Mother's day is almost here. Which means you need to start thinking about what special thing you can gift her this year. Have you ever thought about a photo-shoot gift certificate? 

Every Mom/Wife wants pictures of her kids and family. 

And having those special moments documented is something that she will cherish for the rest of her life.

Head on over to my photography blog to get more information. 

we went to the theater

Last weekend Bear and I went to the theater. We called it our "staycaction". You know, where you do fun things and act like you are on a vacation, in all actuality you have never left your town and will go back to your house that evening. 

We wanted to do some thing here in Provo that we had never done. So we decided the theater was a good choice. We went and saw a ballet, The Land of Oz put on by the classical ballet academy based here in Utah. The dancers were beautiful, the choreography was well done,  and it kept Bears attention. Which was the one thing I was worried about. 

Next up was a drive to the Y parking lot. It was a beautiful night, warm and the sky was so clear. Bear and I sat on a rock watching the town below us. It was romantic! We talked a lot. about life, our love for each other, and the many plans that we have. It felt like we were on our first date all over again. We even kissed, sitting on that rock over looking Provo. ahhh. 

After our special evening out, we decided to go home and sleep in our extra bedroom. Break up our routine and pretend we were on vacation, that was the thought. And it worked. It was something different, a little change in the normal sleeping arrangements and... I will let you guess what happened next.  

It was a wonderful evening. I hope that we can have many more like it. 

salt lake on saturday

over the weekend, we ventured to salt lake to enjoy the beautiful spring tulips that surround temple square. everywhere you looked there were rows of colorful flowers. it was beautiful. peaceful, and serene. and the weather, it was the perfect temperature.

of course, while we were in slc we made our way to the book store and coffee house, some of Bears favorite activities. and since the weather was so nice, we really enjoyed just walking around downtown. we did however, make our way over to city creek, which to be frank, i was a little disappointed about. to me it is not worth all the hype. but it was still enjoyable walking around.

also, to end our day we indulged in a delicious dinner at red iguana with some old friends. the food was great and the company was even better.  if you are ever in salt lake, i highly recommend red iguana.

Around Washington, D.C

Hi everyone, my name is Ashley and I blog over at Ashley in DC. I am excited about being here and blogging about the town I live in, Washington, D.C.

I've been living in DC for just over a year.  I moved from the Northeastern PA area and work in the Internet marketing industry and blog in my spare time. I also do a bit of photography on the side. I live with my boyfriend, Trevor, and we have 2 cats, Lola and Owen.

What do you like to do for fun (hobbies)? I love taking photos, blogging, reading others' blogs, trying new restaurants, traveling, cooking, shopping.  I actually keep a 'DC Bucket List', where we keep a running tab of all the things we would like to do and mark them off as we do them... restaurants to try, museums and festivals to go to, shows to see, rooftop bars to have a drink at... that kind of thing.

Why did you move to D.C? I moved here after taking a new job in the Internet marketing industry... my boyfriend had been living in Annapolis for a year or so at the time, and when I took the job, we moved in together in DC.  I already knew I loved DC; since I have family in the area, I've been visiting for years.

What is one thing you love about D.C? The diversity! I love being able to walk out the door and have so much culture at my fingertips... from the food, to the museums, to the embassies, to the vast array of residents of different nationalities... it's nice to be able to experience so many different cultures and viewpoints.

Where is your go-to dinner spot in the city? I can't possibly choose just one! Some favorites include Il Canale in Georgetown, Graffiato and Zaytinya in Chinatown, Sette and Lauriol in Dupont Circle and 

Malaysia Kopitiam in Golden Triangle (a hole-in-the-wall type place with some of the best roti canai!).

What is a cheap date idea in DC? DC is a great city for cheap date ideas, mainly because there are so many free things to do.  Since we're in December, I'd recommend dinner and ice skating at the National Gallery of Art's sculpture garden. In the warmer months, try Jazz In the Garden or pack a picnic basket of snacks and hang out on the National Mall during one of the many free outdoor concerts held in that area.

Best Saturday activity? Waking up without an alarm clock, brunch at Ted's Bulletin and a walk
around Capitol Hill and/or Eastern Market.

What is something that people don't know about D.C?  I think people typically equate D.C. with the government and the Washington Monument, and that's it. There is so much more to the city! We have some of the best restaurants in the country, great shopping (not to mention a great network of fashion/style/beauty bloggers), beautiful Rock Creek Park, a slew of free museums and monuments, performance arts... the list goes on! Something very cool that goes on here is Passport DC, where the embassies open up to the public and host tours, open houses, festivals, etc.  It's a great way to experience other countries without ever leaving DC.

Where is your favorite place to take pictures? I'd have to say the tidal basin during cherry blossom season, the National Mall at night, P.O.V. at the W Hotel and Capitol Hill in the spring and fall.

D.C is one of my favorite cities. I was so excited to have Ashley guest post and share her insights and recommendations about what to do, see, and eat in D.C. Plus, Ashley does an amazing job at showing it off with her photographs. Her pictures seem to capture the city perfectly. Go check her blog out here. and her photography site here. 


'Around your town' is a feature that will be published once a week. If you would like to feature your town, please email me katrinanbrooks@hotmail.com

bijou awesomeness

photos are up. go check them out on my photography blog. 

memories

A while back I found myself in a dark old house that was surrounded by pastures and racehorses. It was poring rain outside. So much that inside the house it sounded like someone was banging on the tin roof with pots and pans. I was sitting in the living room that had been turned not an office. The room was filled with editors and designers; we were reviewing content for our magazine. Flipping through and editing the raw printed out pages that would eventually turn into full spreads in the magazine.  

That moment, the sound of the rain outside, the people talking and debating about magazine content, the dim light that surrounded us, the smell of coffee brewing, all of it has stuck with me. It’s a memory that will forever be imbedded in my mind.

