Phatchik

jamielauren studios

2010-03-20T14:08:00.002-05:00

I have been a bad, neglectful blogger lately, but for good reason. I've been feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless and saving puppies in distress.

Okay, none of that is true. I don't have a good reason for not blogging. But, if you like my work and want to continue to read what I have to say [WHY?] and see my photography, please follow me over on my new [regularly updated] blog: jamielauren studios

Thanks!!

I ♥ Faces {week 3} - We Are Family

2010-01-19T08:16:00.003-06:00

I think I've posted this photo on my blog before, but never for I ♥ Faces. It's a favorite of mine from a really fun shoot! Layne and I went to the same high school and now we work for the same company! She's married and a mother and it's still surprising to me that we're "adults"! Who knew THAT would ever happen?? CRAZY!

To see the [literally HUNDREDS! of] other great entries or to enter a family photo of your own, head over to I ♥ Faces!

Frostbiten

2010-01-04T15:13:00.002-06:00

Not my image

Jason, the crazy person that he is, enjoys physical activity. Most specifically, cycling. He rides his bike 8 miles to work and 8 miles back almost every day in the blazing South Florida heat and humidity. He comes home most days looking like he jumped in the pool before walking in the door, but he never complains. In fact, he'll even jump on the bike for fun [imagine that!] on the weekends or his days off.

Over the past few days, the temps in SoFla have dropped considerably and we're staring down he barrel of the 30's and 40's. I know there are areas of the country who don't get up to 40 in July, but if you live in Alaska, you pretty much knew what you were signing on for. So, this is cold for us. And what's worse, we're all totally unequipped to handle this type of cold front. We don't own "jackets," or have a "coat closet" or "socks." I didn't even know how to turn on the heat in my car! So, last night when Jason tells me that he's planning to bike to work this week, I pretty much looked at him like he'd just told me was leaving me for Jeremy Pivens. Wha-wha-WHAT?

Fine. Being the supportive girlfriend that I am, I say, "Well, then we need to get you some warmer clothes or something! Where do we start?" We hit Target, the bike store and Wal-Mart in an attempt to find him clothes that he would be comfortable riding in and that would wick away the sweat and be warm enough but not so warm that he sweats, etc. From one store to another we ran, making usre he had just the right stuff, in the right sizes, at the right prices [Heck, he's only going to wear them a handful of times!], etc.

The following morning, he wakes up and starts getting ready for his ride through the frozen tundra that is Fort Lauderdale. At some point he realizes that he has nothing at work to change into so, at 6am, he takes the car, drives his shirt, pants, dress shoes and tie over to the gym. [He works at a college and will ride his bike to the University gym, work out, shower, change into work clothes, go to work and then at the end of the day change back into riding clothes and ride home.] He gets back home around 7ish, grabs his back-pack, loads it up, straps on his helmet and leaves. Several minutes later, he's back. Needs to check the tire pressure and fill them with air. Okay, done. Ready to roll! Gets everything together, kisses me goodbye, yells at the dog to stop barking, hits the road. Several seconds later, he's back. "Do we have any gloves? I can't feel my fingers!" I look at him as if to say, "Are you crazy? I don't own a pair of closed-toe shoes. NO, we don't have spare gloves lying around." So, he leaves. Again. And once again, several seconds later, he returns. "What now, darling?" And he says, "I can't do it. I just can't. It's too cold out there!"

There was a moment or two of complete silence and then it happened....

I cracked the heck up. I laughed so hard I couldn't catch my breath. I hyperventaled. I hooo'ed and haaa'ed! I slapped my knee. And then I realized I was the only one laughing.

He looks at me like he's trying to burn a hole through me, gets back on his bike and rides off into the sunset. [Or sunrise, as it were.] I felt terrible! I tried to catch him but he was off. Poor thing! I hope frostbite hasn't set in....

I ♥ Faces {Week 48} Sweet Dreams

2009-12-07T07:02:00.003-06:00

Oh, how I love sleeping babies!! They're just as cute, cuddly and sweet smelling as the awake variety, but much less demanding.

This handsome little sleeping angel is, Chandler.

He was just 16 days old when this photos was taken. I went over to do the shoot and he was wide awake and ready to party! He wouldn't sleep a wink! We tried everything - feeding, rocking, warming up the room, etc. But he wanted to hang out and see what all the commotion was about. Well, as luck would have it, just as everything was packed up and I was putting the camera away...Zzzzzzz, he fell asleep. I quickly grabbed my camera and took one last photo of a [FINALLY!] sleeping baby Chandler!

Head over to I ♥ Faces to check out the other entries or to enter a photo of your own.

Aidan {Take 2}

2009-12-02T09:03:00.001-06:00

I can't adequately express how much I value and honor the people who trusted me and paid me to photograph them or their families back when I knew nothing. Way, way, WAY back...in February. Yup! I haven't even been doing this professionally for a year, but I already see so much growth in my work. And that's a good thing, but sometimes I look back at photos from paid-for-shoots and I shudder. I shudder and I do the equivalent of drunk-dialing. I emo-email.

