The Weekend Wrap Up

Excitement is buzzing around the Shoulders/McFadden household.

Mike came home this weekend after a two-week excursion on the road. After a Friday night playing games with Jef, we woke up early on Saturday to get ready to meet a potential photographer at our house. My mom came over to help us. I wanted to have someone who is married and someone with a better understanding of money to be there to make sure we were getting a fair deal. When he showed up we looked in his portfolio.

I was nervous because I have a fairly specific idea of what kind of photos I want which at times can be a bit artistic and I wasn't sure if this gentleman would be able to mesh with my aesthetic. I was also nervous that as a man who takes pictures for our church that he might not be creative at all.

Thankfully, I was proved wrong and his pictures were beautiful and after talking to him about my specific wants and needs I am sure I will get the pictures I want.

He explained that he takes unlimited photos and will work the ceremony and the entire reception and afterward give US a photo album and a cd with all of the photos. With that we will get the copyright release to print our photos whenever we want.

I saw a similar deal for a photographer out of Nashville and he charged the cheapest I have found at $1,000. I kind of expected to pay around the same price, but hoped that since he wasn't a photographer full time that he might NOT charge as much.

I have heard that it is improper to discuss finances with mixed company, and while I usually like to stick to the confined rules of social mores, I feel that in this situation there might be an exception.

After looking at his information he asked if Mike and I were still interested and we both gave an enthusiastic "Yes!" To which I soon asked how much he would be charging us.

He started off by saying, "I was thinking about 350...." and I waited for "350 an hour....350 for this...or 350 for that...."

but he said "I was thinking about 350....for the whole thing."

I am thrilled. I thought I was going to spend a thousand for a photographer and a thousand for my dress, but I am spending about one thousand for both. YAY!

After he left, Mike and I got ready to go to church for Saturday night services. We walked around the church grounds afterward discussing possible photos. It was freezing cold and Mike was very excited and walking all over the place having my picture possible scenerios. It was hard to get excited when my ears were burning off from the cold.

The rest of the night was pretty lazy, but we watched a bunch of recorded TV shows that we watch together from the past two weeks and made homemade pasta noodles for dinner.

On Sunday we woke up fairly early to drive down to Ashland City. Mike's mother just got married and is moving in with her husband. She had several pieces of furnitures and other things to give to us. Mike's friend Jamie met us down there with his truck to move stuff and help Mike lift. Once back at the house, he also heped Mike move our old couch into the car port.

Overall, we got a new couch and arm chair, Mike's gun rack from high school, an endtable that matches one Mike's mom gave us a long time ago, a serving dish, decorations for the gun rack (antlers and a mallard duck- yeah...I just said that), and some paintings done by Mike's grandmother.

As soon as we got home, Mike had to leave to deliver outside of Nashville. He just needed to deliver and come right back home. While he was out, I got our house back together and rearranged some things on the wall. I also got out a curtain that we have never used before and cut it because it was too long and hung it up in our bedroom inplace of a blanket that has been hanging there since we moved in. Our house almost looks completely different now. We have lived here for almost two years and our bedroom has always looked plain, but it looks so good now. I love our living room furniture and all the paintings really make it look so much better.

Jackson and Jef (Jaxonn and Jeph) came over last night for games and such. We played a new dice version of Clue, a trivia Wii game, an arcade Wii game, darts, and a dice Cranium game. Good times, good friends, razzleberry pie.

Mike left this morning and the routine goes back to normal.

I started school last Thursday. Thankfully I know some people in my classes, but everything is so different. After two years in the English department, I am just now realizing how comfortable I got. I knew all the professor's names, the building, what to expect in the classes.

Now, I don't know anything. I am excited, though, because these are the classes that matter the most. I am finally going to learn how to be a teacher. I am really excited for a good semester.