Today we're doing one of our favorite things: packaging up and delivering a beautiful album to our clients! Our couple Amanda and Remy ordered a beautiful album of their engagement session here on the ranch from earlier this spring. While it fills us with pride and joy to think about their children and grandchildren looking through this book in the years to come, we have to admit, we're a little sad to see this gem leave our office today! 

Love & Craftsmanship (2 things this book is made with!),

Luke & Cat

Sunday night we were working on our weekly routine of church, lunch with our family afterwards, then home to change in to our comfy clothes before heading over to our friends' house for our Sunday afternoon tradition of playing the marble game and watching Game of Thrones.

After a wonderful evening with our friends, we were turning out of our friends' driveway when my phone alerted me that I'd received a message from our neighbor who lives across the street. As I read her words, a nervous ball formed in the pit of my stomach:

"Do y'all have power? We don't."

As we turned right into our own driveway, I could tell by the looks of our house that we didn't have power. When we unlocked the door to go inside, the stuffy, dark, un-airconditioned world of our house with no electricity greeted us.

After reporting the outage we decided to make the best of it and just try to go to sleep. As I laid my head on the pillow, I thought about the comforts of my normal sleeping environment that I have taken for granted:  the ceiling fan above our bed with the annoying rattle we can't quite find out how to stop, the air conditioner set on a chilly 67°, my own personal fan on my side of the bed. If you haven't followed the clues, we like to sleep cold.

I had a plan to help stay cool. Of course, we would be sleeping on top of the covers. I was trying to stay as still as possible as to not move around and get hot. I was saving the 'cool side' of my pillow for the exact moment where I'd become too hot to continue.

But if I'm being honest, I was hot and miserable.

I tried to remind myself of the hotel we stayed in last fall in Indianapolis with a faulty air conditioner. As if I were giving a pep talk to myself, I thought, "That room was warmer than this, and you made it all night." If I could only go to sleep, when I woke up, surely the power would be back on.

Around 1:15 AM, I opened my eyes to the cool blue glow of the DoTerra oil diffuser that's on Luke's nightstand. First thing I thought was... AIR CONDITIONING! It had only gotten warmer since I'd managed to fall asleep. On cue, Luke jumped out of bed and went to turn the AC on as well as turn off a few lights we didn't even realize we'd left on.

As he crawled into bed, I giddily said, "I'm so glad it's going to cool off in here. It's like a sauna! What did the thermostat say it had gotten up to in here?"

He dryly answered: 71 degrees. 

Did I mention I have a tendency to over react?

Lights Are On & Crisis Is Averted,

Luke & Cat

If you're reading this, send help.
Ok, that might be a tad dramatic. But we are are in the middle of a catastrophe, here in the south.

THE RECALL HEARD 'ROUND THE RANCH...

If you've been following the news at all, you probably have heard that due to listeria concerns, the best ice cream brand ever has issued a recall. This has been going on for a few weeks now, but at first, we weren't really affected by it. It was only very specific containers of ice cream, none of which we happened to eat. But low and behold, a few days ago, Blue Bell lowered the boom on my Sunday afternoon after-church couching tradition: issuing a recall on ALL of their beloved ice cream. Cookies and Cream, Pistachio Almond, Red Velvet Cake, nowhere to be found.

Lucky for me, until it returns to the shelves, I'll rely on my memories. And boy, they are special. 

My favorite way to eat Blue Bell is the way my grandma makes it for everyone in our family - homemade vanilla, hand dipped into a bowl, sprinkled with Nestle Quik powder. All served in old chipped bowls while sitting at her bar in the kitchen watching westerns on television. Nothing better.

I'll try to help you understand by using a quote I saw on Facebook yesterday.

"Let me break this down for Northerners who can't understand the tragedy of recent events: The Blue Bell recall doesn't mean we're down a brand of ice cream. We don't BUY other brands of ice cream. The Blue Bell recall means WE ARE OUT OF ICE CREAM. "

LOOKING FOR THOSE GOLD RIMS & COUNTING THE DAYS,

Luke & Cat