the lovelee girl

Photography Inspiration

2012-01-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

Here are a few images by some fabulous photographers thathave been inspiring me lately.

Sarah Rhoads

[I actually own a copy of this print!]

Anna Skladmann

Allister Ann

Andrew Brauteseth

Check out my Photography Pinterest board [HERE] for somemore gorgeous images.

Tyler, 9 months

2012-01-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

I took Tyler's 9 month pictures back in December. It was extra special because I took his sister Addie's 9 month pictures back in 2010 [see HERE]. I had some flashbacks during the session, because they were so similar. Tyler was a little sober at first, but I managed to get a few smiles out of him. This was a fun change from my everyday newborn sessions. Tyler was a lot bigger, squirmier and drooled a lot more than newborns do, haha! He kept me on my toes!

Click HERE to see more pictures from this session.

Jackson Family

2012-01-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

I photographed the Jackson family at the end of October. It was pretty chilly outside, but they were rockstars. The park in Boise was absolutely gorgeous with pretty leaves and fall colors. It was extra special doing this family session because they waited for baby James for a long time. It was awesome to capture the joy of their family!

Em is such an amazing big sister!

Click HERE to see more pictures from this session.

Baby James

2012-01-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's the middle of January and I have yet to post the "newborn" pictures I took of James last September. James was born on July 27, which means in just a few days he'll be 6 months old! He was probably just about 2 months when I took these. He did such a great job during the session! I can't believe how much bigger he's gotten in the past few months! Hope you enjoy a few of the pictures from the session.

Click HERE to see more pictures from this session.

Read It

2012-01-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

Millennium Series by Stieg Larsson

Not sure if I really need to go into detail. It was kind of difficult to get into,but after the first chapter or two it picks up. For me, it was hard to keep all the characters straight. Once I finished the first one Icouldn’t wait to get to the next one and so on. But warning, these books are for the faint of heart.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

It is certainly strange, because I have a tendency to readbooks before I see their movie counterparts, but this was an exception. I LOVED the movie and was compelled toread the book. As expected, therewas some difference, but I loved the book just as I did the movie.

Heaven Is For Real by Todd Burpo

Whatever you may believe or don’t believe, read this. I read it in one sitting because thestory was compelling and it’s a quick read. It’s the true story of a 4-year-old little boy who slipsfrom consciousness during emergency surgery and goes to heaven. The book is written by his father, butis kept in the boy’s perspective as much as possible. It is pretty amazing.

Through My Eyes by Tim Tebow

This is an inspirational memoir about Tim Tebow’s life. His story has been filtered throughothers, such as the media, and this is his chance to tell it himself. He has a unique story, starting at hisbirth. He discusses his faith, hisfamily and his motivation. Tim isa one of a kind man.

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

Amazing. See myblog post [HERE].

Sunrise Series by Karen Kingsbury

This is the third series in the Baxter Family books. It includes: Sunrise, Summer, Someday,and Sunset. It follows the livesof the Baxter Family and Dayne and Katie.

Above The Line Series by Karen Kingsbury

This series includes: Take One, Take Two, Take Three, andTake Four. It follows the lives oftwo Hollywood producers, starting with them trying to make a movie that willchange the world. It intertwineswith the Baxter and Flanigan families in Bloomington, Indiana.

Bailey Flanigan Series: Leaving & Learning by KarenKingsbury

I’ve only read the first two books in the Bailey Flaniganseries. The third book, Longingwas recently release and Loving comes out in March. I love where this series is going and can’t wait to readmore. What will happen with Baileyand Cody Coleman? Or Bailey andBrandon Paul?

The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman

I read the “Single’s Edition” back in small group incollege, but loaned by copy out and never got it back. I bought the regular version on my Nookand read it in a day or two. Theprinciples apply not only to marriage, but to any relationship. I think it’s a book that everyoneshould ready. My top lovelanguages are Physical Touch and Quality Time, I think they differ by onepoint. The other “languages”include Words of Affirmation, Receiving Gifts and Acts of Service. We all receive love in differentways. This book explains eachlanguage and the ways people give and receive love through each one.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Just read it. OKAY?!

Stuck in the Middle by Virginia Smith

Freebie from Nook. It’s the first of a trilogy about three sisters. This one is about Joan who is 25 andliving at home with her mom and grandma. Her life is stuck, but once a young doctor moves in next-door thingsstart to change. With some helpfrom her sister Allie, a big dog and God she starts to find her way.

Bright Young Things by Anna Godberson

This was another freebie. What’s with getting free books that are part of aseries? It makes me want the others. This was a fun one, set in 1929, theend of the roaring twenties. Lettyand Cordelia escape from their small Midwest town to New York. Letty wants to be a star and Cordeliawants to find her long lost father.

Throwaway by Heather Huffman

One more freebie, but this is a standalone. The author made it free to download asan ebook to help raise awareness about human trafficking, which is the subjectof the book. Jessie’s worked thestreets for 14 years, but Gabe, an undercover cop, comes along and offers herlove and a future. It was a reallyfast read.

I’m currently in the middle of Wuthering Heights. Next on my list is to re-read TheDaVinci Code by Dan Brown, Cold Tangerines and Bittersweet both by ShaunaNiequist. I really want to readthrough all the books on my Nook. Do you have any recommendations of books to add to my list?

Heard It

2012-01-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

There’s not much to say about these. There are some that I’ve listened tobefore, but a few new ones in the bunch.

Hanson: Shout It Out

The Head and The Heart

A Very She & Him Christmas

Fosters The People: Torches

Blake Shelton: Red River Blue

Justin Bieber: Under The Mistletoe

The Civil Wars: Barton Hollow

Do you have any music suggestions? What’s your favorite album right now?

Seen It...

2012-01-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I've done a Seen It, Heard It, Read It post. Since I've seen, heard and read a lot since my last post I figured I'd break this up into three separate posts so it won't get too long.

Miranda

Jenny got me hooked on this show back in September. Unfortunately with it being a British show I can only watch it by random websites. Miranda is a single woman, who owns her own shop and is crushing on the chef at the restaurant next door. Miranda is a little awkward in social situations and her mother is desperate for her to find a man and get married. It's hilarious!

Drop Dead Diva: Seasons 1 & 2

Heather started watching this one day when she was sick and I soon got sucked into it too. I can't wait for season 3 to go on instant Netflix. I love the sass and wit in this unconventional story about a wanna be model, Deb, who dies in an accident and her soul returns to earth in the body of a smart, plus-size attorney Jane, who also died recently.

The Millenium Series: Swedish Version

As soon as I finished reading the books, I found this on instant Netflix. I really loved all three movies and I'm a little weary of seeing the American version. Although, as with any books to movies, I'll have to take it for what it is. Even the Swedish versions strayed a little from the books.

You Again

This is one that had been in the queue for a while and finally made it's way to the top. I figured it'd be a ho-hum, cute movie, but it definitely exceeded my expectations. It's a fun movie about

All Good Things

I had no idea when I first started this movie that 1: it was based on a true story and 2: it would be a little creepy. It starts off a love story, but slowly things start falling apart and eventually the wife disappears.

Wild Target

There's not much to say about this. It was delightful! Must see! Great combo of action and laughs!

The Karate Kid

One of those movies you see just because. It had some great lessons in it and Jaden is just a cutie. Bonus: Never Say Never plays during the credits.

The Notebook

You either love it or you don't. I'm a sap and I love it. Noah and Allie's story has it's share of heartbreak, but in the end their love does conquer all.

P.S. I Love You

Another chick flick, after Holly's husband Gerry dies she's left to pick up the pieces of her life. Unexpectedly she starts receiving letters from Gerry after he's gone. Holly begins a journey of rediscovery.

Sex & The City Movie

What can I say? LOVE.

Where the Heart Is

Oldie but goodie. It was on instant Netflix and I indulged.

Cyberbully

This was suggested on instant Netflix. Heather had seen it before I did and said I should definitely check it out. It was pretty hard to watch, but I think it's so important that people watch it because it's such an important topic. If you or anyone you know has been affected by bullying [of any kind] please check out the Kind Campaign.

Heathers

I've seen this a couple times, but recently watched it with Heather and Jenny. Crazy, but amazing. Right, Heather?

The Help

Santa brought our family this movie for Christmas. Heather and I had both read the book and were anxiously waiting to see the movie. It definitely lived up to my expectations. If you haven't seen or read either, do it now!

