Monday, January 28, 2008

Movie stars.....

...well not exactly "movie stars" but Andrew Smith the amazing photographer Abigail Smith's brother just posted this video on his blog of their trip to Chicago! I absolutely hate myself on video so I was about to not post it...lol..but Andrew is SOOO incredible at video that I just had to post it anyways because of how cool he made it!!! Check it out!!

Photography in Chicago from Andrew PC Smith on Vimeo.
Today has been fun and laid back..we went driving around Pikes Peak and ended up at a tiny little ghost town that had like 25 casinos in it but I think I only saw 3 people total! haha! Too fun! Can't wait to post pics! I love you all!

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Room to breathe...

This past week has been wonderful!! From helping out with Volunteers of America to Skiing in Vail to sitting in a steaming hot tub at night looking out at the mountains to sitting in pajamas talking about dreams and goals with some of my most amazing friends! It's been good for the soul:) I'm now out in Colorado Springs visiting some of our family's best friends, Schlyce and Brian and their adorable little daughter Lily. Schlyce and Brian's wedding was the 2nd wedding that I ever shot so they have a close place in my heart from that but even more so in the way that they dream and think and challenge me to come up higher! And literally too.... staying in their gorgeous new home on the foothills of Pike's Peak it's beautiful! I don't have internet on my computer because it is acting up for some reason so I'll have to post pictures once I get home on Wednesday...but I'm excited because I don't have cell service either so this will be a true retreat:) Which I definitely need!
Tonight, I met up with my new friend Sara Lazio for some Starbucks and we talked for a couple hours which is wonderful!! That is one of THE major perks of my job is getting to meet incredible people all around the world! She's so sweet too because she heard I like hot chocolate, from the post the other day, she bought me a SWEET hot chocolate pot! So I can be in heaven whenever I want!! :)
PS..I didn't take either picture(thank God for Google!) because I'm not on my own computer...I'll post real ones soon! :)
**Spellcheck courtesy of Natalie:)**

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Tearing up the gnar!


Yesterday, Jenna, Crystal, Amy and I all went skiing for the day and it was perfect!! I wasn't sure if I would be able to ski very well since I broke my ankle last year...but thank God that it is stronger than before so I had no problems! :) Just a couple big wipe outs every once in awhile that resulted in lost pride then anything else! ha! The best part of the day though I think would be the fact that I wore jeans....now Jenna had been telling us a couple days earlier that people here in Colorado totally make fun of people who wear jeans because they can totally tell they aren't from around here! ha! That was for sure in my case! I didn't have a chance to get alot of ski gear before I left..especially since I didn't even know if I was going to ski in the first place...so once I decided to go all I had were jeans:) When we got there though the VERY first lift that we were getting on the lift guy was like "soooo we're skiing in jeans huh?? I hear that denim is the most water proof thing on the planet!" hahaha! Amazing! Here are some fun pictures from our day:) I love you all!! Time for bed..since I can't even keep my eyes open anymore!
PS...I learned that "Tearing up the gnar" and "the sicky pow" is skiers slang for cruising down the mountain and getting amazing powder...LOL!

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Vail = Heaven

I'm sure when we all get to heaven it is going to look JUST like Vail...but hopefully maybe a little warmer;) I absolutely LOVE it here! I totally forgot how beautiful Colorado truly is! I'm definitely someday going to own something here! Ahh!
We arrived yesterday afternoon after a super full day of shooting for the AMAZING Volunteers of America...which I will post more about that along with a slideshow later on...but I can say that it was a major life changer! Incredible! :) I can't wait to show pics!
Anyways..we are up here now in Vail in our little cabin at the bottom of a huge mountain...I was asking about avalanches earlier today and apparently they are pretty common around here so I was kinda freaked out a little but I think we are hopefully far enough away! hehe!
We went to the little Vail ski village earlier today to shop and have a nice little lunch it was beautiful! After awhile we went to my favorite little shop now ever, Rimini. It was a little gelato and coffee shop, with THE most unreal hot chocolate in the whole entire world! I don't think anything you put in your mouth could compare! It was pretty much worth the whole trip! (I think that's the main reason why I want to own a place here;) I got smore gelato too...pure heaven!
Here is a little collage of our group: Me, Amy Nave, Jasmine Star, Jenna Walker, Shyla, Crystal Goss, and Liana!
I LOVE these girls soooo much! They are all so encouraging and each have such different personalities but everyone compliments each other so well! It's perfect!

Monday, January 21, 2008

Fun times!!!!!!!


Ok....Sooo I have a ton of fun announcements coming up in the next couple weeks that I'm super super excited about! The first one I'll be announcing this next week!! We decided to put together a little teaser for it.....;) CLICK HERE for the sweetest little teaser and look out on here in the next week for what it's all about!!! I'll give you a little hint...I get to work with some of the most amazing people in the industry for this one....and it obviously has something to do about LOVE! :) Check it out!

