Frozen In History

I decided not to blog about the recent celebrity passings because it seemed everyone was doing it so I just didn't. I still will not go into details about how I feel about the entire thing but something came up that gave me the urge to blog.

MJ will have a public viewing in his NeverLand Ranch on Friday. I want to go to this. I want to see the legend himself and the place he ran and hid to for so long. I want to be frozen in time and history at the time when the world lost another legend. When Elvis and MJ will be interchangeable I want to say I was there, I paid my respects, I saw a huge amount of people pay theirs, I saw the history unfold. (And also, unlike Elvis, he is actually deceased.)

This may be awful of me but I don't think I am alone.

Goodbye Heaven

I am such a wuss! I let one little bad week get me down, phooey! I know better than to let the small stuff get into my head but it did and I'm stupid. I am grateful for how far I've come and how awesome this opportunity is. I have the chance to live out a dream and I dare sit here and whine about it? Oh no, this won't happen.

What a silly assumption to make, to think I'm no good because I had a slow week! Fear not, the old me is back. Thank you for your kind words, it was a nice reminder. Also to the sis with the mostest. Her email sent me right back up into the clouds.

Here's to a happy Tuesday!

Hello World

What a weekend it's been. We went to explore the "Grand Canyon of the South" and ended up with queasy stomachs and altitude headaches. It was not the greatest feeling in the world nor the greatest view.

We were up 1,900 feet on some rocks hoping not to fall off. We looked down to the river and wondered what it would be like to fall aaaaaaaaaalllllllll the way down. Then we left and walked up some stairs a little too quickly causing sharp pains to our temples. It sucked.

So we drove around hoping to find something interesting to do and the main attraction was their swimming pool that played old Britney Spears songs. Hey, at least it had a slide, am I right?

The Lover got to break in his new car (oh yeah, he bought a car) and I got queasy as the passenger as he wove through the curvy roads in the mountain. I was over it.

We spent the better part of Sunday cleaning the loft. Down to the baseboards even! The place looks fantastic again and after all that hard work we ordered a pizza. They came in record time but we think it was because a storm was coming though we figured they would arrive AFTER the storm had passed. We ate it's deliciousness only to be sick afterwards. My stomach is still upset. Ugh.

I went to bed last night hoping the start of the week would be better than last week. Instead I'm just reminded of how much I hate the Virginia DMV and when I come to blog about it I realize I LOST a follower. What?? Nice. Not really though.

My confidence is already shaken because last week was just a waste. NO ONE came into the studio except for the girl who put a deposit down. Now my negative nelly is telling me I'm a huge failure and can't do anything right. GAH! I'm trying really hard to be positive because in the first month of business I actually have a booking, managed to get an advertisement in a local magazine, have a regular Friday gig that sometimes pays, and am getting my name out slowly. But last week my website views flatlined and any effort to promote online (like facebook and craigslist) is proving to be a dud. WHAT AM I DOING WRONG???

So I just feel like shit today and want to whine. Someone please send some positive vibes my way! Sigh.

Bristol Veterans Park

Bristol Veterans Park
Originally uploaded by Fuzzphotoz

This is the only yellow little ducky in our pond. He is so cute! I wonder what it means. The Lover said he's adopted, haha.

I Don't Know About This Shirt

I think I want it! <-Click the link!

Babies, Babies, Babies

Yeah, so that little blip where I stopped thinking about babies ended last night. We were watching MTV because of the whole MJ thing and he pretty much made MTV what it was, you know? So after the tribute show a different show comes on called "16 and Pregnant" and I sit here thinking "oh crap, oh crap, oh crap!" while my palms get sweaty.

So they go through the whole nine months and how crazy it is that this little worm is growing inside her belly. It's all cute and my ovaries are screaming "DOOOOOOOOOO WAAAAAAAAAAAN!" and my head is saying "WTF IS WRONG WITH YOU???" So somewhere in the commercials I decide to tell The Lover that I want a baby. His reaction was priceless. Out of nowhere I say "Honey, I want a baby!" and he looks at me like I have ten heads and tentacles swarming around me. I AM SO SORRY.

