Family & Photos

I'm so happy my family trusts me to do their portraits for them. They support me to the fullest and knowing I created something that will be seen for many many many years and beyond my years, is really cool. The latest pics belong to my cousin Chris & his wife Rachel...just posted part of their session over on my photo blog.

New shoes.

They say you can never really have too many pairs of black heels. I totally agree. With the fall approaching, and the fact that my peep toes were pretty much just wore out, I'd been wearing a pair to work that looked like this, but with a slightly smaller heel, by Mossimo. The below are Franco Fortini from Rack Room Shoes.

Well, I went out to Macy's a couple of weeks ago when they were having that huge 2 day sale, I had $50 on a gift card and a $10 off my purchase coupon, and the store was a MESS. I was looking for a few things in particular. A new basic black pump, a brown every day boot similar to the Dr. Martens my husband wears religiously, and and new dressy black boot to replace my 7yr old ones that have pretty much had their run. I couldn't bring myself to buy a single thing. So I walked over to Rack Room just...looking for something...anything that might work for me. And I found these by Xappeal:

Paid a whopping $19.48 for them. And they. are. perfect. They're easy to walk in, the perfect height, the perfect shape. I just love them.

And well, I drive. I drive a lot. I love driving. And it RUINS my shoes. Yes, I've brought flats to wear just to drive in, and that worked for like a week, but then it was just becoming a hassle and I gave up. So I don't spend too much on shoes anymore. Not basic ones. Nope.

When I got back to work that day, I went online to Macy's and ordered these boots, since they were nowhere to be found in the store.

Cheaper than Dr. Martens and I was ok with ordering these online. Docs are like...impossible to find in women's sizes instore. Not even at my local journey's. Boo on that. But I saved like $50 buy buying these anyway and I like em better!

If you've got any similar stories about shoes, feel free to share :)

New Stuff

I finally got an updated logo for my photography business! And I also happened to post the cutest newborn session ever over there today. I'm juss sayin. ;)

Sorry for the quick post. It's crazy around here with the holidays and the house and photographing for the holidays! I'll get a real update up soon.

Black & White Wednesday - "Liz"

My little sister is awesome. Anytime I want to try anything new in the photography world, she's always willing! Like these, that I shot at 2PM way out of my comfort zone. It's been a few weeks since I entered Black & White Wednesday, but I've been keeping up with the The Long Road to China anyway. My story isn't near as cool as hers. But check out my sister below, and if you want to see the colored photos from the rest of the set, head on over to my photo blog.

Fast food may be fast, but...

Learn your menu and pay attention to orders a little better!

So i know i tweeted and facebooked this, but I figured it was worth blogging and exaggerating on also.

Wednesday for lunch, I ran over to camera co-op and had my BFF meet me at Wendy's for lunch. I had chicken nuggets (value menu hello!) and got some sweet n sour sauce. Side note: Wendy's has the best value menu on the planet.Wendy's is also currently the only sweet n sour sauce I like with my nuggets. I ate WAY too many mcnugget happy meals as a kid at McDonald's and for longest time the thought of nuggets and sweet n sour just make me sick. Anyway lunch Wednesday was great.

Thursday, I went on down to Village Pizza & Seafood and once again ordered the nugget meal. I hadn't been in years! The menu up on the wall said it came with gravy, french fries, and hush puppies or bread. Sounds great. It says gravy, I don't have to ask for it, gonny be yummy. 'Til I get to my desk and open the bag and there is no gravy to found. What I do see is 2 packs of barbecue sauce. Now...I like an occasional barbecue chicken. But I was expecting gravy. Talk about disappointment! But there I had this barbecue sauc in front of me, and of course I had to just try it. Mistake. It was gross. I think the brand on it said House Recipe and it was just not a tasty barbecue sauce to go with chicken nuggets. Totally ruined my lunch.

Today, I had to go to the post office and a different Wendy's was across the street so I drive on up. There was a car in front of me, none behind me, and not too many in the parking lot, so I don't know why they were in such a hurry. They had a sign on the window that said something like "if you don't get a receipt or a smile from this restaurant call the district manager at such and such number." Well now I just want to go back and call because well, I totally didn't get any smiles. And they totally didn't give me any sweet and sour sauce with my nuggets. I even asked for it while I was ordering and it showed up on the little digital monitor outside and printed on my receipt. So when they handed me bag of food, I did ask for ketchup, but figured the sauce was in there. I watched her grab 3 packs of ketchup toss it in and hand me food without even looking at me. Woo! Ate my nuggets dry today. Gah!

