carabeth * brent

Sometimes I forget.

2017-12-07T11:01:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I forget that some people don't get to wake up to someone who makes them coffee and asks how they would like their eggs today. Sometimes I forget.

Sometimes I forget how excited I was when you came my college graduation. Sometimes I forget that I've known you for almost thirteen years! I forget those stories from the early days of how we would stay up all night talking or how on our "first date" you brought me soup because I was sick. Sometimes I forget how skinny we were! ;) Well we were!

Sometimes I forget how loving you are and how you treat each and every animal with love and care from our dogs, down to our chickens. :) Sometimes I forget how much you take care of our family and all the times you feed the animals when it's really my turn.

Sometimes I forget how selfless you are, like how you always take care of me when I'm sick or how you made me a potting bench when I was away on vacation! I asked for a potting bench for months and the first chance you had to make it was when I was gone on a girls trip! I forget how surprised I was when I drove up in the driveway to see you working on!

Sometimes I forget how caring and patient you are.

Sometimes I forget how hard working you are. Sometimes I forget that you changed the course of your life and your career to help me with mine. Sometimes I forget that my dreams became your own.

Sometimes I forget that not everyone gets to live with a comedian and laugh all day long. Sometimes I forget just how funny you are.

When I stop and think about all of these things it overwhelms me! Sometimes I forget how lucky I am that I found my best friend. I hope I never forget all of these things about you!

Happy Birthday to you, Buie! I hope the next 40 years are the best 40!

Update on the Buie's Brood

2017-08-05T13:43:00.002-05:00

I thought I'd do a little update on our crew. Back in the Spring, B & I took the big leap and bought chickens and two cute babies ducks just happened to hop in our cart too. I mean, I figured what's two more, right? (story of our lives) I seriously cannot believe how fast they all grew! Their cute little baby phase only lasted a few weeks. They went from this...

to this in just a few short months.

One of the baby chicks was growing faster than all the others. The people at the feed store told us all 5 chicks were hens but one was a week older than the other 4. We instantly noticed that this one became the boss of the other four. We named her Big Red. If you watch Orange Is The New Black then you'll know why. Big Red ran the roost, bossed the other hens around, fought for her food... and could sometimes be a bully.

I snapped this pic with my iPhone on May 27. Our two Rhode Island Reds look almost exactly alike in this picture. One is slightly bigger but since I was told one was a week older, I just assumed that was why one was bigger than the other.

Fast forward about 2 months and this is what Big Red looks like now.

Big Red is quite clearly not a hen at all. Crazy what two months can do, huh? I vividly remember hearing Big Red crow for the first time. I actually got it on video but unfortunately I didn't save it (since it was on InstaStories). {Follow me on Instagram @cbbuie for all kinds of shenanigans.} I thought we had 5 hens until I heard that crow and knew I had never heard a hen sound like that.

Now that I KNOW what a Rhode Island red looks like, it is so obvious. And now I'll know what to look for in the future.

These are the two Rhode Island Reds now. They clearly look so different. I'm pretty sure this hen is broody now but that's a whole other lesson! I love learning about these creatures. They are so fascinating!

And here are our baby ducks! All grown up! We grabbed two babies at the feed store on the day we went to get our chicks. They told us they didn't know if they were male or female and that we would have to wait until their feathers came in. We took a chance. I love duck eggs so we were really hoping for at least one female but of course, they were both male.

They went from cute little fuzzy baby ducks...

To this - two beautiful male ducks with the most awesome green feathers on their heads. They really are good natured and so fun to have around, even if they will never provide us with eggs. We called them Ruffles and Ringo.

Our hens just started laying eggs! yay! It was a happy day! Well, actually only one is laying that I know of right now - our other Rhode Island Red, Sweetie. She gets up in the rabbit hutch usually mid morning and has been laying one a day for the past few weeks. I grabbed my camera and snagged a pic of her in her nesting box.

We are having fun with this new adventure! I feel like we are learning something new every day. Most days I find myself googling things about chickens or looking it up in our big book about chickens. There is so much to know and learn! They really are fascinating creatures! And bonus, we get free breakfast every day! Hopefully the other hens will start laying soon too!

Losing my marbles...

2017-03-28T14:28:00.000-05:00

As I sift through the duck poop and wood chips and rinse off my grandad's collection of marbles, I keep saying to myself, "I have lost my marbles!" I bet my granddad, who was affectionately referred to as Pop, never imagined that his collection of marbles would be used in a duck water bowl. :)

I remember playing with my Pop's collection of marbles as a small child. He kept them in a wooden box in the top drawer of the dresser in their bedroom. My mom told me that all Seniors of Minden High School were presented these boxes when they graduated so this box could have belonged to either one of them. Before I was tall enough, I would ask for help. Either my MeMe or Pop would get down this box full of beautiful marbles and provide me instant entertainment. I was (and still am) instantly drawn to the colors and design. But lately these marbles have provided a much more practical purpose.

A couple of weeks ago, B and I and made a huge leap and purchased 5 baby chicks and 2 little duckies. I have always wanted to live on a farm, have a million and one animals and my own garden and chicken eggs. It is seriously a fantasy of mine, to wake up and go gather eggs for breakfast and pick out lunch in my garden. We have toyed with the garden idea and even started one unsuccessfully, thanks to a mischievous pup who liked squash more than us. So seeing as how we aren't getting any younger, we had a sort of "what are we waiting for?" moment and just did it! Now we had been talking and discussing for months now so it wasn't exactly a spur of the moment decision but when I woke up that morning, buying 7 more animals wasn't on my to do list.

If you have read any of this blog or know anything about us, you know how we feel about animals. I'm pretty sure we are way over the limit for most people but these little critters just bring about more joy to our lives, as well as a lot more chores! One of those chores is cleaning out their feeders and waterers every day. We learned quickly that the ducks are so messy and by putting marbles in their water bowl, it can prevent a little bit of the mess and can also keep them from drinking too much too fast! My Pop's marbles that had been sitting in a blue milk of magnesia jar for years were the perfect things for these our baby ducks! I wonder how he would feel about his marbles being used like this but it makes me smile thinking about how he would probably just be happy that they make me happy.

Besides, making us happy, buying these animals, is just one more step in the direction of living simply, eating clean and becoming more self- sustaining and aware of where our food comes from. While we don't exactly have a farm right now, we have hopes of eating yummy fresh chicken and duck eggs every day and who knows, maybe we'll have a farm one day. Until then, I'll settle for a small hobby farm. Since the purchase of several more animals (including more bunnies - that's another blog post), I've heard so many people including myself say that we're crazy! ha! And yes, we might be but we are living our dream! If that makes me crazy then I am crazy! I am convinced though that in order to pursue your dreams, you have to just throw caution to the wind! Don't let fear rob you! Just go for it! If you think you are loosing your marbles, then you are probably doing it right! :) So who cares what everyone else thinks, right? Do what you are passionate in and go for it, even that means adding 7 more animals to your herd!

Right now our chicks and ducks are still brand new. When we purchased them, most of them were barely 2 or 3 days old! We kept them all together for about a week in one large plastic tub to make cleaning super easy. The ducks have quickly out grown the baby chicks and if there is one thing I know for certain, it is this: ducks are nasty, messy, playful but oh so cute animals! So if you want ducks, then prepare for a mess! They are all just now getting their feathers so I'll have to get some updated pics once their feathers come in! I can't wait to see what the chickens feathers will look like. And the ducks feathers coming in is super important because we will soon be able to tell if they are boys or girls based on their feathers. I'm hoping for two beautiful egg-laying females. Will keep you posted! Until then, I'll just be here cleaning up poop and counting my marbles.

