Originally

I had thought I could do many little random snippits on this blog but it seems it's complicated. If I want to reblog what someone else wrote to include my own commentary, forget it. This is the place for long winded rants and raves and I love it so. It's my little bitty corner of the internet.

However, I think lots of random things that don't add up into a well thought out blog post so I needed a place for that. It originally started as a picture blog but then I started to follow lots of other tumblrs and it just happened. Today as a matter of fact. So I will use that spot for quick thoughts and this lovely area to spill my heart out.

If you have a tumblr follow me over here! Heck you don't even need a tumblr!

P.S. I so totally just had a photoshoot for my dog in front of my Christmas tree. Yes, yes I did. Pics soon!

Procrastination

This is funny. I just read a blog post on procrastination and now I am doing it myself. I have a list of things I could be doing instead of writing a blog post but I'm not. Oh the rebel in me continues!

Let me finish my NY story real quick then I'll get to the more recent stuff. So Thanksgiving was a bunch of fun especially since I didn't cook. I just ate! I'm good at that you see. Then I helped clean after dinner. It's sort of an unspoken agreement in MY household with The Lover that if he cooks I will clean but if I cook I will clean. aha. Anyway, I was fulfilling my duties when a whole bunch of my female family members all decided to pitch in. As we were cleaning away we began to sing Christmas Carols. It was an almost magical moment until my grandmother started in. haha Just kidding! But no really, it was great and I think we even had great harmony! It definitely brought out some of that hidden Christmas spirit.

Then on Friday everyone kind of hung out. We played Guitar Hero band. I think I like this one better because the drums has symbols. Anyways, EVERYONE pitched in on the singing, guitars, drums, all of it! It was fun even if we did fail every single song. That is until the hardcore players got on there. HA !

On Saturday everyone left. What poops! My sister and I went to see New Moon. I am team Jacob now, he is just so freaking hot. I also think the movie is missing a key point that is pushing everyone to Jacob. In the books you got a sense that this was fate, Edward and Bella, as if there was nothing else, it just was so it was going to just be. In the movies it seems to be portrayed as some freaking high schooler not knowing enough about life to stay free of obsession with boys. Oh well.

Sunday we were supposed to go home but we didn't. We stayed another day and made it to the Niagara Falls. Since none of us had passports except the bro we had to stay on the American side but it was still nice. Cold though, veeeeeeeeery cold. After that we saw the bro's apartment in Buffalo while he attends UB and that's it. THE END.

Since we've been back here I've been super busy. No complaints! The Lover went home that weekend we got back and came home with lots of new toys! Christmas came early for him and I'm so excited he's getting what he deserves because life has been unfairly hard on him. One of the gifts were TWO brand new mattresses! One for us and one for the guest bed which was previously a slat of cardboard....haha sorry guests! Our mattress is so squishily soft! It's like a little cocoon and I love it so! The Lover also got a new dslr camera and a huuuuuuuuuuuge iMac! I'm so jealous because it's so beautiful! He needed a new computer as his laptop was giving him the blue screen of death literally every week. He was over it!

Next we decided it was time to get a tree! Because we have 20ft or so ceilings we wanted to go big. We don't know if we'll have that opportunity ever again! So we stopped at this pre-cut lot that gets their trees from a local mountain. The price was right on a 12' tree we just needed a new heavy duty stand! This tree is 250lbs!!! So we went to another lot to see what their prices were like and if they had any tips for standing this monster! Not only were they MORE expensive but they told us the best way to get it to stand was to hook a strap into the wall and wrap it around the tree! WHAT On our way out they told us we wouldn't find it cheaper anywhere else. LOL

So we finally get this tree and I have to help lug this thing inside. Usually no problem but who knew a few extra feet would add 300 more pounds to the darn thing?? After lots of grunting and screaming we got it in and up! We waited a day to decorate so the bows could fall and also we needed to get more decorations. We used a ladder to decorate this darn thing and put on 1,000 lights. We went with a red and silver theme and I am so pleased with it! It's such a pretty, MASSIVE beast. The Lover put a train around it and we called it a night! It is definitely the biggest tree I've ever had, officially. It's insane!

Best of 2009

I never follow the rules. It's a pretty bad trait of mine but whatever. If I can get away with it it's not ALL that bad is it?

Soooooooo a lot of my bloggy friends are doing a series of Best of 2009. Really the only one I think I can answer is best trip of 2009.

This was a hard one because we actually went to several different places so I had to make it an even tie. One was the trip to NY recently to see all my family for the holidays. It was a lot of fun to see everyone and reconnect. Life is so much more different when you're an adult, almost easier sometimes. aha what?

The other one would be our numerous trips to Charleston. I know, I know, will she just shut up about that city already?? Um, no. I can't and don't feel like even trying! I love that town and the memories we've already acquired are AWESOME.

I don't really have a Best of 2009 restaurant, book, going out night, or whatever. Nothing stands out as WOW! Know what I mean?

2009 isn't over yet but it's getting ever closer! I just decorated the loft today while it snowed outside and the Christmas music played. I'm very pleased with the outlook but I want to try and add more if I can! All we really need is a tree and maybe some festive dish towels or something for the kitchen. Ah, I love Christmas!

Holiday Wrap Up

You know how awesome it is to get away from the dang computer for a little while? REALLY AWESOME! Except I came back to no less than 500 blog posts to read. I am now down to 201 and it's only Tuesday, ha!

It was fun having a big family shindig for Thanksgiving. The Lover and I made our 11 hour trip up the day before everyone else. It was nice to enjoy the calm before the storm. The next day all the family came all at once. We honestly had three van loads of people pull into the driveway AT ONCE. So there was lots of hugging, helloing, chaos, dogs running every which way, and etc happening at the same time. My sister and I got a moment to look at each other and the very same thought hit our brains "I'll be outside parking cars...for the season..." It was a very Crhistmas Vacation-y moment but we loved it. With four dogs, two itty bitty kids, 5 big kids, three even bigger kids, and lots of adults the place was bustling. I don't remember seeing The Lover except when we went to bed at night.

It was super great to have everyone together. We had 36lbs. of turkey ready for eating along with every fixing imaginable. One turkey was deep fried and it was incredibly juicy on the inside. Definitely a favorite. We also had so much desert and hors d'eurves. Or however you spell it!



That is a cheeseball snowman and a turkey cake! I drew the turkey and sis made the cake/helped decorate. It was awesome!

More later....

The Holidays Begin!

Hi there!

I can barely sit still I am so excited. Last year I had plans to go to NY for Christmas but had to cancel last minute due to lots of financial issues and just plain HELL that broke all around us but now, NOW I get to go for Thanksgiving!! And it's not just me that's going! No it's two aunts, 4 cousins, one cute baby, my grandmother, their respective SO's, and dogs! There are going to be 18 people crashing in two different houses. It will be madness but it will be family madness!

I get to see my brother and sister! My father and his girlfriend. My cousin with the cutest 2 yr olf EVEVEVEVEVEVEVEVER! The Lover gets to see where I grew up! I get to see New Moon with the sis (haha shhhhhhh I know, I know). I'm catching up with old friends when I get there too! It is going to be a most excellent time and I won't get a wink of sleep between now and Tuesday since the excitement has really just hit!

I have so much to do before then. Lots of packing, wrapping, preparing, cleaning, etc. etc.

What are your plans for Thanksgiving???

Yusssssssssssssss!

Made for Victorian

Let me say this; I am so blessed and in turn so grateful! Life has been very kind to me and I make sure to be double thankful for all the good that comes my way. I have been given so many opportunities to experience new things and it makes me hungry for more. I want to explore it all.

On that note, I've found a new obsession. Or maybe a new ideal. The Lover and I currently live in a gorgeous downtown loft. It's not your typical loft, I would call it a luxury loft if I had to describe it. I say this because it contains 2,300 sq. feet of living space and that is enormous for what most people consider a loft. It has two bedrooms with one being a very spacey master suite. It even has a deck! I feel so spoiled to be calling this home but trust me, we are paying for it!!