What's weird, I probably haven't eaten this many chicken nuggets all year as I've eaten this week. Unless you count Chic-fil-a, which I totally don't, because their nuggets don't look like everyone else's nuggets, and they taste way better, and the Chic-fil-a we go to in Kemah and Pearland are the beeeest Chic-fil-a restaurants around.

Is it too much to ask that you actually receive what's advertised/what you ask for ? I think not. It cannot be that hard.

Or perhaps I should just start checking my bags before I leave the drive thru window. Maybe.

PS : Don't even get me started on the lack of ketchup they give you. What the hell am i supposed to do with a large fry and 2 packets of ketchup? Tease myself?

Babies & More Babies

I've talked about having kids a few times... I just reread this post. Haha!

Let me tell you where I stand today. I'm not 25 & Justin is 29. Amanda is married and neither of us have started trying yet, with no plans to any time soon. Hell, I don't even know what's going to happen to my house.

I've spent the last few days on Facebook checking out all the kids I went to highschool with and their kids. I think I'm the only one left without one. Some I saw were kinda of surprising, but then again, maybe not, I don't know these people anymore. I'm still sure my kid isn't going to have any playmates.

But I don't want a kid because everyone else has one. And I really don't want one "because it's the next step in life." Having a kid means rearranging your priorities, your budget, and making sacrifices. All of which I won't mind doing when that time comes, but right now...hell, no. I like my life and the things I get to do and have, and I'm not ready to give any of it up yet. Don't even think about taking away my car. Not happenin'. Some people know they're born to be a parent, and look forward to it, and start thinking about it as soon as they're able. I'm not one of those people (obviously). On the other side, I do long for the feeling of family and having that complete circle. If it happens accidently, God willing, even tho I take measures to prevent it, I'm not going to be disappointed or upset. I'd take it all in with a confused excited smile on my face.

I love watching my pregnant friends go through pregnancy tho. and hearing them talk about it and how excited they are. I'm quite happy for them! I just hope I still have some friends to experience it with when my time comes.

Home Makeover, For real.

Just as we finished up our first real decorated room in the house...we get some pretty nasty news.

We've got Chinese dry wall. Fan-friggin-tastic.

What does that mean? Heck, I'm not sure exactly. I'm sure it means a whole lot of stress in my near future.

Our neighbors to the left have it. My cousin and his wife two door to the right have it. 5 houses down to the right is clear. and across the street and to the left one, is clear. At least we won't be at it alone.

We're on our 3rd AC coil, we've got smoke detectors that beep constantly, bloody noses, irritated eyes... And I'd like to think my computer problems are somewhat related. There's no real known long-term effects, they just know it's not good for you.

Awesome. I wanted a new house, but not like this. Another inspector comes Friday. We either get a whole new different house, or this one gets gutted. I'm hoping for a whole new house, but I don't have my hopes up yet. Will keep the blog posted...

My Home Makeover

I don't think it's a huge secret that I don't like my house that much. It's plain. It's boring. You can only layout the rooms one way. I want tile. I just want one extra room in the form of a formal dining room or another bedroom!!! bleh. We've been talking about painting...since I can remember. I'm happy to say, we finally started. I wish I had a picture of the room before...It's so tiny. But we had a queen bed and a shelf and a nightstand. I really loved the bedding too...which we got as a wedding gift. But alas, our office/mustang/gaming/music room is just overflowing and something had to be done. In the last 3 years, we've only had 2 people visit that had to stay the night. My sister Liz, and our mustang friend Brandy. So we decided the guest room just really wasn't needed at this point. It'll be replaced with a futon or something of the sort. This room will now be what we're calling a media room. Justin's xbox and the dvd player and the surround sound will all be moved into here, as well as the guitars, and most of the mustang stuff. I think some mustang stuff will have to stay in my office area, and I'm cool with that. I have my eye on a shelf already. No idea what the paint color will be tho. But im here with my 100th post to show you this new little journey we've started. The color is Sherwin Williams' Windy Blue.

