I’m so excited to announce the Above and Beyond blog by Debi Chapman.  I photographed Debi for her blog last month because as she put it, “I realized the most recent picture I had of myself alone was taken by the Department of Public Safety…before that, it was my bridal portrait.”  I’m so excited to read her blog so I wanted to share it with you too.

Sometime about a year after Shep was born, it suddenly occurred to us.  This feeling of power and authority swept into our lives as we all of a sudden realized, “Hey, we could actually plan when we’re going to have our next kid!”  This was a new and novel concept for the Dreyers.  You see, back when we found out that I was pregnant with Shep, we were dazed and confused.  We’re still not sure exactly how our contraception plan went awry, but we’re certainly glad that it did!  Now Shepherd is almost two years old and he’s the best little guy we could’ve ever dreamed up for ourselves.  We love being parents!

It took a while after the whole pregnancy, labor, c-section, recovery, stretch marks, losing weight, forgetting what sleep is, remember what sleep is, series of events before we could even think about possibly starting that process all over again.  But we are proud to announce that we have indeed begun that very process for the second time.

Dreyer Baby #2 is due on March 6th, 2010.

So in case you have been wondering why I took a two-week hiatus from blogging, and haven’t rushed to show you my vacation photos, it’s because I’ve been so tired!  I usually blog in the later afternoon while Shep is napping.  Lately however, by the time 3:00 rolls around, I’m totally and completely spent and can’t even think about doing anything but laying on the couch pretending to watch television but really falling asleep.

So stay tuned because in addition to photography, you’re about to get Beth’s pregnancy blog round two!

This picture was taken by my mother in law Helena, who I will say was definitely the first non-photographer to pick up my camera and it’s 70-200mm lens with no fear!  Way to go!

I’ve decided to start sending the occasional newsletter to anyone who is interested.  It will inform about any deals or promotions I’m offering, contests I host, new products I’m offering as well as give the occasional photography tips!  If you’re interested, just sign up here!  Tomorrow I leave for Colorado to shoot Desiree and Aaron’s wedding, so I  won’t be blogging or returning emails Thursday and Friday, but I’ll be back in the office on Monday!

I think today might be the first time that I’m looking forward to working out today for Excercise Friday without dread of how I’m going to feel tomorrow.  Yes!  While I’m waiting for Ashley to get here to work out with me I’m going to share some ‘new’ stuff that’s going on in my life.

Workout: 30 Day Shred Level TWO!  Yesterday I decided I was ready to bump up my workout to level 2 of the 30 Day Shred.  Miraculously, Level 1 was starting to feel like less of a challenge, so I tentatively put on Level 2.  It was rough and I had sweat pouring out of me like there was no tomorrow, but I finished the whole workout, and there was only one set that I couldn’t do with my weights!  Yeah!  This whole working out consistently business really does work!

Transportation: DART.  Ok this hasn’t happened yet, but Jake and I are planning on taking the DART rail tomorrow evening to go down to an arts festival downtown.  I have lived in Dallas my entire life minus four years and I’ve NEVER used the DART system that I can remember.  Kinda embarrassing…  So I’m super excited to try it.  We’re going to go park at a station in Plano and then take it downtown.  Fun!  For those of you who use public transportation all the time, I’m sorry, try not to roll your eyes at me too much =)

Potty: This week I bought Shep his very own potty.  Scary!!!  The idea of potty training intimidates me just a bit.  He’s not quite ready to really start actively training yet, but I got the potty so he can start getting used to the idea of his own potty.  He loves it, and he’s so proud of himself when he sits on it.  My baby is getting so big!!!  I saw a picture that Skylar had posted of Shep and I together and I thought, “Holy cow, how can I be old enough to have a child that old??”  Anyway, I welcome any potty training advice!

Happy Friday!

Movies: This week we are trying to introduce new movies into Shep’s repertoire because literally we watch Wall-e every single day.  Now don’t get me wrong, I love Wall-e, but I wouldn’t mind a little Jungle Book thrown in every once in a while ya know?  So this morning we put on Peter Pan and he liked it.  Watched it kindly secretly thinking in his little baby heart, “Don’t worry, Wall-e, you’ll always have the #1 spot in my heart.”  This afternoon, he tripped and had a rough fall and while he was crying he goes, “Waaaaaa-weeeee!”  So what did his daddy do?  Put on Wall-e of course.  So instead of one full length animated movie today, it’s going to be a double header.

