Jennie Raff Photography

This past Saturday we threw a going away party for Jack Knipe at my friend Vanessa’s house. Everyone was supposed to dress up as a high school stereotype. I love theme parties because (as you’ll see from the photos) people really get into character. We had a few rednecks, a cute hippie, some hipsters and preps, a few cheerleaders and jocks, and even a lunch lady.

I love my friends.

Here are a few snapshots from the night:

Other highlights:

My sister Anna is due on June 3 and we all couldn’t be more excited! She and I finally made it out last week to do a little photo shoot. She looks so beautiful!

It was a weekend of graduations! My Aunt Tricia and Uncle Doug came into town from Boston to see my youngest sister, Alice, graduate from college. Go Alice!

(proof that I did go to the Clemson graduation, Alice!)

Leah, Cate, Carlos, Anna, and I sat together during the graduation. We had fun.

All of the sisters minus Jess…sad that Jess had to work! :( We missed you, Jessica.

Alice’s friend, Katie Bray, threw her a fantastic little graduation party.

My friends Liz, Lauren, and Logan all graduated from their Master’s programs at Clemson this weekend as well, and they had a little celebration party as well! Congratulations, girls!

Liz and her awesome mom!

Other highlights:

-out with Jack and friends

-bagels and talks with Tricia and Doug

-rainy movie night at Liz’s

Mother of 6 girls; wife of James; sister of John, Tricia, Kate, and Bobby; lover of the beach, Ireland, the radio, botanical gardens, the post office, coffee in the morning, thoughtful cards, vacuuming, reading every sign they have up at state parks, tea parties, the Biltmore House, humor, and Fernando Ortega, among other things.

My mom is the kind of mom who would let us stay home from school once in a while; she is a great listener; the smallest things will make her day, like bringing by a coffee in the morning; she’ll love an outfit one of us girls is wearing simply because of the color. In a crowd, she’s always more interested in other people than herself, and she’s usually the last one to leave a party because she won’t stop talking to people.

Oh, and did I mention she has these great sea-gray-blue-on-a-stormy-day eyes? I love you, Mom! Happy Mother’s Day!

The writer and illustrator ofWhere the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak, passed away last week. I found this excerpt from an interview with him and laughed out loud:

Jordan and Lissa are married! This past weekend, Layla and I drove up to East Hampton, New York, to celebrate our good friend Jordan’s marriage to the beautiful Lissa Tovar.

Jordan and Lissa have a great story: they met out in L.A. where Lissa was a fashion design student at a top school. When Jordan moved back to Ohio for a while, they really built their relationship long-distance. Just seeing them together, it is obvious how compatible they are and how much they love each other.

Their ceremony was intimate, the reception amazing, and it was so good to see friends and family from across the country surround Jordan and Lissa with love and support. What a beautiful couple! Here are a couple favorite images from the day:

(I got seated at the “fun” table…)

This is always my favorite part of the wedding. Love the sparklers!

Congratulations, Lissa and Jordan!

While at the wedding, I was able to get away for a few minutes with my good friend Layla and her fiancee, Brian. They are getting married in July, and I’ve been wanting to do an engagement shoot with them for a while. Here are a couple images from our shoot. Having friends this beautiful makes my job so easy.

Other highlights:

-dancing at the wedding

-“Let’s be honest”

-late-night search for pizza

That girl, she’s got style!

That girl, she’s real smiley!

Who else could it be

But sweet Holly O’Reilly?

She’ll cook you a meal

That’s delicious - it’s true!

And don’t fear, ‘cause there’ll be

A dessert with it, too!

She gets down like Michael

She knows all the moves

Don’t battle her dancing:

You’re going to lose!

She hates reading, but loves

The book’s movies, for sure;

She’s generous, and fun,

And thoughtful, and more!

Happy birthday, dear Holly,

Your dreams will come true!

Your friends all do love you,

Happy birthday to you!

This weekend highlights is going to be lots and lots of pictures.

