Oh, mommas... who doesn't love a freebie? Well I've got a fab one for you! If it's true that a picture speaks a thousand words, than I've got a mouthful. Atlanta-based Chikadeez Photography and Make Room for Style are partnering up for a contest in honor of Valentine's Day. What's at stake? A free 2-hour on-location photo session with Laura at Chikadeez Photography (a $150 value)...
If these beautiful photos don't make you smile, you just might need a pulse check. Chikadeez Photography serves the Greater Metro Atlanta Area and specializes in natural light photography. The photographer, Laura, specializes in family, children, and pet portraiture. Working with Laura is sure to be an experience to remember... one filled with laughter, goofiness, and stories to share with your family afterward! Who doesn't love goofiness?
So this 2-hour photo session is all about you and what you want to make of it! You'll have unlimited outfit changes within that time period. And mommas, please note this session is for the metro-Atlanta area only. Anyone is welcome to enter, but you'll need to make your way to Atlanta to claim your prize. So how do you enter?
Here's what to do. As a tie-in with Valentine's Day, we want to hear your greatest love story! It may be about your husband, your child, or even that bun in the oven... it's up to you. Give us your great love story and a winner will be chosen on Valentine's Day. Leave a comment on this post with your story. There's no minimum or maximum words here... this isn't a college essay. Just let your heart do the talking! Get those entries in by Friday, February 12th at 5pm EST to qualify.
Is that a fab deal or what? We think so. For those of you drooling over these photos, the good news is you don't have to wait. Chikadeez is offering $50 off a photo session fee when you mention Make Room for Style. Contact Laura and check out more of her amazing work at Chikadeez Photography.
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As a child when someone asked me what I wanted to be when I grow up I would say I wanted to be a mommy. Then I had ovarian cancer when I was 15 and lost one of my ovaries. I had multiple surgeries and lost 1/2 of the other one too. After that I never held hope that I would have a child of my own. I married my best friend in 2005. After a couple of years of marriage he talked me into just trying to have a child. But I had no hope. Then after 13 months something amazing happened--I was pregnant. I went through early pregnancy in a daze, not really believing I was going to be given such a gift. And then we found out it was a girl. A girl, how perfect!
Of course, pregnancy was not easy for me. Pregnancy-Induced Hypertension at 20 weeks. Preeclampsia and strict bed rest at 27 weeks. In and out of the hospital six times before I finally delivered at 37 weeks. My Preeclampsia turned into Eclampsia during delivery. But, she and I survived.
When I finally got to hold her in the recovery room and our eyes met for the first time, well, I was in love. An instant, powerful, would-give-my-life-for-her-in-a-second, kind of love. I've never experienced anything like it. And the most amazing thing is that this love has only grown bigger and bigger.
She turned a year old last week. Every day I feel more blessed to be her mother. What an amazing gift I have been given!
My love story began when I was freshman in college. One day a cute boy that I'd never met started talking to me outside of the dorm. He knew my name and that it was my birthday. I was a little put off that he knew so much but just went about my day. That evening I went to hang out with some friends and he was there! We were formally introduced and I learned his name. He asked if I wanted to go to a party that weekend and I told him he should call me and we could talk. I saw him a few days later in the dining hall and he asked if we were going to that party still this weekend. I said "oh, you didn't call so I might have plans, sorry!" By the time I got back to my room there was a message from him formally asking me out! Our first date was on Valentine's Day. We will be together for 13 years this year! :)
I have a love story. It was early evening on April 15th, 1997 and I was at the first day of evening classes at UGA. I sat next to a friend, Jeff, in class and just as class began a beautiful girl walks in wearing a grey UGA sweatshirt and black running shorts with tennis shoes. She was late to class and so she sat near the door. I remember mentioning to Jeff "Now there's a girl one could marry!", as a testament to her attractiveness and then thought nothing more of it. The second time the class met, it was in a different room. The new classroom was a semi-circle and had stadium seating with 2 entrances to the room and 2 rows of stairs leading up to the seats. As I entered the classroom through one door I noticed the same girl in the third row up on the left side -with an empty seat beside her I might add! There was also another guy coming in the other door and we both were heading for the stairs to the seats. In a moment that I will never forget as long as I live, I *KNEW* I was getting that seat! Although he was a little closer than I was to the stairs, I zipped up to him and politely said "excuse me" as though I didn't see him there when in reality I was just not letting him take that seat. I don't even know if he was going to sit there or if he noticed me flying up to cut in front of him but it didn't matter. He stopped and I stepped in front of him to take the seat. Over time, this girl and I got to know each other (it wasn't always easy getting her attention!), dated, and got married. Funny thing is, I wasn't looking for love right then, and I certainly didn't know that I would wind up married to her all these years later. What I frequently do wonder is what would have happened if I didn't step in front of that guy. I must have looked like a goof racing to that seat, and I know I have looked like a goof many times since then but I wouldn't trade it for the world. Sometimes you don't know why you're there; you just know that you need to go for something - so I did. I am married to the most beautiful woman on this earth whom I love with all of my heart and am SO glad and lucky that she loves me! The End. Sappy I know but I can't resist telling people about how we met. Some of you may know her, she is the author of this blog. Amanda, I love you!
P.S. I know this doesn’t count as an entry, but it is a great love story!
