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Home, Knoxville, TN

Friday, April 17, 2009
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I promised to give everyone an update on what's been keeping me so busy the last few months, and here it is. We're having a baby!

Due to a previous miscarriage, I wanted to wait before making any announcements, but I'm now about halfway through the pregnancy so it seemed like about time to let everyone in on the good news. We had the big ultrasound this week, and everything checked out and seems to be fine.

Like weddings, pregnancies are one of those huge, life-changing moments in life, and I just wanted to let everyone share in this with us. I even edited down the ultrasound to about 3 minutes of my favorite parts. For those who have trouble making heads or tails out of ultrasounds, I will tell you that this clip starts with the tail and answers the big question. It also shows the profile (including a glimpse of the umbilical cord floating above the baby) as well as punching hands and kicking feet which I've been feeling for the past week. Marcus is responsible for the clip's title, and the momentary pauses were for the tech to print photos or double check the gender assessment.



update for anyone unlucky enough to be blocked from viewing the amazing ultrasound clip: It's a boy.

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Home, Knoxville, TN

Friday, December 19, 2008
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As of this afternoon, I am officially on winter break. To fully relax and enjoy time with my family, all emails and calls that come in over the holiday will receive a response after I return to work January 5. In the meantime, I hope that everyone enjoys the holidays! Don't get too caught up in the shopping, traffic and cooking. Instead, take time to see the beauty around you and be thankful for the little things that make life so amazing.

Holiday Schedule

The downturn in the economy is really taking a toll on a lot of good people. Don't forget to help out those you can this season.

Holiday Schedule
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Fountain City, Knoxville, TN

Sunday, November 30, 2008
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Whether you spent some quality time with friends and family, ate too much turkey, did all your Christmas shopping, or just sat around relaxing in front of the tv, I hope you had a great Thanksgiving!
 
I'm not a big sports fan, but I love watching movies. Of course it follows that I would rather go to the theater than sit in front of the tv on Thanksgiving Day. The challenge is in deciding what to see, and 2008 hasn't been my favorite year for movies. The Dark Knight was good, and I really enjoyed Atonement (I loved the book). Iron Man was surprisingly better than expected, but overall the movies this year just haven't gotten me very excited. The most recent Indiana Jones and Bond movies were even a bit disappointing. For Thanksgiving, we decided to check out Nicole Kidman's new "epic saga" Australia, and I just have to say that I really, really like this movie. I'm a little sad to see that it didn't do better at the box office this weekend, but I guess it's hard to compete with the fans of Bond, Twilight, and Vince Vaughn.

I just hope that this movie doesn't get overlooked because it is very good, and Fox doesn't seem to be doing a great job promoting it. With many emotional highs and lows, I'll admit that it had me crying a couple of times. The little aboriginal boy in the film is just so cute and really steals the screen from Kidman and Hugh Jackman. The movie is long (2 hours and 45 minutes) so it is the perfect sort of movie for a holiday when you have a full stomach and hours of free time. It has action, romance, drama and an adorable kid. Yes it can be a bit melodramatic, and if you're the sort that gets annoyed with cute kids or gets bored with long movies or just doesn't enjoy epic, mixed-genre movies then you might as well stay home. If you enjoy epic movies like Pearl Harbor, Gladiator, Troy, and Braveheart then you'll probably love this movie too.

If you do see it then I hope you'll come back and let me know what you think.
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Farragut, Knoxville, TN

Thursday, September 25, 2008
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I'm one of those people who is smart enough to save cool sites to my favorites list, but then I never remember to go back and sort and visit them again. I was just looking for something else today and ran into this really cool site that I had saved. Gregory Colbert's photography is really beautiful and spiritual. If you have some free time, it's definitely worth checking out on the Ashes and Snow website. If you have a fast enough connection to use the enhanced version of the site then you can view the photos as well as some very artistic video work. This work is just AMAZING!

Marcus bought one of the little photo books for me, and it is really cool. However, someday I would love to see the actual photo exhibition and experience the photos in all their glory as huge prints. It's scheduled to be in Brazil next year if anyone happens to be in that area and wants to check it out.

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Home, Knoxville, TN

Friday, June 6, 2008
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We seem to have a short list of meals that we make all the time, and I'm sure we aren't the only ones. If you have a good recipe then please email it to me. I'm looking for some new meal ideas, but I'm not very adventurous with food. My requirements are that it be easy and have few ingredients. In exchange, here's one of my regular dinners that will feed 4. You may want to add some cooked onions and green peppers, but I'm not a big fan of either.

Sweet & Sour Pork

1. Cook white or brown rice (If you have a rice cooker then use 2 cups dry rice and 4 cups water. If you don't have one then think about buying one. It makes perfect rice super easy.)

2. Fry cubed chicken or pork in a little oil over medium-high heat until cooked through. (we use one package of 3 chicken breasts OR 3 pork chops. I find the pork easier to cut into cubes but go with what's on special.)

3. When the meat is ready, lower the heat. Pour in two small (8-10oz) jars of sweet and sour sauce. (Kroger carries their own brand as well as LaChoy brand, and either work well.) Add one can of drained pineapple chunks. Heat over low heat until warmed through.

4. The chicken and sauce can simmer (covered) over low heat until the rice is ready. Serve and enjoy!

Sweet and Sour Pork with Pineapple
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Welcome!
Welcome to the Nancy Hellsten Photography blog! This is the place to be if you’re looking for wedding ideas and photography promotions or if you just want to view some great photos and see what I’ve been up to. If you or someone you know are getting married, having a baby, or just want some relaxed portraits with the family, please visit my website or contact me for more information. I would love to hear from you. Thanks for visiting and check back often to see what’s new.
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