much for hanging out with me! :) To view more of my faves you can check out the album on facebook here!

The adorable hair clips and the crimson tu-tu were all made by Marcy! Check out her growing business, Frilly Millie, via MarcyKK facebook, her Frilly Millie Etsy site, or keep up on her blog! Isn't social networking fun? She's super sweet so don't hesitate to ask her any questions about her creations or to request something you have in mind!

X's and O's,
Brandi Sue

When strangers become friends

2010-10-21T17:00:00.005-05:00

Some people joke about having an "angel" on one shoulder and a "devil" on the other but not me. I have what I lovingly refer to as a "confident Brandi" and an "un-confident Brandi" on mine! The night before this session, the "un-confident Brandi" was praying for rain!! It wasn't a long shot, the weatherman had predicted it earlier that day. When I woke up in the morning and looked at the blue cloudless sky, the "confident Brandi" did a cartwheel :) and the "un-confident Brandi? Well, she smiled a little too ;)

The reason for all the nerves? Well because these lovely clients were my FIRST "stranger" clients!! My friend had read that one of her friends was looking for a photographer for her maternity pictures and she referred her to me. So far, all my clients have been friends and/or family members. People I feel comfortable "bossing" around, staring blankly at while I get an idea, or just being goofy around. It's okay because they HAVE to like me!! But these two strangers?? I'm new at this so what if they didn't like my work? My ideas? My clothes? (first impressions people!) or my funny country accent? haha Oh man, the pressure was on!

Well, after lots of e-mails and this session I can now tell you that I had NOTHING to worry about! They are both absolutely adorable! Ummm can I call him adorable when he's like 6 ft tall?? haha Anyway, they were up for anything and so relaxed that I couldn't have asked for better for my first "stranger" clients!! I'm so excited to share a few of my absolute faves with you! If you want to see more click here for the album on facebook!

*This idea came to me about 2 or 3 days for the shoot and I'm sooooo pleased with it!!*

*She bought these blocks here and they are so adorable! They match the season too!*

*Random door to use as a prop in the middle of the street?? Yes please!!*

Thank you two so much for asking me to capture these special memories! I really enjoyed it! It was nice to get out of my comfort zone :) After all our e-mails I feel like we are friends now! You two are so cute and very talented! (Check out Anna's fun blog here to see her unique New Year's challenge and her etsy page here to see her collection of upcycled serving pieces!)

X's and O's
Brandi sue

Precious Paisely!!

2010-10-19T20:15:00.002-05:00

The best compliment a client can give any photographer is to come back again for more pictures!! I'm flattered each and every time this happy momma (and my friend) requests me to photograph her family or just her sweet baby girl! And she has another little girl on the way!! I can't wait! It's been fun watching this little one grow up. Her silky hair is now long, her personality is shining, and she's hard to keep still!! haha It was fun chasing her around though and just capturing what I do best...LIFE!

I just loved these little tiny flowers at this field. It was a little bright to be shooting there but you live and learn! This pretty little location is gone now, so I'm glad we went when we did!

Thanks again Shawna for entrusting me with your memories and for your friendship!

X's and O's
Brandi Sue

Smirk it up!

2010-09-19T21:03:00.013-05:00

"A smirk refers to a smile evoking insolence, scorn, or offensive smugness."

The theme for the I Heart Faces contest this week is "smirk." I had a few photos I could use for this one as my husband is constantly smirking at me when I put a camera in his face! haha I didn't think he would appreciate me posting any of those pictures as one is when a beluga whale is kissing him, one looks like he never was introduced to a razor, and one has funky eye squints going on haha.

Once I ruled those photos out I remembered this one! A little while after her wedding, my friend asked me to get a few photos of her with her wedding dress along with her handsome groom. This was a shot I got while I was balancing on some big rocks and testing out my settings, accidental shots can be the best sometimes!!

I really don't think that he is "evoking insolence, scorn, or offensive smugness" although I know he wasn't as excited about this shoot as she and I were ;) Head on over to the I Heart Faces blog to check out some of the great entries! Or if you are reading this before 9PM on Tuesday, you can still enter the contest yourself!!

Happy Monday!

X's and O's,
Brandi Sue

Out on the farm

2010-09-14T02:21:00.004-05:00

What's more adorable than a little girl with pretty blue eyes and a great smile?? TWO of them! My friend Whitney asked me to photograph her pretty little girls out on her parents farm and I gladly accepted! On the way out there Whitney mentioned that her mom asked her why in the world we would want to take pictures at her place. You see there is an old milk barn (I think that's what they said it was) that is on their property that is falling apart, weeds (I call them wild flowers), and lots of animals. Ummm...who wouldn't want to photograph there?! That location along with the sunset and two pretty girls made for a perfect shoot! Here are some of my favorites, enjoy!

*Her Daddy found a fuzzy friend*

*Helping Grandpa gather eggs, this is one of my fave memories of living on a farm!*

*I couldn't have made this shot happen if I tried! She was so fun to photograph, I never knew what she was going to do!*

*The newest addition! I had a sneeze attack (allergies) and I think she found it funny haha*

Right as the sun was setting we met up with Whitney's sister's family (pictured above) and got a few quick shots in. This is such a sweet family!

I have GOT to head to bed but I thought I would try and make up for my absence by posting 2 blogs in one day ;) If you would like to see more of this shoot follow my facebook fan page by clicking here!

Vroom, Vroom

2010-09-14T00:47:00.006-05:00

Wow, so I haven't posted on here in a VERY long time! I wish I had a good excuse but I don't! I do however have a great reason for posting today though! Every week the fabulous people at I Heart Faces have a contest and this week is the week I have decided to play along!

The theme this week is Vroom, Vroom. The photo has to have incorporate transportation in some way as well as faces. After following their page for several months now, I chose this week to enter because I thought of the picture I would use instantly!

My father-in-law bought this old truck about a year ago with intentions to fix it up and I couldn't resist taking some pictures! However, this is in a town where I don't really know anyone so I didn't have anyone I could call up last minute to come model for me. So I begged my hubby to humor me and tried my best to capture my vision myself :) There was a rotted spare tire in the truck bed so I carefully positioned my camera, set the timer, and ran! It took a few tries but I finally settled with this shot, I like the accidental sun flare! I have since been told that this looks like a scene out of the first Twilight movie, my husband was thrilled ;) haha

Click the link above and head over to see some of the other entries! There are some super cute ones! Until then,

X's and O's!

Brandi Sue

*Edit on 9-18-10*

This morning I read on the IHF's facebook page that the winners for this challenge had been posted! As I scrolled down the blog I saw that a local photographer I follow won 3rd place! I was pretty excited for her! Then I saw that my photo had been picked as a favorite by the 2 lovely ladies who co-founded the site, Amy and Angie!! I was (and still am) excited and I'm glad I entered! It was fun and I've seen so many cute photographs over the week and have recieved some really sweet comments on my photo as well! To read the blog with the winners and faves you can click here! Enjoy!!

Dimples and Baby Blues

2010-04-14T23:19:00.007-05:00

For several months Shawna and I had been talking back and forth trying to find a time for me to photograph her family. She wanted to have some cute pictures for Miss Paisley's FIRST birthday party and I had a location in mind that I had been wanting to shoot at for months. However, the ever so changing Oklahoma weather was not having any of it! During the week days we would have gorgeous weather but Miss Paisley's daddy works out of town and was only home on the weekends...which of course were a mixture of cold, snowy, and rainy! Some days being all three! In the meantime, Paisley's big day came and went but Shawna still wanted some pictures. So we waited and we finally got lucky toward the end of March with a sunny Friday evening.

