I love summer. I love the flexibility of our schedules, the endless days at the pool and beach, no homework, sleepovers, hanging out with my kids (most of the time), sleeping in, doing whatever we want in the evening without having to watch the clock and spending so much time with our family and friends. And then, the week before school hits.  Anybody feel me here?!  Chaos, antsy kids, doctors appointments, open houses, haircuts, back to school shopping, nervous kids, fighting kids and life is just plain old crazy. The picture above pretty much describes our life the past few days. Feel free to put your own caption on it.

So, as of this week, it’s official…I’m ready for school to start. I’m ready for the schedule and routine to be back in our life, even if that means kids in 3 schools, a few kids playing soccer, a daughter with gymnastics 4x a week (FYI, this translates to a practice/game every single day except Sunday) and becoming the taxi mom who is constantly toting her kids from place to place everyday. I’m ready to have a quiet house from the hours of 9-2. I’m ready to take only one super cute little 3 year old with me when I need to go to the store and I’m ready for the hours when this awesome little 3 year old naps (which equals absolute silence in my house for a few hours each day). Truly, the last thing I want to do is wish time away because I see my kids growing with the blink of an eye, but I’m definitely ready for this next season in life to begin.

So long, Summer of 2011….I know in about 4 weeks I’ll be looking forward to Summer 2012! Happy Friday and happy last day of summer, for us!

After a few months hiatus, and numerous people asking why I stopped, I figured I would get back into the routine of listing my favorites of the week. Ready, set, here we go- in no particular order…

1. Sephora. I’ve fallen head over heels in love with this store. Find something you want to try in the store, but don’t want to spend the $$$ without knowing you’ll love it? Ask them for a sample jar to go. How awesome is that?! Also, if you end up not liking whatever you purchase, you can return the empty bottle for a complete refund!

2. Summertime. Beach, movies, the pool, books, lots of time with our friends and endless time with my kids. I am simply, LOVING the laziness of summer.

(iphone photo)

3. Kyla’s gymnastics. She started 6 months ago and has already moved up to a level 5/6 ( which translates to 4 days a week, 3-4.5 hours each day). We are continually impressed every single week as she learns and masters new skills. Yesterday, she got her kip on the bars and she is absolutely ecstatic about it. Kyla absolutely loves it and we are so, so proud of her. Hopefully, I’ll have video to post next week!

4. Paint! We finally painted our living room after pretty much turning an eye to it for the past 7 years. It was a darker red so the task of painting the room was extremely overwhelming and we tried to do whatever we could to just make do with the color. We decided on a wet cement, greyish, brown color and although it took some getting use to, it’s now my new fave sitting place in our house. How great that a few hundred dollars can totally change a house- I love paint!

Before (furniture had already started being moved):

It only took us about 10 hours (the living room and kitchen are a big open room together) and I ask myself everyday why we waited so long. After:

We also painted our dining room (it was a green color before):

5. I’ve been loving my quiet time with the Lord this week. It truly is amazing how different my day is if I spend a little bit of the morning in the Word. I also came across this article this week and I think it’s a great read for ANY mother (or father) out there:

http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/motherhood-is-a-calling-and-where-your-children-rank

6. Words with friends. It never gets old and the competitive person in me takes it oh so seriously. Let’s play: MGlassford5.

Happy Friday! I’m off to take my little ones on a Winnie the Pooh movie date.

What all began as a blind date a few years ago, led to the most beautiful start of a marriage yesterday for Eric and Erin. I had the honor of capturing this incredible wedding day at the First Baptist Church in Avon Park, with the reception to follow at the Highlands County Fairgrounds in Sebring, Florida. The day was nothing short of perfect- a adorable and stunning couple, a God-centered ceremony by the wonderful Jared Longshore, the most hilarious bridal party, a unique lantern filled reception, and little details with every turn.

Erin & Eric decided to see each other before the ceremony. I love this intimate moment of the day…

I can hardly handle your gorgeousness.

