Photo Friday

It's Friday.... and I'm actually blogging "on time". Be impressed. No really, please be impressed.

This week's Photo Friday comes from the third of our July weddings. Corey and Allison got hitched in the most gorgeous, amazing way possible. I mean, it's July. In Texas. And they had an outdoor wedding. And it was BEAUTIFUL! Like whoa. Like nutso. Anyway... the duo that shot their wedding day was a married couple (McGowan Images -- Stephenville, Texas), and let me tell you... THEY ROCK! I'm not saying the coach is a hard person to impress, but (since he was in the wedding) he came running to me as soon as he could after the ceremony, telling me how incredible the photogs were (are). I don't think he's ever done that. But, then again... he was right! Not only were they super cool, put up with our group's craziness, and were fun to work with ... but they also had images from the wedding posted on their blog THAT NIGHT! Like what?! Holy speedy!!!! And not just any images.... but some seriously incredible ones!

I'm not just saying this, but this duo produced easily the BEST wedding images I have ever seen. From top to bottom... I love them all. Here are three of my faves....

HOW GORJ? I mean, really?

I die..... seriously?

BEST IMAGE EVER! Take it all in, my babies... take it all in.

It certainly doesn't hurt that Allison and Corey are such a wonderful couple. They completely deserved such a fairytale wedding day, with insane images to remember it with. 

For more info on this photog duo, visit their website, blog or facebook. I am completely a fan of their stuff. Love, love, love.... cannot say enough positives about them. 

Did I mention I really liked their pictures? Jussssssayin'

Photo Friday

Hey look! I'm actually doing this on a Friday! It's the simple victories in life that mean the most, lemme tell ya. Especially considering my directTV box is currently full of recorded "retro" episodes of The Hills.... It's amazing that I was even able to leave the couch. I heart scripted reality TV.

Oh! And do you like the new blog design? I don't. But it's better than what it was.

Anyway....

This week's photo comes from one of the most talented photographers I have ever worked with. Not only that, but she is also one of my best friends. I really don't know what I would do without the lovely and amazing Stacey Shanks - aka cajun queen - and it gives me so much joy to highlight one of her images this week.

Meet Sully Shanks, Stacey's oldest son. He is such a complete angel and has one of the neatest personalities ever. As you can tell, Stacey is wicked talented with the camera, but she is equally as fabulous at being a mom. Sully and his younger brother Rayne are simply awesome. Yes, Stacey and Brandon, I really mean that! I will babysit anytime you want!

I asked Stacey what her favorite shot she took lately was and she sent me this.... Gosh, could it get any more perfect? The innocence and wonder in Sully's eyes makes this picture to die for. I love how Stacey chose B&W for it, too. So perfect. Love, love, love. 

You can look at more of Stacey's work by visiting her website, Facebook, or by being lucky enough to call her a pal like I do. Be jealous. Go ahead, I won't be upset :)

Hey, I blogged a Photo Friday... on a Friday.... I'm so impressed with myself. 

.... admit it. Y'all are too. 

Photo Friday : another Saturday edition

.....because I got lazy last night. Sorry. I think I'll have to do two separate blogs today just to catch y'all up on what's been going on... It's hard to keep up with us. We need our own reality show or something just so we can look back and remember everything that happens in a day's time. It would be like the show Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Except with substance. And cows. And no babies named after the coordinates on a map. Not clever, Kim K, not at all.

Anyway... Photo Friday strikes again! And, like I promised, it's not one of my own! Only prob is I really don't know who took the pic....

But, holy hereford, how could I NOT use this pic?!?!? Yesterday - instead of blogging - the coach and I were at the Belt Buckle Bonanza in Waco... which got my blood pumping for the Spring's Major Show Season (YES that deserved capital letters). So, I got inspired for this edition of photo friday. The internet is amazing. You can search just about anything and get the neatest pics and stories. This gem came from googling "champion slap". It is from Houston, circa :: ?? Late 1950's-ish probably. How killer is this, though? I mean, A) winning the Houston steer show is definitely cause for a giddy-girl jump. and B) LOOK AT THAT FROGGIN' HEREFORD! I love old timey steer/cattle pics. Watching our industry change via snapshots always amazes me. The 50s and 60s are easily my fave. They look like adorable little puffs of fluff. The above champ is no exception... complete with the straightest hock I've ever seen. This little midget was #fluffycows before #fluffycows were #fluffycows. And those jeans..... I mean COME ON! Hashtag :: awesome. The best part is - this might be a dude showing. And for those days he was a rad stud for rocking those painted one pants. Oh, this is way too much greatness for one frame. Can't take it.

So perfect. So hilarious. So awesome. The butt shot of all butt shots.

Uhhh. I still die. If you say this picture doesn't entertain you than you don't have a pulse.

End of story.

How am I ever going to top this?

Photo Friday

Well hey there!