Mardi Gras & Friends

2017-03-07T20:14:00.002-06:00

Mardi Gras has already come and gone and we are already well into Lent season. However, I couldn't let any more time pass without sharing a few pictures from the fun we had this year.

The past few years a dear childhood friend of mine and her husband have hosted a fabulous Mardi Gras brunch at their home in the historic Highlands area in Shreveport. The past two years in a row, B and I both had the flu and were unable to attend. Extremely jealous, I would look at everyone's pictures online and just say, "Well there's always next year." This year we were healthy and able to attend!

our fabulous hostess and the yummy spread

You can't have a party in Louisiana without Louisiana hot sauce and your own personal paparazzi.

With beads around our neck and a gluten free king cake in hand, B and I made our way to Shreveport and had a blast! This was Buie's very first Mardi Gras parade EVER! I found that extremely hard to believe but he assured me that this was his first. It was a tame one at that. The Highland parade is very family friendly and they throw all sorts of goodies from Moon Pies to sandwiches and hot dogs! I brought my big girl camera with me this time so here are a few of images of the day.

my beautiful friend Melissa. I just love her shirt. It says "Caution! Baby Inside!" :)

Thoughts and Quotes.

2017-03-07T18:23:00.000-06:00

Lately I've been wanting to write more. I've been wanting to get out everything that's up here in this head of mine. There is a lot going on but at the same time there's not a lot going on because it's everyday simple things. The things I do everyday I'm used to. I don't think it's anything special but I know one day I will wonder what I did in my 30's. What was life like back in 2017... So in a way, nothing special is going on but then again, everything is happening.

So in an effort to document more of the little things in life, I am planning to blog more often about current things happening in our lives. Even if it seems boring and mundane at the time, it is the stuff life is made of.

We've been doing a lot of simplifying in our lives... getting rid of stuff, saying No to stuff we don't need, using things we have and slowly becoming more self-sustaining. I've been reading a lot on minimalism lately and it has sort of swept social media by storm lately. Minimalism is definitely on the rise and I totally see the appeal to it. For so many years I thought I needed to be more organized, then I finally realized, I just need less stuff. I actually went through a slight hoarding phase after I lost several loved ones in my life, namely my grandparents. Following the death of each grandparent, I found myself wanting to keep everything associated with a memory of them. From books and nicknacks to couches and big pieces of furniture, there was little I said no to if it once belonged to a beloved grandparent.

I found myself being super bogged down in clutter both physically and mentally. I have donated truck loads and still find myself being over run with junk. The goals I have for our home, our animals, our garden, and our life cannot be accomplished with too much junk standing in the way. It just won't happen. For instance, our garage has been a sore spot for years. It has never been a place to park our cars. In the two homes we've lived in we have always just stored stuff in it. Unused items and unfinished projects just constantly pile up and create this jungle of chaos and stress in my life. I'm so tired of keeping things I don't love just because the person who gave it to me is special to me.

I have tried to implement the rule of asking myself these questions before making a purchase:

1. Do I NEED this item?

2. Do I LOVE this item?

(as opposed to just shopping out of boredom or habit)

3. Will this item make my life better?

If you are simplifying using the KonMari Method you would ask yourself, "Does this item spark JOY when you touch it?" Read more about the KonMari Method. I did find that I became a more mindful shopper after reading her book, The Life-Changing Art of Tidying Up about a year ago, and my t-shirts have never looked neater in my drawers, that's for sure!

Our process of simplifying has been just that, a process. It definitely has not happened over night and we still have a long road a head of us. Sometimes I don't know exactly what the road ahead looks like. I know it is a lot more than having a capsule wardrobe or folding my t-shirts a certain way. I doubt I will ever be a type of minimalist who only has like a bed and one dresser in their room. That's just not my style. However, having less is certainly a goal. At the same time I want less stuff, I also want to be more self-sustaining and depend on big retail places less and less.

I have even noticed, the way I look at everyday life is changing. I have less of a desire to be a part of the normal society and more of a longing to just find happiness in what we already have. So much of society is keeping up and knowing what's trending. There are apps for everything and constant alerts letting us know this and that. It's overwhelming, quite frankly, and instead of trying to keep up, I would just rather not. I'm okay with turning off technology and focusing on gardening instead. I'm okay with not having the latest gadgets. I'm okay with not shopping at Target to have the latest thing that came out. I'm okay with borrowing or making things we need instead of going to buy something new. I'm okay with being content with what we have. Maybe this all means that I'm getting older...and you know what I'm okay with that too.

None of us are special and all of us are special.

2017-01-20T00:40:00.000-06:00

Today is not exactly a happy day for me. Today is the day Donald Trump becomes President of the United States of America. I feel like if someone were reading this 10 years ago, they would laugh and swear it was a joke. Some billionaire with crazy hair is gonna be president in 2017? Nah, I won't believe until I see it. I think that's what many of us thought when the rumors were circulating that Trump was throwing his hat in the ring. You think he just woke up one day and said, I think I'm gonna run for president?

Never in my wildest dreams did I image that he would ACTUALLY be the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. One word stands out to me.

UNITED. Are we though? Are we UNITED?

Let's back up to 8 years ago though. Eight years ago I didn't care at all about politics... like not at all. Eight years ago I didn't vote for Obama. I actually remember being upset on election night when he won. I was, and still am a George W. fan. Admittedly though, it has absolutely nothing to do with his politics and absolutely everything to do with his Southern accent, sweet smile and the way he wears that Cowboy hat. I'm a sucker, what can I say? I mean, look at that cute cowboy grin.

Eight years ago I was 25, newly married and still trying to figure out this life stuff. (Let's be honest, I'm STILL trying to figure it out.) I voted like a Conservative because that's what I thought good Southern girls raised Southern Baptist did. I voted Republican because Christians voted Republican, right? That's what I thought at least.

Over the past eight years I have learned so much about myself, about the world, about change, hope, equality, but also I have learned about the opposite. I have met people who have no hope, who are treated unfairly and have been utterly broken by the world around them. I have met people who couldn't get married to the one they love or adopt a child they have been so longing to have. Over the past 8 years there has been a lot of change, in myself, but also in this country. Over the last eight years, there has been more acceptance, more openness, more togetherness, more people loving people for who they are. Not everyone believes the same as I, nor will they ever, and THAT'S OKAY. This diversity is what makes America an amazing place to live! You can go walk around outside and, depending on where you live, meet people from a variety of ethnicities and backgrounds. But here's the question I have: Shouldn't we ALL be treated equally? This is where I had a hard time voting for Trump, someone who in no way treats all people equally. In this world, we can all learn from each other if we just open up and listen to each other. Treat each other fairly no matter the circumstance, color of skin, sexual orientation or who they voted for in this election.

So even though I'm not particularly happy about Donald Trump being president, I am still going to go on with my day to day life, with LOVE as my number one agenda. It's sounds simple but it really does come down to the Golden Rule: "Treat others how you would like to be treated." If we remember that we are all the same.... that no-one person is better than anyone else... maybe then we can be a UNITED nations. That is my prayer for the next eight years. Put your neighbor, your brother, your teacher, your sibling, that stranger next to you...put them all before yourself. Can we do that? Is the human brain even capable of such self LESS ness? As humans we are hard wired to be selfish, to put our own needs first. This is why any relationship is hard. We all want to be made to feel special

but the truth is none of us are special and all of us are special.

