1) Roman Holiday — I had all these grand ambitions to pop-culture-educate myself on all things Europe (I even added all those movies about Queen Elizabeth to my Netflix queue!) before taking off there but as this trip draws closer, a busy shooting schedule has kept me from this mission. With one great exception. During a recent Target run, I couldn’t resist picking up a $5 copy of this movie (further proof you can’t escape Target without a hoard of things you don’t need). Needless to say, having now watched this classic film, I AM SMITTEN. I love old school Hollywood and it doesn’t get better than Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn. I may not be a princess but I will be bringing my very own American newsman with me on our version of a Roman holiday. :)

2) Aasics Onitsuka Tiger sneakers — I don’t want to own up to the number of hours I’ve spent trying to find sneakers for Nick and I to bring to Europe that are comfortable and don’t scream, “HEY EVERYBODY, I’M AN AMERICAN!!!!” Nick doesn’t understand this fixation of mine (the other day he joked about sneaking an American flag T-shirt into his suitcase—OHNOHEDIDN’T), but what can I say… I want to look cool. And if I can sneak in a cute pair of treads (don’t they call them trainers in England? HA!), all the better. Having tested these out during my recent NYC visit, this pair definitely passes the test!

3) Oscillococcinum — Osci whhhhaaaatttttttttt????? Last month, with all the traveling I was doing, I started to find myself feeling REALLY run down. Knowing I couldn’t get sick before my trips out east, I hit the Interweb to find ways to hold off a cold or the flu. That’s when I stumbled across this stuff. Is it for real? I don’t know .. I’m not a doctor. All I can say is that I’m not sure I could have survived these past eight weeks without it. And that, when I’m taking it, I seriously do feel better. Maybe my belief it’s making me better is all in my head, but better that than a cold!

4) Griffin House’s “The Learner” — Griffin is one of my FAVORITE musicians and I’ve been waiting for him to release new material for TWO years now! I got to see him in concert back in 2009 and he did not disappoint. It’s so hard nowadays to find artists who are amazing song writers, whose words stick with you (even stir your soul a little), and Griffin’s work does that for me. BIG TIME. “The Learner” does NOT disappoint. (The words to “River City Lights” are SO beautiful.) Do yourself a favor and check out his work. I promise you’ll fall in love with his sound too! (oh, and he’s a Midwesterner too… ;) )

5) Little Bee by Chris Cleave — I’d heard good things about this book and its cover intrigued (I’m such a sucker for well-designed book covers), so when I found myself at an airport bookstore, I was drawn to this book like, well, a bee to honey (pun totally intended here folks ;) ) Oh.my.goodness. This story totally sucked me in. Want to make eight hours of air travel and airport madness fly by in a blink? Find a good book to dig into. Poetic and haunting with characters you won’t forget, I couldn’t put it down. (I was seriously trying to finish the last few pages on the shuttle back to my car!)

See more of Gail’s work at www.gailwernerphoto.com. Become a fan of Gail’s work on Facebook. Follow Gail on Twitter.

I watched the Twilight crew promote the release of “Eclipse” on Oprah a few weeks back and remember thinking, “Psssttt…..FOR REAL, who are these women who host PREMIERE parties at their house with RED CARPETS?” That is so ridiculous….

Not ridiculous? Blogging about “Eclipse.” Oh, and going to see “Eclipse” tonight. At midnight. Okay, maybe this, too, is a bit ridiculous. But yes, I’ll be that 28-year-old sandwiched between one of my dearest friends and her teenage daughters, the whole lot of us part of a greater throng of 200-plus 13-year-olds who’ll be trembling in anticipation of seeing Taylor Lautner once more with his shirt off. At this point, the whole scene is as much fun to me as watching the films themselves. Also fun? Seeing just how bad the wigs are in the movies. And Rob Pattinson’s lipstick. FOR THE LOVE CAN SOMEONE GET THE FELLA A NEW MAKE-UP ARTIST?

Watching this phenomenon play out over the past two years, I can’t help but feel Rob deserves a special award. Not for his pillowy lips or his much-talked about tresses, but for coping with the insanity that is this phenomenon. Both with charm and a sense of humor. And charm … did I mention charm? Bonus points, of course, for that fabulous British accent. :)

See more of Gail’s work at www.gailwernerphoto.com. Become a fan of Gail’s work on Facebook. Follow Gail on Twitter.

#62) Hang up a hammock in the backyard

Growing up, there were two places I always dreamed would be the PERFECT place to read a book. A window seat like this. Annndddd a hammock. There wasn’t a window seat in my childhood home. And the nylon version of a hammock that stood on a stand in our backyard? Well, it was authentic the way Olive Garden is authentic Italian food. As in, not very.

