Just fulfilling their request to have me in their photo.

I wonder if she stole this child…..

This Hulk robe and belt never got old.

Ceremony and reception musicians C3Music

Two of my faves

Jordan, I hope you bought the insurance…..

Creeper drinking a beer during a hug.

The Situation?

I’m pretty sure that Jordan was hit in the eye with a flying leaf.

Congratulations again, Jenna and Jordan!!!

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First, I joined Tatiana and her bridesmaids while they were getting ready.

Tatia’s dress was really really big, and she is a small lady.

Due to some really excellent wedding day planning by Tatia and her mom, the ladies were all ready in plenty of time to make some photos.  This was great since we had a limited amount of time between the ceremony and reception.

I took this photo at the request of Tatia’s mom, Laura.  When the girls were children, there is a similar photo of them from another wedding.  They are just as adorable now.

Ryan joined Marc and his groomsmen as well. Nice work with that off-camera light, Ryan.

The wedding ceremony was held at St Sylvester Parish in the Brentwood area of Pittsburgh.  This was my first time at St Sylvester Parish, and it was wonderful to work there.  Marc was little nervous before the service.

Nat was super happy (and emotional) taking Tatia down the aisle.

Some love for Dad during the Sign of Peace.

When they came out of the church after the receiving line, Tatia’s mom threw rice at the couple.  Obviously, Tatia and Marc were surprised and shocked!  Sorry guys, I thought it was a hilarious moment that you couldn’t forget.  You probably found rice in your clothes and hair, but at least you’ll have good luck.

Our photo spot was the pond in Jefferson Regional Memorial. We had some great lighting for these photos too!

Ryan grabbed this photo while Tatia was walking to the limousine. Nice catch!

They had a hilarious, good-spirited cake fight during the reception.

Next three first dance photos by Ryan.  Tatia and Marc were so adorable!

Their bridal party, parents, and grandparents joined them for a dance.

Then the real party started!  Here is (sister) Sonja and her main squeeze.

This bridal party was so excited to be there celebrating with Tatiana and Marc.  We always love to see a dancing bridal party, especially groomsmen!!

Congratulations, Tatia and Marc!!! Have a great time on your honeymoon!

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Nicki was nice enough to come with me to organize the large group.  After we were done shooting the portraits, we got to take a few photos of that adorable 4th generation, Kayla and Leslie.

At first it was hard to get their attention due to the presence of grapes.

But toys will fix that.  Photo by Nicki.

My favorite photo by Nicki.

As it sometimes happens, I was all packed up and ready to go when Leslie started playing on the stairs.  So cute!

More shoots coming soon.  Now that it’s April, people are starting to feel like being photographed again.  Good news for me!

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This one, I just completed.  “Cook 10 recipes from the Smitten Kitchen blog.”  This was not hard to do since I’m a big Smitten Kitchen fan and I love to cook.  The SK author, Deb,  (we affectionately refer to her by name in my circles) is a food lover and avid photographer.

While I enjoy reading her stories and checking out her beautiful photographs, my favorite is the food she makes.  Most foods are relatively healthy, with simple, fresh ingredients.  Desserts, on the other hand, are exactly as they should be–crazy good and not an ounce of “health” to be seen.  Well, I’m exaggerating about the desserts, but they are worth it, in time and content.  She cooks a lot of vegetarian food (a win for me) with vegetables I’d like to make part of my daily life.  It’s working.

A scene from Curried Lentils and Sweet Potatoes.  Notice the proximity of laptop (and cell phone) here.  This was from January, but I think I also made Baklava that night.

The first 10 SK recipes that I tried in 2010

Squash and Chickpea Moroccan Stew – Made this because I didn’t know what to make with my butternut squash.

Curried Lentils and Sweet Potatoes – This one I chose when I search “curry and lentils” on her website before getting out of the car to go to the grocery store.  Did not disappoint.

Tomato Sauce with Butter and Onions – Easy sauce I made for my very picky family.  The butter was incredible.