And it’s funny, every time it rains, I remember that moment.  

This morning I woke up and it was dreary and rainy outside.  I remembered that memory, and the time that I spent at this amazing magazine. This was by far the greatest and happiest experience that I have ever had (in my career life). 

Memories like this shape us, they define who we are and the knowledge we carry around with us. 

I am blessed to have had so many great opportunities and experiences in my life. And when things aren’t going the way I want, and I feel down and out about life, it helps to remember these moments. The happy moments. The moments that while it was occurring, I didn’t even realize that it meant something to me.  

Life is made up of these moments. And it’s up to us to take advantage of them. Now go, make today the greatest memory.   

food, love, life Q&A

I thought this would be fun to do a little get to know me Q&A.  Enjoy. 


What is your favorite food?
Pizza, cupcakes, and Thai food. The hubby makes an awesome tom yum soup.

What is your favorite ice cream?
Ben and Jerry's fish food

What was the last thing you ate?
A pear


Were you named after anyone?
I was named after my Nana.


Do you like your handwriting?
Yes, I worked really hard when I was in middle school to have pretty handwriting.


What color shoes are you wearing?
Black and blue heals


If you were a crayon, what color would you be?  

Kelly green


What is your favorite smell?
I love the smell of honeysuckles.

Would you rather spend 2 weeks at a mountain hideaway or a beach house?
The ocean is my happy place, so I would have to say beach house. 

Do you wear contacts?
Yes! But I like to switch it up now and then and wear glasses.


Where were you born?
California


Where was your husband born?
Bear was born and raised in Florida. 

Where are you living now?
Utah

How long have you been married?
3 years and 10 months.

Where did you get married?
Midway, Utah

What was the most memorable thing about your wedding?
Of course becoming Bear’s wife was extremely. But the most memorable things was being surrounded by all of our friends and family for an entire week before we got married.

Why did you start blogging?
When Bear and I moved to New Jersey it seemed like the perfect way to document our journey for all of our family and friends.

Why do you call your husband Bear?
It was a nickname given to him by his Grandma when he was a baby and it stuck with him throughout his life. However, for professional reasons he now goes by his middle name, Marshall. But to me (and all his family and close friends) he will always be Bear. So on this blog I will always refer to him as Bear (or handsome).

How did you get into photography?
Go here to read about that.

Are you glad you moved back to Utah?
Yes and no. I love that we are around my parents but I miss the east coast tremendously. 

What does Bear do?
He’s an anthropologist. I will let him explain it for you.. take it away Mr. As a cultural anthropologist, I attempt to investigate and understand the cultural beliefs and values informing the way we, as humans, think, feel, and act. For my Ph.D. dissertation, I am conducting an ethnographic study of the political and experiential dimensions of (dis)enchantment among current and former members of the LDS church in Utah. 

Did you adopt your dog?
Yes, Shento is from a Catahoula rescue society. While Bear and I were living in Florida we took a friends dog to the dog park. Bear and I were enjoying our lunch when this adorable black puppy with ginormous ears came up to me. I hugged him and told Bear that I was going to steal him. Miraculously, a woman came up to me and told me that he was up for adoption. Needless to say, we adopted the puppy and named him Shento. We like to say he choose us.

Do you want to have babies?
There is nothing we want more than to have a house full of little ones. I am the only child so the more kids the better.


What kind of camera do you use.
I have a nikon d300 with a couple different lenses. 


Do you edit all of your pictures?
No, I don't edit ALL of my pictures. My goal as a photographer is to be happy with the raw image. When editing I use photoshop CS5.


If you have any more questions, please feel free to ask. And one last thing, I would love to learn a little more about all of you. Leave me a comment with something interesting about yourself.  

the weekend at the bijou market

 

I had a busy weekend. I was the 'official' photographer for the Bijou market, sounds official right? I had a blast. It's so much fun meeting lots of wonderful and talented women. It was like an all day party. Socializing, laughing, and eating way too many sweet tooth fairy cake bites. 

More photo's to come.... 

If you live in Utah County you need to check out Square Native. 

A site for all things happening in Utah County. 

Oh, and one more thing, I am blog of the week over here. 

Happy Monday! I hope everyone has a great sunshiny day. 

bijou

If you're in Utah (provo) you better be coming to Bijou this weekend. 

It will be fun. Come say hi and get a 20% coupon for a photography session! 

Sammy's

We stopped by Sammy's to try out the highly talked about and recommended hamburger and fries on Saturday afternoon. I am certain that the fries might be some of the best I have had. my month is watering just thinking of them. The hamburger was good, not my favorite but worth trying again. The place is cozy inside and the decor is great. I love the polaroids that are hung around spontaneously though out the restaurant. I hear they have the best shakes in town. we will be going back now that the weather is warming up to try them out. 

Go check it out

A new post is up on my photography site. Go check it out. Photographybykbrooks.blogspot.com

two of my favorites

Love them. 

Here's to Easter

I love the pastel colors, stuffed bunnies, brightly colored eggs, and beautiful spring blossoms. It was the first Easter that we have spent with my parents, and it was wonderful. They came down to our house and spent the weekend with us.  We enjoyed Mexican food at our favorite restaurant, easter egg dying, a hike on the bonnevail ridge trail, a friendly game of baseball,  a picnic in the park,  an easter egg hunt for Shento, and lots and lots of laughs.


This was the best weekend. I wish all of them could be that good.

I need your help

Hi.. I need your help with picking my new logo for my Photography business. 

I figured it's time to get serious about this,

 and with seriousness come a re-design and a fancy new website. 

However, I can't decide which logo I like the best. Can you help me. 

Leave a comment below telling me which one is your favorite, 1, 2, or 3. 

THANK YOU!