The Power Within

Today is a very special post where i'm partnering with T3 and their #powerwithin campaign. What gives me my strength and has ultimately molded and defined me as the person I am today is my family. From a young age my parents were always the biggest influences in my life. I wouldn't be where I am today, or who I am, without them. They were always my biggest supporters too. Anything I dreamt, they both believed in me and would tell me that I could achieve it and make it possible. To have that support and know they truly believed it, is an amazing feeling to have.

Whenever I need a little pep talk or reassurance, I talk to my dad. There is no one who has been there for me and helped more than my dad. He has been my rock from day one. When my mom passed away in 2013, my brother, my dad, and I all became even closer than we already were. We were shattered at her loss and had to somehow put the pieces back together again. While it was difficult, we all helped one another and found strength in being together. This blog was actually born in that time period. My very first post was a remembrance of my mom and what an amazing woman she was. Remembering her and what a strong woman she was gives me a drive to achieve all that I can. She never gave up and always had a positive attitude despite the circumstances with her illness.

I feel very blessed to have my family. Even with my mom passing, I know she is looking down and proud of all that I have achieved, especially thebirth of my daughter Ava. Being a mother myself now also gives me all the inspiration I need to be my best and most successful self. I now have my daughter looking to me, as i looked and still look to my parents for inspiration and confidence. My family has always been my number one source of empowerment and I cannot thank them enough for providing me with that.

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xo, Amanda

Family Photos

Ivory Pearl Dress || Similar Gold Heels ||

This past weekend Justin and I headed over to the local college campus to shoot photos of us with baby Ava. We wanted to have some nice family photos while Ava is still a little newborn. The weather was gorgeous and could not have been more perfect. Looks like summer finally decided to come back after the cold snap we had. I wanted something soft and feminine to wear for the shoot and knew lace dress would fit the bill. It has lace, a tulle skirt, and pearl detailing along the chest. I could not be happier with how they turned out. I love this little family I have now. If only Chelsea could have been in these with us!

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xo, Amanda

A Joyous Announcement

Happy Valentine's Day

Today I am so thrilled to announce our pregnancy. I took these pictures for a photo announcement card that was sent out to our family and friends. Baby Brezovsky is on the way! Justin and I could not be any more excited. We are literally brimming with happiness as we await our little one to join us. Now that the second trimester has started, and I am feeling much better than in the first, I can finally start planning and preparing the nursery and all the little details that accompany the arrival. How fitting to share this news during a holiday that represents love and caring. 

Travel Log

Valley Forge

For the past few years my dad and I have been making a mini vacation out of his seminars for work. He usually goes to the Valley Forge one, to my delight, and we always have a great time. While he's at the seminars, I'll go to the King of Prussia Mall or go down to Valley Forge to walk around. This year, we had the Silver Beaver awards dinner while we were in Valley Forge, so we had to make a trip back up home and then back down in the same day. We always get out to eat once or twice on the trip. This year and last we went to Creed's Seafood and Steak. It has a great atmosphere with cozy seating and a menu to rival any big city. I usually get the Scottish Salmon. Our hotel has the best bistro in it, with booths that have tv's built into the walls. Breakfast and sometimes dinner are a must there. The nice thing about Valley Forge in the beginning of November are the leaves still being on the trees. Up in NEPA, most of the leaves are down and any that are still hanging on have lost their brilliance. I have so many memories of Valley Forge and the general area surrounding it, whether it be from these trips or when I lived there for a few months, this area will always have a special place in my heart.

A Major Award

The Silver Beaver

On  Friday November 7th, 2014, my dad was awarded the Silver Beaver for his dedication, hard work, self-sacrifice, and years of service to the Boy Scouts of America. I could not have been more proud of him. It is the highest award one can receive in the council level. The night went by so quickly, but was quite memorable and one I will not forget. I gathered and prepared all of the photos for the slide show that was given during my dad's introduction. Seeing all of the important moments of his life and hearing the lovely talk was inspiring. I was asked to escort my dad and to stand with him while he was presented with the medal, certificate, pin, and square knot. To my surprise, I was also given flowers that were beautiful and smelled divine. I was more than happy to capture the night and also a big thanks to Justin for photographing my dad and I while we were up by the podium!

From the BSA, The Silver Beaver Award is the council-level distinguished service award of the Boy Scouts of America. Recipients of this award are registered adult leaders who have made an impact on the lives of youth through service given to the council. It is given to those who do not actively seek it.

