Carmon's Bistro

Bob and I were joined by our good friends Jeni and Dave for foodie fun recently.  We tried a new French bistro in downtown Champaign called Carmon's Bistro.  I had the steak frites and it was delicious!  We all shared a cheese board and mussels which were heavenly.

See pics after the jump.

First baby photo session

My first baby photo session was certainly a learning experience. Little miss Ayla was gorgeous in her pink tutu, but had absolutely no interest whatsoever in having her picture taken.  She cried for about 60 minutes of a 90 minute photo session.  I'd hoped to get her into a few of the adorable outfits her mom brought and get her to sit with some of the props I had ready, but she wanted nothing to do with it.  I made do the best I could and managed to get a handful of shots that were decent.  

I'm looking forward to trying it again with her sometime soon.

More of my favorites after the jump.

What a year

Today, Libby on the Label is celebrating one year of blogging.  And, what a great year it's been!  I've had so much fun sharing my adventures with you and can't thank you enough for following along.  I look forward to the shape the blog takes over the next year as I embark on so many new things.  You can plan to hear about more deliciousness, more travels, more husband, more family & friends, more photography, and lots more. :) 
I'm thankful for you, readers! 

Rainy day top five

I got to work at 7am this morning and it hasn't stopped raining since.  While the rain is not helping me stay motivated in the least, it has inspired me to share with you my top five favorite rainy day activities.

1. Wearing my pajamas ALL day.
2. Eating Digiorno frozen pizza.
3. Watching the last hour of the Today Show (which is not so newsworthy as the first two hours).
4. Reading fashion magazines.
5. Perusing one of my photo books.

Can you tell I'd rather be at home today? :)

photo from here

Heather + Mike engagement photos

I'm excited to share my second engagement shoot featuring Heather and Mike!  Heather (and her twin sister, Beth) are my very oldest (and dear) friends.  Heather and I have been friends since we were 4 years old when we met in Daisies.  When we were younger our teachers used to confuse us, calling me Heather and her Libby.  Anyway... she and Mike are a darling couple and I can't wait for their wedding. Mike is funny and sweet and I love that he's marrying my friend.

Click below to see some of my favorites from our photo session.

Weekend ready

Do you have big plans this weekend?  My week has been incredibly busy at work (i.e. stressful) so I'm very ready for the weekend.  I will be happily working on my latest engagement photos and on our new house.  Bob and I have had plans to tailgate with some friends for over a month now, so we'll be having some fun with that tomorrow, too.

Have a wonderful weekend, friends!

photo from here

My guys

These are my guys. Aren't they precious? Getting home to them really is the best part of my day.

Epic love

Read this. Such a good read.

"He walked me to my car, and we kissed in the parking garage, under orblike yellow lights. It was a still kiss, a postcard kiss, a Disney princess kiss, the kind of kiss that makes blue cartoon birds chirp and swirl in the sky, their beaks holding garlands."

(via Joanna Goddard)

Front and center

That's me in front of one of my photos displayed in the lobby entrance at O'Charley's in Champaign, IL. Bob and I made a special trip (I'm very anti-chain restaurants) to see my photos there last night. I was thrilled to see two of the seven in the lobby and the rest scattered throughout the dining rooms. If you're in the neighborhood, stop by and check 'em out!

Seeing books

I love the built in bookcases in our new house. They frame one of the fireplaces and are charming, sweet and just plain cool. The other night I was unpacking my books thinking to myself, "man, it's been so many years since I've actually been able to see all of my books." I came across books that I hadn't seen in ages and some I'd completely forgotten I even owned. Just then I came across this book that was a gift from my mom a long time ago... 

...and I flipped through the pages and landed on this one. My eyes fell on the 4th line of text: "knowing where all your books are." 

It was one of those moments when you get the warm and fuzzies and a giant smile spreads across your face. That is certainly something to be happy about.

Winston, you spooky dog

Winston was a hit with our trick or treaters last night.  He was such a good sport and donned his skeleton costume the whole time.  The kids loved it and he loved meeting all of them.  He even tried to help Bob hand out the candy.  Too cute, right?