the best gelato i ever ate.

i don't know if has more to do with my current state of illness-and-stress-induced irritability or with the two-hour conversation i had with my roommate, reminiscing my european adventures, 

but i could reaaally go for a little bit of this stuff right now.

that's right, a few big scoops of this mint chocolate chip and stracciatella gelato.

seriously, the best i ever tasted. 

and it wasn't even italian!

back when i was in spain, we spent a weekend in the incredibly picturesque town of san sebastian, up near the french border.

we all went out for tapas and dinner as a group, and then our program directors treated us to one of the best desserts of the whole trip... gelato!
for a while, we were all hooked on the spanish helado, but after trying this, we could never turn our backs to gelato.

this stuff was so smooth and creamy, and it was delivered by the most hilarious little ice cream man. 

seriously, this is how happy it made us:

post script: to all you utahns... did you know that the costco in orem has stracciatella gelato? i've never tried it, but i hear it's delish. and now that it's on my mind, i just might have to try it next time i take a costco trip...

east harlem.

so i know that i've posted about these guys before...

specifically, here and here and here and here.
i even made a video to their music here.

(i know, i know... obsessed much?)

but i stilll can't get enough of them. 

have you heard their new album? 

well, now you have.

if you've run into me on campus in the past month, there's a 99.837% chance that this is what was playing through my headphones.

and i'm not embarrassed to admit it.

liebel wedding.

so i came down with a nasty one of these today, which left me in bed allll day.

i figured it would be a good time to pull together a few posts from the 8923 (or it feels like it) weddings/shoots i haven't shared with you all yet while i wait for my meds to kick in!

it was so fun to go back through these images and remember this lovely april day.

so do you remember emily & spencer from their engagement shoot?

well, they got hitched last spring, right before i left for spain.

and their wedding was wonderful.

they were sealed in the morning at the draper, utah lds temple, and then they had a ring ceremony and reception in the afternoon at le jardin in sandy.

they really stayed true to themselves with all of the decor... i love how they incorporated their colors everywhere they could, and they included their favorite drink, dr. pepper, all throughout their reception!

i had a great time working with these two and wish them all of the best!

congratulations, spencer & emily! good luck with your future together!

anna gleave photography

{provo, utah wedding photography}

just talkin'.

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Straight Talk for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

 

so, i know how tight money can be right now. 

though i'm hoping for the best for our little (big) economy, i know that times are hard.

so it was pretty exciting to stumble across this new business idea... an idea that can cut cell phone bills in half!

this new company is called straight talk.

Hook, line and sinkerAndroid on Straight Talk

i have a family plan with my lovely family back home, so i haven't gotten a chance to try these services myself, but i've heard great things about their nationwide service! 

you can buy a huge variety of phones from many trusted manufacturers (LG, nokia, motorola, samsung, etc.), and there are no surprise bills... no contracts, even!

you can choose from refurbished phones (including camera, blue-tooth access, mp3 player, and web access) for only $10, or from smart phones of all capabilities (including voice navigation, app capabilities, video recorder, etc.)

Android on Straight Talk

aaand there are some great monthly plans:

- a plan for heavy phone users including 1,000 minutes, 1,000 texts, and 30 mb of data

-unlimited monthly service for only $45-- including calls, text, picture messaging, and web (this means unlimited everything for a year for only $499!)

-free 411 calls and free activation, termination, & reactivation 

-there's also great opportunities for affordable international long distance, from different phones... i could've used this when living in europe this past summer!

Call a friend

for more information on straight talk's services, you can check out a video here:

so, what do you think? anyone have experiences with this company they'd like to share?

i think it's an awesome solution for us poor college students!!

one of those days + cake.

sometimes, you wake up really, really exhausted.

and you've got 382 bug bites on your legs that are endlessly itchy.

and you drop your straightener on your toes and run your hand into your closet door.

and you burn out on minute 28 of your workout.

and you're tired allll through class.

and your throat turns bright red and head starts hurting again.

and you forget your book when you make it to the library.

and your realize that your jeans actually don't fit you any more.

and you figure out that you stilllll have so much work to catch up on.

and you think your meeting is at 7:30, when it's really at 7.