"Dear Meaghan, thank you for entrusting me to photograph your child when I knew little more than a toddler would know about how to operate a camera. When I look back at the photos I took of Aidan last year, I want to sell my camera and cry into my pillow all night long. I hate them. So, I beg of you, please let me redeem myself. Let me photograph him again. Of course, there will be NO CHARGE. Let's meet at the beach unless you think it will be too rip-tidey and dangerous for the little man."

and Meaghan, dear sweet Meaghan responds, "Dear Jamie, PLEASE LIKE SOME OF THEM! Also, worry not my friend. I'm a nurse; I know CPR. Plus, if there is a hot lifeguard on-duty, one of us might HAVE to get swept up in the current. See you soon."

God, I adore her. And I adore this boy. I mean, seriously. Tell me this isn't one of the best looking children on this planet:

He is just so cute but more importantly, he's full of personality! He's fun, laid back, smart and he has a great sense of humor already. He's a lot like his Mama, who he believes has hung the moon and painted the stars.

I had such a good time on the beach with this little guy and his Mama and his G.G.

Johnnie & Tommy {Brothers}

2009-12-01T08:48:00.000-06:00

"Will he make eye contact?" I asked, worrying that a 17 year old Autistic child might be my toughest challenge (photographically speaking) yet!

"Of course!" She replied. "My Johnny will be fine. It's Tommy, the ever-embarassed 14 year-old, I'm worried about!"

I'm glad to report that, in the end, neither was a problem! Both boys were happy, willing participants and I had a great time at the park with two of them and their mother on that beautiful Fall evening!

Johnny-left / Tommy-right

I could tell when it was time to wrap things up as Johnny was anything but subtle.

"Bye, Jamie! Bye, Jamie! Bye, Jamie!" Luckily, I'm not easily offended. Plus, I knew he had been promised a soda from the Mobile Mart on the corner if he behaved during the shoot so really, he was trading me in for a soda and who could blame him?

The 'K Family' Photoshoot

2009-11-24T11:10:00.006-06:00

This family was a blast to photograph! They were beautiful [which always makes my job much easier!], they were fun and they were so laid back.

Little A was a typical toddler and he kept us all on our toes the entire afternoon. Especially since we were by large, deep bodies of water at each of our locations. Whew! I'm sure I lost a few pounds chasing after this little spit-fire!

As I go through their photos to edit them, I'm more and more in love with each image. They were just so good at showing genuine emotion to the camera. You can feel the love they have for each other and for little A, and it's just so beautiful!

I'm only posting a handful, but probably still more than I should because I can't stop. I just love these images.

Beach Bummer

2009-11-24T10:43:00.004-06:00

I know I live in Florida and I know the beach is...beachy, but if I get one more request for photos on the beach, I might let the rip tides take me under.

Why do SO MANY people want photos of themselves on the beach? Seriously - I'm asking you a serious question. What is so AWESOME about it? The sand? The water? The hairy men in Speedos that I end up spending countless hours editing out of your family photos?

I guess I kind of feel like it's a bit cliche. Ya know? Like you can't think of anything more exciting? You can't think of a cool graffiti wall somewhere? Or neat city street? SOMETHING? ANYTHING! Nope! The beach. Sand and water. The ol' nowhere-to-park-walk-5,000-miles-in-the-heat-complain-about-how-many-people-are-there BEACH!

And then, the same beach-lovers who couldn't imagine a family photo that didn't include ocean water, are afraid to get their feet wet and complain about sitting in the sand. Grrrr...

Of course, none of the subjects shown here were complainers in any way! It's just that I want people to think outside the box, I guess. Maybe, as the photographer, that is something I need to work on.

Maybe I should be pushing them to try something they wouldn't normally think to try! I think one of the things I need to work on is sharing my vision for a shoot and then standing firmly behind it. I do tend to back-down to make the "customer" happy, but if, in the end, they love their photos and they have something a bit more unique, they may be even happier than they are with their classic beach photos. Who knows....

All I know is this:

1.) I've seen too many professional photographers [who everyone *loves*] go to the same location over and over again for shoot after shoot and it gets very cookie-cutter-looking.

2.) If I'm asked to do another beach shoot, I might bury myself in the sand before we leave and ask my assistant [sister] to cover my head and leave me for dead!

I ♥ Faces {Week 46} - Sun Flare

2009-11-24T10:32:00.003-06:00

I'm slowly becoming a fan of sun flare, but it's really been a slow process. Because of that, I have one [ONE!] sun flare photo to share.

This is a photo of Joe, Stephanie and baby Addison from about 8 months ago. I figured now was as good of a time as any to use it since it was just Addy's first birthday (two days ago) and it happened to have a bit of flare.

Head over to I ♥ Faces to see the other amazing, flare-filled entries or to enter a photo of your own!

I ♥ Faces {Week 45} - Autumn Beauty

2009-11-17T08:43:00.010-06:00

It has been a long time since I've participated in the I ♥ Faces challenge! I won't go too much into why I've stayed away, but I will say that it started to feel a little less fun than it originally did.

