Our Photographer

As Rick Steves said,

“I shutter to think how many people are underexposed

and lacking depth in this field.”

Ok, not only is one of the most cleverly awesome quotes I've ever heard ;) but I must also agree with it 100%! These days it's ridiculously easy to claim the title of "photographer." I don't mean any disrespect by that, but truly, one would hope that a nice camera wouldn't be the only qualification for starting a business...and yet, for some, it is.

Maybe it's just me and my ultra-nitpicky-aesthetic-visionary approach to wedding planning (and design/art in general), but James and I feel so blessed to have our friend, Jalene Taylor, capturing this fabulous time in our lives! She is the embodiment of a professional and an artist and is so passionate with her craft. I've always admired Jalene's love for photography, her attention to detail, her eye for composition and, all around, her ability to freeze beautiful moments in time, to be remembered and cherished for years.

“It’s one thing to make a picture of what a person looks like,

it’s another thing to make a portrait of who they are.”

~Paul Caponigro~

Thank you, Jalene, for sharing your beautiful talents with us!

NEWSFLASH!

So...remember that cute and fabulous boy named James that I love?

Well...I may or may not have some news for y'all.

CLICK ME!

Yes, sir.

I'M ENGAGED!!

In-depth story to come soon :D

P.S. Isn't Jalene Taylor an amazing photographer? :D I can't wait to see the rest of our pictures!

An Old Bus, A Mouse, A Few Friends & Their Cameras

Remember that one time when I said I would post these for you to see?

Yeah, I didn't forget.

Here are the rest of the photos from that shoot I did with my friends Josh and Travis out by the Salt Flats in the West Desert.

It was majorly fun. Mostly I just love having excuses to dress up :) I guess I never really need an excuse, but having one helps, right?

Ok, this bus rocks your socks, does it not? The only bad part was it had this nasty old mattress inside of it and...well...there was a nasty little mouse livin' under there we soon discovered. EW! Yep, apparently I don't like mice. I didn't know that until it came darting out from under the mattress, right for me, fangs bared...and I went, "BWAAYAAAHHHHHCK!" and probably did a really sweet spontaneous dance move. Yep, still makes me shudder to this day. I even sat on the floor of that bus, which is where I pictured the little critter scurrying up my pant leg. Byahaha, GROSS! Interesting adventure, to say the least.

They's pretty pics, huh? The ones of me were taken by Travis. The rest are mine.

Thank you, Josh & Travis!

 Aside from the mouse it was very much a fun time and the photos turned out awesome. You should post yours on your blogs so I can link to 'em from here. K?

Let's do this again soon!

Dislike & Love - My New Life

*Note: My "new" life is in reference to the fact that A LOT of changes have taken place the past couple months and especially this week. i.e. Graduating from college, starting a new job, my parents leaving for the Missionary Training Center, moving into my apartment, having a boyfriend (I still need to introduce you), quitting my "student job" of 5 years, being in a brand new ward, new blog design ;) etc.

THIS WEEK I DISLIKE:

Not eating breakfast

(and sometimes lunch),

Not having a bathtub in my apartment

(Week 1 isn't even over and I'm already having withdrawals),

Not sleeping quite enough

(Yikes! I'm just asking for illness. Knock on wood),

Gas prices,

Living in a (soon-to-be-organized) mess,

Working from 7a-9p,

Driving and driving and driving,

The convenience of eating out vs. the inconvenience of working out,

- - -

THIS WEEK I LOVE:

My loving and supportive family & friends,

My “New” Life,

These long and gloriously hot summer days,

Shopping for my own groceries

(I knew I would enjoy that),

Easy hairstyles

(Thanks to my magic wand...curling iron),

Counting down to the Harry Potter 7 Part 2 Midnight Showing,

(21 DAYS!)

Converting people to Harry Potter,

The iPod I lovingly refer to as "myPod,"

The peace I get from FHE and Temple night

(P.S. I love my ward),

Reading Il Libro di Mormon,

My brother's GPS system,

Having the coolest parents in the universe,

Midnight calls after long work days,

Chalkboard mouse pads,

Having a cubicle,

Reading children's books out loud with a cute boy,

The awesome/hilarious people I get to intern/work with

- - -

I think it's fair to say, as I weigh the outcome of these lists, that, though life isn't perfect and I'm still working out the kinks in my new life, the blessings continue to come as I am trying to do my best and I still happen to very much love this beautiful Life that I've been blessed with...in all it's crazy freshly newness!

