'Tis the Season

Have a wonderful and safe holiday weekend with your families and loved ones!

Slice of Life Sunday: Taking Time

It's an unfortunate side effect of my life that sometimes I move too fast and fill my schedule too much to see just how fortunate I am. How full of love my life is. And how much the people I care about mean to me. This week stopped me in my tracks. And filled me with all of these emotions. So I'm taking time to just be.

Montreal

The past week has been rough for a few of the people closest to me. Which means it's been a rough week for me. And nothing cheers me up like going through my travel photos. These are from my October trip to Montreal for a work conference. A few of us that went traveled a day earlier to take in more of the sights. Needless to say, Montreal is a beautiful city and much colder than I had prepared myself for! It felt like the height of our winter and the Canadian conference attendees were shrugging it off as the mild beginning of fall. Ha!

Oh the foliage!






Next to trees, my second favorite thing to photograph while traveling is signage








Various views from the outside of the Notre Dame Basilica of Montreal


The inside of Notre Dame




The inside architecture was stunning:


A window inside Notre Dame


The guy on the left was a street performer who threw beads at pedestrians as they walked by


What freezing your Southern bum off while on top of a double decker bus in 30 degrees looks like:

Slice of Life Sunday: Master Bexley

A few weeks ago I wrote about the dogs I love. We still haven't incorporated Bexley into the family pack, but it's comforting to know that he still remembers me and showers me with kisses. That's the first step, right?

Here he is mesmerized by a bug flying through the air in my sister's backyard. Happy Sunday!

December Desktop Calendar Wallpaper

I started this calendar series with a photo from my 2009 Australian vacation, so I thought it fitting to end the series with one as well. The photo below is a silhouette of baby grapes taken at Lancaster Wines vineyard located in the Swan Valley in Western Australia. Kim and I went on a the bus wine tour and this was one of our first stops. It was the most memorable because 1. I bought a bottle of wine here and more importantly 2. they had THE BEST cheese samples. I mean, seriously. Divine.

And an interesting fact to note, this photo was taken with my trusty 5-year-old Canon point and shoot digital camera.

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Cyber Monday Sale: 20% off Gift Certificates!

* This post has been edited. The offer is no longer available. *

From midnight to midnight on Monday, November 29, purchase Gift Certificates from Kelly Tarleton Photography & Design for 20% off! That means you can purchase a Gift Certificate valued at $50 for only $40 or a Gift Certificate valued at $100 for only $80!

What better gift is there to give this holiday season than the gift of lasting memories? Scroll to the bottom, select an amount, and click the "Buy Now" button to make your purchase via PayPal.

This is a limited time offer and the following terms and conditions apply:

1. Cyber Monday special Gift Certificates are available in denominations of $50 or $100.
2. Gift Certificates issued as part of the Cyber Monday special may not be redeemed prior to January 1, 2011.
3. Gift Certificates are redeemable for any service or product provided by Kelly Tarleton Photography & Design.
4. Gift Certificates are non-refundable and cannot be exchanged for cash value. 
5. Please allow 2 weeks for delivery in the mail.

Slice of Life Sunday: Thanksgiving + Family

Thanksgiving is hands-down my favorite holiday. It is the only holiday where the only expectation is to visit with loved ones and indulge in food. No gifts, no fuss, no other expectation than to spend time with family and friends. And more than anything this year, I am thankful for the health of my family. We've had a rocky few years and it has made a lasting impression on me.

April is the baby of the family and is always the center of attention when we are all together. And that's just fine with her. She's growing more in love with my camera and that's just fine with me. I took a ton of photos of her on Friday and will post more later!

Happy Thanksgiving!

This Thanksgiving I am especially grateful for the health of my family and the wonderful relationships I have with my friends. Enjoy these days with family, friends, food, and football. And after you check out all the sales on Black Friday, be sure to check here for a spectacular Cyber Monday deal from Kelly Tarleton Photography & Design!

Slice of Life Sunday: Dog days

Growing up with cats, I never imagined my life would ever surround around 3 dogs.

It started in 2006 when my sister moved to Australia and I inherited her dog for a year. She was only supposed to be gone a year, so watching Bexley was just a favor you do for family. The fact that he was aggressive and had "special needs," affecting my relationship with my boyfriend and forcing me to walk at Memorial Park everyday (a blessing in disguise, thank you Bexley!) was all okay because it was only temporary. So when a one-year contract turned into 4, Bexley was shipped to Australia and I was dogless again.

