We're engaged!!!!!

I know it's been forever since I've posted, but I really want to remember this night because, on this night....

Josh proposed!!!

I, obviously, have been waiting for a LONG time for this. I'm super excited! So is Josh, I think...after the initial overwhelming feeling that we both had...ha!

About a week ago, I received this email:

Hi Victoria! 

  I was interested in booking a session with you to get some shots my wife and I for our first anniversary. We didn't have a lot of money for photos for our wedding, so I wanted to do something special for our first year anniversary and surprise her with this. 

       I looked at your website and love your work,  so I guess I just need to know what you'd charge for a short session and if you have some locations in mind. I'm in The Woodlands.

Thanks!  Let me know.

Tim Malkin

I replied with my session fee and he agreed, so we scheduled it for tonight at 7pm. I asked if he had any location suggestions and he said, 

...there is a fountain in front of Woodlands church, my wife and I actually just started going there. I thought it would be perfect! If you don't know where it is I can give you directions or you could probably just google it. Also, I know it's a drive, so I could pay you extra if you need me to. I get off work at 4 on Friday so I was hoping to do it sometime after that, if you're available.  Just let me know.

So, I scheduled him (I sometimes don't even meet the clients until their session). I normally go to sessions on my own, but I figured since it was in The Woodlands that we could go eat afterwards. I asked Josh if he would go with me and he said ok (he told me later that he was actually planning on being there when I showed up, until I asked him to go with me). A couple of days later, I said, How about I just go by myself and you can do stuff around the house if you need to? I knew he probably didn't want to tag along, but he quickly said, I don't mind...I'll come! I even told him about how "Tim" had texted me at almost midnight one night to confirm the appointment (customers don't usually text that late) and that it freaked me out, so he needed to come to protect me. 

Today rolled around and after lunch I noticed that it was pretty cloudy. I checked the forecast and saw it was supposed to rain. So, I texted "Tim" and said I would keep an eye on it and get back to him around 6pm. Closer to that time, I realized that it was too gloomy for a shoot (I like overcast, but this was way too much), so I texted "Tim" and asked if we could reschedule. He texted me back saying that he really wanted to do it tonight, so I asked Josh what he thought. He said, Well, if he says it's clear there, you should probably go. I thought it was weird that he was pushing it so much. (I also knew he wanted to go eat at Genghis). After telling him that I was just going to reschedule, he said something about his mom grilling so we could go there for dinner. I felt bad for having to reschedule "Tim", so I texted him and said I trusted him if he thought the weather was okay. He said it was so we were off to The Woodlands. 

The drive was pretty normal. I will point out that, at this point, I had a hunch. I even noticed a large object...a possible ring box...in his shorts pocket, but I didn't want to get my hopes up. Lately, it's like, is it going to happen in Vegas? Is it going to happen on this night out? That night out? Ahhh!! We get to the church and I had to potty. So, we tried the side door...locked. Luckily, the front door wasn't, so we went inside. Then we headed out to the fountain. We walked up, Josh set my camera bag down, then told me the truth. He confessed that he had an alter ego named Tim Malkin. He pulled the ring out and simply said, Vicki, will you marry me? I said yes! Then, he said that we had to go because everyone was waiting at home to celebrate with us!

Both of our families were waiting at his parents' house...along with his mom's hamburgers, my favorite! Even my parents were there! I asked if they all knew. And they did. I was very surprised that my mom never let a hint slip. She's a pretty amazing woman, but she can't keep a secret! :) Josh had actually had lunch with them on Tuesday to ask my dad's permission. I was very surprised.

I immediately called my friend Abby..and a couple others. Then, we got to the house and everyone was there. I immediately burst into tears when I hugged my dad. I know he and my mom were very excited. Of course, then, the question was, Have y'all set a date??? Um, give a day or so to figure that out...haha! 

Anywho, that's the story! I'm super excited about planning!! I hope that it will be a pretty stress-free process. We're thinking November (yes, 3 months away), but that could change! :)

Ketchup

Apparently, blogging is not at the top of my to-do list...for either of my blogs. It's just so much easier to keep up via Facebook. It also doesn't help that I've been so super crazy busy the past few months that I haven't had time to blog. Well, it does help me...it just doesn't benefit the blog. :) 

So, this post will basically update you on what I've/we've been up to! You're welcome.