Don't you just love this blue wall?! It's an auto repair shop here in Norman and it's perfect for pictures! When I first moved to Norman (a year ago) I noticed it while driving to my new job and instantly fell in love! I was so excited when Shawna said she loved it as well! There are so many great locations I've scoped out while driving around for my job as a home health provider! Unfortunately, they don't all have the best lighting especially for someone with only a little experience like me, but it makes for some good practice!

Here's the cute dimple!

I tried to place them in the same location as the first picture but the sun was just too bright for them to keep their eyes open haha So I had a hard time exposing for this shot but it's still cute!

Love me some good sun flare!

One of my favorite things to do on a sunny day is drive around town with my window down and sun roof open and one of my favorite places to scope out is the OU campus! It's full of beautiful buildings and landscaping and I love picking out places I think would make for great photos! Okay, aaaaand I also like to see what all the people are wearing...I'm TOTALLY a people watcher! haha That's hard to do when you're the driver, the trick is to go during busy traffic hours because you get stuck at a lot of red lights which gives you plenty of time to look around! That's how I found out Campus Corner had an In the Raw (sushi restaurant) and this awesome white wall with vines crawling all over it!

One of my faves from the whole day! Poor Shawna keeps getting a lot of heat from her friends over this picture. They don't understand why this poor little country girl doesn't also have boots on! haha Paisley does own a pair of boots (or several maybe) but Shawna said they didn't go with this outfit...and in her defense...she didn't even know I was shooting this picture! Which is also why her legs are the same length as her daughter's...she's short but not THAT short ;) I didn't notice at the time and I'm not THAT good at photoshop to fix it aferwards! ;)

See...she's only this short! ;)

I loved how Shawna coordinated their outfits. I'm a fan of keeping the same color family but not being in the same shirt, gives the photo some personality!

...And here's the baby blues! The best part is that this is with VERY minimal photoshop, just a little sharpening! Gorgeous!

*Thanks so much Shawna for letting me photograph your family and for believing in me! You guys were great to work with and I'm so glad I was finally able to use the blue wall! haha

Well, gotta let the puppies out before bedtime! Good night y'all!

X's and O's,
Brandi Sue

"Brandi's going to be the best mom ever!!

2009-12-17T19:58:00.007-06:00

That's what I overheard a co-worker say when she found out that I was the one who made the cupcakes for our holiday work party. She has no idea how happy that made me! My own mother worked nights and never showed interest in baking and whatnot (although she always makes my favorite dinner dishes when I go visit!!) So, I've always liked to think I would enjoy being the class mom and all that jazz!! Of course, that's a few years down the road right now so my lovely co-workers are enjoying being my guinea pigs!! haha I enjoy baking for them because they are always so appreciative, which makes me excited to make them something else...it's nice to have a good cycle in such a viscous cycle kind of world!

These were simple and fun to make! I already had most of the ingredients in my pantry, just needed the m&m's for the nose! The recipe called for redhots (which I did have on hand) but my husband thought they would taste gross on a cupcake and when I made him do a taste test on a redhot to see if it was still good...he about broke a tooth because he thought they were supposed to be soft! haha He didn't want the same thing to happen to my co-workers so we went with the m&m's.

This is another recipe from the cookbook my mother-in-law bought me, I really like this book! I've been having a hard time with the cake on the front cover...I've tried making it twice now and it looks NOTHING like their picture!! I know that's pretty common, but I can usually get pretty close with these recipe's! I think the next time I try at it, I'm just going to put it in a 13x9 inch pan so it can't melt as easy!

If you think these are cute then you should head over to Bakerella's website...snow globe cupcakes?! Is that possible?? For Bakerella it is!! Check out these adorable and festive cake pops she did here. mmmm I love Christmas, don't you?!

Speaking of Christmas...if I don't get back on here before then....

Merry Christmas to you and your loved one's!! I hope those who are traveling make it to their destination safely and have a wonderful holiday season!!

X's and O's,

Brandi Sue

If at first you don't succeed....

2009-12-01T23:46:00.008-06:00

I stared at it for weeks. Waiting for the perfect time. When I get into a book...there's nooo getting me out of it until I'm done. That can take hours, days, or weeks even...and in this case it might take years! No, I'm not talking about the Twilight Saga!! Although, I did get sucked into that collection recently. Ha...pardon my pun, I'm not usually that witty! ;)

Recently my wonderful Mother in Law purchased a cookbook for me and it fueled my newest passion. Okay, so it's not really something new but it's something I have finally begun to invest time in! I'm no Martha Stewart though and I have NO desire whatsoever to begin making up my own recipes. Nope, I'll follow along...precisely along...with the ones the baking Diva's have already put out there for me to discover!

The perfect time finally came around Halloween...but since that's already past I'll move on to the second perfect time! haha After making the pumpkin cake, I decided that I then wanted to go back to the beginning of the book and start there and bake my way through! To my delight, the first one was an oreo cake...yummy! So here the baking begins...

*All the yummy ingredients needed to make a masterpiece for my mouth!*

I quickly discovered that this recipe called for two 9" round cake pans...so I went out and bought them along with the neat gadget that will slice off a thin layer to even out the top of your bottom layer. (yes, I was informed that a bread knife works just as well but where's the fun in that?!) I greased and floured my pans per instructions and baked them according to the box. Luckily, I checked them way earlier than I had planned because they were done sooner than the box said! Making a mental note for future reference, I gently took both out of the oven and noticed my first mess up. Since I didn't have the cakes in the middle of the oven, they baked lopsided. Oh well, I thought to myself...no biggie since I was going to cut off the top of one layer anyway and add icing to the other!

When it came time to take them out of the pan I noticed another mess up. Surely, I somehow didn't add enough cake mix because this layers were thin! I thought there was no way that I could cut the top off one layer because then there wouldn't be anything left! So I decided that I would just add extra icing in the middle and leave it be. Wrong! The gap that was created from the two layers not meeting perfectly caused me some trouble icing the cake! When I was trying to ice the sides, the icing would fall into the gap! I couldn't keep it just on the outside. So I decided to take a step back and cut off the top layer...with icing on it already.

I didn't even get that far since the top layer started falling apart when I tried to take it off...stupid moist cake! I gave up and decided I would just leave the layers be and keep trying to ice them. Well, that didn't work now either since I had cracked part of the top layer. Since it didn't have the support from the bottom layer directly beneath it and the icing wasn't thick enough...it began to fall.

In my disappointment, I almost just threw the whole thing away. Then I debated making cake balls out of it all! (mmmm cake balls, I need to try those again soon) But finally decided that my co-workers probably didn't care what it looked like...free cake is free cake after all!! So, in the end, I did manage to take off the top layer and I iced them both. Then I placed the cookie crumbs and poured them over the top rather than on the side like the picture in the cookbook. Here's my final result...

*moist cake!*

A few days later, my husband told me about "Pig out Friday" at his work and asked me if I would make him something to take. He wanted finger foods but I was already thinking about Round 2 with the Oreo cake!