This week's photo Friday was the coach's suggestion. You see, we are on the road - again - headed to Wyoming to visit my brother, his wife and my two wonderful nieces (one of which I haven't met yet). With that said, coach and I use road trips to talk about the future, our dreams, shows, ranking our top five fave show steers, play 'my horse' and just enjoy the scenery. So while stopped for lunch in Pueblo, Co - home of the funniest person I know and my legit soul sister, Kasie Pigg Smith - the coach asked me what picture I was going to use. At the time, I still didn't know so he suggested this beauty...

Yes yes, it is yours truly, at the tender age of 3, I believe... And if you know me, you've seen this picture a hundred times. But it is still one of my faves. Photo cred goes to my mom... From the get-go, I wanted to be a 'picture taker'. Actually I really wanted to be a livestock photographer. I ran around with my mom's old film camera... It didn't even have film in it, but I would still pretend I was taking pics. I've got a wild imagination, let me tell you. Anyway, I asked my mom if I would be able to take show pictures (yes that is literally what I asked) as a job and she said no, it would be too hard and the likelihood of me being good enough was too low. Well, I guess that idea didn't turn out. I don't hold it against her, but I love watching her reaction when she sees some of my work. 

Oh! And the other part of this pic... We raised cattle and sheep in Lancaster County, PA... So it was almost always green, chilly, smelled like Amish pastries and we always had something fuzzy and cute for me to be BFFs with. Good life, if I do say so myself. Plus for a circa 1990/91 style lamb, this dude wasn't half bad! 

Anyway, starting next week I'm going to start highlighting other photogs, so watch out! I could be stalking down your pics as we speak!! (Said in the most non-creepy way possible)

Have a stellar weekend my friends!

Photo Friday... Saturday edition

A day late and a dollar short, but here's the second edition of photo Friday! I apologize for the delay. The coach and I are in Lubbock -well, Levelland actually. Coach is judging the Golden Spread with my fave bday buddy, Brady Ragland. I must say, it's been quite an impressive two days. Now if only there wasn't 150 steers left to show today... Or if only I had pages left in my book ... Or had remembered to bring my kindle... Then I might be a little more chipper. I find reading while the coach judges the best way to not be 'that' coach's wife who yells at her husband from the stands. I mean, he has to hear what he did wrong (in my most expert opinion) on the car ride home, so I might as well save him the public embarrassment. Anyway.... 

This week I felt the most appropriate photo would be one of our very own 'fluffy cows'.  Yup, I used it. Buzz phrase of the summer. Sorry I'm not sorry. It is what I'm gonna use as my muse this week... That and this pic is one of the only images I have saved on my phone (being on the road at random shows means making sacrifices - liking blogging via iPhone ). 

Sooo here we go- 

This is JoJo (don't you dare laugh- I did NOT name her) and her bull calf. It was taken about a month ago at the river place in bastrop. Back story- JoJo hates me. She is the only animal that has ever pinned me more than once. Unlike everyone else, I'm not the least bit scared of her and she hhhhaaates it. She's a b word. That being said, I laid on my belly in the grass for about 30 minutes just praying she'd move slower than I could... It wasn't my ribs I feared for- but if JoJo would have touched my camera her behind would have been on a trailer headed straight to the slaughter house... And then coach would have done the unthinkable... Been upset with me for the first time... Anyway, I love this shot, not just because this little guy is oh-so precious but because I rarely have time to actually shoot OUR cattle. Typically I'm running all over the southern US picturing/videoing - and when I do get the chance to be home there is always something to get done, leaving no time to just lay in the pasture with my camera, capturing our cows just being cows. But here I was lucky enough to get JoJo (coach's first heifer purchase since 'we' started) with her first calf. The flowers give a little extra pop of innocence, especially how they blur just perfectly and beautifully against my little man - even if he is sporting a nasty brown fluff. Fluffy cow or not, the shot means something to us, making it even more gorgeous.

There is nothing more fantastic than picturing cattle- especially like this. Coach may enjoy evaluating and raising cattle - as do I - but there is nothing I love more than to picture them. I sound corny- but if you really know me, you know this is true... And you know I'm unable to hide my corniness. Don't like it? My sweat! Just close this tab out on your browser and never come back (again said into wicked witch of the east coast voice.)

Well... I hoped this blog would take me a few more breeds to finish... Unfortunately, it did not. That's what you get for marrying a Rathmann... I fear our kids will inherit his long-winded-ish-ness (your mind in blown by that lame creation of a word, don't lie)... Like my dear friend T. Shack joked yesterday "your kids are going to give a set of reasons and the judge is going to ask them how long they thought they talked. He then is going to say to whatever response they give him 'well I watched half an episode of Friends sooo you might have gone a little toooo long'." I freaking love T Shack.

And that's all folks. Ps... I love the fact that #coachswife is trending on social media. I guess that means I should probably start blogging about something - anything - with some sort of substance, instead of just rambling... Eh, we'll see.