Castle: Season 1

I've seen an episode of this show here and there. Heather started watching it when it first came out, but I was always busy when it was on. We got my dad this season for Christmas and I got hooked. Richard Castle is an author who was brought in by the NYPD because of a copy-cat killer based on one of his books. He recently killed off the main character of his book series and has writer's block. He decides to use Detective Kate Beckett as a model for the main character his new series. He shadows her team with different investigations and provides a unique insight that helps solve various murders.

Young Adult

To steal a summary of this from Heather [see her post HERE]: "To sum it up, Young Adult is about Mavis Gary, a divorced, 37 year old, writer of a soon-to-be-canceled young adult book series. Mavis finds out that her high school boyfriend, Buddy, and his wife, Becky, had a baby girl. She goes back to her hometown believing that she and Buddy are meant to be together and works up a plot to get him back. It is slightly painful to see her advances toward a married man who has obviously moved on. Mavis is ridiculously diluted; you can’t help but simultaneously feel embarrassed and sorry for her. I’ll leave it to you to see how it ends."

What have you seen lately? Do you have any movie or tv suggestions for me?

wacky

2012-01-14T20:37:00.000-07:00

What a strange week! You know it's gonna be a little off when the week starts with a full moon and ends with Friday the 13th! I was originally scheduled for 4 days of work this week, but ended up needing to cover someone's shift on Monday so I worked 5 days. Sadly, I only photographed 4 babies. How frustrating!You'd think with all that "spare time" I would have found some time to blog, but alas it didn't happen.

I thought'd I'd share a few pictures from my week.

My "cart" at work. Love my new brag book [in lower left corner]!

Watched some chick flicks after I got home in the afternoons.

Went thrifting with Heather and found this creepy record. Don't worry we didn't get it. ;)

Gave myself a manicure. Love Rainbow in the S-Kylie!

Watched LOTR Fellowship with the padre and sister [& Blizzard] while mom is out of town.

I hope you all had a less bizarre week than I did. I'm working a few less days next week so I'll [HOPEFULLY] get into a better blogging routine. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas! May it be filled with love and joy!

source

winter inspiration

2011-12-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

Happy December! Here are some lovely images I found to be inspiring during this winter season.

source

Wardrobe Wednesday

2011-11-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've done a WW post. I've been lacking inspiration with my clothes for a while. I just cleaned out my closet and I'm getting ready to do the 30x30 remix in the coming weeks. I can't wait to work with what I've got and come up with some fun outfits. I wore this outfit on Sunday to church with the sister. I got this top on sale at Target. I've been limiting spending, but splurged a little to add some nice tops to my wardrobe.

Top: Target
Jeans: JBrand
Boots: Steve Madden
Necklace: Forever21

my life in retrocam

2011-11-29T09:00:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics from the last few months that I've taken on my cell phone. It's been a crazy couple months!

Making a Christmas wish list!

Ignite Boise 7

Halloween Movie Night!

Dad was attacked by a neighbor cat &

I had to take him to the ER.

I love Justin Bieber! ;)

MiiR's Beyond the Bottle viewing party

update

2011-11-28T15:47:00.001-07:00

Hello [if I have any blog readers left].

As you may have noticed, I’ve been on an unplanned hiatus. In September and October I took two trips to Seattle. The trips hit me emotionally way more than I expected them too. I’ve had a lot to process and needed some time to evaluate stuff/life/etc.. [Side note: I’ll blog about the trips in the next week or so.] I’ve also been trying to get my act together with work and my finances [or lack thereof].

Blogging was getting to be a chore. I needed some space to find myself, find inspiration and decide WHY I was blogging. I’m trying to get back on track, but I might be a little on and off for a while, so please bear with me.

source

Guess why I smile a lot?

2011-11-17T14:55:00.001-07:00

Have you seen this yet?

You can watch the first one [here].

Here's to the crazy ones...

2011-11-10T14:56:00.001-07:00

I just finished reading Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson this afternoon. I was googling on the day that Steve Jobs died and found that this biography was going to be released in a few weeks. I checked my library and saw that it was on order and ended up having the first hold on the book. I looked at the list a few days ago and now there are over 100 holds. Wow!

Before I started reading this book I “knew” who Steve Jobs was, but as I turned the last page I realized that I really didn’t know that much about who he was or all that he had accomplished. He was an extraordinary man. He was brilliant and passionate. He was a rebel. I love how much I learned about him in this book, the good and the bad; ultimately, he was just as human as you and me.

Steve said, “My passion has been to build an enduring company where people were motivated to make great products. Everything else was secondary. Sure it was great to make a profit, because that was what allowed you to make great products. But the products, not the profits, were the motivation…Our job is to figure out what they’re going to want before they do.”

He continued by saying, “The reason Apple resonates with people is that there’s a deep current of humanity in our innovation. I think great artists and great engineers are similar, in that they both have a desire to express themselves.”

The days after he died, Steve Jobs quotes were floating around the internet and I saw many via facebook and twitter. After reading this book, many of those quotes were put into context for me.

By the end of 1982 Apple was looking for a new president. Jobs knew he wasn’t ready for that role. Sights were soon set on John Sculley, president of the Pepsi-Cola division of PepsiCo. After much courtship, Jobs finally said to Sculley, “Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water, or do you want a chance to change the world?”

In 1997, while Jobs was holding the interim CEO position at Apple, he began working on turning Apple’s brand and image around. He told his employees: “We at Apple had forgotten who we were. One way to remember who you are is to remember who your heros are.” Born from that was the “Think Different” campaign.

“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.”

“Apple is about people who think outside the box, who want to use computers to help them change the world.”

In the wake of his death, the commencement speech that Steve Jobs gave at Stanford in June 2005 has probably been most quoted.

“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything—all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure—these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”

He explained about Apple’s integration and control of their devices, “We do them because we want to make great products, because we care about the user, and because we like to take responsibility for the entire experience rather than turn out the crap that other people make. They’re busy doing whatever they do best, and they want us to do what we do best.”

Finally, Jobs’ explained his drive by saying, “We try to use the talents we do have to express our deep feelings, to show our appreciation of all the contributions that came before us, and to add something to that flow. That’s what has driven me.”

Steve Jobs, February 24, 1955 - October 5, 2011

I hope you get the chance to read this book; it was so interesting and inspiring!

See [here] for the eulogy his sister, Mona Simpson wrote.

Halloween

2011-11-04T14:28:00.000-06:00

Let's just skip over the fact it's been a while since I've blogged. We might get into that later. I was inspired to post my Halloween costume when I saw that Heather posted hers yesterday. I was so uninspired when I was trying to figure out what to be for Halloween. It finally hit me a week before. I'm always talking about Foursquare, checking in at places and wanted to become the mayor of this or that place, so I figured why not BE Foursquare. I grabbed a spare Creative Memories box my mom had and went to work. It took me one afternoon to paint the box, decorate and modge podge it. I was so happy with how it turned out. The only thing I wish I could have changed was to make the straps longer. I was so uncomfortable holding my arms up like a nerd all night. I'm not sure how many people understood what I was, but I loved it.

Check In at the Halloween Party

Just of few of my many Badges

My Mayorships

Mayor of Foursquare

Heather and Me

My cute sister was Olive Penderghast.

This year's Halloween was very, um, different than the past three years. Last year we were in Savannah and then we were in L.A. the two previous years. We made the most of it and ended our night at The Matador.

So tell me, what were you for Halloween? What were some favorite costumes that you saw?

strong enough

2011-09-26T09:00:00.000-06:00

The song Strong Enough by Matthew West has been on my heart for the past couple of weeks and I felt like it needed to be shared.

You must, You must think I'm strong
To give me what I'm going through

Well forgive me
Forgive me if I'm wrong
But this looks like more than I can do
On my own

I know I'm not strong enough to be
Everything that I'm supposed to be
I give up
I'm not strong enough
Hands of mercy won't you cover me
Lord right now I'm asking you to be
Strong enough
Strong enough
For the both of us

Well, maybe, maybe that's the point
To reach the point of giving up
Cause when I'm finally
Finally at rock bottom
Well, that's when I start looking up
And reaching out

Cause I'm broken
Down to nothing
But I'm still holding on to the one thing
You are God
and You are strong
When I am weak

I can do all things
Through Christ who gives me strength
And I don't have to be
Strong enough
Strong enough

photo source

gone on vacay!