Lens: I finally got my new 70-200 2.8 IS lens in the mail last Tuesday!  I was seriously watching my UPS tracking like a hawk.  I even signed up for more thorough tracking.  On Tuesday their automated caller called me to say that my package was coming sometime that day.  I sat at home and canceled all my plans for the day and waited.  And waited.  Waited some more.  The automated cally-thingy said that it would be there by 7!!!  Seven came and went.  People came over for small group.  I was jumping at every sound coming from outside that might possibly just maybe be the UPS truck.  Finally, around 8:00 the door bell rang.  I ran to the door squeeling like a kid at Christmas.  I smiled my biggest smile and told the UPS guy how happy I was to see him.  He wasn’t quite as happy to see me, but whatever, his loss.  Here is a picture I took at Lydia’s graduation the other night using both the zoominess and the image stabilization of my new baby.  Straight out of the camera -

Software: Aperature.  I am in luuuuuuv!  I downloaded the 30 day trial after listening to Sara France talk about Aperature on the Camera Dojo podcast.  After listening to her talk about how Appley thorough and integrated it was, I was pretty sold.  Then once I got into my trial I was really sold.  I bought the license asap when my trial ran out!!  Apple also has some excellent tutorial videos on their website as well.  As I’m learning more and more of the things it does and the ways it integrates with the rest of my Apple software I’m falling even deeper in love.  It’s like when Jake and I are going on in our happy little life and then he does something even more amazing than usual for me (besides cook dinner every night and work three jobs) like the time he my Gipsy Kings tickets and I’m like, “Man I’m in love with you!”  It’s kinda like that.  Aperature is saving me sooooooo much time.  Mackenzie’s bridals were on Saturday and I already had them completely edited by yesterday afternoon!  Usually that would’ve taken me about a week and a half.  Yay for a more efficient workflow!!!!!

Cup: Starbucks Cold Cup.  I cannot tell you how much I wanted one of these when my mom first showed up with one months ago.  It was genius!!!!  I would always carry the disposable ones they give you with your cold drinks around in my car forever and eventually of course they’d wear out or someone would throw it away.  For some reason when these hard plastic cups first came out, Starbucks waaaaaay underestimated how popular they’d be and they sold out in about .5 seconds.  Then they were all cloak and dagger about when they were going to distribute more of them.  Playing with my heart!!  I was soooo jealous of my mom’s!  She would hop in my car with her reusable cup full of iced tea (that doesn’t sweat because it’s a double cup!) with it’s nice screw on lid and straw and I’d look down at my semi reusable styrophoam cup with no lid and no straw and sigh.  Well they finally are making a bit of a comeback and I found a store that had one last grande sized cup, so I snatched it up!  Looooove!  It’s so great!  I can fill it up with ice water or iced tea and set it on my desk with no fear of a ring!  I can bring it in my car and not worry about it spilling.  I can bring it back inside without worrying if someone will throw it away.  Wonderful!

Yardwork: Right now we’re trying really hard not to be those neighbors with the icky yard.  Trying.  We’ve never been fully responsible for landscaping before!  Who knew it was so much work?  I really wanted to go completely chemical free in our yard, but I think I’m going to break down and get some Roundup for our beds because they are ALL weeds!

I need to come up with a better name for these posts, seriously.  “New” is so unoriginal!  I welcome suggestions!  If you have a good name for these posts, let me know =)

Tan: I know I know, you keep hearing me talk about Jess and how much I love her and yadda yadda.  But she got married this past weekend and it was such a sweet, beautiful wedding and I was really exciting!  I was really excited because Evan pointed to me and some other girls and said that he was pretty sure we had gone tanning.   Since my brother is the one who inherited our mom’s Italian tanness, I am always pasty white.   So it was majorly exciting that someone thought I had gone tanning!!!  Score!!!  I had actually been laying out and using some self tanning lotion.  It takes me foreeeever to build a good tan, but I’ve got a backyard this year and I’m committed!  Bonus: When we were getting our nails done, my manicurist was surprised to find out that I had a son.  She said, “Your stomach so small for have baby!”  I thanked her.  About two weeks ago, my tailor looked me up and down and asked if I was pregnant again yet.  I love Asian women, they’ll keep ya on your toes!

Here is Jess with all her bridesmaids at the nail salon.

Here’s me with my brother Ben at the wedding.  See how tan he is?  He wasn’t trying….We were both in the wedding party.

Lens: Canon 70-200 2.8 IS. I am SOOOO excited about this!  I’m practically drooling as I type.  I have been saving and saving for this lens and I can’t WAIT till it comes.  I check the online tracker about every hour…  This lens is an essential to any wedding photographer and I am so excited to finally have one!  I rented this lens back in September for Candace’s wedding and have been fiercely lusting for it since.  It takes such yummy photos!

Game: Scramble.  If you don’t have this iPhone app yet, you need to get it!  It’s so much fun and completely addicting.  My high score right now is 91, and Jake’s is something stupid like 112.  Grrrr!!!  We get in bed and play this game almost every night, it brings out major competitiveness in us!  LOVE it!

Contest: Favorite Photo Contest.  I’m so excited about this contest!  It’s the first time I’ve done a contest on my blog and I really want to make it a regular occurance.  Stay tuned for more contests to come!  Right now, Danielle has a strong lead with her precious photo of daddy and baby chillin in the pool.  Don’t forget to cast your vote, tomorrow I’ll announce the winner!

