My Rocker Husband

I’m a jealous person by nature. I’m very possessive of many things in my life, one of those things being my husband and my time with him. Tonight, my jealousy and possessiveness really came through when I found out that I would be home by myself most of the night. I was looking forward to a night of cuddling on the couch and watching the Olympics with Tyler, and when I found out I wouldn’t get my way, I stomped my foot and stuck out my lower lip. Yup, I was a big baby.

Tyler is in a rock band named Meridian, and practice takes up a lot of his time. They’ve been refining their new sound lately with at least two practices a week, and this week it is going to be three. Once I finally stopped being selfish, I started to think about how supportive Tyler has been of me and my time to pursue photography. How could I NOT support him, when he’s done nothing but be my biggest fan?

Sometimes I don’t understand what I’ve done to deserve such a fantastic husband, and one who’s a drummer at that (God really spoiled me when he put Tyler in my life, because I always had a thing for drummers). Honestly, I couldn’t be more proud of him. So proud that I really want to brag on him a bit. All of this practice for the band is not just to get together with three of his closest friends, although that is a perk.

It’s because Meridian was one of the few bands to be chosen to play at Godstock in Fairfield, Illinois, next month. This could be huge for the band because of the exposure they will get. Some big names in Christian music have jammed out on the stage of Godstock, including one of our favorites, Skillet. The schedule isn’t posted yet, but head over to the Godstock web site and you’ll see this picture that I took of the band (left to right: Dane, Daniel, Tyler and BJ):

Meridian

Haven’t heard Meridian yet? The music on their MySpace page is a bit dated, but they will soon be heading to the studio to record five tracks. Some of those songs will be featured on my web site once they’re done. I can’t wait to share my husband and Meridian with you all!

And if you can’t wait that long, come see them at Godstock on September 6. I’ll be the one wearing my “I’m sleeping with the drummer” t-shirt. We can cheer them on together!

 

Women’s Spa Day

I had the wonderful opportunity to not only photograph the women’s spa day at my church this past Sunday, but also to share the day with my mom, who was there to help the women accessorize with Lia Sophia jewelry. The spa day was a kick-off to the women’s group that will be launching very soon, but it also gave me a chance to work with my camera and practice shooting women applying makeup, which will come in very handy for shooting weddings. (All of the following images have no Photoshopping done to them)

Misty Majors started the day by leading the women through Mary Kay facials and makeup application. You may recognize Misty. I did her family pictures a few weeks ago, but since then, she’s changed a bit. In these pictures, you can see she has a little bun in the oven. Isaac is going to have a baby sister before this year is over!

Mary Kay consultant Misty Majors

Here are some pictures of the women using the Mary Kay products:

I loved capturing the mothers and daughters bonding by being girly.

Amy and Beth

Amy and Alyssa

Speaking of moms, here’s my mom applying mascara:

Mom applying mascara

Mom looking in the mirror

Rachel applying makeup

Josie applying makeup

Cathy applying makeup

My mom is a Lia Sophia advisor, so she was there to show the ladies how to accessorize with jewelry. My good friend Rachel, a Creative Memories consultant, helped the ladies create picture frames in which they could put the images I took after they had their makeup done and jewelry on. Head over to my church’s web site to see more pictures of the fun day.

And as always, I was behind the camera the entire day, so this is the only picture of me.

Me!

 

Road Trippin’!

Tomorrow, Tyler and I are taking a day off of work to head to Indy for the Warped Tour! It’s about a 4-hour trip for us to the Verizon Wireless Music Center, but we are fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of people. And everyone says we should do this kind of thing while we’re young…and don’t have kids. So why not?

Plus, the tickets were free! My boss won the tickets on the radio for me (I was trying to call in, but didn’t get through…she did, and I’m so happy!); I’m widely known as the girl who wins stuff on the radio…seriously, I’ve seen live Gretchen Wilson (and met her backstage…I have the picture to prove it), Brad Paisley, Dancing with the Stars and Larry the Cable Guy. All from calling in to the radio. But this time, I owe it to her.

We may not seem like Warped Tour kind of people. I think it’s a little more punk/alternative than we normally would like, but since my husband is a musician, we try to see as many musical acts as possible. It’s good for the creative juices and opens your mind up to other styles to infuse into your own music. Or so I’m told. I’m not the musical one in the family.

Most of the acts, we’ve never heard of. However, one of our favorite Christian bands, RelientK, is going to be there. The “I Kissed a Girl” girl, Katy Perry, is going to be there, too. I’m not crazy about her, but Tyler likes her. Gee, couldn’t imagine why. ; ) I’m also going to try to catch Gymclass Heroes and Angels and Airwaves.