Travel Log

Washington DC October

I have to say, this most recent Washington DC trip was a real treat for me. I had a wonderful engagement shoot to do and straight afterwards left to travel down to DC Saturday night. This was the first time I traveled by myself into a big city and boy did it make me feel invigorated and alive! The only other time I traveled out of state by myself was to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, which is a completely different atmosphere. My relatives were gracious enough to let me stay in their condo again while I was visiting the city. Needless to say when I arrived I decided to have a nice glass of wine out on the deck and watch the night come alive on the city streets below. This is one of my favorite past times while in DC.

My dad was actually in Washington as well with the boy scouts on their Traveling Camporee. I met up with my friend Mike the next day and we walked into town to meet up with my dad and spend the day together. We visited the American History Museum, which I absolutely loved. So many memento's of Americana to see. To name a few, The Ruby Slippers, Archie Bunkers Chair, The First Ladies Gowns, Presidential History, Julia Child's kitchen, the list goes on. Afterwards Mike and I dropped my dad off and then had a lovely dinner before he had to leave. I decided that I wanted to see a movie, Dracula Untold, so we walked to the theater before he caught the next metro train.

Monday morning was all about relaxing on the deck with my tea and oatmeal. I was driving over to Arlington to meet up with my dad and visit. The last time I was in Arlington was 2005 and that was specifically to see the Kennedy grave site. This time we explored more of the cemetery, but of course spent the most time at the Kennedy grave. This was the last day of the camporee for my dad so he came back to the condo to stay an extra night. We got back and sat on the deck for a while and then went out to dinner at Del Frisco's in the City Center complex. Let me tell you, we both agreed we had never had a better meal in our lives. The steak was to die for. We had home made donuts and cappuccino after for dessert. The whole meal was exquisite. Not only that, but right out of the window was a beautiful DC lit up at night. That was one magical dinner to remember.

Tuesday we got some breakfast in China town and then walked down into DC taking pictures along the way of course. Our eventual destination was the Bureau of Engraving, a place my dad has always wanted to see. The next tour was about an hour away when we did get there, so we sat on a bench near the Washington Monument. It was a gorgeous day to be outside. Once we took the tour we made our way over to the boy scout monument, had lunch, and decided on visiting Ford's Theater since my dad had never been there. Once we got back to the condo, I showed my dad the roof top, and then said good-bye to my favorite city. This was certainly a trip for the record books. I had so much fun being able to catch up with Mike, explore DC with my dad, and also be on my own for a bit in the city.

Travel Log

Peddlers Village

One thing my dad and I love to do is take little weekend trips. On a recent adventure, we traveled down to Peddlers Village near Philadelphia for a day filled with sunshine, shopping, and fun. This quaint  little village of shops really delights with beautiful scenery throughout, great restaurants, and little knick knack stores filled with treasures. Did I mention there is a cheese shop and a winery there? Well, indeed there is, plus a bakery, ice cream shop, two famous restaurants, coffee shops, a Bavarian nut shop, and so much more. I love to just walk around and take in all of the landscaping done throughout the village. Incredibly beautiful to wander around. I always get some seasonal items for the up coming holidays to decorate my home with and never leave without visiting the Pendleton store across the street. That my friends is some quality shopping right there.

All You Need is Love

Our 3rd Wedding Anniversary

“Love is the emblem of eternity, it confounds all notion of time, effaces all memory of a beginning, all fear of an end”

— Germaine De Stael

When I awoke on the morning of our anniversary, I was greeted by a lovely bag on our dinning room table. Now, the 3rd anniversaries symbol is leather and Justin did quite good if you ask me. His gift to me was two leather handbags wrapped in the cutest polka dot paper with a card nestled on top.

I'm quite in love with these purses because of the great detailing they have. I'm a sucker for a structured top handle bag and the little gold bow accent gives the purse the perfect finishing touch.

When Justin arrived home he gave me these beautiful roses and told me the meaning he thought of behind the three colors. Going from white, to pink, and finally red, the colors represent the deepening of our love over the years. How romantic! I was also surprised by the little snack he got for me. Cinnamon sugar covered almonds. An absolute favorite of mine to snack on.

I really could not have asked for a better anniversary. Between our time in the Finger Lakes to our little celebration at home, everything was perfect and I feel completely lucky to have someone so special and loving as my husband.

Chelsea always likes to get in on the action!

Happy Autumn

My favorite season is finally upon us. The crisp cool air, pumpkin flavors, cozy sweaters, colorful leaves, all make me feel warm and fuzzy inside. To celebrate the new season I've compiled some of my favorite fall photographs I've taken.

“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.”

