Cheep, Cheep

Found 'em! They were mixed in with some of the thousands of photographs I've taken over the last month.

Our little Front Door Dwellers hatched about 2-3 weeks ago. They started cheeping only at the end and they finally left the nest last Saturday. Now, you'd think these little baby birds were my own. I checked on them every day, shoved a giant camera in their little beaks every so often, looked out for their Mama on a regular basis... I was attached. So when these little babies left the nest, I gave Bobby a pouty lip and said I missed my babies. He gently reminded me that we have no real babies and that I need to evaluate my attachment to animals.

Anyway, these pictures were taken when the little guys were only a few days old. There were 4 total and we've determined that they are, in fact, Sparrows.

Au revoir, my little babies...Ahem...birdies.

It's hard to tell from this picture, but there are 4 birds in there! 2 stayed on top most of the time until they got bigger.



I made a whistling noise to get their attention. I guess they thought I was their Mama because they all woke up and opened their mouths. No noises yet... that didn't come until they were much older (you know, like a week).



There's another one to the right of the first bird!



....aaand this is what you'd see if you were to walk in my front door. It's a little creepy if you aren't expecting it. But this little guy would greet me every day when I'd come home from work. It was so cute!

Well, Shoot

Tap, tap... this thing on??

Ahem. It's me. Melissa. 'member me? Well, it's been a while, so I was just checking to see if you forgot. I've been scolded by many-a-follower that I need to update the Barrick Times. I've just been plain busy over here in our little abode, that I haven't had time to even get 8 hours of consecutive sleep in one day. Wedding season is upon MB Photography (which is now a LLC!), so my time and energy has been dedicated to that type of thing. I blogged for 2 weeks straight earlier this month. It's true.

Anyway, there isn't too much to report over here as we haven't had much time to do anything except edit and work on the basement.

What's that you say, basement? Yes, we're starting to finish our basement. Do I have pictures of that? Of course not. But I will. This weekend. Know why? I have no weddings this weekend.

Ok, so this will be rather picture-heavy as I promised my sister-in-law pictures of my sweet new niece who is now about 3 months old. Bad Aunt Buhlissa.

So here you go...and July will be much less stressful for me, so hopefully I can get some Mexico pictures up to show y'all.

Enjoy!

One of the trees in our back yard. It looked mysterious to me.

These little guys have been laid on our front door wreath! There are 4 little Sparrow eggs. This was about 3 weeks ago. They hatched last week! I took a bunch of pictures, but can't seem to locate them... hum... will post them once I find them!



I bit the bullet and bought a "Big Rose" from the highly coveted EmersonMade. I mainly wanted to buy one and see if I could make it. I haven't tried yet, but I'm gonna. They're super cute and I've worn it in my hair AND on my clothes. I swoon over all of their products and the fact that the couple is completely green and work/own their own farm.

I bit the bullet AGAIN and bought a brand spankin' new MacBook Pro! It's a business expense, of course :) It'll be the new work horse for MB Photography. I'm totally hooked on Apple products now, but I can't seem to find anything. It has a bit of a learning curve associated, but so far, I love!



And now for my precious little nieces! Bobby and I were in North Carolina in late May 1) for MB Photography's first destination wedding, and 2) to meet my new niece, Charlotte. She's a doll and so peaceful. I can't wait to see her again! Below are my other 2 neices: Mary Claire (left) and Ellie (right). While playing in their "secret garden," they "rescued" a box turtle and named him Franklin.



Hello, Franklin.



And for the new, sweet little morsel, Charlotte. Grandma Wise knit the hat and blanket! Charlotte was being our model.



{Organic} baby booties courtesy of Aunt Buhlissa (and courtesy of Etsy.com!).



Umm... I want to pinch these cheeks.







Baby yawn!

Well, that's all for now. I have a little, 3 week break from weddings here in July, but the weekends somehow already packed themselves. Hopefully I'll be updating more frequently here in the next few weeks!

Have a great week!

Peace Like a River

That hymn has been rolling in and out of my head over the past week.

I'd like to sit in the middle of this foggy field at dusk and meet with Jesus. In the midst of my first, full wedding season, I'm in need of a little peace right now. I drove past it this evening, turned around, and snapped a picture of my peace for this week.