I'm heading out in a couple minutes for 2 weeks in Colorado!! Oh, how excited am I to FINALLY get a real vacation! The first day a couple of my friends and I will be volunteering for Volunteers of America and doing a photoshoot for their different projects! I'm really excited about that...because sometimes we can get SO focused on ourselves that we HAVE to take the time to invest it back into others! :) After that...we'll be heading to Vail for a couple days for some R&R, then I'll be heading to Colorado Springs for a couple days! Ahh! I will post more hopefully when I'm out there! I love you all and don't forget to look at that little teaser! :)

Friday, January 18, 2008

Perception



I was watching the sunset a couple weeks ago and I thought of something pretty simple....
Did you ever realize that God doesn't just "paint" a new and completely different sunrise and sunset each day....it is completely different for each person all around the world each day at each sunrise and sunset! For some it could just be a plain overcast one, others not a cloud in the sky, and yet others it could be the most spectacular sky they've ever seen....all depending on where they are standing!
Where are you standing right now?? Or do you need to move and position yourself to see the spectacular-ness of it all? :)

Monday, January 14, 2008

Hot, hot, hot!

Wow...I did an engagement shoot on Saturday for Ashieka and Garreth and boy do they need to be full time models! They were SO incredibly easy to shoot and I barely had to direct them at all! It was amazing!
We shot down at Navy Pier because it was super cold outside, but the sun ended up coming out so we were able to go outside for a little bit!
I had shot down at Navy Pier before so it was fun coming back again...except this time being challenged to not take the same exact pictures! ha! It was so fun because each couple is different so the pictures might look completely different even if you shoot in the same place! It's fun!
I seriously can't wait for their wedding coming up REALLY soon at the beginning of March! They said all their friends LOVE pictures too, so I will for sure be in heaven!
Check out their slideshow here!

Saturday, January 12, 2008

The calling of greatness...


I have been, the past couple days, getting caught up with all the things that I have been behind in from over the holidays and it's been wonderful! But I've had this deep feeling of something missing, something more, something bigger than what I'm doing or thinking. I've been praying alot about it, seeking God's direction in exactly what it is! Talking to my dad about it the other day he 1st told me to pick up some books and READ, so I have been devouring the books that he has been giving me. Second he said that it is the calling of greatness, and yet I still have to discover just what that is. Thirdly he said to get my mind off building up my money and exposure and onto others and their needs.
I know that that is a huge area that I MUST focus on in my life more and more. I feel everyday living this life just makes me more and more ME based rather than others based. It's the way this culture is formed. I want to be a part of something far greater than me and building my own self and business up! That is totally not what it is about or ever what I want to be about!
I just watched, tonight, one of my absolutely favorite movies ever and by far THE most inspirational movies. I thought it would give me a boost in this longing feeling of more and it DEFINITELY worked! Ha! The movie is called "Amazing Grace" and it is the story of William Wilberforce the man who spent his whole life working on abolishing slavery in England. He had SUCH a calling from God on his life that no matter how hard he tried to give up, and how many times he failed(he failed every try for 15 years!) he had to accomplish what God had called him to do...and God enabled him to do it! I think one of my most favorite quotes from the movie would be: "We are too young to realize that certain things are impossible - so that we can do them anyway". I have always wanted that stand. To be so ignorant of the impossibility of things that I actually go onto accomplish it! How amazing would that be! William Wilberforce did it!
I HIGHLY recommend this movie you seriously have to check it out because you leave wanting to go and change the world completely...but of course to do that we have to start running and with that...I'll leave you with a last quote from the movie: "Why is it that you only feel the thorns in your feet when you stop running?? Don't slow down!" You MUST keep pressing forward!
I love you all so much!

Thursday, January 10, 2008

My life is a photoshoot.

haha! At least that's what it seems like! We had such a wonderful time with Abby and Andrew Smith! We were pretty much taking pictures what seemed like the whole time which made it even more fun...but tons more editing at the same time! HA! :) The time with them seemed to go by so fast but they are going to come back again soon I know! We all headed out on a spontaneous photoshoot on Sunday afternoon and invited Mr. Jake Preedin to come along too! Since it took us awhile to get out we had to shoot at dusk which made for some pretty sweet pictures, having to use flash! On Monday we headed to Chicago for some sightseeing and photoshoot in the record breaking 65 degree weather! AMAZING! Here is a little slideshow of the photos from the week! So fun! At the end is one of the nights that we all went out to Steak and Shake with some friends! And did a photoshoot there of course too;) I love you all!

