Tag Archives: engagement

ANDREW AND MELINA | IN LOVE

I remember what it’s like to count down sleeps. In fact I still do it. Incessantly. If there’s anything I’m good at it’s anticipation – I’ll find anything to count down to.  I’m guessing I was incredibly annoying whilst pregnant, declaring each and every day how many I had left until the big B-Day.  And I know I drove my workmates mad once we’d settled on a date for our wedding.  They stood no chance of ever forgetting when it was. Right now I’m counting down how many sleeps until Melina and Andrew get married. It’s 10, in case you’re wondering. Tomorrow’s the big day that it drops down to the single-digit countdown, and I’m so excited for them.
I guess I’m more excited for Melina, because I’ve known her longer.  And because, as a woman, I know that every single one of us dreams of this day from the moment we can say ‘wedding’, whether we like to admit it or not.  It’s a big deal.  And when it’s *this* close to transitioning from a dream to reality it almost becomes unreal.  Even now I can feel my heart beating double-time, somewhere just beneath my throat, as I think back and remember just how it felt.  The excitement, the nerves, the pressure of getting everything done on time, the anxiousness, and the promise of a lifetime shared with the boy that stole your heart.  Melina will probably be feeling these things too, though you’d never know, coz she’s cool as a cucumber.  She has the unwavering knowledge that Andrew is the man for her, that this day is meant to be, and that it will be blessed. And I’m sure it will be also, along with their new lives together as man and wife.  I can’t speak for how Andrew feels, as men are unfathomable creatures, but I believe he’s probably counting down the sleeps too.  I mean, he’s marrying Melina. The girl that stole his heart.

I can’t wait to shoot their wedding – their blessed and very special day.  And if I know Melina at all it’s going to be a tonne of fun, just like we had at their recent engagement session.
And if they look this gorgeous on just an ordinary day, how out of this world beautiful are they going to look in 10 days time.

And because they’re such a crazy good looking couple, I’m now going to bombard you with some of the photographs from their engagement session. I took lots. And then some more. My camera just adores them, and is very much looking forward to capturing the sweet and wonderful moments of their wedding.

Ten short days.  An eternity together. 

See you on the big day, guys. Enjoy the aniticipation. I know I will.

Narrelle  x
{ Engagement Photography Melbourne }

View full post »

Me, and facelifts.

If I have one pet peeve, one that’s bound to push me to the limits faster than the rest of my pet peeves put together, it’s people telling me I look tired.  I think it’s a given most days, with young children, that I’m going to look a little worn out around the edges.  But if I’m that tired, physically, that it’s etched itself into the lines of my face for everyone to see, I’d be pretty sure that I’m already aware of the fact.  I don’t need random strangers bringing it to my attention, as if I need to be made aware of just how little sleep I had the night before, or how cranky I’m feeling.  And if, by chance, I’m not actually feeling tired the surest way to change that is tell me I look tired. It’s like letting the air out of a balloon – buoyant to flat in two sharp seconds. Pfffffftttttttttttt. Thud.

I confess that my attitude on any given day is ruled by whether I’m having a good hair day or a bad hair day. Or just how black the bags are under my eyes.  If I feel good about how I look, then my day generally gets off to a good start.  I’ve always stated that if I were to have one plastic surgery procedure done it would be an eye-lift, and whatever it does that smooths out the permanent pouches.  If they were that bad. Which they’re not.  Point is if they ever got that bad that looking at them every morning would cloud my mood then I would do something about it.  I’m all for feeling good about myself.

That leads me to the real reason for this post. Well the other real reason, now that I have that confession off my chest.  I’ve been organising a facelift, of sorts.  Not for me, physically, but for my business.  It’s a bit like my baggy eye phobia.  I’ve been looking at my blogsite, and my logo, and marketing materials etc lately and they haven’t been exciting me.  In a way they make me feel tired. Not because I am tired but because the image of how I think I should look and how I actually do look don’t quite match. Still with me? I feel fresh, and vibrant, and joyful, but then I look at myself (my ‘stuff’) and I don’t quite feel it.  It affects my mood and how I run my business.  So I’m doing something about it.  I’m removing those bags, and getting myself a facelift. 

I’m not quite ready to reveal myself just yet, there’s a couple of nips and tucks to be done. But not many.  And I don’t even have any bruising.  I’m tellin ya – I got myself a pretty good ‘surgeon’ and she’s done an awesome job!  But one day soon you’ll pop around to see me and won’t quite recognise me.  I’ll be the same, but different.  Better. Fresher. And more like the real me.  I can’t wait for you to see.

And whilst I didn’t take this photograph for this purpose, it speaks to me of where I’m currently at. Good times ahead.