We have decided to lease because we snagged this when The Lover discovered he was being relocated for work. We barely knew the area and didn't want to lock into a mortgage without knowing if we were going to stay here for a while or what! And while I love the loft and the downtown living I miss a few things about actually having a home but now that we've been spoiled with such a gorgeous place we don't want to settle in just any ol' place.

While living in this town we discovered that property values are significantly lower than say, Charleston. I believe it is due to the average salary of this place though I can't tell you how many beemers, mercedes, porsches, lexus I've seen driving around here! Moving on, knowing that property value are actually affordable here we've wandered around some of the nicer neighborhoods trying to find something comparable to this amazing loft.

The other day we just happened to find it! It is a few blocks away from downtown and even the loft we reside in currently! It's a historic district with amazing old Victorian style homes. These homes are at least 4,000 sq. feet with amazing porches, bay windows, old brick, great backyards, wide streets, old trees, and lots of style. We looked at one that is currently for sale just on a whim. It was beautiful with hardwood floors, nice open rooms, tall ceilings, and roughly thirty different rooms! We called the owner just to see what the asking price was and they wanted 96k for it!! We couldn't believe it! It did look like it needed some tlc but we weren't afraid of a little work if the price was right.

So later in the week we met with our construction friend who could look at the house with a trained eye and tell us what the real figures were to get this house back up to par! It is currently split into four apartment with four kitchens and four bathrooms, because it's been empty for 5 years and in a historic district it had to be changed back into a single family home, ok with us!

After some further review our friend discovered some major issues. Apparently there was a fire that did some considerable damage to the roof and the previous owner just covered it up instead of really fixing it. There was also a lot of wood rotting due to a leaky roof. So our friend called his roof guy to see what the cost would be just to replace the roof. He told us it would be close to $30,000 just to get the roof back in order. Holy smokes!

We walked away from it. After some serious consideration we decided that was too much effort for too little gain. However, in the place of walking away we came to the conclusion that we would like to move into that neighborhood when our lease is up in Feb. of 2011. So now we are making plans to save everything we can while keeping an eye on the homes in that area. How lovely it would be to have an old style Victorian with great big rooms ready to keep several guests, perfect for the holidays! A home with many windows and many more nooks and crannies to huddle up and read a book! A place with great fireplaces and great wrap around porches! We discovered another home with exactly this, already done up and ready to move in! I am crossing my fingers that this home will still be on the market when our time here is up.... though I'm doubtful!

Crossing my fingers now....!

Day 1

So the past however many days I've been getting up at 8am to hit the gym. On Wednesday I was supposed to go to class but I went to the wrong facility so I just did cardio instead because showing up late to a class is just not my thing! Especially when warming up is so so so important!

That means today was the first day I got to do an actual class. It's called Group Power which is a mixture of cardio and strength training. It totally kicked my ass today. It just showed me how out of shape I really am. I didn't give up, when I didn't feel like fainting I tried to do SOMETHING similar to the fancy moves they were doing. (PS. Eat a freaking banana before you work out, fainting is for wussies!) We went running across the gym, jumping jacks, squats, lunges, BACKWARD lunges, kickboxing, weight lifting, freaking planks, EVERYTHING. And in all actuality I loved it. Call me silly but that out of breath omg please make it stop I'm going to die feeling is AWESOME!

Let me tell you how in shape our instructor is. If you know what a plank is you know how shitty it is to do one. I used to do them a lot with my personal trainer over a year ago and it gets easier but I couldn't imagine doing what she did. So, on the left is a regular side plank, hard enough on its own, on the right is what she did because she is power woman!



It was impressive stuff and where I want to be at ideally 12 months down the road. Can this overweight, out of breath, out of shape girl turn into that by next November? Yes!

Sup Gs?

So I have a confession. I'm fat. haha I probably weigh the most I ever have in my entire life! It's that bad.

So I'm making a change. The past two days I've been waking up at 8am to hit the gym before working at 11am. So far it's been well spent and don't they say the first week is always the hardest? I don't mind the exercise part at all, it's the waking up at the butt crack of dawn that always gets me! The first night I went to bed at 2am so that was rough, then last night I was dead to the world at 10pm. I woke up tired but ready for the day after TEN hours of heavy sleep, it was amazing!

Another confession... my life goes to crap when I don't exercise. I think it's the structure it creates around my day but without the need to get up and get sweaty I become lazy. I sleep horribly, I eat horribly, I lack motivation to do anything because I'm just tired all the time. When I work out regularly, and in the mornings, I get a lot more accomplished. I get chores done BEFORE getting to work so my evenings can be about what they're supposed to be about; relaxing!

I begin to feel better about myself. My energy level sky rockets as does my stamina. I make better eating choices because really who wants to eat bad after they just spent all that time working out? I even sleep better! Life just magically clicks into place.

I think my problem is that sometimes I view it as work and it's so much easier just to not work and it's those times I need a swift reminder that life is BETTER when I hit the gym. I always want to live an active life as there are things I do not want to miss out on because of my weight or inactivity. I want to travel, have adventures, get outside, keep up with The Lover, keep up with pets/children! I want to look as good on the outside as I do on the outside!

My life needs to revolve around the gym, not in an obsessive freak way but in a way that highlights the vitality of my spirit and the yearning to be better, always better.

And the journey for betterment continues.

Progressive Dinners

I've never heard of such a thing until last month. It seems like a yuppie thing, is it?

Anyway, we had about 8 different lofts we went around to eating appetizers and drinking alcohol along the way. It was a good way to meet the neighbors so to speak. There are some really kick ass lofts around here. I drank margaritas, pineapple schnapps mixed drink, Cabernet, more margaritas, strawberry and rum, SHOTS of blueberry schnapps. In two hours. Needless to say I was toasted to a golden brown. It was fun but so much work to prepare for. But in the end we played Guitar Hero and that made up for it.

I've been thinking a lot about my photography. A little over a year ago I was given my first real dslr. The minute I had that in my hand I knew that was it. My path made only for me. However, I had a long way to go. Lots to learn about the gear itself, techniques, and creating my own style. Then I jumped into taking pictures for people and until you really photograph people you don't know how scary something like that can be! It's on you to make them look amazing! There's been a lot of pressure on me to build myself up to the level I want to be at and I'd say I'm still not right there but when I look back at where I started and where I now stand, the difference is amazing. After a photo shoot I am constantly saying "This is my best work yet!" and that is a good feeling because I would have never peeped those words out before.

Now I'm focusing on things like making my style totally mine, a way to define my photographs so that when someone sees a picture of mine they can immediately put a name to it without a signature. It's slowly getting there. I'm also working on branding, I guess they go hand in hand but I'm talking my logo, motto, experience, etc. Luckily, I have a great network of photography friends who have great advice to help me along the way. That and I am best friends with Google. Regardless, I am so excited to see what this metamorphoses into.

The Tide Is Changing

I've not been getting much sleep as of late. When I lay down at a reasonable hour I find myself tossing and turning with thought til about 4 or 5am when I finally pass out from exhaustion. This is not so good for a ten hour a night girl. No kidding!

It's just, we have this hefty decision to make and though it's not what we were hoping for, it's for the best. I'm excited for the opportunity this will open later down the road but I'm also apprehensive. This means I have to go out and find something so hard to do right now, this also means notifying all those involved, a task that will not be easy by any means.

But The Lover and I have had long talks about it and I've spent many sleepless nights thinking about it. This is not a decision we came to lightly. I do believe this is the best and wisest one. I just hope all the pieces fall together just right and as my gut will tell me, it usually does, just right when you need it.

On to other things! Headshots today for the play Scrooge. I've already had two and they're already edited and ready to be shipped off! I have three more actually scheduled but I have a feeling this will get tossed up a bit.

My hair looks fabulous today! I need to find something that will hold the curl in a little longer. I've been leaving the curlers in 20 minutes and when I first take them out I look like Shirley freaking Temple but as the day progresses it falls more naturally. It almost seems like the curls leaves altogether!

The Lover's mother is in town and they are off on a photo trek because fall just isn't the same in Knoxville, or any further south than here. The colors are so seriously vibrant.

I am bummed about not being able to go to NC this weekend for a Halloween party with some old friends. Instead I have to market myself while The Lover goes to Knoxville to see family. I so hate these weekends!