— F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

Travel Log

Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

The Pine and Brine

To say I'm a little nostalgic about Rehoboth Beach would be putting it mildly. My family has been vacationing here for over 20 years. I have so many wonderful memories that I cherish deeply. The quaint little town is only 1 mile long by 1 mile wide and has the nickname "pine and brine" due to the forestry area at the Grear and Silver lakes with the ocean only 1 block away. It has the best of both worlds. Plentiful are the amount of restaurants and shops carrying anything your heart desires. I truly have always considered Rehoboth a home away from home. My dad and I got up every morning at 5:45 am to capture the sunrise so you'll see plenty of beautifully inspiring images. We always took a photo together with the wonderful sky as the backdrop. Below is a gallery of our most recent trip during the first week of September. The weather was scorching and the bath water temperature of the ocean felt great. You'll see classic beach images, both lakes and their surroundings, our favorite restaurants we visited, sunrise photos, nighttime images, and a tour of the Dogfish Head brewery located in Milton, Delaware.

Blueberry Cream Pie

Refreshing Delight

One tradition my dad and I have is every week he comes over our house and I make a nice big dinner with all of the trimmings. Everything is home made from scratch, something I'm very happy to do since I want to be like the lovely ladies in my family who knew how to do things right the old fashioned way. My mom and my grandma Kretchmer have always been two of my biggest inspirations, and these two women knew how to cook a homemade meal and delectable dessert all without batting an eye lash.

When my dad was over one night finishing up dinner, I gave him my retro baking book to flip through and pick out a dessert for next weeks dinner party. My dad has always been a pie type of guy so it came as little surprise when he choose the Blueberry Cream Pie. I have never made a pie before, so I was a bit apprehensive, but knew I could complete it with little mishap. The great thing about this pie is how refreshing it is with the blueberries and homemade whipped cream. Talk about a delectable dessert. Now on to the party!

What You'll Need:

For the pie crust:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup butter (or coconut oil!)
• glass of ice water

For the filling:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 tbsps cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup water
• 3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (I used fresh)
• 2 tbsps butter (or coconut oil)
• 1 1/2 tbsps lemon juice
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1 tbsp powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions:

To make the pastry:

• Mix flour and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Use pastry cutter to blend in butter until the mixture becomes crumbly. Add 3 to 4 tbsps of ice water one at a time until dough is moist enough to form into a ball. Flatten ball to 1/2 inch thickness, smooth rough edges, and roll out onto a floured surface. Dough should form an even circle 1 1/2 inches longer than a 8 or 9 inch pie pan. Place crust loosely in pan, pat out air pockets, fold and flute edge to form even rim. Prick crust generously with form and bake at 450 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. Allow to cool before filling.

To make filling:

• In a saucepan blend together sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Stir in water and 1 cup of blueberries. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil and cook until very thick. Add butter and lemon juice; mix well and let cool. Gently stir in remaining 2 cups of blueberries and refrigerate about 1 hour. In a small mixing bowl beat whipping cream until thick. Mix in powdered sugar and vanilla. Cover bottom of pie shell with half the whipped cream. Pour blueberry filling over whipped cream. Chill about 2 hours. Top pie with remaining whipped cream.

I also made another batch of the whipped cream to keep on hand for any little desserts or fruit cups I decided to make. During our dinner, I always make a cup of fresh mixed fruits and usually drizzle with honey. This week, I topped it off with the whipped cream much to my dads delight. Some tips for making the whipped cream are to put the metal bowl and beater attachment in the freezer for 10-15 minutes before stirring. I used my kitchen aid mixer for this. Do not over beat either. About 5 minutes is plenty.

Travel Log

NYC and Beyond

To say this past weekend was exceptional would be putting it lightly. I not only had the extreme pleasure of visiting one of the most exciting cities on the earth, but I had the great opportunity to see one of my favorite musicals, The Phantom of the Opera, while also visiting with family, enjoying beautiful weather, visiting tranquil forests, and even taking in a movie at the end of the weekend to round out some wonderful memories. Justin's father came to visit us and had his first trip to New York City. We all decided to drive into the city rather than take the train, and that my friends was an adventure all in itself. Driving in New York can be a little intense, but thrilling none the less.

Once we arrived and parked the car, the decision was to have some lunch to hold us over while watching the play. We ate at Smith's near the Majestic Theater. Timing is everything and boy did we have the timing down pat. Finishing our lunch and with twenty minutes to go, we headed over to the Majestic, which was only about three minutes away, got some trinkets, and headed to our seats. What an incredible view we all had! Sitting in the front row of the third level balcony, we could see the stage perfectly and my oh my the chandelier, what a perfect view to watch it rise in the beginning and come crashing down at the end of the first act. When the lights went down and the orchestra's music filled the theater with the chandelier rising high above, I must admit I got a bit teary eyed, a feeling of awe coming over me that I was really there experiencing The Phantom live right before my eyes.

