Ruthie Brothers Morris. But to me she was just grandma. I have known this amazing woman my entire life, and yet feel like I have learned the most about her in the little time before her passing.
I guess it’s not so uncommon for a grandchild to know little about the years before they were called grandma. After all, to me as a child, she was love, fun, and let’s face it spoiled me. That really is all a child a needs to know to feel a connection to a grandma.
As I sat with her one day, my sister and I joked and tried to do things to make her comfortable. Never one to let her sense of humor go, my grandma blurted out in comment about a nurse “she’d better watch it! When I get better she’ll be sorry!” We all laughed, and for a half a second we all forgot she was as sick as she was. Maybe she could get better. She had beat cancer before… But as half seconds tend to do, that thought didn’t last long and we all were hit with a silent realization that that moment wouldn’t be coming.
It’s been hard to think of the day that I wouldn’t be able to see her face or kiss her cheek, and even harder when I sat back one day and had the thought that being a selfish grandchild who took for granted the time to get to know her as someone other than my grandma has left me without really knowing her at all.
But then I realized, that knowing her as my grandma was actually greater than knowing her as “ruthie”. Because she was in fact MY grandma and that allowed me to know her in a different way.
She will forever be my reminder when a breeze carries the scent of white shoulders past me. She will always be the woman who has an unwavering passion for the color red, collected teapots, and could make just about anything from a ball of yarn. The only person who I ever allowed to kiss me on the lips as an adolescent, mainly because she wouldn’t have it any other way. She didn’t get any competition until my teenage years. The only person that I would dress up as Rudolph the reindeer for as a teenager to walk the floor of her job at jcpenney. No one else could have gotten me in that thing, but all she had to do was ask. She was my grandma. She was sassy and fun with s great sense of humor, yet I can never recall a single time of anger. She balanced my grandpa out perfectly, and while I don’t think he would like to think of it, I am pretty sure she let him win a handful of times at rummikub and cards just because she knew how much he loved to win. His gloats were always met with her gracious acceptance of being the one who lost.
I can still hear her voice in my head and even after a week of her passing it sounds so real it doesn’t seem possible that she’s gone. I’ve spent hours looking through photos for the funeral and each time I stare at her happy smile I feel like she is still here. I’m not sure how tomorrow will be at the funeral, and if reality is going to finally hit me like a ton of bricks but for now I find comfort in her smile and the replay of her voice in my head. I hope I don’t ever forget what that sounds like.
I know that I will see her again. Its a hard goodbye, and even though it will seem like a long time before I get that chance to see her again, I know she will still be with me and my family. I am so grateful to have had her as my grandma. Her love, her laughter and the memories I have will be cherished. I love you grandma. Until we meet again

My sweet babies with their great grandma…

This one melts my heart each time. My baby girl giving kisses. Everytime she sees this picture she yells out “Grandma! I give Grandma kisses!” It’s those moments that my heart breaks a little bit. They were just getting to really know her…

BUT, what about when you have a lot of the stuff that you normally would register for? Or will be living abroad or in a studio apartment and don’t have a ton of room? They are pretty common scenario’s that leave couples with mounds of unopened gifts they don’t have space for, duplicates or the daunting task of returning items in return for gift cards.

A recent trend has been to register for your honeymoon. Another genius idea. All that money spent on the wedding, and sometimes the honeymoon takes a backseat. So let your friends and family help out as a gift.

Well, I am going to do one better. Wedding Photography Registry. Yup. It’s here, and it’s the MOST genius. (What, I am not biased) I recently paired up with an amazing company Ciderr that allows you to register for your wedding photography with me. Now, you can spend a little extra on the dress, the dinner or the decor and not sacrifice getting the only thing that will still be around the day AFTER the wedding. The photos. All that work and attention to detail needs to be captured in a way that is worthy of the time and effort put into your amazing day. Yet, often getting a quality photographer can sometimes be where couples want to save on the budget. Well, now you can do both. You can have an amazing photographer (cough*) and still have extra money to spend. It works like this…

You can register for all the photography, part of the photography or individual items. It’s up to you. People can make flat payments toward the total or purchase individual items for you like an extra album, an engagement session, digital negatives…whatever! It’s really that simple. It lets you know what guests paid for what as well so you can send them a proper thank you. Like I said. Genius.

If your photography budget is a concern, but still are interested in having me as your photographer be sure to ask me about the registry! You don’t have to have one or the other! Happy Monday!

This inspiration board makes me happy. No seriously. There is something so cheery and fun about it, but still classy. It literally makes me happy looking at it.

How amazing is this blush ruffled dress? It’s from Watters and it makes me giddy!

You have to click here to view the rest of this wedding “Bicycle Built for Two” by Amorology Weddings. It’s the cutest. SO Spring!

And this right here? Love. Am I the only one who wants to have dinner like this every night? Of course someone else would have to cook…

The easy laughter and connection they share is obvious within seconds of meeting them. It’s contagious. By the end I was wanting to set up dinner dates and girls nights. They are also the sweetest people you have ever met. Southern hospitality isn’t just a legend…

They might be Californians now, but their hearts are back home in Arkansas. Ashley and Chad wanted to showcase that during their shoot. Check out Ashley’s treasured Arkansas necklace. With of course a heart right in the middle of it. If that doesn’t sum up these two I don’t know what does.

The yummy light and effortless love and personality made my heart skip a beat every time I looked through my camera. ( Yes, I get that excited about my photography) Not to mention they are totally adorable.

Ashley and Chad, you were so much fun to be with and an awesome couple to boot!  I feel so honored to be your photographer, and share this special day with you not only because it is what I love to do, but because I have grown attached to you two already! This is one of the many perks of doing what I do, I get the opportunity to meet amazing people like you, when I normally would have never had the chance. I can’t wait for your September wedding and I am looking forward to meeting all the wonderful people who have helped shape the two of you into the people you are today!