In trying to determine my political affiliation, I learned long ago that the spectrum of conservative to liberal or Republication to Democrat did not matter. One spectrum that I should be focused on is the spectrum of love and hate, of equality and inequality, of inclusiveness and exclusiveness. Where do you fall on this spectrum. Do I treat others fairly? Do I focus on love or do I focus on hate? Is my social media full of positive things or negative? Do I love those who are different than me? But no-one is better than any one else and everyone should be given the same opportunity in life. I truly believe this. So in order to be a UNITED NATION, let us put aside our political affiliation and remember we are all just people who need love and acceptance. Now for goodness sakes, go hug someone!

Merry Christmas!

2016-12-22T17:33:00.000-06:00

We wanted to wish you a very Merry Christmas from me, B and our crazy crew! This is just a little reminder to be silly, kick back and enjoy life even when it's not so great!

This year hasn't been the best for us but we are looking forward to new adventures and new challenges of 2017. I have a few challenges of my own I would like to accomplish including blogging more often. This year I was looking back and have barely made any entries to this blog in 2016. Hopefully in the coming year and get back to writing more and remember why I enjoyed it in the first place.

Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! Peace. Love. Joy. and all that other good stuff
Love,
Brent & Cara Beth Buie

Reconnecting in Natchitoches

2016-12-19T13:04:00.000-06:00

My first cousin Leah and I have embarked on a new journey and it is quickly becoming a favorite tradition. After reconnecting with Uncle Sonny at a family funeral, Leah and I decided to take him up on his offer of coming to stay with him in his home. If you are not familiar with it, Natchitoches is called the city of lights. Millions of Christmas lights adorn the city on historic homes and buildings and along the river. They have tourists come from all over to see them and participate in their Christmas festival, eat yummy food, shop the local stores and enjoy the fireworks over the Cane River. It really is quite an experience and one to put on your list if you haven't been. Since my grandmother was from the city of lights, our family grew up going to back their with her just about every year to experience Christmas in Natchitoches. I can remember eating Natchitoches meat pies (before I was gluten free) and hanging out with my grandmother's family. They were all such lovely people.

Last Christmas we loaded up in Leah's car and made the short trip to Natchitoches to visit our grandmother's brother, who we affectionately call Uncle Sonny. Leah and I, along with the other 6 grandchildren, were very close with our grandparents. Our grandmother, Frances, had one brother and one sister and Uncle Sonny is the only living sibling of our sweet grandmother. Last December on this very same weekend, Leah and I reconnected with a 92 year old man. We listened to his stories. We looked through albums of family pictures. We enjoyed his wonderful cooking for which he is Natchitoches famous. Leah and I were also reintroduced to two of Uncle Sonny's sons and we thoroughly enjoyed spending time with and reconnecting with our cousins. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner prepared by cousins that we had just kindled our relationship with. We spent all night in wonderful conversation about life, death, family and love! It was truly a special night.

me, Uncle Sonny and Leah eating a wonderful meal at Merci Beaucoup

Ricky, me, Uncle Sonny and Leah

me, Denise and Leah

Leah and I enjoyed our visit last Christmas so much that we made another trip in the Spring about 6 months later. Then just recently, we returned again on the same weekend in December. Uncle Sonny will be 94 in January and while it's sad to think about, we are not sure how many more Christmases or springtimes we will have with him. We have enjoyed these last few visits. I'm so thankful he along with his son and daughter in law traveled that road to come to a family funeral. It was at that funeral where we reconnected and started on this journey. Even in times of sadness come joy, bonding and a renewed sense of family and closeness. You will never regret spending TOO much time with your family members while they are still with us on this Earth. The decision to reconnect with our grandmother's side of the family is one that I will surely never regret. This holiday season if you have an opportunity to reconnect, always take it! You won't regret it and you might even make a new friend or two.

our attempt at a family selfie :)

Girls Get-Away

2016-07-02T18:21:00.000-05:00

When you have a bond with someone that time and distance are no measure for, it feels just like coming home when you are finally together again! That's exactly how it is with my girls. A place where we are 100% ourselves. A place where we can literally tell each other anything. A place where there are no judgement no matter the topic religion, politics, no matter our size or our place in life...I always feel accepted by these women. It doesn't matter where we are, I love being with them. I love that no matter how busy we get we always make time for a girl's getaway because it is so needed for the soul.

The past few years several of us made the long drive to Florida for an entire week and it was glorious! We just couldn't quite make it happen this year because of work schedules, but that didn't stop us from a girls weekend. We booked a lake house is Hot Springs, loaded up the boat with our floaties and made some memories. The best part of the weekend was sharing it with friends that don't normally get to attend the whole week in Florida.

So what are the components that make up a perfect girl's weekend?

flamingo straws and fruity drinks

personalized cups and enough junk food to gain a few pounds each

pretty braids and the best hair stylist in the world

strawberry pie, caprese salad and friends that make you your very own gluten free cookies

boat rides. swan floats, sunsets

old school rap music and dance parties on the boat

And the best friends a girl could ask for.

We swam. We sang. We enjoyed the sun. But most of we laughed and laughed and laughed some more. These girls are the best medicine. Can't wait till our next one, ladies!

Mr. Bun Bun

2016-06-29T15:56:00.001-05:00

Losing a pet is not easy no matter what type it is. We love our bunnies and their little personalities. When we welcomed three rabbits into our home about two and a half years ago we had no idea the journey we would go on. We have seen 8 new bunnies birthed and nurse and grow hair and open their eyes. Baby bunnies are just the cutest. We raised a handicapped bunny from birth, giving it special baths and therapy trying to strength her little deformed legs. We have watched ALL of our bunnies take their very first romp in the grass and kick their legs up in excitement. Before we adopted the original three, they had lived in a cage their whole lives and had never even run let alone romp in the grass. Over the past 2.5 years, we have loved and hugged and learned so many things about these delicate little creatures.

Yesterday we noticed that Mr. Bun Bun wasn't his normal perky self. He normally loves a good head scratch and immediately starts eating just about anything I bring him, apples, carrots, basil, spinach, etc. In the summer heat, we always put out frozen water bottles for our bunnies. Our bunnies live outside in a hutch but have complete protection from the elements. Mr. Bun Bun liked to sit right next to the water bottles and that's where he was all day yesterday. We brought him inside thinking that if he was perhaps overheated, the air conditioning would cool him off. We immediately noticed he wasn't responding to even his favorites treat or drinking any water at all. After forcing him to drink water and still no response, we knew the outcome did not look good. The closest emergency vet didn't see rabbits and our vet was closed since it was after hours. We started reading every possibility of what could possibility be wrong. We quickly found out that it could be a number of things from heat stroke to an infection of some sort. We read in several sources we could give him infant medicine so we went to Walgreens to buy some. Several hours passed and Mr. Bun Bun was no different. Wobbly and unstable, not eating, no response, teething grinding (a sign of pain), and leaning up against a wall for support.

We said our good-byes while we took turns holding him and talking about all the good memories we have of him because we knew his passing was inevitable at this point. We didn't think he would make it through the night because he was declining rapidly.

Mr. Bun Bun was definitely loved. He may have been "just a rabbit" to some, but we gave that rabbit a name, a home and loved him while he was with us. I know that while he was with us we gave him the best. In the short time we had him he lived life to the fullest.

He romped in the grass for the first time and quite frequently :)
He was in a home that loved him and not just in a cage waiting to be bred or sold
He had a girlfriend. It's true. Tiana and Mr. Bun Bun bonded instantly and were inseparable.
He had a child. Tiana and Bun Bun did manage to escape and go on their honeymoon. A month later, Tiana gave birth to Nadia. :)

All in all, Mr. Bun Bun, you were our favorite. Honestly, he was. We will miss you, but we are glad you were in our lives. In a horrible world with tragedies happening daily, sometimes I feel silly to be sad over a bunny. But in our world, he was worth mourning. We may never know why you left us, but we are glad you were here.