I initially planned to just go ahead with my new gadget no matter how thin the cakes were this time, but then a co-worker told me how she turns the bottom layer upside down so that the flat side meets up evenly with the bottom of the top layer. Brilliant!! I baked the cakes separately this time to ensure they would be even. (a patient of mine has since told me that if you wrap a wet hand towel around the cake pan, it will bake evenly. I have not tried this yet!) The rest of the baking went smoothly without incident! The only thing I noticed was that I am in need of cute cake/round platters to serve my cakes on! Although, I wouldn't have wanted him to take a nice one to work anyway. (I bought a pretty platter 1/2 off at the Wishing Well during black Friday so I'm good to go now!)

*Soooooo much better than the first time right?!*

Devin did not get to try out the cake at "Pig our Friday" because it was gone already when he went to get some! He called me earlier in the day to tell me that he overheard a co-worker telling someone that it was the best cake he had had!! And he didn't know that Devin brought it so he wasn't trying to suck up, it was an honest opinion! That made all the hard effort well worth it...although I can't take too much credit since it's not my own recipe haha But I thought I would share that with you in case you are debating on whether to purchase the book yourself.

*Cell phone pic of the inside of the one I made for Thanksgiving*

For Thanksgiving we were in charge of two desserts so I had Round 3 with the Oreo cake and then attempted cake #2 in the book. The second one appeared to be a diaster and didn't make it to dinner that day. His family all said they liked the Oreo one though. Some mentioned it was really sweet...which was probably my fault. I got carried away with the Oreos you crush and put in the cake mix! haha His Dad really liked it with milk. Devin and I have yet to try it! I think I'm done with this one for now though. Since I "failed" at cake #2 it's time to try, try again! Stay tuned!

X's and O's,

Brandi Sue

p.s. If you are curious what cookbook I'm using...go back up to the second paragraph and click on the hyperlink associated with the word "cookbook"

Logan {Happy Birthday}

2009-10-21T22:33:00.007-05:00

It was a gorgeous Saturday afternoon and after getting my hair done, I couldn't be in higher spirits. I mean, what girl doesn't walk with a little more confidence after a trip to the salon? However, within the next hour that confidence was shattered into pieces on the floor.

I had an hour to spare before the birthday party of a good friend's little boy. He was turning the BIG one soon and his mom asked me to photograph the party. Guess she didn't know yet that where ever you invite me...you also invite my camera ;) She kindly offered to pay, but as I would have taken pictures anyway I didn't feel comfortable taking her money. It was a nice gesture though! I had planned to have plenty of time to get ready but somewhere in my conversation with my Hubby about how the day was going to go...there was a misunderstanding. When finally making it back to his grandparents house, where we had left my camera, we quickly realized we were locked out...and they had gone to Lawton! After a very antsy 10 minutes, were were in the door with the camera in hand and I was feeling pretty good. Well, actually I was a little nervous. It was one thing for me to take pictures at my leisure for my own enjoyment...but now there was a little more pressure. But nothing I couldn't handle, or that my new camera couldn't handle that is ;)

I get to the location and immediately get my camera out, I didn't want to miss a thing. I turn it on to prep for some practice shots to check for lighting and whatnot. As soon as I took that first picture...that's when my heart dropped. There on the screen were the words "No CF card" WHAT?! Instantly I could see my CF card still in my computer, where I had left it after uploading pictures from our recent trip to San Antonio. My "spare" one was in my back up camera, at home. In Norman. Two hours away. I whispered to Devin that I needed his keys so I could go to Wal-Mart and buy another one. "Another one?! You just bought that one!" he whispered loudly back. Yep, I had just bought that one actually. When I was at my little nephew's birthday party and saw the SAME words on my screen actually. Ironically, Whitney, who is Logan's mom, went with me to buy THAT CF card. And now I had forgotten to check to make sure that card was in my camera before I came to take pictures at her son's party. Ugh, could I BE anymore silly?! Who doesn't check their equipment?! I was so dissapointed in myself. Whitney and Waylon were super cool about it though. They told me to just use her camera...and then mentioned that it might have the same card. I highly doubted that her digital camera had the same card...as most people's take an SD card. When I checked it, my heart lifted a bit when I saw it took a big chunky battery like mine. When I flipped it over to the card side, I about screamed with delight when I saw it had the same card!! What were the chances? My hot flash instanly left and my game was back on, time to rock it!

*He was excited about the hat, can you tell?*

*The Wigington family*

*Logan is ONE!!*

*He wasn't sure if he was going to get into trouble for this or not*

*So Daddy helped him out a little ;) *

*Time for presents!*

He was so much fun to photograph! He wasn't shy about my camera at all and I would often find him just staring at me...probably thinking I had a funny looking face since my camera was always there! I can't wait to photograph him again, he's a perfect model! Thanks for asking me to take pictures Whitney AND for saving my tail!

From now on, I'll make a check list! I'm glad this happened at something like this rather than a wedding! One of my former patients told me that now this meant I was a "real photographer" haha He said he has had worse happen through his years of photography. He was a photographer for OU for several decades as well as a wedding and portrait photographer...so I'll take his word for it ;)

Time for bed! Hope you guys all have a great night!

X's and O's,
Brandi Sue

Chocolate Moist Cake

2009-10-20T23:20:00.005-05:00

That's the name I gave a cake that I did not know the name to but wanted to post on here!! Since then I bought a cookbook and found a different name for it and then received a cookbook as gift and found a third name for it! I'm keeping my name this post even if it isn't as creative ;) Or I could always borrow JStar's title for her blog posted today. A warm, goopy mess is exactly what this cake is...well before I stick it in the fridge overnight and serve it the net day with a whip cream topping ;)

Dev's Aunt Tricia is the one responsible for giving me this recipe and I have made it almost 10 times now! When I was in clinicals for PTA school, I always made it for my clinical site on the last day that I was there. Now I have made it for my co-workers as well as Devin's and they all loved it! So now I'm sharing it with you guys!

Here's what you need:

- 1 Chocolate cake mix
*Plus the ingredients on the box to make this cake
- 1 tub of whip cream
- 1 jar of carmel...the kind you top ice cream with
- 1 can of sweetened condensed milk
- a topping of your choice I used heath bar candy bits

Now here's what you do:

- Bake the cake according to the directions on the box
- As soon as the cake is done, remove from oven and make holes in the cake. I don't think there is a system to this it just depends on how many and how big you want!
- Pour the condensed milk over the cake, it will try to fall down the sides so I have a spatula handy to keep putting it back up on the top.
- Pour carmel...same as the above
- Let the cake sit and cool.
- After a few hours I place it in the fridge and top it before I serve it.
- Add whip cream and topping of choice.

*Here's what it looked like after I added the hole and poured the carmel and condensed milk.*

*The very yummy finished product!*

There is a strawberry and coconut version to this cake that I plan on making as well...so stay tuned to those recipes soon!

X's and O's
Brandi Sue

The "real" reason behind...a few sentences

2009-10-11T22:23:00.004-05:00

Last week I talked about how I ran across a few sentences that really bothered me on a photographer's blog. As a recap...on the surface it bothered me because I felt bad for the people who had done what the photographer was talking about. My defenses went up for them and I wanted to ask that person, "Ummmm...didn't YOU have to start out from somewhere yourself?!" I also wanted to ask if THEY had ever e-mailed a photographer that they looked up to and asked for advice. How would they feel if they ran across those words on the photographer's page? Basically, just wanted to ask what made them feel like they were so different from the people they mentioned in those few sentences! I won't even go into the "copying" part...mainly because I don't really know how to express how I feel on that subject. But, like I said in the last blog, as I did not e-mail and have not copied said photographer those few sentences didn't really bother me personally. However, the words did.