I then went on to explain that I don't want one right now. Later down the road after marriage and my career takes off. There's just this pull I can't even deny that is yelling at me to reproduce. So his fears are calmed a little but he's on high alert because when we first started dating I was against even thinking about babies. Even I don't know what changed!

We continue watching the show and it gets to the delivery scene. She's passed her due date and now they have to induce her. She is screaming in agony while the mother tells her this is just the beginning. I keep my eyes peeled hoping my ovaries are watching "See what kind of PAIN you will be put through, stupid ovaries????" I watch as this girl spends TWELVE HOURS in labor begging for a c-section. My ovaries are pretty much convinced until the baby pops out and is laid on momma, while she cries. Then it's over for me and MY EYES WELL UP. OH. MY. GOD.

It was so freaking cute!!!!!!!!! My brain says "Didn't you even see the pain she was in?? For twelve hours???? A big boulder ripping her insides out!!!!!!!!!!" Instead of listening my ovaries force my mouth to say "awwwwwwwwwww!" It made me sick!

Not to mention a blog I follow just announced that SHE'S 11 weeks along with her first child. Ugh, ugh, ugh.

Save me! Someone tell me just how awful childbirth is so I stop having these sickening thoughts!!

50mm Fun

I got to play with my lens yesterday and this is what I came up with. I learned that there is certainly a learning curve with manual focus but I'm excited to work on it!

Enjoy!

Decipher My Dreams

Usually my dreams are pretty random and nice making me want to stay in dreamland forever. Lately they have been weird. Rarely do my dreams follow a theme but when they do I tend to pay attention. What do these new ones mean?

For the past two nights I've had a dream about forgetting something important. The night before last I dreamt about being a second photographer for a professional photog I know. The problem was that I forgot my freaking camera! I was so upset with myself that we drove back to get it hoping to make it back 5 minutes before the ceremony began. It was hectic!

Then last night I had a dream about another freaking baby. This time I had a boy and he was cute but I kept forgetting him. We were on vacation at the beach and I would accidentally leave him in the condo. Then we would drive somewhere and I'd leave him in the car. When I realized what I had done I'd run to go get him all upset and apologetic. One time an old lady walked up to the car and said "Oh, don't worry about it, I used to forget my kid all the time! It's a lifestyle change really! You have to get used to such a sudden change!" Still I was wracked with guilt over forgetting my own child several times!

So, what the heck do these dreams mean? What am I forgetting? Something important obviously. Something I will remember and feel guilty about but what is it?? I am afraid to find out!!

Scatterbrained

I have a lot on my mind today! Firstly, life is good! I just ordered a new lens and it finally arrived today. I want to close the doors and go play with this bugger NOW! After just taking a few test shots I can't believe I've gone as long as I have without one. Jeez! Next on the list is a decent wide angle, I better start saving pennies now!

Next, I was all stressed out yesterday fearing I was going to lose a lot of money but my fears were put to rest with a simple phone call this morning. Thank goodness!

Also, I just finished the last book in the Twilight saga. STOP READING NOW IF YOU CARE ABOUT SPOILERS. I will say I was very pleased with the ending actually. So many people said the last book was absolutely horrible and that it practically ruined the whole saga but I was left satisfied. My fear was that they would just suddenly end the book with no closure at all or something more dramatic than that. Maybe my expectations were just so low that it was hard not to be satisfied. Anyway, I'm glad they showed Bella as a vampire and that she wasn't as stupidly retarded anymore. I'm glad SHE saved the group instead of being a worthless woman fleeing from danger all the time instead of standing up to it, she owed them big time in my mind. I'm glad she had a beautiful baby because it satisfied my dreams, it made me realize perfect babies like that don't exist and so my messed up desire to sprout one has ceased. I'm glad Edward finally got to read her mind, maybe I'm just a hopeless romantic but it's cute that he got to see the way she viewed the world with him in it. Personally, I think the author did a good job tying up all the strings as that's not an easy thing to do. I've tried dabbling in writing and I always get stuck tying things together so it all makes sense. Overall, I feel full now having read the book and do not have a deep seeded need for another new one to continue the story, though it would be cool.

OK YOU CAN READ AGAIN.