Father's Day Weekend in Rison

2016-06-20T12:14:00.000-05:00

I'm trying to make more of an effort in this blogging thing so I can purposefully take pictures at events and write about it. This weekend B & I loaded up the spaniels, dropped off the bigger dogs with a pet sitter and make the short drive to Buie's hometown of Rison, Arkansas. I'm embarrassed to say this, but we hadn't seen my in-laws since Christmas! (I know, shameful, right?) Being right in the middle of wedding season, it's so hard to take off. We jumped on the opportunity to see them on our first free weekend and spent a good 48 hours of family time.

Lady and Conner love their big backyard and spent most of their outside side chasing squirrels and making sure they had sniffed every corner of their yard.

We slept in late on Saturday morning which was glorious. We sipped our coffee in our pjs and snuggled with the dogs, watched the news and relaxed. Saturday afternoon we hopped in the car and got the $5 tour from Buie's dad. Mr. Rufus has lived in Rison his whole life. Their family owned The Buie Funeral Home for many years until he retired. If you are not familiar with Rison, it is a town of about 1,300. I always thought I was from a small town...until I went to Rison. Mr. Rufus drove us around and showed us the home where he first lived as a young boy and the home where he and Mrs. Carole lived. He showed us the original funeral home where he and his family lived in a one bedroom apartment in the back for many years.

We stopped by Rison High School and I begged them to take a photo in front of the football field where they both played football for the Rison Wildcats. I know these are the little things that one day we'll be so thankful we took the time to do. I cherish this time we get to spend with our parents.

Saturday evening the boys cleaned off the grilled. Buie's brother picked up some steaks. I made some potatoes and B cooked the steaks. We filled our bellies and then piled in the living room and watched a movie. The Buies are movie experts. It's kind of a family tradition to watch movies when we're all together. That's where B gets his love of movies from.

Back in Louisiana, my parents went out to eat with my both of my brothers' families and their six kiddos. I called my dad on the phone to wish him a happy Father's Day. I'm sure their dinner was a bit more lively than ours since it's just the 5 of us, but it was a just the relaxing weekend we needed.

Sunday morning we put on our fancy clothes and drove the 200 yards down Main Street to Rison Methodist Church where we were introduced by the pastor and welcomed by the whole church. Nothing like a small town church, where literally everyone knows your name. ;)

Thanks for a great weekend in Rison! We love you guys! B & I are so blessed to have two amazing father's in our lives. They have taught us what real men are! We love y'all!

Let's get updated, shall we?

2016-06-15T19:17:00.001-05:00

Where do I even begin? So much has happened since I last wrote. I got out of the habit of blogging for whatever reason. To quote Jessie Spano on Saved by the Bell, "There's no time! There's never any time!"

I kept thinking, I should probably keep up with my blog if not for the sheer fact that I have a bad memory. If I write it down or take a picture of it, it helps me remember. But then, weeks turned into months and here I am doing an "update on life" blog because I haven't written in forever. It kind of feels like I'm starting over. No clue where to even start so here's a update on a few main areas in our life for you:

Health:

Occasionally I write about my health on my blog so I will remember my journey. It has been a long one for me for sure! From being diagnosed with Celiac Disease, then Hypothyroidism, PCOS and now an insulin resistance, the road has been long and difficult. I recently found a new doctor in Dallas through a recommendation, and we are in the process of switching up some medicines (again) and trying to get some weight off and balance my thyroid production. My doctor believes that the damage done to my body by gluten is causing all of these other issues, including my resistance to the hormone insulin. With my recent diagnosis of an insulin resistance, I really have to watch my carb and sugar intake because my body doesn't process sugar properly. You may be wondering if this is another name for Diabetes 2 and it is not, BUT it could turn into to it if I don't take care of myself. So for now I'm watching my carb/sugar intake with a vengeance and dreaming of pizza and popcorn.

Business:

In January of this year, we officially changed the name of my photography business from Cara Beth Studio to Buie Photography. With the help of 2 web designer friends, we got a completely new website and logo.

Another huge business decision was for my husband Buie to step in and help out with the business. He has been focusing on marketing for us. You may be seeing some of our ads in Weddings with Style and Bayou Life. We are focusing more on wedding photography which is actually something I told myself years ago that I would never do. I remember specifically saying that I didn't want to spend my weekends working! ha! And now that is exactly what we are doing, but we absolutely LOVE it! We are basically with each other about 24 hours a day because we both work from home. Thankfully we do not share an office so we do have a little space. ;)

I love having my husband with me on shoots now because I have someone funny to talk to and entertain me. I have someone to help carry equipment and most of all, I have a talented photographer to help contribute to our couple's wedding gallery. Buie and I hope to grow our business even more in the coming months and years, so if you know anyone who needs a photographer, send them our way!

www.buie.photos

www.facebook.com/buiephotos

The Zoo

Some of y'all may know that we love animals (understatement of the year) and we have a few of them. ;) At the moment and for the last year or so, we have twelve animals. Yup. You read that right. 12 animals. 4 dogs. 4 cats and 4 rabbits. We love each and every one of them. Some of them we love more than others. ;) And some of them may have become outdoor animals since they decided to quit using the litterbox, but we love them still!

Spring is our most recent rescue and we've had her over a year now! It's crazy how time flies.

I'm going to do my best to keep this updated if not just for me and Buie and my memory and maybe our parents because I think they are the only one who reads this. ;)

See you around hopefully sooner rather than later!

The sun came out today.

2015-10-28T13:48:00.003-05:00

I've been on a long journey to good health...well for about the last 9 years when I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, then later with Hypothyroidism, among many other autoimmune diseases. Through many years of ups and downs, I have found that there is no substitution for good health. There have been so many horrible days with aches and pains, blinding migraines, indescribable fatigue and depression beyond hope. However, with the elimination of gluten from my diet eight years ago, my brain fog has decreased significantly and my energy levels have increased. I have gone from 4 to 5 migraines a WEEK to about 1 or 2 a month. But the effects of gluten were still there and the damage had been done almost beyond repair. Soon after the diagnosis of Celiac, the Thyroid problems started and have not ended. The energy comes and goes, along with the depression and anxiety. Some days are harder than others. The weather affects me greatly. It has been raining for 4 days straight... and then today the sun came out. It was like I could breath again. It was like God saying, there is an end to all of this. You can do this, girl!

So today as the sun is shining down, I am starting a new journey of eliminating all processed foods, dairy, and grains and sugar. I will do it consistently and without any cheat days until Thanksgiving which is exactly 30 days from now. I feel like the last 10 years have been leading up to this day...as corny as that sounds. I have been on a roller coaster of eliminating chemicals, processed foods and meats pumped with hormones. I'll juice for a week and feel fabulous and then fall off the wagon and eat a bag of chips and immediately regret it.

There is no substitution for good health.

I know without a shadow of a doubt that the foods I put in my mouth affect me not only physically but emotionally. I am excited about the next 30 days and plan to blog about this journey along the way so stay tuned!

At first glance...

2015-09-22T11:26:00.000-05:00

I recently pulled out my wedding DVD with my bridal images, our wedding images and these lovely gems, our engagement photos. These images were taken almost 8 years ago in Little Rock by a dear friend of ours. They are dear to my heart for many reasons. When I look back at these images at first I notice how much skinner I look - how depressing. At first glance I might, I might say, "Wow, my teeth look so white! I need to cut back on the coffee!" I might even notice that my Buie is a few pounds lighter in these photos, too (sorry babe) but none of those things matter. At first glance, I thought, "oh I remember that shirt! I wonder where it is...not that I could fit in it anymore..."