It’s going to be a hot one, for sure, but I love stuff like this. What’s better than being with your favorite guy, hitting the road and seeing some awesome musical acts for free?

And because I love putting pictures in my posts, here’s one from last weekend when my mom and dad were in town. We made our annual trip to Holiday World, and man was it a hot one. We spent a lot of time at the water park, not only because it was hot, but also because my sister is prego and can’t ride rides. Doesn’t she look so cute with her little belly pooch?

Family outing to Holiday World

And here’s one of me…and Tyler groping Santa. What am I going to do with that husband of mine?

The Neffs with Santa

 

Happy Birthday, Lola!

Today is our dog Lola’s 3rd birthday! I know, I know, you’re shaking your head thinking I’m nuts to celebrate my dog’s birthday. Maybe you’re right. But Lola is family to me. She’s always happy to see me and loves unconditionally. She’s the lap dog I’ve always wanted, but still playful enough to have fun with.

After work yesterday, I stopped at Give a Dog a Bone in Evansville and bought Lola a doggy birthday cake. Last year, I forgot her birthday until the 4th, so I made sure to get her birthday treat early this time. This thing is about as big as she is, so we only gave her a little of it this morning. She also had her birthday banana (she literally goes nuts over bananas…even say the word and she starts spinning in circles because she’s so excited). Tonight we might even take her on a little car ride so she can stick her head out the window as we’re driving…she loves that, too.

She also got a bath last night so she could look her best for her big birthday. She looks so funny all wet – all 7 pounds of her – but I still love her like crazy. Especially when she does that head tilt thing.

 

That Announcement is Coming Soon…

I know it was like two weeks ago when I said I had an announcement, and I promise it’s coming soon. Things are taking a little longer than I thought they would, but I AM making progress, so that is good. And believe me, it’s BIG news. At least in my mind it is. I can’t wait to share!

I’m so glad it’s the weekend. It’s too bad it’s going to be busy. After traveling last weekend to visit family up north, I came home pretty exhausted. This week feels like I’ve been running non-stop and my body is craving sleep. I should be in bed right now, but I have to post a blog. It’s just my style.

Last weekend in addition to taking my cousin’s picture, I also got the opportunity to go to my niece’s baptism/dedication. She’s getting big so fast, well for her anyway…she’s a tiny girl! Here are some pretty cute pictures of the little sweetheart:

Here she is with her daddy, Adam, who is a Methodist minister:

The district superintendent came to baptize her:

This is mommy, Kyla, holding Elizabeth. I love how this picture turned out. I shot at a really small aperture so everything except Elizabeth’s face is blurred:

This next picture makes my heart SO happy. This is Grandma Helen holding Elizabeth. I love the look on her face; it just seems like such a peaceful moment.

And finally, Tyler and I were outside waiting for everyone to go to lunch when I decided to play off the reflection in his glasses. Love it!

In other news, I finally started running again yesterday. It had been a month since I’d done any running at all (before we left for Hawaii) because I had cut my foot on a rock in the ocean in Hawaii and then I had my wisdom teeth removed. One month off really makes you feel out of shape! I’ve done 4 miles each of the past 2 days, so we’ll see how long it takes to build up my endurance again.

 

Free Photo Shoots!

That’s right — I’m offering FREE photo shoots! These can be family, senior, engagement, fashion, business, baby, pet, maternity or any other kind of picture you can imagine (well, almost anyway)! That’s a $200 value for absolutely nothing but the pure joy of spending some time with yours truly!

I have some pretty fun shoot sites in mind, but if there is a place near and dear to your heart, you are more than welcome to let me know. Once I’m done with the pictures, I’ll send them off to be edited and then upload them to my proofing section where you can order however many pictures you would like!* You can even give friends and family members the password to your online proofing site so they can order prints, too. Couldn’t be simpler! If interested, leave me a comment and I’ll get in contact with you so we can set up the shoot.

I did a photoshoot this weekend for my cousin Rebecca and had an absolute blast. These were “just because” pictures since her mom never likes the quality of school pictures. Rebecca and I had a great time laughing, and we even had our own Talladega Nights moments. We found ourselves saying several times “I don’t know what to do with my hands” and then bursting into laughter. Rebecca will be a senior this year, and I look forward to doing her senior pictures. She’s a natural! (These images are straight out of the camera…no editing whatsoever)

 

 

*NOTE: I am no longer offering free photo shoots. However, you can check out my web site www.nicoleneffphotography.com for my current portrait session price.