What brings you peace?


"When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blessed assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul."

*I highly recommend downloading Chris Rice's version of this song.*

Three Wise Girls

I was a "Wise" once. I still am, I suppose...but not legally.

Now, there are three Wise girls. You know what the best part is? They're all southern. Bobby and I drove down to NC this weekend for some business and on our way back, we stopped in to meet my newest niece, Charlotte Grace. She is the sweetest, most calm baby I've ever met with the most delicious cheeks you ever did see! She's just learning how to smile and "coo," but she did a lot of practicing with her Aunt Buhlissa. Charlotte marks #10 total on the niece and nephew count for Bobby and me. I can't wait to watch this girl grow up!

The older two: Mary Claire (left) and Ellie (right). I think it's become a tradition that whenever MC, E and I get together, I french braid their hair. Just a little something that Aunt April passed down...

From Mexico with Love: Part 1

I made a full sprint off the plane. I didn't care so much about the 99% humidity, my toes just wanted to see the sand. My plan to make a mad dash to the resort was, of course, thwarted, due to customs and immigration. As soon as we walked through the doors at the Cancun airport, you were greeted by no less than 103893 people wanting to help you with your bags. Promptly after you passed the rush of anxious help, you arrived at the bar: "Welcome to Cancun!" it read above.

Vacation. Priceless.

We arrived at the resort (recommended by one of my dear friends, KT), in Playa Mujeres, Mexico, about 20 minutes North of Cancun. About .45 seconds after stepping out of the car, I was handed a glass of champagne and a COLD washcloth to wipe away the worries and stress we had left at home. After checking in, a man dressed like Steve Irwin on Safari took our luggage and escorted us to our room.

WOW. It was beautiful and nothing less than what we had expected. The resort was the same way...landscaping was flawless and our room was just beautiful.

Since I took tons of pictures during our stay, I'm going to have to blog in stages. The first Part will give you a glimpse of our resort and room...with any luck, you'll be booking your own trip to the Excellence Resort Playa Mujeres!

The breathtaking lobby in the hotel.

The other side of the lobby.



One of the resort buildings and pools (I think most of the resort grounds were pools).



One of the restaurants over the pool and the pool bar below.



I thought these would be amazingly comfortable...until I saw someone try to get in the hammock. I didn't want to embarrass myself too badly, so I never tried one out. Plus, where would I put my drink?!



Another pool... these chairs were packed during the day.



There was lots of charm, too! Many of the rooms had window boxes, which made me wish we had gone to Paris instead. I would have never gotten the tan I have in Paris.



...and our view from one of the restaurants! The water = amazing.



I cannot tell you how many pounds of salsa and guac Bobby and I went through in 5 days. They served it with chips every day before lunch and we definitely put a world of hurt on those puppies.



And now for our room tour... presenting, our room. A few notes: everything was very...open... including the shower and water closet (toilet area). Yes, you can see whoever is showering from the room. Not much privacy here! But it still was beautiful.



The jacuzzi tub. I have a severe distaste for bath tubs...let alone bath tubs that OTHER people have used before. It was left untouched, but would have had a nice view of the pool if we used it!



The bathroom... the shower had a waterfall shower head. I marched Bobby right up to Lowes when we got home to have him install one in our bathroom pronto.



The "living area." Complete with cold champagne when we first got there, and chocolate-covered strawberries at night during turn down service. Bobby and I now fight at night over who has to fetch the champagne and strawberries.



I took one look at this bad boy, drank a glass of the promotional champagne and passed out as soon as we got into our room. Bobby went to the gym. We seem to have our priorities well in check... it was fantastic until the Mexican sun came beating down on me around 4pm.



And lastly...our view from the room. We didn't use the chairs once, but we did frequent the pool. I cut a hibiscus from the plant every morning and wore it in my hair. My flower headband from J. Crew just wasn't cutting it.



Ahh, Mexico. As my tan fades, I wish more and more that we never had to leave. Part 2 coming up next: The Barrick's and Bachmann's do Isla de Mujeres. Watch out!