2011-09-22T16:00:00.000-06:00

Heather and I are flying up to Seattle this evening for a much needed vacation! Jenny’s mom invited us couple months ago as a graduation present for Jenny. Happy Graduation Jenny! We’ll be driving up to Whistler tomorrow and spending the weekend in the mountains. I feel very lucky to be able to go to Seattle-ish twice this fall.

I’m sure I’ll have lots of fun pictures [and maybe videos] to share when I get back next week! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

baby shower

2011-09-22T09:00:00.000-06:00

On Saturday my mom, aunt, Heather and I hosted a baby shower for my cousin Kristin. I wrote this blog post back in July about how they had been approved to adopt. Well, right before Labor Day weekend and a very selfless woman chose them to adopt her 5 week old little boy. You can definitely see God's hand working through their adoption journey that lead them to sweet baby James. We had so much fun planning, buying presents and decorating for the shower. It was wonderful to see it all come together. I took James' baby pictures yesterday and posted them on my facebook fan page. He's such a little stud muffin. Here are a few pictures from the shower!

Seen It, Heard It, Read It

2011-09-21T09:00:00.000-06:00

Seen It
Switched at Birth

This is an ABC Family show that the sister found on instant Netflix. She was going to start watching it and then I joined her. It’s a really good show and it looks like the second half of the first season will start in January.

Chaos Theory

This was a random one that I found on Netflix. I figured it had Ryan Reynolds and the reviews were decent, so I added it to the instant queue. I must admit was multitasking while watching, so it didn’t have my full attention. It was an interesting story about a man who is an efficiency expert and his wife tries to help him by changing the clock by 10 minutes, but instead of giving him more time she made him late. The movie shows the chaos that ensues because of it.

Eat, Pray, Love

This is a great chick flick. I love Julia Roberts! She’s just so fabulous. I love all of the places she visits in this movie. I totally relate to Elisabeth’s search for herself. But, I don’t think I will ever read this book. I know a couple friends who had started it, but couldn’t get through it. I'm fine with just appreciating the movie for what it is.

The Big Bang Theory: Season 4

My mom and I saw this at Costco the day it came out and decided we needed it. I never watched much of this season on tv, because I figured I’d watch it when it came out on dvd. It’s been fun to see new-to-me episodes! I love Sheldon.

Heard It
Karmin
I saw this video on Maggie’s blog a couple weeks ago. This couple is pretty amazing. If you haven’t heard them yet you may want to go check them out on Youtube. They are incredibly talented. I had this song stuck in my head for a week straight.

Read It
Fearless by Max Lucado

This book got “lost” on my Nook. Not really lost, but when I don’t have the physical book I can sometimes forget what book I’m in the middle of. This, like previous books, is one that was challenging for me to get through. This is not to say it wasn’t a great book. It’s just one of those “hard to swallow” books.

Radiant by Marian Jordan

This is another book that I have on my Nook. I started it thinking that I hadn’t read it before (I know, I’m a horrible person to forget), but the whole first half of the book was really familiar. I think I had started it once, never finished it, decided to start over, but then forgot and re-read it. Anyway, it was great and a very quick read, I finished it in an afternoon. Marian talks about how to live as a light

Bittersweet by Shauna Niequist

OMG. I love Shauna Niequist. She is so talented and has an amazing way with words. She is one of my favorite authors. I got this book on sale on my Nook with a birthday gift card. This book focuses on how life is simultaneously bitter and sweet. She shares stories from her own life, specifically from a time in her life where she was dealing with hurts and heartaches, but found joy and sweetness through it all. If you haven’t heard of her before, I’d recommend reading her book Cold Tangerines first.

Real Girl Next Door by Denise Richards

I found this book when I was searching for Nook books to buy with my birthday gift card, but decided to just check it out from the library. There was a pretty long waiting list, but I finally picked it up last week. I thought it was a great book and very interesting.

my life in retrocam

2011-09-20T09:00:00.000-06:00

Here are a few pictures from my life lately. There's a couple random ones in there [like the first one], but that's kinda my life, haha. Enjoy!

Home Makeover

2011-09-19T19:46:00.000-06:00

This post has been a long time coming. This is the secret project I was working on last month!

In August when my dad went to Texas [for the third time since April] on a Fire Information assignment, my mom and I went to work. She wanted to surprise him, so during the three weeks he was gone we made over the master bedroom and bathroom. They had never really decorated their room and weren’t happy with the recent purple paint job in the bathroom.

I loved my extended paint roller brush!

Heather wasn’t able to help because she was recovering from whiplash. So it was pretty much just mom and me. It was hard work, but really fun! I even became mayor of Home Depot on Fourquare during the process. While we were cleaning out their room I found a stash of some of my dad’s old photography. I got the idea to use it as part of their décor. It ended up working perfectly and was a fun surprise for my dad. I also found some gifts that were given to him when he retired from the BLM a few years ago. Mom and I bought a shadow box to include some of his favorite pins, name badge and a pocket watch that was given to him when he retired.

After we finished up the master bedroom and bathroom, my mom “surprised” Heather and I by telling us that we could makeover our bathroom. I wasn’t sure if I was happy or stressed about it, haha. Mom went to a convention in Minneapolis and gave Heather and I some cash and guidelines. She wanted us to keep the shower curtain and the soap dispenser, cup and a few decorations.

Heather and I spent the next three days picking out paint at Home Depot, stripping old wallpaper off, texturizing the now stripped, previously wallpapered walls, priming and painting. We even created some new decorations for the wall in our bathroom. We used DIY project ideas from Promise and Elsie. It was hard work, but we loved how it all came together. My mom was a little shocked by the color of the paint we chose. She was expecting/hoping for something subtler, but she likes how it came together.

Fashion Friday: Spring 2012

2011-09-16T09:00:00.000-06:00

Some of my favs from Fashion Week.

3.1 Phillip Lim

Alice + Olivia

Christian Siriano

Diane von Furstenberg

J Crew

Marc by Marc Jacobs

Michael Kors

Nanette Lepore

Rachel Zoe

Victoria Beckham

26 before 27: Monthly Update

2011-09-15T20:37:00.000-06:00

I’ve been busy the past 6 weeks working on my 26 before 27 goals. I created this binder to help me organize my goals.

I wanted to give you all a little update as to how I’ve been doing on them. It’s been a little hard to prioritize because I want to get them ALL done NOW. Here are a few goals that I’ve been working on:

1. Meet Amanda irl – We’re trying to schedule a good time for her to fly out here to Idaho. Tentatively scheduled for December.

5. Blog consistently and increase my blog followers [100+] – Yikes! This one is hard. I’ve been trying my best to plan out and schedule my blogs. I’m starting with blogging consistently and then will work on increasing my blog followers.

8. Read the Bible cover to cover – I’m really excited about this one! I’ve been reading my Bible every day since July 31. I’m using THIS PLAN I found online. In order to keep it organized I used 7 different paint samples as bookmarks and labeled them with the days of the week. I keep a copy of the plan folded in the front of my Bible to refer to specific chapters for each day. It works great! I love the plan because I get to read different passages everyday.

12. Get current on my photo albums– This is extremely challenging, but I did attend my mom’s crop this month. I have a lot to catch up on, but I think that I need to wrap up my traditional albums first. This might take some goals and planning to make sure I complete this goal.

14. Be the top seller for Bella Baby Photography in Boise– While I wasn’t top seller for Bella Baby in Boise last month, I did reach my highest sales ever. I honestly don’t think that I will be able to become the top seller without being a certified Bella Life Photographer.

15. Become a certified Bella Life Photographer – I am making plans to [hopefully] submit a gallery [or galleries] this month to be approved as a Bella Life Photographer. The gallery that I submit will be critiqued and it might take a few rounds before I’m actually approved.

18. Expand my personal photography business through senior portrait sessions and family sessions – As you may know, I launched a facebook page for my photography. This was something I was very nervous about. I’m very self conscious about my work, so this was a huge step for me. I photographed my first Senior Rep last month. I have a tentative senior session this month and will hopefully book some more sessions from those. I also have two family sessions that need to be scheduled in the coming months!

25. Maintain organization in my life, personally and work-related, via filing system – I put this off for most of the month because I knew it’d be challenging. I got a whole bunch of new file folders and organized my existing files, cleaning them out as I went. I have a new system for my files, including an “In Progress” folder where I stash the things I need to go through, rather than piling them on my desk. I think it’s going to work very well! I’ve also been trying to use my planner in a more efficient way. I also just downloaded the Wunderlist app on my MacBook Pro. I think it’s going to be awesome in helping me get organized!