Despite the physical changes we have gone through since these pictures were taken, when I look at these images taken just a couple months before we were married, it reminds me of the beginning...when everything was fresh and new. It reminds me that I had no clue what love was. Yes, we look blissfully happy like someone spiked our morning coffee or perhaps we were just drunk in love as Beyonce would say. While I'm pretty sure our friend, Christen, just said something funny to make us laugh, it's still nice to think about how excited we were to be planning our wedding. (And I must mention that my mom did everything. So thanks, mom.) While we had already been together for 3 years at this point, conquered a breakup and been a part while I traveled to not one but two different countries... we were still in the beginning of love.

What I have learned about love in the last 10+ years is that LOVE is not what I thought love was at all. Love is not a white horse or climbing up a balcony or a red single rose glittering in the spotlight or dancing the night away at a ball and loosing your slipper. Love is not some crazy romantic proclamation of affection in some grand place with fireworks going off in the background and your own 4 string quartet playing and an audience cheering in the background. Love isn't even finding your soulmate or finding "the one" that was meant for you. I know this is debatable for some so let's just move on, shall we? :)

Love is a decision to put someone in your life and continually walk beside them hand in hand no matter what life throws your way. Love is a sacrifice. Love is the hardest thing I have ever done. Love is getting up every single day and forgetting yourself and your selfish instinct. Love is holding your hair back while your throwing up. Love is checking a tick bite in places you can't reach or even see! :) Love is bringing you home your favorite snack because you'd had a horrible day. Love is watching Project Runway instead of your twelfth football game of the day because you know it's your wife's favorite. ;) Love is forgiving before the other one even say they're sorry. Love is sometimes so ugly, it's beautiful. Do you know what I mean? Love is no makeup, no shaving, no showering for a week and still falling helplessly in each others arms because that is the only place that feels like home.

Another thing I have learned is that I may be THE most stubborn person on the face of this planet... No, seriously. When we got married it was a major wake up call to me how selfish and stubborn I am...and still am. Well, we are BOTH pretty stubborn. ;) But it's been almost 8 years of learning to give and take, learning HOW to communicate with each other and learning how to sacrifice and possibility even letting the other be right every now and then. ;)

So when I look at the these images now, I don't see how we've changed physically, although we have and we will continue to grow old together. I don't see a giddy engaged couple ready to tie the knot. I see how much our LOVE has grown over the past 10+ years (including our dating years). I love this man more this morning than I did yesterday morning. The difference? Everyday I wake up and pray for our marriage, I pray for me, I pray for him, I pray for our future children (if God's chooses to bless us with any). I choose to love him every day. He is the best roommate I could ask for. He is the best movie partner, jeopardy teammate, dog dad, best friend that I could ask for. Some times I don't always *like* him (and I KNOW he would say the same) but I will always wake up and *choose* him. Every single day.

That, to me, is love.

photography by Christen Byrd

Camping:: It's intense!

2015-05-21T12:56:00.000-05:00

Get it? It's intense! IN TENTS! Camping?.... IN TENTS?!

Ok, Sorry for that. It has been raining here. A LOT. Like all the time, all day long. We did get a break yesterday and that was nice. But today here we are again.

I have had to cancel, postpone and reschedule so many sessions this Spring because of the rain. It is beyond frustrating. I absolutely HATE having to reschedule a session for any reason, even if it is out of my control. My clients are wonderful and completely understand because they don't want to shoot their session in the rain either. This week when yet another session got canceled, I let my frustration out in the form of a tent....a huge tent in the middle of our living room with every single sheet that we own!

It did the trick. It's amazing how twinkle lights and an indoor fort can be so comforting. I felt like I was 4 years old again! Buie and I stayed in our fort all day Monday and talked and watched crime detective shows which is one of our favorite things to watch.

All of the animals slept for hours. It was like we drugged them. ha! (It was probably the essential oils we had diffusing IN the tent!) Monday night we slept in the tent with all the animals except for Spring because she's not house trained yet. She did come hang out for a few hours with us. I think the dogs thought we had built them a huge kennel for our entire pack. :)

Yes, I realize we are crazy but hey you only live once, right?! Our tent is still up- going on Day 4. I'm going out of town this weekend so I'm thinking we have to leave it up at least til the nieces and nephews can come play sometime next week. :)

Oops, I did it again!

2015-05-11T15:59:00.000-05:00

Oops, I did it again! I found a cute dog and decided to keep it. Yup. That's right. The Buies Zoo just added ANOTHER one. We are back up to 12. We lost a bunny a couple months ago so we were down to 11, but now we have an even 4/4/4:: four dogs, four cats and four bunnies.

Last Sunday morning our 3 dogs started barking like crazy at something in our front yard. That usually means that the FedEx guy is delivering a package to our house or there is a nosy little doggie visitor using our lawn as a place to mark his territory. Our dogs do not approve. They think it is their sole duty to guard and protect this house, even if it means chewing through the glass kitchen door to do so. I like that they sound vicious. It makes me feel safer when I'm working from home.

In our yard last Sunday was this sweet face. She was frightened yet curious. She had a blue collar with no name, no tag of any kind and a chewed of leash hanging down from her collar. Her skin looked pretty bad. She had patches of bald spots with skin shedding and scabs all over her. When I could get close enough, she would wag her tail and I could barely get a glimpse of some sort of infection underneath her tail. I couldn't tell in her anal gland was swollen or if she was in fact a he and those were just some weird looking boy parts. (sorry for the details if you aren't a dog person) We found out later she was in fact a girl and her private parts were inflamed and irritated. Poor girl. :(

I had somewhere to go that morning and all afternoon. We didn't know what to do. After calling the local rescue shelter and learning that they were at capacity, we decided to just give her some food and water and see if she would just stay in our front yard through the night. And of course she did. The next morning, she was happy to see me but still fearful. I made a vet appointment for that afternoon and spent the next few hours just sitting out in the front yard trying to gain her trust. There were many many treats involved in this process. ;)

Getting her in the car was a traumatic experience but surprisingly the actual vet appointment was great! They are so great with her. They got her cleaned up, treated the ticks and fleas and gave her a shot for the red mange. The next few days were all about making her feel at ease and comfortable.

She has made such progress over the last week. And of course we have fallen in love with her. I think it was Thursday that we officially decided to keep her and make her a part of our crazy zoo. Oh and we named her SPRING! :) When she runs, she has this little hop and a spring to it. She is so full of hope, just like each Spring is after a long hard winter. We are excited to see her progress and if you'd like to follow along over on Instagram, you can find lots more pictures and even some videos over at my instagram page #thebuieszoo or #springbuie for more pictures of just sweet Spring.

Welcome to the Zoo, Spring.

Love it or Leave it

2015-05-07T12:31:00.000-05:00

I thought it was about time I popped back in to say hi! It's no surprise that I've been letting this little blog of mine fall by the wayside...again. Most of the time I think "no one wants to read about my boring little life," but to be completely honest, I'm not really doing this for anyone else except me. I have never admitted to being a "writer" but I find it therapeutic. Growing up I have always kept a journal of some sort starting with my Hello Kitty diary in 3rd grade. :) It's fun to go back and read years later, just like I do with this blog. I started this blog right before Buie and I were married and this summer we will celebrate 7 years of marriage together. It's hard to believe 7 years has already gone by. In some ways it has been some of the best years but also some of the hardest years of my life. Most of the real intimate personal stuff I don't write about here on my blog, mainly because I don't want the whole world knowing about it. But the small stuff like gardening and our animals and our home, the everyday stuff...I still want to remember all of that stuff. So here I am again.