All in all a good day! The Lover is back in town and back to work. We checked out the new restaurant that opened yesterday and were pleased. We thought it was rather empty so decided to brave it though we were second guessing ourselves. We knew the crew was all brand new and that there would be some hiccups as well as lots of waiting so we made sure to keep an open mind. There were no issues with our order, or the food, or anything else, we just had to wait for our waitress to make her way back to us. It was pretty busy in there for sure.

Now I'm just fidgeting until it's time to close up and head to the park for some camera playtime! Woohoo!!

Hope you all are having a fantastic day!

Smile-Worthy Events

It's back to Monday and you know what that means, too many days until the weekend again! To curb the inevitability of getting back into the weekly schedule I've decided to post some upbeat personal items in my life that are making me smile from ear to ear!

-The Lover has returned from his trip!!! I finally feel full! I believe the statement "Better when we're together" is all too true with us.

-I broke down yesterday, it all happened when I read Ryan's post about getting a beloved lens for Father's Day. The coveted 50mm lens! He just had to post pictures he took with it and I was done before I even knew what happened. Mine should be here on Wednesday, OH HAPPY DAY.

-The record studio a few stores down plays music on a loudspeaker for those walking down the street to enjoy. I am always happy with their selection but today they have classical music playing and it's really quite something!

-My dog has been such a good boy, I hope it lasts!

-I am really pleased with the pictures I took on Friday. I didn't think they would turn out as good as they did since it was a low light scenario, which this new lens will help with! Yay!

What things in your life make Monday worth it??

heh heh

On Life Happenings

1. The President killed a fly with his hand. That's awesome. Screw PETA

2. I love milk so much that I walked 6 blocks one way to buy a gallon since I am running low, in my dress clothes. Talk about desperate!

3. I am split on what I'm supposed to do tonight so I'm just hoping it rains to call it a wash. I feel like a bad person for it. Here I have an obligation I've already committed to and then I was notified of another event that could bring me more business. Blah!

4. I miss my boo. He's stuck in Augusta because the car broke down. I thought it was under warranty because the dealership told me last year that YES THE ALTERNATOR is covered so he took it to Ford to find out it's NOT and now he has to pay $500 to get it fixed. ^&#^%*&($^%*%#*!!!!

5. I miss my boo.

6. I cut up a really potent purple onion the other day and the smell is still on my hand even though I've washed it 4515151 times and have taken showers. What's the deal?

7. We have big cucumbers and tomatoes growing.

More later!

Vacation!

I want to go on vacation pretty badly! I'm sitting here reading about all the people going off to play in the sand and I find myself pouting like a damn three year old. I knew it would be tough to skip out this year on the week long heaven I'm used to but I didn't realize it would be THAT BAD.

I'm trying not to look at images of the beach, to think about the fun I had for the past 24 years on the weekly vacation, or even open my mind to a small possibility of catching some ocean time this year. Somehow it keeps smacking me in the face that I'm here in the mountains for the summer with NO WATER IN SIGHT. Usually, I at least have a pool nearby that can become a quasi-tropical location after you add friends, strawberry daiquiri's, and a grill. Not this year, that's the bad side of living downtown, the only pool I'll find is the local Y, not so much a tropical paradise.

So while all you lucky bastards get to spend time at the fantabulous place called Heaven just have a drink for me here sulking because I suck. (PS Can I close shop for a week and just run off? haha YEAH RIGHT)

Etsy!

I bet you thought I forgot about that, huh? Nope! I added a few more items for sale these past two days. Check em out! <-link!

Dreams That Stick Like Freaking SuperGlue

Ugh, ugh, ugh! I woke up this morning all content and wishing I could stay in bed even LONGER to enjoy the comfy-ness of my squishy pillows, and wrapped in my oh-so lovely comforter. I couldn't, I HAD to wake up and open shop but I really didn't want to. Something was just downright attractive about staying put right in dreamland. That is, until I remembered what I dreamt! (Firefox says dreamt is spelled wrong, THEY are wrong, HA! Firefox is STUPID)

It all came back vividly like a stack of bricks running to knock you to the ground. I dreamt that I was oh-so happily PREGNANT!! Ack! See, for a long time I used to NEVER think about babies and all the cute crap they do. Since I was old enough to understand that childbirth HURTS and SUCKS I have vowed to own more animals than children. In fact, that's what I told my own mother who is patiently waiting for the day she can be called GRANDMA! Ack! Children was never in the gamebook, I thought I was just too selfish, too immature, too NEVER READY to take on that role. Until a year ago.