My mom watched him the last month before being shipped over. The day he was shipped off, she felt a vacancy that could only be filled by another dog. And thus, poodle Giggles was adopted in December 2007.

Fast forward to 2008 and I've moved out on my own again. I was lonely after the dissolution of a very long-term relationship, and mourning the loss of my father. And then a trip to the Galleria the weekend after Thanksgiving sent me home with a Beagle mix from the window of Nieman Marcus.

So where are we today? Madly in love with 3 pooches I never imagined we'd have. Mom's always been afraid of dogs, and my heart always belonged to cats. My Barley and Kim's Bexley are going to meet at the dog park today and all fingers are crossed that it goes successfully! Giggles and Barley are already BFFs and it would make things a lot easier on Kim and me if our dogs got along for dog-sitting purposes.

These were taken a few weekends ago of Giggles (left) and Barley (right) on a weekend visit to Mom's. Hopefully Bexley will fit into the pack nicely!

Claiborne's Pumpkin Patch Portraits

As previously mentioned in this post I met up with Claiborne and his parents for photos in the neighborhood pumpkin patch. While not entirely as cooperative as last year, he's still incredibly photogenic! Here are several of my favorites. And be sure to check out his adorable Chik-Fil-A Cow Halloween costume.







It got to a point where he would only smile while seated in the wagon, so we went with it. He was also very protective of his wagon. It's a shame these two aren't siblings! So cute...




"Fist bump and blow it up"

Monica's Senior Portraits

Last month I photographed Monica's senior portraits at the Houston Oaks Country Club in Hockley. She came with a lot of great ideas and was up for pretty much anything during the shoot. I had so much fun riding around the grounds with her mom, sister, and a friend in a couple of golf carts and am excited to share a few (or a lot) of my favorites!

Slice of Life Sunday: a very Happy Birthday

Thursday was my birthday and once again my friends and family showered me with love and attention in the form of some of my favorite things - thoughtful cards, Barnaby's, Crave cupcakes, a gift certificate for a massage, and a pretty blue box wrapped in a white bow.

Thank you to everyone for the birthday wishes, thoughtful gestures, gifts, and cards. I'm really looking forward to my 27th year!

And also- a very Happy Birthday to my mom who also celebrated on Thursday, and my puppy Barley who turned 4 on Friday.

Hockley Senior Portrait Sneak Peek

I photographed Monica for her senior portraits a few weeks ago in Hockley. Here's just a quick sneak peek from her session:

November desktop calendar wallpaper

Finally I'm on time! I just finished editing my photos from Montreal, so this was an easy pick for November. It's a shame we don't get to see this kind of foliage in Houston, but I can daydream, right?

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Happy Halloween (and Eat Mor Chikin)!

Last weekend I photographed Claiborne for his annual pumpkin patch photos. Either A. He didn't like his Chik-Fil-A mascot costume as much as his adorable kangaroo costume from last year or (more likely) B. He was hot and had no desire to sit still for my camera. Either way, he is still incredibly cute!

The whole costume ensemble includes a sign tagged to his back with the Chik-Fil-A logo and "Eat Mor Chikin" as well as his parents dressed up as Chik-Fil-A workers. So clever.



Have a safe and happy Halloween!!!

Second place in the VALIC MarComm Pumpkin Carving contest

Today was our second annual office pumpkin carving contest and I won second place in the "Originalest" category! My entry was a Mr. Potato Head pumpkin, complete with interchangeable facial pieces. More photos to come!

And check out my 2009 third place winning Wicked Witch Pumpkin.

October desktop calendar wallpaper

So there's only one week left in the month. The pumpkin photo makes me happy, so I'm still going to post one for October!

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And here's a preview from my recent trip to Montreal, where the leaves actually change colors! Yes, this silly little detail really excited me.

Slice of Life Sunday: a pick-me-up purchase

I have never had trouble justifying a purchase. I find a rationale for everything I want and suddenly my want becomes a need. Well, during these past few months my car and health have wreaked havoc on my bank account and I have had a much more difficult time spinning my wants into needs.

And then last week I walked into Grace Hart & Co., where we have a booth filled with items from my dad's breweriana collection for sale. And I spotted two little jewels hidden in a glass case. I have a nice little collection of vintage cameras, but I hadn't seen these before. Well, not the Polaroid at least. I took them from the case, asked the dealer to make me a deal and before I knew it, they were being wrapped up for me to take home.

Of course I don't need them. But I haven't treated myself to a pick-me-up purchase in weeks. And that's really the only justification I needed that day!