Tidbit Tuesday #9

And today makes number 9! I feel like I’ve been a pretty lame blogger lately, so I’m gonna spice this one up a bit. Here we go ya’ll…(Get ready for the longest Tidbit Tuesday ever..)

I’ve never been one to take compliments well. It still puzzles me when people tell me they enjoy my work. And when Dylan tells me I’m pretty, forget about it. “But I’m really not!” “I have to spend forever on my hair to make it look even halfway decent!” “Seriously? I think I look like a man!” Well. The other day, while Dylan and I were at a couple’s shoot, we both received what I feel is just about the best compliment ever in the whole widest world. The couple simply said, “You two work SO well together!!” In all honesty, I could have died and gone to Heaven. (I know ya’ll are probably like, “Good grief, Alyse. It’s not that great of a compliment! Wouldn’t you rather they said you were the world’s best juggler? Or that you were the only person they know who can ride a unicycle upside down while eating ice cream?”) No. Seriously, I melted inside. For once I let myself soak it all in. It means SO much to me that Dylan and I are a team, and I’m so glad that it’s visible to others! He is the backbone of my business. For lack of a less cliche phrase, he’s believed in my business when just about no one else has. He is always thinking of new ways to grow my business and to grow myself as a photographer. He location scouts without me asking him to. And he’s also a really hott second-shooter. ;) But, my favorite part about our little team, is when he stops me dead in my tracks, looks deep into my worried, stressed out, “I suck!” eyes, and says calmly, “You got this.”

So get this! If you asked me a week ago where we were at with wedding planning, I’d tell you, “Well, we still have to nail down our caterer. We don’t have a guarantee that we’ll have tents for our reception yet! Our wedding photography contract still has to go in the mail. And we haven’t even made our wedding venue official-official yet.” But guess what? We secured our caterer with a down payment on Saturday, as well as our tent guy!! Our photo contract went in the mail today! Our venue has been paid!! And we even got our wedding rings in the other day! SO excited to have our biggest tasks accomplished!! Now it’s onto the fun little stuff. Like washing 200 antique vases. O.M.G. :(

Okay, THIS Saturday, Dylan and I are seeing Avatar in 3D in an IMAX theatre! And I am so flipping excited, I cannot even tell you. Dylan saw it a couple weeks ago and just raved about the animation! And that wasn’t even in 3D! For the last few weeks, I’ve felt like the only girl on the planet to not have experienced the wonder that is Avatar. But no longer! (Wow, do you ever find yourself thinking, “Gosh, that Alyse is a huge dork!” Yeah.. Me too.)

This winter break has been the shortest of my entire lifespan. Only five more days at home. :( It’s kinda terrifying, to be honest. The pressure of my last semester in college seems massive. I need to expand my prayer life immensely this semester, I can feel it now. Care to join?

So the other day my brother Cameron played his first home varsity basketball game in a looong time! Last May he underwent foot surgery to remove an extra bone that was causing him a great deal of pain and frustration on the court and on the field. (He’s totally an alien, right?) This left him on crutches and in a ridiculously classy boot for about three months. We all thought he was in clear, until he realized he was unable to move his foot. There was a large amount of nerve damage that his doctor had never expected. Cam was preparing himself to miss out on his last season of basketball. But after months of intense physical therapy, Cam’s back in the game! When my brother ran out of the locker room at the beginning of his game last Friday.. Let’s just say I’d be lying if I told you I didn’t get all choked up and emotional like the typical girl that I am. :) So proud of my Cam!!

Gotta love when your fiancé buys you 10 pairs of sunglasses for no reason at all. Okay, maybe there is some reason for it… I break every pair I get like it’s my job. Slickdeals.net, thank you. I look forward to breaking all ten. One pair at a time. :)

Wedding shoe update. Got ’em. Love ’em. Breaking ’em in already: Mossimo Valda Ruffle Flats.

And I will leave you with a little teaser for tomorrow’s post! Dylan and I shot this amazingly FUN couple on Sunday!! Get ready for it! :)

Happy Tuesday!!