We have a Progressive Dinner tomorrow with about 20 people. We are going loft hopping and nibbling on halloween themed appetizers and desserts. Tomorrow we have to get the desserts ready! Yikes!

Ok all for now kiddies.

Ah, Relief!

My workload is FREE! I just finished that ginormous 1600 editing picture project and now I'm free til Sunday! Woohoo! I wasn't really sure I would make this deadline and here is why;

1. 1600 pictures to go through and edit. 1600 pictures to individually run through, organize, fix up, and prettyize.

2. My birthday happened to fall last weekend and I accidentally celebrated for five straight days. Five straight days of not even thinking about the mass load of editing I had to do.

3. My birthday freedom started last Friday. My friend was coming into town so we cleaned up the place in the a.m. Afterward we drank. We went to this awesome pizza place and ordered too many double shot rum and cokes. We ate pizza.

We woke up at 10a.m. the next day, my actual birthday. We ate amazing iHop to recover and shopped for hair stuffs. We highlighted my hair with pink and she taught me how to curl my hair with curlers (I suck at being a girl). I painted my nails (now all chipped) and we drank while eating Taco Bell. Everyone passed out mid SNL.

Sunday we slept in then went SHOPPING. Something I haven't done in ages. Actual clothes shopping with an awesome chick and not the bf who would rather wait in the car! ha! even yet I didn't buy anything, oh but I have a list!

4. Monday it was just me and The Lover. He reserved a place in Gatlinburg so we left for a one night stay. We never stay just one night! We wandered around town, ate some Italian, bought a few items, and swam in the hotel's indoor pool. The next day we wandered around taking amazing pictures of the mountains in the fall. It was so gorgeous but it left us stuck in the woods and it was getting dark.

We stopped at Hot Springs, NC to check them out. Upon finding out it was THIRTY FREAKING DOLLARS for ONE hour in the hot tub supposedly filled with the water from the hot tub and FIFTY DOLLARS for this tiny cabin in the woods that didn't even have a toilet, I repeat, NO TOILET we were ready to just trek home. That is until we checked out this hotel in the "downtown" region. It turned out to be amazing! We got this old timey room WITH a bath room that included a jacuzzi! Seriously, this place was amazing and I'll post pictures soon! It also had a restaurant right below where we grabbed amazing dinner. It was well worth it!

We left Wednesday morning though I kept calling it Sunday, haah whoops. I actually opened up shop for a few hours and got some much needed work done. Today, I finished that massive project and feel great! Here's to 25, may it not be freaky. haha bye

Awwwww

Shenanigans

Last night The Lover and I decided to see Zombieland. I sort of love zombies. This is a new found love over the last few years. It comes with loving a man who loves horror films. I really don't like scary movies unless they have zombies in them because they're just so bad ass. I didn't know zombies weren't scary until I watched them with the last boyfriend who had a hankering for them.

Since this seemed like a past time that boys really liked and since I really like hanging out with the boy and doing what he enjoys I had to compromise. So zombies it is. Funny slow, moaning, stupid, hungry zombies. Shoot, I'll even take the freaky fast ones that can climb walls as long as they don't come from freaky messed up kids or ghosts or murderers.

Okay then. The Lover's brother likes zombies too, like I said it must be a guy thing, and had gone to a prescreening of Zombieland. He said it was the best zombie movie ever and funnier than Shaun of the Dead. I don't know if you've seen that movie but it's pretty funny, really funny! He set the bar.

So we went to see it with some friends except we went to a bar first and didn't leave until screening time so when we got there the only seats left were in the second row. It felt like an IMAX movie. Typically I'm not okay with sitting so close because I get dizzy really easily but it wasn't so bad this time. It was actually awesome.

As was the movie. Hilariously awesome amazement. The crowd clapped when the movie ended. I will go see that movie again before it leaves the theater for sure.

Afterward we all went to the local bar to hang for a minute. I freaked out because we had a wedding to shoot this afternoon so I left at midnight to get some sleep. The Lover stumbled in at 2:30am but I'm glad for it. He needs to get out and hang with the boys sometimes, you know?

So we shot a wedding today and it went so fabulously well. I love weddings. I love shooting weddings. I love editing photos for the first week, aha. It was great!

Now I'm sore and ready for bed! Tomorrow is a sleep in day! Whew!

Cool Photograph

Except it's really an oil painting done by Alyssa Monks. Click her name for more! This is amazing work!

A Few Brain Zaps

1. I want to write about fall, again, and how awesomely awesome this season is. I juat have so much more to say about it, to remind the world of how amazing this period is!

2. Tomorrow is the beginning of my birthday month. Next month I turn 25. That is a post in itself!

3. It is damn cold here. It feels like we skipped fall and went right to winter. Our neighbors just got back from Charleston where it was 90 degrees. My what a rude awakening for them. And what a rude awakening for us when we decide to move there and fall decides to never show up!

4. I'm so bored on the slow Wednesday. Freaky, I haven't had a day like this in a long time. I'll allow it as long as it doesn't stick around.

5. The cold weather makes me yearn for a warm caramel latte from the coffee shop down the street. Yum!

6. I need some new candles. The ones I've got in the studio are almost gone. They've only lasted a couple weeks! Yikes!

7. I have three more hours to endure. UGH! I hope either something sells or it gets so slow I can close up early so I can snuggle under a warm blanket!

8. I'm hungry but I'm here all alone. I might close up for some food!

My Cat, Toby

Farmer's Market
Originally uploaded by Fuzzphotoz

I have a cat that lives in another state. This cat has picked me up when days were down. He adds humor to the everyday and gives the lovin' freely. He had to stay when I moved out of state. We were moving into an apartment and he is an outside kind of guy. If he stays inside too long he becomes quite mischievous. New to the area I didn't want to risk it though I made promises to come for him later.

Later still hasn't come and probably won't. I am in a new town in a loft downtown not conducive to happy cat living. That and The Lover is allergic to feline dander.

This past weekend we visited him as well as my mother, stepfather, and other friendly creatures. More surprisingly The Lover took this photograph of my cat which is now a favorite. In that quick snapshot The Lover has embodied the whole of my little kitty, Toby.

Remember, Remember

Lady Gaga before she was insane

My Family Misses Me

I got a text the other day from my sister that read "Are you alive?"

I must say it feels so good to be so busy that I can't keep track of myself. I remember the days spent when this blog was started about a year ago. Long slow passing hours filled with lots of unknowns and questions. Endless days blurring into one entirely too long period of what the heck do we do now?? And waiting, oh the waiting. Waiting for anything! Just something to swing the tide back around. The awful, endless waiting.

Now I don't have to wait. It flies by so fast I barely blink. I'm left saying "Wait---!" before it's gone leaving just a glimpse of a memory to be deposited into the bank. Too much too fast.

I can handle the upswing. I welcome it with widespread arms. It can stick around as long as it likes!

But it makes me absent it some other things. Like regular text messages with the sister, daily entries on the blog, times to whine about boredom. Ha! I've noticed I've lost yet another reader. I sympathize for their lack of loyalty. But if I don't even know who I lost then I guess their commitment wasn't that important.

I've been regularly posting on my picture blog! That seems to be easier for me as I always have my phone on me and since I'm already clicking fake photos away in my mind I figured I should click them for real. Check it out if you get a chance, fun will be had.

I'll be around but who knows how often...

Ten Rules for Being Human

by Cherie Carter-Scott

1. You will receive a body. You may like it or hate it, but it’s yours to keep for the entire period.

2. You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called, “life.”

3. There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of trial, error, and experimentation. The “failed” experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiments that ultimately “work.”

4. Lessons are repeated until they are learned. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it, you can go on to the next lesson.

5. Learning lessons does not end. There’s no part of life that doesn’t contain its lessons. If you’re alive, that means there are still lessons to be learned.

6. “There” is no better a place than “here.” When your “there” has become a “here”, you will simply obtain another “there” that will again look better than “here.”

7. Other people are merely mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects to you something you love or hate about yourself.

8. What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours.

9. Your answers lie within you. The answers to life’s questions lie within you. All you need to do is look, listen, and trust.