Now I keep having baby dreams! Last night I went through the entire NINE months of Hell and even after birth. My mind sickenly played the labor scene. Shoot, I even remember lovingly feeling my stomach for the babies head, arms, butt, etc. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME? Then the child came out and suddenly it was a year old with the CUTEST blonde curly hair and bright blue eyes. It was a GIRL. And I loved her, I actually named her Melissa, after my sister. WHAT?? Now my dreams are sentimental too???

I've been awake since nine am and this dream is still haunting me. Luckily, I know for a gauranteed fact that I am not expecting, THANK GOD. Because honestly, right now is just not the right time for us, there is still a lot we want to do before we even VENTURE down that road. But now, you know, it might not be so bad if we mix our genepool and unleash a little demon into the world. I think it would ADORABLE. But don't tell anyone as I'm still a little freaked out by this sudden 180 my body has taken.

Bubbles don't POP, they RIP, SPLIT, TEAR, CRACK!!!

Bubbles don't POP, they RIP, SPLIT, TEAR, CRACK!!!
Originally uploaded by richard.heeks

This picture is incredible! What makes it more incredible is it was taken with a D90! Hot!

Like Freaking Out, Man

My dog has been acting weird all day. Down at the studio he would suddenly jump up from his bed and run to a corner by my desk and the wall, whine and shake. I couldn't figure out what was wrong! Then we come home and he does the same thing! He hides under the bar counter between the wall and a slot machine, whining and shaking!

I take him to the park to see if maybe he needs to go potty or whatever, no, he sits in my lap the entire time, so unusual for the dog that likes to explore and remark "his" park.

I don't get it so I check the weather and a big scary line of storms is coming our way complete with tornado WARNINGS. So I freak out and tell my parents. My dad CALLS me and tells me where to go in case of a tornado (haha) and then suggests it might just be ghosts. THANKS A LOT.

Now I get to be alone in this loft for the rest of the week wondering where the ghosts are until The Lover returns from his business trip. That is, if I survive this freaktastic storm.

Oh yeah, and how cute is this?

Thought of the Day

Positivity begets positivity.

Ah!

# Mosquitoes are attracted to the color blue twice as much as any other color


This would explain why The Lover is always getting eaten up by these buggers! (He wears blue.....A LOT, I am trying to expand his color wardrobe.)

She's Got Daddy Issues

You know those ladies who are a little bit crazy, a lotta bit neurotic, with a dash of clingy? Most men in relationships with those type of ladies tend to label them with "Daddy Issues" and sometimes I wonder how far off the mark they are, if at all.

I had a rough childhood growing up and sometimes I can't help but wonder if I'm one of those girls. I'll admit to being crazy and maybe a little clingy but I can't really pinpoint any specific reason and it just so happens that I had what they call "Daddy Issues".

I don't think it really affects me today, I'd like to think not anyways. I've certainly moved forward from that ugly past and barely think of it anymore, unless when brought up. I always had the mindset that it could be far worse and people actually did have it far worse than me. No complaining just forward motion.

Back in 2002 my relationship with my father came to a head and we stopped speaking to each other. It wasn't until two years ago that we started mending the past, working on our relationship, and as I said, moving forward. We have a better relationship than I've ever had before and I am so thankful that he is in my life again. It taught me a lot of things about how people change, the natural good will of individuals, and the duty to make things right.

Yesterday, he shocked me. Out of the blue we started addressing things from the past, things we've oh so conveniently ignored. Yesterday I got an apology. A sincere, from the heart, apology for our past and a promise to make the future better. It was appreciated.

