My mom is selfless. EVERYONE comes before her. Her children, her husband, her friends, her siblings, her parents, her students, her co-workers… she puts every single person in her life before anything she needs.  I seriously have no recollection of a time my mom ever said “I’m going to take a day for just me”.  Never. Oh, you need your grass cut? She’s there. Oh, you need food for a party your having? Consider it cooked. Oh, you need  a ride to an appointment? Hop in.  She is ALWAYS there.  The amount of tasks she crams into a 24 hour day will forever leave me puzzled.

My mom is inspirational. For those of you that don’t know my mom, she is a special needs teacher (recently turned Autism specialist). Being a special needs teacher is ALL my mom ever wanted to be.   I’ve met a few parents of the children my mom taught.  I firmly believe after talking to them, my mom has changed their life for the better.  I can only dream one day I can change the life of ONE person the way my mom has changed all the lives of her students.  Even the ones that couldn’t speak had a light in their eye when my mom was around.  I will forever be in awe of my mother. She would teach a very hectic, physically challenging, emotionally draining classroom all day… then come home to us… and We. Are. Crazy. Some how, some way, there was ALWAYS a home cooked meal on the table and she always wanted to hear how our day was.

I’m the only daughter. I have one older brother and three younger step-brothers.  We were surrounded by boys! There was a time I KNOW I was awful. I remember it pretty clearly. Kicking, screaming, yelling…. just AWFUL. But, she did not give up on me. As much as she probably wanted to, she didn’t ship me off to live with my dad or pack my bags and tell me to go to my grandparents.   She rode my dreadful wave of crazy until it was over. We are closer now than we have ever been.  She is my number one cheerleader, best friend and will support every decision I make.  Always.

ONE DAY,  God willing, I hope I can be half the mother she is. I truly hope I inherited at least one ounce of her soul.  I hope I can run a household as flawlessly as she does. I hope I can love everyone in my life the way she does.

I know my mom, so I know, for 100% fact, as she is reading this she is crying. Mom, please know those should be nothing but happy tears… full of sobs of accomplishment. You did an amazing job. I love you more than you know.

And what’s a post without pictures?!
My mom sewed all my costumes.  Somehow she made time for that. Thanks for making me the best dressed Leprechaun Hazelwild had ever seen.

Not only did she sew my costumes, she made her own. She made sure she dressed the part for all my birthday parties. Clown party? No problem. Clown cake, clown plates, clown favors MOM AS  A REAL LIFE CLOWN.  So amazing. (When I get my hands on it, I’m adding the photo of her Mickey Mouse costume… Best. Birthday. Ever.)

And last but not least. Even when I looked like this…. She still found joy and laughter in every day.

My last personal post was focused on my mom’s side of the family. Well, my dad’s side is equally amazing. I wish I knew and understood the power of a photograph at a younger age. My grandfather was the victim to Alzheimer’s and my grandmother lost a courageous fight with colon cancer. They were both gone too soon and looking back I wish I had a large family photo of us. For those who don’t know, my dad is a twin. My dad and Uncle Richard do everything together. I am forever grateful for this. Because they’re INSEPARABLE, my brother and I basically grew up with our cousins. Adam was the brother Brandon wished I was and Lindsay (Linny) was the sister I never had. We’re all best friends. Always. No matter what. This Christmas I took some up to date photos of the 2 of them to give to my Aunt Carrie and Uncle Richard. I promised this year you would be meeting my family so, meet Adam and Lindsay!

One of my favorites!

How pretty is this girl?! I love my Linny.

So, we gathered… on a vintage couch I rented from Mary at Blue Bird’s Garage. All 23 of us. I set my tripod and a few 100 clicks later, we got it. A photo I will forever be grateful for. One that I will look back on and feel nothing but joy. Meet my  family, the Scichilone’s…. Yes, it’s a very, very, Italian name.

And naturally, we all took individual ones as well. Here is my family. My amazing, irreplaceable mom, Cindy and my step-dad, Jim…. He’s pretty much the funniest guy around. My brother Brandon, his wife Megan and my 3 step brothers, Russell, Patrick and Christian.

My Aunt Robin, Uncle Carl, Nicole and Danielle!

My Aunt Jo-Ann, Uncle Ralph, Sara and the newest addition, her husband Matt!