10. You will forget all this.

A New Thing

So I know you guys already have a bunch of things you already follow but I'm going to add one more to that list. I was inspired by this lady and this lady who are both avid photographers like myself! Since sometimes the best way to express your day is without words I've decided to follow suit!

I tried to post pictures through my mobile phone to blogger but since it's an inferior Blackberry and not an iPhone it was not successful. However tumblr was! Good thing I don't give up easily!

So world I present you The Daily Me! A place consisting mainly of photos I take throughout the day with the phone that is always by my side. I hope you enjoy the journey through my viewfinder!

:)

Hmmmmmmm

Hi Bloggyfiends!

I have about 30 seconds to drop by and write a quick post! I won't forget about this place!

This week has been hectic. I don't know why it just now hit us that maybe we should do something epically awesome for this festival but it did and now we are running around with wedgies trying to get everything done! Someone down the street told us that this weekend brings them more business than even the holidays! HOLY

So I am hard at work getting this ordered, designing that, setting up this nook, facebooking new artists in shop, blahlahblah when THE POWER GOES OUT. And my internet is like "No, fuck you!" So I just went next door and gabbed for a bit. Love it!

Ok and then tonight we are running to the store to grab eighty million things and did I tell you we are selling Rc cola and moonpies? Well now we have a handy dandy mini fridge with glass door and freaking blue led lights. BLUE. LED. LIGHTS! Holy perfect yes indeed!

I am so busy I forget to eat until I wonder why I've just bitten off the head of The Lover and scared away the dog and realize oh it's because I'm ravenous. Staying up til 9:30 in the shop getting everything organized is no small feat for me! Comes with the territory!

And oh did we get some awesome things in from artists this week! There is still more to come but what we have gotten is so totally fantastic it makes me giggle with delight. Ok maybe not really but yes really. I just blew your mind.

Ok folks that is it for now. Probably for the weekend so I hope you all enjoy yourself and think of me getting trampled by 40,000 music hungry fans. I hope we knock her out of the park!

Sup G's?

Waaaaaaaaait, it's been a while. ha!

So there is so much going on around me this week in this little town. We are having a huge festival this weekend that will bring in upwards to 40,000 people within a three block radius. The storefront is right smack dab in the middle of it all so I've been trying to coordinate everything. It is quite the whirlwind!

I think it will be ready. We're selling freaking MoonPies and RC Cola. That's right. We've reached that level of awesome. I have a feeling we will sell out. It's a southern thing. HA! (P.S. I've never had a MoonPie in my life. I plan on it this weekend!)

Anywhichaway. Anyone watch the VMA's last night? It's my guilty pleasure. Here's my recap; Go Janet Jackson, shut up Madonna (you scare me), douchebag Kanye, cute Taylor Swift, WTF Lady Gaga, Beyonce I have always loved you, thanks for not letting me down, sweet show Pink, OMG NEW MOON DROOLING COMMENCE, again WTF Lady Gaga, Beyonce, girl, you can dance! Serena Williams is a class act, Alicia Keys your hair is pretty, Seriously Lady Gaga WTF, Taylor Lautner looked pretty damn fine, Russell Brand I don't want to hear about your penis anymore, what did Jay-Z just say?

AAAAAAAAaaand scene!

The three of us, The Lover, Caesar, and I all went to the park on Sunday to enjoy the end of summer. It was fantastic and my dog completely surprised me again. They have this little creek with picnic tables all around and grills fired up for dinner so we decided to sit by it. The water is no deeper than one's ankle. Caesar LOVED the water. He went jumping in time after time chasing after crapples! It was hilarious! It was great!

Bring Them Home NOW

GONE TOO SOON Spc. Jeffrey Hodge mourned four soldiers from his unit — Capt. John Hallett, Capt. Cory Jenkins, Sgt. First Class Ronald Sawyer and Spc. Dennis Williams — after their memorial service at Fort Lewis, Wash., Wednesday. An improvised explosive device killed the men in Afghanistan on Aug. 25. (Photo: Janet Jensen/The News Tribune via the AP / Wall St. Journal)

Well How Do You??

The Feel

This will have to do for now but oh look forward to the actual post to come later!

Take A Minute To Help

Two For One!

Two posts in one day? My what has happened to me??

I'm alone on a Friday night, that's what happened to me. The Lover is back home celebrating his mother's birthday and it just didn't work out for me to go with him. I tend to not go home with him whenever he does for several reasons.

So this weekend it's just me and you! Plus maybe the dog. Which I just bathed at 8 o'clock on a Friday night because my life is just that exciting. I can hear the old time music outside my windows of the classic car show that gathers every Friday evening. It's a reminder that oh I haven't gone to shoot any of them next to their cars in a loooooooooong time. Meh, if I went it'd most likely be like the other times with everyone ignoring me as I take amazing pictures of their cars. Oh well.

I'm sipping on a tall glass of skim milk because I never drink alone. Hell I hardly drink when with others! If I do drink I usually get toasted to the point where the walls jump in the way of my path. It's probably funny to others but not so much to me, especially the next morning.

I'm also in my pajamas. Curled up in my recliner in front of a tv that rests while The Lover is away. If I get really desperate I may turn it on to drown out the background but usually it's just silence in these walls. I've tried to follow tv shows and I always find that life intrudes the regular scheduled episodes and end up missing too many to care. Of course there's that new fangled dvr that we did indeed own at one time but that can be synonymous to a ball and chain. We started dvring so many shows that we were always playing catch up and always watching the tube. Nah, no thanks.

I wouldn't even have cable if I didn't think it was a good way to find out what was happening locally right now. I remember wanting to watch the weather channel when we first moved because all the local news station websites sucked donkey butt.

I think this means I'm old. I'm surprisingly okay with that.

Caught In The In Between

I swear I do this every year but I just don't know how to stop! In January the air is so bitter and cold it forces one to completely get OVER the season and beg for Spring to come to warm those bones.

Now that we live at a higher elevation and longitude temperatures are significantly lower on average. Talk about snow in APRIL! Ugh! Wanting so badly just to spread my wings and escape from hibernation I scream for the snow and cold to leave! Then the first buds of the season pop up and my love affair with all things spring and summer is renewed.

It went so fast this year, as it usually does. Learning a new area makes the days pass faster and now that we're feeling settled somewhat the weather is changing again. In those summer months where I am fully aware of the time limitation I wish for never ending sunny days, warm temperatures, and fantastic red fire nights. Summer needs to be ever longer so I may fit in that extra trip to the beach, that last chance to eat on a fantastic outside porch with live music and a fantastically summer palate. One more day and month to hit the pool and turn golden brown. One more chance to soak up all the joy that comes with summer. I beg for the turtle's pace.

Then within the blink of an eye the seasons change. I can recall almost to the hour when summer waved goodbye and the beginnings of fall made it's entry. The leaves have started to mimic the sun in their fantastic hues and the bugs are all out in the cool quiet air to catch that last drop of life before the cold decides to stick around for a while.

There is a quiet energy in the air as the expectation for the upcoming holidays grows. The family get togethers, the planning, the decorating. The food! Some especially good photo opportunities! That is when in my heart the forgiveness comes. Summer may leave and I'll forgive it. Fall may come and I'll welcome it. A gentle hand pushing us into the cold depths of winter. So for now, I'll enjoy it and let the festive nature take hold but when winter comes oh, I will complain, I will complain bitterly. The begging will return until I can feel my fingers again.

These Words Ring So True!

I, too, thought one day I would have always fantastic and flowing hair like these lucky ladies. Why can't I have one solid mass that moves in just the right way everytime I move or touch it?? HMPH

Conan Makes Me Laugh!

Ha!

Well, That's One Way To Say It

Takes Me Back

So I sit here in a quiet studio because I haven't hooked up the stereo system yet and I listen to the record store just two shops down from here. They play music on the sidewalk everyday, I think that's awesome. Sometimes they play really freaky shit, sometimes they play awesome shit.