I promise you there’s nothing like 10 groomsmen singing Backstreet Boys, to have a little fun during their pictures…

Someday, I may have to show the picture that took place two seconds after this one…oh girls, you were too fun!
One of my favorite moments before a wedding. All the girls praying over Erin before she becomes Eric’s wife. 
Erin and her sweet little niece, Livia. I don’t really think it can get much cuter than this!

First kiss!

I LOVE getting to work in small town locations that I’ve never shot before. It’s just so different than everything we have in Southwest Florida, and the rustic charm of these little towns in the middle of our state just make me swoon as I go through them. Oh, and an awesome bridal party definitely makes for plenty of fun!

Reception bound!
Details, details…

I love the thumb tree for the guests to leave their little mark on the day.
Do you see how gorgeous this room was?! I couldn’t get enough of the lanterns that were everywhere!Yes, that would be a backflip….I never thought dried peas could add the perfect touch to the centerpieces. Brilliant.Eric & Erin decided to share a last dance while all the guests got ready outside with the birdseed. This was definitely a special moment of the day.
Congratulations Erin and Eric! I was so blessed to be a part of your wedding day and I wish you two a marriage filled with great love and joy through all the years to come!

I was so excited when I found out Preslie wanted to be a C/O 2012 senior rep for MGP. She’s adorable and beyond sweet, so needless to say, I was stoked. Once the shoot started, I quickly started to notice Preslie was unlike anyone I had ever shot before. She worked the camera like she had been practicing up for this shoot for a handful of years. And, then I found out little miss gorgeous used to be a child MODEL. My initial stoked about the shoot pretty much jumped to a whole ‘nother level with each location and outfit change. I can’t possibly be the only to think Preslie should spend more time hanging out in front of the camera, right?!

Thanks Preslie for being so incredibly sweet and wonderful  to work with. You are so full of life and truly a joy to be around. I pray this year ahead is a great blessing for you and that the Lord clearly reveals His plan for you, as you make some big changes and decisions in the months and years to come.

{Also, thanks to Preslie’s cousin, Ali, who tagged along, sang us songs, touched up makeup and hair, carried bags and kept us both highly entertained the entire time!! You were awesome, although I’m sure you already know. }

Want to know how I ended up spending my Saturday morning? With this most adorable little 10 day old princess, who was probably the best baby I’ve ever taken a photograph of. Literally, I don’t think she made a peep for the entire 3 hours I was there. Meet Little Miss Alli:

I’m almost certain there’s nothing more sweet than seeing a precious little newborn grin from ear to ear in their sleep…

And, do you see the dimples?!

Congratulations Lauren and Eric on your gorgeous, perfect and sweet little daughter. Thanks so much for allowing me to capture this most special time in your life!

I’m always so excited about my upcoming weddings, but I think the excitement is even tenfold once I get to work with a couple during their engagement shoot. I get to know, experience, laugh, capture and just fall in love with the couple during this time, and this is exactly how it was with Lindsey and Mike. They are both such wonderful people and together, make an awesome couple.

Lindsey and Mike, thanks so much for letting me capture your love. You guys were quite the models and made my job so, so easy that day! I know your wedding is going to be exceptional and I truly look forward to October when I get to work with your gorgeous selves again!

Lindsey, you’re stunning!!!

I’m still alive, but just wrapped up in a web called wedding season. Thankfully, I love pretty much every second of it. Seven of the 9 weddings in a row are complete and it’s an understatement to say that they’ve been incredible. I feel so blessed. I know it may sound redundant, but I am pretty sure I have the best clients ever. The couples this spring have been so wonderful and the weddings have been fabulous. I feel like every single Saturday I end up with a new “favorite” wedding because they’re all that great. A big thank you goes out to every single person I’ve worked with the past few months. You are all too sweet and kind for words.

Last week I had the pleasure of capturing Kim and Mark’s (or, John as I like to call him) engagement session. I had only spoken to Kim over the phone, but considering we went to the same high school and she’s an alum from the University of Florida, I knew we would hit it off. Really though, she is as nice as they come. I love how laid back she is and just totally trusts me to do my job. Mark, well, he’s hysterical and had me laughing the entire time.