So I'm not really sure if I can be labeled as a girl with "Daddy Issues" but I know I can be considered as one who forgives, who can move on and mend the past. One who doesn't give up on family no matter how large the gap. Family is all you've got and if you have a tough relationship with one of your family members consider it deeply and think about how hard it would be to just let go of the past and give them a second chance. I bet it will be easier than you think.

Being Lazy

I think it is super important to take at least one day off every once in a while to do absolutely nothing. This means sleeping in late only to move to the recliner when you do wake up, veg in front of the tv, take a nap, and then watch some more tv. Do absolutely nothing!

Of course this type of day should be done in severe moderation. I did this yesterday and felt a nagging in the back of my head to do SOMETHING, anything so as not to waste the day. I managed to squeeze off an hour of house chores but after that it was me, the recliner, and reruns of Bridezilla ALL. DAY.

I don't regret it. I've been working my a-s-s off for the last month or so preparing for this business venture. Working from sun up to sundown, sometimes even on the weekends, then when I didn't have something we were chilling with visitors. So a very busy month indeed, though no complaints, it was nice to just chill.

Today it's back to the grindstone and it has been a very good day indeed. Surprisingly, I actually had a lot of work to do which kept me busy right up until now. Most of it is marketing stuff but I had some photos to edit from the Car Show (which turned out fantastic!), order some prints, and design/print some flyers for a store downtown. In between people coming in and asking questions AND setting up tentative appointments. You heard that right, I'm already getting some bookings! How fantastic! I jumped for joy when she had a date set!

So wish me luck on that front!

Things are looking so far up! It's really making up for the shitty 6 months we spent over winter. As a side note, is it really summer? Holy crap! Usually my summers are full of pools, bbqs, fun with friends, suntans, more pools, the beach, and the sun! Not so much this year, the annual 4th of July trip won't be happening (first time in 5 years!) and I am busy with this business so I'm not really missing it (that's a lie haha). I'm hoping I'll be able to set foot on the beach at least in early fall while it's still a little warm, even if it's just for the weekend. Who knows, maybe I'll be so booked solid I won't even be able to blink! I'll take either!

Things to do While Your Man is out of Town

1. Sleep in late, us women DO need our beauty sleep.

2. Wear pajamas ALL day. You don't have anywhere to go so enjoy it.

3. Take control of the remote, watch as much WE as you want! It's even ok to cry when the love interest breaks the girls heart, IT'S SAD OK???

4. Eat ice cream out of the carton while watching said shows.

5. Sprawl out on the massive bed.


aaaaaaaand more to come later..

This Chandelier

I want this please!!

Some Thoughts

I love grilled shrimp caesar salad. I will be back again AND even pay $10.95 for it even though you only gave me 6 shrimp WITH tails on. (Seriously? In a SALAD you make me rip the tails off first instead of enjoying the greatness right from the start? I forgive you because it was that good and I am happily full)

STORM STORM ITS GETTIN CLOUDY OUT NOW

Also, this douche that thought parallel parking means hopping up on the curb thinks it's ok to try and get my business services? NOTHANKYOUGETOUT

Also can someone get this for me PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE? pleeeeeeeeeeeease? pretty pleAAASE??

Oh Crap

Come A Long Way

I usually never write about what I do on a daily basis because I personally think it's rather boring though to me life is pretty sweet right now. About 6 months ago I was facing one of the toughest challenges of my life knowing without a doubt that I would overcome it and move forward. I'm just so stubborn that quitting is never really an option for me. When I decide something will happen, it does, when I choose disallow an evil parasite to poison my life I fight pretty darn hard to squash it!

I prevailed! I am back to the happy go lucky Kern grateful for the everyday and really, truly feeling so blessed to be in a position I'm in. I don't like to brag but I certainly like to count up all the good things in my life that remind me just how blessed I am. For one, we have a beautiful place to call home and to think we moved in when we were both jobless! I have this wonderful opportunity to do what I truly desire! We have met so many nice people and have felt so welcome to this cute little town. I am immensely enjoying our time in this little downtown. We have our health, our sanity, each other, and family. We have got it alright.

It just feels so good to be back to the Karen I know, the can't knock me down, wipe that smile off, get to stop giggling, love to give hugs Karen. I'm so back!

D'oh!