26. View the following documentaries: Beyond The Bottle [Miir] and Finding Kind [Kind Campaign] and donate to each organization – I was able to see Beyond The Bottle documentary TWICE! You can view it HERE. I might be able to see Finding Kind if/when Amanda comes to visit, because she has a copy of it. It might take me a while to be able to donate to either cause but I’m excited that I’ll be able to cross it off my list in the next couple months.

Never Forget

2011-09-11T09:00:00.000-06:00

On September 11, 2011 I was 16 years old. Heather and I were driving to school; we had just started our junior year. The radio was on in the car and I was annoyed that the dee jays were talking about some plane crash instead of playing music. It wasn’t until I reached first period, English that I understood what was going on. The teacher had the tv on and we watched the first tower fall, then she turned it off.

I swear I was the only person in our high school whose teachers would NOT let us watch the news all day. Um, hello, history was happening and they insisted that learning was more important that day. It was all so surreal. At lunch I went home and my parents had the news on. I was at home for all of 10 minutes before I had to leave again.

We went to church that night to pray for our country. I remember the feeling in the sanctuary. It was full of fear and uncertainty, as well as heartache for all those who lost their lives. What was going to happen to our country? The only thing that we could all do was cling to the hope we have in Christ.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Sunday, September 16th, my friend Trista and I lead the Bible Study for our youth group. Our topic was fear. I still have the prayer in my Bible that we said that night.

“Dear Lord,Sometime I am afraid, sometimes I am overwhelmed by horror, sometimes I’m just numb about what is going on around me and what the future might hold. Please grant me your peace. Wrap me in your loving arms and let me experience the comfort of your presence—not just so that I can be comforted, but so that I can also be a comfort to those around me. In the powerful name of Jesus I pray. Amen.”

Where were you?

SexyBack Challenge - Week 11 & 12

2011-09-08T08:00:00.000-06:00

I can't believe this challenge is over! Has it really been 12 weeks?

The past couple weeks have been really good. I've been trying to finish this challenge strong and I think I did just that. I've been trying to get back into a workout routine. I tried Body by Bethenny and Crunch - Super SlimDown: Pilates Yoga Blend. BBB was challenging because I don't have a ton of experience with yoga, so I ended up not doing the whole thing. I think that I might go back to it when I have more experience. SSD was a great workout. I felt a lot more comfortable with it and had fun with it. The great thing about it is, is that it's on instant Netflix!

I'm so happy I was able to participate in the SexyBack Challenge, even if I didn't have weight loss in mind. I was able to get out of the rut that I was in as far as my health and fitness go.

Just to recap, here’s a list of my goals for SexyBack:
- 45 minutes minimum of physical activity or exercise 5-7 days of the week
- Utilize workout dvds (30 Day Shred, 6 Week six-pack, BL Cardio)
- Nightly walks/runs
- Use RunKeeper app
- MORE water (3+ miir bottles/day)
- Eat healthier
- MORE veggies, utilize the garden
- Less processed food and more fresh food
- Homemade meals
- Less pop and coffee, green monsters, fresh fruit smoothies or tea instead
- Use MyFitness app & website to track calories & exercise

Overall I feel like I've been very successful in meeting the goals I set for myself during this challenge. I am much more physically active than I was when I started. As I said in one of my last posts, I haven't been "working out" as much lately, but have been doing a lot of physical activity. I ended up not using the apps to track different things, but it seems like one more thing to have to deal with. I am drinking a lot more water [love my MiiR bottles]! I am definitely eating much healthier than I was before. I can proudly say that's one thing I did great on, especially in the last couple weeks with all the fresh veggies that have been around the house lately. As far as the pop and coffee go, I think it might always be a part of my life, but all in moderation of course! I am really confident that even as this challenge is ending, I will be able to keep this all up!

Finally, I'd like to say thanks to Carlos and Grant for starting this challenge!

Week One
Week Two
Week Three
Week Four
Week Five
Week Six
Week Seven and Eight
Week Nine and Ten

Wardrobe Wednesday

2011-09-07T08:00:00.000-06:00

I wore this dress a couple Sundays ago to church. I got a giftcard from Express for my birthday and I ended up getting this dress. I had tried on a different color in the store and then decided on this one. I like it, but it kind of slinks up when I walk, like wayyyy too much. It's a little awkward trying to keep it pulled down. Bahh. Kind of frustrating. Besides all that I like how I styled it, with the statement necklace and mixing black and brown.

Dress: Express
Belt: Forever 21
Heels: Marc Fisher
Necklace: Forever 21

Seen It, Heard It, Read It

2011-09-06T08:00:00.000-06:00

Seen It

Make It Or Break It

Heather and I finally watched this on instant Netflix after hearing about it for a while. We immediately got hooked on it and then unintentionally got our mom hooked on it. We had finished up the first two seasons and then one night our mom was like, “Could we watch that gymnastics shows?” We ended up starting it again and are almost done with it for the second time. I’m just hoping that it’ll be back for season 3!

The Joneses

This was a Netflix recommendation that I ended up putting in our queue. It was very different than anything I expected. It’s a very bizarre story, but was really interesting.

The Source Code

Jake Gyllenhaal is an Army helicopter pilot who tries to understand how he got to his current mission, which is trying to find the bomber of a commuter train. He’s in something called “The Source Code” which allows the user to experience the last eight minutes of a person’s life within an alternate timeline. This is one of those crazy movies where you’re not exactly sure what happened. It’s really interesting and makes you want watch it again.

Unknown

Liam Neeson is a badass. This is a great action/thriller movie. Liam plays doctor who goes to a work conference in Germany with his wife, but ends up in an accident. When he wakes up his wife doesn’t recognize him and neither does anyone else. While he’s trying to uncover his identity he must escape from assassins who are out to get him.

Living Proof

I think this was a Lifetime original movie that I had seen previously. I’m pretty sure my mom had put it in our Netflix queue. This time I wasn’t actually able to watch it, but rather just listened to it while I was doing some other things. It’s based on a true story and was really inspiring.

Blue Valentine

Wow. This was heart wrenching. I don’t even know how else to explain it. The young Ryan Gosling is hot. Um, that’s all.

Sorority Wars

The story was a little familiar, á la Sydney White, but definitely more serious. My school didn’t have sororities, so the concept of pledging, etc. is a little foreign to me. It was a pretty good movie, fun for a Friday night in with the sister.

Heard It

I’ve been listening to a lot of good music lately. I’ve included some videos with each of these for you to check out. Amazing.

Rayland Baxter: The Miscalculation of Song [EP]

Carlos Whittaker: Ragamuffin Soul

Brian Wurzell: Grace Ocean

Laura Jansen: Bells

Mat Kearney: Young Love

Matt Nathanson: Modern Love

Read It

Picture Perfect by Jodi Picoult

This book was a little hard to get into. It always takes me a while to get use to her writing style after I’ve been reading other authors. It was a good story, but also hard to read given some of the circumstances and relationships in the book.

Beautiful Things Happen When A Woman Trusts God by Sheila Walsh

This is one of those books that have been half-read and sitting on my shelf for a couple months. I tend to do that with books that have some tough stuff to swallow.
“Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he's the one who will keep you on track. Don't assume that you know it all. Run to God!”
Proverbs 3:5-7 MSG

Quitter by Jon Acuff

MUST. READ. BOOK. Not only is Jon Acuff the funniest guy ever, but also this is such an insightful book. It digs into closing the gap between your day job and your dream job.

Music Monday: Rock Mafia

2011-09-05T08:00:00.000-06:00

lost

2011-09-04T14:23:00.000-06:00

I always feel like I should apologize when I go MIA from my blog. But then again, it's my blog and I don't want to feel pressured by it because it's supposed to be fun. This past week has been so incredibly challenging for me. Added thanks to my hormones [or maybe it was because of my hormones] for making me feel like my life was/is falling apart. I've just felt so lost. Thankfully the hormone surge has passed and my crazy thoughts have subsided [for now].

When you're in the midst of troubles it's hard to get perspective. It's easier when you're at the top of the mountain to get a different vantage point on your problems.

I spent the week trying to remind myself that just because someone has "fill in the blank" doesn't make them happy.