Team West! My Aunt Kathy, Uncle Tommy, Angelica, Bianca and Austin… he’s the youngest… what?!

And here they are… the whole reason for this. My Nanny and Pop.

Thank you again to Blue Bird’s Garage! It was the perfect addition to our shoot!

I’m slightly embarrassed it’s taken me this long to write this post. It’s no secret that Carley Rehberg Photography is not my full time job. I’m sure you can tell by my late blog posts and 11 pm emails that I’m doing something other than running my small business. I’m not embarrassed by my full time job. I’m embarrassed of the fact that I didn’t tell you more about it sooner. My 9-5 and my photography business go hand-in-hand. Peas and carrots, Johnny and June, peanut butter and CHOCOLATE. So what is it that I do? Graphic design and PRINTING! At Minuteman Press of Fredericksburg.

I went to college to be a graphic designer. I left ODU with not a CLUE on what a bleed was, how Pantone colors and the plate systems worked, how to set up a booklet to be saddle stitched… What the what?! 4 years and they left out HOW to put our graphics into real world production?! Eww!  Well, I knew nothing but they hired me anyway.  Fast forward 4 1/2 years and I get it now. All the talk my professors were saying but not showing… I finally understand how to apply it. So, after that crazy long explanation, and if you’re still reading, you’re probably wondering how this applies to your wedding. Well, let me explain!

One thing I love about weddings are the details. I love consistency and I adore when a bride and groom put their own personal brand on their wedding day. I touched a bit about it in this blog post.  I feel every wedding has a theme. Whether it be vintage/classic, rustic/vineyard, beach/casual –  it’s carried throughout your whole wedding. Brides I KNOW you spend hours making Pinterest boards that represent the feel and look you want your wedding day to have. Well, it all starts with the Save the Date. First impression, colors  and themes of your big day. Then comes invitations. Again, they represent you both as a couple and the feeling of the whole day. From invites stems monograms, menus, table numbers, programs, place cards, favors, napkins, guest books, thank your cards, even corn hole boards! The list goes on and ON. And if you’re anything like me, you’ll want all of those items I listed to be consistent and stick to the feeling of your big day!

I design ALL of those things I listed. I, along with my co-workers, print all of the things I listed. I encourage you to call me or email me at Minuteman Press. Not sure how to execute some cute jar tags you saw on Pinterest? Call me! How to make your programs match your invites? Call me! I love a DIY project but, for real… sometimes your desktop printer will make you want to go all Office Space!  You know I will give you 100% on your wedding day with my camera but, I would love to help you along the way with all the other things that come with the planning process. I’ve never planned a wedding… but, I’m around it constantly and I KNOW it can be stressful. Let me help you! I know what you’re thinking. Carley, you’re dumb. ETSY and the INTERNET are at my finger tips. Yeah, yeah. But, my co-workers and I can do 99% of the things you see online! AND you get to see physical proofs, touch actual paper samples, see actual ink swatches, physically talk to a human, HANG OUT WITH ME! So, if you need printing… call or email me at Minuteman Press!

Email : carley@minutemanpress.com | Phone: 540.898.7888 | Website: fredericksburg.minutemanpress.com

Weekly I will be featuring something Minuteman Press can print to help you with your wedding needs. Here’s a little look at some of the things we designed and printed. Check back each week for an individually detailed post!

I started on Christmas this year. However, I took a different route. This Christmas was the Christmas of VIDEO. The idea came to me after Christmas Eve. My step-brothers gave my step-dad an old video from when they were kids. It was hilarious. We sat around and watched it cracking up. So, Christmas morning, I charged up my new Mark III and was determined to take a ton of video. And that I did.  I’m pretty sure I got on everyones nerves, but I am beyond glad I did it.  Now, I know I am not a videographer. I don’t know how to focus right, I am SUPER shaky and I’m pretty clueless on video editing software. But, it’s 4 minutes of everyone I love so I am perfectly happy with how it turned out.  My Christmas is pretty crazy, very busy, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. So, if you’re ready for some really amateur video and potential motion sickness….. meet my family!  (PS – Watch it with sound…  Sir Elton John gives it some pep!)

Christmas2012 from Carley Rehberg Photography on Vimeo.