Chocolate Whiskey and Beer Cupcakes – I co-made this recipe with Sara for Cooking Club Reunion.  Super time consuming, but good.

Cubed, Hacked Caprese – This was a repeat from Cooking Club Reunion.  I’ve made it three times since then.  Yum.

Fork-Crushed Purple Potatoes – Remembered seeing this on the SK website and couldn’t resist buying purple potatoes.

Carrot and Avocado Salad – Who wouldn’t like this?  Easy to make too.

Carrot Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting – My redhead LOVES all orange veggies.  A prefect treat for him. He put in a future request for these in September for his birthday.

Spaghetti with Swiss Chard and Garlic Chips – Wow I can’t get enough of this.  Swiss Chard is my favorite hearty green as well. I’ve even skipped the Feta cheese in this recipe and nothing is missing.  Still fantastic.

Pizza, Even Sweeter – Photo below, story lower!  WOW!

This Pizza, Even Sweeter, was the most recent recipe I made, and definitely a FAVORITE.  Definitely.  Look at that crust!!!   In the lower right hand corner–that’s right, a PIZZA BUBBLE!

I couldn’t believe I made it at HOME in MY oven.  If you’ve talked to me in the last four days, I’ve probably mentioned this pizza to you…at least five times per conversation.    It was fantastic.  Who’s coming over for Pizza Night?

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If I had snowshoes, I would have gone for a hike.

Jay skiing backwards

Jay’s new K2′s next to my OAB Salomons

So happy to be riding the ski lift.  Photo by Jay.

Jay getting some sweet air.

Too cool for school

Jay has a peacock butt like his sister Jessi did at her wedding last year.

There were very few skiers on a Wednesday afternoon, and we were thankful for that.

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Here is event organizer ( and best sister ever, Nicki) modeling this year’s shirts.

The black team waiting to play.  A fierce bunch.  Uncle Ray (not my uncle) and I are the only ones wearing jeans.  You can do that when you’re confident on your skills.

My dad and sister shoot Rock, Paper, Scissors for first possession.  Rock beats scissors.

Nicki with the reception and Laura on the ground behind her.

Touchdown for the black team.

My cousin Josh being pursued by Michael.

Michael and Erin.  These two are getting married on Saturday!  I think that Turkey Bowl is a great way to kick off your wedding weekend.

LJ Julie signals Touchdown.

Love these intense faces.

Here is me catching a pass!  I had to pull it down off of my shoulder to get the first down.  My face is intense.

Intensity runs in the family.

Seems like the Fetsko boys always had the ball.  Everyone is having a great time.

Sweet Dee making a run for it.  You can see more of her (and a lot of this crowd from this year’s Bunny Bowl).

Bridget rushing.  Good job picking up yards after the catch.

The turnout for this year’s game was huge!  We had to make the field wider, but it was worth it.  If you were lucky enough to play, check your facebook inbox or email me for a special link to a slideshow.

I didn’t get to catch 100 touchdowns, but I had a great time.

Thanks, Nicki, for planning such a great event!

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So here is the deal–I would set up the ShotBox for your reception starting at cocktail hour.  A photographer is running the ShotBox and directing you and your guests to do really fun and creative things.  Get in there for some fun portraits, large group shots, lots of dancing and getting crazy.  ShotBox would be “closed” during dinner and major wedding events like your cake cutting, first dance, and etc.  So the focus is still on you and your important wedding events.

ShotBox is a LARGE box (12′x12′x12′ indoor area needed) and it does not spit out photos for your guests to take home-the focus is on taking really creative shots.  You and your guests will be able sign up with their email address to see the photos when your regular wedding photos are ready to view.

As if you needed another reason to love this idea, check out these shots from last weekend….

My Love and I

Ryan having a good time

After seeing The Simpsons episode where Marge becomes a handyman (but because she is woman, no one will hire her, so Homer is a front for the business wearing a shirt that says “I Do All The Work”), Ryan and I wanted to buy dad a shirt that says “I Do All The Work.” We couldn’t find a shirt or a large enough file to make one, so he wore this pin.  He does do all of the work, especially on our renovation.  I love it.