A woman in Israel hid her life savings—she says nearly $1 million dollars—in her mattress. Her daughter bought her a new mattress as a surprise upgrade and threw it out. Dump employees are now searching on behalf of the family while security has been hired to keep out treasure hunters, but they don't know which of the two city dumps it was taken to. We imagine it's the one where the rats are all wearing tiny gold rings and toasting each other with little glasses of champagne.

So much for doing something nice for someone, yikes!

Which One is the Liar??

Inspiration

Sometimes it's hard to find inspiration in the world of the lazy, unmotivated, and follow by the rules society. Due to where I live, in a very small town with a generation that doesn't want to let go and isn't quite ready to welcome those they don't know I've found it hard to find people who share my interest, mainly photography. I'd love to be one of those gals who has a limitless supply of creative minded friends who can challenge me to become a better photographer but I don't, at least not yet. I'm still hoping this itty bitty town will open some doors and show me it's warmth.

So I find my inspiration on the net where the world is my oyster and the web is my looking glass. There are so many talented people out there and it fills my heart with happiness when I find them. One particular lady led me to this list and I like it;

I'm taking the liberty of suggesting that you do one or more of the following today:

1. Shoot personal work. Call in some favors, get creative with no budget, and shoot something for yourself.

2. Set free that idea you've been holding onto. Write a blog post about it. Ask your friends what they think. Tell the world.



3. Learn about video. Don't have a camera? Buy drip coffee for a month instead of lattes, and buy a Flip Mino video camera with the money you save. Experiment.

4. Connect with your peers. Start a blog, dig into your Facebook. Or, hell, gather your photo friends for beers and a slide show.

5. Walk around with your camera. You don't need sunshine. Interesting weather makes interesting pictures. iPhone or one dSLR body with one lens. There is no "client". Just take pictures.

6. Rent a piece of equipment you've been wanting to learn about. Or try this rental secret: pick it up on Friday after 3pm, pay for Saturday. Sunday's are often free because the camera store is closed. Return Monday by 10am. 3 days for the price of 1.

7. Put together a book of your work. Blurb or Asuka, whatever. Affordable. Even if you don't print 10 or 100, print 1. Put it in your studio for visitors to flip through, or leave on it your coffee table at home.

8. Do the thing on your list that you most dread doing. Call that client who hasn't paid. Sign up for Twitter. Develop a marketing plan. Go to the ASMP meeting.

9. Remind yourself that the gear you can't afford is not the barrier keeping you from success. Gear has very little to do with photography.

[Click the 'continue reading' link below.]

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10. Read up online about the history of photography and it's masters. Weston. Steichen. Arbus. Mapplethorpe. Adams. Doisneau. Cartier-Bresson. Avedon.

11. Admit to yourself that you don't know about something you've been pretending to know about. Sit down and do the research yourself. Learn it.

12. Go sit in front of the newsstand at some mega book store. Flip through all the magazines that interest you. Go beyond photo magazines. Generally speaking they limit your imagination rather than expand it. Spend at least an hour.

13. Make a list of 5 clients you want in the next 24 months. Shoot for the moon.

14. Rent a medium format film camera and shoot two rolls of 120. Slow down. Places will process your negs and give you scans these days for pretty cheap.

15. Look through the pictures in my portfolio and appropriate an idea. Tweak the concept and go make a better picture. It's okay. We all do it. I'm probably looking at your work right now and am grateful for the inspiration.

16. Take 100 pictures with your iPhone. Or your Samsung phone. Or your point and shoot. Whatever camera is the closest to you right this minute. The best camera is the one that's with you.

17. Refresh your website with at least one new picture. Or dig up an old one, re-process it and make it a new one.

18. Take a picture of something wherever you are when you read this post. Share it somehow, even if it isn't your favorite. Post it to your blog, twitter, or link it in the comments below. Email or MMS it to somebody who will appreciate it.

19. Quit your day job if you hate it and can live without it. People say it's a bad time to start a new business or go in a new direction. On the flipside, I think it's a great time if you've got a clear vision and a little cushion.

20. Concept, shoot, and edit a short film (video) in a single day. Keep it cheap. Keep it short. Use whatever camera you have access to.