After the room was emptied:


Taping:


Justin made me come home and help during lunch today:


Watching paint dry:

Road Rage & Traffic

Road rage. Ya, I have it. Blame the sports car, I don't care. It's no secret that Houston traffic royally sucks. It sucks even more because half of these people just have no common sense, don't pay attention, and just plain don't care to be part of the solution.

What pissed me off this morning - a yield sign...well, the people driving through the yield sign.

You see - a yield sign means...you do not have the right of way. It does not mean, speed up and cut people off.

Maybe I'm still pissed about the wreck we almost had last weekend. I think there's just more idiots than ever on the road. I think I'm a pretty good driver. I pay attention to the other cars around me because I don't trust them. I trust myself just fine.

Back to the yield sign.

From NY's dnv site: "Slow down as you approach the intersection. Prepare to stop and yield the right-of-way to vehicles and pedestrians in or approaching the intersection. You must come to a full stop at a YIELD sign if traffic conditions require it. When you approach a YIELD sign, check carefully for traffic, and be prepared to stop."

Which means, stop unless it's obviously clear.

This morning, there was an suv in front of me. There were 3 cars coming off the 2nd feeder road on my right onto the 1st feeder road that I was on. These 3 cars were bumper to bumper trying to make it into my lane. The front car was pretty much ok, he'd have made it just fine. The 2nd car was pushing it and he's lucky the suv in front of me didn't run him over. The 3rd car expected me to let him in. Which i would've if it was a merge lane. It was not a merge lane...he had a yield sign. He was also entering a 50mph road doing like 30. There's so many things wrong with this picture I'll have to stop now.

I could also go on a rant about turn only lanes versus turn + go straight lanes as well as the lack of people that actually pay attention to where their exit is on a road they drive every day.

My gosh people. The driver's test should be SO much more in depth.

Crash Averted.

Our precious mustang cobra saved our lives Saturday.

I'd like to thank it for having upgraded brakes and hella awesome suspension.

We were on our way home from the car show in Kemah saturday night (ask me if you don't know which one I'm talking about). Justin drove there, so I'm driving home and doing about 55/60 mph. The oncoming traffic is stopped at a red light and I see this truck pull out right in front of me. I figure it's going to speed across real quick and turn left. I was wrong - the pickup truck stopped. In my lane. I'm on the brakes hard. Right at the last second I pulled off the brake and yanked the wheel to the left. If I was going to hit, it was not going to be a head-on collision, it was gonna be the fender. But I yanked the wheel left and let out and ended up in the turn lane of oncoming traffic. Thank you Lord.

People - please drive with common sense. If you're pulling out of a gas station or something and you have the option to pull out at a stop light instead of crossing the highway - take the stop light. I swear it won't delay you that much. You may think you're time is precious, and it is, but not as important as yours and someone else's life. Had we been in our truck - we probably would've hit head on with their driver side door and killed the other driver. Had we been in my other mustang, we'd all be seriously injured.

On a separate note - the weather this weekend was so dang beautiful. We did have the top down quite frequently. And tho I didn't have any formal shoots scheduled, I did get to have some play time with my sister and try some new things out that will do nothing but benefit all of you!

Have a great week everyone!

Softball Ouchie

Some of you know that Justin and I play co-ed softball in Pearland. This season our team is...can you guess? The fastbacks. Surprising right? Even more surprising? We actually didn't pick it out! The new season started this past weekend, and we put up a good fight, but lost one and won one. Here's our color & logo:

Well, I started the season with a bang. Justin is our short stop, and I pitch. Ya, I'm pretty much the only girl pitcher we've seen in the co-ed league down here. Weird? But anyway - in the last inning, I got a line drive hit back at my ankle. The same ankle that's been hit twice before while not on the mound. Can you say ouchie? I walked it off immediately and finished the game, but as soon as the game was over i felt my shoe digging into the swelling and off I went to meet Mr. Ice Pack.

First photo, from the end of the game (the lump, is not my ankle) - 2nd photo @ 48 hrs later.

