spring's palette

  It feels as if everything around you has suddenly been painted in pastels. The dull-brown grass is renewed with luscious greenery and the naked trees and bushes with blossoming flowers. The happy little twittering birds are once again taking a dip in the bird bath or pecking around at the feeder. The warm sunshine flashes down, bright on the Earth, transforming the pastels into more vivid shades. Spring has awakened.

  Today has been a good one. The windows have stayed opened, allowing a slight breeze to trail through along with the scent of freshly cut grass. I have spent the day relaxing in my bedroom, listening to the birds chirping, and finishing up some school work + sipping a lemonade from Lexington Drug -- pure Heaven. These kinds of days are my favorite.

  As a side note -- My sweet friend Kimberly, over at Amusing, has inspired me to make a video answering questions of yours. Have any questions? Ask away and I will answer them on video soon!

sunday letters

Dear North Carolina,
   My, my, my. You are bipolar. I mean come on - two weeks ago we had a thirty degree climate + snow. And now? We are having sixty, seventy, and eighty degree weather. I am tickled pink to have Spring arrive quite early. Thank you.

Dear School,
   Please be extra good to me. That is all.

Dear {Early} Spring,
  Make yourself at home. The warm climate, flowers blossoming, and other Spring-y goodness are good for the soul and make Anna Gray happy.

Dear Social Media,

  This whole thing of my facebook being de-activated is working out very well. Honestly, I thought I would miss seeing my friends' miscellaneous ramblings...but quite frankly - I really do not think about it that much. Just a couple more weeks and it will be activated again. And while we're on the subject of social media, my Twitter has been deleted and my old email address (sunshinegirl) will be too. Hurrah for deleting social media accounts!

Dear Bella Vita,

    Some major changes are coming to you in a few weeks + a giveaway. What are the changes, you ask? Can't tell! They are a surprise.

Dear Readers,
  Do you have any thoughts or miscellaneous ramblings?

miscellany//socks + raleigh

If you're like me, you love wearing knee high, soft, extra stretchy, argyle socks. Guess what? Target has them for $1.50. Jackpot. Go get some; they will change your life forever.

Onto more important things...

After fifteen years of moping around, I finally got to visit my state's capital. The beautiful, Raleigh, North Carolina.  My brother is on a mock trial team and that is where they competed.





And did I mention that they won the regional? Yes ma'am, they did! We were all ecstatic...Though I probably looked something like a zombie near the end of the night when they were announced the winner. 'Twas a long day, indeed...but a good long day.

Downtown Raleigh is oh-so-beautiful. And shiny. And you know that beautiful + shiny = lots of photos for Anna Gray to take.

You all would have fallen in love with this coffee shop. I was head over heels...

Because virtually everything was photo worthy.

This is probably my favorite photo that I took. Something about the contrast between the vibrant lights and the inky darkness makes me happy.

A few other facts...

>>Today I completed day two of driving for driver's ed<<

>> Practices for Annie Get Your Gun are going wonderfully<<

>>Fiddler on the Roof is quite a funny movie when watched with a friend<<

Is anything interesting going on your way?

on a crisp, warm evening...

Yesterday evening, I had the privilege of photo-shooting an adorable little family that goes to our home-school group. They are full of creativity, amusement and...well...happiness in general.

The lighting was beautiful. And wonderful. And perfect. And it would have made a scrumptious dessert.

Not to mention, all five kids were awesome to work with. They were the epitome of a photographer's perfect model.

It was a good day. A very, very good day.

a letter to winter

Dear Winter,
  Thank you so much for finally reaching the plains of North Carolina. I truly do appreciate it. I was unsure if we were going to even get any cold weather or not. After all, during December we were having almost seventy-degree weather!

When I stepped outside today, it was quite lovely to have your bitterly cold wind nipping away at my face. The glacial atmosphere also brought great joy and delight to me. No seriously, it really did! I am aware that most people loathe this type of weather, but I adore it. Once again, thank you for arriving for these few months.

Sincerely,
Anna Gray xo

p.s. Would you mind sending us some snow?

-------

>>As a side note<<

I am starting up an F.A.Q. page, so feel free to ask any questions you would like!

2011 recap & 2012 aspirations

After seeing others posts, I take it I am not the only one who thinks 2011 absolutely flew by? Seriously, it doesn't seem like one year ago today that I posted this, listing off my 2011 wishes. Time flies.

2011 had its ups and downs, good times and bad times, happy times and sad times, stressful times and calm times. But hey -  that is how life goes and that is how life will always be.

In 2011...

I rode in a jet for the first time to Disney World, participated in a mock trial, witnessed the world not ending, had an epic giveaway, finally purchased my Nikon D3000, adopted a Winter White hamster, concluded that I am a mixture of Southerner and Northerner, became a freshman in high-school, attended my great-grandmother's one-hundredth birthday party, had an engagement photo shoot with Jeremy & Jenny, passed the driver's ed written course, enjoyed Christmas Eve with my MeeMaw and Christmas day with my grandparents and now I will just have to wait eleven and a half hours for 2012 to give new highlights, memories, and loveliness.

Basically I really only have one main aspiration for 2012:

Expand on photography. Experiment with and purchase lenses, learn tips and tricks with my camera, have more professional looking photos. In a nutshell, I would love to become a better photographer.

I really cannot believe this is actually my last post for 2011. Wow. Just wow. However, I cannot wait to see what is in store for this upcoming year. So many memories waiting to be made.

What are your aspirations for 2012?

my piece of wonderland

Sunday. It was a beautiful morning out on the Petty Farm, where our church is currently settled. Though the climate was chilly, the sun shined down on us feeling pleasant and balmy.  Little kids with their elfin coats zipped up amused themselves and found the outdoors quite entertaining.

Undisturbed, I relaxed, rocking back and forth in one of the sturdy rocking chairs. The view of the ponies lazily grazing, distant sound of kids squealing, and the warmth of the rich sunshine was simply peaceful.

Where is your happy place?

jeremy + jenny = engaged

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of doing my very first photo shoot that was a job. This photo shoot was extra special for two reasons: Number one, because it was engagement photos, period. Number two being  that my family and I have known Jenny {the lovely bride-to-be} since I was a baby and I have always been extremely close to her.

Not only was I very privileged to be able to do their photos, but I also will be a junior bridesmaid in their wedding in April! Exciting? I do think so.

And now they're finally getting married.

Want to see all of the engagement photos? Click here.