A boyfriend
A husband
A full-time job
A consistent income
Friends
.... the list goes on.

I feel like I have NO direction in my life, but even if I did it wouldn't guarantee my happiness. Joy comes from within and from maintaining a healthy relationship with God. I KNOW that He has plans for me and they're better than anything I could imagine myself. It took me a long time this week to get out of my head and remind myself of it.

I know I'm not the only one this happens to. Have you felt lost recently? What steps have you taken to climb the mountain and gain a new/different perspective on your situation?

I think it might be time to re-read Wilderness Skills for Women by Marian Jordan [see HERE or Heather's post HERE]. I definitely recommend it if you're looking for some guidance or direction.

source

Music Monday: Jayme Dee

2011-08-29T09:00:00.002-06:00

I found Jayme Dee a couple months ago on Twitter/Youtube. She has a fabulous voice and is just the cutest thing. She's done a lot of covers, but is currently working on her own music. I hope you enjoy these music videos. The last one is her own song. If you don't have time to listen to them all, then I'd recommend just watching the first one. It's my current fave!

Find Jayme Dee:
Youtube
Twitter

Senior Portraits: Kyla Class of 2012

2011-08-28T12:20:00.001-06:00

I had the pleasure of doing Kyla’s Senior Portraits a week and a half ago. I’ve known Kyla through church for a long time. Kyla is one of the nicest girls you will meet and has a beautiful heart. Thank you Kyla for such a great day! This was definitely one of my favorite photo sessions I’ve ever done.

You may recognize Kyla from THIS project I did last year for school.

I had the hardest time narrowing down her pictures for the preview, but somehow I did it. It was fun to go through them with her and her parents. There were some tough choices, but they finally got down to their favorites.

Without further ado, here are Kyla’s portraits!

Also, I'd like to announce that I finally launched a facebook page for my photography. You can head over HERE to like it.

SexyBack Challenge - Week 9 & 10

2011-08-25T09:00:00.011-06:00

The last two weeks have been insane! I would have to say that I've spent about 80%-90% of my waking hours doing physical activities. When I started this challenge my goal was to find my abs, but instead I've found some guns, haha. But seriously, it's kind of awesome.

I've been pretty good with food. Eating LOTS and lots of vegetables! I've also had some not so healthy stuff, but all in moderation. I probably haven't been drinking as much water as I should have, but hey, I'm a work in progress.

My only hope is when I'm done with the projects I've been working on that I'll easily be able to get into a regular workout routine again. Maybe that's what I'll focus on during the last couple weeks of this challenge. Anyway, here are a few pics from the last two weeks!

Week One
Week Two
Week Three
Week Four
Week Five
Week Six
Week Seven and Eight

my life in retrocam

2011-08-24T09:00:00.001-06:00

I know I haven't been that great about blogging the past couple weeks, but I'm hoping to get back to it regularly. After all, that is one of my goals. Speaking of which, I'll have my first update at the end of the month about how I'm doing so far with my goals. To slowly ease myself back into blogging I'll start by sharing what I've been up to the past couple weeks via cell phone pictures.

SexyBack Challenge - Week 7 & 8

2011-08-11T21:54:00.001-06:00

I didn't get around to posting my update last week, so I figured I would combine it with this week.

The past two weeks have been awesome! I'm definitely on track with my weekly goals and I actually feel FIT. I'm doing great with my water and food. There have been a few splurges here and there, but everything in moderation.

The sister and I have been doing a great job of shredding everyday [or almost everyday]. This past Sunday we went boating and this next Sunday we're going to Roaring Springs waterpark. So we've had a little more incentive to get our butts in gear the past two weeks.

I've also been helping my mom with a special project and I'm getting a lot more physical activity in. I spent most of yesterday afternoon and today working. Needless to say, my arms are like noodles and my whole body is sore.

My picture for the week is from our outing on Sunday. I hope I'll be able to get one from this coming Sunday for next week's post!

Week One
Week Two
Week Three
Week Four
Week Five
Week Six

Wardrobe Wednesday

2011-08-03T09:00:00.028-06:00

I wore this on Saturday night to The Matador. I was going to wear a dress, but after trying three on and not being very happy with any of them I settled on this. I felt so fierce!

Top: Forever 21
Skirt: Forever 21
Shoes: Jeffery Campbell
Bracelet: Forever 21
Rings: Premiere Designs

I wore this on Sunday to church and then out to run errands after lunch. The sister got me this skirt from Forever 21 a couple weeks ago and it's my new fav.

Tank Top: Forever 21
Vest: Forever 21
Skirt: Forever 21
Necklace: My own
Bracelet: Premiere Designs
Rings: Premiere Designs
Platforms: Jessica Simpson Dany Platforms

26 before 27

2011-08-01T09:00:00.051-06:00

I must admit my last year’s goals kind of stunk. Okay, they weren’t THAT bad, but I don’t think I was very thoughtful when I came up with them. I was coming up with stuff to put on my list because I had blanks to fill in. Maybe that’s why I only completed like a third of them. I wasn’t SUPER excited about crossing them off my list.

This year I couldn’t be MORE excited about my list of goals! Maybe I got wiser this past year. ;) I feel like I was genuine when I came up with this list. I asked myself WHAT I wanted to accomplish, WHY I wanted to do it, WHERE do I want to be next year and HOW can I get there? I've tried to answer sincerely.

I’ve broken them up into different categories. This was done after-the-fact so that I could be more organized when I’m working on them.

Note: I kept some of my goals from last year on my list, because I really do want to do them.

To make my goals more attainable I’ve included brief notes [mostly for myself] on ways I will be able to achieve them. I’m going to create a binder with my goals and evaluate monthly to see how I’m progressing, as well as see if I need to make any changes. I might even do a blog update once a month to share how I’m doing; a little accountability doesn’t hurt, right? I’m aiming to work on [some goals are on-going] or complete 2+ goals a month.

Friends & Social
1. Meet Amanda irl
2. Visit my Seattle girls [happening October 2011]
3. Attend Ignite Boise [October 2011]
4. Reach over 600 followers on twitter
5. Blog consistently and increase my blog followers [100+]
6. Host a giveaway on my blog [when I reach 100 followers—ideas: photography prints, photography session, etc.]
7. Meet one or more twitter/blogger friends irl [Amanda, Ignite Boise, Seattle tweeters in October]

Faith
8. Read the Bible cover to cover [tentatively following THIS plan, printed & kept in Bible or by my night stand]
9. Participate in the Women’s Bible Study at church and be prepared for each class [Starting September 2011, with Becoming a Woman of Simplicity by Cynthia Heald]

Finances
10. Get out of debt and save money, create a monthly budget [Live like no one else. cc: Dave Ramsey—see #14]
11. Move out of my parent’s house [Spring 2012, plan & budget expenses—see #14]

Photography
12. Get current on my photo albums [attends mom’s monthly crops & scrapbook events, finish traditional album then become strictly digital]
13. Take photos with my Holga and get them developed via The Darkroom
14. Be the top seller for Bella Baby Photography in Boise [become “The Closer” & maintain a consistent income]
15. Become a certified Bella Life Photographer [contact Dina & Stacey]
16. Brainstorm photography concepts and create two personal photo series
17. Take a photography class [lighting? portrait? studio? where?]
18. Expand my personal photography business through senior portrait sessions and family sessions [Senior Reps & Family session add-ons to Senior Sessions]

Fun
19. Go on a date [I don’t know how this will happen. Are you there God? It’s me, Ashlee…]
20. Make a dress [design & sew, make my own pattern, create a muslin sloper first]
21. Have a movie marathon [Steve Martin movies – re: Heather's goals]
22. Build a fort/tent inside on a rainy day [even better if it coincides with #21]

23. Develop my personal style, do the 30x30 challenge [Fall/Winter and Spring/Summer—at least one time, possibly two]
24. Complete Red Velvet’s Blog E-Course & Dream Job E-Course [create binder with all info, complete lessons bi-weekly]

Life/Misc.
25. Maintain organization in my life, personally and work-related, via filing system [clean out old files, new filing boxes—personal & work, monthly folders, research organization methods, systems. find what works best for me.]

