Category Archives: travel

Masterpiece

So far the count goes like this:
Three continents
Two islands
Ten apartments/rent houses/homes
Two homes owned and in a few weeks we will close on one more.

That’s a lot of moving folks, but most of the people I know have done twice
that!
That is also a lot of paint parties, scraping wallpaper off weekends, vinyl
letter placement afternoons, and stenciling/sponging nap times. And by a
lot, I mean years off my life ya’ll. Years!

A few months ago, I had the great pleasure of having my Mom and sister visit
for one last European jaunt. I had the guest room all set up with my tea
cups and an old German buffet, the wall a nice sunny yellow. As I’m doing
laundry, Mom comes in with the wall art that was hanging above the bed.
“What is THIS?” she asks me.
“Um, DUH, it’s a flower vase,” I say.
“Well, WHY is it hanging in your house? Cause really Staci, it’s the
ugliest thing ever! Why isn’t YOUR art hanging there?”
I will admit, it was pretty much just a piece of dollar store art. I was
just never down in the guest room much.
Honestly, upstairs my home was full of MY art. I truly believe that the
most beautiful thing in the world is my family. I believe the most
beautiful places on earth are the places we have visited together. And
having lived in all those houses and homes, the most beautiful one is the
one I’m living in now, cause we are together. (Even though we currently
have no furniture and are sleeping on a mattress on the floor. We have been
doing this for the last 3 months, but the end is in sight!) Don’t get me
wrong, I appreciate a great piece of art and there are a couple of Thomas
Kinkade’s in my storage unit ;)

When I walk into someone’s home, I don’t gravitate to the paintings, I head
straight for the portraits! It’s the smiles and the memories held in those
shots that tell me about you and your family. Nothing thrills my heart more
than to walk into a clients home and see a fabulous piece of portrait art
hanging on the wall! Yes, ART! Your family is YOUR greatest Masterpiece!
That masterpiece should be front and center!
Of course we will paint, and wallpaper, and stencil. Just make sure that
your masterpiece shines!

I love what Heather did with her images from our recent photo sessions.
A 24 x 36 canvas of her favorite! And another canvas with all the best from
the session.

Aren’t they just stunning! A timeless treasure of memories!

Now wait a sec! Don’t freak out! If you are unsure of which image or how
you would like to display it, just talk to me. I have ways to show you
exactly how your image will look, which size would be perfect, and what
placement would best suit the needs of your home and vision. We go over all
of this at your “view and choose” appointment.

Easy!

-S

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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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Summer

Summer…I just love that word.
Warm weather  (or warmer I should say.  What’s up with this 50 degree stuff?)
Lazy, carefree days
Flip-flops
All the yards and windows lined with beautiful flowers
Field of green
Picnics
Bike rides
Neighborhood bar-b-ques
Driving with the sunroof open, the radio blasting, and the wind in your hair
Park play dates
Dinner on the patio
Swimming pools
Parades
and don’t forget,  FIREWORKS!

The little man and I are not normally here (Germany) for the summer.  We always seem to take this time and share it with family in Texas.  Summer for us is a true vacation.  We play horseshoes and have popsicle eating contests.  We ride four-wheelers and measure who can slide the longest on the slip ‘n slide.  We watch Cartoon Network and shop at Wal-mart everyday!  We try and sneak in the kitchen while Mamaw is making her “Chocolate Chip Cake” so we can catch that secret ingredient she must put in there because her’s always turns out perfect and mine is a chocolate mush at the top.  We lay on one of Grannie Dot’s quilts at the 50 yard line of the High School football field and eat hotdogs while we are waiting for the fireworks show to start.  We sit in the Gazebo and look at magazines while drinking sweet tea and dream new design plans and solve the world’s problems.

These little Texas, boot clad feet are attached to the faces that I adore the most.  Their smiles and laugher, their stories and adventures are what make our summers so full of life and color.  And I will miss them this year.  Too much packing and planning and paper signing going on here.  Instead, we will be soaking up every last drop of summer we can squeeze out in this last month in Germany.

My heart will be in Texas though, doing all those things above.

-S

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

***Thanks for hanging with me during my blog hiatus.  You would think this was my first move with the military as my thoughts and actions seem to be so scattered.  Change is coming faster and harder than I expected.  It’s good change, great change, but it’s still change and I seem to be hanging on to the things I know with both hands.   My “fly by the seat of my pants” attitude has just flown out the window!

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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.

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Connections | KMC Family Portrait Photographer

Seems the last month or so my life has been all about connections!  Mostly Airline connections, and running through airports in my flip flops to make said connections.  (Hello Phili!  I hope to never connect through your fair city again!  LOL!)  I’ll be heading out again shortly to make a few more!

But the best “connection” I’ve made in the last month or so was with this family!  The last time I saw this sweet little girl, she was only a few days old and her family had just arrived in the KMC area!  Now they have started a new adventure, but we were able to connect for one last session before they left.

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