A Mother-Daughter Photo Shoot + New Friends

Bloggers Pictured Above: Cecilia of Dearest Lou, Sandy of Sandy A La Mode, Sarah of Our Life is Beautiful, Jessi of Haircut and General Attitude, and Fatima of Les Dedrickson

Tribal Print Cardigan (similar) | Tan Booties: Pink Blush | Boot Socks: Target | Polka Dot Chiffon Blouse | Red Statement Necklace: Pink Blush

Klair's Outfit

 Sweater Dress & Gray Cable Knit Leggings & Cowgirl Boots: Target 

Recently I've been branching out a bit more into the blogging community. Until now, I've had a handful of friends with blogs, but they were people I was already friends with. Lately I've been venturing out of my comfort zone to make new acquaintances, and in the process I've met some women who I'm quickly becoming great friends with. There's something about being with other people who spend their time writing posts and taking endless pictures. We understand each other. We can talk openly and honestly about blogging--the pros and cons. I don't feel like I can talk about blogging with anyone. And, since I spend a significant portion of my spare time working on my blog, having someone to talk to who can relate is extremely therapeutic and frankly refreshing.

A few weeks ago I was invited to an event for the grand opening of Uptown Cheapskate (an awesome consignment store) in Sugar House. I went with some fellow bloggers, and we had such a great time. They were extremely generous to us, and I scored the tribal print sweater in the photos above, two pairs of boots, a dress shirt, and a dress that will be perfect for a flapper costume I'll be donning this next week--all for about $50. I love thrift shopping. I always feel so triumphant afterwards--stretching my dollar as far as possible. Later that night we headed to a blogging event hosted by Nordstrom, and walked away with some awesome gift bags full of samples. Apart from the free swag, the best part of the night was spending time with my new friends. I hardly ever get away, especially for a girls only night. I needed it.

This last week I met up with some of these lovely ladies for lunch and a play date with our kiddos. We went to this delicious little cafe called the Wild Zucchini, and headed to a nearby park afterward to let the kiddos play and to take some photos. Klair and I enjoyed ourselves so much that we're planning to have our new friends over for a play date--a tradition we're hoping to continue. When I started blogging I did it simply to record important aspects of my life--an online journal of sorts. I never imagined I would enter such an amazing and supportive community of women, but that's exactly what happened. I'm incredibly grateful for the connections I've already made, and I sincerely look forward to more to come!

A Sneak Peek from Our Red, White, and Black Family Photo Shoot

This past weekend we had some family photos taken by our talented photographer friend, Jesse Wride. If you live in Utah and need some photos done for any occasion, he is your man. He is the best at what he does, and so wonderful to work with. He is currently adding to his portfolio, so we threw on some of our fancy clothes and posed for some pictures to show what he's capable of. These are a few of the gems that he snapped. I'm kind of seriously in love with how the very first photo turned out... I don't think Klair could possibly be cuter. That might sound prideful (since, you know... I'm her mom and all) but saying anything less just wouldn't be truthful. I'm in love with that baby girl, and I can't wait to get my hands on the rest of the photos. Furthermore, my husband is a hottie.

My Outfit Details: 

Dress (similar here) | Black Button Up | Red Statement Necklace (similar here) | Earrings | Belt 

Sam's Handsome Attire: 

Button Up | Tie | Suit Coat | Pants | Belt 

Klair's Outfit: 

Dress (similar here) | Necklace: It was my Grandma's (similar here) | Bow: homemade (similar here) | Tights | Shoes (similar here)

More Photos from Our Little Backyard Photo Shoot

Once again these photos are compliments of our good friend, Jesse Wride. He did such a great job! It was a cold, windy day and my hair was everywhere. Plus, Klair was squirmy (as 1 year olds naturally are) so I'm impressed we got this many good shots. I love this first one. It seems like we're always taking pictures of each other with Klair, so it's been awhile since Sam and I had a nice photo taken of the two of us. 

It's been almost 5 years since we had our engagements done... 

good timing for some lovey couple photos, right? 

#nolongernewlyweds 

#alwaysnewlywedsatheart

And some family shots. Klair of course steals the show :)

Sweet, happy baby.