21. Show somebody your portfolio or a selection of pictures. Let them tell you which ones they like, but also be sure to ask them which ones they don't like and why. You'll likely learn something.

22. Back up your work. It's not that hard and it'll probably save your arse at some point in the very near future.

How Will You Celebrate Your 100th Birthday?

Here are 15 ways to do it. I think this one is how I will celebrate!

Peggy Griffith celebrated her 100th birthday with lots of chocolate. She'd been eating 30 candy bars a week for over a decade. Her daughter said, “When mum was a little girl, her mother told her that sweets were bad for you but chocolate was good.”

Lolli-lolli-lollipop

You Know How Moms Are

Always swelling with pride at your tiniest achievements. Making big mountains out of mole hills while you go "Mooooom it's no biggie, I'm just me!" My mom does that and though it's just her personality (a sweet one at that) sometimes it leaves me shuffling my feet while I duck my head to hide the blush. Here she is describing her own thoughts but I love how she describes me and the creativity I've been lucky to have, though I may think it's nothing special considering all the billion of other people who can see things differently. Less rambling, more delivering;

My oldest daughter finally bit the bullet and opened her own business this past week. How does one describe the pride one feels when the children you've born reach for their dreams? She's always been a dreamer, a creator, an artist. How I wish I could see in my mind's eye what she sees, but I do have the privilege of viewing them to my heart's content, and I'm still amazed at the beauty in it all. Breathtaking beauty. It amazes me that one can see an object that we've all driven by day after day, and just ignore it. She'll look at it, look at how the light hits it, see the angles of it, watch the backdrops of it, and then frame it in her head for the perfect shot. Then with pride, she'll send it to me, and I'll just sit there, mouth agape, in pure awe at the creativity of it all. Something that would take an amateur like me hours to frame, seems to come to her instantaneously, and then it's another capture, for us lucky enough to know her, to admire.

That's the rush of photography, the great instant gratification a click can give me. Even when I don't have my camera on hand I'm still setting up shots in my head and have been since I was a little girl. My internal memory is full of the beauty this world has to offer.

/End cheesy.

This Is Crazy & Cool

Another really cool application announced, this one for ZipCar.

ZipCar is a car rental service that lets you walk up to cars on the street and drive them away.

This application will tell you exactly where the nearest ZipCar is, purchase the rental right on your iPhone, walk up, and drive away!

You can tap the horn icon and the actual car horn will honk so you can easily find it. The car can be unlocked this way too.

I don't know how they could successfully leave cars hanging out randomly but it is awesome regardless.

Bored At Work

That is so weird to say, hah!

20 Questions;

1. 5 internet annoyances: Google not putting my website on the first page from the getgo, losing my connection, mal-ware, myspace, and Pandora asking me if I'm still here (YES FOR THE ELEVENTY-BILLIONTH TIME)

2. What is in your stack of reading materials? Magazines, Photography books, Bridal books, Wedding Magazines. Lots of useful information.

3. Do you get distracted easily? Depends on how interesting the item that currently holds my attention.

4. What is the last thing you did before you went to bed last night? Set my alarm clock to 8am.

5. What does your last text message say? Asking The Lover for our fax number, oh boy!!

6. If we were to play Clue, which player would you choose to be? Miss Scarlet

7. Speaking of Clue: Who did it? In which room? And using? Miss Scarlet in the basement with a bat.

8. Now that we know what character you’d be in Clue, which is your favorite marker in Monopoly? The car!

9. How many friendships have you had that have lasted more than ten years? I'd say 5 or so thanks to Facebook!

10. Where will you be 12 hours from now? Dead asleep I hope.

11. Would you go back in time if you were given the chance? Sure, there are some interesting times in history I would love to be a fly on the wall for. I'd be sure not to alter anything though.

12. Who have you texted in the last 24 hours? Brother, sister, and The Lover.

13. What did you last get in the mail? Business Debit Card, ooooh Only problem is they cut off a word so the company name is "The Royal Studio and Galle" UGH

14. According to the cliche, the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, but what’s the way to yours? Lots and lots of chocolate.