This week, the theme is Autumn Beauty and while I wish I had a beautiful photo of some beautiful person wearing an orange sweater sitting in a pile leaves drinking a Hot Toddy while picking apples....I live in South Florida, so that is pretty much out of the question. What I DO have, however, is a beautiful photo of a beautiful person [Hi Danielle!] surrounded by lots of brown. Brown is a Fall color, right? RIGHT??? I honestly don't know, but every time I want to participate, there is some theme I just don't have a photo to suit. It has been about 6 or 7 weeks in a row now and darn it, I want to play!! And Florida is just so darn green!! Everywhere you look - GREEN! Or blue!! BLECH! I want red, orange, maroon! SOMETHING!!

Anyway, this is my photo. And it's about as "Autumn" as we get around here....

Please check out the other entries at I Heart Faces, or enter a photo of your own!

Ninja Crime-fighter

2009-10-29T09:18:00.007-05:00

Today is Jason's birthday. For those of you who don't know Jason, I will attempt to explain though, in reality, this man defies explanation.

He is my boyfriend.

He refuses to be photographed.

He is the boyfriend of a photographer and refuses to be photographed. (Hence the above photo. No photos of Jason, but something nice to look at, no?)

He is infuriating.

He is an enigma wrapped in a question mark and he loves when I say that because it means he's won!

He is a crime fighter-ninja-superhero-transformer-kind of guy.

He loves the 80's and all that decade had to offer, but especially their Saturday morning cartoons.

He rides his bike 8 miles to work and back every day. For fun.

He loves Oreo cookies.

He loves cereal.

He loves Japanese Anime.

He named our cats Kyo and Kisa after two characters from the Japanese Anime, Fruits Basket.

He is a computer guy.

He is so patient it inspires me.

He is so moral, just and fair, it infuriates me.

He knows how to push my buttons.

He is a brilliant writer.

He is a grammar snob and proud of it.

He is so annoying with his grammar snobbery but he could not care less. Conversate and irregardless are not words, people mis-use the word ironic and I over-use the word literally. These are all things that make him want to resort to violence.

He is a strange duck.

He is quiet.

He is funny.

He loves Moulin Rouge and can sing all the songs and isn't one bit ashamed. Not one bit. I wish he was at least one little bit ashamed, but he's not. Not at all. God help me.

He took the Mensa test. I won't comment on the results. Mostly because I don't know.

He is stubborn. And I don't mean a little stubborn. I mean, if he and Gandhi were in a stand-off, Gandhi would have given in and ate an entire buffet of food before Jason would relent.

He wins every staring contest we have. And we have many because I'm fascinated with his ability to NOT BLINK FOR LIKE 10 STRAIGHT MINUTES! Don't your eyes hurt, man?

He is mostly patient with me.

He inspires me to know more, to be open-minded, to learn more, to try harder not to judge, to value intelligence over beauty and to be a better person. He has taught me that everyone [everyone!] is a little bit racist. He is everything I could ever want in a partner and he is all mine.

Happy Birthday, Jason (Ninja Crime fighter)! I love you more than you know and always will. You are my Superhero.

The Reason I'm Still Finding Sand in My Shoes

2009-10-29T08:48:00.004-05:00

Recently, my mother asked me to do a session for a friend of hers. Harriet, and her husband Irv, have been my mother and step-fathers close friends for many years and now that Harriet is deep into her battle with Cancer, it is all the more important that she have some family photos taken. Photos that her family will treasure forever. I was honored to be the one to capture those memories.

When I got to the beach on Sunday, little Myles (Harriet and Irv's two-year old grandson) was playing in the sand with his mom, Daniella, and his dad, Seth. Myles was in charge of the pail, the shovel, the dinosaur and all the sand on the beach! I could tell I was going to have my hands full with this little guy!

A few minutes later, everyone else showed up! Seth's father and step-mother followed by Harriet and Irv and Harriet's mother. We got some great family shots, despite Myles fascination with the beach shower behind him:

We ended up just letting Myles play and I took my shots when I could get them. His incredible red hair and sparkling blue eyes were just killing me! I wanted to grab him, stuff in my camera bag and run - but there were too many witnesses. And Seth is a lawyer so he'd probably win the custody battle in court. Darnit!

Just look at this face -

Is that the mischievous look of a two year old or what?!? I could just photograph him all day...if he'd ever look at my camera!

Seth and Daniella - it was a pleasure photographing your family. I hope you are able to find an acceptable, holiday-card-worthy photo in this bunch! Also, whenever you're tired of Myles - ship him my way. I'm enamored with fiesty red-heads!

Stress is a Four Letter Word

2009-10-23T14:43:00.005-05:00

Fine! It’s technically five letters, but you know I’ve never been good at math now leave me alone!!

Internet, I’m warning you. Do not push my buttons today. It’s just not the day. You see, I’m what any good psychiatrist would call, “certifiable,” and you don’t want to push the buttons of a certifiable woman. You could loose a finger and have your eyebrows singed clear off your face and no one (NO ONE) looks good sans brows.

Why so stressed you ask?

