The Best Year

Friday, July 26, 2012.

I was nervous. I walked up to the front door of Galway Bay and took a deep breath as I reached for the door handle. When I walked inside, I didn't say anything. I guess the hostess read my mind because she said "Oh, someone's waiting for you. You can follow me."

I was so excited. I couldn't stop my hands from shaking. It was the first date, & we had only met a couple of times, so I reeeaaallllyy wanted him to like me.

We went through dinner enjoying some small talk, rushed to get to the theater in time to see the long-awaited Dark Knight Rises, then headed back downtown. After walking around talking for a while, we found ourselves at a little secluded dock under a perfect starry sky. I was cold, but tried not to show it. He gave me his flannel shirt anyway and said he was fine. We inched a little closer as it got darker & colder...you know, to keep warm.

Oh, I wished over & over that the night would never end. In a way, it never did.

After that, well, I guess the rest is history. It's been a year, and I'm completely in love. I've had the best year of my entire life. And I'm ready to do it again a hundred more times.

Pop-Up Shop Success!

Hi lovelies! Not much to share tonight, but I just couldn't wait to tell you how excited I am! My photos are up for sale at HERE. a pop-up shop until July 28, and I've already sold two prints! Yesterday was opening day, and I was able to stop by today to see how it's going. I'm excited to see how the next few days go. HERE. are a few photos of the shop and the adorable things inside:

Please stop by if you're in the area! We'd love to see you HERE. at 509 S. Cherry Grove Ave, Annapolis, MD.

If you'd like more information on my photos, or to order prints, feel free to email me at taranoelphoto@gmail.com and I'll be happy to talk to you. 

Have a great night, everyone! :)

A Few Favorites

Happy Thursday, everyone! Wow, amazing how fast the days go by. I thought I'd share with you a list of my favorite things. These are the things I love most about living in this world:

~I love good friendships. They're hard to find, but when you find the one or two special people who you don't want to think about living without, you're there. And it's awesome.

Erica is the most loyal girlfriend in the entire world.

Vinnie is brave, hilarious, and he gets me. 

~I love light. Okay, I'm a total night owl who is averse to anything bright in the morning. But as an artist, I love light. It makes the most incredible sunrises & sunsets, shadows, contrast, and color. And those are my absolute favorite things to mimic in my art.

~I love Jesus. I don't know if it sounds cheesy to include this at all, or if I'll be judged for not listing this first. So we'll pretend I don't care about my readers' opinions for half a second. I just have to include the one thing that has made my life better forever. Those times when I try to view everything in light of His words, are the times that the world makes the most sense. It's incredible.

~I love anything teal. Really. My bedroom walls, bedsheets, blankets, jewelry boxes, lamps, scarves, notebooks, favorite bags, picture frames, picnic blanket, and most of my clothes are all teal. It's just such a relaxing color, I can't get enough of it. I've been told it fits my personality, and I like that. This picture of my room made its way onto Instagram:

Time for the specific ones. Here are a few things you should definitely get your hands on if at all possible:

~Essie nail color. I have a huge collection. At nearly $8 a bottle, it's a rather unhealthy obsession. I was never really into nail polish because I don't like anything shimmery (except occasionally). And then I found Essie and fell in love. The matte colors, the wide variety of neutrals, and the mattifying top coat have made me a happy woman. Poor and happy.

Essie polish in Ladylike. This & Sand Tropez are my go-to neutrals (good for the office).

~Aveeno products. Any of them. (I guess I'm brand-loyal.) I've been using shaving cream, face wash, & lotion from Aveeno for a few years now. Just recently, my skin started giving me real trouble, and after ending up in the ER (long story) & at way too many doctors' offices, I started using Aveeno body wash to soothe my skin. It worked miracles on my winter dry skin, and it felt & smelled so good I never wanted to leave the shower. So unless you live with people who will fight you for hot showers, this is a great investment.

~Signature Perfume. This is simple, and not too specific because people look for different things in a scent. But I think it's a great idea to have a signature scent you go with on a daily basis, just to finish off a great look. It'll make you feel more confident & more put together. I alternate between my two all-time favorites, Ralph Lauren Safari in the winter and Calvin Klein Euphoria in the summer.

And my secret reason for wearing perfume? Memories. Yep, I do it for the memories. They say your nose creates the strongest memories. I'll never forget the showers that opened onto a terrace at the chateau I stayed at in Belgium, because I had bought American Crew Citrus Mint shampoo for that trip. Every time I smell that shampoo, I have vivid memories of the chateau. I'll also never forget my trip to a timeshare in Jersey with 4 of my best girlfriends, because I shared my Oscar de la Renta Island Summer perfume with all the girls, and the scent filled the room all week long. So pick a scent you like and make it yours!

Long Walks on the Beach and Coffee on Sunday

Well, I'm wrapping up another perfect weekend. It's so funny what a difference it makes to be able to spend time with the people I love. It's so much better than having to spend all my time on chores and forced manual labor (ugh...yard work. How I loathe you.)

I spent all day yesterday doing fun things. First thing Saturday morning, I picked up my first ever Craigslist purchase:

I can't wait to make use of these. The case will likely 

become a spice rack; the bottles...well, that's a 

secret for a later date. You'll see!

After my morning outing, my man and I spent the day hunting for driftwood at beaches around Annapolis. It was beyond perfect to spend the day wandering around...I quietly wished it would never end. But I got a headache from the ungodly heat (of course), so we headed to the mall to pick up a video game & food. Time ran away from us, and before I knew it, another perfect day was over.

At church this morning, I got to sit between my two lifelong best friends. I'm so lucky to have the two most loyal people on the planet by my side forever. Afterward, we stayed & talked until we got run out, then we girls went downtown for coffee. And then shopping happened: 

Got this patriotic scarf at Lou Lou on Main Street. 

A little late for the 4th of July, but it's always 

a good day to be an American.

After this weekend, I believe life really boils down to this: surround yourself with good people, love them unconditionally, and always make time to relax with them. Hope you all had a chance to enjoy some down time with loved ones this weekend!

The Life of a Starving Artist

Hi again! I'm so excited about today's post. I've been working on my photography for a long time, & now the project is finally gaining momentum!

For those of you who don't know, I've displayed my photography in three local coffee shops since the beginning of this year. That was an eye-opening experience. It was so very helpful to see my photos finally printed & framed professionally. I started to realize that hey, I can do this.

Now, it's time for the next big thing. These photos will be available in a local pop-up shop in Annapolis from July 19-28th! I'm so excited to be working with the lovely ladies who put the shop together. They get great artists from all over Maryland to work together and make this the most fun, crafty, beautiful shop in town.

If you'd like to take a look at some more of my photography, and maybe order a print, you can visit my website or like the facebook page. They make great gifts for anyone with a little wall space & an appreciation for beauty! Feel free to email me at taranoelphoto@gmail.com if you have questions or comments for me.

Here are a few of the photos that will be available as prints in the pop-up shop this month:

Summer Daisies, Craggy Pinnacle, NC

Working Girl, Annapolis, MD

Tidal Reflection, Washington, D.C.

Where It All Began

Hello, world! I finally decided to start blogging again because I dearly miss writing. It's been a little too long. My blog is named after a delightful piece by Debussy. I enjoyed it this afternoon while napping in the sun. It's one of my favorites. See you back here soon!