So I always dreamed about getting a FOR REAL hammock. And this year, I thought, “We’re DOING IT.” So I went online, headed to the most outdoorsy company I could find (why, L.L. Bean of course!) and ordered this cotton style. Then Nick spent a few days trying to figure out to hang it. It involved hooking it off a tree, digging a hole for the post at the other end (a hole he had to RE-DIG because there wasn’t enough distance from post-to-tree the first go around…did I mention this hole might have been deep enough you could see China on the other side? And that he had to RE-DIG it?) Oh, and that my husband is a perfectionist? So folks, this thing had to be perfectly level. :)

When he was finished and we’d taken an inaugural swing in it, I told him that it might have been the best gift he’s ever given me. To which he pointed out, “You bought the thing.” And I said, “Yes, yes, I know, but it was you did all the work. For me.” And now I have the most perfect spot in the world to curl up with a good book. I also have a photo to stare longingly at come January, but that’s a whole other story.

Speaking of my husband and backyard projects, I’d be remiss if I didn’t share a shot of him with the flagstone patio he’s spent the past MONTH redoing. I am SO proud of my man. He researched this project for quite some time (unhappy with how unlevel the existing flagstone patio had been…see, I told you this is a man who likes things—from frames to flagstone—LEVEL), and then spent weeks playing a giant game of Tetris to make each piece fit just right. I love you AND the new patio babe!!! And because he so seldom lets me do it, I told Nick we were getting our picture taken in the hammock. He gave me four tries. This was the best I could get …which means it’ll do :)

See more of Gail’s work at www.gailwernerphoto.com. Become a fan of Gail’s work on Facebook. Follow Gail on Twitter.

Tonight I’ll head back to Fort Wayne to spend time with high school classmates, some of whom I haven’t seen since we walked across that stage together at graduation on a hot June night back in 2000. I remember, when I was a teenager, watching “Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion” and thinking that attending your 10 year reunion made you old. Like, dude, 28?! YOU ARE OLD. YOU HAVE A HOUSE PAYMENT. YOU ARE OFFICIALLY AN ADULT. Back then, it was an age I couldn’t wrap my head around (probably because I was too busy thinking about turning 16).

If I could time travel back and have my now-28-year-old self pay a visit to 18-year-old Gail, I’d tell her not to worry so much about the future. That all the plans I had in store for myself 10 years ago? Yeah, none of ‘em came to fruition. And that’s OK. No, it’s better than OK. Because all of the milestones that have come in between then and now—my college years, meeting Nick, marrying Nick, loving my jobs, exploring places I’ve always wanted to go, starting my own photography business—they’ve all exceeded any expectations I graduated with 10 years ago.

And on the drive up tonight, I’m pretty sure I’ll be asking myself the whole time, “How does time go so fast?”

See more of Gail’s work at www.gailwernerphoto.com. Become a fan of Gail’s work on Facebook. Follow Gail on Twitter.

I don’t know where to start in talking about this family. Do I talk about my first impression upon walking inside their restored Victorian house? Because my jaw might have dropped a little once I did. And then I might have spent the rest of the evening trying to convince April that she needs to submit photos of it to Design*Sponge because her knack for mid-century decor deserves to be seen by a national audience. Or maybe I should talk about how sweet April is? How, if I could have, I might have just pulled up a chair on that big front porch of theirs and spent the night chatting away with her and her sweet-as-can-be husband, Dustin, about life, their son, Jack, our photography businesses, travel, design … you name it.

But I can’t create this post without talking about the LOVE I felt among this trio. The love that’s going to grow in a few more weeks after April gives birth to their second son. This was one of those sessions where I felt it. Magic. Behind the camera. In front of me. Watching these two tickle Jack. Hold hands as they walked through the field. Snuggle in tight without me asking them to. With every look Dustin gave his sweet wife, I just couldn’t quit snapping away. It’s a session I won’t soon forget and a demonstration of affection that made me hug my own husband extra tight when I got home that night—grateful for the love I have in my own life and how this session reminded me of this and all I hope to look forward to in the years to come.

WATCH THEIR SLIDESHOW

Jack and Dustin are adorable together. When they were laying on this blanket and Dustin was making up stories for Jack about firemen and dump trucks and all the things little boys love, I had the biggest smile on my face behind the camera. I adore men who are doting fathers. It’s just the sweetest thing. Happy belated Father’s Day Dustin! I’ve photographed a lot of papas throwing their kiddos into the air, but this might be the best action shot of it yet! (PS- Don’t you love Jack’s red Converse? :) ) Do I even have to tell you that I ADORE both of these next two images? While April and Dustin went inside to freshen up (oooh boy was it HOT out) and change, Jack and I hung out for a bit in the grass. Naturally, a game of hide-and-seek ensued. And then it was time to focus in on capturing this beautiful time in Dustin and April’s lives as they get ready to welcome a second Smith to their home. This shot is just the sweetest! I can’t even begin to pick a favorite from this session because I love all of these so much, but I’ll tell ya, this one’s up there! Dustin’s one request was to take some shots of the family in front of their property. And that spectacular house of theirs. Which I LOVED. Or did I already say that? :) And April’s wish? That the storms that loomed before and during our session would make way for the sun. April, I’m SO glad we were able to make that happen for you guys! THANK YOU SMITH FAMILY …I had SUCH a blast getting to know you guys. I hope I get to photograph your family again some day!

See more of Gail’s work at www.gailwernerphoto.com. Become a fan of Gail’s work on Facebook. Follow Gail on Twitter.