What is that - sarcasm? Don’t patronize me internet! I warned you!! I have a full time job that is causing me to want to extract my toenails individually, I am taking a full time course-load [12 credits] and I have a lot of stuff going on in the Photography department. And while I love being able to put my camera to good use, it’s still another thing on my to-do list. I work all week, go to school all week, clean the house, cook dinner, take care of the pets, do the dishes and take out the trash all week and now my weekends are filled with photo shoots and photo editing.. I never get a break. This weekend I have a shoot with 8 – 10 families on Saturday morning and then another on Sunday. I decided to take Monday off because I figured I’d have a lot of photo editing to do and I have two (TWO!) final papers due by Tuesday. I’m also going to the dentist because I’m a masochist. I didn’t think all the stress was enough. Apparently I thought I should torture myself physically as well and try to write two papers and edit hundreds of photos while HIGH ON VICODAN!

Add to that the frustration of having a very nice, very expensive new printer and my just-over-one-year-old TV both taking a total crap at the same time, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster. Not to mention, I had a bunch of blood work done about 4 weeks ago and I still have not received the results. I’m also stressing out over the possibilities of said results and what that means for me and my future.

If I could give you one piece if advice, however, it would be to never call a customer-service line when in a stress-induced foul mood. It will make you want to take a hostage.

The problem is, I don’t follow my own advice so I’ve been on the phone all day with the people [and I use the term loosely] from Samsung. I can assure you, dear, sweet internet, that it hasn’t been pretty. I’ll spare you the details, but I can assure – that venture included a lot of actual four-letter words.

Paperweight

2009-10-21T07:45:00.000-05:00

See that TV over there on the left side of the above photograph? That is what I like to call, “Our $2,000 Paperweight.” I call it that for two reasons.

Reason One: We spent about $2,000 on it when bought it a little less than 18 months ago.

Reason Two: It is useless. It won’t turn on.

So, as you can probably imagine, I’m a little annoyed. Ticked. Miffed. Bothered.

It all started a while back, you know, about 3 weeks after the one-year warranty expired. We would turn the T.V. off and when we’d go to turn it back on a while later, it would click and click and then finally turn on. At first it was about a minute, then 5 minutes, then ten minutes and eventually, it took 45 minutes to turn on.

I started doing a little research on line about this online and found that hundreds (hundreds!!) of people were in the same boat with their Samsung TVs.

Here are a few examples of what I found. Click on any of them to follow the link:

- Gurus, help needed on fixing a Samsung LCD TV (LN-S4051D). The 1.5 year old TV won’t turn on. There is no picture or sound. When plugged in, a click sound was first heard followed by the red LED light blinking 4 times (next to the power button on the panel). Then the click sound came back again with 4 blinks of the LED light. The whole thing went into a cycle while the power button on the panel and the remote are not functioning.

- Samsung 42" plasma, won't turn on - keeps clicking as if trying to start

- We recently got a tv from our neighbor who complained that it wouldn't turn on. We got it, plugged it in, and it seemed to work fine. After about a day we noticed the mentioned problem. We thought it might be a bad power button so we got a new remote. That didn't work either. The problem was initially that the tv wouldn't turn on at the first try, it would take several, now it won't turn on at all remote or button. When we try the tv will make a power up noise on occasion and the power light will either flicker or stay lit in between attempts.

- Does anyone own a Samsung flatscreen tv and have problems with it clicking and not turning on? We have had our 40" Samsung flatscreen for a little over a year and about 3 months ago it started making a clicking noise whenever we would try to power it on. It would take about 5 minutes and then eventually turn on. As time went by it would click and take longer and longer to come on. It got so bad it would sometimes take hours to come on! Then it just died! Samsung is aware of the problem but refuses to stand behind repairing customers tv that have this issue.

- I have a Samsung LE40R73BD LCD TV and it is 2 years old. This week it has started to not power on straight away. When you press the power button or press the remote control standby button, the panel's red LED dims, it clicks, the LED goes bright again and then repeats itself. After around 5 minutes of it doing this in a loop the panel suddenly powers up ok.

Needless to say, this a huge problem and Samsung does NOT stand behind their product. I’m so saddened by this as this is the biggest purchase I’ve ever made in my life and it is our only TV. We did a ton of research before buying this TV and settled on Samsung because of their amazing picture quality. No other TV compares to the picture of this TV. When it works.

I ended up paying someone $300 yesterday to come to the house and repair the television and then I called Samsung, yelled, threw a fit and demanded to be heard by anyone and everyone in their corporate office lest I come down there myself and throw this $2000 paperweight through their window. I’ll let you know how this works out.

Mama Bear

2009-10-20T09:13:00.003-05:00

It is a rare occasion that I feel the need to blog, lately. And while I make no apologies, I understand why you would miss me. Seriously, I'm loveable. But I have a story to tell so I'm here to tell it. Not being one to necessarily follow the beaten path, I will begin this story with the moral and that is, 'I should never have children.' Never, ever, ever. And here is why:

This weekend, after a record breaking nine consecutive days of 90+ degrees heat in October, [a record we haven't touched since, I believe, the late 80's,] the temps dropped into the 60's and it was glorious! I opened the windows, lit some fall scented candles and just soaked in every second knowing full well that this was short-lived. My kitties also enjoyed the weather and it really got into them! They were flying around the house, batting at every toy mouse they could find and sliding across the tile on a surf board/doormat. The activity they enjoy most, however, was sitting at the open window watching the ducks, the leaves and various passersby.

They happily sat and watched and occasionally puffed up and ran away if anything too scary crossed their path...like if someone dared to close their car door within earshot of either of them. Scary, scary stuff.

