MIA

I will be MIA the next few days...going on a ski trip with my church. I'm taking my camera but leaving my laptop because I've decided that I spend WAY too much time on it and I need to give my eyes (and brain) a rest. I am going to put forth extra effort into experimenting more with my camera this weekend..so check back to see if I get anything good. I haven't been skiing since 3rd grade so hopefully I'll come back with no major injuries. Good thing my ski jacket is black in case I ski off the side of a mountain at least someone will spot me.

Posts are no fun without pictures so let's see what I can find on my hard drive...Oooh, these are pictures that I've kept running across and thought they'd be so cute in black and white...I took these over at my agent's (Dae Wood) house (I call her my agent because she is constantly sending me business and I LOVE her for that!) This is Bryson and his sister Gracie and they are just cute.as.pie!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

*Tell your love story*

Roses are red, Violets are blue, How about a Sweetheart Session for Two!

That's right guys...Valentine's Day is fast approaching..and unless you are Mr. Amazing and always on top of your game then you have yet to think of how you can show the love of your life just how much she means to you! So, let me make it easy for you..surprise her with a short but oh-so-sweet photo session just for the two of you...and she will smother you with kisses, I promise!

Okay..here are the details..

*Sweetheart Mini Session*

$85

60 min session

@ a location of your choice (Preferably somewhere significant to

the both of you...maybe even where you first met??)

15-20 images in a 5"x7" Photo Book telling your love story

1-8"x10" of the image of your choice

a la carte prints & products also available

Call or send an e-mail to schedule your session today!

(919) 820.1642

missmarles@yahoo.com

**Ladies..don't forget to drop hints..you know they need help! ; ) **

I Drove All Night

Okay..we didn't drive all night..but we did sit in traffic for almost an hour, watching the clock go from 7:30 to 7:45 to 8:00 (official start time) to 8:15...finally pulling into a parking space at 8:30...at least half a mile from the RBC Center. We aren't the only ones though, there's actually a herd of people who, like us, didn't think traffic would be that bad. We jump out of the truck and start racing through the parking lot, weaving in and out of the mass, trying not to slip on the black ice surrounding us. Thank you Jessica Simpson for adding a little tread to the bottom of your oh-so-cute boots I just purchased. : ) However, trying to keep up with the "fastest baserunner" had me wheezing by the time we get to will call while John's not even winded. phew. In the midst of catching my breath I realize that I don't hear anything...no music...no amazing voice (because you know you would hear Celine from outside the venue if she was singing)..which means there must have been an opening act that wasn't advertised and which also means that we weren't late! John grabs the tickets, we rush inside, find our seats, and as soon as we sit down the lights dim...allowing Mrs. Dion to make her grand entrance...

I knew it was fate when she first walked out...we were both wearing purple. Hers was in the form of a sequined purple mini dress and 4 inch heels while mine was a sweater...but still...I knew at any moment she was going to pick me out of the crowd and invite me up on stage as a permanent back-up singer. We would be BFF's for sure. I was in Celine heaven all night long...the music, the dancers, the outfit changes...and John...well he made some comment about needing to regain his manhood...ha.

Needless to say at the end of the night I was a very happy girl...and now with Martina and Celine down I have seen 2 of the 3 ladies that I just "have to see before I die". Who would have thought that Allison Kraus would be so hard to get...someone needs to tell her that this area is actually very southern and she and her bluegrass band would just love it here. Really. Sweet tea in mason jars.

Oh..and I did bring my big Canon but was only able to bring in the little Canon..so the pictures are so-so and really don't do justice for how awesome our seats were.

Look at those legs..

The dancing was very eclectic, but cool.

And the man that made it all possible..

: *

State of Emergency

I hope everyone around my area had a wonderful snow day yesterday...and for those of you that are out of state but still checking in we saw the most snow that we have seen in like 10 years...schools & businesses were closed...and everyone was happy. : ) Unfortunately I didn't take any snow pics with my camera because..well..I was on the back of a 4-wheeler trekking through slush and mud, over hills and through water holes...and I was just not that gutsy to risk my equipment. I did however get a few pictures with my little point-and-shoot because a post with no pictures is just no fun!

