Love {Grand Rapids Photographer}

Valentines Day, the day of love. My hubby and I are going to celebrate our 8th year of marriage this year, I can't believe how fast time has gone! Last night he surprised me by getting a sitter so we could get some dinner and see a movie. It was so nice to relax and enjoy each other's company without any meltdowns, fighting, or having to cut up anyones meal. I'm so thankful for my hubby and I can't wait to see the journey life has for us!

As promised, the winner of the favorite image of 2009: #22

Congratulations!! Prepare a spot of your wall for a 16x20!

Happy love day to you and yours! I hope your day was as special as mine was!

Dreadful {Grand Rapids Photographer}

I put it off for as long as I can. I HATE grocery shopping! There is just something unpleasant about bringing 3 kids (under age 5) to the store, constantly saying no to their choice of "healthy" food and attempting to not forget something on my list.

I think what I hate worst is those stupid grocery carts that are as long as semi's - ya know, the ones with the bench so you can tow all the kids "conveniently" along? Seriously, I swear I end up hitting at least one thing by the time our adventure is done. Whether it's an end-cap full of products or an actual person, it's always something. Those things are hard to steer.

While I'm complaining, can I just say that it seriously irks me when I get to the self check out (really the only check out's they have there now) only to watch their workers wait for the next person who needs help with their coupon while my mountain of groceries is piling up at the end of the belt!!! Seriously people, I just attempted grocery shopping with 3 kids under the age of 5 and I'm grumpy!!! Help me bag my darn groceries for pete's sake!!

Phew.... can you tell I just got done grocery shopping? Anyway, tonight we made pizza calzones because really, those were the only ingredients that I had in the house that actually made something pleasant. If you can remember from last year, I shared a STORY about pizza calzones and I promised to share the recipe. It's about time that I did that so here it goes:

Ingredients:

1 Loaf Bread Dough

Pizza Sauce

Mozzarella Cheese

Pizza Toppings (i.e. pepperoni, mushrooms, olives, ham)

1 Egg Yolk

Italian Seasoning

Preheat oven to 350. Cut loaf into 4 equal parts and knead to get all the bubbles out. Flatten each part of the dough and prepare with sauce, cheese and toppings. Fold over and seal dough at the edges. Brush egg yolk over the tops and add a dash of seasoning. Bake for 15-18 minutes.

There you have it. This is what we had the fateful evening of the fork.

I may or may not have edited out crumbs that were all over my countertops. Isn't my perfectly seasoned baking stone awesome? I've had it for about 8 years now and use it all the time when I bake. Looks gross but bakes awesome!

Because I Can {Grand Rapids Photographer}

That's right. I'm changing the contest rules for the best image of 2009. Waiting a month to find out the results is a little too long so it's changing. The contest winner will be announced on Valentines Day, February 14. So, you have until 11:59 pm on the 13th to cast your votes. Facebook is a great tool to spread the word and get people voting. Good luck!

2009 - Looking Back {Grand Rapids Photographer}

*UPDATE* the contest will now close at 11:59 pm February 13!

What a year 2009 was! I can't explain how grateful I am to all those families that I had the privilege to photograph and who helped me get to where I am today. Thank you! I've got lots of tricks up my sleeve this year, some fantastic new products to show and some great incentives for those that choose Images of Essence Photography.

Ready for a contest? Here's how it works. One vote per day, per household - no cheating, I'll know if you did! :) So, spread the word to all your family and friends and get them voting too. The poll will close February 13 at 11:59 pm, so vote your little hearts out! The winner will receive a mounted 16x20!!!

Here's a look back into 2009: