That’s something to puzzle over while inscribing valentines this weekend.

President Hill residents Vicki Meade and her husband, Pat O’Connell, have the “write stuff.” Both are prolific writers. Vicki is the sole proprietor of Meade Communications. She is a busy communications consultant, award-winning writer and editor for a variety of clients in business, technology, health, medicine and myriad other fields.

Pat is a published author. His gripping 1997 techno-thriller, “Knight Hawk,” released by Dorchester Publishing’s Leisure Books division, about a top female fighter pilot who takes control of an Air Force F-15 fighter jet, eerily forecast the destruction of the World Trade Center. Pat is working on an adventure screenplay. At his day job, he jokes, “I make lots of money.” He is an analyst for the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington, D.C.

Both have grown children and a combined total of eight grandchildren.

The two first met while they were active members of the Maryland Writers Association. Both are past presidents of the MWA.

They also are newlyweds. True, they’d been dating since early in the first term of George W. Bush. They finally got around to getting hitched about 18 months after President Barack Obama took the oath of office.

Pat’s cousin, Rick Pethers, was visiting from Michigan with his wife. Not wanting the courtship to outlast that of Popeye and Olive Oyl, he offered to pay for the couple’s wedding license. At the Annapolis Courthouse, the Plethers served as witnesses while Vicki and Pat recited their “I do’s.” Afterwards, all four drove to Chincoteague for the honeymoon weekend.

Vicki purchased the cottage in 2003. Based on her research, the house was built in 1947, though some of the neighboring homes were constructed in the 1920s. “This used to be farmland,” she said. “These houses were built for the watermen who worked on the skipjacks, or at Trumpy Boatyard or in the marinas. These were the ‘suburbs’ of Eastport.

Some of the homes, she said, may have been mail-order kit homes sold by Montgomery Ward. The company’s “Wardway Homes” brand kits, manufactured by Gordon Van Tine, were shipped nationwide by railroad from 1921 through 1931.

Over its seven decades, the house has been renovated and expanded. “It was originally a two bedroom, one bath home with a kitchen and living room,” said Vicki. “Now it has two full baths, four bedrooms, a dining room and a living room. One bedroom is used as an office. The cottage has gone from 1,000 square feet to 1,500 square feet.” The rear of the house has been pushed out twice. The dining room replaced the original galley kitchen.

A shed at the rear of the house was torn down during the first expansion. Replacing it was a small two-story addition which held the kitchen, and added the upstairs master bedroom and a second bathroom. In 2010, during a renovation of the kitchen, the rear wall was pushed out further and a new, covered deck was added to one side. The architect was Eastport-based Terry Averill, and Paul Wiedel of Columbia was the builder.

Before we go inside, let’s walk around the back to see Pat’s handiwork, his personal Mount Rushmore.

He decided to construct a koi pond in a corner of the yard. At a quarry in Waldorf, he learned he could get free delivery if he purchased at least five tons of rocks. Pat selected a bunch of rough hewn boulders and rocks. He guesstimated they weighed five tons.

28 tons of rock was dumped in the back yard.

He managed to get rid of some of the excess through freecycle.com. With the remaining rock, he crafted a handsome, above-ground pond, deep enough, he said, “to do an Eskimo Roll in a kayak.”

The pond, filled with koi and goldfish, is surrounded by natural bay grasses and plantings. He built a patio of brick-red tiles and place a fire-pit ball off to one side, supported by still more stones. Closer to the wooden deck, he planted a small vegetable garden.

From the front walk, the white wood frame home, sided with shingles, looks smaller than it is inside. A visitor at the front door rings a ship’s bell. When the burgundy door is swung open, guests walk directly into the living room.

On the wall behind the door, is a framed chart, torn and soiled with age. “Our building found this chart and others rolled up and tucked under the eaves of the roof when we were remodeling up there,” explained Vicki. “Along with some old beer cans and an iron key. We framed this chart showing Spa Creek and Annapolis Harbor, along with the key.”