On a more serious note, the night I had been looking forward to for weeks was postponed due to the inclement weather. I know I worried John half the day asking.."but what do you think Celine is going to do?!..you don't honestly think she would cancel her concert just because of a little snow??...I mean she has to know i've been waiting 24 years to see this!" He tried to reassure me that we wouldn't miss Celine...we would plan to leave 2 hours before the concert even started..and take his dad's hummer so even if we met with a mountain of ice and the abominable snowman we would easily plow over both.

At 5 I was just about to jump in the shower to start getting ready and thought "maybe I should check and make sure the concert's still on..but I know Celine won't cancel on me". I went to the RBC Center website and read "Due to the state of emergency declared today by Governor Perdue, Celine Dion has postponed her concert until tomorrow, January 21st."

I can handle that, she's a smart lady..just worried about our safety. Now, if I can just figure out how to covertly sneak my camera in...

Here you can see the huge orange sled we purchased on Monday just in case the weatherman was right...and yes, it is sticking out of my sunroof...don't worry though, the people across the street were laughing along with us.

MaryBeth & Jack riding on snow & mud...a yummy combination.

So attractive in his camo waiters ; )

Brody & Mr. Max

Mike waiting to ambush them with snowballs

I had some nice racoon eyes goin on..

And, finally..John, MB, & Anna dressing Izzie in her cute little snow parka

She hates it by the way...and refuses to move an inch when you put it on her..haha

Jack Frost

The weather lately has been so crazy..warm to freezing, sunny to rainy..and random fog. I do not like scraping ice off of my windshield in the morning but boy do I love when nature smiles for my camera. The past couple of days while driving I would see different scenes here and there and think "that would make a great picture"...but it really was just too cold for me to get motivated to weather the weather. I'm more of a summer girl really..give me a tropical island and a bottle of tanning lotion any day. But I finally got my lazy butt out the door to take a few shots..spent an hour losing and finding my phone..but thought it was all worth it after seeing these. Hope you enjoy..happy winter. : )

Blown Away

Okay..until recently I figured like 10 people actually read this blog...maybe 11 to include dad (hey dad) so I never even thought about putting up one of those counter things..I mean, come on there's so much more interesting things going on at tmz.com. To be honest I only started this site because it's kind of "the thing to do" in the photography world...it's so much easier to post a few pictures of your recent work here than to edit your website. But I have really grown to love my blog..she's like that friend you have that will just sit there complacently and listen to you dish about your latest feeling or idea. I have always been a person of expression..whether it be through a song, by a dance or through a camera..we all have those outlets in life that just come naturally and if we haven't used them in a while we grow antsy. At least I do.

Alright, getting back to the whole point of this entry. Out of mere curiosity I loaded one of those site counters onto this blog about two days ago just to see how pitiful my ratings were. I checked back a day later and it said I had over 200 hits! So, to say I was pleasantly pleased would be just a slight understatement. Now, I don't know if that's a lot of not...so if you do and it's not really that big of a deal...please don't burst this bubble. I'm just happy to know anyone outside of the Surles/Wood clan is taking a perusal.

The really cool thing is the different stats I can get from the site counter. Don't worry, I can't see who you are (unless I decide to start hacking IP addresses) but I can see from where you are looking. So, not only was I surprised to find out that more than 3 people were following this thing but I am pleased to announce that Mary me Photography is not only nationwide...we have gone GLOBAL people. That's right, without going through customs or having to show her passport my little blog has popped up in Seoul, Korea (thanks Liz). I think that's pretty awesome. I thought I'd throw in a few maps for those visual learners like me so you can get the full grasp of my territory..ha.

For those of you that are out of state, please let me know the next time you'll be in NC and we'll schedule a shoot...oh and I am always available for travel. ; )

Layla

I was in Wilmington last week for New Year's and Mandy asked me to snap a few pics of her dotson Layla for her. Layla is such a sweet dog and she loooves to cuddle! I woke up Sunday morning with the start of a cold and ended up on the couch all day. Sweet layla would push the blanket up with her nose until she had her head under and then proceeded to wiggle her way down to the bottom of the blanket..and stayed with me all day like that. Company like that always make you feel better. : )

Millie a Millie

This shoot couldn't have gone any better...well, it could have been a tad warmer..but with a rustic location...

..and a group like this..

..there's no way you're not going to get some great shots.

Katherine kept everyone laughing, naturally..

..and we got some of my favorite couple shots so far..

I love the connection here.

Thanks Millie for getting everyone together..let's do it again soon!