Awkward & Awesome Thursdays

Hello, Hello!

Whew! I am so glad this week is just about over; last week I had a lot of great sessions and everything was rolling along and then POW! Sick. Blehck! These past few days I have been wiped out...not fun, and definitely not good for productivity! But thankfully I think by tomorrow afternoon I should be all caught up - which is good because Saturday I'm shooting a wedding, and then Monday & Tuesday I'll be having a blast at a 2-day Budiour Photography workshop with the fantastic Kay Eskridge! Woo-hooo! {I met Kay at the Chicks Who Click Conference and just love her to pieces....getting to spend another two days with her is going to be so fun!! and I can't wait to finally launch my Budiour line!}

So with being sick all week I was a little panicky about what I was going to share with you this week for my Awkward & Awesome post; afterall I pretty much slept and downed NyQuil...at least that prevented me from any shopping cart disasters or tucking my skirt into my underwear in public...but I'm meandering around the point, sorry. The point is, I got home from UNC today and my dilemma was solved! There in the pile of mail,  all the way from Iraq, were two letters from my hubby that provided me the perfect answers to both my awkward & awesome for this week. So, Thanks awesome hubby of mine for your perfect timing and hilarious letters....you really are always here when I need ya!

Without further ado....

The Awkward:

• This is a "throw back" awkward from May, but I don't know HOW I forgot to tell you!!!.....my hubby's letter (as shown below) reminded me of this completely awkward moment:

         The scene: St. Croix, a gorgeous tropical day. My hubby & I are fresh off the beach and wandering around some shops in search of "Cheney" - a type of jewelry the island is known for. It's basically pieces of old Dutch pottery that has washed ashore, so counterfeit pieces are everywhere.

        We came across this beautiful, obviously very high-end store with gorgeous pearls and other beautiful pieces of jewelry. Everything was very much out of our price range, but those are always the fun stores to go into so we did. {I cannot stress enough for the sake of this story how classy and high-end this store was}

        The gentleman behind the counter, as expected, was very polite and eager to know how he could help us. We explained that we were interested in any pieces of Cheney he might have. He began a very long and detailed lecture about cheney, and how easy it is to sell fakes, and how it's so VERY important to make sure you're dealing with a very respected and established jeweler so that you know the pieces you're buying are genuine....blah, blah, blah....

       Meanwhile, I'm trying my hardest to keep my jaw from hitting the counter and any awkward laughs to come out of my mouth...while I'm also trying to discreetly elbow my hubby to try to make sure he was seeing what I was seeing...

       There, in this classy jewerly store, while a well dressed and very articulate jeweler lectured us on his well- respected reputation and business, was the store's computer...angled just enough for anyone at the counter to see...with some SERIOUS hard core porn playing. AWKWARD!!! Neither of us could get out of the store fast enough to start laughing and making sure the other had seen what was going on...we were laughing too hard to have known what to say! {Later we came up with a million remarks we could have made to the gentleman...}

The Awesome:

• The laugh I had opening the letter from my  hubby that included a stick-figure drawing of us in the store with this scene happening. {image below...} Thanks for that great memory today, baby! 
• The other letter included one of our favorite things....Mad Libs! I keep a book of 'em by the computer so when we get to skype we get a laugh out of one or two....

Info on the Extreme Makeover:Home Edition images is coming soon...I'm meeting with a CPA this week to make sure I dot all the i's and cross all the t's in the right way for setting up a way for all the proceeds from the image sales to go to The Jubilee House. I appreciate everyone's patience as I make sure to get this right...and I can't wait to share all the images with you all!

Don't forget to check out Heather & Erica's Awkward & Awesome posts as well...and have a great weekend!



Extreme Makeover Home Edition {The Concert}

Hmmm.....This should have posted a few days ago, but didn't....thankfully it was saved as a draft. Better late than never, right? Here's my posting from the 18th:

Yesterday was a blast! This is going to be a quick update - I was photographing until 9 last night and got a little carried away with shots of Josh Thompson performing, so when I got home...well, let's just say I was up 'till the wee hours looking at them all while narrowing down to the 25 shots of the day to submit. I'm a little fuzzy brained from lack of sleep, and still sorta feeling the speakers pounding from the concert...and I didn't get the complete set of images burned to CD yet like I normally do....and it's already 9:15 and I was hoping to be back on the scene by 8....where's the coffee when you need it? hehe   But...here's a few quick snaps from the concert last night. This first one is after the concert ended, with Josh Thompson's Drummer and Guitarist. Super nice guys! I got to meet Josh as well before the concert, and snagged an autograph for my hubby. {There was this teenage boy there that the drummer was giving a drumstick to...he was so cute with how excited and nervous he was - he was obviously a big fan of the band and thrilled at the experience. I handed him my camera to snag our pic, and the poor kid was shaking so much that even after a few attempts this was the least shaky he could get. too funny}