Maybelline Falsies Mascara

Not too long ago, I praised Maybelline for their newest eyeliner, and still love it to pieces. And me, being one to try every single mascara you can buy outside of a department store, had to try their newest mascara, after my bestie said she liked it. I wanted to like it too. But after my usage - i'm pretty sure they named it "falsies" because false eyelashes are what you're going to need after you use this mess. My eyelashes were so crispy. and not full in the slightest! I wanted to pluck them out. I know we all have different eyelashes, and I need to remember to post photos - I'm gonna work on that. I may even come back and update this later this evening with a photo. But I plan on donating this tube to my best friend, and never purchasing it again. I don't even want to mix it with anything. I much preferred the Colossal mascara, and even it wouldn't make my top 5. Lash Stiletto beats them both by far.

Anyone else used any of the above? Would love to hear your opinions.

But...but...but...silence.

That's what I sound like when Justin asks me to call and cancel an appointment with the personal trainer...

It's kind of like when I was young, me and my sister were cheerleaders for the peewee football teams in Rockdale, Tx. Every Saturday after the games we would go to McDonalds for chicken nuggets and sweet n sour sauce. I ate so many chicken nuggets that the mere thought of them right now makes me a bit queezy. We'd be at the table preparing to eat when I'd say "I need ketchup." Mammaw always said to just go up to the counter and ask for some. But...but...but... and I'd be quiet as I just stared at the ground and my bottom lip would start to quiver. My sister was two years younger, but she had no problem taking her squeaky voice to the counter and asking for some for me. I don't know what was wrong with me.

And I still don't know what's wrong with me. I hate cancelling things like that. Or maybe I don't mind cancelling and I just don't like having to come up with a reason for actually cancelling. I stutter. I go silent. I start shaking with nerves. I'm aware it sounds kinda pathetic.

But none the less... Thanks Sarah for getting all my ketchup for me when I was younger. I love ketchup. Here's me and Sarah last year on the way to Dave & Buster's.

B&W Wednesday - Oh to be in high-school again...

A couple weeks ago I asked my sophomore of a sister to gather some friends and head to downtown with me. I meant for her to bring 3 or 4 friends...she brought 8. :) Right away...i knew practicing my posing techniques was going to be impossible... Check out some more photos from the madness here.

Black & White Wednesday - Bride

A couple of weeks ago, I was able to photograph my first "Trash the Dress" for a bride. I didn't get to take her wedding photos, since I didn't know her then, but I've since photographer her sister's family, her and her husband, and now her trash the dress, and hopefully some maternity photos in the future since she's expecting! :) I had so much fun with my own trash the dress, so when Alexis contacted me to shoot hers after she saw mine, I was extremely excited!

This photo was processed with an action that I had completely forgot about...but as soon as I saw it, I thought...Pioneer Woman has got to have an action for this! And so I chose her action titled "Heartland."

Ya, ya, her dress doesn't look too trashed there does it? That's ok...we got there ;)

Softball

Season #2 just ended, and we just registered for fall ball, tho we did change our name. I'm so glad we decided to play! Throughout the last 2 seasons we've lost a couple players and gained a few, and sadly, I didnt take any pictures this season! Boo! The pictures I do have are from the last game of the first season we played. We play in Pearland, TX at Centennial Park. If you're interested, you can see all the league information at http://www.pearlandparks.com/. Currently, we play Friday nights. Any of you play anywhere?

Here's some pics from our first season :)

Busy Busy.

Man, it's been awhile since I've had time to write here. I dont even have any pictures to post. *sad face* - Not that I havent taken any. I've had a photoshoot or two every weekend for the last....like 6 weeks +. It's exciting, but I wasnt expecting it. And let's not forget about the gym, and softball, and my birthday. and laundry. I have some pics from softball last season i havent posted yet. And I have lots of new photos for B&W Wednesdays. Anyway, I just wanted to check in here and give a quick hello and I'll be back to blogging normally again.

Black & White Wednesday - "2"

Well, last week's B&W Wednesday was "1"... this week it's "2"!

My niece Rylie just turned two! I'm just glad she's finally got hair. And is starting to look more like my sister. I grabbed a couple shots under the tree before she got dirty and put her swim suit on, and the rest are just snap shots...but I have so much fun capturing things like this for the family. Rylie loves baby dolls! And she was excited about books this year too. (You may need to click on photos to make larger...it's cutting the right edge off for some reason. boo :(  )