Things I Love Thursday | Volume 1!

Hey, friends! Welcome to the first installment of Things I Love Thursday. This is totally not a unique idea — many bloggers do this or a variation of this, including my good friend Caitlin and even Gala Darling — but I just thought it would be neat, since there’s a TON of things that I love. This can be anything: a link to something funny/inspiring/entertaining/educational, a product I’ve been using, a recipe, a video of my cats, or something that I discovered or want to buy. The sky’s the limit. Enjoy!

1. Nostalgia Electrics Cotton Candy Maker ($39.98 from Amazon).

How amazing is this? You can crush up any hard candy you like (in addition to the cotton candy sugar), making it possible to create a wide array of flavored cotton candy. One of the reviewers mentioned Lifesavers, Werther’s Originals, and Brach’s Soda Poppers (root beer cotton candy!!!). The bowl is translucent, so if you’re like me, you can excitedly watch the cotton candy being made. I mean, do I really need to go on?

2. Ballet Beautiful Classic 60-Minute Workout by Mary Helen Bowers ($14.99 from Amazon).

I’ll be honest, I struggle with working out. I’ve tried lots of different methods — freestyling workouts on my own (doing various combinations of strength exercises along with cardio), running (on my treadmill), workout DVDs (mostly Jillian Michaels)… nothing seems to stick. There’s no guarantee, of course, that this one will, but from the reviews I’ve read (and feedback from friends), this is an incredible workout. It’s tough and keeps you feeling like you’re really making strides, but it’s also doable enough for people who aren’t extremely in shape. Plus, who doesn’t want a ballerina body?

3. Cool Gear Infusion 56oz water bottle ($8.99).

I bought this water bottle from Target a couple weeks ago, and it never leaves my side. It holds 56oz of water, which is awesome… I try to go through 2 full bottles a day. It’s pretty solidly made, has a handle on the side, and a built-in straw!!! It’s also BPA-free, which is great. There’s a gel-filled freezer stick inside, so you can keep your water cold, but I usually forget and just fill the bottle with ice cubes before I fill it up.

4. The Office

I don’t think I need to explain much about this — it’s one of the best shows ever. This is usually my “background noise” while editing — lucky for me there’s a solid 7 seasons of it on Netflix. Seasons 1-5 are my favorites, but seasons 6 and 7 are alright, too. If you haven’t watched this show yet… well, firstly, where have you been for the past 7 years? And secondly, GO DO IT NOW.

5. Haagen-Dazs Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream

I can pretty safely say that this is my ALL-TIME favorite ice cream. Seriously, it can’t be beat. The chocolate ice cream on its own is fantastic, but with a thick peanut butter swirl? To die for. And really, there’s some serious peanut butter in there. I pretty regularly have to basically stab the ice cream with my spoon to break up the massive chunks. AWESOME.

Woo! This concludes Volume 1 of Things I Love Thursday. Hope you enjoyed this random, disjointed peek into my life.

Katie | Rock the Dress! | Maine Bridal Photographer

This is Katie! A while back we decided to take her wedding dress out for a spin around Two Lights State Park in Cape Elizabeth (she was married on Halloween a few years ago). I loved her dress, but I loved her black and white striped socks even more. 

Baby Bruno | 3 Months! | Maine Baby Photographer

This is Baby Bruno when he was just a wee 3-month old. This is when he started being a bit more animated during shoots, started crying less, and could hold his head up (for short periods of time).  He just gets cuter every month!

Karyna | Modeling! | Maine Lifestyle Photographer

This is Karyna! We found each other on Model Mayhem and wound up getting together for a casual shoot at Fort Williams in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. She brought along her dog, Spartacus, and we got some awesome shots of them together. 

Baby Bruno | 2 Months Old! | Maine Child Photographer

This is little Baby Bruno. You might remember him from his 3-week shoot… he’s grown a bit since then! He cried a whole lot during his 2-month shoot, but his mama was there to comfort him.

 

Sue & Fred | Married! 05.27.11 | Narragansett Bay Wedding | Jamestown Wedding | Rhode Island Wedding Photographer

This is Sue and Fred! They were married at a private cottage on Narragansett Bay in Jamestown, Rhode Island. The house was absolutely perfect — beautiful on the inside, rustic on the outside, with a perfect New England feel to it. The yard was huge and perfect for mingling, and there was a wonderful view of the ocean. What more could you ask for? They had a sweet and spiritual ceremony outside in the sunshine, and we headed under a nearby tent for the reception. They had a live band playing for a majority of the night, and ALL of the guests got crazy on the dance floor. Awesome day!