Today they are playing some music that brings me back. Waaaaaaaaaay back. Back to the days where I sat in the back seat of the white grand am with my rainbow sweater. Back to the days where I was so little that I couldn't see over the car side and out the window so my world consisted of the cars insides, that navy blue cloth interior. And even back to the days where my dad played his music loud and we all sang along. "Girl, I will be your preacher, teacher"

It takes me back to the days where the winters were cold and harsh, filled with lots of snow. Even further to shopping at the mall and Christmas lights on the lake. To canceled school days due to temperature and NOT the amount of actual snow. To the neighbor's pool and how I learned to swim by being dragged to the bottom and being forced to either accept it or panic and die. (haha) "Til the end of time" BURNOWWWWW BURNOW BURNOOOOOOWWWW

I remember those days! "Don't let the sun go down on me!"

Awwwww

My Delimma

This place we live now is very different from anything I ever dreamed of. Being a yankee (sorry folks) I always had this negative opinion of the southern culture. Having lived here in the South for 6 years now has changed that opinion. Mostly.

I can accept the Southern ways. How time seems to trickle to a stop, how deals are done on someone's word and a good handshake. How manners mean most and friendliness is key. Also, how charming a good southern drawl from a great southern gentleman can be. I can understand and accept with open arms these cultural differences I misunderstood in my younger days. They are traits I would trade down to my children should I ever decide to have any.

Now that I've said that I must make clear that I have some lines embedded too deep in my veins to change. Some items ticked away that I'll not ever be able to accept as a part of my lifestyle. One, the hugely accepted embrace of the redneck lifestyle. Indeed ignorance can be bliss but when it affects your standard of living things need to change for the better. I'm talking trailer living, mud skipping, beer drinking, shotgun having, three teeth owning, ten children having rednecks. The I don't need no educayshun and by golly my way is the best or I'll shoot you off my lawn type of living. I mean this as no offense and realize this is a minority (not in this town) but it's a line I refuse to cross. Education is important to better ones self and hygiene should be a priority, as well as birth control.

Next is the music. I have tried, oh have I tried to accept the twang and the sweet bitter words weaving through my eardrums like razorblades but I just can't. For one, I can barely understand a really thick accent when speaking so when you add vibrato and notes I will never understand what you are trying to say without a translator. I dig lyrics so this is a big problem. Two, it twangs. All the fancy stringed instruments and harmonicas blend into one very unique sound. One I can't wrap my heart around. If it makes any sense I am a huge fan of tropical music which sounds totally different from country, indie, bluegrass, etc.

Third, music is a big thing here. This city prides itself in being the "birthplace of country music". They have concerts twice a week regularly with festivals mixed in several times a month. That is a lot of music that I just don't dig. My quota for tolerating banjos has been filled tenfold since we moved here. Problem is my neighbor is big into this kind of music. He gets huffy when he realizes someone doesn't quite appreciate these soul touching sounds the way he does. I have even been chastised for not showing up at a concert because I decided to go to the gym instead!

He invited us to a house concert tonight for a guy who sings songs with lyrics like "I'm a gun and I'm loaded and I'm going to kill you tonight."(I'm serious.) This is the same person that is going to preform at the festival tomorrow night in which I will be attending! I opted out. I blamed not feeling well because I didn't want to hurt his feelings. How do you tell someone so passionate about something that you'd rather chew on rocks than bare through it? You don't. Well I don't anyways.

So while I appreciate the importance music has on this town and the immense support this city has given to local unknown artists I will not look back when I move to the coastal city filled with steel drum bands and beats set on island time. No way. Until then maybe I can purchase some industrial ear plugs.

What To Say

Wow, what a weekend!

You know, before this previous weekend without even hitting realization I was beginning to settle. It seemed like my dream city was going to fade away in the distance. We have so many responsibilities here and really, it is just so hard to prepare for a move two years down the road.

So we started making friends. We started opening our hearts to this city we live now. We let the culture seep into our blood and started calling this place home. I was beginning to convince myself that it wouldn't be so bad if we lived here more than two years, we could somehow manage.

Then we had this trip this weekend and every drop of resistance broke away like millions of shards of glass exploding from within. The Lover and I sat in the car convincing ourselves to stay just one more night and we realized we never wanted to leave. It was so easy to pick up my camera and capture anything I could, the hunger returned. We chased sunsets just to get some amazing shots. I kept calling it home in my giddiness.

Even The Lover was excited to one day live here. For a while I was concerned that he had lost the dream to settle on this coastal town, this weekend totally rid me of those fears.

It was great to be back in a place so inspiring and beautiful. It was WONDERFUL to be by the sea, where I so deeply belong. The urge to live on the coast pulls me like the tides on water. I feel like a salmon returning home after my journey to search for a suitor, aha. I WILL live there whether it takes me two years or longer. I WILL spend the rest of my days digging my toes in the so very familiar sand and I WILL be there with him.

Heeheee

Ah, yes

My Sister's Favorite Movie Growing Up

She used to say "Hatuna Matatatatatataaaaaaa" It was so cute in her little voice!

It is only fitting that this is dedicated to her!

The Glove Doesn't Fit

Wow. Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooow....

This place is awesome, you know? I really like it but the bubble is very, VERY tiny. Well folks there is a big event that's bringing EVERYONE from the dark corners of the city into broad daylight. I must say, I never knew The Tazmanian Devil had such a following to older generations!

Wifebeaters, three teeth, socks WITH crocs, super awesome color reflective sunglasses, fanny packs, Event GEAR out the you know what. These are all pre-requisites for stepping outside today. I'm a little frightened right now.

Thank God we are headed to the beach this weekend and avoiding all of this nonsense. Whoa.

Oh, You

I am so neglectful. I sincerely apologize. I go to bed and think up lovely posts only to become far too busy to actually write it out, does that still count?

This week has brought a fun photoshoot, some cancellations (don't worry, they rescheduled) and lots of time editing photos. We've had a really bad storm that brought water into our lofts lobby freaking our landlord out of his gourd. I booked a wedding up in NY at my old stomping grounds for a really good friend (very excited!). We watched as traffic got heavier and heavier due to a recent big event happening soon.

We made new friends while enjoying a jam session for the blues at the local pub. We discussed closing up shop and moving to the loft to use the overhead money for equipment while renting a wall at this new emporium down the street for 1/6th the cost! I have spent every day at the gym trying to get back into shape while eating healthy (God it feels so good). We have idly watched a hurricane almost maybe ruin our plans to go to the beach. It looks like it won't hit the coast but will cause some serious waves. After my last stint with the ocean I'm ok with just enjoying it from the ankles down.

We have sat inside a bar to wonder if a celebrity is sitting inside the bus with his name written across it. Through some blackberry googling we found that sometimes he is and sometimes he isn't. If he did come into the bar it would have been my first big celebrity encounter EVER. We tried Breyer's mint chocolate chip yogurt treat only to spit it right back out. We have made it halfway through this week.

Tomorrow I am going to be on live tv promoting my business and I'm a little freaked out. What if I freeze up and suck? Wish me luck! After that I meet with a lady to discuss weddings and then a huge event downtown happens that I'm not prepared for, I doubt I get any business from it! After tomorrow we pack up for the beach! The Lover and I are having one last hurrah on the coast before winter begins to set in. It is right on the beach with some awesome stuff in walking distance, plus my favorite city in the world within driving distance! Yay! We are meeting some good friends so we expect some great times!

Thanks for listening again, so sorry I ignore you so often dear blog.

My Point Exactly

Too Funny

Fatigue

I don't know what it is but I'd like it to stop, NOW! My energy level is down in the dumps and has been for about a week now. Just sitting here at my desk has me yawning away. I can barely focus on anything because all I want to do is sleep, anything else is just too much effort.

I've even gone to the gym to try and kickstart my metabolism, giving me more energy but that's not working. I have been staying up later than normal but then my body forces me to stay in bed. Seriously, I've opened up shop about an hour later than usual because I'm just SO tired.

Here are some things I do know. I just got my hateful little friend and it seems more angry than ever. Talk about cramps! They're horrible this time round. I know there is a high possibility that the fatigue is coming from this as they both seem to line up.

Secondly, I just started back on eating right and that means eating LESS right now. Granted I NEVER needed as many calories as I was taking in previously but maybe the sharp dip has caused some sort of problem. Right now I just eat when I am hungry, usually just snacking on fruits and veggies. Ok and maybe a slice of cookie cake here and there.