Nicki, Guido, Sweet Dee, and Mark start the party off right with some serious rocking out. You know how I love air guitar, right?

My cousins, Josh and Lauren.  Do they look familiar?  I took some family portraits for them in July.

Devan and Nicki are going crazy in there! There are some serious hams in my group of friends and family.

Devan catches some air

Some friends dance to “Thriller.”  You may recognize Amy on the far right from her June Wedding and Lisa, in the red shirt, from her Engagement Session at the Morning Glory Inn.

Photographer Christina Montemurro with her family

Her son Leo is awesome in this shot

More air guitar and Rye with some shop-vac guitar.  Nicki wailing into the cable release.  Serious hams!

Nicki and Rye in their own frame.  Guido creeping in the background

3 angel faces from Mark, Justin, and Ryan.  These three(and Nicki too) did a tremendous amount of work with Dad on our renovations. 

Guido

Me ferociously enjoying my coconut cake and Keith trying to get in on the action

Here is something you can’t get in an photo booth– 7 lovely ladies from the Harter Family.

Too hot to handle…..sizzle.  He’s single, ladies!  Email me if you want to meet him…hahahahah

New mom Carla with baby Stella

The lovely Kristi

Fellow CMU alum Jason and his lovely wife Anne.

They came over after the Pitt Football Game.  Looks like and ad for Gap.

Our lovely neighbors, Mary, Abby, and Tara.

The iceman

Rye taking Courtney away

oink oink

My parents, Rich and Denise

Master of Karate and Friendship!

Giant Guido attempting to eat Nicki

Newlyweds Tom and Danielle.  They said they felt like celebrities since so many people they’ve never met recognized them from their wedding photos.

And at the end of the night, it was time to put everything away and think about the next time we’d see our lovely family and friends. Horray!

If you want ShotBox to appear at your wedding, let me know–I’d love to make it happen for you too!

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Ryan and I wouldn’t have bought this home if my dad were not my dad. My dad, Rich, has given us so much help, work, advice, and love that we want to make art in his honor. I thought I’d start with these “before, during, and after” photos.

My family did most of the work on the house–with help from my dad’s crew. Many of my friends gave helped with painting, decorating, and listening to me talk about my house. We also had help from Uncle Bobby, BJ McNeil, Tommy “magic man” Frederick, and Tyrone the bricklayer.

Let’s begin!
This is our house when we first bought it. It kind of looks like a dentist office with the porch enclosed. As you scroll down, you’ll see that dad’s truck is a downgrade from his Corvette….and the dumpster is even more of a downgrade. The last photo shows our new porch–just like it used to be!

Another view of the front of the house before…and after.

Here is the back of our home. Our lot is 40′x100′ so there is a lot of stuff packed in there. Check out those tomato plants!

Come on in! Here is the old front porch addition. This is what you saw when you came into the house and turned left. The big sliding glass door was put in when the 3 windows were removed. Now the windows are back in we have a wonderful front porch!
(The porch was just opened last week –more photos of the crew at the bottom of this post). All week we used the metal chairs on the porch as ladders. And I swear that those chairs can travel on their own.

This is our front entry and living room. The main event. In the before and after, it looks the same except you don’t see the two weeks that Ryan and I spent removing wallpaper and scrubbing glue off of the walls…every wall on the first and second floor…except for the walls dad tore down.

Here is a view of the living room, facing towards the front of the house. On the left, a pane of stained glass window is the door for the dry bar. Sliding glass door on the right. The “after” photo shows our new-old-fashioned entry door on the left, windows on the right. Yay!

Ryan is on the move!

The stained glass windows are in good shape, but the fire place was covered in drywall. Not cool. Under the drywall was the same pattern of wallpaper! And brown tiles everywhere. The exposed brick aren’t the prettiest, but I think it looks great with our custom mantle and African art from Nicki!

Progress photos of that fireplace….definitely worth it. Also notice that the radiators are gone. 4000 lb of metal went to the scrap yard and we got a new HE furnace and central air.