I sat on the computer, edited photos and generally enjoyed the day. That is until a band of nasty heathens walked past my open window. I could hear them chatting away about something and sweet Kisa was sitting at the window happily watching them walk by. I thought I heard them talk about Kisa but I naturally assumed they were admiring her beautiful soft fur or her sparkling crystal blue eye, so I let them carry on. Naturally, people are going to be taken with her beauty. She and I both understand this and accept it.

But, on their way back from wherever they were (probably robbing an old lady or beating up a toddler) their volume and clarity had increased and this time, when they passed, both kitties were in the window and I clearly heard one of them shout, "EW! Oh my God! There are TWO of them!! TWO!! With one eye! DISGUSTING! Look!! EWW!" When I get up and walk towards the window, I see a group of people laughing, pointing and shouting at my little Kyo and Kisa who are happily looking at these a-holes as if to say, "We know we're cute, but come on! You don't have to point!"

That's when it happened. That is when the Momma bear came out and it wasn't pretty. I gutted those shitheads like a salmon and ate them for dinner. First I shouted, "Seriously, you're screaming into an open window. THIS IS MY HOME ASSHOLES! You’re looking into my window and commenting on things you see inside. We call that attempted burglary and I will not hesitate to call the police." And if you think that was harsh, you should stop reading now. If you thought I was a nice person, this next portion of the blog will set you straight once and for all.

I continued to verbally assault these people and while I was blinded by rage and can't recall everything I said, I do recall threatening to remove one of their eyes and then point and laugh at them. Yes. I really said that. I'm not proud of myself.

I'm trying to find the positive in any situation so I've realized that what this incident taught me is that I should never be a parent. If my human child ever came home from school and told me another child was bullying them, well I just hope you all would pull together and collect my bail money.

I ♥ Faces {Week 37} Candid!

2009-09-22T14:35:00.006-05:00

Man it's been a long time since I've been bitten by the blogging bug! But it's been even longer since I've participated in I ♥ Faces. I decided to throw my hat back in the ring this week with this photo of the ever-adorable, Jestin and his blue cotton candy:

Please pop on over to I ♥ Faces to check out the other entries or to enter a photo of your own!

Don't Ya Wish Your Camera Was Hot Like Me?

2009-08-27T09:52:00.004-05:00

Recently, I was asked to shoot some photos for my company's picnic. I was on the planning committee and a few people knew I was a photographer so they asked me if I'd mind.

Mind? MIND? Any excuse to whip out my camera is fine with me!

The day of the picnic, I brought my camera and started snapping away. I tried not to get too artsy because I figured people would just look at my incredible shot of the water bottles floating on ice and be all, "Huh?" but I stayed true to myself and captured a few head-scratchers.

I'd love to post the photos here, but I haven't gotten permission from my co-workers and due to the nature of the work we do, I'm not going risk posting their faces on the interwebs.

Instead, I'll post some photos from another party. At a park. With much cuter attendees. (No offense fellow CN employees.)

I'm sure you're wondering if this post has a point seeing as how I mentioned an event that I photographed and then said I couldn't share any of the photos. And I say to you, dear reader, BE PATIENT! I'm getting there...Sheesh!

So, after photographing the picnic and then lightly editing the blemishes off the faces of the co-workers I actually like, I loaded the files to a disk and shared them with the staff. And I knew this would happen. I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!

I was happily sitting at my desk ~~playing around on Facebook~~ working diligently, when sweet Kendra (names have been changed to protect the innocent) came in. She immediately began gushing, "Oh Jamie! Those photos were amazing!"

So, I'm thinking, 'so far, so good' but I know where this conversation is going.

And she continues, "They're so nice! You must have a really expensive camera, huh? I'll bet I could take great photos like you if I has a better camera.

And then my head exploded.

I think every photographer hates, nay loathes, nay detests that statement / assumption. What on Earth makes you think you would be able to take better photographs if you had a more expensive camera? What makes you think you would even know what to DO with my camera?

Tiger Woods could win the US Open (is that golf? I don't know sports) with a set of clubs from Wal-Mart. Martha Stewart is a great cook, but it has nothing to do with the oven she uses. And I'm pretty sure, when thinking back on Michael Jordan's glory days, it was not the shoes.

In fact, I used to take photos with my point and shoot that would garner the same compliments I get today with my "expensive camera.

I tried to remain calm but I did get a little snippy with poor Kendra, who never saw it coming. She was in Compliment-land! She was blissfully unaware that she has just made a sharp left turn into Back-handed-ville.

I apologized for biting her head clean off her shoulders and explained why I was a little offended by what she said and she apologized and all is right with the world, but I have to ask my fellow photographers don't you just hate that? The assumption that the camera is taking good photos and that you have nothing to do with it? Man, it just chaps my hide. My hide, wherever it is, is very much in need of chap stick right now.

Pleasant image, no? How about I leave you with a better one?

Recently, I did a shoot with my friend Lesny's daughter. Breanna turned one on July 27th and Lesny already has another on the way! Man, she's going to have her hands full!!

(How old are you, Breanna? ONE!)

Crash! & Why I Haven't Blogged - Totally Unrelated.