15. What’s something that should have been put away but hasn’t been? My pj pants I left on the chair this morning.

16. Last words you said out loud? Bye, love you.

17. On a scale from 1-10 (1 least, 10 most likely) 9.5 It'd be a 10 once I book something.

18. Could you point out where Outer Mongolia is on a globe? Sadly, no though I'd know the general area.

19. What is underneath your bed? Nothing!

20. What food did you once claim to hate but, after trying it, loved? Certain cheeses.

Ever So True

One lines up more with what I'm feeling right now, like all those times someone said no and shut the door I would begin to believe until I realized I had the answers in my own head then it would turn into a resounding YES with fists clenched at either side.

“All your life you are told the things you cannot do. All your life they will say you’re not good enough or strong enough or talented enough; they will say you’re the wrong height or the wrong weight or the wrong type to play this or be this or achieve this. They will tell you no, a thousand times no, until all the no’s become meaningless. All your life they will tell you no, quite firmly and very quickly. And you will tell them yes.”

- Nike Ad

“A women is often measured by the things she cannot control. She is measured by the way her body curves or doesn’t curve, by where she is flat or straight or round. She is measured by 36-24-36 and inches and ages and numbers, by all the outside things that don’t ever add up to who she is on the inside. And so if a women is to be measured, let her be measured by the things she can control; by who she is and who she is trying to become. Because as every women knows, measurements are only statistics & statistics lie.”

- NIke Ad (I would love yo know who wrote these)

Tomorrow

Marks the Grand Opening and major beginning of my new life in a new way! I've got the jitter bugs the maybe you're a quitter bugs but I know enough by now that you don't get what you want, where you want to be, without a little bit of a fight and the butterflies in the belly. Tomorrow puts my name on the dotted line, my time to shine. I won't stop now or give in to the nerves and the fear. Just another brick wall to blast through and I've come so far.

So with the jitters and the stomach flitters I'll stand confident and tall as my name becomes open to all.

Tomorrow.

Just Wow

I used to work at a large dog kennel. I worked there for 2 years and greatly enjoyed my time with the animals up until a few months before I left. I actually worked in the kennel running dogs out to potty yards for play times, feeding, medicating, watering, cleaning, and just generally caring for the 300 animals we would have at any given time. It was not an easy job but it was rewarding. I was in the best physical shape of my life and rewarded with sweet sloppy dog kisses everyday. During my time there this place holding as many pets as it did had not one outbreak of disease, mistreatment, etc. So you can imagine the shock that fell across our faces when one of our frequent customers came in with some sad news.

He had taken his dog to another place called Happy Tails to get groomed. He said the only reason he was taken to this place instead of ours was the price. His dog would never come home. If I recall correctly he had passed from heat exhaustion, meaning they used hot air to dry the pup until he nearly fried to death. A horrible way to go. What's more sickening is the owner showed little remorse and didn't even try to contact the owner, he found out when he went to pick up his dog. This was not the only death to occur at Happy Tails and eventually the owners gathered up enough resources to investigate the company and owner.

The death of the poor dog happened around January of 2008 and just last week the owner, Eric Webb, was indicted on felony charges of animal cruelty. Then they found him in a ditch one evening after riding around drunk and knocking mailboxes down, he was unscathed, until today.

According to the news Eric Webb snapped. He got into an argument with his estranged wife and decided to slit her throat and stab her chest in her driveway while two of their three kids watched from the locked car. He then abandoned them and arrived at his business where he died of a self inflicted gun shot wound. Today. Today three young children are without parents. Today one selfish man decided to make a life ending decision. Today a pet killer turned into a murderer. Today no more pets will be killed at the hands of Eric Webb.

This is another one of those moments where I try to put myself in everyone else's shoes and wonder just how hard putting one step in front of the other could be. Wow, just wow.

Perfect Gift for Grand Opening?

I found it! So, so, so, so pretty! Find it here, there's also a giveaway going on for it here.

She Said It Best

I’d believe in Bat Boy before I’d believe this man has the capacity for self-reflection and regret.

Well said.

Oh, Goodness Me

Looks good but changed from the way the book was written.


By the way, EDWARD IS HOT.