Ok, this is where my lack of sleep comes into play....I can't remember this guitarist name! The Drummer was Brian (I'm pretty sure...). But this guy had awesome stage presence...he was fun to watch in action. I'll save some more stories for this week's "Awkard & Awesome" post, 'cause leave it to me to have some awkward happen this week for sure!

{I didn't really know who Josh was before the concert, but I am definitely now a fan. What a nice guy, great performer, and huge supporter of the military. Check out his fan club The Chrome Bullet Crew...he always wears a bullet around his neck from his father's 21 Gun Salute, so hence the name}

I had a blast getting to be backstage....never had that experience before, and now I'll never be able to go to a concert again unless it's with this kind of seat!

Jaime Tate was the opening act....she was super nice as well, and her band is so easy to talk to...well, especially when you don't realize you're hanging out talking to the band....like I said, more to follow on my "awkward" Thursdays ....

This is Josh at the beginning of his set. Yup, now my newest member of my celebrity crush list....

Extreme Makeover Home Edition {Day 4 on set}

Yesterday was Day Four of the build, and it's definitely getting to crunch time! I've started popping in and out rather than staying all day like previously because I feel bad getting in the way of all the workers by walking around and through them to get images. But it's so much fun, and everyone's so fantastic that I have trouble making myself leave the area!

Cool compositions are all around on build sites...I was loving these people working on the stone; the straight line with varying heights - yeah! Of course you have to just "let go" and realize that you can really say "everyone stop! Hold it so I can get that shot!"  when you're on a time crunch like these folks are, so you snap while you see it and hope not to many people step in front of you at that exact moment. {I'm still amazed that this one only had one "head" appear! This place is bumper-to-bumper people!}

This gentleman and his friend had the best spot in the house last night....right by a huge fan! Smart guys...very smart...{I should add that they were working hard, and only paused for a brief second. They joked that I had to take a pic that made 'em look like they weren't doing their job...so in case you're reading this, guys, see- I vouched for ya!}

 I just thought this was cute....hustle and bustle all about below and I look up to see a pair of feet handing down through the rafters. Nice work shoes, too!

These are some of the guys who were working feverishly on the gorgeous decking. When I took this shot they'd been here for about 14 hours or something...but not one complaint and all still smiling and laughing...

Finally got to be there for some of the night action last night. This was at about 9:30 PM...they have it all lit up like a football field for the workers....

I saw this guy taking a breather and had to grab the shot really quick...just a bit lit from the bigs lights, I liked the "mood" of it. I actually bumped into him this morning and told him I liked the shot I got of him, and he told me he'd been on the site for 38 hours by that point! Yowzas! {He'd gone home and snuck in 6 hours of sleep and was back for more today. Love the dedication!}

Lots and lots of paint is needed for an 8,000 sq. foot home! I've been able to walk around inside and see some of the colors going up....very cool! I can't wait to see it all done when the show airs!

Well, I'm actually off to grab some more shots. If everything's on schedule then this afternoon the home gets turned over to the designers for them to work on the inside decor. Tonight I get to dust off and get dressed up to enjoy the VIP Fundraising dinner at the Cape Fear Botanical Gardens. I'm so excited!

Extreme Makeover Home Edition {Day Three on Set}

Whew! Man...for this one week I really wish humans could function well without any sleep; I would just love to be able to stay on site 24/7 to see the whole process! I'm itching to get back to the site this AM...when I left yeterday the basement walls had just been completed and the concrete was about to be poured; overnight they started on the actual home! By the time I get there it's going to be mindblowing to see how much they were able to accomplish in the few hours I was away....
The two photos abover are Chip & Greg from Blue Ridge Log Cabins celebrating with the men from Superior Walls and the crowd as the last section of the basement gets placed. Woo-hoo for progress!
Below are some volunteers hard at work..I actually know Annmarie {painting the smiley face}; I was able to snag some pics of her and her friend working while Paulie was filming a scene in front of them. So fun to watch!

I think I over did it on taking photos yesterday....whoops...but there was just so much going on! I look forward to being able to share more....the building process and then more of the filming obviously make for some great photo ops!  