26. View the following documentaries: Beyond The Bottle [Miir] and Finding Kind [Kind Campaign] and donate to each organization

source

Fashion Friday: Birthday Dresses

2011-07-29T09:00:00.013-06:00

I came up with this fun inspiration board for ideas for going out for my birthday. Heather and I didn't do anything to celebrate our birthdays last year with our friends. This year we're going out to The Matador with some of our local friends. Then we're hoping to celebrate with our Seattle friends when we visit in October. We're going out tomorrow night and I'm not quite sure what to wear yet. My only ideas include these Jeffrey Campbell heels, because really, what other reasons do I have to wear them in Boise? haha. So that's what I'll probably style my outfit around. We'll see what I come up with!

birthday dresses by AshleeRohnert featuring platform shoes

Sheer lace dress
$230 - lagarconne.com

Diane von Furstenberg metallic dress
£134 - matchesfashion.com

TopShop body con dress
$110 - topshop.com

Jane Norman layered dress
£75 - janenorman.co.uk

Steve Madden rhinestone shoes
$130 - zappos.com

Jessica Simpson mary jane pumps
$100 - heels.com

Penny Loves Kenny ivory heels
$90 - heels.com

Platform shoes
$89 - jessicasimpsoncollection.com

DKNY clutch hand bag
$132 - zappos.com

Clutch hand bag
$150 - witchery.com.au

Tasha clutch hand bag
$98 - nordstrom.com

Miss Selfridge clutch hand bag
£16 - missselfridge.com

SexyBack Challenge - Week 6

2011-07-28T18:52:00.002-06:00

Is this challenge really almost halfway over?

I may not be doing this challenge to lose weight or for any of the other reasons other people are. But I am thankful for it because it helping me to make my fitness, food, lifestyle, etc. a priority in my life. Maybe I'm not taking it as seriously as I should. I don't even want to tell you how many times I did [or didn't] workout this week. But I'm thankful it's there to remind me of my goals every week.

In the next week I'll be posting my 26 goals before 27. I'm very serious about achieving them and I'm excited to see how incorporating them into my life will hopefully help me achieve my SexyBack Challenge goals. I want to live a well-balanced life: physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I'm excited to share them with you [on Monday]. Overall, I want to be more disciplined in my life and give everything I have into accomplishing the goals I set for myself.

I don't have a picture this week, but I do want to share this video.

Xiomara is incredible! Her current goal is to lose 25 lbs a month so that she can go to New York in December. She is inspirational! If she can complete 3-4 workouts a day, I should be able to do one, RIGHT?!

Follow Xiomara on Twitter

Week One
Week Two
Week Three
Week Four
Week Five

Wardrobe Wednesday

2011-07-27T09:00:00.010-06:00

It's been a while since I've done a Wardrobe Wednesday post. I wore this on Sunday to church. I was running a little late and so I had to decide on an outfit fast. I love this pencil skirt from Target, partly because it has pockets and partly because it's an extra small. Don't ask me how I fit in it, but it sure makes me feel good when I wear it. Haha.

Yellow Tank Top: Forever21
White Tank Top: Forever21
Skirt: Mossimo by Target
Heels: Marc Fisher
Necklace: Forever21
Bracelet: Forever21
Rings: Forever21 & Premiere Designs

After church I changed into some boyfriend jeans, a white tank and a lace top with some black t-strap sandals. It was the perfect outfit to see Harry Potter 7 Part 2. I just with I had taken a picture of it too. Guess I'll have to save it for another post.

the sky is everywhere

2011-07-26T09:00:00.000-06:00

I wanted to share a few of my favorite quotes from The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson, which I recently read.

Grief is a house
where the chairs
have forgotten how to hold us
the mirrors how to reflect us
the walls how to contain us
grief is a house that disappears
each time someone knocks at the door
or rings the bell
a house that blows into the air
at the slightest gust
that buries itself deep in the ground
while everyone is sleeping
grief is a house where no one can protect you
where the younger sister
will grow older than the older one
where the doors
no longer let you in
or out.

When I’m with him,
there is someone with me
in my house of grief,
someone who knows
its architecture as I do
who can walk with me,
from room to sorrowful room,
making the whole rambling structure
of wind and emptiness
not quite as scary, as lonely
as it was before.

If this doesn't change out lives,
I don't know what will - this,
Lennie, is the color of extraordinary.

I look into his sorrowless eyes
and a door in my heart blows open.
And when we kiss,
I see that on the other side
of that door
is sky.

I told him I was looking up at the sky.
He said, "That's a misconception,
Lennie, the sky is everywhere,
it begins at your feet."

source

Music Monday: Steve Martin

2011-07-25T09:00:00.001-06:00

As you know, Saturday night the fam saw Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers. The parents took Heather and I as an early birthday present. We had such a great time at the show. Steve is a fabulous performer! He's so funny and has great comedic timing. The Steep Canyon Rangers were truly amazing!

Here are just a few pictures from the show. I hope you enjoy!

Follow Steve Martin on Twitter

Fashion Friday

2011-07-22T09:00:00.004-06:00

Tomorrow night we're going to see Steve Martin in concert! It's an early birthday present from the parents for Heather and I. I'm excited to see him and spend a fun evening with the fam. I put together an outfit inspiration board on Polyvore for tomorrow night's concert. I'll definitely be referencing this when choosing an outfit for the show. I especially like the necklace I chose to go with either outfit. :)

outdoor summer concert by AshleeRohnert featuring leather shoes

Sheer top
$35 - modcloth.com

TopShop floral shirt
$25 - topshop.com

Current/Elliott short shorts
$148 - barneys.com

One teaspoon shorts
$100 - generalpants.com.au

Nine west shoes
$50 - piperlime.gap.com

Leather shoes
£55 - toast.co.uk

Culture Phit retro shoulder bag
$99 - zappos.com

Necklace
$20 - hottopic.com

Ray-Ban black shades
£60 - my-wardrobe.com

Jane Norman trilby hat
£14 - janenorman.co.uk

SexyBack Challenge - Week 5

2011-07-21T14:18:00.002-06:00

Here's my SexyBack Week 5 check-in!

This week can be summed up with one word, VEGGIES! You can tell that our garden is in full bloom with all the fresh veggies we’ve been eating this week. Okay, so maybe it’s just the zucchini and cucumbers, but still.

Here's a picture of our garden.

One of my favorite things to have for lunch is a veggie sandwich. I make it with a sandwich thin, a little Chipotle Lime Mayo (à la Wildtree Herbs), a thin slice of mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers and lots of spinach. It’s easy and quick to make and the ingredients are usually in the fridge.

My physical activity this week has mostly been work. I’m constantly walking, moving, squatting, lifting my camera and so on. I’ve also gotten a few evening walks in as well.

At the Canyon County Relay For Life [last month] I ended up winning one of the raffles, which just so happened to be 4 months free at a local fitness center. I’ll probably be splitting the fourth months with Heather so that we can go together. I need to go on the website and sign up, but hopefully I’ll be able to start this next week if things don’t get too busy.

My goals for next week are to step up my exercise game [5 days - 30 minutes minimum/day] and continue to drink lots of water. I feel I’m at a good place with my food and I’m continuing to cut back [or cut out] pop. What are you goals this week?

Week One
Week Two
Week Three
Week Four

Seen It, Heard It, Read It

2011-07-19T21:14:00.000-06:00

Seen It

Tangled

My family finally got around to watching this after my dad got home from Texas. He loves animated movies, let's face it, I like them too. It was super cute and definitely would be one to own!

Pretty Wild

I had a sick day last week, or the week before, and I ended up in bed all day watching this. It's just one of those good, but bad reality tv, trash shows. It kept me entertained and helped keep my mind off not feeling well. Side note: after watching the show I googled Alexis and Tess and ended up finding Alexis' Youtube channel. She recently started doing video blogs about how much her life has changed since she's been in rehab. It's pretty inspiring and really awesome to see how much she's grown.

Country Strong

This was one we watched right before dad got home, because we weren't sure if he'd like it or not. It was such a great movie and definitely nothing like I expected [in a good way]. I like how the music was incorporated into the movie, there was a great balance between the music and the story.

Just Go With It

I had a free rental from Redbox and this is what I ended up getting. I had fairly low expectations, but since I like Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler [occasionally] I figured I'd give it a shot. Heather, my mom and I laughed through the whole thing! I really want to get it again so my dad can see it because I'm sure he'd love it. I think it's probably worth owning.

How Do You Know

I kind of regret watching this. I'd definitely call it a dud. The story just didn't seem to flow and during parts of it I would ask myself "what is going on?" and "why is this happening?". I was pretty bummed and will [hopefully] never watch it again.

