a summer wedding

my cousin justin got married last saturday to his girlfriend of...a long time!  they were like mymichael and me in that we dated forever....6 1/2 years!  they were married in fort smith, arkansas in a little white church.  it was adorable.  i snapped a few pics throughout the evening.  unfortunately i didn't get any up close of the bride and groom.  wish i had.  sarah's dress was beautiful and she had some fabulous blue shoes!  it's always fun getting to be with the whole family!

mother of the groom...my aunt

the "caught-off-guard" minister...my dad

location of the reception...just a few houses down from the church

full of character both inside and out!

the cake, made by mama T....my mom.  it was delicious!  the middle layer had a raspberry filling and the bottom layer had a chocolate/strawberry filling.  yummy!  oh, and look at their cake topper...they are adorable little birds kissing!  she found them on etsy...gotta LOVE etsy.

the grooms cake.  one word.  chocolate.  yum.

the kiss

me and mymichael!  isn't he handsome?

congratulations justin & sarah.  you have many wonderful years ahead of you to make memories...starting with a honeymoon in hawaii!

more of the farm

i missed some pictures from memorial day weekend in my earlier post....

grandpa feeding the fish at the pond

grandpa's tractor that he just had painted

mak!

a few onions from their garden

oscar, the filthy farm dog

the mountains...so pretty!

on the farm

we have spent the past 3 weekends at the farm.  between my youngest cousins high school graduation, memorial day, and another cousins wedding, we have stayed busy.  here is what's going on, on the farm...

graduating seniors!

great-grandma with her great-grandbaby....they like each other a little!

one of grandpa's cows had twin calves!

dax, the farm dog, checking out one of the new additions

working on the 100 year old farmhouse, replacing the wood framing around the windows

country breakfasts at the farmhouse

mak and oscar playing with dax

lounging in the sun

getting too much sun

ouch! 

***health announcement***please remember to wear sunscreen!  mymichael got my back side sprayed, but somehow we missed my front side.  i have NEVER been this burnt before.

staring at beautiful scenery all around {sorry for the blurriness...}

how can you resist that face?

oscar had fun...but he was ready to go home!  the farm life is tough....

don't leave me, please! =)

our summer has been wonderfully relaxing so far...how about yours?

shelby {3 weeks}

miss shelby is adorable and is growing so quickly!  here are a few 3 week old photos.  it was a beautiful day and she loved sleeping in the warm weather on the back patio.   

love her grip on momma's finger!

isn't she adorable?

the quest for....

shoes & a camera bag!

i'm trying to be proactive for our vacation, so i am on the hunt for a comfortable pair of shoes and a camera bag. 

shoes: 
on a day to day basis i usually wear dress shoes/heels.  i love them and my closet is full of them.  unfortunately these are not a good option for long days of walking.  other than just flip flops and running shoes, i don't have many casual pairs of shoes.  i would like to find a pair of sandals that are #1 comfortable and #2 fashionable.  most of the comfortable sandals that i find are quite ugly or too casual...i don't want athleticky (word?) ones.  i have found a couple online that look like possibilities...but you never know until you try them on.  i like the gladiator sandal look, just wondering if the ankle strap would be comfortable.  both of the brands below are known for their comfort, but i've never had a pair, have you?

ecco groove gladiator sandal

merrell lotta sandal

camera bags:

there is a lack of cute/stylish camera bags in the world.  the majority of bags for slr cameras all look the same.  they are black and they are bulky and they scream "camera bag"!  i have found a few that are really cute, but they are either way expensive or they aren't practical for the type of vacation i am going on...or so i think...although the longer i look the more i think something like this could work...

http://www.epiphaniebags.com/

http://www.jototes.com/

both come with an across body strap.  i definitely love the look of these...especially the red epiphanie bag!

but, this lowepro sling bag i think is more travel friendly with what we are going to be doing.  it goes across the body so both hands could be free and it won't bounce around like the ones above.  you can wear it tight across your body or more loose and there is some room for personal items as well. 

so, as i was writing about the bags i convinced myself to get the red one...until i got to the lowepro one...why can't their be a happy median?  a stylish camera sling bag?  is that really too much to ask?

if any of you readers out there have any suggestions on the shoes OR the camera bag, please comment!  what are your favorites?