Ever since highschool, I have carried some sort of camera on me everywhere I go! (it would have been sooner but I couldn't afford one before then!) I received a digital camera in 2006 and the number of pictures on my computer tripled! When I decided to buy my first SLR camera, it was because I wanted better pictures of the things I was documenting in my life. Family get togethers, vacations, and just random things that caught my eye were made so much better with the quality of that camera! I was so excited to document EVERYTHING!! When I would hang out with my little nephew...I snapped pictures. When my friend Missena and I would take her kids to the park...I brought my camera along too! It was so much fun and the pictures were so adorable! Soon, my friends began asking me to take their pictures. As I didn't classify myself as a photographer (just someone with a nice camera) I would take their pictures, edit them, and make them a c.d. for FREE. I was 100% fine with that and wouldn't have it any other way! When a few actually offered to pay, I told them it was good practice for me and turned the money down. That was half the truth...the other half was me shouting in my head, "Pay me?! A REAL photographer could have captured waaaay better pictures! I just happen to have a good camera and got lucky with a few shots. Silly person." Although I loved the quality and felt that they were better pictures than they might have been able to take, I didn't think I deserved to be paid for it. *Note...When I say they were better than what they may have been able to take...I mean that as I had a SLR camera I was able to capture things quicker and was able to work in bad lighting easier than what their digital camera could do. It's no offense to anyone*

Then, one day, I got paid! I met Holly through Missena and after looking at my pictures she asked me to take some of her kids. This was someone who was not a direct friend, who thought I did a great job and wanted ME to take pictures! I didn't create the opportunity or anything! I was so excited! Then it HIT me...I have to really ROCK this, this lady is paying me!! Not only do I need to do great with the kiddos, but I have to edit and turn the pictures back to her in a timely manner...whoa! Lucky for me, she wanted to shoot outdoors AND I had learned some tricks in photoshop...just in case ;) I was going to describe the shoot some more but then I remembered that I have a blog about it so check it out if you missed it before! Click here for the link.

That was my first...and last...paying gig. Say WHAT?! haha nothing bad happened, but thanks for the sympathy ;) That session was in November and shortly after I changed jobs, and shortly after that I moved to Norman, and shortly after that I got married!! So things got busy and I never pushed my photography in a business direction. Although, I was asked to do 2 weddings and 1 engagement session!! While it was a HUGE compliment, there was no way I felt comfortable doing a wedding! Pictures mean SOOOOO much to me and I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I messed things up for whatever reason. And also, because I didn't consider myself to be a "photographer"...just a person with a nice camera ;) I would have done the engagement session but things came up and we weren't able to schedule it.

Now that things have slown down a bit and with my recent SLR upgrade (I bought a Cannon 50D) my mind is pondering the "what if." What if...I began letting people know I'm for hire. What if...I did start booking sessions. What if... In the back of my mind, I wonder what the other photographers would think. Would they think, "Who does she think she is? She has no schooling, no background, and no experience. She is JUST a girl with a nice camera!" That was my main reason for not pursing it. Deep down, I feard these things and just couldn't take the next step. Deep down, I didn't think I was good enough for strangers to hire me to record their life. Deep down, I didn't want to be judged. People can be so mean and heartless sometimes and I just didn't want to put myself out there.

But...what if...? I mean, my friends all tell me I do a good job. My husband has been trying to talk me into it for the last year. He was the one saying, "Just because they are your friend's doesn't mean you can't charge them!" If they all believed in me...then why not just give it a try? With that all being said...I began to feel pretty confidant about it. I knew I wouldn't accept a wedding, but anything else I could handle. After all, if for some reason the pictures didn't turn out the way I thought they should...I could just refund the money. Let's do this thing, I thought!

Not a week later...I ran across those few sentences on a photographer's blog. And my heart SANK. The words and the judgement I had feard...were there in black font. Taunting me and clouding the confidance I had in myself. So there you have it. That's the REAL reason that those few sentences had bothered me so much. Why I couldn't get them out of my head and off my heart. I know, that had my circumstances been different, had I not been a "budding photographer." I still would have been bothered by those sentences, on behalf of the people they were talking about. But given the circumstances of what all has happened in the last year, how much I have grown, and what I had been dreaming...those words cut me deep.

I'm 100% positive that the photographer has NO idea about my story or my dreams. They don't know me from Adam. They themselves are young photographers like me, just with more experience. When I read the blog it is usually full of happy bright images and exciting new things going on with their studio and the connections they have. I'm 100% sure when those words were typed they didn't know how it would have hurt me personally. But I'm also 100% sure they knew it would hurt someone's feelings. I mean, seriously...if someone is sending you an e-mail asking for advice, wouldn't you assume they are following your work? So maybe it wouldn't have bothered me as much if they would have stopped typing after saying, "Doesn't it seem like everyone is a photographer these days?" That's not so much of a personal attack. Although, I still would have been a little hurt at those words too haha

Ugh, I dunno...maybe I'm just extra sensitive since I had been fearing a photographer might say that only to have them say it JUST as I am deciding to take a leap into something I care so much about ;) For the record, I'm not letting this stop me...although I'm going to take baby steps rather than leap ;)

Thanks for listening to me vent! I hope you all had a great weekend!

X's and O's,

Brandi Sue

A few sentences...Part I

2009-10-04T00:23:00.004-05:00

I have thought about it all night and all day long. Even with the distractions of the day, it's been on my heart and I can't lay it to rest. I went back and forth on if I even wanted to write about it. Then I decided that if it bothered me that much, I should. It's my blog after all right? *Standing up to the soapbox*

As if you can't tell, pictures are my passion. Not just pictures I take or even pictures of people I know...just pictures in general. I spend at least 1-2 hours every night looking at people pictures on my social network sites, checking out my fave photogs blogs (that doesn't take as long since they don't all post everyday), and editing my own pictures. It's something I really enjoy for various reasons. I love the story that's told, I love the pretty colors, I love the beautiful scenes, I love the fashion, and I love the ones with none of the above. So...you are getting the point right? haha

I came across a blog that was fairly long *yay jackpot* and was enjoying looking at the different pictures and reading the ramblings of the photog...when I came across the few sentences. This particular photog made the comment about how they think it seems like everyone is a photographer these days. They went on to say how they get several e-mails a day wondering how to start up their business and that they have seen their work copied.

Now, it's hard to tell what the "tone" was in those sentences but they ended with "What's up with that?" So...I don't think it's hard to take a guess. I personally, take little to no offense to those few sentences because I have never asked that photog about advice (although I have left positive comments before) and I can't recall every copying said photographer.

With this being said, my heart hurts for the ones who have. Placing myself in their shoes here's what I would feel like... I obviously am a fan of their work or I wouldn't be asking for their advice. Now, who knows how or even IF this photographer (I should have made up a name so it would have been easier to follow along haha) responded to their e-mail. I hope for their sake and for their business, they replied back positively. Because, again placing myself in their shoes, if they had not responded and had I read those sentences...I would never hire that photographer or recommend them. Who wants someone with that attitude? What an opportunity missed to be a leader, to be a role model, and to be a friend. Let me remind you though, I have NO idea if they did respond (or the tone)...I'm totally going off those few sentences!!