PS...the top picture Andrew Smith created with his mad photoshopping skills and a picture of us 3 in "the bean" in Chicago! :)

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Typical.

Can I first just say that I LOVE music videos! Ahh! Especially really well done videos! There is just something so amazing about it...that I really can't explain because I'm pretty much half asleep right now but I just had to post this;)
Abby Smith's brother Andrew just turned me onto this band Mute Math and they are pretty sweet but this music video is just out of this world and completely works with the name of the song: Typical. Pure brilliance!
Check it out here:



I have realized more and more in the past couple weeks how much I HATE the typical and mediocrity. I KNOW we are called to SO much more! It is like nails on a chalk board for me so every sight of it I try to run the opposite way...and lately have seen that I need to bring others with me too but it's not always the easiest task!:)Thank God for patience! And for this song;)
Here are the lyrics...because I just think they are so wonderful(and probably my favorite new song)!
Typical - Mute Math
Come on can’t I dream for one day
There’s nothing that can’t be done
But how long should it take somebody
Before they can be someone

‘Cause I know there’s got to be another level
Somewhere closer to the other side
And I’m feeling like it’s now or never
Can I break the spell of the typical

I’ve lived through my share of misfortune
And I’ve worked in the blazing sun
But how long should it take somebody
Before they can be someone.

Cause I know there’s got to be another level
Somewhere closer to the other side
And I’m feeling like it’s now or never.
Can I break the spell of the typical.
The typical
I’m just the typical
Can I break the spell of the typical

Because it’s dragging me down
I’d like to know about when
When does it all turn around

Um...where did this come from????????


HAHA. Ok...so I was looking through old photo albums the other day with some friends and I found this hilarious picture of when I was little. Then I realized that I had an identical one from a party that I was at earlier this summer with a towel under my dress. I have NO clue where my obsession with making myself look pregnant came from...well...maybe having my mom pregnant half my life might have spurred that on just a little bit! HA. I'll have to do a 3 series when I actually AM pregnant(which is NOT anytime soon;) and not just a poser! lol!
I hope you are all just having a glorious day! :)

Monday, January 07, 2008

Red heads unite.

My new and AMAZING friend Abigail Smith and her brother Andrew came to visit the week to hang out and have some photo fun! They are some of the sweetest people and we've had such a blast with them! Abby is an incredible photographer from the big OK and I know that she is going places with her photography with her hunger to learn and her amazing photography style! I love it! Plus I love these guys even more because they are BOTH redheads...so they blend in great with our family! HA!
We've had some pretty jam packed days the past couple days so I'm VERY sorry for slacking on this blog...(not a very good start at the New Year huh??)
But I will be better I promise!
To close I will leave you with this terrifyingly funny picture of Andrew, Beth Laurren, and I that is NOT photo shopped at all. I definitely feel like a midget around here with Abby's brother at 6'7". CRAZY!

Thursday, January 03, 2008

2007 - 5 years packed into one!

Happy New Years!! I hope you all had an incredible year last year!
I definitely did! I would have to say the 3 words that sum up this last year would be: Adventurous, Exhilarating, and Trying.
By God's amazing help I accomplished alot of my goals and more! Here are some of the highlights!
-Shot 20 weddings for some of the most incredible couples ever but maybe I'm just biased;)
-Helped shoot the Fox Emmy award party in Beverly Hills with the amazing Bob Davis.
-Second shot with my hero Jeremy Cowart, pictures were featured in Barlowgirl's album artwork and in CCM Magazine.
-One of my weddings was featured in BRIDES Chicago magazine.
-I was able to travel to: Wisconsin(3 times), Tennessee(3 times), Florida, Dominican Republic, Michigan(2 times), California, Connecticut, New York, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, Georgia, Indiana(3 times), Maryland, Washington DC, and Virginia.
-Trained up a total of 7 "interns" in photography.
-Started up a young women's group at our church with 15 girls and a small group mentoring 7 of them.
-Lost 14lbs in a month and a half!! Now to keep it off is the key! lol!
-Am no longer a teenager!! Woo Hoo! lol;)
What a whirlwind year! I definitely felt like I never stopped once! Except for my little retreats that I try to take(and am going to take WAY more often!) haha!
I looked back at my goals for the past year, to see what I had accomplished... and I accomplished alot but not as much as I wanted to. So this year I did the same thing but broke each goal up and added BABY STEPS to them so that I could actually know how to accomplish them and put a due date on them all so that I know when I need to accomplish it by!! I hope next January I can say that I accomplished waaaay more than this past year....I hope I'll have time to sleep in between then though! lol!
Here is a little recap slide show from the past year....I just grabbed pics off my blog and it was so fun seeing everything we did! I didn't realize so much could happen in one year! :)
I was blessed by SOOOO many of you and love you all more than you could ever know!! Have a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!