2009-08-26T16:09:00.004-05:00

Hello blog friends! Hello?

::tap, tap::

Is this thing on? Are there any of you left out there??

Listen, I'm sorry I haven't blogged in nearly a decade, but I have a good excuse!

Ready??
*
*
*
*
I had nothing to say.

Honestly, that is the truth. I haven't blogged because I haven't had much to say. Now, that's not to say that life has been dull - heh - no way, Jose. It's just that I haven't had much to say about all the goings on.

So, now that we've got that outta the way and you've forgiven me and we've moved past this (and don't throw it in my face a few weeks from now when we're in the midst of a heated argument) we can move on to all the car accidents that have been happening in my life.

Technically, I was only in one accident but the other is a good story. It made me want to blog - it was THAT good!

The first accident, the one I was actually in, was in my sister's car. It was almost 9 o'clock at night and we decided to jump in the car, in pajamas, and head on over to our mother's house. We were about half way there when some daredevil decided to run a red light. We were headed north and she decided to make a left turn. ON RED. Genius, I say! Luckily, no one was hurt but my sisters car is pretty banged up. And now she has to deal with insurance and getting the car fixed and we're still not 100% certain if the driver of the other car has insurance and BLECH! Car stuff stinks worse than three week old garbage. But again, we're all in one piece and other than our egos, which are slightly bruised after standing in the middle of a major road wearing no bra and PJ's, we don't have a scratch on us!

Now onto the car accident that reignited my blogging fire.

My best friend, Nicole, is one of those people who should write a blog but would never even consider it. She just has the most hysterical life. The funniest and strangest things happen to this girl, I swear.

So, yesterday I log on to my Facebook account and immediately see a photo Nicole posted of her banged up car. According to the description, someone hit her parked car and then drove off without leaving a note or anything.

Right now, you're probably thinking, "So, you laugh at the misfortune of others, huh? Because I fail to see the humor in this story..." Just wait. And don't judge me.

I comment on the photo and no sooner do I post it then my phone begins to ring.

It's Nicole.

I ask her what happened and she tells me the story:

Nicole works in a large building in Coral Gables (Miami). It was the end of the day and she's walking to her car in the large parking garage when suddenly she see a large SUV back up into another car. She can't see the car, but she remembers thinking, whomever's car that is, they're going to be pissed! They got hit hard! She walks a little further and realizes that it was her car that had been hit!

This is where I interrupt and say, "SO YOU SAW THE CAR? YOU SAW WHO HIT YOUR CAR?!? DO YOU KNOW THE BASTARD??"

The answer, my dear bloggy friends, is yes. Yes, she knows exactly who hit her car.

It was her boss!(side note: what a friggen beeyotch!)

Nicole immediately whips out her cell phone and dials her boss' number.

No answer.

She texts her, "call me."

No answer.

Several hours later, she's at home, her husband has smoke coming out of his ears so she decides to try just one more time.

This time she answers but she doesn't even say hello. She just says, "Was that your car I hit?"

Un-friggen-believable.

SOME PEOPLE!

(Also, sorry for the lack of photos. I totally understand if you want to leave my blog and never return. I just hope you'll reconsider.)

I ♥ Faces {Week 29} At the Beach!

2009-07-28T17:07:00.002-05:00

One would think that living in South Florida, I might have many photos of myself or my friends and family at the beach, right? Well you'd be wrong. Really, really wrong. I avoid the beach at all costs. For many reasons.

But I recently did a shoot with my friend Jennifer and her dog Hailey on Deerfield Beach here in South Florida. This photo was my absolute favorite of the shoot and I'm proud to be entering it into this week's contest:

I love the beach grass and the sand and the buildings, but most of all, I love how beautiful Jen looks and how Hailey is looking at her like she's made of candy! That's why I love dogs - that look.

Head on over to I ♥ Faces and check out the other entries this week. They're beachy keen! Man, I'm a dork!

50%

2009-07-24T13:04:00.006-05:00

(Not my image. Click photo for credit.)

I’m just going to put this out there: I think fairytales mess with our heads.

There, I said it.

In speaking with a friend today, (Ah, who am I kidding? This isn’t the 90’s! We don’t “speak” to people anymore! I sent her a message on Facebook.) I started to really think about what that means. She’s not having marriage issues or anything, but we talked about previous relationships, how we handle current relationships, how much we’ve learned and coffee. Coffee has nothing to do with anything else. It’s just yummy and necessary for life and living, but I digress.

From the time we’re young children, most of us have our brains washed by stories of Princes and knights in shining armor. But what Hollywood and Disney don’t show you are the parts of the story where Prince Charming leaves his dirty underwear on the bathroom floor day after day and Cinderella, plagued by her daddy issues, eventually grows to resent the Prince and leaves him for a castle guard.

I personally believe the divorce rate is as high as it is because too many people give in when the going gets tough. But they’re only doing so because they believe if it’s tough it isn’t right. And that’s not right! Relationships are constant works in progress just like the people who are in them. We grow and change every day and so should our relationships.

Of course, there is always going to be a situation where it is truly best for the couple to go their separate ways, but I’m sure that’s not the case in half of all marriages.