I can't think of any other explanation. I feel like there is a heavy fuzzy cloud sitting on top of my head that is not allowing me to concentrate. I am not depressed (sometimes all I do is sleep when I am sad), I am actually very happy and excited for things right now. I'm not sick though my allergies have been in full force this week, wait a tick! The Lover bought some Claritin that was NOT nondrowsy and then didn't use it. I wonder if I am taking that stuff?? I better check when I go up for lunch.

All I know right now is that I absolutely hate it. I don't like waking up late. I don't like walking around in a haze. I don't like feeling as if I could fall asleep at any second no matter where I am! Maybe I should stop watching that parasite show on Discovery that talks about all the nasty bugs you can get in your body and just how badly they can ruin you. Yikes.

Signs We're Getting Older

I am the oldest of my two siblings. Often times it felt like I couldn't quite share in my new revelations because they just weren't there yet. I am five years older than my brother and nine years older than my sister. I whacked the jungle clear for them although often times I would trip on some big branches that would turn into huge hurdles for them later on, whoops! ha

Anyway growing up we would take a family vacation to the beach every summer without fail. Us three kids would go running into the water and swim out as far as we dared. Giggling at the waves, swimming through the beat downs, getting caught on our toes by crabs, and generally not giving a crap what happened as long as we were swimming. We spent 90% of the time in the water begging our parents to come join us.

Then we got older and I moved out. Then my brother started college and it just seemed a lot harder to get us all at the beach at the same time. Roughly six entire years later, just a few weekends ago, we managed to hit the beach at the same time. The Lover and I made a last minute decision to go and my brother drove down for an 8 hour trip to stay just two days.

I am glad we did. My sister, brother, and I went out just beyond were the waves broke and felt a little bit of deja vu. It felt like old times but we were bigger, smarter, and some of us (certainly not me!) more mature. We talked about how awesome it felt to be in the same ocean at the same time again. Remembering all the fun we had and how seemingly fearless we were. Then we mentioned how the ocean had become a scarier entity through age. Shark Week, jellyfish, education, and happenings to friend's of friends had made us all a little more weary of the water.

We actually knew that a shark was most likely swimming near us whereas when we were little we thought they stayed far away from the shore. We were finally weary of the jellyfish and the crabs. Rip currents and undertoes. We were spending more time on the beach than in the water. We three hit that realization and that's when I knew we had all actually grown up.

So goodbye lack of self awareness, goodbye flips into piles of snow without caring how we landed, goodbye dangerous ramps made halfhazardly, and hello fear, that instinct for survival.

Or maybe not. As both my sister and I got stung by jellyfish that very same trip for the very first time and while discussing it we both managed to say "Eh, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be." Maybe nothing can keep us out of the ocean permanently. Maybe that's a damn good thing.

Long Birthdays

It sort of feels like The Lover and I will find any excuse to celebrate. I don't really blame us because after last year we deserve every drop of joy that happens to come our way. So we take it and make a big deal of it.

Today is The Lover's birthday but I think we've been celebrating all month long. Not ONE but TWO chances to hit the beach this month? It's your birthday, why not?? Wings and drinks on a Monday night? Why not? It's your birthday week!

I'm perfectly okay with it. I think it's fantastic that we can celebrate because this time last year we were totally down in the dumps. Not a dime to our name, not even a dinner celebration. Just thinking about it gets my heart heavy. Thank God we have made it through!

A very happy birthday to you, Lover. What a fantastic journey it's been.

What is Up world?

I just had a photoshoot canceled and rescheduled for the billionth time. I'm sort of okay with it because I'm tired! It just means Friday is going to be a busy day!

I need to find ways to get my name out there. I think I've been doing a pretty good job but my calendar is pretty much empty for next month! Although, August was pretty empty too until right at the end of July. STAY POSITIVE!

We are trying to find a way to get me a better camera and some new stuff in the studio. I've been wanting to sell some of my framed Fine Art prints but just haven't had the start up money to do that. It's coming along but it needs to hurry! One thing on the to do list is to change my window!

Maybe I will do that tonight since the evening is suddenly free! Too bad too because my flash came in ESPECIALLY for that purpose. I ordered it online and even paid for overnight shipping, then we went out shopping this weekend and realized it was tax free weekend! Meaning I could have gotten the darn thing for twenty dollars cheaper! Don't I feel like a fool!

Ah well. It's Monday.

Cool

What makes this is the landing....

Why Our Current Health Care Works

A very good read, go on read it, it's not what you expect.

What’s Not to Like?

Reform? Why do we need health-care reform? Everything is just fine the way it is.

Jul 31, 2009

Go ahead, shoot me. I like the status quo on health care in the United States. I've got health insurance and I don't give a damn about the 47 million suckers who don't. Obama and Congress must be stopped. No bill! I'm better off the way things are.

I'm with that woman who wrote the president complaining about "socialized medicine" and added: "Now keep your hands off my Medicare." That's the spirit!

Why should I be entitled to the same insurance that members of Congress get? Blue Dogs need a lot of medical attention to treat their blueness. I'm just a regular guy and definitely deserve less.

I had cancer a few years ago. I like the fact that if I lose my job, I won't be able to get any insurance because of my illness. It reminds me of my homeowners' insurance, which gets canceled after a break-in. I like the choice I'd face if, God forbid, the cancer recurs—sell my house to pay for the hundreds of thousands of dollars in treatment, or die. That's what you call a "post-existing condition."

I like the absence of catastrophic insurance today. It meant that my health-insurance plan (one of the better ones, by the way) only covered about 75 percent of the cost of my cutting-edge treatment. That's as it should be—face cancer and shell out huge amounts of money at the same time. Nice.

I like the "lifetime limits" that many policies have today. Missed the fine print on that one, did you? It means that after you exceed a certain amount of reimbursement, you don't get anything more from the insurance company. That's fair.

Speaking of fair, it seems fair to me that cost-cutting bureaucrats at the insurance companies—not doctors—decide what's reimbursable. After all, the insurance companies know best.

Yes, the insurance company status quo rocks. I learned recently about something called the "loading fees" of insurance companies. That's how much of every health-care dollar gets spent by insurance companies on things other than the medical care—paperwork, marketing, profits, etc. According to a University of Minnesota study, up to 47 percent of all the money going into the health-insurance system is consumed in "loading fees." Even good insurance companies spend close to 30 percent on nonmedical stuff. Sweet.

The good news is that the $8,000 a year per family that Americans pay for their employer-based health insurance is heading up! According to the Council of Economic Advisers, it will hit $25,000 per family by 2025. The sourpusses who want health-care reform say that's "unsustainable." Au contraire.

And how could the supporters of these reform bills believe in anything as stupid as a "public option"? Do they really believe that the health-insurance cartel deserves a little competition to keep them honest? Back in the day, they had a word for competition. A bad word. They called it capitalism. FedEx versus the U.S. Postal Service, CNN versus PBS—just because it's government-backed doesn't mean you can't compete against it. If they believed in capitalism, the insurance companies would join the fray and compete.

I'm glad they don't. I prefer the status quo, where the for-profit insurance companies suck at the teat of the federal government. Corporate welfare's what we've got, and it's a damn good system. Through a wonderful program called Medicare Advantage, the insurance companies receive hundreds of billions of dollars in fees to administer a program that the government is already running. Don't touch that baby. You'd be messing with the handiwork of some fine lobbyists.

You know what part of the status quo I like best? It's a longstanding system for paying doctors called "fee for service." That's where doctors get paid for each procedure they perform, as if my auto dealer got paid separately for the steering wheel, brakes, and horn instead of for the car. Fee-for-service is why the medical care at that doc-in-a-box at my mall is so superior to the Mayo Clinic or Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, where the doctors are on salary. Who would want to mess with that?

OK, if you really press me, I'm for one change. It's the one that Republicans trot out to prove they're "reformers," too. We could save our whole system if we just capped malpractice awards. Two of our biggest states—California and Texas—did it a few years ago and nothing has changed there, but who cares? It sounds good.