 

Some Big News…But Not Just Yet

I have some big and exciting news to share with you all veeeeeeeery soon. There are some details to be worked out before I share, but I’m expecting to deliver the news in the next couple of weeks. So check back often…until then, here’s a clue!

Could it really be so obvious? Surely not, right? Bring on the guesses, except for those of you who are in on the secret!

 

Watch Over Me

The past few days I’ve felt awully lonely. While I know I had Tyler and other people watching over me the entire time, the weekend is such a haze to me. And the past couple days as I’ve battled the pain from dry socket, everybody’s been going on with their life as usual while I’ve been sidelined to watch TV, surf the Internet and sleep. It hit me last night and this morning just how alone I’ve felt. I’ve been longing for true human interaction, without realizing that my God was there for me all along. Through this all, I’ve completely forgotten His promise to love me and watch over me.

On my way to work this morning, I heard the song “Watch Over Me” by Aaron Shust. I’ve heard this song several times on my XM radio, but this morning, the words really spoke to me. I’m posting the lyrics here today just in case someone else could use the reminder that God is always faithful to His promises.

I was lonely
You came waltzing over to me
And Your eyes they saw right through me
And You heard each one of my cries for help
And You came to rescue me
I was broken
Every prayer that I had spoken
Reached Your ears and all my tears weren’t cried in vain
You carried all my pain
And put me back together again
You watch over me in the darkest valleys
You watch over me when the night seems long
You help me to see the way before me
You watch over me; You watch over me
Always faithful
To be leading, at this moment
Interceding for Your children
Though I’ve wandered astray from Your infinite ways
You’ve never left me alone -[to chorus]
Take this frozen heart; awaken me
Never once have You forsaken me
Even though I walk through this shadow of death
You will guide and defend me
You’ll guard and protect me
Even though I walk through this shadow of death
You will lead me home

 

Pain in the Mouth

The past five days have been super trying for me. After getting my bottom two wisdom teeth pulled, I was on the road to recovery. Or so I thought. After a blur of a weekend (hello, Lortab!), I got up Monday and just didn’t feel well enough to go to work. So I called in, thinking one more day should seal the deal. I slept most of the day, slacked off the Lortab that night, and then woke up Tuesday morning with so much pain. But I didn’t want to call in to work yet another day. I dragged myself to work, and on the way had so much pain that I was in tears. I toughed my way through half a day and just couldn’t do it anymore. I came home and went to bed, hoping to sleep it off. Again. It didn’t work after four days of sleep, so I’m not sure why I thought another day would help.

My mother-in-law, the saint she is, called the dentist she works for and got me in to see him. She just didn’t think I should be in so much pain after having so many days pass after having the surgery. And she was right. I had dry socket, and the dentist numbed my mouth again (yes, I cried like a baby) and packed my incisions with clove oil. After it was over, my mouth was numb for a couple of hours, and I’m sure that I sounded like a complete idiot when I tried to talk. But I swear, if I never taste clove again after this is over, it will be too soon.

I’ve not been able to eat much the past five days. I’ve lost nearly five pounds, not that it’s such a bad thing. But I’m craving Mexican food, pizza, and popcorn. And heavens, I love my dog, but she has been so spoiled by having me at home that she has been in my face non-stop. She wants my attention more than I think she wants treats. And she REALLY likes treats.

I guess I just want my normal life back. I want to be able to take care of my husband rather than have him take care of me all the time. Really, he has been so great to me: patient, caring, and loving. I’m ready to get back behind the camera again. I want to build my skills as well as my portfolio. I’m ready to go at this full force. I’m ready to have energy.

Really, I’m not trying to complain. I’m just realizing how extremely grateful I am for my life and the people in it. Sometimes when your not able to do the things you want, you realize just how important those things are.

And since I always love pictures in a blog, here’s a picture of my dog, Lola:

Now, imagine her right in your face about 10 hours a day, and that’s how it’s been for me the past three days. Really, I do love her, though.

 

We met Famous Amos!

I forgot to mention in my last blog that on our trip, we met Wally “Famous” Amos while on vacation. You know, the cookie guy! We had gone kayaking and snorkeling on Tuesday and on our way to the kayaking/snorkeling company, we saw a cookie companie called “Chip & Cookie” in Kailua, Oahu. We decided to stop by there later that day to grab some cookies. When we walked in, we saw a few posters and books by Wally himself. Then, as we were ordering our cookies, we realize that none other than Famous Amos himself was behind the counter baking cookies! He was a super cool and fun guy. Tyler bought a book, which Famous Amos autographed for me and Tyler. He also took a picture with us…