My brother, his wife, and their two little girls Olivia and Natalie, came to visit from Pennsylvania this weekend. Olivia and Natalie are just adorable! On Friday night, we all went to Jess and Joel’s place for dinner.

Both of the little girls absolutely love Joel!

On Saturday night, we all threw a big 70th birthday party for Dad. The theme was “Renaissance Man” since my dad loves music, philosophy, poetry, and especially books. Leah did such an amazing job with the decorations, Mom got the cake, and the rest of us girls made lots of food. It was such a great night (and all the sisters, including Cate, were there to celebrate!).

Here are just a bunch of photos from the night:

(note: these m and ms are awesome: we got them personalized so they have a photo of Dad, pictures of the Vesuvian man, and the words “we love you,” “James is the man,” and “70, the new 60” on them! Quite a hit at the party!

(Natalie liked to pretend that she was sleeping beauty; she’s hilarious!)

The weekend was such fun. I love my family!

Other highlights:

Friday night, Bethany threw a little goodbye party for Rob. Why is everyone leaving town at the same time? We’re gonna miss you, Rob! But I’m definitely coming to visit!

-Had dinner outside on Sunday evening:

Blake and Holly are hilarious; they both instinctively posed this way right when I said I wanted to take a picture. Haha!

Charity, my sisters, and I threw a Dr. Seuss-inspired baby shower for my dear sister, Anna, this weekend. I had a ton of fun making up little Seuss-type rhymes for all the food. Anna looked so cute in her little pregnancy dress! Baby Boy Mayberry is coming very soon, and we are all so excited!

This past Friday was Jack’s last weekend in Greenville for a while, so a bunch of us met for dinner at Compadres followed by a little bit of dancing. We are throwing one big bash in a couple weeks to officially send Jack off to New Jersey for the summer then George Mason for the following four years.

There’s just no replacement for Jack, and Liz and I were talking about how we already miss him.

There will definitely be a little Jersey Shore trip this summer! Liz? David? Holly and Blake? You guys in??

Saturday night we celebrated sweet Holly O’Reiley’s birthday. Her roommate, Meg, made the most amazing red velvet cake and also made these yummy golden graham/marshmallow/chocolate things that were like eating less-messy s’mores. Wow. Thanks a lot, Meg, for making me have to add an extra workout this week. Totally worth it!

Happy birthday, Holly!

Other highlights:

-Les Miserables with my sis, Leah:

-studying/writing papers/finishing projects for school. It’s almost over (for this semester, anyway!)

-Catie-Cate is coming home THIS WEEK! Expect lots of pictures of her on the next weekend highlights

And I love the rain.

Happy birthday, dear Mom!

The family got together to celebrate Mom’s birthday. There was plenty of laughter and cheesecake cherry pie (Mom’s favorite).

My sisters are so pretty!

I love this picture of my dad. He’s the best.

Awww, such a cute couple!

And of course, Leah happened to find the most perfect card for my mom. It’s a family inside joke, I guess:

Other highlights:

Sunday night bonfire and cookout with Blake, Holly, Jack, Leah, Bennett, and Lauren. I love this weather lately! The food Blake grilled up was delicious, and I had the chance to try out a couple recipes I’ve been curious about: gouda and sharp cheddar mac and cheese and the amazing “Paula Deen’s Gooey Butter Cake.” Seriously. That’s the name of it. And it was just as good as it sounds. Quite the crowd pleaser, I think!

(photo courtesy Jack Knipe)

We might have been on a sugar high during this photo.

Got to love Holly’s photo bombs!

There’s something really wonderful about books written for children that I really love. There’s a simplicity and a purity about the writing and the stories are often just fantastic. “The Princess and the Goblin” by George MacDonald is such a charming story about a little lonely princess and some adventures she goes on with a new friend.

The book is full of philosophical ideas and lessons of courage and honor but wrapped in a sweet story. If you haven’t read anything by MacDonald then this is a great start.

I listened to it and just loved it.

I would like for Cory Godbey or Justin Gerard to illustrate this story. C’mon, guys!