So tell your congressmen and senators when they're home for the summer recess that it's too soon to address this issue. We've only been debating it for 97 years, since Theodore Roosevelt put national health insurance in the Bull Moose Party platform of 1912. We've only had 745 congressional hearings on the subject (I made that number up, but it's got to be close). That's not enough! Let's study this problem more before we do anything about it.

Did I say "problem"? Who said there was a problem? Not me. I like the status quo.

For article click here

Bark in the Park

Last night I set up a table to advertise my professional services at this Bark in the Park event. Being a small town I didn't know what to think as far as attendance went. I was happily surprised at the large number that did show! I gave away almost all of my coupons, talk about a win!

Anyway, it was really neat to see so many dogs in one place. From the itty bitty to the big monsters! Animal lovers love irony too! There was a 1 pound chihuahua named Tank and a 135 pound Great Dane named Muffin. Muffin came over to lean on me for a few minutes while I rubbed her side. She came up to my hip! A gorgeous black and white dane.

They had contests and we decided to enter in my dog, Caesar. I work with him a lot as far as training goes. I've spent a lot of time getting general commands down pat so he listens to me anywhere no matter how bad the distraction so just recently we've been working on cool tricks. He does a high five which forces him to jump and slap the palm of my hand, superman flying, and we are working on spin and speak.

I entered him in the Best Trick category and went for the good High Five since we've been doing that for at least a year now. He wowed the crowd! I thought we had it for first place until the last dog, a golden retriever, let her owner set a treat on her nose and stayed until the Owner said "Get it". The golden won but Caesar got 2nd place! Cool! I also got a picture of him doing the trick on stage!

We also tried the sit and speak. I practiced with him beforehand and he only did it about fifty percent of the time. It's still new and I think it will take a little more time to get it down. Mine is a little different though because the speak is followed after I say "Don't you backtalk me, now go on!" and he barks like a freak. We got our turn on stage and he didn't do it! I took him to the back of the stage and he did it three times! Decided to try one more time in front of the audience and he didn't do it! Silly boy.

All in all a great success! Seeing that many dogs at the park last night made The Lover and I realize just how untapped the pet market is here and how successful a well run facility could be. Time to get those gears a grindin'!

I'm Tan

It's been a while. The Lover and I are known for impromptu road trips with barely an hours notice. This weekend was one of them. We had an open invitation to visit with my extended family who I haven't seen in AT LEAST six years. It was long overdue and I really wanted to go but we didn't think it could happen. That is until 2pm Thursday afternoon when we both sort of looked at each other and said " Well....maybe if we.....then we could...."

By 5:30pm we were on the road headed to DC. The Lover has never been to DC before so it was quite nice to show him around. It's all still the same except for the World War II memorial. Even the awesomeness of being so close to our ever evolving government felt good.

After spending the day in DC we headed to Rehoboth, DE with the family. The only room left in this four bedroom rental were couches and floor space. Still it was great to have that much family in one place, even if we disagreed, ha! We got to see the beach where my sister and I both got stung by jellyfish, though she got it worse. We got to take pictures of the boardwalk, eat fresh seafood, catch up on some extensive lost time, play fun games (catchphrase to be exact), and just have a good time.

Typical to The Lover and I we rearranged the schedule so we could stay and extra day. I was so glad we did. It felt great to be welcomed with open arms, hard hugs, and sincere "Holy, I've missed you"'s.

We are being spoiled this month as we try to plan another beach trip August 22nd with my friend and her SO. Should be a lot of fun because I haven't seen her since last year!

Note to self: get a new bathing suit!!

Politics

In this city where I live my opinions on politics have to stay hidden. If you have the wrong opinion (which I do) they will boycott your business. If anyone knows me then they know just how hard it is to bite my tongue, but I digress. I will let the image below speak for me;

The Week So Far In Review

It's already Wednesday! Feels like it should be Monday for some wild reason. Last weekend I spent it alone as The Lover had traveled back home. I'm kind of used to it now though it doesn't suck any less because of it. I just have a super hard time falling asleep without him. I can try to convince myself of all the positives, like taking the whole bed, using lots more pillows to make my fort, no noise, but instead I toss and turn and wish he was home. I am so lame.

Saturday was uneventful, I slept in pretty late and then tried to convince myself to clean the place up. It was hard because I wanted no part of it! So I would clean something for 30 to 45 minutes then sit down for 20 minutes. Ha, lazy cleaning at it's finest!

Sunday I felt like poo because I didn't get much sleep. I tried cleaning the rest of the place before a few photo shoots happened. The last photo shoot I did was a lot of fun. I stuck this awesome lady in a thick hill of wildflowers and it actually came up with some awesome results! Then later on The Lover came home and life was merry.

Monday was a drag. I don't even remember much of it except for a crazy photoshoot at 5. I didn't know if I could stay awake until then but somehow managed. I had 4 people come in at once for a shoot. It was fun because they were from the theater so we had a good time.

Tuesday, yesterday? The Lover and I went to a business class that was pretty good for networking and learning about some resources available to us. How boring did that just sound? haha Oh well.

Today Obama is coming to town. It's funny because we are a small town so I'd never expect to see a president hit this area but he is. It's the talk of the town from hatred, to confusion, to curiosity, to excitement. Crowds are gathering already and he isn't due until later. Too bad I'm stuck here, not like I'd get to see him. HA!

So that's the week in review. Boring? Yes, maybe but sometimes my life is boring.

My favorite photo from the shoot on Saturday;

Just Wow

Being a woman I know exactly what it's like to want to look thinner. I know! I just think there are good ways to go about it and bad.

This is one of the bad.

Hmmmm...

This gives me an idea....

Dig It

I dig this chick. I've been following her blog for roughly six months now and loving it. Usually I stick to my handy Google Reader to get through the blog roll, especially since I usually have 100 posts to read a day. Not complaining since the information is always useful but I like making it efficient. When I notice that this awesome chikita has written something new I take the time to click and read straight from her blog. It might be the bolding, and italics made for certain emphasis that draws me but alas I follow like a dog waiting for a good pet. She rocks and you should check her out. Her latest post on SHINING has my ears ringing with joy. A conveniently nice reminder to live life for NOW for ME because it is beautiful.

Click it.

I Believe

I believe in networking more now than ever before. Being in this downtown location I have the opportunity to meet all the important "big wigs" that keep this city rotating. I know someone who knows someone who knows the director of this someone, let me call them right now to get this set up.

Let me tell you how important networking is. I went from a new unknown to a helping hand in the community and I know it will trickle down to me. Now I have exclusive press passes to important events, I'm the go to gal for the community. Slowly but surely I'm getting there.

The calendar is starting to fill up. It may not be what some people were hoping for (The Lover ahem) but it's what I expected and am happy to meet. Let's keep the ball rolling please!

Interesting

More Awesomeness

I love pictures. I love space. Put the two together and you have pure awesome at it's finest.

Check this link to see 21 of the greatest space photos ever as decided by Life.

I like the stories that go with the photos. Awesome.

Aquarium Fun

I've always loved the Aquariums at museums and such. They are an awesome way to see the world under the sea without the danger and the bulky air tank.




Kuroshio Sea - 2nd largest aquarium tank in the world (via soupsoup)

The main tank called the ‘Kuroshio Sea’ holds 7,500-cubic meters (1,981,290 gallons) of water and features the world’s second largest acrylic glass panel, measuring 8.2 meters by 22.5 meters with a thickness of 60 centimeters. Whale sharks and manta rays are kept amongst many other fish species in the main tank.

Self Promotion

If you guys have Facebook you can join my fan page! How cool is that?

So I shamelessly plug, click it!

The Wordless Way

After being a mute for a week I feel like I have nothing to say at all. Least not anything important. I realized how much breath I waste on meaningless topics and useless drivel. It sort of goes on and on until it's just a buzz in my head. Maybe I need to be looked at.

Maybe without the buzz the empty spaces in my mind lead to a scary hollow silence that fiercely echoes pin drop noises. With all that room filled with nothing how could I possibly think of something to say? Time to turn the buzz back on I suppose. Swirl the words into a big enough concoction to convince the world I am me and should be heard. Maybe I'm trying too hard.

