My new Eiffel Tower

Category Archives: around town

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

My new Eiffel Tower

When I walked outside and there were boxes scattered all over the drive way, it became real. I just sat on the one little step that led into the doorway and watched, as what felt like our whole life, packed into moving crates and trucks. I remember thinking, “Well, this is it! The end of the awesome.” Inside my head, a little movie was playing in which it was pouring down rain and I was in the middle of the street on my knees with my hands clutched to my heart, screaming NO towards the heavens. Yes, it was just like that.

Over the course of the next week several amazing things happened, (including a ride back to the States in First Class) in which God was trying to show me that it was just the beginning of the awesome, not the end. I was blind, people. Blind! I was pouting in the corner going through a mental check list of cities that I would never see again. No longer could I hop on the train and be in Paris under the Eiffel Tower in less than three hours. The little movie inside my head was now taking place in front of the Louvre.

We landed in America on a Monday morning, and by Monday afternoon as we were driving through D.C. I was totally over it. I’m not sure if it was driving past the mall that did it, or the second Bed, Bath and Beyond. All three of us were just randomly shouting out restaurants and shops as we drove past them. Oh yes, we have arrived and here to stimulate the economy.

If you know me at all, you know that I’m the most patriotic person ever. (Yes, the house we are building is actually gonna be Red, White, and Blue and I’m totally thrilled by that fact! Plus we get fireworks here every weekend during baseball season, and that alone is enough to plant me here and I may never ever leave.) So to be in the Washington D.C. area is actually a dream come true. A dream I didn’t even know I had.

I have a new Eiffel Tower. This one is closer, and means a lot more to me. Oh sure, I’m gonna miss the old one, but not that much.

-S

**word art by Paislee Press**

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Friday, September 21, 2012

We are OPEN!!

Here we GO!
Simply Taken Portraits is open! Open in Maryland (that’s in the U.S. of A. Ya’ll!) and serving the Washington D.C./Metro area!
To say that we are excited is beyond an understatement! (More on that later, cause we are in the U.S. of A. Y’all!!)
We have lots of exciting things planned for the next several months including a website update, new blog design, more video fusion, and sweet fall mini sessions with the beautiful fall foliage of Maryland (cause we are in the U.S. of A. Ya’ll!)
We have a new contact number which is: 301-266-1570
and in cause you didn’t know, I LOVE to talk, so give me a call!

Thanks everyone for your patience as we made the biggest move ever across the water to a whole new country. We still have a few months before we are in the house, but we are settled in and soaking up every second of this beautiful area surrounded by friends, family and new neighbors! We feel truly blessed and know we are in the exact place that God wants us to be.
Can’t wait to meet some new faces and catch up with a few past clients.

Right before we left Germany, I had one last session with some very dear friends. Donna snapped a few of these pics of me “doing what I do” and I just laughed when I saw them. Cause that is totally ME!
Flip flops, holes in my pants, sun glasses on my head.

Here is what I was shooting at the time.

I’ll have more from this session in the next couple of days.
Until then, why don’t you book a session before October 1st, and I’ll give you an extra $25.00 print credit!

-S

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Friday, July 20, 2012

Texture

I had no idea what I was getting into. Seven years ago, when I stepped off that plane. I had no idea.
I honestly thought that I was moving to Hawaii. I don’t know why, I mean, Hawaii was never in any conversation. For eight months I was in total denial, and just pretended that I wasn’t moving at all. There were lots of complications with orders and what not’s, so it was pretty easy to just pretend that it wasn’t happening. Then one rainy morning, five Japanese men showed up at the apartment and within three hours my whole life was packed away in crates headed across the world. When I say I was in denial, I mean that I didn’t even have a suitcase packed or the dishes washed when the packers arrived. Nothing.
I really didn’t even know where Germany was in relation to any other country except France. I just knew that it wasn’t Okinawa. There was no beach out my window and Lord help us all, it was gonna snow in the winter!
Yes, I had no idea.
I remember being in the car on my first drive into the area and I just looked over at my husband and said, “Is THIS Germany?”
I had no idea that the landscape would be a patchwork of fields and color. Little villages would be nestled in the valley’s and perched on the hill tops. Rows and rows and rows of grapevines would be scattered up the cliffs by beautiful rivers. I had no idea that the leaves would change and really make the mountain look as if it were on fire. The most beautiful sight would be my own little village covered in white with smoke rising out of the chimney tops like something from a storybook.
Wheat fields, old barns, tractors, dark woods, curvy roads…all woven together to create this texture.
The old with the new. The hard with the soft. The light with the dark.

-S

**This post is part of a circle of friends and other military photographers from around the world sharing their thoughts on the “texture.” Please click to follow Amy next!

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Saturday, March 24, 2012

Boudoir Marathon | KMC Portrait Photographer

Just had a spot open up for the Boudoir Marathon that will be held next week, March 29-30. The setting is a super swanky hotel in Downtown K-town with lots of modern touches.

If you have been thinking of a Boudoir session this is the perfect time! It’s the perfect chance to pamper yourself and I promise when you leave you will feel like a million bucks!

Contact me for more details!

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Wednesday, December 28, 2011

The Story

A couple of days ago, I posted a picture to my personal Facebook account. I’ve gotten a few questions about it, so I thought I would share the story here.

Several years ago, my little family took a trip to Rome. As we were touring the streets, we came across a fence lined with locks and on these locks were names and dates. I was totally intrigued so asked our tour guide what the deal was. He said that people get married at the church around the corner and then come and put a lock with the date on the fence just outside the church. He waived his hand as if to dismiss the whole idea as a little childish, but I was thrilled! HOW NEAT!

Over the years, I’ve been on a search for more of these “locks” and I’ve seen a few scattered at various places. Mostly just a couple here and there and even some being cut off of a famous tower in Florence. We were going to search out the “lock bridge” while in Prague, but never got around to it.

Earlier this month, my family took a little trip to Cologne to visit the Christmas Market. As we are getting ready to leave the next day, my hubby says that he wanted to stop by the “lock bridge” on the way out.

WHAT?!! There is a lock bridge?! Oh, how awesome!

Off we go, and find parking pretty easily. This my friends, is the ULTIMATE lock bridge. And by Ultimate, I mean most awesome, fantastic, biggest, longest, billions of locks, I’ve EVER seen. It seriously took my breath.

So I’m going a little “snap happy” taking tons of shots of the different locks that I think are pretty neat. Old ones, new ones, fancy ones, plain ones.

My hubby taps me on the shoulder and says, “Hey Staci, look at this one.” I turn and in his hands is a lock with two keys.
I can tell you for a fact that right at that moment, my heart melted and rolled right out onto that bridge.

So not only did I get to see the best “lock bridge” in the world, but my love is locked on there as well.
He is the most amazing man, and totally “gets” me. I have been blessed.
And if you decide to visit the bridge in Cologne, please don’t step in my heart. I was so happy, I didn’t even reach down and scoop it up.