Add "run-on" sentences to my Love list.

I'm real good at those!

May your "Loves" always outweigh your "Dislikes"

I Smile

My friend Liz shared this song with me a couple of months ago and, I must confess, I simply love it. It has quickly made its way onto my "Top 25 Most Played Songs" list on myPod.

I got the feeling that some of you might enjoy it, too!

Don't give up, friends.

You look so much better when you smile!

There's Just Something About Balloons

Remember how I like doing photo shoots with balloons?

I did one again yesterday!

Photo via Travis Kawabata

It was fabulously enjoyable...as you can see.

Ah, the beauty of having friends with mutual affinities for taking pictures :)

Don't you fret, there are plenty more to come!

Have I Told You Lately...

Design via Tumblr

Y'all simply rock my virtual world.

And yes, I love you.

All 86 Fabulous Followers,

Thousands of Kind Commentations,

And 40,444 Blog Views of you!

Thanks for being so awesome!

Heartstrings of the Week: High-Pitched Hip Hop

*PPP = Pinky Promise Project for more PPP posts go HERE

Ok.

So...I don't know how y'all feel about the new chipmunk movies. I saw the first one and it was ok. Kinda meh. My n&ns love 'em!

HOWEVER! The Chipmunks music has always been something near and dear to my heart since my childhood days of watching The Chipmunks cartoon (or as I called it "The Chickmunks"). Those were good times. My favorite episodes were the ones with The Chipettes. My older sisters always got to be Brittany & Eleanor and I was stuck being Jeanette. Lame.

My friend Jalene & I even busted out a sweet chipmunk album of our own via my karaoke machine when we were in high school. One of our songs is still the ringtone on my phone. Haha! Good times.

So, I'd like to introduce you to a song that my cousin Emily referred me to for my workout playlist: "We're The Chipmunks" the remix from their latest movie!

This video has the old 80's version and new hip hop version, but if you just want to hear the new one, which truly is THE BEST CYCLING/DANCE SONG on my "IT BURNS!!!" playlist then...

...forward to 1:25 in the video below.

P.S. Turn up the volume and get ready to rock out!

You won't be able to hold still.

WHOOP! WHOOP!

This song has inspired many a dance party in my kitchen while making dinner.

So, here's a little PPP challenge for y'all - Get moving!!

How many Pinky Promise Project participants do we have on board?

Please, check the "I'm Too Lazy To Write About How Much I Like This ;)" box below if you are! Together we can reach our fitness goals!

We've got fun things comin' up

Including the BEST healthy recipe I've ever had:

"Sweet Potato & Black Bean Fajitas"

Be excited. Be VERY excited!

Time For Feeling

Today was one of "those" days. I'm using past tense like it's already over cause it makes me feel better. You know "those" days, right?

The ones where you are SO frustrated that you nearly cry whenever you try to talk.

The ones where your teacher misuses their stubborn power to make you late for your internship...the one that THEY are enforcing.

One of those days where you listen to hymns on your iPod to keep you from snapping innocent people in half when they merely attempt to interact with you.

One of those days when you simply chant, "We're all children of God. We're all children of God. We're all children of God..." to keep your ears from blowing steam.

Ok, ok. Ventilation terminated.

Crazy busy + BIG changes + BIG decisions - Sleep = Moody Me

So. What now?

As I see it, I have TWO decisions:

1) Continue to be moody, crabby, and miserable for matters beyond my control. Snap at people, take a nap to smother out my responsibilities and emotions, listen to sad music, and potentially spread my lame unhappiness to all those I come in contact with...

OR

2) Breathe in. Breath out. Give myself a pat on the back for doing my very best. Change that misery to happiness right this instant and share it with those who are rooting for my success. Listen to happy music, dip strawberries in chocolate, give people hugs, smile and keep working hard...

Because frankly, Life has this strange tendency to keep happening whether I'm ecstatic or completely peeved. So...I can either sit and stew and watch Life pass me by or I can GO AND DO and cherish the things that are going right. Those things that Heavenly Father has, in perfect love, placed in my path as His way of saying,

"I know you are doing your best. Here is something wonderful to make today easier for you, because I love you perfectly and desire your happiness."

It makes my heart hurt to think of the times that He's reached out and I've huffed right by in my childish crossness, completely oblivious to His tender mercies and love. My goodness! WHY? "I'm only human" has never seemed like a more inadequate excuse. And the only "I'm sorry" that will cut it, is the kind that requires my feet to move, my hands to serve, my heart to soften and my soul to sing praises of gratitude to all that He has done for me.

