September Photo Challenge–week 2

Thanks everyone who’s given me recommendations on your beauty products. I’m a little disappointed that pretty much none of you need to use an eyebrow filler. And by disappointed, I mean jealous.

I’ll have to show you a before and after of my eyebrows to prove how needed it is for me…at some point..in the future.

Its week 2 of Katie’s photo challenge and it’s all about the joy, light and movement for the week. I had grand plans of going out at sunset to capture the corn swaying in the wind in front of the setting sun..and then I’d get home from work and realize that the 50, 000 other things I had to do trumped that corn. So I needed to think of a plan B. An even better plan than the first one.

But I was stumped. Plan A is pretty awesome, who am I kidding?!

However, one night I was beginning to get the familiar pains of hunger and did my normal stand in the kitchen, I have nothing to eat routine of opening the pantry, cabinet, fridge and freezer door at least twice when it clicked!

BACON!

I can’t even describe how excited I was to know I had bacon in the fridge to cook, but know it made me more excited than a normal person should be. Mid way through it cooking, a couple more clicks went off in my head and my idea was formed.

So I bring you my {true} joy and light for the week.

I love bacon. I really really do. On top of my spree of buffalo burgers I’m on again {6 in 6 days}, I’ve also had a BLT a night for the past 4 nights.. my body is pretty happy over all the extra protein its getting and let me tell you, I’m happy to oblige!

Please tell me you like bacon!? I want to still be friends.

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Calling all beauties

Yes, I’m talking to you.

I need your smarts
your expertise
your know how
your insight
your brains when it comes to beauty products.

I have used the same stuff for years. Makeup, face wash, moisturizer. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it, right? Well, I’m thinking it’s a bit broken.

My sister in law is an esthetician (oh my gosh, I spelled that right on the first try…*cough* any way..) and she recommended M2 and SkinCeuticals for a face wash. Both very different w/M2 getting very mixed reviews. She uses M2 and it works just fine for her.


I used to use Purity for years and years but it was time to move on from it as I felt it wasn’t cleaning as deeply as I needed.

What face wash do you use that’s gentle (I have skin that whines like a baby but will dry like the desert), that still gives a deep clean and that isn’t really a drying agent. The SkinCeuticals is ok, but I’m not seeing fantastic results for the price I paid.

Let’s move on to makeup.

This to me, is more serious because I’ve been stuck in the same makeup for years…meaning, I’ve used the same makeup for years…yes I need to throw it away. With that said, I’m DYING for a good, no, GREAT eyebrow filler. Whether it’s a pencil, powder and brush, tattoo…ok, I don’t want a tattoo, but something that you love and that’s worked for you, that doesn’t look like your eyebrows went from a soft brown to black. >>finger pointing at self<<

I use (present tense) Models Prefer eyebrow pencil…and it’s a bit harsh. Some days I wonder if its as obvious to others as it is to me that my eyebrows went 3 shades darker..and then I tell myself that yes, most likely they do notice and I run to the bathroom and cry.

Ok, not an actual portrayal but that’s beside the point. I’m on my last pencil and they don’t sell these anymore and I’m stressing over what to get to replace it.

I. NEED. YOU!

Let’s continue on to the under eyes and a little something called bags..and dark circles..and permanent sunspots that were obtained thanks to birth control and sun exposure. Being told that you look like you have 2 black eyes is very enjoyable, says no one ever.

SO! What I’ve been using for years *cough* and years, is Mally Cancellation Concealer System…the same one. It works alright but I would really love something new that works beautifully. That’s smooth and brightening and that would work like a charm…and that isn’t 5 years old.

Ladies, will you help?! Will you share your beauty favorites and finds?

I need your best face wash
your best eyebrow filler
and your best under eye concealer/brightener

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A thankful me - 34

Well hello, there. Did we all have a weird weekend? Or was that just me.

Friday consisted of being there for a friend and things she needed to work through…that lasted the entire day and night. It was exhausting. It drained both my mental battery and my phone’s battery, but rest assured everything has worked out for her benefit.

Saturday was an emotional day that ended with one of the worst nights in my business, where I felt incredibly old and out of place. But trust me, that was a good thing (in my mind).

And Sunday was a day for God and finally giving over something that has plagued me for longer than I’d care to admit. Where I finally surrendered it, accepting what He wanted, regardless of the outcome and OOh, how it felt so good. Its scary to do that. Fearing what He may say and having it be the opposite of what you think you want. I know. I’ve been scared for a very long time. Until yesterday. I’m amazingly light hearted and feel so much peace about it all.

They say writing is therapeutic, whether it be typing it or pen to paper. It gets those thoughts out of your head. The thoughts that beat you with repetition day in and day out. The ones that consume you and pull you deeper into your stress and anxiety. It’s the worst.