The most important update is probably that I got bangs! I love them and they've gotten a lot of compliments, so they're probably going to stay a while..

 I've hung out with these girls...a lot! Shaun and Joanne (Josh's brother and sister-in-law, parents of these costumed girls) ran their first marathon a couple of weeks ago, so I was on girl-duty for two days. We had fun carving pumpkins and attending a party that I had to shoot.

Carving pumpkins...my boo is so good at carving. :) It was my first time carving a pumpkin..and I don't allow myself to use knives in dangerous situations, so...

I was in charge of de-pulping them! It was really disgusting. 

Our Instagrammed Final Product...pretty much the best jack-o-lantern on the block!

 

We also planned on attending Hallelujah Night at Liberty Church on Halloween night, so our primary task for days beforehand was to find a costume. I love dressing up for any event. Josh, on the other hand, does not. But, he loves me, so he agreed to do it. Isn't he the sweetest? 

We found these at Target, but they were too intense.

 

We ended up being NERDS! Easy costumes...nerd glasses and suspenders. We were definitely a hit!

And here we are again with the girls! We're probably going to end up adopting them... :)

Also, Hallelujah Night was the night I almost had a heart attack climbing the rock wall. Me and heights don't mix.

Birthdays. There are a lot of them. 

BFFs!

The most time-consuming event that has taken place the past couple of months is definitely Josh' s house renovation. He's currently in the process of remodeling his kitchen, old living room/new dining room, and bathroom. The first two are done, for the most part...the bathroom is still in process. This remodel requires A LOT of trips to Lowe's and Home Depot. Most of our nights include a trip to one of these stores. Some of the process is fun, like picking out my jacuzzi tub or cabinet hardware or paint colors. The rest...the lumber, the sheetrock, concrete...is not. The remodel is also causing us to stay at my apartment (my teeny-tiny, itty-bitty, one-room apartment) 100% of the time, so Josh misses his house. And I do, too. He has a memory foam mattress. I have back problems. My back needs his mattress. Anyway, it'll hopefully be done in the next couple of weeks, so that will be exciting. I'm really excited to clean the house. Is that weird? That I can't wait to clean?? 


Josh has also been my photography assistant on more than one occasion recently. For that, I am very thankful. It's always nice to have an assistant. It would also be really cool if there were robots that could be programmed to be your assistants.

I am so thankful for Josh. He makes me so happy and I can't imagine being with anyone else. I love him more than anything and am so glad we're together. I could go on and on, but I don't want you to feel uncomfortable. :)

Ok, now I must get back to work...Have a great weekend!

25th Birthday Cheer

If you're reading this, and it's a Wednesday, and it's nice and cool outside, and you have an Autumn candle burning, then it's probably my birthday. :)

If you'd like to see a recap of my 80s skate party, please visit my other blog here. Not sure why I posted it there, but whatevs.

 And I also posted some photos on my other blog from the wedding I shot in Playa Del Carmen. So, in honor of my birthday, and because I love Instagram so much, here are the Instagrams from Mexico! Enjoy!

Now go and celebrate my birthday by eating something good and enjoying this beautiful weather!

Nom Nom Nom

Josh and I started a weekly dining adventure called "Downtown Dining" that takes place every Wednesday (with the exception of a few). It began months ago and has been a lot of fun! We thought it would be fun to try new places (to us) in Houston because we get tired of eating the same stuff all the time. Sometimes we plan where we're going, sometimes we just wing it. If you don't want to do a weekly adventure, maybe try a monthly one. It's nice to explore Houston and be touristy for the day. :) Also, our rating system is roughly based on the deliciousness of the food, the service, and the atmosphere.

Some of the places we've tried are:

Niko Niko's - Greek food, great atmosphere. I had a Spinach Chicken Pita. It was yummy.

Rating: 6 out of 10

Barnaby's - We have now eaten at this place a couple of times. I LOVE the Chicken Mill Valley! It's juicy grilled chicken with spinach dip and cheese on top. What more could you want??? And the rainbows and puppies on the ceiling are fun to look at, too! 