So. What now?

I check this day off as another lesson learned in a moment of weakness and frustration and I try a little harder to be a little better. Starting NOW.

Because today the sun shone on my face. And today Trax didn't break down on the way to my internship. And today my friend texted me a hilarious picture when I was about to burst into tears of frustration. And today Dad gave me his extra sandwich for lunch and offered to drive me to BestBuy to buy a new pedometer (thanks for the tip-off, Lindsey!).

See! Today isn't so bad after all.

Heavenly Father is in the details

Today and every day.

Stop and feel His love.

You know?
All those beautiful things

Surrounding you like a hug.

Show Me Some Love

I'm goin' weekending now,

Which basically means I'm going to get stuff done that doesn't involve the computer...

I hope, I hope. No offense, but my eyes need a breather. And my brain.

...and my readers, no?

But no break for you. Not yet anyway. Know why? Cause you guys should comment! Now I know that it's not humanly possible for anyone to be on the computer as much as or more than me...because unfortunately my job, my schooling, my calling and the like are computer-based-ish. Mwer mwer. But would it hurt to at least say, "Hi, girl! I was here! My name's such-and-such!" I'll return the favor, mmmk? Deal?

Oooh, question!

Have y'all noticed my new little comment button in the sidebar -->

Now WHY oh WHY would I put that there? Hmmm....

I love y'all, you know I do, but what's the point of having a public blog if my public (psst, that's my bold way of saying "you guys") are privately reading? I mostly just love to hear what you have to say, mmk? Share the love.

Thanks to all those who do already! I'm basking in the love of it!

Have the BEST weekend of your ENTIRE lives, mmk?

Love y'all.

xoxoxo

P.S. Will I have some NEWS for YOU tomorrow!!! That is not a question. Stay tuned.

The Time I Got Shot

Remember this?

Well there's MORE!

You know? You too can enjoy the utter fabulosity of Kristin Brown Photography in person and have her take pretty and/or handsome pictures of you. Yes YOU! She's very friendly, easy to work with, accommodating, and open to your input. Not to mention her skill with a camera and her artistic eye, which are both impeccable, as you can see HERE! Note: She also took the picture in my sidebar and my profile picture. Yup yup! She's good.

And no, she did not pay me to say that.

I honestly just love her!

Thanks, Kristin! :)

Talented Friends

This weekend my friend Kristin asked if she could shoot me...

...like with her camera, guys, c'mon. I said "friend" ;)

“PsshhhYEAH!” was pretty much my response.

And I think you can see why.

I think you should go visit my talented friend Kristin Brown

and have her take YOUR picture. Mmmk?

Thanks, Kristin! :D

Breather

Holy moly, I am TIRED...oly!

I feel like I haven’t been home this whole summer…

which, of course, is a mild exaggeration...

but mostly true.

I am blessed to go on so many fun vacations,

I am absolutely 100% aware of this blessing,

But…

I. Love. Being. Home.

Nothing compares to home.

photos of my most recent adventures coming shortly

P.S. Um, CELLO! You guys & gals bring eye-to-eye smiles to my face! Thank you ever so much for your lovely commentations. I love hearing from you! :D Keep it up!

Happy Day!

Do something fabulous,

like blowing bubbles OR sidewalk chalk OR cloud-gazing!

Hm...don't mind if I do.

Post Happy

I went a little post happy today, so be sure to take a gander at the Blog Archive (located conveniently in the left sidebar) to catch up with "The Many Summer Adventures of Lindsay Kay."

I must say, you people are sure quiet lately...

(knock knock on the computer screen)

Lindsay Kay's Blog-Stalker Rule #1: Never leave a blog without a comment.

(not that you have to follow it, but I wouldn't mind ;) )

Don’t be afraid to leave a quick (or lengthy) commentation and I'll be sure to pop on over to your neck of the cyber-woods and do the same for you!

Thanks mucho,

My 3rd Eye - Day 45: T-gull

It’s somewhat of an inside joke…

…and at the same time, it’s the State Bird of Utah,

so…

My Fourth of July Weekend

Backyard BBQ, Croquet & Movie

Parade

Community Carnival

BBQ & Fireworks

Flag Raising Ceremony

Visiting My Brother's Family

SL Bees Baseball Game

{Behold, my new favorite picture of Madre!}

Hope your holiday weekend was fabulous, too!