I opened my computer and started typing. Points I wanted to remember at first but then the words started to flow. Sentences, paragraphs were formed and before I knew it, a full blown letter was written, rewritten, proofed and edited. Granted this took about 3 hours to write but within 30 minutes of completing it, I got my peace. I got my resolve and I felt that huge weight lift off my shoulders that I’ve been carrying for God knows how long. {because He does}.

So today, that’s what I’m thankful for. Having a God that graciously takes my stresses and burdens from me. Patiently waits for me to hand them over. And loves on me after I finally can’t take it anymore and surrender.

1 Peter 5:7
..casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.

Happy Monday everyone!

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Realizing it can wait

Remember the day when we all sat in the car and talked and played car games? Relied on big huge bulky maps of the entire country, separated by states, where you had to connect A5 to D2 to find your destination? When you called to let the person know you were just about to leave and wouldn’t talk to them until you pulled up in their driveway?

Since June, when I went to Milwaukee and didn’t take my laptop, I’ve felt a shift of sorts in my use of all my gadgets. I have a lot of them. The iPhone, iPad, iPod, Kindle, and my laptop. Overwhelming at times, not to mention confusing when I’m reaching for one and do a jerky arm move over everything because I can’t figure out which I’m going for.

Up until a few weeks ago, I was a master texter while driving. I can text without looking and drive with my knee like no one you’ve ever seen…until I looked down to proof read and see I was one letter over to the left and all my words were misspelled. So of course, I would then survey the road, ensuring no cars were coming toward me (because I made it a “rule” to not text when a car was about to pass me) and proceed to look down to fix all the mistakes.

I always told myself I should cut back on texting and driving. I should. But it was always too easy to grab it when someone texted. I’ve mentioned it before; I generally text a person immediately upon receiving their text. If I read it and don’t, I’ll forget to respond, so I don’t wait. I’m just about always available. Even phone. I have this thing where its hard letting a call go to voicemail.

Well, I have noticed that no matter how quickly I’ll write back, they can take up to 5, 10, sometimes 30 minutes to get back to me. Odd seeing how they just texted but its slowly sunk in these past couple weeks that its okay to wait. Its okay to let that call from that client go to voicemail at 8:30pm. It’s okay to read a text and not respond until the morning. And most importantly, its okay to not touch my phone when I’m driving.

Why? I honestly have to remind myself that the person who is texting me, or calling me took 15 minutes to write back. Or 3 days to return my call, and if they feel its ok for me to wait, then I know its ok for them to wait that 20 minute drive home to respond. Its not an emergency, its not life or death. It’s a silly text about a piece of paper, or a workout, or someone wanting to say hi.

They can wait.

For the past 5-6 weeks, I’ve made huge efforts to stop texting while driving. There have been a couple times I’ve done it but 98% of the time I wait. And you want to know something crazy? The people on the receiving end of my texts, haven’t complained one bit. Heck, I bet they didn’t even notice I took longer than normal.

Everything is at our fingertips now. GPS, video games, communication. There’s no need to wait anymore when all a person needs is to grab their smart phone and look it up while sitting in the car driving down the road. And there’s no need to map it out to such great extent as before. We can call the person on our way and say we’re coming and call them 10 minutes before we get there. And we can all zone out to our little video games, keeping us separate from our riding companions. Things are not the same as when we grew up.

I love my iPhone, but I miss those days of less. So I’m working on less. Less texting, less computer time, less zoning out just to zone out..and I have to say, its been pretty nice.

Have a safe weekend and remember, it really can wait.

via

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My way or the highway

Can I just say, it pays to speak up. When the stylist does something you don’t like, or is “done” and you’re unhappy with it, do you say something? Do you tell them to fix a problem that you see or do you say it looks fine, pay and go home unhappy?

She was half way through with styling and I wasn’t happy. My rule is to make them straighten my hair so I can see every possible issue. It makes for a fairly boring hairstyle but I don’t care. I want to see how it’ll look as if I styled it. I questioned a spot and she fixed it and continued straightening. She “finished” and I still wasn’t happy and she fixed 2 more spots. Finally I was satisfied.

I know if I walked out of that room without saying a word I would have nothing but negative things to say and would have complained for months as it grew back out. But now, I’m content with it. It put the bounce back in my hair, that I was desperately needing.

Now! My fun friend, Katie is doing a September weekly photo challenge that I love! She gives you 3 subjects that you can choose from (for the week) or gives you the ability to do all three. Whichever tickles your fancy. Then every Thursday, we all get to link up to show what we did. Today is the first week’s challenge! Fun, right?!

The 3 this week are:
Me
Now
Details

Since I brought my camera to my hair appointment, I thought what a better “now” and “me”. One thing about this salon is its all individualized. Where each and every stylist has their own private room with doors and they’re allowed to decorate it any way they want. I’ve never never been in a salon like this before. Have you!? I kinda liked how she closed her door to give us the ultimate privacy! As you can see that woman loves pink, and apparently dresses every single day in hot pink.