and so you show up when it's over.

and you think... "it's just one of those days."

but then you bake your friend a pretty little gluten-free, dairy-free birthday cake.

and everything seems all right for a few minutes.

it's not like i've got a sweet tooth or anything...

where do you turn for peace?

for me, it's here.

and here.

and here.

the hard times... they've gotta pass.
but until then, i'll keep holding tight to Christ and to those i love.

happy sunday.


photo ® anna gleave photography 2011.

untitled.

photo ® anna gleave photography 2011.

the gorgeous gulf.

i'm shooting a wedding here tomorrow:

yes, this is real life.

do you know what else is awesome about real life?

catching up with realllly nice people from your past.
so grateful to my elementary-school next door neighbors for letting me stay with them while i'm here!
i really love how my work allows me to reconnect/meet so many wonderful people.

i'm sure i'll have loads to share with you from my hot & humid florida adventures soon!

p.s. i lied to you all yesterday... this is the gulf of mexico. not the atlantic. thaaat's why it looks so uniquely beautiful.


photo ® anna gleave photography 2011.

so long, summer.

so long to the craziest, most adventuresome and incredible summer of my life. 

i can't believe it's over. can you?

though i'm prolonging the onset of fall by heading to the beach tomorrow (florida wedding, anyone?), 

i decided that it was still essential to live it up today.

so naturally, i took the awesome-st flight home to denver ever... an 8:25 a.m. flight that doesn't require you leaving your house before 7:40 a.m. and provides the cushiest of chairs? awesome. 

and then i spent the rest of my day with three of my favorite people on this planet. 

my mom picked me up at the airport, but i was able to ship out some shoots and buy the coolest pixar-themed stamps while i waited. really though, what's cooler than a ratatouille stamp?

theeen, we headed to lunch at noodles, where we both devoured some pad thai. yum.

and it was only natural to hit up the gap next, to pick up some (free) clothes... free clothes=so, so good.

and next it was time to meet up with my dad and watch my little benny dominate in tennis. always a party.

we concluded the evening by stopping by our favorite, little, family-owned cocina for some mexican food and returned home to enjoy the new episodes of the big bang theory and the middle. hilarious.

though my health is still a little iffy, i haven't felt this alive & happy in a really long time.

maybe since spain?
even after only five hours of sleep.

regardless, it was so refreshing... and a life saver, really.

there's something about being home with my best friends (yep, you guessed it... my family) that makes me undeniably happy. 

i'm so grateful for this little 22-hour layover at home and for the perfect end to summer 2011.

and now, onward... to the atlantic! 

the bird and the bee.

and while we're on the topic of gorgeous videography...

these guys come out with stunning work, time after time. 

i'm always impressed.

The Bird and The Bee from IRIS AND LIGHT on Vimeo.

and the shot starting at 1:14 makes that nerdy little cinematographic part of my heart melt.

srsly. 

wedding tip #5: coordination.

so this one might seem so simple, but it's important.

you'll probably end up hiring three or more vendors for your wedding day, and it's crucial that they all get along.

i know, you're thinking, "okay, so what do i do about it?" 

as a bride, i think it's really important to at least mention to each of your vendors who else you're working with, so that they know what to expect. 

i love working with other inspired people who make beautiful weddings, but it's always a shock when i have to "share the stage" with a videographer or overbearing wedding planner, if i haven't been forewarned.

now don't get me wrong, i love working with videographers... and wedding planners... and florists... us creative people just click. 

it's just really nice to know what to expect, going into it. 

because i work a bit differently when working side by side with a videographer or day-of coordinator. 

that's just how things go. 

i've heard some pretty awful horror stories about vendors clashing, so i also think it's a wise idea to emphasize to both your photographer and videographer (or whomever else) that you really want great pictures and a great video and that you're spending good money on both.

that way, both vendors are on an equal playing field and will give their co-vendors the time and respect they need to do a fantastic job. 

easy enough, right?

photo ® anna gleave photography 2011. 

just around the corner.

do you feel it? 

the nights are getting a little bit cooler.

there's that feeling of almost frost in the mornings.

the leaves aren't quite as green... i've spotted a few colored fellas, even.