What If...

The cute Debby Ryan tweeted a month or so ago that this movie she was in was on instant Netflix. I looked it up and after reading the brief description I immediately added it to our queue. It's a sweet story about the "What if..." in this man's life. It has a lot to do with faith and spirituality, but does so in a way that doesn't portray Christians as outrageous or crazy. I would highly recommend this to anyone and everyone.

Heard It

Brett Dennen: Loverboy

I'm still mourning the fact I missed seeing Brett when he was in Boise at the beginning of June.

Lenka: Two

I was thrilled to finally get Lenka's new album. Remember that one time I met her? Oh yeah, that was awesome.

Steve Martin: The Crow

I can't wait to see him on Saturday night! I'm trying to convince him via twitter that he needs to give Heather and me backstage passes as a birthday present.

Death Cab For Cutie: Codes and Keys

I don't know if I could really say that I've truly listened to this. I've had it playing in the car since about Friday because I've been driving all over the place lately. I guess if I play it long enough it might stick in my head.

Spotify

On Friday I opened an account with Spotify because I have a Klout account. I still feel like I have no idea what I'm doing with it. Maybe I should read/watch the tutorial, ha! I think it'll be cool once I figure it out.

Read It

When Joy Came To Stay by Karen Kingsbury

This was the second to last stand-alone book by Karen that I had left to read. It was difficult to read because of the spiral of despair that one of the characters is experiencing. I love that Karen is not afraid to approach tough subjects, such as depression and faith. I appreciate that her stance in this book is that Christians do experience depression and just because they do it doesn't make them any less of a believer.

Where Yesterday Lives by Karen Kingsbury

This book seemed a little bit different than some of Karen's other books, maybe because it was one of her first ones. It's a story of a woman going home after her father passes away. She looks for solace while dealing with arguments with her siblings and distance from her husband.

The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

When we went to Whistler last summer [ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE] Janelle was reading this book. I've had it written down on a sticky note so I'd remember to read it when I found time. Heather read it last fall and wrote THIS POST about it. I absolutely loved it!

Songs of the Humpback Whale by Jodi Picoult

I decided to take a little break from reading through all of Karen Kingsbury's books, so I started at the beginning of Jodi Picoult's books. It was definitely a different pace than Karen's books, so it took me a while to get into it and find a rhythm. It's told through 5 different voices, some in the past and some in the present. I found it really interesting and, at times, heartbreaking. I'm starting another book by her today.

adoption

2011-07-18T08:00:00.002-06:00

Hello sweet blog readers! I wanted to share something a little more personal with you all today.

I am super excited to say that my cousin Kristin and her husband recently announced that they have decided to adopt a baby! They have gone through all of their home studies and are currently waiting to find their baby. The program they are doing involves more networking and searching out a birth mother.

On the 4th of July they gave us letters to announce their wonderful news and these awesome pass along cards to share.

You can see their adoption website HERE. I absolutely love the letter on their homepage. Please take the time to read it and pass this website along to anyone you know who might be interested. Thanks in advance!

SexyBack Challenge - Week 4

2011-07-14T20:18:00.002-06:00

It's time for the SexyBack Challenge Week 4 check in!

This week started out a little wonky. I didn't have to work on Friday, but I was miserable and sick in bed all day. Besides getting off to a rocky start I ate pretty good throughout the week. I had fresh salads for lunch everyday and drank at least 2+ bottles of water. Although I must confess that Coke is probably going to be my downfall. I'm trying to be more conscious of how much I drink or choose something different to drink.

Halfway through the week a switch flipped in my workout routine. I started going on walks in the evening with the sister. We're trying to find the perfect walking loop. When we lived in Cali we had the perfect 3 mile loop to walk through Claremont. When we were really ambitious we'd walk the 4 flights of stairs (multiple times) at the parking garage in the center of town. We tried a new route last night and went 1.7 miles. Tonight we made it 2 miles. But we're pretty sure we know the exact route to get over 3 miles. We're slowly working our way up.

Here's my picture for the week, it's from our walk tonight:

One of my favorite things is using my Runkeeper App on my phone during our walks. It easily calculates the length, time, calories and minutes per mile.

This weekend the sister and I are housesitting. We don't know the area well enough to be comfortable going on walks so we'll definitely be bringing along a workout dvd.

Week One
Week Two
Week Three

Music Monday: The Civil Wars

2011-07-11T09:00:00.006-06:00

You may remember THIS Music Monday post from two weeks ago. I thought I'd do a follow-up post and share how amazing the show was. Heather and I got to the Egyptian right when the doors opened. We stopped at the merch table where Heather bought Barton Hollow on vinyl. We made our way to our seats which were in the very front row. We were so incredibly excited! Rayland Baxter opened and he was great. We ended up buying his cd on the way out of the show.

There were a couple annoying drunk girls at the show, but luckily they ended up getting kicked out part way through The Civil Wars set. Besides that, the show was amazing. I loved how intimate and raw it was. It was just Joy and John Paul with a guitar and occasionally a piano. It was so beautiful.

After the show we hung around, waiting and wondering if they were going to come out for a meet and greet. Luckily we didn't have to wait long as they were escorted out front of the theater. We were already close to the doors so we were some of the first people to meet them. We got a picture with them and they signed Heather's new vinyl. It was a little rushed since there was a line. In all the chaos we didn't hang around long enough to find and meet Allister Ann. I was pretty bummed because I absolutely love her photography so much. She's one of my inspirations. I guess there's always next time. :)

Here are some gorgeous pictures and tour videos that Allister Ann shot.

Check out The Civil Wars:

Youtube

Tour diary with photos by the amazing Allister Ann!

Twitter:
The Civil Wars
Joy Williams
John Paul White
Allister Ann
Rayland Baxter

Facebook:
The Civil Wars
Joy Williams
Allister Ann

SexyBack Challenge - Week 3

2011-07-07T13:00:00.006-06:00

This week for the SexyBack Challenge I feel like I’ve improved over last week. I’ve gotten physical activity in almost every single day; from cleaning the house, to sweeping off the deck, washing my car, working and doing a Jillian Michaels’ workout dvd. You don’t HAVE to “workout” to get physical activity in.

As far as my food goes, I’m probably right in the middle of the road. I didn’t eat horrible [except for one trip to McDonald’s and one trip to Taco Time – same day, and too much pop all around], but I know I could have done better. One day at a time.

I didn’t drink as much water as I should have, shame on me. It should be easy since I have such awesome water bottles, haha.

I’ve written about Miir bottles before [see HERE], but I thought it would be fitting to talk a little bit about them in this post too. As you can see by the pictures my whole family loves Miir bottles. Not only are they generally great waters bottles, but they’re customizable AND they also support an amazing cause. Miir donates $1 from every bottle they sell to provide clean water for one person for an ENTIRE year [one4one].

During July 16-19, 2011 the Miir Team will be attempting to summit Mt. Rainier and raise $14,411 [which also happens to be the elevation] for clean water projects with One Day’s Wages. I encourage you to check out their Climb for Clean Water page and donate if you can.

Go check out Miir and tell me what’s your combo?

Follow Miir on twitter
Like Miir on facebook

SexyBack: Week One
SexyBack Week Two

new hair!

2011-07-06T09:00:00.003-06:00

You may remember my post last week about wanting to get my hair cut. There's a good chance that if you're following me on twitter or friends with me on facebook that you've already seen my new hair. Last Thursday night Heather and I went downtown to see our favorite stylist at Platinum Beauty Lounge. I hadn't been sure about the color, but after talking about it we decided on this great red. I'm so happy with how it turned out, but every time I wash it I'm still a little shocked at how short it actually is. Friday morning Heather and I took some fun pictures of our new hair. Here's a few pics of my new hair.

Baby You're A Firework

2011-07-05T17:09:00.002-06:00

I've recently started shooting on manual on my camera. I was extremely intimidated at first, but I've been doing it in the hospitals for the last couple of months so I decided it was time to give it a try in my other photographic work. I saw this on Pinterest a couple days before the 4th and decided I definitely needed to try it. I got out my camera last night and just started playing. I experimented with light, shutter speed and soft focus. I'm a little bit in love with the results. Here are just a few of the pictures from last night. It makes me realize I shouldn't be afraid to try new things [in photography AND life] and just have fun with it.