In January I wrote about simplifying and I have really been trying to do that this year. If you know me then you know I come with a lot of stuff. ha. It sounds weird to say because I don't consider myself to be materialistic. I don't have to have stuff to make me happy. However, I am one of those inherently messy people. I think it comes naturally though if that makes any difference at all. I can remember going to visit my great grandmother, Margie, who we called "NaNa" and her place being filled with stuff. She had plants everywhere, stacks of magazines from years past that she had "plans" to do something with, unfinished ceramic projects. I remember she always had to clean a place off for us to sit down. :) Isn't it funny the little things you remember. My mom always said I have a lot of NaNa in me. We are both artists. We are both messy and creative and not at all organized. We both save every little thing to remember an event by. (I don't really do this anymore but I used to in junior high and high school.) We both have hoarding tendencies and I have a garage full of stuff to prove it. When my NaNa passed away, I felt such a connection to her that I felt like I must keep her stuff. I couldn't stand for it to go to charity. Through out the years, I would eventually lose all of my grandparents and each time, I felt like I had to hoard their belongings to keep a part of them with me. There are so many pieces that are so special to me that I would never in a million years get rid of and I am so thankful that they are in our home.

this is my MeMe's couch that is in our breakfast nook. I love this couch so much and remember spending many Christmases with all of my cousins all piled up on this couch opening presents.

this was my MeMe's hutch that was in her kitchen that now stores our cookbooks and some of my china.

this loveseat belonged to my Grandmother on my dad's side. It was in their Master Bedroom for as long as I remember. It is now in our living room and serves as a good cat napping bench. :)

I also have several boxes of just random trinkets and nicknacks that I have no emotional attachment to, other than I know they belonged to my grandparent. It has been somewhat therapeutic, to go through those boxes and find a special place in my home for those pieces that I do want to keep and let go of the things that I am not keeping.

On top of going through my grandparents memorabilia, I have kept so much stuff from college that I have now sold or given away. It feels good to clean out closets and purge! I highly recommend it! Is my garage clean yet? Well, heck no but I'm still working on it. :) My motto has been if I don't LOVE it then LEAVE it. I either sell it or give it away to someone who I know would appreciate it or box it up and give it to charity. Also, I'm not just keeping things for no reason anymore. I'm getting to old for trinkets. ha! It has to serve a purpose in my house. :)

simplify.

2015-01-07T16:25:00.002-06:00

2015.

SIMPLIFY.

Last year was a difficult year for us. This year B & I will celebrate 10 years of being together and 7 years of marriage. Each day I learn more and more about marriage, communication and selflessness. On top of loosing my grandmother, my husband and I both dealt with a lot of stress, depression, and anxiety.

This will be year two in our new home here in Louisiana and already it has been a good year. The difference? Simplifying, de-stressing, planning (yes, planning) and quit feeling sorry for myself. My house is still cluttered with Christmas decor but I'm taking it room by room. As a creative person, I tend to be messy. Ok, let's be honest, I'm usually always messy. I don't understand it. I don't know how it happens, but it always happens. But the weird thing is that I don't thrive in messiness. I like for things to be in order. So you see how this could be a problem. Also, being married to a naturally creative and messy person, we have to work hard to keep a semi-liveable home. We decided long ago that hiring a cleaning lady to come weekly was almost a requirement in a home with seven in-home animals. The $75/week is the best money we spend all week and having clean floors is priceless.

But being 'clean' goes beyond vacuuming to me. This year it is my desire to live with less.

To truly live simply.

When I traveled to Nicaragua this past month, I packed everything that I needed in one backpack including my camera, three lenses and a week's worth of clothes and my Bible. That thought really resonated with me. Simplify. Then as I served children their only meal of the day while they were clinching their only bowl and only spoon, I thought again how much I have that I do not need.

Simplify.

To live a truly simple life. I don't even think I understand don't those even as I write them. With so many gifts and gadgets that fill my drawers and gadgets.... it's almost enough to make me want to go live in a grass hut somewhere. Although I don't feel like God is calling me to do that at this time, I do feel like God is calling me to simplify our lives. To give away things we do not use. To repurpose things that can be repurposed. To simply live without.

I'm looking forward to a great year! What are your goals this year?

Let's catch up, shall we?

2014-11-04T18:58:00.001-06:00

Hi, friends, It's been a while, has it not? I keep thinking I should update this little blog of ours and then life takes over. Photo sessions, dinners, family functions, ballgames and well, just life in general all take priority...but the one thing I love about this blog is how it helps me to remember the little things about life. So I am, once again, going to do my best to blog regularly, at least just for our little family so I can look back one day and remember all of the little things in life that are worth remembering.

Here's what has been going on in the past few days..weeks...months:

My life pretty much consists of this:

bunnies.

cleaning up bunny poop.

dog and cat hair.

feeding the herd.

drinking coffee.

editing pictures.

taking pictures.

thinking about taking pictures.
trying to make some new friends in Ruston. :)

lately, watching the Gilmore Girls.

texting my husband to buy more bunny, dog or cat food.
cheering on the Bulldogs. Go DAWGS!

oh, and I did get to travel to some pretty cool places in the last month.

Bunnies...oh, the bunnies. My lovely husband had a moment of weakness after we shot our Easter mini sessions at our home this past Spring. We 'rented' the rabbits and thoroughly enjoyed playing with them. We used them for our sessions with the children but when it was time to take them back to their owner, we just couldn't do it. So we "rescued" them to give them a better life. We wanted them to have more of a life than just sitting in a cage all...and for the most part, they do...but in short, they have taken over our lives. This summer was basically spent trying to figure out their housing situation...building hutches, building ramps, building fences...expensive fences. Bunnies are a lot of work if you are taking care of them properly...and I'm still not convinced we are. ha. While we are doing are best, I'm not sure that bunnies and dogs can cohabitate. This summer, we experienced what rabbit pregnancy, nesting and birthing was like. There were two litters born to one of our rabbits, Tiana (named by my nieces). One litter was born on Memorial Day weekend with only one rabbit, Nadia. The other litter born in late July with SEVEN rabbits...and I'm pretty sure she's pregnant yet AGAIN. We literally can not keep the male and female rabbits a part. So we're taking care of that problem this week and getting Mr. Bun Bun neutered this week. We have definitely learned a lot about bunnies in the last 6 to 8 months. They are snuggly and really do make good pets if you have the time, resources and probably no dogs. We won't get rid of the rabbits we have now because I've grown attached and have provided them a great home, but I doubt I'll purposefully go out and get anymore anytime soon. In the meantime, anyone want a baby bunny? :) No, seriously. I'm pretty sure we will be having more pretty soon and I'm writing this in stone. WE WILL NOT BE KEEPING ANY MORE RABBITS. Although, they are pretty darn cute, are they not? :)

Tiana, the momma

When I'm not cleaning out bunny cages, feeding dogs or cats, you can find me in my little home office editing pictures. Being a full time photographer here in Ruston, I spend a lot of time in my home office. I shoot about 2 to 3 days a week and edit 4 to 5 days a week. At least one of those days, I edit in bed with a bag of popcorn, watching my latest obsession. The past few weeks it's been Gilmore Girls. I TRY to take a day off every week or at least a half day off, but most of the time it ends up being an hour off here and there. But I don't complain because I have a flexible schedule that allows me to do that and I'm working my dream job currently. I am able to get up and go throw a load of laundry on or check on my dogs every hour or so, or even go for a walk as the sun in setting. I know that I am lucky and I don't, for a second, take that for granted.