We started the engagement shoot at Koreshan State Park, but were asked to leave after a handful of minutes into the shoot. Apparently, they didn’t want anyone in there past 5pm. A little frustrated, we hopped across the street at the location I’ve been eyeing and dying to shoot for months- a fruit stand, field and canoe shop. Definitely a little blessing in disguise because I am totally in love with everything we captured from the shoot. Plus, I had the perfect people for this location…don’t they totally pull off the model look?!

Mark and Kim, thanks for being awesome. You two are a wonderful couple and I truly look forward to capturing your wedding day this October!

In case you’re debating a first look for your wedding, I figure I would show you a little snippet of Chris and Rachel’s first look this past Saturday. There is something so special about this private and intimate moment as a groom sees his bride for the first time. Chris, you’re either an awesome actor or madly in love with your gorgeous *wife*. I’m certain I know the answer, but thank you for the I*almost*passed*out*when*I*first*saw*my*bride* reaction. It was beyond priceless.

I totally understand the desire to be traditional, trust me. However, I must admit, this is pretty darn romantic and tear jerking in it’s very own way. Enjoy!

I feel blessed to have such passion about what I do and I totally love being behind the camera. However, this passion only grows when a couple (okay, the bride, woman, wife, etc.) is just as passionate about their session with me, making sure to put careful thought into what they want their final product to look like. Shannon and I started emailed a few weeks before their session happened and every time I would see a new message in my inbox from her I would definitely get a little giddy. She had such interest and excitement, that it only rubbed me off and got me even more interested and excited in capturing a “In Love and Just Because Session” with her and her husband, Justin.

Thank you Shannon for being awesome. For real. You are so sweet and the encouraging and sweet words you keep sending my way mean so very much to me. Thank you Justin for being wonderful too and for being a chocolate maker that I can’t wait to work with in the near future. If you need, want or even want to bring me some chocolate, check out Justin’s company, Irresistible Confections (or on facebook). Shannon and Justin, thank you, thank you, thank you. Together, you’re a fantastic couple and I had so much fun hanging out with you and capturing your love. I hope you love your pictures and that they are cherished for years to come.

This engagement session makes me realize how far behind my blog is…we did this shoot about a month ago and Jason and Brooke will be tying the knot in less than 48 hours! We had had so much fun at their shoot and they are truly such naturals in front of the camera. Don’t they both just have the best smiles?! Jason and Brooke, I am totally looking forward to Saturday and capturing your love, laughter, and joy as you two begin the rest of your lives together!

PS. Saturday has no idea what’s coming..a grand entrance like none other, a beautiful bride, a handsome groom and hopefully the most perfect Florida weather. Can’t wait!

…It’s the Glassford Gang at the Florida International Air Show! I never thought I would post a picture like the one below…

But, alas, I’m the mom of lots of boys, so it’s inevitable. The stunts these planes and jets did were fantastic and definitely caught everyone’s attention.

So, maybe I have wimpy boys, but they still had a blast.

Truthfully, I think they much preferred the quietness of men and women falling from the sky. What a great reminder of how truly blessed our country is. I love this picture.

We loved walking around and touching the old airplanes, WWII vehicles and WWI and II memorabilia.

Oh, and eating. I can’t forget about the snow cones, funnel cakes and pretzels! BTW, the picture on the right is from when we first arrived and the left was after about 3 hours. See the amount of dirt that has smothered my favorite 3 year old’s little face?! He looks like he’s growing facial hair!

Last but not least, the whole reason for our trip. Honestly, I can’t tell you the names or differences, but I can tell you that they were so much fun to watch and the talent these pilots all had were unbelievable. Thank you www.floridaairshow.com for a wonderful 2011 show. We can’t wait until next year!

Stay tuned because there are many more posts to come this week! Amazing weddings, gorgeous engagement sessions and a few little ones. Happy Monday!