my roommate baked up a batch of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies tonight.

you know what this means... fall is in the air.

i still don't know exactly how i feel about it.

buuuut i do know i'm pretty excited about this part of fall time!:

(okay, and cardigans and scarves, too).
we've only got three days of summer left, people.
live it up!

dear utah,

i don't really like you right now.

though i'm basically recovered from my surgery, 

my sinuses aren't too happy. 

and you're allll to blame. 

it's my first time dealing with these allergy things.

anyone have good tips for even temporary relief?

go do.

doesn't this song just make you want to go... run a marathon, climb a mountain, save the world?

well, it inspires me, at least.

dan & lauren: engagements.

dan and lauren won my cutest couple contest this summer because, well, they're stinkin' cute.

they're two of my close friends, so we had a blast working together and goofing around out on the trails.

we wanted a really outdoors-y, summery shoot, and i think we succeeded!

annnnd i'm a little obsessed with all of the silhouette shots.
what do you think?

congratulations, dan & lauren!

can't wait for your wedding in a few weeks!


anna gleave photography
{utah engagement photography}

caras dulces.

tell me these aren't the most precious children you've ever seen.

missing spain right now. and all of the wonderful people that i met. 

birthday boy!

i cannot believe my little benny is eighteen.

eighteen!

where does the time go?

bennett is such a rock star... so kind, smart, talented, & hilarious.

seriously the friendliest person i know.

he's one of the few people who will act like a five year old with me, and he'll never turn down an episode of the office or arrested development. 

he's currently ruling his high school with student government and varsity tennis, all while wearing wolf shirts (only on wolf shirt wednesdays) and purple pants (only to homecoming.) 

will and i can't wait for him to (hopefully) decide to join us at the Y next year!

how did i get so lucky to have such a great little bruddah?

really, though.

furaha ya kuzaliwa, benny!!

(happy birthday in swahili. he loves swahili, naturally.)

i sure love you!

post script: nine eleven.

i just stumbled upon this video on a friend's blog, and i thought it was too good not to share.

it sums up some of what i was trying to say in my post below, in a much more real and eloquent manner. 

it's a really, really beautiful story.

please take the eight minutes to watch it. 

nine eleven.

when the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.

-jimi hendrix

when i think about 9/11/2001, i am still a little bit confused.

i cannot even begin to fathom such human cruelty and hatred, such bigotry.

i hate how this event tore families apart, brought grief and torment to survivors' lives, and broke so many hearts.

how in a few hours, the world was taken over by uncertainty and grief.

i hate how it tainted the islam religion and created prejudices against innocent middle-easterners.

i hate the war that's ensued and the thousands who have died since.

but this isn't about hatred... it's about the opposite, in fact.

if we had a little more peace in the world, we could prevent these tragedies from happening again in the future.

i think about the columbine shootings and 9/11, the two tragedies that i spent hours watching news footage of, the two tragedies that shaped my childhood,

and i get worried.

i worry about what distaster will come next for us... will it be worse?

but i also know that all will be well in the end and we'll be taken care of, as long as we're faithful and courageous.

God will look out for us and has a greater plan for all of us.

but i still think that we can all take part in creating a more peaceful earth.

we can be more tolerant, less judgmental, and kinder.

we can smile a bit more, open our minds to learn about other cultures and faiths, love ourselves more, and love each other more.

i know that i can improve in these regards, at least.

9/11 was a tragedy... still is a tragedy for our nation and many others.

but we can learn from this experience and work hard to prevent this type of hatred from surfacing in the future.

i think this sums it up really, really nicely.

may God bless those who are mourning lost loved ones on this day and help us to love a little bit more.