Recently, I’ve seen a lot of marriages go south. Many people I know, love or care about have just given up and thrown in the towel. Of all of the divorces, only one is warranted. The rest were just couples who married with this fairytale ideal in mind and when things got a little tough, they wanted out. I think it’s so sad - especially when children are involved.

I’ve heard Dr. Phil say, “children would rather be from a broken home than in one,” a million times, but I just don’t know if I can agree, wholeheartedly, with that statement. I am the product of a “broken home,” and I’ll tell you what – I wish my parents had worked a little harder to get along and make it work. I wish they hadn’t given up.

I think children want their parents to be together and to be happy and to be happy together.

There are always going to be bumps in the road, but I believe that if you loved each other once, you can find that love again. You may have to look for it (and it’s always in the last place you look, darnit!) but you can find it.

In life, there just is no, “…happily ever after.”

The End.

I ♥ Faces {#20} Fix-it Friday

2009-07-17T09:42:00.005-05:00

I haven't done a Fix-it Friday in while but this week, as soon as I saw the photo, an idea popped into my head.

The biggest issue with the photo was the fact that the cuteness of this munchkin was almost lost by the disc traction of the clutter in the background. In order to bring her angelic face back in to focus, I had to get rid of the messy stuff behind her. Here is the result:

My edits were all done in Picnik since I'm at work (heh) and that's the only program I can access.
What I did:

I warmed the photo up a bit
I sharpened it
I boosted the color saturation a bit
I went into 'create' mode and selected "Dots and Dots"
Switched from 'impressions' to 'color spots'
De-selected the princess
Went back into 'Edit'
Did a square crop
Back into 'Create'
Went into Frames/Borders
Selected 'Museum Matte'
Picked coordinating colors
Voila!

So, that's how I dun dunnit. Not the bestest of the bestest but it's the best I can do from work..uh..umm..I mean...for now. Heh.

As usual, I can't wait to see what everyone else did! Check'em out over on I ♥ Faces!

I ♥ Faces {Week 27} - Sports & Pets!

2009-07-14T09:48:00.003-05:00

I am having I ♥ Faces withdrawal, I swear! I couldn't post in their last contest because the last time I went to a wedding, high-top sneakers were all the rage. Seriously, it's been a while. So, I had no photos to enter!

This week, however, I am making up for lost time! I'm entering one photo in each category!

My submission for "Sports in Action," is this photo of my friend's son, Aidan:

He may look small, but he was able to slam dunk that ball! Okay, I'm lying, but he's awesome. Not necessarily at basketball - just in general.

And for the "pets" catergory,...well, this is always hard for me. I have a bazillion gajillion photos of furry beings. And that's a conservative estimate. I'm going with this photo because...well, I like it and isn't that the point? Yes, I think so!

Lookin' at it now, it's not a perfect photo, but I just love so many things about it! Oh, that green, green grass! Be still my heart. And that Labrador face - is there anything cuter on Earth?

Remember to head on over to I ♥ Faces to check out the other entries this week or to enter the contest yourself! It's SO much fun!!!

Warning: I Use the Word ‘Defecation’ in This Post

2009-07-13T15:58:00.004-05:00

Look at this face! Does this look like the face of a trouble maker? Well, if you’ve ever met Caesar you would most likely shout a resounding, “YES!” But that’s probably only because you don’t like being barked at like an intruder and you’re not fond of having your pant leg bitten. Other than that, he’s cute.

The thing about Caesar is that he’s 11 and this whole “aging” thing is a problem for me.

I’ve had Caesar since he was 12 weeks old. He was born on the Ides of March (hence the name) and I brought him home on my 19th birthday. From the minute I saw him in the pet store, I was in love! And the feeling was mutual. We’ve been inseparable for the better part of his life and we like it that way. However, I’ve realized that I need to start coming to grips with the fact that he is not going to out-live me. This is ruff. (Hiye-Yo!) I’m already experiencing anxiety about how I will handle that final parting. Especially since more recently, he’s been showing his age and that only serves to freak me out to the point of needing elephant tranquilizers.

I’m telling you, Internets; I needed a stiff drink when I realized I had to switch from Adult formula to Senior Formula dog food! And when my ex started calling him Dutch Boy (because the fur around his mouth was so white, it looked like he had been “eating paint”) I ended the relationship.

So, a few weeks ago, when he got really sick and began urinating and defecating blood, I can assure you it took several years off my life.

Without getting too gross (too late?) he was urinating pure blood. No urine. Bright red, horror movie-type stuff. It not only freaked me {and my sister} out, it freaked the vet out. She tried to remain calm because she has seen the depths of my insanity over this dog, but I saw her face and I noticed the stutter. It was bad.

I had to leave my baby at the vet’s office and they were going to do some x-rays, draw some blood, take a stool sample and a sterile urine sample (which means catheterizing him – ouch!) and they’d let me know what they found and when I could pick him up.

I know I don’t have to tell you that I did not handle this well. I mean, I tried. I held it together on the outside, but on the inside – whoa! Let’s just shut that door and triple deadbolt lock it and not look inside. Okay?

I was just thinking that he’s never been in a cage, he doesn’t like being separated from me, he doesn’t like strangers and though this topic has never come up in conversation before, I’m pretty sure he’s not a fan of catheters.