Josie & Charlie | Married! 05.29.11 | Sleepy Hollow Ski Lodge Wedding | Vermont Wedding Photographer

This is Josie and Charlie. I was absolutely honored to get to spend the weekend with them and their friends & family. They were married at Sleepy Hollow Ski & Bike Center in Huntington, Vermont, and I could not recommend this place enough. Not only is it absolutely GORGEOUS, but the staff was wonderful — very warm and accommodating. Josie and Charlie had the place rented out for the entire weekend (it only has 8 rooms total) and were kind enough to have both my husband and I there for two nights. It was an amazing little mini-vacation. We’re hugely into nature, so getting to spend the morning of the wedding just walking around the property and exploring was incredible. The ceremony took place under a tent, and was short & sweet… and then the party went on well into the night. They had a live band playing, the most AMAZING wedding food I’ve ever had, and a whole buffet of desserts (including homemade pie). Fantastic. Oh, and they are Star Trek nerds just like us! Check out that Star Trek ring pillow — handmade by Charlie’s mom!

Lisa & Chris | Engaged! Applecrest Farm Orchards Engagement Shoot | New Hampshire Engagement Photographer

This is Lisa & Chris! This is Part 1 of their 2-part engagement shoot, something that I LOVE to do whenever possible. They couldn’t decide between two different looks for their engagement shoot… so we just did both, a few months apart.  It gave them more variety in their engagement photos, and it gave us more time to spend together – win-win! This first part was done at Applecrest Farm Orchards in Hampton Falls, New Hampshire – an AWESOME place. They’ve got pick-your-own apples, a ton of homemade products (including apple cider donuts!), and plenty of gorgeous spots for photos. I recommend a visit, for sure.

Lizz & Giselle | Married! 05.21.11 | Green Meadows Farm Wedding | Massachusetts Wedding Photographer

This is the lovely Lizz and Giselle. They celebrated their wedding at Green Meadows Farm in South Hamilton, Massachusetts, and honestly? It’s one of the most beautiful wedding venues I’ve ever seen. You can’t beat the simple, stunning beauty of a New England farm. The grass was green and lush, the sky was vibrant blue, and every little detail was just perfect. They had their ceremony under a huge, gorgeous tree while all of their family and friends gathered around in an intimate semi-circle. They had an Ipswich Ale Brewery Tapmobile on-site, with both a variety of beers and root beer! They had DELICIOUS food that was brought by their favorite Brazilian restaurant, Muqueca. Their wedding beat the apocalypse. They also had the most amazing wedding cake I’ve EVER had — a dulce de leche milhojas cake from Peach’s and Cream Bakery in Boston. Holy CRAP. I have NEVER had a cake better than that. Anyways – before I start drooling over that cake again – enjoy the photos!

Steph & Joe | Married! 05.15.11 | Fall River Country Club Wedding | Massachusetts Wedding Photographer

This is Steph and Joe, one of the most laid-back couples I’ve ever worked with. Steph and I did a boudoir shoot a while back, which was an awesome way to get to know her – by the time the wedding rolled around, we were like old friends.  They were married at the Fall River Country Club in Fall River, Massachusetts, which I would highly recommend to anyone — the staff was fantastic, the venue is gorgeous, and they really know what they’re doing. My good friend JJ (my assistant for the day) and I were grabbing lunch before the wedding and it started DOWNPOURING. I’m not talking a brisk shower… it was practically a monsoon. We thought there was NO WAY the ceremony would still be outside. The staff at the country club were prepared, though. They made sure to bring all the chairs and everything inside, well before the rain… and a mere 15 minutes before the ceremony was scheduled to start, they got EVERYTHING back outside, and even used a leaf blower to dry off the aisle so Steph’s dress wouldn’t get wet. Awesome.

The whole day was awesome, really. The ceremony was beautiful, the indoor reception was so much fun, their cake cutter was them in bobblehead form (yes!!!), Joe wore skull and crossbone socks underneath his suit, AND they had caramel-and-crushed-Oreo-covered apples for favors. What could get better than that? Oh, and did I mention that GORGEOUS purple tree? And JJ and I got to ride on the back of a golf cart? All in all a fantastic day!