Back in May, I went on the annual Garden Tour that’s held in Atlanta every Mother’s Day weekend with Randi and Tom. I’ve gone once or twice before and the tour always covers all kinds of properties around Atlanta, big and small, with great gardens. Talk about garden envy. This year they included Arthur Blank’s mansion on Paces Ferry Road. That place was like a theme park and apparently it’s actually their BACKyard that faces Paces Ferry. They have a putting green in the front yard. Yeah.
That’s Arthur’s pool below … wouldn’t it be cool to be invited to a pool party at a place like that??

Suzie and I recently took some photos of our very photogenic friend Leslie over in west Midtown a month or two ago. Leslie was quite a trooper because it was RIDICULOUSLY hot outside … So hot that we decided to take a break and have a margarita at Rosa Mexicano while we waited for the sun to go down a bit. Maybe the second half of our shoot turned out better photos because it was less hot … or maybe because of the margs …

Since I’m now an annual pass-holder at the Georgia Aquarium, and can go for free anytime I want, I decided to go with the intent of getting some good photos. It’s pretty difficult with the thick glass on every exhibit (not to mention the umpteen kids and strollers I have to contend with to get close), but I think I managed to capture the pretty glow of the jellyfish in this exhibit …

Suzie and I went to Macon a few weeks ago to photograph a wedding and before heading back to the ATL, she gave me a tour of her beloved hometown! Macon is very quaint and charming and you’re considered to have an accent there if you DON’T speak with a twang. I’ll admit I really didn’t expect to see such a large and beautiful church in such a small town, but here it is:



Great sunset from my balcony the other night.

Okay, so I’ve had a bit of a blogging hiatus, but I’ve still been shooting during my break! I have some great photos from Mary Ruth’s wedding in May that I wanted to share. The wedding was just like Mary Ruth … unique, fun and beautiful (and hot)! The ceremony was held at the end of a marina pier in Cocoa, Florida and then the reception was on a paddlewheel riverboat! Having grown up in Florida, I loved every aspect of the weekend, even including the heat and the kitschy beach-side tourist shops and bars.
I didn’t photograph the wedding itself but took photos of the beautify-ing process before the ceremony. Mary Ruth was calm and cool as a cucumber. She was more nervous about her guests possibly suffering heatstroke at the wedding than actually getting married.
And thanks to the Bumpit, she went from Flat to Fabulous in Seconds!

Our multi-talented friend, Laura, did a fantastic job on Mary Ruth’s hair and makeup.



I worked up quite a sweat just taking photos of the dress and shoes outside in the backyard, but it was worth it!


MR and Michael were so cute to watch during their first dance … and they chose a song that’s now one of my favorites: You and I by Ingrid Michaelson.


And I had to throw in a few pics of Randi and Tom, because they’re so photogenic!
Love ya, MR! :-)
The Atlanta weather is doing what it does every March … being very indecisive. We keep getting teased with these little peeks of spring weather, which then turn into horribly cold winter weather a few days afterward. In the span of two weeks, we’ve had a high of 65 degrees and then snow a few days later, only to repeat the cycle again!
The good news is that Whole Foods (where I feel like I go every other day lately), is carrying beautiful tulips! So I will just stock my place with vases of fresh flowers until the weather gets a little less schizophrenic.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010
How cute is my little (I mean big and fat) Chloe?!?

One of my absolute favorite things to eat on this diet has been dried figs. Who knew they were so good! You don’t need to eat a Fig Newton to enjoy the taste … they taste just as good (and without all the extra sugar) straight up. Figs are also a great source of antioxidants.
I’ve been snacking on them almost everyday, and then I found a recipe for “energy balls” in my Whole Foods Nutrition cookbook. You just put about a cup of dried figs, a handful of almonds, a couple tablespoons of almond butter, a handful of raisins or currants, some cinnamon and a little bit of maple syrup into the food processor. I also had to add a bit of water to get it going. Then you scoop it out, form into balls and then roll them in shredded coconut! Oh, they’re so yummy and filling. I just need two or three in the morning and then I’m good until lunch time. Or one or two during that mid-afternoon lull when I need an energy boost.

I’ve been a blogging slacker! I’ve been so busy with work lately and then on the weekends, I feel like all I do is COOK! This elimination diet restricts me from buying prepared foods or eating out, so I try to make batches of food to eat through the week. I’ve been roasting sweet potatoes, broccoli, cooking lots of rice, quinoa and mung beans. One of my staples has been this cabbage soup. Yeah, I know. But it actually wasn’t that bad! Especially once Mary Ruth told me that black quinoa tastes better than white, so I switched that out in the recipe. Doesn’t quinoa look funny?
I can’t wait for some real food again! I’m probably not supposed to say that …

by Erika
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