Mango Street Photography

it’s official. this christmas has been the most wonderful one yet. i wish i could tell you every story from the holidays this year, but the good thing about being a photographer? i can share it in picture form:

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making sure the lights work before putting them on the tree.

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the finished product~

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andrew’s mom baked at least 4 different dessert goodies for us to enjoy. they tasted as good as they look!

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christmas eve. gathering around the family piano as my grandmother plays traditional christmas carols.

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i grew up hearing my grandmother play on this piano, and it has since moved to georgia  as they are transitioning into a new home. it was a joy to hear her sitting at her old piano again.

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laughing about something.

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another highlight of christmas eve. my grandparents sang a hilarious old folk song that had us all cracking up. in short, it was a 2 part song: the guy trying to get the girl to marry him and the girl playing hard to get. so cute to hear from this fun couple who has been married for 56 years!

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did i mention how funny it was?

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even they couldn’t hold in the laughter by the end of the song…

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my in-laws house is PERFECT at Christmas.

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(one of ) our christmas tradition is to serve a pancake breakfast to our families on Christmas morning. this year, santa had brought these fun pancake molds (snowman, santa, and rudolph!).

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dress code for Christmas morning is pajamas. notice my grandmother’s coordinating star in her hair that she made.

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kate’s been waiting for this gift for some time.

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transition to christmas afternoon…a couple of the men playing darts.

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i am so thankful for each person in our family.

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i hope everyone had a wonderful time with family and loved ones this season. i am looking forward to the coming year!

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…wishes you and yours a very merry christmas.

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that teachers stress more over exam week than students.

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check back in a week.

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because of the thanksgiving holidays (and unused vacation days!), andrew had tuesday through friday off last week! before the craziness of the family gatherings started, we decided to take a “date” day and spend the afternoon downtown. andrew had done some research and surprised me by taking me to lumiere gallery, a free gallery near peachtree that soley focuses on photography. their current collection features the work of bernice abbott, an amazing photographer from the early 1900s. it was so inspiring to see her work and dream about ways i desire to use my camera.

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afterwards, andrew offered to let me take pictures to my hearts content. we spent the next little bit exploring areas of downtown and pausing to take some photos. it was during those moments that i was overwhelmed almost with how much i have to be thankful for. as we took these photos i wanted to capture the love of my husband and my heart of thankfulness for him and the way he cares for me. i am blessed beyond words…

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these next few were taken from the alley behind the gallery.

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the rest are from a spot on peachtree that i love because it reminds me of savannah and it looks different from anything else in atlanta.

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when andrew picks up the camera, something cool usually follows.

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and when i pick up the camera….:)

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what a wonderful world.

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