Which brings up another point. Words are so tricky. They can be taken in so many different ways especially when lacking the tone of voice and expression on the face. So many people tease me for putting :) ;) or haha in my e-mails, texts, blog, and/or instant messages...and it's because I have seen what a mess "just words" can make! haha So, I try to prevent it. In a perfect world, people would already know that I'm a happy sunshiny person 99% of the time and wouldn't take things I write the wrong way. But it happens. But this post isn't about me...it's about the few sentences said photographer wrote. Those few sentences that made my heart heavy. Those few sentences that could potentially cost that photographer clients! Out of a post full of pictures and ramblings...all I recall are those few sentences. THAT'S what I took from the blog. Not what a great job they did, not about how interesting their day/life was, but those few sentences. I'm about 100% sure that's not what they wanted to happen.

Okay, so if I'm being honest...now that I think about it...I can recall a few pictures but I don't want to mention them and someone now figure out who I am talking about because I do NOT want to diss on this person or have drama (totally don't think they read my blog so I'm not too worried) I just...well I don't know what I am trying to accomplish by this post but I felt the desire to write about it. And maybe that's how they felt. It was their blog after all and they have every right to post what they want! But I just feel bad for the people who had previously written to that person with excitement and passion for what they were wanting to do in their life only to later read those few sentences and know what the photographer was thinking..."Oh, here's another Joe who thinks they have what it takes. Thinks that just because they have a fancy camera (or whatever) they all of a sudden they can take pictures!" Okay...so maybe that's not what they were saying...but that's what I took from it. ;) Which brings me to the REAL reason this bothers me...

***I intended to continue writting but obviously it takes me FOREVER to explain something and get to the point and I'm soooo tired! This is something that has been on my heart though and I'd like to share so bare with me and I'll get back to you later on this! I think it's best for me to take a step back anyway to gather my thoughts rather than type as I'm feeling and thinking ;)**

X's and O's,
Brandi Sue

P.S. I don't want you to walk away from this and also be upset with said photographer because when it's all said and done, (which is taking me forever) it's not what this is really about. Those few sentences were just the "straw that broke the camels back" for me...or whatever analogy goes there ;)

P.P.S. According to Microsoft word and spell check...I would get an "F" on this novel for bad spelling and grammer! But it's late and I'm so very tired so please forgive me for not fixing it! It comes with the territory of writing as you think!

Super-Easy Chicken Manicotti

2009-09-01T21:47:00.003-05:00

Prep Time: 15 Mins
Start to Finish: 1 hour 20 Mins
Servings: 7

1 Jar (26 to 30 oz) tomato pasta sauce
3/4 cup water
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 1/2 lb uncooked chicken breast tenders (no breaded) (14 tenders)
14 uncooked manicotti pasta shells (8 oz)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 oz)
chopped fresh basil leaves, if desired

1. Heat oven to 350*F. In medium bowl, mix pasta sauce and water. Spread about one-third of the pasta sauce in ungreased 13x9-inch (3 quart) glass baking dish.

2. Sprinkle garlic salt on chicken. Insert chicken into uncooked manicotti shells, stuffing each end of shell to fill if necessary. Place shells on pasta sauce in baking dish. Pour remaining pasta sauce evenly over shells, covering completely. Cover tightly with foil.

3. Bake about 1 hour or until shells are tender. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with basil.

*Betty Crocker Most requested recipes*

This one tasted better than I thought it would!! Although, it didn't look the same as theirs haha. Mine still had a lot of the sauce in the pan and I didn't buy fresh basil. Oh, and then there's how I asked Devin to add the cheese to it for me while I was cleaning up...and I caught him *too late* putting the fiesta blend cheese that I had bought for some other meal instead of the mozzarella cheese!! haha He hadn't put much on it actually and the only reason why I cared was because I needed it for another meal and wanted my picture to match ;) Also, I soooo did NOT use all 14 shells!! I also only used 2 chicken breasts...I saved the other one for another meal. I didn't find them as easy to put in the shells but once I cut them smaller and stuffed them from each end it worked better. There's not 14 in their picture either so I don't know where that went. The cooking time went by fast, I used the time to clean up and wash my kitchen counters! haha I love not having a big mess to clean up after I'm done eating!

X's and O's,
Brandi Sue

Home-Style Chicken Dinner

2009-08-30T00:07:00.005-05:00

Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Start to Finish: 1 Hour 20 Minutes
Servings: 4

2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon garlic pepper blend
2 teaspoons olive or vegetable oil
3 to 3 1/2 lb cut-up broiler fryer chicken, skin removed if desired
6 small unpeeled red potatoes, cut into fourths (2 cups)
2 medium dark-orange sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces (3 cups)
1 medium green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces (1 cup)
3 roma (plum) tomatoes, cut into fourths

1. Heat oven to 400*F. Spray 13x9-inch (3 quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. In large bowl, mix basil, seasoned salt, garlic pepper and oil. Brush about half of the mixture on chicken. Add remaining ingredients to bowl; toss to coat.

2. Place vegetables in baking dish. Place chicken on vegetables. Brush with any remaining oil mixture.

3. Bake uncovered 45 to 50 minutes or until vegetables are tender and juice of chicken is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut. Serve with pan juices.

*From Betty Crocker Most Requested Recipes

We invited Alex over for dinner for this meal and it turned out pretty good! I didn't get the veggies cooked through as much as I would have liked but it worked out ok. I didn't have garlic pepper blend and so I used garlic powder and coarse pepper like suggested and it worked fine as well! It didn't take a lot of time to put this together and I cleaned up my kitchen mess while I waited and even had left over time to tidy up the rest of the kitchen. So, for you Mom's out there, that means you have time to chase down kids and make them clean up before dinner ;) If any of you try this recipe, let me know what you think!!

X's and O's,
Brandi Sue

Cooking for two

2009-08-28T23:07:00.007-05:00

For the last few years, it's been a running joke that once Devin and I get married...he will...starve! They had reason to joke as I never really cooked while we dated haha. When I would cook it was some box meal or I would cook the veggies while he cooked the meat. I enjoyed us both being in the kitchen anyway. As I like to bake, I always joked that we could just live off cookie dough batter instead ;) You're a vegetarian if you don't eat meat so it there a name for people who only eat sweets?!

Bobby, my Father in Law, always came to my rescue by letting me know that his wife didn't always know how to cook ;) She's all gourmet on us now though!! When I lived with her she made me home cooked meals almost every night! Who needs to cook when you're spoiled like that!?! I'm officially an addict now. of fried squash. it's delicious!

So anyway, back to poor starving Devin... My retort was that I could just pick up a cook book and start at page one and work my way through! After we were married I did just that! I was so proud of my first official meal, that I took pictures haha...well you know me and pictures anyway right?! Several successes and pictures later, I thought it would be fun to post them on here, in case anyone else wanted to make the meals. We have really liked all but two of them! *those will not be posted as I didn't take pictures of them haha* Devin likes to tease that he always has to eat his dinners cold because I hold it hostage for pictures first. He is exaggerating...a little. ;)

Here's a picture of the calzones that he and I made with his Mother's help. They were huge!! and oh so YUMMY!!!!