Lately, it's just me and Harry hanging out in my office. Harold is my new office kitty that we recently adopted from one of my best friends. He usually sits right in front of me while I edit to try his best to prevent me from editing so I'll pet him instead. Most days, if the weather is nice, I'll open my office door, which leads to outside, and he sunbathes.

Sir Harold aka Harry

My husband, Buie, has a home office as well, but it's on the complete opposite side of the house so we really don't disturb each other too much. He is still in graduate school and, for the most part, loving most of his classes. He is not working in the traditional since because he is working with ME! :) He really is a great photographer, and he has surprised me with his talent. All of the weddings I have shot this year, he has been right beside me, second shooting for me. I'm definitely a proud wife. He is also my errand boy but what husband isn't, am I right? ;)

Fall is in full swing in Louisiana which means there is barely a chill in the air and if you look really hard you might see some pretty colored leaves but probably not. If I sound bitter, it's only because I spent 10 days traveling to the Pacific Northwest then a week in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. October was an absolutely amazing time of traveling, but I'll save that for another blog post. There is way too much to tell for this post. I must get back to editing.

See you soon!

Saying Good-Bye to MeMe

2014-09-04T15:45:00.001-05:00

Hey remember me?! I used to write on this blog once a week or so until I apparently fell off the face of the Earth. No worries, though! I'm still here. Wondering where I've been? A lot has been going on in our little world over here...and I do mean A LOT.

My sweet and precious MeMe passed away about 3 weeks ago. She was a wonderful lady with a quiet personality. She used to call me quite a bit and we'd chat late at night. MeMe was faithful to write me notes while I was away at camp and then when I moved off to college. She would always tell me to "be careful." She was definitely a worrier but she would always tell us it was because she loved us to much.

The hardest part for me was seeing what my mom went through. MeMe fell and broke her back several months ago and since then her health rapidly declined. She went from living at an assisted living, to the hospital, to being on Hospice. My mom was with her every step of the way. The last two months of MeMe's life, my mom was literally beside her bed everyday until her last breath. I admire the way my mom took care of her mother and I only hope that I can do the same for her one day. It is always hard to lose anyone you are close to, but having someone pass that is elderly and suffering is almost, in a way, a relief. I know that she and my granddad, Pop, are hanging out having a grand ol' time.

As weird as it may sound, one of the joys of funerals is catching up with family. I am super blessed with amazing cousins on both sides! We all had fun catching up and sharing stories of MeMe of when we were younger. You will be missed, MeMe, but your legacy lives on!

MeMe's life verse: Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before." 1 Thessalonians 4:11

Lessons Learned:: Good-Bye, Hopper

2014-06-26T13:24:00.001-05:00

It pained me to type these words yesterday on my Instagram account: "Buie & I are mourning the loss of our sweet Hopper tonight. We think she may have had a heart attack after being chased by our dogs. Rescuing animals, whether dogs or rabbits, means so much to us. We take it hard when one of ours passes, especially before it's time. This time, it was avoidable and we take full responsibility but it doesn't make it any less devastating. It make us more aware. It reminds us that taking care of these rescued animals is a full time job. One gate left open or one time I forget to check one thing and it could be a fatal mistake. In Hopper's case, it was. I'm sorry, Hopper. We'll never forget you. I'm sorry you had to sacrifice your life for me to learn a lesson."

This was definitely a tough mistake to make. It's easy to say accidents happen but the truth is, this situation could have been avoided. I was giving our baby bun bun a bath so I put all of the dogs outside. B went to the bathroom so he wasn't watching the dogs and neither was I. The other three rabbits were safe and secure on our sunporch (so we thought). The only thing separating the rabbits from their natural predator was a flimsy screen door which we have been meaning to replace for months now. Our dogs have been outside a hundred times with the bunnies on the porch. They whine like they want to play and scratch on the door as if to say, I want to come in. In my naive mind, I have even thought..."maybe they could be friends one day...just maybe." But we didn't dare let them alone in the same space.

When I was finished bathing baby bun bun, I walked into our living room and saw our sunporch screen door wide open. My heart sank. I ran back around to our bedroom back door to call for the dogs and surprisingly they came immediately. They came bounding in muddy and sweaty and extremely hyper. I shut them in the bedroom and closed the door.

I hesitated inside as I RAN to the sunporch to account for all four bunnies. Tiana, Mr. Bun Bun, and baby bun bun who was still in my arms and wet from her bath, were all accounted for. At this time, I screamed for Buie who was coming out of the bathroom. "I can't find Hopper! The dogs got in the sunporch and I can't find Hopper!" Buie was, of course, calm and collected as I became more and more frazzled. For such an optimistic person, I expected the worst this time. Three hyper, playful dogs don't just leave a bunny (a live one) and come inside when called the first time, not even the most obedient dogs, which mine are not. I knew that the only reason they would come inside so quickly is that they thing that they were playing with...was not so much fun to play with anymore...and there was only one reason for that. I shuddered at the thought of it.

Buie was the first to find her in the lower part of our yard. Lifeless. She was dead. I immediately started crying. He checked her out, assuming he would find her mangled. Besides some loose fur scattered around the grass, Hopper looked the same, just still...like she was asleep. Our best guess is that our dogs wanted to have a romp with her and they literally scared her to death. Rabbits are delicate little creatures and they are known to have heart attacks if they get scared. Poor Hopper.

Buie found a nice spot to bury her on the other side of the fence, so that the dogs wouldn't disturb her. We both shed a few tears and said a few nice words about her. We let the other three rabbits smell and examine her lifeless body. We thought this would help them understand what happened and if not, then it at least helped us. Tiana and her were buddies. I'm sad her friend is gone.

We Had a Baby....Bun Bun!

2014-06-12T02:04:00.003-05:00

In my last post I mentioned that we adopted three rabbits. With the help of our nieces and nephews, we named them Mr. Bun Bun, Tiana and Hopper. We have thoroughly enjoyed having them around and have learned a lot about bunnies. Actually I have been keeping a list of things we have learned about our bun buns. I may share the list in another post. They are fascinating creatures, including their ability to procreate. You know the crude expression "doing it like rabbits?" Well, I totally understand why it was created. One of the interesting facts about rabbits is that they are a "breed-at-will" mammal, meaning they are "ready to go" at anytime. We found this out the hard way.

Mr. Bun Bun = the culprit

On April 22 this was a Facebook entry:

'So far we are FAILING at raising bunnies. Tiana dug out of her cage and had a early morning rendezvous with Mr. Bun Bun who is NOT yet fixed. We have NO IDEA how much "cuddling" went on but we'll know for sure in 31 days if there are extra little bunnies hoping around. I'm SO not ready for babies and especially not a litter of them. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that ALL they did was cuddle. Buie is currently making plans to build a more secure cage and I'm thinking I should get Mr. Bun Bun to the vet ASAP!'

We were completely clueless if A. they had even done anything or B. if Tiana had become pregnant or C. if she was, in fact, pregnant how many kits were about to be added to our zoo!!

We immediately googled "rabbit pregnancy" and guess what? A rabbit's gestational period is 28-31 days. So the good news is we would find out in a month if were going to have a baby...and the bad news? Well, the bad news is that we could possibly have a lot more babies added to our house in one month.

I added the date to my phone. I counted 28 days from the "incident" as I call it. That whole month I was on bump watch. I kept telling Buie that I thought she was getting fatter. Buie was in denial but I knew she was pregnant. Call it woman's intuition or whatever, but I was 80% sure she was pregnant and I was kind of excited. Because let's be honest, who wouldn't want to stare at this cute little face?