Against the front wall, a vintage double-door cabinet conceals the couple’s TV and sound equipment. Above the cabinet is a framed photo of the French town Ornans, where Vicki spent an idyllic week one summer in the 1980s, chaperoning a group of teenagers.

Next to the cream and tan striped couch, a table lamp rests on a vintage wooden end table. The lamp is actually an old tube shaft candlestick telephone mounted on a wood base. It was built before the rotary dial phone came into use. Though Vicki’s grandfather had invented improvements to the dial systems of early telephones, she did not own any of the table lamps he built from his phones. When she spotted this model in a Michigan antique store, she grabbed it.

A room off to the right was once a front bedroom. It is Vicki’s professional, compact office suite. When the couple entertains, Vicki unfolds a collapsible coat rack and the space does double duty as a cloak room. A gleaming, early model Underwood typewriter is displayed atop a bookshelf.

Beyond the office, another doorway leads into the dining room. Beneath a Tiffany-style lamp shade Vicki discovered at Home Depot, four straight back, rush-bottom chairs surround the round, wooden, antique table.

The dining area offers a clear view into the open kitchen, lined on two sides with unstained birch cabinetry. Polished Juparana Bronze granite, featuring cinnamon-colored veining, from AU Granite and Marble in Annapolis, shimmers on the kitchen’s countertops and curving island. Three wrought iron barstools are tucked under the island’s curve.

“We rounded the island on one side to ease a congested point in this room,” said Pat. “Plus, it feels warmer.” Alongside the kitchen’s far wall, a reproduction colonial cupboard holds the couple’s collection of antique teacups, cookbooks and glass jars.

During a recent book-signing party for local author Laura Oliver, more than 40 women fit comfortably around the kitchen and dining room area as they nibbled the food Vicki prepared and placed on the island.

In the main floor bathroom, Vicki proudly shows off Pat’s handiwork. He renovated the bathroom himself and, with no prior experience, he installed the stone tile floor. Initially, he attempted to completely tile the floor with two-inch tiles. After staying up most of the night trying to make it work, he scrapped the plan. The next morning, Pat purchased coordinating 12-inch tiles. He placed those on the floor and worked the smaller tiles around them.

Against one wall, he placed a tall, narrow farm gun cabinet from the 1880s to use for storing toiletries and cosmetics.

The downstairs bedroom, occupied by a contemporary futon couch, is a guest room. A petite Madame Alexander “Ginny” doll stares down from a corner cabinet. Vicki played with her as a young girl.

Take the gleaming wood stairs to the second floor. The room at the top is open and airy. Walls and closets have been moved around to create a sense of spaciousness in the room, used as either a quiet reading area or a second guest bedroom. The wrought iron and wood frame daybed is a comfy place to plop down with a good book. Originally, this had been the sole space upstairs and was used as storage space.

Under the eaves, two low cabinets are used to display a plethora of family photos.

Down a short hallway is the newer bathroom. This one features a tile-lined shower and a vanity topped with a granite counter.

Over the toilet, Pat framed and hung a conversation starter: a sheet of $2 bills.

The hallway terminates at the couple’s bedroom. Beneath a trio of windows, their low wooden bed is smothered by a snowy duvet they found at Bed Bath & Beyond. Two small bureaus flank the bed, serving as nightstands.

Near a fourth window is an antique bureau topped with a mirror. A glance out the window provides a broad view of the backyard — and final look at Pat’s handsome koi pond.

A wrought iron and wood frame daybed is in the upstairs. The room is used either as second bedroom or a quiet reading room.

Beneath a trio of windows, their low wooden bed is smothered by a snowy duvet they found at Bed Bath & Beyond. Two small bureaus flank the bed, serving as nightstands.

Pat constructed a koi pond in a corner of the yard.

The kitchen is lined on two sides with unstained birch cabinetry. Polished Juparana Bronze granite, featuring cinnamon-colored veining, from AU Granite and Marble in Annapolis, shimmers on the kitchen’s countertops and curving island. Three wrought iron barstools are tucked under the island’s curve.