I definitely feel that pull. The need to be the number one, the best, in your face lest you forget. I am here, I am loud, I won't go away until you appease me oh please be the answer I am looking for! Instead of the pull it turns to a push, a sort of nagging hush, my force to be reckoned with. Yet it's easily ignored and the ticking tock of the pressure builds behind my eyes to be something, to be number one.

What really needs to happen is a planting of seeds along a very fertile road leading to greatness and a shiny crown. No need to rush or for the pressure behind the scenes to push. In due time the curtains will blow back and the play will commence so no need to worry, or fret, or push the me, the who, the what I am. Human nature is not so forgiving.

Buzz, buzzing, buzzed.

I Never Knew

I can't believe I didn't know these existed until just now but now that I do know, it's on like Donkey Kong.

Or maybe it's just on my To Do List. We're talking National Geographic Expeditions! They have all kinds but one that stuck out was the Photography one! Particularly the one that goes to the Galapagos! Wow. You travel with a NG photographer and go to all these exclusive places to see all the awesome creatures.

It sounds incredible and I'm pretty sure that's why the price tag is at $7,000 not including air fare per person. haha A girl can dream or just save up same moola, or win the lottery. Think of it this way though, it's actually pretty cheap compared to the African 23 day Expedition going at a mere $63,000!

Check them out here.

What A Difference A Week Makes

Wow! This week has been nothing short of fantastic! Things are rolling really well for the business. I might get to be on tv plugging it too! How cool is that my friends?

I feel like Cloud Nine has returned. My goal is to remember these days when the gray clouds come rolling in. Because they will, that's life!

Pandora has been a life saver lately. I need the music to keep me moving throughout the day and having this handy dandy online free radio with maybe one commercial every 5 hours is great!

The Lover is still so darn sick. I think he got it worse than me. He tried to go to Walgreen's for some meds and they wouldn't accept his driver's license so he had to talk to the pharmacist. I mean he looks and sounds like crap, like a sick person not a meth head. The pharmacist may be a liar, I don't know yet, but they recommended Claritin D for his cold. I was like WHAT? My logic was for him to buy Dayquil since the NyQuil was working so well for him. I also thought it takes about 24 hours for Claritin to even get into your system. I guess I am wrong!

That's all for now. Hope everyone else is having a good week too!

Regina Spektor

A newly discovered artist I am beginning to love!

A Few Randoms

Just some scattered thoughts to mark the day.

-Kids are fidgety. You will only get two good shots of them before they squirm so you better be prepared.

-I love photography. Even if it means I'm the babysitter, director, stylist, host, AND photographer. Taking pictures is my thing and I feel so in tune.

-My voice is back in full! Still coughing up yucky goop but I'm getting better! Yay!

-The Lover is sick as a dog. He said we are not allowed to kiss anymore when if I recall correctly, he was the one demanding the smooch after I told him I was diseased!

-Someone with a $160k degree in photography just told me they like my work and would love to shoot with me. HAH! Ego boosted.

-We have a full schedule ahead of us in the upcoming weeks and months. Can't wait for all of it!

Awwwwww

This is adorable;



Found here.

PSA

I post this because The Lover is a huge expiration date freak. He throws food out if it hits the date marked on the package and I have to tell him that the food is still good. So then he does it when I'm not looking. Then I go into the fridge to eat something I was craving only to find out it is missing! He never believes me about eating things after they pass their due date so I'm hoping this video will do some good! The more you know!

Communication

Let me just say that I miss this place! I hate that I haven't posted in so long! I do have a good reason though. I was sick! I think it was the preschoolers that gave it to me because a few days after they left my throat started hurting. Something in me believes that those who do not spend a lot of time with children are more susceptible to the little bugs they carry around. Who knows if I'm actually right on this.

Anyway, the throat started getting scratchy Tuesday evening and I kept clearing my throat hoping it was nothing. Growing up I would get really bad cases of strep throat every winter without fail. It actually caused me to be allergic to penicillin. Thankfully I don't get it anymore but I have scars. My tonsils remain swollen and pock marked. My voice sounds like I swallowed a golf ball because I actually have two gold balls in my throat. I want them out because I don't think they do any good anymore but I've heard that the surgery is so painful as an adult and really, I'm a freaking wuss. When I bit through my tongue it was the worst pain ever, especially the MONTH afterward where I couldn't eat ANYTHING really. No thanks to mouth pain.

I woke up Wednesday morning with tonsils on fire. I could barely swallow without wincing, a side effect that brings flashbacks of my strep throat days right to the forefront. I hoped to God it wasn't strep. I checked in the mirror for telltale signs but didn't find any. My muscles started to ache pretty bad so I closed up shop and fell right into bed.

Thursday morning I was awakened by snot (mmmm) trying to choke me. I hate that urgent slap in the face that warns you of some imminent danger, like not being able to breathe. From then on I had congestion on top of a sore throat. This caused me to lose my voice. The Lover was probably grateful (haha) but it was difficult to communicate anything! I just couldn't go on with my day. I had some appointments that needed to be canceled because no one could understand me. Really whispering was louder than the scratchy words I tried to spit out in between coughs and throat clearings.

I just didn't realize how important speech is to regular communication until it was taken away. I found myself getting frustrated because the only thing holding me back from doing everyday things was the fact that I couldn't get myself heard. We went to a restaraunt and without thinking I went up to the Wait List lady to give our information. I had to repeat my name ten times before she understood me. I was embarassed by my soft ragged voice and the fact that I couldn't just TALK. I gave up on holding normal conversations with The Lover and resorted to short answers which really weren't good enough. Apparently, I talk a lot.

This went on for a few days and I was getting sick of it. I just wanted my voice back. I wanted to be understood the way I was used to. I wanted to vocalize my existence. Last night as I lay in bed I worried about the upcoming week. My voice hadn't returned and I feared that maybe it wouldn't. I have a lot scheduled next week that requires a voice and I didn't want to cancel. These are make or break sort of things happening. I sat there wondering why I had even lost my voice to begin with. I've had congestion and sore throat before but I don't ever remember losing my voice, ever. Then I wondered if I was being taught a lesson. Maybe lately I've been a little too free with my speech to the point of being rather crass. Harsh even. Maybe I lost it to return to the inner monologue and realize the patterns I've been displaying lately. It was an epiphany sort of. Now I have in sight some things I want to change. Some not so nice things I've let slip through the cracks lately that can't be tolerated. If you have nothing nice to say....

I woke up this morning and my voice had returned.

I Can't Help It

:(

Birth Control

Oh let me tell you a little secret! If you are dripping from sweat in the mornings because you just experienced ANOTHER dream full of babies and it sort of made you happy but you KNOW you are crazy because now is NOT the right time just relax for I have found the solution.

The thing that will prevent you from crying while watching 16 and Pregnant because while yes they ARE too young to be parents and yes they show pregnancy in the NOT so glamorous light and even portray the AWFUL painful labor you just can't help but weep a little (ok a lot) when that itty bitty baby pops right out, the thing that will turn you dry and reverse that natural clock is..........

spending the weekend with three toddlers! Energetic toddlers! Energetic, whiny toddlers! Especially if you aren't used to kids this is the PERFECT thing to put yourself in. Jump right into the middle of the pack and just TRY to get them to listen to your demands. By the end of it your uterus will be apologizing to you and asking if you'd like it to remove your very own eggs forever!

It was fun to see them have fun and sort of act like a kid again but it was tiring! It made me realize I am not so ready for that juuuuuuuuust yet which makes me happy as a clam because I was seriously over crying at cute baby pudgy-ness. HAH! I win! (for now)

It's Monday

What a weekend! It was a whirlwind and I am still a little tired from it all. We were so busy we didn't even get a chance to go to a fireworks show though we saw some explode in the neighborhood. The fun began Friday and didn't end until late last night. I spent all day Saturday with my camera in my hand, this town was so busy with event going on around everywhere I almost felt like a lost chicken running around!

Then this Monday morning I get a few whammy's nearly sending me into a full fledged panic attack only to calm down 30 minutes later and realize I'll find a solution somehow, I always do. Still, what the heck is with the hurdles?

Basically, I couldn't believe that today is Monday. I kept checking the calendar to make sure it wasn't Sunday, a welcome chance to relax a minute. No luck. Back to work.