Good times ahead

Narrelle x

{ Melbourne Portrait Photographer }

View full post »

McHappiness

Happiness is…. why a Happy Meal, of course.
I have to admit – McDonalds is BRILLIANT at marketing.  All of you out there with kids older than mine are nodding your heads and wondering why it took me so long to figure this out.  Alicia-Rae, who is not yet two, only has to catch a glimpse of those golden coloured arches and she’s yelling at the top of her beautiful lungs, “Donnells!!!”. And Jaedon’s the same, within the first nano-second of their television advertisements. It’s little wonder us parents don’t stand a chance.
My parents had it MUCH easier. I grew up in Tasmania and, I kid you not, we didn’t have a McDonalds in our city until I was 19. Seriously!. So, yes, you all have permission to let the Tasmania jokes roll now and, for once, I’ll let you get away with it (I’ll probably even join in).  I’m not sure I even set foot in one of their buildings up to that point either.  This was before the days of budget airlines, when Ansett was still TAA (gasp – am I that old), and a trip across the Tasman via air or sea would set us back a small fortune.  So we certainly didn’t frequent the ‘mainland’ just to get our hands on a Big Mac.
I was a bit of a laughing stock sharing this example with friends last night, but it made me wonder what our kids will think when one day they realise their mummy is older than McDonalds. That she was here before the internet, before cable TV, wii, digital cameras, central locking, cordless or mobile phones, CDs and DVDs and automobiles.  Ok, I’m kidding about the last one but, seriously, how old am I going to feel when an angelic little voice says to me, “mummy, back in the olden days, you know… before i-pods were invented…”.  Maybe it’s nature’s way of exacting revenge.  I know for certain my mum will smile when she reads this.  I’m sure I made her feel as if she was there when they built the pyramids, on more than one occasion.
It’s scary how much the world has changed in the last 10 – 15 years.  And do these things really make us happier (I vote yes to the internet).  And I guess I vote yes to McDonalds. Not because of their Double Quarter Pounders with Cheese, or their Caramel Sundaes, or even their Hot Apple Pies. But because they make my kids happy. At the end of a day, filled with all the fun things they can list, a trip to McDonalds just tops it all off.  And it makes me feel like the bestest, most fun mum in the whole wide world.  Even if it only lasts until the last of the fries is polished off.


{ Children’s Photographer Melbourne }

View full post »

All Better

Finally.
The kids are smiling again, back to sleeping through the night ok, and I’m not feeling so much like I’ve been hit by a truck.
It’s been a long 4 weeks.  Hopefully that’s all the sickness for this year over in one hit.

It’s also been a bit quiet here on my blog as I’ve been taking a bit of time out to work on a few new ideas, and to re-evaluate where I want the business to head.  This will probably be an ongoing project for a few months but I’m excited with the way it’s developing so far.

I’ve also had Bolivia on my mind a bit lately.  Yes, the country. Or, more so, the children that live there.  It may seem a weird thing to be thinking about to some of you. Others will understand . As I gather my thoughts over the next week or so I’ll attempt to share why.  It’s something I feel gnawing away at me, and I almost feel burdened to talk about it, though I’m not quite sure what I’d say at this point. So stay tuned.  :)

And before I sign off, here’s a shot each of Alicia-Rae and Jaedon, healthy and happy again. It makes my heart sing to see their beautiful faces lit up with a smile.

 

{ Childrens Photographer Melbourne }

View full post »

I’m twittering!

Yep. I’ve decided to see what all the fuss is about. I mean, how else do I keep up with how Jon is feeling after breaking up with Jen.  :)

I’m not the most technolically gifted, so I haven’t yet figured out how to integrate it into my blog in a cool, attention grabbing kind of way that makes you look at it and think, ‘Wow – that looks fab!” so for the time being my updates are at the top of the page, in the welcome section. 

Go ahead. Follow me. You know you want to. 

And just because I can’t post without adding a photo or two, and this will show you just how much I need to add pictures, here are the couple of self-portraits from my 52 Pieces of Me challenge that I’m doing this year, that I’ve missed adding along the way.  You’ll also see one of them as my new provile pic.

Week 10

Week 11

I promise you – I don’t have a love for taking my own photograph. I actually hate seeing my face plastered on the screen here. Or anywhere for that matter.  But it’s been good for me.  It’s teaching me a lot about being comfortable in my own skin, which I’ve never been great at. So if you notice that I haven’t posted any for a few weeks, give me a nudge.  It’s probably just me feeling too silly and embarrased to post them, which is what I’m trying to overcome. And if you have any ideas for a portrait or two, feel free to let me know.  I need all the encouragement I can get to keep going.

Nx

View full post »

F A C E B O O K