Dad is making a list of stuff for us to do. I loved how our porch swing was inside.

Ryan and I resealed the wood floors on the first and second floor. Thankfully, mom and dad were nice enough to let us stay with them during the renovation so we didn’t have to inhale fumes all night. We actually didn’t move into our house until 4th of July weekend, or just over 2 months.

Now welcome to our dining room…this wallpaper was the most difficult to remove. We had to rent a wallpaper steamer and it took forever. Also, that wall is GONE!

This is what it looked like when we moved in last year on 4th of July weekend. And below is what it looks like this 4th of July weekend. So much better for us, but may look the same to you.

Here is the lovely kitchen. Under that wallpaper was….MORE WALLPAPER. It doesn’t really matter since all the walls were gone soon. We closed on our house at 10am and the cabinets were in the garage and there was a huge “investignation” hole about the stove at 1:30pm. And by 4pm, our new kitchen was ordered from a W.T. Leggett. Ryan makes an encore appearance in the second photo, looking much more comfortable at home.

These really are the same photos taken just over a year later. Also there is new lighting and a crazy amount of cabinets. I collect Fiestaware and dad and I (and Rose from Leggett) thought the glass-faced cabinets were the best way to show it off.

I am going to frame this photo and hang it in our kitchen to remember that anything is possible.

Some work in progress. Dad’s design (Ryan and Justin’s build) for this room dividing beam is awesome! I wasn’t a believer at first but I think its great. It matches the style of the cured wood in our entry way. All I have to do now is paint it white.

This photo is also going in a frame. I love that there WAS a toilet where our refridgerator is now.

And another one for the frame. Dad took down so many walls so we can have heat and AC on our second floor. “So Randi doesn’t get a cold dupa.” I like this photo with Nicki using the shop vac. She came back from Semester at Sea just so she could vacuum my house. Mom is here too. She was taking a break from the wood staining and varnishing operation that was going on in the basement. Mom also helped a ton with taking down wallpaper (and making us lunch/dinner all of the time)!

One of my favorite rooms, Ryan’s office. This wallpaper was unbelievable! No, that is not our backyard, but a wallpaper mural coming to you direct from the 1970′s!!! Also that wood-like laminate floor was covering up more hardwood!

The awesome wallpaper continues into the bathroom. There is still a mystery light switch above his computer monitor–1 of 2 in our house.

Dad decided to borrow some room from this bathroom for our refrigerator. Plumbing, tiling, and painting.

Another “during” and “after.” All of the floors in our house were covered in that pink paper. It was amazing how much abuse the papers took to save our beautiful floors.

This is Cynthia. She keeps out evil spirits.

Our stained glass window in the stairway.

This is the second floor while we were refinishing the floors. Fumes!

This is our bathroom. We really didn’t do too much in here other than take down the terrible shower curtain and remove the radiator. To the left of the toilet is our LAUNDRY CHUTE! That is the reason that I wanted to buy this house.

Bedroom 1 of 3, our guest room. Bye bye wallpaper, hello blue!

This is our master bedroom! The fireplace got the same treatment as the one on the first floor. Dad mixed concrete in our bedroom while we were living there. How many people can say that?

Bedroom #3 is my office/studio….where all of the magic happens!

We also have an unfinished, walk-up attic. It still looks like this.

Strike a pose!

Finally, here are the work photos from the porch demolition last week. Notice this technique–3 guys working, 2 guys standing around, and 1 taking photographs.

Yes!

There were so many things going on at once!

You need finger strength to lay bricks. Salt and pepper.

After the porch was done, Justin and Rye worked on interior trim for our windows and doors. Everything looks awesome!!!

Clean up. Dad is taking it all in.

Dad’s idea to jump on the porch at the end of the workday on Friday.

After the jump, Ryan and I cleaned for 2 days straight.

So if you haven’t seen me for a while in that past year, I’ve been here working on our house….or building my new business.

I would never dream of doing something like this on my own, nor would I want to. I have the best family in the world! Thank you for making my first house my dream house!

Love, Randi

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