Here are some fun new things that I’m into that I think you might enjoy too!

Food: Flat Earth Veggie Chips.  Oh my!  I’m in love!  I’m always looking for clever ways to get in more veggies because I hate to eat them and surprise surprise, so does my son.  I’ve been buying V8 Splash juice for a while which is yummy and nutritious, so when I heard about these chips, I knew I had to try them! Here’s what their website says about them -

Flat Earth™ veggie crisps are deliciously fun, baked snacks made with the goodness of real vegetables and other wholesome ingredients. These “Impossibly Good™” crisps make it possible to have great taste and nutrition.

They’re not lying!!!  The first time I bought them, I think I ate most of the bag in one sitting.  After that I’ve been buying two bags at a time…  Basically these chips taste amazing and have 1/2 serving of veggies in every serving of chips!  Yummy!!

Book: How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.  Although this book was written in 1936, the principles in it are timeless and cross cultural.  It’s full of obvious principles (like ’smile’) that can really make a huge difference in our daily interactions and business with people.  An excellent read (or in my case listen) for any business person or person who just wants to enjoy better relationships with people!  Love it!

Venue: North Texas Automotive Museum.  A couple of weeks ago, I attended the grand opening of this new museum/venue.  The fabulous Brandi Kelley put together a lovely evening!  If you are looking for an original venue for a wedding or event, check this place out.  Many of the cars in the musem part of the building are from the private collection of Dr. Mazaheri.  They have some really interesting cars including a 1936 Oldsmobile that was in Driving Miss Daisy and Fried Green Tomatoes!  I can’t get any of their pictures to save and repost so you’ll just have to check out the website!

Cleaning: Method OMop All Floor Cleaner.  I’m all about natural cleaning products!  I don’t buy any cleaning products that say, “Caution Hazardous to Humans and Animals.”  Most cleaning products say that – check yours out.  Most of the cleaning products we use every day are full of chemicals that are so bad for us, and they even warn you on their labels ‘Avoid contact with skin’.  So I started using vinegar and baking soda for lots of my cleaning and buying products that don’t contain harmful chemicals.  I was using vinegar to mop my floors and I haaaaate mopping.  Vinegar is a great cleaner but if you don’t rinse it really well it leaves your floors sticky.  Yesterday I stumbled upon this Method cleaner that claims you don’t have to use a bucket or rinse after you use it AND it’s non-toxic and biodegradable!  I haven’t tried it yet (remember I hate mopping…) but I’ll keep you posted on how it works.

Shoes: Yes shoes again.  I love shoes!  I got these Me Too shoes from DSW.  I got them to wear at weddings because they are really padded!  Even if I wear flats on wedding days, my feet are still killing me at the end of the day because none of my flats have any padding or support in them.  Hopefully these will be better, and they’re SUPER cute!

Here are some new things that I have come across recently that perhaps you might enjoy as well!

Music:  Kristene Mueller, Those Who Dream.  Ashley brought this album over for me to hear yesterday when she came over for Exercise Friday (more on that later), and I listened to it all afternoon.  It’s very relaxing and soothing!

Clothes:  323 Martin Flared Pant by Banana Republic.  I was in Banana the other day killing time and as I was walking out the door, I walked by these pants, picked them up and knew I had to buy them.  They are a great rise (ie, no crack), super cute and flattering and stretchy.  Seriously it feels like you’re wearing leggings!  I’m in LOVE.  I bought them in black, and will probably end up buying them in every color eventually.  PS, this picture doesn’t really do the pants justice.

Workout:  Jillian Michaels.  Holy crap.  Every week, my friend Ashley and I have Exercise Friday and we workout and eat lunch together.  Well recently we’ve been kinda weak with our workouts (‘Let’s just go for a walk…’).  So this week we decided to kick it up a notch.  We got on my OnDemand menu and found Jillian.  I’ve seen her on the Biggest Loser, so I knew I should be scared, but we picked the one called “Quick” something or other, so I thought, ‘Ok, no big, we can handle this.’ No.  No we could not.  First of all, our “Quick” workout was 40 minutes.  That may not be too long, but let’s remember, we’ve been taking 15 minute walks and calling it excercise…  We only made it 20 minutes through the workout, and that was using half the weights she was using (and we ditched the weights altogether after a while).  We were both strewn across the floor not sure if we would ever be able to pick ourselves up.  It was intense.

Movie:  Wall-E.  I know Wall-E isn’t a new movie, but recently, Shep has fallen in LOVE with it.  We watch about 20 minutes of Wall-E almost every single day.  It’s really cute when Shep tries to say “Waaall-Eeee.”  Right now, as I’m finishing this and Wall-E’s photo is up, he’s pointing and squealing.