Article Sources: Home of the Week: Presidents Hill couple gets it 'write'

Choosing proper Wedding Invitation and Wedding Thank you Notes is not easy to do. Wedding invitations are an integral part of a wedding’s theme and the “mood” you want to set for your ceremony. Wedding Invitation should be match with your wedding themes, and you reflect your wedding style. For example: Seasonal Wedding Invitation is best for Your Spring, Fall, and Winter Wedding Themes. How about Invitation for Formal Wedding Themes? Elegant, ceremonial invitation is recommended.Everybody talks about wedding invitations, but what about all the other terms and items that are associated with them. Here are explanations of some of the more common terms and items that you’ll probably encounter while Choosing your Wedding invitations.

Not all of the above items are necessary to make your wedding invitations complete. Remember, wedding invitations are not just papers, they are the breath of the couple’s desire to tell the whole world how much they love each other, and they want their guests to witness that.

Wedding Thanks You Incoming search terms:elegant wedding invitations, envelopes for seal and send invitations?, example reception cards with map, stamp embossed wedding invitations, wedding invitation postcards 2012, wedding reception invitation card

Article Sources: Choosing Wedding Invitations

Beautiful day, gorgeous couple. This was wedding 2 of 3 for the Walgrave clan… remember Kristin and Luke?  Dave is Kristin’s sister.  I’ll also be photographing their cousin Jason’s wedding to Liz this April in St. Paul.

Venue: Central Park in Woodbury, MN

Videographer: Donny Martin Cinematography

DJ: AE Entertainment.  He also joined me at Pam & Matt’s wedding – love working with him!

First Look was at the local fire station… such a fun idea!  The firemen even pulled the truck out so Dave and Alecia wouldn’t see each other until the right moment.  This is now my second photo session at a fire station in Minnesota.  Crazy, huh?

It’s always fun to see one of my engagement photos used throughout the wedding day.  In this case, it was the wedding program.

This was one of the most interesting venues I’ve ever shot a wedding in.  By far.

I was more excited about the coffee bar than the cake.  And I love cake.  But I love coffee more than cake since I can have it for breakfast.  True story.

This next one was taken by my husband and second shooter, Ben.

Article Sources: Dave & Alecia’s Woodbury, MN Wedding

• Minneapolis Wedding Photographer & Twin Cities Portrait Studio

  Voted “Best Photography” by Minnesota Bride magazine 2011

  Voted “Top Minnesota Wedding Photographer Pick”by The Knot magazine 2011 & 2012

  Wedding Wire’s “Bride’s Choice” Award Winner2009,2010,2011,2012

  Justin and Chrissy Graddy are Minnesota Wedding Photographers based out of the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Graddy Photography is a premiere Twin Cities Wedding, Newborn, Family, and Senior Portrait Studio located in New Prague / Lakeville and also serves Minnetonka, Duluth, Brainerd, and surrounding areas across the state. Justin Graddy has a distinguished reputation as a international award-winning Minneapolis Wedding Photographer but is also available as a Destination Wedding Photographer for elite world wide events.

  Highly praised for ambition and creative aptitude, Graddy’s photography skills are highly regarded amongst Twin Cities clients who are looking to hire a professional and creative MN Wedding Photojournalist or Minneapolis Family, Newborn, or Portrait Photography.

  Many of Graddy Photography’s wedding photos can be found published in Minnesota Bride magazine and The Knot magazine, where many wedding planners and couples search for the best Minnesota Wedding Photographers and vendors. Numerous photos have also ranked amongst the top in international competitions voted on by top peer professional photographers.

  Thank you for visiting the Graddy Photography blog. Please also be sure to check out the main websites where you can view galleries of some of the studios best work as well as find more info on scheduling a Minnesota or Destination wedding or any type of family, engagement, newborn, or senior portrait session.

  Make sure you “like” Graddy Photography on Facebook!