P.S. Go check out THIS AMAZING post by Carlos Whittaker from yesterday. It will probably make you cry.

Seen It, Heard It, Read It

2011-07-05T15:17:00.001-06:00

Seen It

Remember Me

This movie has been in my Netflix queue for the longest time. I moved it to the top of the list while my dad’s been out of town because I figured it was a chick flick that he wouldn’t be interested in. I thought it was a great movie and very unexpected. Plus, Robert Pattinson was some sweet eye candy.

Ramona and Beezus

I remember reading this when I was younger and so I was excited to see the movie. It was a sweet story and was definitely family friendly. Joey King was an adorable Ramona and Selena Gomez was a perfect big sister.

Soul Surfer

Heather, my mom and I went and saw this at the dollar theater a couple weeks ago. It was such an incredible and inspiring story. I pretty much cried through the whole thing. Check out Carlos' blog about this movie HERE. It's amazing.

Bad Teacher

Heather, my mom and I decided to go to a movie last Sunday afternoon. There was nothing worthwhile playing at the dollar theaters so we decided we’d pick a new movie to go see. Unfortunately there wasn’t much to choose from, but we decided on Bad Teacher. First of all, my mom did NOT like it. Just a suggestion: don’t take your mom to see this, even if she does love Justin Timberlake. The story left much to be desired. As Heather said, the message she got from it was that you can manipulate people to get ahead as long as you don’t get caught. If you want to see this movie I’d definitely wait until it’s on dvd. I wish I hadn’t spent the money on it. Bummer.

Heard It

Shawn McDonald: Rise

I heard this song this past week on Air1Radio and immediately fell in love with it.

Maroon 5: Moves Like Jagger

Has anyone else had this song stuck in their heads for the last couple weeks? I must confess there have been a couple times that I’ve played it on repeat. It’s so catchy and I can’t help but dancing every time I hear it.

Read It
Divine by Karen Kingsbury

This book is a story of a modern day Mary Magdalene. Mary Madison grew up with horrible tragedies in her life but overcame it all through the divine power of God. She’s used her story to help others and will once again share what she’s faced with a young woman named Emma who is trying to escape an abusive relationship and care for her two young daughters.

Reunion by Karen Kingsbury

I was so happy to finally finish the Redemption series! This was the perfect end to it all. I was just so happy when I finished it because I knew I didn't have to say goodbye to the Baxter family yet. I was able to continue to get to know them in the next series by Karen.

Firstborn Series

Fame by Karen Kingsbury
Forgiven by Karen Kingsbury
Found by Karen Kingsbury
Family by Karen Kingsbury
Forever by Karen Kingsbury

While the Baxter family is part of this series, it also has many new characters. I really enjoyed all of these books. I probably read them in less than a week. Before I start the Sunrise Series I'm going to try to finish up all of Karen's stand alone books that I haven't read yet. If you haven't read any of her books yet, I definitely recommend it. Karen's trademark is "Life-changing fiction" and that's definitely true of each and every one of her books.

Happy Fourth!

2011-07-04T09:00:00.000-06:00

Do you have any fun traditions or plans for today? I'm working, but hoping it'll be a short day. I hope you all have a Happy [and safe] Fourth!

source

SexyBack Challenge - Week 2

2011-06-30T13:28:00.000-06:00

I’ve had a strange week and haven’t been as dedicated to the sexyback challenge as I should or could be. Shame on me. Besides Friday night, at the Relay For Life, I haven’t pushed myself to get any physical activity in. I need to MAKE time in my days because otherwise it’s not going to happen. My goal next week is at least 4 days of 30-45 minutes of physical activity. I’ve been in somewhat of a haze and I think that physical activity will definitely help to clear my head.

What do you do to keep your workout and fitness motivation?

Besides basically failing on that part of the sexyback challenge, I did much better on food this week. I’m not consistently drinking 3 miir bottles a day, but I’m drinking much more than in the past. I still want to step it up to hit at least 3 a day.

I’ve been eating more vegetables, including salads which lettuce from the garden! Some of my favorite meals this week includes: chickpea tacos, fajita bowls [aka peppers, onions, pinto beans & quinoa], black bean & veggie burgers, zucchini quinoa lasagna, broccoli quinoa casserole, steamed broccoli, tex-mex veggie salad [see picture], and homemade strawberry rhubarb smoothies.

I've included the recipe for this because it's one of my favorites! It's super easy and makes enough for lunches, snacks or dinners for a week. See variations at the bottom of the recipe!

Tex-Mex Veggie Salad
1 can (14 oz) black beans, drained & rinsed
2 tomatoes chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 can Mexicorn
1 bunch green onions, sliced
1 jicama, peeled and chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, minced

Dressing
1 1/2 tsp Garlic Galore (Wildtree Herbs)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup Roasted Garlic Grapeseed Oil (Wildtree Herbs)

Place salad ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk together dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat. Chill overnight.

Variations:
Add chicken (if you're a meat-eater) with Chipotle Lime Rub and Roasted Garlic Grapeseed Oil (Wildtree Herbs)
Add to cooked, chilled quinoa for a heartier salad

Music Monday: The Civil Wars

2011-06-27T13:39:00.003-06:00

Heather and I are going to see The Civil Wars tonight at The Egyptian Theater in Boise! We're both really excited because we'll be in the front row! I'm hoping that we'll have some fun pics to share from the show. Here's their music video for Poison & Wine:

Check out The Civil Wars:

Youtube

Tour diary with photos by the amazing Allister Ann!

Twitter:
The Civil Wars
Joy Williams
John Paul White
Allister Ann

Facebook:
The Civil Wars
Joy Williams
Allister Ann

source

SexyBack Challenge - Week 1

2011-06-23T14:57:00.000-06:00

I was excited when I saw these posts [ONE. TWO.] by Carlos Whittaker last week. I finally got the chance to watch this video on Sunday.

I think this SexyBack challenge is perfect for me. I’ve been slacking on my fitness and don’t remember the last time I worked out. My eating habits aren’t horrible, but there’s definitely room for improvement.

Every Thursday during this challenge [12 weeks] I’ll be posting my weekly update and how I’ve done on my goals. Most of them are general because I don’t need to lose a lot of weight or anything. I really just want to focus on eating healthier and making better choices. I also want to get back into a great workout routine and get toned [where are you abs?].

Here’s a list of my goals for SexyBack:
- 45 minutes minimum of physical activity or exercise 5-7 days of the week
- Utilize workout dvds (30 Day Shred, 6 Week six-pack, BL Cardio)
- Nightly walks/runs
- Use RunKeeper app
- MORE water (3+ miir bottles/day)
- Eat healthier
- MORE veggies, utilize the garden
- Less processed food and more fresh food
- Homemade meals
- Less pop and coffee, green monsters, fresh fruit smoothies or tea instead
- Use MyFitness app & website to track calories & exercise

In addition to my update I’ll include a photo each week that's related to my #sexyback11 journey.

Here’s my picture for the week.

My recap for this week is pretty general, but it might get more specific in the weeks to come. Since I started on Sunday I've done the 30 day shred twice and gone on two 1.5 mile walks. I've made better choices as far as food goes. I'm definitely eating more fruits and veggies and snacking less. I've done really great on drinking more water, especially with working out more & it's been getting hotter here too. I'm struggling with drinking pop and I'm slowly working on cutting it out.

I'll be picking up Jillian Michaels' 6 week six-pack levels 1& 2 workouts from the library tomorrow and will hopefully be doing [almost] everyday for the two weeks I have it checked out. Tomorrow night I'll be participating in the Relay for Life and will definitely be getting some walking in. It's not too late if you want to join the challenge. I'd love if you'd join me, whether you're looking to lose weight or get back on track. You can search #sexyback11 on twitter to see what other people in the challenge are doing.

hair inspiration

2011-06-20T09:00:00.000-06:00

Ever since I got back from the roadtrip I've been unhappy with my hair. I couldn't tell you why exactly. I think maybe it's just time for something different. As you can see I've done just about every color, blonde, red, brown and everything in between. I've had long hair, short hair [and super short hair back in the day, but you don't get pictures of that].

One thing that's been frustrating is that I always have to keep my hair up for work. I'm sick of it. I've been thinking about cutting it off. I think short hair would be perfect for summer and fun to have a hair "style", instead of long straight hair. Here are some inspiration pictures I've put together. I still don't know what I would do for color and I'm tempted to get some feathers.

What do you think?