X's and O's,
Brandi Sue

Life is short

2009-07-07T20:45:00.006-05:00

As Devin and I were honeymooning in Hawaii, I would frequently send updates via facebook on what we were doing or whatnot. On our way out the door one afternoon, I got on to see what all was going on back home. I was surprised to see a "RIP Michael Jackson" as someones status update...and honestly thought it was a joke. So we flipped on the t.v. real quick, knowing that if it were true, it would be plastered all over non-stop. Sadly, it wasn't a joke. I was so shocked! I'm sure many of you were as well. It's an odd feeling...I didn't really KNOW the guy but it feels like someone I know passed away. But really, I only know the Michael Jackson that the media wanted me to know. None the less, I'm still sad that he passed away.

With that being said, I am so annoyed with this whole (for lack of a better word) situation. What is annoying me you ask? His so called "fans" and their behavior. They are all gathering around now, supporting one another through their grief. They are telling the family how sorry they are and how they are praying for them. They are talking about how great MJ was and all the good things he did for the world. That's all fine and dandy, I'm sure the family appreciates that. What I want to know is...where were they one month ago? 6 months ago? a year ago? Were they the same people buying the trashy tabloids and magazines? Were they the same people forwarding YouTube videos of his latest slip up? Were they the same people chasing him trying to catch a glimpse of him without his mask on...so they could sell it to one of the tabloids? While I was watching the media go on and on about him this last week, they showed a clip where MJ was being booed at a performance where he was trying to promote a comeback. What?! I can't remember where it was, but what was that all about? Are they the same people claiming to be huge fans? And anytime the media talked about him over the last several years, it seemed they were only trying to tear him down. But now that he is gone, they are flashing all his greatest achievements (along with some of the not so great moments still...they are relentless).

Why does it always seem to take a death to get people to realize that life is short? I see it happen all the time. I'm from a small town, several of them really since my family moved around a lot. In each of those towns I lived in there would always be a case or two of a young person passing away too soon. The town would all grieve, they forward e-mails of positive encouragement, and tell one another to appreciate those you love right now because you might not have the chance tomorrow. I could go to countless Myspace accounts and pull quotes of remembrance for those people they loved and advice to other people out there. I could show where they have proclaimed to never drink again because that's what caused their loved one to pass away. Or maybe they are going to wear their seatbelt all the time now because it could have saved their loved one. Yet, the pain dulls after awhile. People move on with their life and though they still remember their loved one or whoever they were to them...they seem to forget the lesson. Soon they are gossiping about one another again, they aren't taking the time to enjoy each other's company, and they aren't sharing their love for one another. Until someone else dies...then it starts all over again.

I use the word "they" as a general term. I'm not pointing fingers...you know where you stand. I'm also not saying any of this is wrong, it's natural. It has been something that has been bothering me for awhile now and seeing how people have reacted with Michael Jackson motivated me to finally write about it. Just a rant on my personal blog ;) It's so hard for me to understand why people can be like that when I am not. I tell people I love them. I send cards. I write letters. I try to spend time with those I love. I hug you when I see you because I am happy you're my friend, and I hug you before I leave because I don't know when I will see you again if at all. I never want to be that person who says, "I never got to say goodbye" or "I never told them how much they meant to me". I will tell you :) I know it makes me mushy and I know sometimes there are people who think I'm silly, but it's who I am and it makes me happy. I try my best to let the bad roll off my shoulders because, as I have said before, life is too short to hold a grudge. Life is too short to be angry and to hold pain inside. It makes my life happier and better to be happy, I'm a better person when I'm happy.

I have been watching MJ's memorial as I typed this...what a great memorial! It was heartfelt and sweet. How nice would it have been for Michael to have seen that kind of support (from the public who said they were fans) these past few years?! I bet it would have made him feel a lot better than that crowd booing him.

If you haven't already tonight, kiss your loved ones goodnight. Call that someone you haven't talked to in forever. And tell those who mean something to you how you feel, it just might brighten their day :) Just like the cliches say...Don't wait until it's too late. With that being said, I'm going to go cuddle with my honey.

X's and O's,
Brandi Sue

P.S. I'm a Michael Jackson fan...then and now :)

Flip Flop...continued

2009-07-06T22:01:00.006-05:00

On Valentine's Day 2005 my present was a baby ferret and I couldn't have been more excited! I am such an animal lover and ever since I was little I have wanted one. So Devin and I went to Petco and picked out a cuddly boy and took him home. We chose the one we did because he was more calm than the others and seemed to have a sweet personality. Now we had to come up with a name!

*This is my all time fave pic of him...shortly after we bought him*

Our stories for how we chose the name are different but in the end it was the same name...Flip-Flop. I came to that name because of how clumsy he was, he would run into everything...kinda "flip-flop" around. Dev said he liked it for some electronic reason...a component or something. (I like my story better ;) )

*One of his many fave sleeping positions*

Since I never had a ferret before and had only been around a few for a short period of time...I had no idea what to expect. I was worried about how much he slept and felt like I wasn't giving him enough attention (found out later that they sleep a lot and it's normal!) I bought the Ferrets for Dummies Book and read it cover to cover that night. I'm really impressed with the information on it and it also helped me confirm that Flip was deaf. (Which explains his clumsiness when he was a baby) I had noticed that he wouldn't react to the sound of me walking into the room but would react to the light change. He also didn't show any interest in the toys that had all the bells and whatnot on them like the others in the store had. According to the book, it was the type of ferret that he was. Apparently the "Blaze", named for the markings on their head, was prone to deafness. Not a problem though, just meant I had to work harder at keeping him entertained.

*Christmas 2009...he lightened up a lot over the years*

Over the years, I learned a lot about ferrets and about him in particular. I was kind of surprised about how much of a personality these little animals could have! He was so different from the ferret we got a little while later. He was such a little lover while she on the other hand was all fighter!! and still is! haha Most nights, I would leave his cage door opened and, while she would stay in the cage and sleep, Flip would often crawl up in bed with me and sleep. I would expect that from a dog or cat but was surprised a ferret would develop that kind of attachment. When he wanted my attention or wanted to be held, he would scratch my foot. I think that's the thing I miss about him the most actually.

*catching some zzzzz's*

When I tell people I have a ferret I always think it's funny how the first thing they say is, "Don't they stink?" That is definitely NOT the main thing I remember about him haha. No, not all ferrets stink. Flip smelled a little musky around his neck but that's it and his litter box never smelled until we bought the other ferret. In my opinion, they do not smell any more than a dog or cat do...if anything...they smell less. It really just comes down to how well you take care of them as with any animal.