Today I somehow need to find a magical cape to get me everywhere I want to be all at once. At Noon I'm actually going to be back at Omni Fitness shooting this month's Member Spotlight headshots, then I'll be bouncing back and forth between the construction site and Festival Park where tonight's concert is being held. {That'll be going on until from 12-9 downtown} I'm also dying to finally get back to the site for some night time action....so it's going to be a late one today! Most likely it'll be tomorrow night before I'm able to write again, but stay tuned!

You can also check out some more of my shots on Blue Ridge Log Cabin's Facebook Page. They're uploading more throughout the week, and also have a link to a live video stream of the build!

Extreme Makeover Home Edition {Day Two on Set}

Day two on the set of Extreme Makeover Home Edition was so fun! {I think I'll be saying that about every day, just to warn you...} Nothing like tearing down a house to create some excitement. One of my favorite parts of any EMHE episode is seeing what creative ways they come up with for the demolition. Today was no dissapointment, and again it's just so crazy to watch how it all gets filmed versus how it plays out on TV. Certainly can't wait for this episode to air! I'm sure most people in Fayetteville know what happens from reading all the Tweets and FB updates, but in the spirit of good fun here on my blog I'm going to make you wait for the episode to actually air. {October-ish is the date...and yes, "ish" was the term used. I'll certainly let you know when I know the date...and after the show airs I'll write some "behind the scenes" notes - sort of like those "pop up videos" that VH1 used to do, only Missie Blog Style}

I will tell you that it was a fantastic group of Women who made the magic happen, all of whom are Veterans or currently serving in the Armed Forces. {a lot of awesome comraderie out there today!}
It was neat to see some of them snag autographs on their shirts...and so fun to watch Ty in action.

{Red shirts are Veterans, Green shirts Army (Hooah!), Blue were Navy & Airforce} I have a lot of great shots of the action today, including some shots of each of the designers autographing a very cool item that's going to be auctioned off, but any images I have of the designers/VIPs/Building Process, etc, I have to submit for approval before I can post. It's so cool to experience something like this as a photographer who normally focuses on family/child photography...I'm spending an entire day on set capturing hundreds of images, and then I come home and immediately upload them and have to narrow down to 25 to shoot off for submission. I then still have to go through all of them, do any little "clean ups," and then get everthing I shot on to CD to hand over in the AM when it all starts again. {let's just say my tendency to do a lot of clicking away is quickly being minimized! The art of "shooting for a purpose" is something that truly comes in handy for this!} I figured in advance I wouldn't be able to share any Celebrity/VIP images I capture until the approval process happens, but I was surprised to hear about them needing to look over EVERY image...but the answer made perfect sense: Some images won't be shared until after the show ends so as not to give away the entire episode; some will be used in promotional pieces just before the show airs; all need to be looked at to make sure everything is OK for legal reasons....so, now I know!

Here's my favorite group of gals on set again today...rockin' those blue shirts for sure. My personal goal is to get a group pic of them every day...now that the house is down, tomorrow that means these gals will be working hard...can't wait to catch 'em in action!

Extreme Makeover Home Edition {Day 1 on set}

This week is such an exciting one for me; I will be photographing all the behind-the-scenes excitement of the Extreme Makeover Home Edition build here in Fayetteville! I linked up with the builders from Blue Ridge Log Cabins this morning...we got a little "pre-game" pep talk from the producers, and then it was off we went to surprise the family! {the caravan over was a whole journey in itself ... I'll save that for next week's "awkward!" hehe}

Before knocking on the door, Soldiers from Ft. Bragg, volunteers from the area, and the builders joined together to welcome the Designers...and got to enjoy the U.S. Army's Golden Knights parachute in! Then it was time to march over to the home! {this was my favorite part because you got to learn a lot about how shows are filmed. Everyone marched in complete silence and pantomimed the cheers and excitement...the sound will be added in later. It was funny to watch everyone smiling and throwing their arms in the arm in dead silence as we walked up the street and around the corner. The onlookers may not have realized they were told to be silent...must have been weird for them to see}

These awesome ladies have a special tie to the family being surprised. They were all so cute and so fun to meet...I hope to see a lot of them this week! 

Above:  Producers and the film crew give the crowd directions before silently marching to the home;
Greg, Chip, and the rest of the Blue Ridge Log Cabin builders and volunteers get filmed on the go; answering questions at a brief Press Conference in front of the home. Below: Golden Knights drop in.

Below: Barbara and members of the household talk to the press after being surprised.