Rating: 8 out of 10

Baba Yega - This little restaurant was quite the experience. The food was ehhh, but the roach sighting was hilarious and memorable. (The place is old, so a roach is understandable..and it was crawling on the floor, not our food, so ya know..it's cool). 

Rating: 5 out of 10

The Spaghetti Warehouse - I ate here when I was younger, but I don't remember much of that time. This was Josh's first time. I think most people go here for the experience. The "haunted" restaurant, blah blah. The food was normal Italian. I'd rather go to Olive Garden and eat yummy breadsticks and salad. :)

Rating: 3 out of 10

Smith and Wollensky - This place will blow your mind. For realz. I'm pretty sure it's meant to be a fancy-pants place, but we were very casually dressed when we went. We didn't know what to expect going in, but it was DELICIOUS! Pricey, but sooooo worth it. Steaks are around $50 each and don't come with sides. This ain't no Steak and Ale! You can order sides for the table, but just the steak was enough for us. I ordered a Sirloin, I think...and Josh ordered Filet and Lobster. I ate all of my steak. That's enough to say how great it was. And I was still craving it the next day.

Rating: 9.9 out of 10

 Ok, now I'm hungry! Have a great week!

My Life...since Instagram.

Recently I upgraded to a new phone. I had felt the pressure to get an iPhone for a while and really didn't care what phone I got, as long as it allowed me to get on Facebook (Omg...can you imagine if I couldn't access Facebook from my phone?! Oh the horror!) and allowed me to take pretty pictures. Whenever iPhones became popular, Instagram became a huge hit. As soon as I was introduced to it, I was in love. Like, real love. Swoon. So, a huge selling point for me, as far as iPhone went, was Instagram. Androids just don't have that kind of sex appeal for me.

Tomorrow, Josh and I are headed to Playa Del Carmen to shoot a wedding for these two...

 We're both very excited and hope to have lots and lots of fun!
For now, I will update you on what I've been doing...in the form of Instagrams. Duh.


I've been drinking lots of these....Iced Vanilla Chai will be the death of me.

I've been hanging out with this guy. A lot. He's pretty funny. 

I've also hung out with this chick. She bakes cakes. I wash the dishes. I get to eat the cake. Everyone wins! 

We've also spent some time with these two. They're loads of fun and they're really cute.

We've eaten out. A lot. So much for my "6-pack abs before Mexico" plan.

And my newest adventure is this...

Last week, I started freelance writing/photographing for the Cleveland Advocate. I will be doing a weekly article showcasing Cleveland area leaders/business owners. My first article should be online this week and next week in print. It's been fun thinking of people to interview and learning more about leaders in our community. I'm really excited because this gives me another opportunity to write, but it also still gives me time to do my own stuff. Score.


I hope everyone has a great rest of the week and I will be back with TONS of Mexico pics as soon as I can. :)

Bay Fishing in Galveston

On a Thursday in the past few weeks, we went on a bay fishing adventure! I love to fish, most of the time...but especially when I actually catch fish. :)

We had fun, but didn't catch many fish. Oh wait, we didn't catch any. Well, I did, but it was just a little catfish, so I'm not counting it. Unless, Josh makes fun of me for not catching anything...then I'm totally counting it!

We boarded the boat and drove out a little ways into the blue ocean. We tried 5 or 6 different spots and no one on the boat was catching anything worthwhile. (There were 30-35 people on the catamaran.) Finally, at the last spot, I caught the catfish. Then it was time to head back. 

This really was so much fun..especially since you don't have to bring anything. For less than $30, you get a four-hour trip and they provide the pole and bait. They even take the fish off the hook for you! Score for me...I don't like touching the fish. :)

Some pics from the day..

Mom Prom 2011

Mom Prom is a yearly tradition started by my friend, Jordan. It's a time for grown-ups to par-tay. Everyone wears prom attire (mostly ugly prom attire) and we dance and drink the night away. It's the most fun you could ever possibly have, I think.

Here are some pictures from this year's prom. It was held at the KOA campground and was deejayed by my cute little adorable nephew, Jeremy (aka DJ TW!ZT). He's awesome and available to dj your next party.

I wish Mom Prom happened, like, every month of the year. It is such a blast!