  Weddings * Newborns * Families * Editorial * Commercial * Products

Article Sources: Twinkle

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Article Sources: Cheap Gold Rings – Save Money on Your Engagement RingHow to Find Cheap Gold Rings

OCHOPEE, Fla. (AP) — The tourists in their rental cars creep down the Everglades byway known as Loop Road. Some are searching for alligators, exotic birds or maybe a ghost orchid. But others, tipped off by a guidebook or Internet post, are looking for a colorful, ramshackle spot called Lucky’s Place. And when they find the old metal Lucky Strike cigarette sign and grave marker by the side of the road, they hit the brakes and head in.

Some come for a beer or to talk guns. They’ll taste the venison chili simmering in a crockpot or the burgers and hot dogs on the barbecue. But others come to see Lucky Cole’s collection of hundreds of photos of women in various stages of undress. A few even elect to pay for their own photo session.

Cole, well over 200 pounds and more than 6 feet tall, wearing his trademark cowboy hat and floral shirt, waves ‘em in. Often visitors offer no pretenses about why they’re there: It’s like they’re teenagers again, sneaking a peek at a centerfold.

“The Germans are fearless,” Cole said. “They just drive in and start taking photos.”

Cole and his wife Maureen have lived in the Everglades year-round since the mid-1990s. He began his business informally, after hunters and air boaters asked him to store gas and food for them. Some stopped by to scrounge for beer because they’d finished what they brought from Miami and didn’t want to make the 40-mile trip back for more.

Then the tourists started coming, and Cole started taking pictures, one of two commercial photo operations in the area. The other, Clyde Butcher, is known for black-and-white shots of the swamp, sunsets and plants. Cole takes photos of what he considers a different kind of natural beauty: the female form, dressed and undressed. Some joke that he got his nickname “Lucky” because he found a way to get women to pay him to take their photos nude.

Cole began his photo career on the other side of the camera, as a boy model modeling for Sears and J.C. Penney. “I was cute as hell,” he says, laughing. These days, as the shooter, he averages two or three photo sessions a week. His wife handles the business end of the operation and coaches the models to look their best. During the sessions, the property’s 8-foot gates are locked. “It is all very private,” he says, describing most of the clients as “the average girl next door.”

Allison Sparks, who recently did a photo session with Cole, said she had a baby two years ago and “just needed a boost for my ego.” She hadn’t planned on a nude session but, while posing, decided to go for it. “Lucky made me feel beautiful,” she said, and her husband agrees. She’s making one of the pictures into a poster for his “man cave.”

Cole’s property is a collection of weathered trailers with connecting decks. Statues here and there are used as props for the women to pose with: an old chicken coop, motorcycles, a tub on a platform near a sign that warns against feeding the alligators. A tree grows out of a rusted ’61 Chevy, and the buildings are decorated with black and white photos of women wearing little more than cowboy hats. On a recent Sunday afternoon, two men from England stopped in, took pictures, drank a beer, then asked where they could find a gator.

Some tourists buy trinkets; Cole asks for “donations” for the beer and hot dogs. In return he tells stories, most of which, by his own admission, concern women and whiskey. There are also tales of local characters from days gone by — loggers, gangster Al Capone, and the late fiddler Ervin Rouse, who wrote the “Orange Blossom Special” and was a regular at a now-defunct nearby watering hole, the Gator Hook Lodge. “He never made any money off that song,” Cole laments. “He sold the rights for pennies.”

And should anyone ask why Cole carries a pistol while greeting guests or taking pictures, he doesn’t miss a beat.

“It is for the pythons,” he says. “They eat my chickens.”

LUCKY’S PLACE: Located on Loop Road, off of U.S. 41, about 40 miles west of Miami. Usually open to the public Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

Article Sources: Lucky’s Place a colorful Everglades tourist draw

CHENGDU, China, Feb. 21, 2012 — /PRNewswire-Asia/ — To spice up our life with charming styles, global fashion online supplier Milanoo brings its 2012 new arrival styles of sexy zentai suits and top rated picks of seductive shoes this spring.

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Article Sources: CHENGDU, China, Feb. 21, 2012: Spice Up Your Life – Milanoo's Sexy Shoes & Zentai New Styles Collection