She was due to give birth the Thursday before Memorial Day weekend IF she was pregnant (remember we still didn't know if she was pregnant or not and had no clue how many babies were in there if she was). We were scheduled to shoot a wedding on Saturday in Texas. We kept watching. Friday was day 32 and the day we were leaving for Dallas. By the way, I feel it very necessary to mention that my husband threatened to NOT go with me to Texas if the babies were born before we left. He just couldn't see how we could leave them here alone while we were off shooting some wedding. Seriously!? I mean, that's sweet and all, honey, but what are you going to do breast feed the bunnies yourself??

No bunnies were born on Friday and honestly we kind of assumed she wasn't pregnant and forgot about it. We had a crazy busy weekend in Texas. Our pet sitter took great care of our bunnies while we were away with no mention of a baby..so we were in the clear, right?

WRONG.

We got home Monday night, fed and watered the bun buns and everything was lovely and seemed normal. Tuesday afternoon rolls around after Buie and I slept in late...embarrassingly late actually. I went to feed the rabbits and I opened up the side of their hutch and I see a huge wad of bunny hair like a little nest, in the picture below. Since Buie and I had been doing some mad research we knew that rabbit mommas will make a nest right before giving birth. My first thought was Oh crap, she about to give birth! And then the big mound of hair started to move and I freaked out!

Oh my gosh! She WAS in fact pregnant and sometime between Friday night and Tuesday morning, Tiana gave birth to our newest little baby bun bun. And here he or she is. Yes, that's right, we still don't know if it's a boy or girl yet.... so for now it's name is Baby Bun Bun.

We have loved watching Baby Bun Bun grow these past 2 and a half weeks. I honestly can't believe how fast he's grown.

We had fun introducing him to our nieces and nephews, too. My niece, Makaylan, wanted to name him Aladdin. :)

Baby Bun Bun has a vet appointment this Friday to get some things checked out and to find out the sex. I thought he was a boy at first glance but now I'm not so sure. ha. I told you were are beginners at this. We are a little concerned about his back legs. He doesn't seem to be using them very much so we are taking him in to get him checked out just to make sure everything is ok. The research we have done says he should be hopping around and using his legs more than he is so we just want to cautious. Say a little bunny prayer for Baby Bun Bun on Friday morning. :)

The Buies Do Frisco

2014-05-29T13:41:00.000-05:00

This past weekend B & I got a pet sitter for the dogs, cats and rabbits, loaded ourselves and our camera gear in the car and headed to the big D. This was after we had to postpone our trip by several hours because my rented camera lens were late to arrive by FedEx. But finally we were on the road.

I had been hired by the mother of the bride to shoot her daughter's wedding in Frisco. I love to travel for my job and I had that date available so of course I said, yes! I brought along my assistant, my husband, my partner in crime and now I can officially call him my second shooter! :) This was his second wedding to assist but his first wedding to second shoot. B did so well I told him that I may never shoot another wedding without him.

This was just a quick shot of us with our iPhones the night before the wedding. We ate at this amazing place called TruFire in Frisco and we highly recommend it. It was recommend to us by a friend who lives there. We wanted to eat there again before we left but didn't. Instead we tried out a few other restaurants that we don't get the opportunity to eat at.

Saturday was the wedding and it was grander and more beautiful than we ever expected! It was my first full Mass Catholic ceremony to attend and shoot. It was beyond spectacular. Since the ceremony was hour an long - yes, that's right an hour long- I had time to just sit down and take in the beauty of the place.

After the gorgeous ceremony, we danced all night long til 1 in the morning. Needless to say, B & I were exhausted but I couldn't have done it without him. One of my proudest moments so far was when I glanced through the shots that Buie took that night. He did such a great job as a second shooter. Honestly certain moments, such as the first dance, he got better shots than I did! :) So proud!

Sunday I let B sleep in and I had a late lunch in downtown Frisco with my childhood best friend, Brook-Lyn who lives close to where we were staying. It was so nice to just sit and chat for an hour or two. I have missed her terribly! When you are growing up you don't ever think that you will be separated from your best friends but when you are, you cherish each and every moment you get with them!

We had one more stop before we headed home. Mom had requested that we meet up with my uncle Jerry to pick up a wheelchair for my grandmother. My grandmother, (MeMe as I call her) recently had a bad fall and broke her lower back. She has had a very hard time with recovery. My mom and two uncles have been working hard to make her comfortable by moving her to a nursing home where she would have more round the clock care. Uncle Jerry found someone to donate a wheelchair to her so we just needed a way to get it back to Louisiana for MeMe. It worked out perfectly that we were in town on the right weekend. And I'm always looking for another excuse to have dinner with my wonderful family.

me, Buie and my cousin Jena who lives downtown with her awesome dog, Tucker

(she's single, fellas!-Don't hate me, Jena!)

Jena, Aunt Lacy, me and Uncle Jerry

Monday, we slept in, checked out of our hotel room and drove back in time to pick up Lady and stop by our family's Memorial Day cookout. They had fun chasing her around the yard. I think they all slept well that night! :)

I would say we had a successful trip to Dallas. And I can't wait to go back!

We Got Bunnies!

2014-05-18T17:42:00.000-05:00

That's right we got bunnies! Like real live floppy eared, carrot chomping, nose wiggling, poops a lot, real live rabbits. It all started last Easter when I hosted my first Easter mini sessions. I rented two rabbits from a guy nearby. They were adorable, well one of them was...the other one liked to bite. Anyway, the hubs and I tossed around the idea of keeping one but then (like normal people) decided not too.

So this Easter rolled around and we rented the three sweetest bunnies from the same place as last year. The guy informed us that he was "getting out of the rabbit business" so that got us wondering what would happen to all of his rabbits. We had so much fun photographing these rabbits in this year's Easter mini sessions. They were great around the children and definitely no biting. We kind of grew attached to them all in about three days.

We weighed our pros and cons and I actually said no, we don't need more responsibility, more cost, more work, etc. etc. But then Buie, just said, let's do it! :) And of course, I said okay. He didn't have to twist my arm too hard.

So like that, we added three more to our zoo.

Louisiana Saturday Night

2014-05-08T19:50:00.001-05:00

The Spring in Louisiana means crawfish season. Last year we were just moving down here about the time crawfish season started so we actually never ate any all season. The rest of the year I just couldn't wait to get my hands dirty from crawfish juice so we invited over our closest friends and picked up a few pounds.

To me, this is what Louisiana is all about. I could honestly do this every weekend. Heck, I could do this every NIGHT but I'd also be about 50 more pounds overweight. ;)

It sounds weird to Northerners, I'm sure,...sitting around picking apart a little crustacean only for millimeters of meat, sucking the juices out of their heads, tossing their empty shells aside, only to pick another up and do it all again.

But, it's about tradition.

It's about sitting around on your back porch being around people who you've known your whole lives and sharing stories. It's all about the potatoes and corn. Who's with me? It's about your lips being so on fire because it's just the right amount of spicy. Well, maybe it needs a *little* more. :) It's about getting your fingers and fingernails so dirty and not caring one bit. It's about seeing how many pounds you can eat or how fast you can peel them. It's about putting the shells on your fingers and pretending that they are little tiny puppets (because we ALL have done that).

But most of all, it's about being with friends.

All images are copyright Cara Beth Studio. Please do not use anywhere without my permission. If you would like to use them for any reason, please send me an email at carabethstudio@gmail.com. Thank you for respecting my art work! :)