Among the elk

E-sessions have put me in some very interesting places. From the farm with cows trying to eat my camera bag, to the coast, where one of the last battles during the civil war was fought. I have to say that this e-session from last Saturday will have to go in the books as the most memorable.

Our e-session began in the cozy, quaint town of Waynesville. But as I was talking with the couple Ben, the fiancé, mentioned something about a field where a herd of elk were released back into the wild and they just stood there, unafraid of the people watching them. Wow, I thought, what a great place! Well it took us a while to get there (haha...Anna and Ben!) but when we did it was so worth it! What a magnificient location! The sun was glowing a beautiful golden hue down onto these strong yet gentle animals. of course the focus quickly shifted from the beauty of the natural world, to my fun-loving, soon-to-be-married couple...because we only had about 30 minutes of daylight left! So here are a few to share. I am really excited about your wedding!

Sibling Love

Here's two siblings that just love each other...well, most of the time. Little sister looks up to big brother and big brother leads the way. These two are just so cute to watch!

Weekend Update

This weekend has been busy! On Saturday Martin and I drove up to Waynesville for an e-session. There is much to say about that experience, but I am going to save it until I get the pictures ready to show! ;) But it will be worth the wait...probably the most memorable e-session I have done!

On Sunday I participated in the wedding show at the Hickory Metro Convention Center. There were tons of brides (and even a few grooms) along with moms, sisters, bridesmaids...and even those that weren't getting married, but just wanted to check it out. I met so many excited ladies! There were many that weren't getting married until next spring but already starting their research. As one that has been through that process, I have to say they are very wise! I had a year to plan my wedding and I finished one month early to spend time with our out-of-the-country guests. Start your planning as soon as you get engaged! Here's is a list of things I would plan in order:

1. wedding/reception location-These places fill up quickly; especially if you are getting married at a destination spot such as Charleston, Hilton Head, or Asheville.

2. photographer- I have already gotten requests for 2009! While extreme, it is definately not out of the ordinary. Photography is the most important aspect of your wedding...think about it; in 20 years the only thing you will have left to remember your wedding and to pass down to children or grandchildren is your pictures. It is the only way to share moments that happened in the past to people that weren't a part of your life then. You don't want to be stuck with whoever is left! Book early; get your first choice!

3. wedding dress- Most boutiques have to order your dress which can take weeks. Once the dress arrives, you will probably have to have it altered. Save yourself the stress and start looking early!

These are the top three things you should start with. Of course the list goes on...but it is a good starting point!

I thought I would share some pictures of my booth. A HUGE thanks to my hubby, Martin for making the "walls" in my booth and for helping me set up and then pack up. I just love him!

I am still going through my pictures from Sweden! I cannot believe I took so many pictures!
This is little Sara...what a fireball! She is all of 3 years old and not afraid to speak her mind. She is such a cutie and I think she had a little crush on my husband...or was it visa versa? Anyway, it is not hard to see why....

Look at those big brown eyes...














It didn't take long for picture taking to get booorrriinng...until we let her jump on the sofa!

Mama Mia!

Last night my husband and I saw "Mama Mia", a musical based on the music by ABBA. WOW! I wasn't sure what to expect but it was hilarious! The dancing was amazing and they even managed to write a storyline that fit in perfectly with the songs. By the end of the show everyone was out of their seats dancing to the music. It really was that good! I would highly recommend anyone to see this musical. You can find it on Broadway, London, Stockholm, and the North American tour.

Wedding Show coming to Hickory

I just thought I would let all of you Hickory brides know that there will be a bridal show next Sunday, March 25th at the Hickory Metro Convention Center. It is located just off of I-40...close to Outback. I will be set up with a booth, so if you come please stop by and say hello!

More From Sweden....a quick e-session

Seeing friends and family was the highlight of our time in Sweden. So any chance we had to hang out, we took it! We took that chance one Sunday morning with Lisa and her fiance, Marcus, as we walked around Borgstena, the village where Lisa and my husband grew up. We had such a nice time catching up with each other's lives and of course taking a few pictures. It is so much fun to see how happy they are. Congratulations and we look forward to hearing when the big day is going to be! ;)

Asheville Photographers meeting

It hasn't taken me long to get into the swing of things. After a VERY nice break in Sweden, life at the Orange Cat is back full force. On Tuesday, I drove up to Asheville with Brady Linkous for a photographers' get together. Guest speakers from Chattanooga, Amber and Nathan Holritz talked about organization in the office and in life. They gave us alot of good pointers...and for those of you that know me, know that I need some organization help! It was very interesting and I got alot of tips that will hopefully help me do my job more efficiently. Probably my first step should be cleaning off my desk...but then again I am creative, I am not supposed to be neat and organized, right?!

Anyway, here are a few pics courtesy of our Ashville photographing queen, Regina Holder.


Here's most of the group. There were photographers from Charlotte, Asheville, Hickory and even SC represented.


Brady and I.


Regina Holder and Amber Holritz


Amber and Nathan Holritz

Back from Sweden and MANY pictures to share!

We got back from Sweden on Saturday very tired after about 24 hours of traveling. It is not an easy trip with all of the connections and possible delays, but it is worth every minute! We were so blessed to meet many of our friends and family. Of course I stayed busy photographing...alot of friends are having or have had babies and it is so exciting! And there are even a few friends engaged to someone special. I promise to show pictures from the sessions, but first I wanted to show you pictures from the Vasaloppet; the biggest and longest ski race in the world! My husband competed in
the race, which is mostly why we decided to go to Sweden at this time. There were over 15,000 participants ranging in age from 18 to 85. The cross-country ski race lasts 60 miles, from a town called Sälen to Mora. It is a fantastic thing to watch all of the skiers zoom past you at the start line. It is truely overwhelming!

Here we are at the start very early in the morning.




Here is the start. Wow. Of course I have no idea where Martin is and a friend of mine and I decided to find him would be pure luck! It took probably 20-30 minutes for all of the skiers to go by.




We found Martin! He is doing so well!




And there he is again. He is at a control place this time. They have several control spots along the course. You can get water, sports drink, or the traditional blueberry soup at these stops. They also have someone there to rewax your skis if needed. Also, they have a time limit for each control place, so if you do not reach the spot by a certain time, the race is over for you.



And here he is at the end. For the competitors that come in by the winning time + 50%, they receive a medal. He finished right at 6 hours. The winner finished about an hour before. He did great!


For more information, you can go to http://www.vasaloppet.se There is an english button on the top right hand of the home page. If you want to see his stats, just search for Martin Andreasson, number 10941.

I will post more during the rest of the week. I took so many pictures that I overloaded my laptop, so I could not work on any of them...talk about torture! :)
It also means I have a lot of work to do this week!