*They always yawn a lot when they wake up*

The toys in the above picture never attracted his attention. Until the day I placed them in this pot and put water in it!! He loved dipping his head in the water and retrieving them. I would keep the balls in the pot even when there wasn't any water in it and when I heard them jingling one day I figured it was our other ferret playing with them. I went in there to get a picture and here was my baby boy having a ball! He was so cute to watch. His favorite toy was a tennis ball! It was the only toy that he would hide in his cage. All the others he took under the bed. I would randomly hide it to give him something to do. One day I noticed that if I went and played with him right after handling the tennis ball...he would immediately run to his cage to look for it. If it wasn't there he would go on the hunt until he found it and brought it back to the cage. He smelled the ball on my hands and would immediately know something was wrong in his world! haha

*He really slept like that...no posing necessary! Okay, I put him up there but he stayed long after!*

*The last pic I have with him*

So, if you haven't noticed already, our little Flipper didn't make it from the story in the last blog. I stayed up all night that Sunday night and stayed with him Monday morning while Devin went to work. I tried to keep him hydrated and still tried to get some kind of nutrition in his system. Devin came home at noon and stayed with him while I tried to go see some of my patients. I called shortly after to tell Devin that it was time to try and give him more fluids. He said he would try and hung up. Soon after though, he called to say that Flip didn't fight him when he tried to give him water...not a good sign. He had been fighting it the whole time so now it seemed like he had given up. Devin called the ER vet at his daytime clinic and got an appt. Sadly, Devin called me right after he got there and told me the vet said it was time to let him go. So I drive to the clinic and kissed my baby goodbye. He had been my best friend and companion while I lived alone over the last 4 years. Seemed like a short time to get attached to an animal...be he was special :)

The Vet called awhile later after we had left and said that in the end...it was a hairball that had caused all this. My poor little baby died from a preventable hairball that could have been removed with a $1,000 surgery. Of course, we don't just have an extra grand sitting around but I wish we would have. I had even called the OSU Vet school and asked if they had any kind of discounted surgery prices if a student did the surgery (like with hair stylists haha) but I was told that they do not. :( I wasn't all that impressed with our Vet even though he had been one of the better ones we had been to. But what sealed the deal (on me not liking him as much) was how he told me (after the fact) a mixture I could make in the future that would help eat at a hairball and yet still be safe on the ferret's tummy. hmmmm a lot of good that does me now.

It's all said and done now though. I didn't think it would be all that hard since I didn't have him very long and because he was "just a ferret" but it was really hard coming home and not getting to play with him. That was my daily routine before. Of course, I still get Back Spin out but she doesn't like to play like he did haha. He was the first animal that I have had from begining to end, I can't imagine how I will be with an animal I've owned 10 years! haha I'm happy that we picked him out of all the others he made me so happy and was great company. In a way, I think it's ironic that he passed away when he did. He had been my companion for all those years that I lived alone and he passed away just a few short weeks before Devin became my life long companion. Yeah, kinda cheesy I know ;) And with that I will say.... goodnight!!

X's and O's,
Brandi Sue

Flip Flop

2009-06-01T00:19:00.002-05:00

Wow! It's been forever since my last post!! A lot has been going on and so I'm so far behind my editing and posting! :)

Currently, we are going through a semi-rough time. I say "semi" because it's about an animal and I know there are people out there going through worse...but this is MY animal...so it's still rough ;) Anyway, Flip has been going through his shedding season the last few weeks. Which means that I have to chase him down with a brush and lint roller everyday! (the lint roller is for me because when I am done I am COVERED in hair! haha) I also take a lint roller to their hammock once a day and change the whole thing out at least every two weeks. On top of that, they are fed ferret lax to help pass any hair balls starting to form. That doesn't always keep it from happening, but usually I can catch the signs in time and just give him extra ferret lax.

Unfortunately, hairballs aren't the only things that can obstruct these little guys up and we have also been through that. About three years ago, he became very sick. Devin and I knew he wasn't feeling good when we left for Kansas, but we told his mom what to do and figured he would be okay. Well, he just got worse. So we rushed home to Olustee, made an appt with a ferret vet in the city, and left early the next morning to take him. He was so pitiful looking. I had a friend who had to put her ferret to sleep because the surgery was too expensive and we were in the same boat as her. I couldn't make the decision to end a life...even an animal's (ummm not counting fishing haha) so that night...I prayed that my little guy would either pass away in his sleep or would pass whatever was in his tummy.

I checked his litter box first thing in the morning and was never so happy to see poop in my life! haha I could tell that it definitely had something in it as well so I scooped it up and put it in a baggie for the vet. (That's what the Ferrets for Dummies book said to do)

I was happy to find that the Vet was an OSU grad because I had read that they have a little more training on ferrets...and I was even more happy to learn that he was also a ferret owner!! So...long story short...he examined what I brought him and found that it contained the rubber piece that covers the earpiece on headphones!! A few weeks later, when I was cleaning behind the bed, I found the rest of headphones. Evidently, Flip had eaten more of it but it passed through without much problem. The rubber piece sat in his stomach for awhile and then once it finally decided to make an exit...it became stuck in the intestines and stayed there for awhile. We didn't notice anything wrong for several weeks until it became stuck in the intestines. When he recovered from all that...he was like a brand new ferret. He was more lively that he had been since we first got him. We never had a clue that a time bomb was inside him :( But, that story ended happily.

Fast forward several years. Friday, Devin and I were once again packing to leave for Kansas. Once again, I could tell something was up. But he ate his ferret lax just fine, had a healthy sized accident on the floor, and was playing some....so we continued with our trip. We were only going to be gone for a day anyway. Well, why we were up there we heard that he was looking worse. Sigh.

As soon as we got home we knew it was happening all over again. Only this time we knew better and we had been so careful!! We haven't lived in this house long so we don't have anything out for him to be able to get into! He only has free roam in the living room, kitchen, and office so we felt pretty sure he had a hairball gone wrong. By now he wasn't eating or drinking and since we had both ferrets in the same cage, we couldn't tell if he was using the bathroom. Ferrets have a short digestive tract...approximately 2-3 hours long...so it's important for them to eat and drink often. Unfortunately, being "backed up" was also contributing to him being dehydrated. Just like with humans, the longer your BM stays inside you, the harder it gets. The intestines soak up the fluid which makes it hard for the BM to pass...no fun. So after giving him fluids with a syringe, we left to find an emergency clinic that had some experience with ferrets.

Luckily, we found one! The COVE, here in Norman, has a Vet who is also a ferret owner! Score! So after some x-rays, he confirmed our thoughts. Flip had an obstruction. However, the Vet wasn't sure it was just a hairball. Which means bad news because...a hairball would likely pass given time and ferret lax/pumpkin pie filling. An obstruction has less of a chance of passing and if it does there is most likely damage done inside. Lucky for us, the first time he had an obstruction it was soft and round. We couldn't tell what it was in the x-ray, or even if it was anything at all. So he gave us some medicine for his gas and gave him fluids. He instructed us to continue giving him fluids throughout the night and try the pie filling in the morning.

When we got home, Flip and I made ourselves comfy on the couch and put in a season 2 Grey's Anatomy DVD. It was the only way I'd stay awake! You can't fall asleep while watching Grey's ;) Every hour or so, I'd give him water or powerade...much to his dislike. But him putting up a fight was a good sign to me. He had a few messy BM's throughout the night that didn't contain much and by this afternoon he had stopped going again. Plus his gas wasn't going away.

So this evening, we went off to the Vets again. Only this time a little less hopeful. We both don't want him to suffer but we don't want to give up on him too soon. So we had no idea what to tell the Vet. We decided that we would ask for another x-ray (another $50) and see if the possible obstruction had moved any. This time, the Vet couldn't see it. Flip definitely had more gas, but all he could see was the BM stuck inside. We didn't know if that was good or bad. I asked him what he would do if it were his ferret. (surgery vs conservative methods) He answered by saying that it wasn't a fair question for him since the surgery would be free for him. Sigh. He told us to continue with what we had been doing and see if he made any improvements by the morning. The fact that he was holding down everything I gave him was a good sign.