The cast did such a fantastic job and the stage sets and designs were simply out of this world. A truly breathtaking experience. I could not contain my excitement during or after the show had ended. Once the show had ended, we decided to take Justin's dad to Times Square so he could see what New York City was all about. Afterwards, we walked around a bit more, taking in the sites and gorgeous weather. Feeling a bit hungry, and with Don Giavani's restaurant in site, we ate al fresco and dined on some lovely Italian cuisine. Around 6:30 seemed to be a good time to leave, seeing as how we would have to fight traffic and unwind on the two hour drive home once actually leaving the Lincoln Tunnel. All in all, a marvelous day spent in New York City with so many memories to cherish.

Friday was more of a relaxing day. Justin and I took his dad to Ricketts Glen State park, up to where Justin's new job is, a quick stop at Bowman's creek to scout out some fishing spots, a quite dinner on our front porch followed by some summery drinks, and lastly some catching up conversation. Saturday we all headed over to Harvey's Lake to have breakfast with my dad. Afterwards, we all took a family photo by the lake and bid Garry a safe trip home, while my dad went to a picnic with the boy scouts, Justin went fishing, and I relaxed and caught up on some chores around the house. Sunday was breakfast with my dad and watching the new 22 Jump Street up at Cinemark, my most favorite movie theater.

Some Interesting facts about The Phantom of the Opera:

• Widely considered one of Andrew Lloyd Webber's most accomplished scores.
• One of the show's most spectacular set pieces is the replica of the Paris Opera House chandelier, nine feet wide and made of 6,000 beads. It weighs one ton and the original took four weeks to make, being built by five people alone.
• The falling of the chandelier is based upon a real incident at the Paris Opera House in 1896 where a falling counterweight killed a 56-year-old concierge. It was her one and only visit to the opera.
• The Phantom's latex makeup originally took three hours to make, now it is reduced to two hours.
• Since opening at the Majestic theater in 1988, Phantom has since played to over 130 million people across 27 countries and won more than 50 major awards.
• The original cast recording is the biggest selling cast recording of all time, with more than 40 million copies sold.
• In 2004 the musical was captured on the silver screen starring Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, and Patrick Wilson. It was nominated for three Oscars.
• In 2006, the show broke the record for the longest running Broadway musical, surpassing  the 7,485 performances achieved by Cats.
• The largest grossing musical in Broadway history.
• The Phantom of The Opera is a global phenomenon, its $5.6 billion box office (to date as of last year) far outstanding blockbuster films, makes it the most successful entertainment venture of all time
• The New York City production celebrated its 25th anniversary January 2013, This feat, unprecedented in Broadway history, reaffirms the musical's iconic status, proving the classic tale's enduring popularity for audiences all over the world.

The only thing I do regret about the NYC part of our excursion is not having my camera with me. Blast! Justin did not think it would be safe to bring it to the theater seeing as how we did not know their policy with such big cameras. I did have my iphone, though it has horrid quality with indoor pictures, they are still memories none the less. So please excuse some of the quality with the iphone pictures, but do enjoy the beautiful theater settings and sky scarpers of the big apple.

Birthday Bliss

Happy 24th Birthday Michael!

Today is my brothers 24th birthday and I could not be more excited to celebrate it with him. He and I are pictured above in May of 1992 with a dandelion bouquet we picked out. Since it is a Thursday, and "throwback' Thursday's are so popular, I thought it would be nice to post a picture of us from back in the day. I chose this picture because it represents how close my brother and I are, but also because it is pretty darn cute! We grew up as best friends and still remain that way today. I could not have asked for a better brother than Michael. He's always there whenever you need him and shows his generosity when you least expect it. After our mom passed, I feel that we grew even closer with a silent understanding that life is short and to enjoy as many moments as you can together. Our plans for today are low key, and if you know my brother, that fits in perfectly with him. Browsing around town looking for a truck he could purchase, dinner at the casino, trying our hand with lady luck, and enjoying some lovely libations.  So glasses raised to my little brother, cheers and many more to come! Happy Birthday.

A Moment to Remeber

Never Giver Up

Happy Thursday everyone! This being my first blog post, I felt it would be appropriate to make it an inspirational one. My mother always said to never give up no matter what obstacles come your way. These past few months have been difficult after losing her, but her advice has stuck with me through it all. Life certainly threw my mother some curve balls, but she always took the high road and never let them get her down. She was the definition of strength, beauty, and courage rolled into one.

I find it only fitting that this first post be dedicated to her. She inspires me each day to follow my dreams and she always gave me encouragement to be the best I can be. She lived a good and happy life, and even after her diagnoses, she still continued to stay positive and find the beauty in all life has to give. In part, because of her uplifting words, I decided to create this site and continue to follow my starry eyed dreams. I'm extremely thrilled to be able to do this and share my creativity.