*image taken in dachau, germany at a nazi concentration camp, ® anna gleave photography 2009.

southern hospitality.

i've traveled to "southern" states before... you know, virginia, maryland, texas, florida.

but this weekend was my first trip to that swampy/beachy, carolina south.

and i didn't hate it.

though i did learn a lot....

i learned that this is what the south looks like:

i learned that no matter how carefully you plan your itinerary, u.s. airways will delay your first flight, and force you to sprint through the charlotte airport looking, feeling, and smelling like a crazed homeless person. and you'll miss that connection anyway.

i learned that piggly wigglys do in fact exist.

i learned that when staying at the landmark resort hotel, you'll be picked up at the airport by an eighteen-year-old shuttle driver who will invite you to a party held by trina* of the jersey shore cast... "it's going to be awesome! five dollar pitchers of liquor! i just got a fake i.d. three days ago!" thanks, but no thanks.

i also learned that when staying at this particular hotel, they'll charge you $11.31 in "resort fees," so you'll feel inclined to visit the hot tubs and lazy river... by yourself. turns out, the only other people who like the lazy rivers are chubby twelve year olds. fail.

i learned that sometimes, two weeks after surgery, you have constant insomnia and will wake up every hour, on the hour, to make sure you didn't oversleep and miss your shoot.

i also learned that two weeks after surgery, you'll be a bit forgetful, and forget important things. like your razor. before a beach wedding, where you were planning on wearing a dress. have you ever tried plucking your leg hairs? not a fun experience, and terribly inefficient.

i learned about oat grass and beach spurs and sand fleas and mosquitos. oh, the mosquitos. at least i'll come home with some souvenirs?

i learned that its completely acceptable to ask God to bless clemson with a winning season in a wedding toast... encouraged, in fact, by other clemson die-hards.

i learned that breakfast potatoes are called home fries and purses are called pocketbooks.

and i learned that the people are really, really nice, & that i still love my job.

a successful weekend down south? i think so.

*i'm 99.834% confident that i made this "character's" name up. i've never seen jersey shore, and i don't plan on changing that any time soon...

momma once told me, you're already home when you feel love.

so you know how much i (generally) dislike winter.

but this video has a certain, wintery romance about it...

and the song is pretttty great, as well.

and the little stomp-dance going on at about 2:37? so awesome.

what can i say?

i'm obsessed.

feeling a little inspired for a winter-y engagement shoot, after this...

any takers?

style shoot, part four.

i thought it was about time to share with you another little segment of audi & my style shoot in spain.

rinna is so beautiful... she has incredible hair & skin, so we didn't have to work too hard!

she modeled professionally when she was younger, so she really knew how to work the camera. i hardly had to pose her at all!

we decided to show off the embellished collar of her dress by pulling her hair back into an elegant, low up-do.

you can check out the past three installments of the shoot here, here, and here.

hair & makeup: audriana turley

styling: devaun sheppard

dress: dillard's

heels: seychelles

accessories: nordstrom rack

all images ® anna gleave photography 2011.

back to the beach.

so, i'm off to the east coast tomorrow for another wedding.

though i would've appreciated another month of rest & recovery before i head off on my next adventure, i booked this wedding at myrtle beach last spring and have been looking forward to it ever since!

i might have a few hours of free time over the weekend, but have never visited this corner of the country...

anyone have any myrtle beach suggestions for me??

*photo of the san diego coastline, ® anna gleave photography 2011.

late summer salad.

after a looong (first) day of classes today, i was starving.

i wanted to take advantage of the end of berry season, so i concocted this little gluten-free salad.

it was a perfect little one-serving meal (and healthy, too!)

ingredients:

- whole chicken breast

-3/4 cup fresh strawberries, sliced

-1 small gala apple, sliced

-4-6 walnuts

-1 tsp brown sugar

-salt and pepper

-2 cups fresh spinach leaves, washed

-olive oil

-raspberry vinaigrette (i used ken's steakhouse brand)

directions:

1. cut the chicken into strips and sauté in olive oil until the outsides are browned and the insides are thoroughly cooked; salt and pepper lightly.

2. spray small pan with cooking spray, add walnuts and brown sugar and cook over medium heat, stirring, until walnuts are candied.

3. toss sliced fruit, spinach, chicken, and walnuts and toss lightly with vinaigrette.

i just may have to eat this one a few more times before the strawberries get too expensive... so light, healthy, and filling!

la jolla coastline.

a few snapshots of that good, old southern californian beauty for you on this labor day.

you know what, i probably wouldn't complain if i had to head back there right now...

we live in a pretty beautiful world, don't we?