I'm on baby sitting duty right now while Devin sleeps and unfortunately, I'm finished with my Grey's Anatomy. So I'm going through pictures and ran across these. One day I noticed him moving around a lot while he slept so I grabbed my point and shoot camera for some pics.

He is such a sweet boy and I really hope he gets better!! Sorry for the long post, hope it makes up for the weeks I went without posting haha.

xoxo
Brandi Sue

Up Close and Personal

2009-04-18T22:14:00.005-05:00

Mmmmm it's been a long time since my last post! I actually haven't been on the computer much over the last two weeks. Unusual for me! Anyway, so here's a quick update on the last two weeks!!

Last weekend Devin and I went riding around the Olustee area to see what we would run across. Well...there wasn't much besides fields and telephone poles! So I decided to make things more interesting by getting "up close and personal" hence the name of this post!

*This one is Devin's favorite...he likes the photoshop edit*

*I tried to get the sun shining through the bullet holes. I could have probably added it with photoshop but I don't know how haha*

*Perfect object for this editing!*

*fire hydrant out in the middle of no where!*

*I think this is my favorite one!*

*Diggin the way the clouds look like they are moving*

It was nice getting out...I think we are going to be the little old couple that take Sunday afternoon drives after church! I'm looking forward to it :)

In other news: My Great Grandmother was admitted to the hospital, where they got her feeling better until the nurse aids "threw her in bed" and chipped a part off her hip. Yuck! I didn't see it happen but there was family in the room. It's weird being on the other side of the medical field. She's back home now but it's been hard on my Grandmother and Dad because she can't walk around like she used to. So keep them in your prayers please!

Devin and I went to church in Tipton on Easter Sunday. (My fave holiday!!!) It's been so long since I have been back that I was nervous about going! It was nice seeing all the familiar faces and even better that they all seemed genuinely happy to see me! It's only been about 3 years but some of those little kids have grown up so much! Funny how time flies huh?

Well, I'll try to not let it fly by too fast before my next post! But for now I'm off to edit more pictures! Hope you all have a great weekend!

Love,

Brandi Sue

Wedding...THE dress!!!!

2009-04-01T01:10:00.009-05:00

With four months to go until the wedding...I decided I better find something to wear!! Devin and I spent part of a weekend in Mead, OK (near Durant) with his parents at the cabin they own down there. Most of the towns down there are pretty small but she and I had found out about a year ago that there was a huge place to go to about an hour away. That place...Frisco, TX!!! I can't believe this whole time we never knew it was there or that close! We actually found it because we were looking for a JoAnn's superstore. We didn't find out that there was a huge mall there (someone said it was one of the biggest ones in TX) until our shopping was done for that day! So we vowed to go back when we had a moment!

Well, that moment came the first of March! They boys went fishing and she and I went on a mission to find a wedding dress! I made an appt for David's Bridal and we spent about 2 hours in there checking out about 10 dresses or so. Some of these pics are from that day (from a cell phone so I apologize ahead of time for the low quality!)

A few weekends later, we invited Daniel and Brandi to come down for the weekend! Again, the boys went fishing, and the girls went....shopping of course!!! I tried on my favorites (3) for Brandi and Darinda and decided on THE dress. Of course, I didn't include it in this post...just in case Devin gets bored and reads this! (and again apologize for the low quality of the pics! my pocket cam isn't any better than my phone sometimes)

*Here's Darinda and I discussing the tiara's*

Going into all this...I didn't have an idea what I wanted! In terms of the dress and the accessories! There were soooo many options.... poofy?? slim?? mermaid?? long train?? short train?? in between train?? big tiara?? small tiara?? hair pins??......

*I liked everything from the waist down...but not really the halter top. Pretty dress though!*

*This one was actually my 2nd fave and Darinda's 1st fave. She later changed her mind to my top dress when we went the second time. I just couldn't get past the fish gills under the chest haha and I didn't like how you couldn't see all the pretty bead work very well. Really pretty dress though! It bustled up nice too.*

*If I were having a smaller wedding I might have gotten this dress! I liked the sheer layer it had. I didn't realize I could detach the straps until I was taking it off so it kinda ruins the image in this picture! haha It didn't make me feel like a princess ;) but it's pretty! *

*This one was given to me by a fluke but I tried it on for fun anyway. I really did like everything except the three layered look in the front. It fit really well though and made me look like I had a figure! haha *

I absolutely love my dress and I'm glad I finally have it! (shopping for it and getting measured was exhausting!) I also bought the tiara, petticoat, bra thing, and veil! So I just lack the smaller things...and an awesome pair of shoes!! haha

Thanks goes to Brandi and Darinda for sticking it out with me and offering advice! Oh and for picture taking, zipping, tying, tucking, hanging, holding, and whatever else I forgot! :) Darinda and I were actually complimented for getting along so well despite her being my future Mother-in-Law and me "stealing" her son away who is also her only child!! I thought that was funny. The lady was even more impressed when I informed her that I had been living on and off again with Darinda (and her husband) over the last 5 years!! So, we were proud of ourselves ;)

I HAVE to get some sleep now!! More updates later!

xoxo,

Brandi Sue

P.S. I tried to post some of these pics side by side to save room and make this post seem shorter but it didn't post that way!! It looked like it in the preview though! If anyone knows what I am doing wrong, please let me know! And is there a way to make the pics bigger in the post and not just when you click on them?? Thanks!!

Stormy weather

2009-03-23T23:23:00.003-05:00

I absolutley LOVE spring!! Okay...well since reading this blog...I guess I should say that I LIKE spring! haha I really really LIKE it! :) But with every good thing comes the downside....for spring it's the storms!! Now don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good storm! However, I don't enjoy the damage they bring to those around me! Last year my car received hail and paint damage. This year I narrowly escape by being parked in the garage, so it was safe! The rain had just stopped and I was about to run some dinner down to Devin's grandparents before the hail came. Luckily, I hadn't left yet! This picture is from my cell phone.

After the rain and hail let up, I went outside with my Canon to see if I could capture any cool clouds in the distance with my new stalker lens. But I didn't see any low hanging clouds in the distance, just this pretty one! I didn't think I had time to run inside and switch my lens so I just took it zoomed all the way out. The picture doesn't do it justice. It really was beautiful!

I photoshopped this next one some but I really like it! Even with the pole in the way! Devin's Dad was stuck in Lawton for like 2 hours waiting on the storms over there to pass! He made it home safely finally! He always teases me that I don't cook for him when Darinda is gone (and that he is afraid Devin will starve when we get married) so I came home from work with chicken and some yummy fixings including a cake mix! Then the storm happend! haha He didn't get home until 9ish but he still enjoyed it and is begining to think Devin will make it after all ;)

The upside to the storms tonight were that the farmers around here got the rain they have been praying for. I think they were still wanting it anyway. I was informed awhile back that there is a time when they don't want it...or maybe it was too much...I can't remember! I just wish it would have rained over in Davidson...my patient over there was really hoping it would! I called her and she said they didn't get a drop! But my patient in Snyder had a lot of rain and no power from the storm! So it was hit and miss I guess. It began to rain again after this picture so I had to go back inside, didn't want to ruin my camera!!

Wedding planning is finally begining to come along. I got the dress and all the fixin's (minus the garter and shoes), ordered some DIY invitations, found a hair stylist, and booked the engagement session! Yay!! I hope it keeps up!!! It's time for bed, happy Spring everyone!!

xoxo,
Brandi Sue