When I was looking for houses, the only thing I wanted was an office. Is that crazy?  It was the first room I put any furniture in. My stepdad and I put my desk together IMMEDIATELY.  I wanted an office dedicated solely to my photography and graphics. My first year of business was conducted out of my bedroom at my moms. I knew having an office would make me so much more organized and productive. I was right. Room for a filing cabinet? Yes, please! An amazingly long desk? Yes, please! My office is still not quite where I want it… still looking for the perfect cabinet/table to store my gear.

I did want to show you one little piece. And for real, if you’ve read this far, I believe you deserve a photo. It stares at me every time I sit at my desk. Surprise… my dad made me this.  He has something similar hanging in his house out of copper. I knew he could make me the same thing with a silver look.  I love it. It’s hands down my favorite part of the house. No holes in my wall… photos hanging from the pipe and some garden hooks!

Without further adieu, the view from my desk…

Lauren, Christine & Amy and Brad keeping me company in Ikea frames!

Thank you again to my amazing family for helping me through such a big step in my life. You all are my heart.

They say in relationships that opposites attract. I really don’t believe in that. But, in friendships… that’s a different story. Katie has been my best friend for years. I’m talking the awkward days of elementary school when our moms dressed us in embarrassing outfits and gave us ridiculous bangs (see above). We are opposite. She likes to talk about her feelings – I like to smile and nod. She likes to cuddle – I cringe at the thought. She likes loves chocolate – I like vanilla. She likes turkey (ew!) – I like ham. She loves watching movies – I love falling asleep to them. She can talk to anybody – I am a wall flower.  She can sleep with 1 or no pillow – I need like 5. She dances beautifully – I move like Elaine Benes from Seinfeld.  You get the idea. Yet, somehow, we click.  All our opposites make us the perfect match. We know when each other is holding something back, we can laugh at the same story over and over (she knows which I’m talking about), we are pretty much the masters at Taboo and we would pick hanging out with each others families over going out any day. I can’t tell you how many laughs we’ve shared, tears we’ve cried, how many times we’ve watched When Harry Met Sally, and the number of listens we’ve given Bennie and the Jets.

Today is Justin and Mary’s wedding day, my step-brother Patrick’s birthday and, the reason for this post, Katie’s 26th birthday. And for the first time in a VERY long time I am not able to celebrate with her.  So, KT, this is for you. You are my very best friend and I love you! ...No matter how much we don’t have in common.  26 will be your best year yet. You deserve nothing but the best and I know great things are coming your way. You are beautiful, caring and pretty much have THE biggest heart of anyone I’ve met.  So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY BFF!!!!!  (I’m air hugging you right now, well, because you know how much I don’t like to touch. )

Hi there loyal blog readers!  I know I’ve been a bit MIA. Never fear… Catherine and John are getting married on Saturday and you are in for a visual treat!  In the mean time… I’m starting something new!  A Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down post.  Just some ramblings about good and bad things that have happened over the weeks.  Check back for them periodically!  This weeks Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down is centered around turning a quarter century old. Eww. That sounds awful.  My friends and family made it amazing, though.  So, here’s to 25…. hopefully great things to come!

KELLY MOORE BAGS:  My mom and step-dad Jim gave me the most gorgeous camera bag.  Why do i love it so much? I don’t know… because it looks like a PURSE.  My camera is extra safe and it’s extra stylish. Photographers check her out!

VIP STATUS:  My brother scored some amazing tickets to the Sublime with Rome and 311 concert.  We were feeling prettttty spoiled with our front row parking, free popcorn and OUR OWN BATHROOMS!

FAIRFAX:  The newest ADORABLE fur baby to the Rehberg family (see below).  He’s a rescue French Bull Dog with an oddly bum leg and a leftward growing tail. Fairfax was his given name… pure coincidence. So, don’t get all weird and judgy saying we should’ve named him Spotsylvania or something. (We still miss you Targey!)

AMY WINEHOUSE: I loved her.  Her music keeps me company on many car rides and editing sessions. So sad to hear of her passing.

HEAT:  Yes, my brother scored awesome tickets for Friday night. Downside: We sat in puddles of our own sweat.  Disgusting.

FLYING SHRIMP:  My family took my friends and I to Sakura for my birthday dinner.  You know, the place where they cook your meal in front of you and put on a show?  Well, for those of you who haven’t been, they throw pieces shrimp at you to see if you can catch it in your mouth. I never can… It’s embarrassing.