Mine chose more of a vintage 60’s theme, as you can tell. With a vintage hair dryer, chair, pictures on the wall and furniture.

Because we know no post is complete without public restroom mirror pictures, I felt it was only right. Ok, truth is, I kinda felt she was ready for me to stop taking pictures in her room, so I jetted off to the restroom to continue. Weird? Akward? Maybe…but I succeeded.


I’m looking forward to the next few weeks of her challenge. If you want to play along, you definitely can! She’s keeping the link open throughout the weekend, so hop on in and show us you..or what’s going on now…or the details of it all.

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Callie and Ben

Months ago I went to “help out” at a women’s function at church. To be honest, I don’t quite know what was needed to be done because it became more of a social event rather than me actually helping. Some were sewing and crafting…two things I don’t really do, so I know I wasn’t much help.

The snacks were really good. That I remember!

There was a young girl there ironing, who I found out was getting married in May. My friend was their photographer and before she knew what hit her, I got my friend to introduce us and declared I wanted to volunteer to be the 2nd photographer. Blindsiding is probably the best way to put what I did.

I never shot a wedding and it seemed this couple would be the best one to start out on. They’re laid back, easy going, cool, calm, and beyond collected. They did everything themselves and just about didn’t sweat a thing throughout the whole process. Enjoying every minute of it. The bride even made mac and cheese before getting in her dress to head to the church.

It helped me being around such relaxed company.

As she continued getting ready, I headed to the church to meet up with the guys. They were a fun bunch; eating pizza and playing with guns in the pastor’s study as they patiently waited for the time to tick away.

I realize that’s an odd sentence, but it’s all legal…

One of the groomsmen had rented a Camaro, so they were eager to have their pictures taken with it. I can’t really blame them, it is a Camaro after all.

It was finally time and the ceremony was underway. They were so excited.

All throughout the day, he would crack jokes and they’d give each other cute silly faces. It was adorable and really showed their fun loving characters.

It was nice to be there. Capturing the fun pictures. Not necessarily being the one that was under the gun to get all the right shots. I felt it was ok to have the fun, goofy ones that they’d be able to chuckle at later on.

As the bride and groom danced, this adorable little girl was eager to get a picture of her own.

She was devoted to her work, making sure she remained hydrated to ensure she could keep working.
In reality, it was blazing hot that day and I commend the bride for staying in her dress throughout the whole reception.

I’m glad I went that night, so that I could meet Callie, so that I could volunteer to shoot their wedding. It was definitely an experience. One that taught me I have a lot to learn in the way of weddings. One that showed just how hard a true professional photographer has to work and how much they’re counted on to get those perfect shots, whether it be in harsh lighting, not enough lighting, or with people walking in front right at what would have been the perfect moment. They’re seen but invisible.

I have a new found respect for all of you.

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A thankful me - 33

Happy Labor Day everyone!! Even you outside the states. =) I am beyond happy, not to mention well rested, that I have today off. I needed this as I’m sure many of you did.

Happy news: my haircut was a success! I’m going to go all into it another day but I’m quite happy with it.
why yes, I did bring my camera to the appointment. Is that odd? Because I think she thought it was a little odd.

The weekend turned out to be a pretty darn good one. Since I was in the city for the cut, I made the trek to the beloved Costco, where I forgot that weekends offer the best samples! I ate seaweed salad and it was soooo good!! I can’t go without mentioning my beloved Target and getting a cute tank top for $4.50. Now I want to to go back and get all the colors, I love it so much!

And to round out the day, I made it to Bed Bath and Beyond where I finally upgraded my water bottle to one that probably won’t kill me from all the plastic bph crap they go on and on about, seeing how my old one I was using was over 6 years old, had a leaky seal with the cap broken off and was made in a time that couldn’t care less about the harm of plastics.

I feel so much safer… >sarcasm<

Oh, and I’d like to announce that I finally upgraded my measuring spoons to stainless steel ones. Something I’ve wanted to do for years! Who knew they’d only cost me $6?! Now if only a food processor and Kitchen Aid mixer were only $6, my weekend would have been complete.

Chicken was on the menu on Sunday and since I was tagged on instagram to know what I was doing at that moment(because we all want to know what we’re all doing), of course it was documented. You’re welcome. (yes mom, I was on the phone with you in this picture) #multitasking

I made it to church yesterday too. First time in months…where I was called out for being lazy..twice. I could only laugh and agree. I’m not gonna lie, I’ve been pretty lazy on Sundays and not going. And as you know, the longer you don’t go the tougher it is to go with the whole guilt and silliness of thinking you’ll be judged when they do see you, so you think its just best to avoid all that and stay away. (am I still generalizing or pinpointing..?)

Speaking of lazy, that’s what today is all about. Being lazy. Which I'm thankful for x100. Not to mention everything above, too.

Do you get to be lazy today?

Tell me all about your weekends, friends!

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