Haha, major brownie points for you, Scott. ;-)
Ding! Ding! Ding! XOXOXO
Once Upon a Time I have always loved fairy tales and romance novels. I love, love, love when the princess is swept off her feet by the knight in shining armour and they live happily ever after. There for a while, I didn't think it was ever going to happen to me. I wouldn't say I had given up, but I had decided that it was just a pipe dream and not reality. I was wrong.
When you are 34 and single, meeting prince charming is hard. There's no student center to hang out in. You can't just grab your empty backpack and head to the library to see what hot single guys are lurking there. Anyone who you would WANT to go out with is probably at work. Thank goodness for modern day technology. When I decided to try match.com, I had NO idea how successful it would be for me.
I decided to give it a try in the middle of October. Within 30 minutes of submitting my profile, I had received 50, that's right, 50, emails! I dated a lot in college, but I was never that popular!!!! Over the next 2 months, I went out with 23 different guys. I only had 1 bad experience, but I will save that for a different post. Most of the dates were OK, they were just not the guy for me.
Then, around the first part of December, I got an email from this hot, young, guy. He was quite funny in his messages. After a few emails back and forth, he asked me for my phone number. Let me just pause to say, after that bad experience, which happened on my very first date from match, I had developed a system, which I never deviated from. It went something like this - 2 or 3 emails. If I was interested, I would call them. From a blocked number. And talk for 30 minutes MAX, never any longer. If I decided they were worth meeting, I would meet them in a public place, you know, Starbucks, a resturant, somewhere with lots of people around. I had a friend give me a call within 15 minutes of meeting them to give me an excuse to leave if they turned out to be a serial killer (or maybe if I just didn't like them!) I considered this my "out". I only went out with 2 people more than once, and no one was ever invitited to come to my house.
Back to the hot, young guy. Apparantly, I had "winked" at him. A wink is just a little message match.com sends if you want to contact someone, but not actually email them. It's like a little wave, hey, look at me, kinda thing. I DO NOT REMEMBER doing this. I never winked at anyone. I only responded to emails, I never tried to contact anyone first. I was totally outside of his search criteria, and he was totally outside of my criteria. Then, I actually called him from my cell phone, not a blocked number. We talked for maybe 10 minutes. I thought it went OK, and we decided to meet up at Baker Peter's Jazz Club for a few drinks. I really don't drink that much, but for some reason, I had 3 Cosmopolitans that night and was a little typsy. I was quite talkative, but we had some good conversations. My "out" forgot to call me. Afterwards, he walked me to my car, asked if he could see me again and gave me a hug. When I left, I wasn't sure if he would ever call me again.
He texted me on Friday night and asked me out to dinner. I accepted, AND I gave him my address to pick me up. After we went out for sushi, I actually invited him in to watch a movie. By the way, he had some movies in his back seat, just in case, he was invited in. And, as they say, the rest is history. I broke all of my rules with him, and he turned out to be perfect. Personally, I think there was something greater at work and I will always be greatful to God for winking at him for me.
In college my friend always mentioned that she had a friend that I would just love. I finally met him at her 22nd birthday party and there was a spark! In my last semester of college he and I lived near each other and we would hang out. He would have a few cocktails and tell me he loved me and that I was the one. I on the other hand thought he was crazy! How could I be the one? We had only been out a few times!
He moved to Duluth mid semester and we stoped talking so much. Six months later I got my first big girl job and moved in with a friend- in Duluth. We would hang out every once in a while and he would still tell me I was the one...I finally had to stop returning his phone calls, I was sure he was crazy!
The first UGA home game of 2004 was against Georgia Southern, I will always remember that. The guy I liked was SO mean to me while we were tailgating and my friend told me that Chad was having a party that night. Well, he loved me, I knew that so I knew he would make me feel better! When we got to his house he didn't show me very much attention- he was dating other people and not sitting around waiting on me? NO WAY!
Well, the next week we hung out and then the rest is history! 10 months later he popped the question and then we were married 10 months after that.
We have been married for almost 4 years and I can't remember my life before him. He makes me laugh, smile when I am sad and more mad than anyone in the entire world. I wouldn't have it any other way!
I guess he was right all along, I was the one!
Talk about FATE. I met my husband at Walmart- in the parking lot- in my workout clothes. I actually was walking out of the store, minding my own business when I saw a "somewhat cute" boy looking my direction. I made some off hand comment about his collegiate flags hanging from his car and we ended up standing in the lot for 2 hours talking. We have been together ever since that September 26, 2006 night. 9 months after we met we were engaged,1 year and 1 month after we were engaged we were married, a year and half later, here we are. I will always love him more everyday. We call it "fate."
My love story is still new -- we had our first date four and a half months ago. But we've been through a lot in those few months, and he's proved himself to be a keeper! After only two dates (admittedly, great dates), I broke my ankle. Surgery, hardware, a walker, no driving for 9 weeks, the works. After 2 dates, most guys would say "Call me when you're walking again," but he did not. Instead, he checked on me every day, brought over takeout and a movie for our third date, and was incredibly encouraging. For my first trip out after surgery, he took me to the park to look at the changing leaves, since I felt I was missing out on fall in the hospital. He never acted as though it was unusual to be dating a girl with a walker! He was just his funny, sweet, helpful self. He even drove me to two job interviews while I was still unable to drive myself (I got offered both jobs, btw.) In a way, the broken ankle was a blessing, because it showed me early on his truly kind and thoughtful nature. And we're still getting along fabulously even though I am walking fine now! I just got an incredibly sweet Valentine card from him. He is a great guy and I hope this is "love."
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