December 6, 2011
Hey all!
Just wanted to share the latest on what we are doing at the studio! We are offering Pinup Sessions!
Check out the video! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsiOWPD0tXg
I know most of you live to far away but if you are in the neighborhood the Studio is located at 402 Fifth St, Defiance, OH 43512 and our phone number is 419-782-1079
Our website is www.bellalp.com If you have a facebook you can find us at www.facebook.com/bellaluce.studio
September 4, 2011
My husband and I always have a great time together. We can be working on the house, studio or some new project and we truly enjoy each others company. But vacation is a whole other story! This is what we are so Fantastic at! It is what we were ment to spend our time doing!
This past August we took a vacation to California to the coast…and I can just tell you…WOW!
We did a road trip once we hit CA. We landed in San Diego and rented a great little SUV…
We did not let the fact that the airline lost one of our suitcases put a damper on our trip…instead off to the locate drug store for a much-needed hair brush! On did I tell you the bag that was lost was MINE!!
While in San Diego we visited with friends and toured the city. The day and a half flew by and we were off heading north on Highway 1. Whole Foods was one of our first stops. We needed driving food.
The ocean side towns where the best. Small and friendly with lots of cyclist.
I missed the ocean…sounds…smells…cool breeze…fog…
We soon headed into the BIG city on our way to Rodeo Drive! (it was on my husband’s bucket list). We parked and took a self-guided walking tour. GREAT people watching!
Continuing north we met up with a long time good friend of mine in San Louis Obispo. Dinner and hotel drama and finally ending Motel 6 (they left the light on!).
Highway 1 is a very beautiful drive…two lane road hanging of the side of a cliff. Highway 1 can also involve GREAT driving skills…you could pass in any give minute of driving a cyclist, a rental RV, fancy cars, old trucks, dump trucks, earth movers and oh yes I cannot forget the homeless person pushing a shopping cart (we were miles and miles from a town!). The road is narrow and twisty but breathtaking! (in more ways than one).
Santa Cruz was our next stop. We were here for about 2 and a half days. More wonderful friends…Shasta’s beach…site seeing…FOOD and good company was how we spent our time.
With tears in our eyes we left Santa Cruz heading for San Francisco…
We started our San Francisco adventure by turning our great little SUV in and started using public transit and our legs. (Have you seen the hills in SF? OMG!) We took the train to downtown from the airport (we returned the car to the airport) walked a couple of blocks and then jumped in a cab… Our hotel was better than imagined! We spent the next two days exploring, wine touring and relaxing. One more stop before we head home. LOVELAND CO!
We flew to Denver, rented a car and drove to Loveland CO. We stayed with friends. Time was spent catching up, eating, drinking homemade Port, playing with the dogs and taking photos. Now it was time to head home…
I have a couple of closing thoughts… if you have never driven the CA coast…you should… if it has been awhile since you have seen old friends… make the time and effort.
June 16, 2011
I know what a deep title…LIFE! But it is something I think about all the time, from how fun it can be to how hard or painful just depending on what is happening to you or around you.
For those of you that know me know that I am a very happy upbeat person. I enjoy just being alive and when I can share time with people I care about thing could not be better.
Moving to Ohio almost 4 years ago was a huge change for be! I am a girl from out west living in the mid-west and wow what a change!
New town, new friends, new hobbies, new home, new food, etc…everything has changed. Stop and think for a minute what it might feel like to leave your current life behind and start over. Knowing one person and the is it!
Funny story – I had just moved to Defiance, I think I had been here about a week… Doug and I were on our way to Toledo when I said, “I like taking the scenic route sometimes but we have not been on the highway once since I moved here. Do you think on the way home we could get on the highway?” Doug’s reply, “This is the highway!”
Fast forward to today I am happily living in Defiance Ohio balancing work and home life. I am also excited that highway 24 is being made into a 4 lane highway! 
Life is good! No one ever said it would be easy but it is good!
Days when things feel heavy for whatever reason I just look inside and find a memory that will bring me a smile…”Smile and your brain will catch up” I believe in this! It has never failed me.
If you do not feel happy most of the time you should stop and reflect on your life and what do you want from your life. What will make you happy deep down inside. Life is sweet, don’t spend it being upset, angry, mad or numb. FEEL everything you do…
December 25, 2010
Wow! This has been a fast year, however, I am ready for the new year!
The year can in with a bang! Doug and I hosted our first Murder Mystery Dinner on New Year’s Eve and what a blast that was! We missed our annual trip to Mexico so we could stay home and work on the kitchen…HA…we never lifted a finger in remodeling the kitchen! We will not be missing our trip to Mexico this coming February!
In March my daughter Jessica married her high school sweetheart. They have two beautiful little boys, RJ & Kolton. I was so lucky to get to babysit them when they went on their honeymoon.
May rolled around and I opened Bella Luce Photography Studio. It has been so much fun and work! The Christmas season has been GREAT for the Photography business.
In July Doug and I rode our tandem bike across the state of Iowa…557 miles! Wow! Now that is a story all by itself! If you stop in for a visit we can share a glass (a BOTTLE) of wine and the story.
August – October are a blur! We spent day and night at the photography studio working on its remodel. It looks so GOOD! If you are in town stop for a visit and I will show you around. We also had our Grand Opening and the grandbabies came to visit from Nevada.
November and December have been wonderful months! We have been taking pictures and taking more pictures! Doug and I have brought date night and movie night back into our schedules and we love it! Spending time together is so good!
We are ready for this New Year! We have trips planned and business ventures to follow through on…it is going to be another fun and exciting year for us!
July 7, 2010
It has been a hot and fast summer. It felt like summer would never get here and now that it is here it is almost over!
I know I have not shared any news or updates with you in a long time but I can say, “Life is Good!” I have been very busy and have not had a lot of time to communicate one on one with many of you. I will try to bring you up to date with my life!
Doug and I have been doing a lot of bike (bicycle) riding. I am not sure that I have shared with all of you that we are going to be riding RAGBRAI this summer. RAGBRAI is a bicycle ride across Iowa. It is 442 miles over 7 days. You can check out the website for the ride at www.ragbrai.com if you want to know about the event.
Other stuff…All the fur people are doing great. They have been hanging out in the house in the AC laying low and keeping cool. Our feather head (Gabby) is growing and learning how to talk. She is learning more words everyday! It has been fun!
I made a trip to Nevada in early June and visited with my grandbabies. They are all doing wonderfully. I miss them so much! See some of the pictures below.
My photography is growing and keep me busy, busy! We are shooting families, 2011 Seniors, and many others. It is so great to be able to do what we love. Check out the website www.bellalucephotographystudio.com or we are on facebook.
So just because you have not heard from me does not mean I have not been thinking about you…drop me a line and let know how you are doing! I would love to hear from you!
 | Nedra Hazlett on Summer Vacation 2011 |
 | sandy crandall on Doug & Sheila |