Also, the last time I was supposed to leave him at the vet’s office, they told me, “Never mind! You can take him home. The sedative is wearing off and he’s…back to his old self.” Which means he bit someone.

So, my sister was able to talk me down off the roof and we headed home (which is literally right behind the vet’s office – I can see the back of their building from the side of my house) to pace and wait and worry.

Several hours later, the vet called me. I saw the number on the phone and felt all the blood drain from my face. I don’t know why but I was so convinced that this was it..

Dr. G assures me that everything is okay and that I can pick up Caesar in a few hours. She wanted to just run one more test. Basically, she believes he has a serious Urinary Tract Infection and that the stomach is a whole separate, albeit poorly timed, issue. She prescribes an Antibiotic and a special food for his stomach.

Oy, Caesar’s stomach. That’s a whole post unto itself! This boy is allergic to every food known to man.

So now he’s on this prescription food which costs over $3 per can. Yeah, I had to ask the vet if there is caviar in there because I couldn’t believe my ears. He’s eating better than Jason and I! And the worst part is that he hates the food. Hate is an understatement. He loathes it entirely. Detests it! Turns his nose up at it!

I don’t know what to do with him, but he’s lucky I love him. And he’s lucky I bought him because I doubt highly that many others would have gone through all that I’ve gone through with this beast.

Oh No, I'm The Big 3-0!

2009-07-09T10:11:00.007-05:00

***I just want to start by quickly apologizing to my ~~two~~ readers for not having posted in a while. There really aren't any valid excuses (ya' know, except for LIFE) and I've decided not to bother coming up with any lies because you're too smart for that. So, I'm just going to apologize and you're going to accept and we're all going to move on. Until we get into a fight like, a week from now because I left my shoes by the front door again and you blow-up in my face and are all, "Ya, well, also....sometimes you go WEEKS without posting to your blog and that really irks me!" And I'll be like, "So THAT'S what this is all about!" And we'll sleep in separate rooms for a few days.***

Yes, Internets, I turned 30. Three zero. The big 3-0. Ten more than twenty. Ten less than 40. Thir-teeee.

Wowza. And what's so sad is that it couldn't have happened to a nicer girl!

Truth be told, I'm not flipping out at all. Life is good and moving on to the next chapter is perfectly fine with me. I very much look forward to it! My parents, however, are the ones having a harder time. They cannot believe they're old enough to have a thirty-year-old child (yes, "child") and my mother keeps saying, "How is this possible? How could you be 30?! How could I have a 30 year-old?!?"

For weeks before my birthday, my mother would call me with this tone in her voice and say, "My daughter is going to be 30! THIRTY!!" It was getting annoying. But then she would ask me what I wanted for my big birthday and somehow the annoyance would melt away.

Basically, I told everyone that what I wanted was to not have to ask. Sounds like a plan, right? Yep! 'Cept I forgot how opinionated I am and how if you don't do what I want (even though I refused to tell you what I want) I will throw a temper tantrum of massive proportion because I'm a spoiled brat deserving of a 30 minute time out! (One minute for every year of life, right?)

So, my actual birthday rolls around and I had planned to take that day off from work. For some reason, it never occurred to me that everyone else in the world would be at work, but whatever. So, there I am, at home, alone and bored. Eventually, it stopped raining long enough for me to be able to leave the house for a mani/pedi.

That was an experience in and of itself. The nail tech, in her broken English, told me in no uncertain terms, that if I answered my phone during my manicure she would be unable to continue doing my nails. Yes, drill Sargent!

After my mildly abusive mani/pedi, I went to pick Jason up from work. On our way home he tells me that we're going to dinner at an Italian restaurant. I explained that when I was asked the day before, I said I wanted to go to Grand Luxe for some Asian Nachos (be sill my heart) so why were the plans changed? He tells me he's not sure, but this is the plan.

To make a long story considerably shorter, I begin to freak my freaking freak. I could not understand why it was my birthday yet we were going the restaurant that other people wanted to go to. What the heck?

Let the temper tantrum begin!

I was crying, angry, frustrated and just plain not going! When I eventually conceded and decided to go, it was under the condition that I would not be changing clothes, that we were only to stay long enough for me to collect my gift and then head over to Grand Luxe and that I could tell everyone who wanted Italian food on my birthday where they could shove their mozzarella sticks before storming out in a huff. (This isn't painting me in a great light - I know. It doesn't get any better.)

So, the whole drive over, I'm brow-beating everyone I know and making my sister and Jason question their love for me.

We arrive at the restaurant and as we're walking to the back, I see balloons. Lots of them. And people. Lots of them. Some of whom I rarely see. Some I see every day at work.

Huh? What is this? Is this a party? For MOI !?!?!

So yeah, I felt like a tool. And what's worse is that I was posting my dissatisfaction with the situation on Facebook every so often and, as it turns out, everyone was sitting around the table at my party reading my bratty, ungrateful status messages out loud and laughing at me. I so deserved that.

In the end, I had a great birthday and I was surrounded by the loving, patient people who put up with me on a regular basis. And I got great gifts! What more could a girl ask for?

Maybe some Asian nachos. I still haven't gotten my Asian nachos, darnit.

I ♥ Faces {Week 24} "Let's Hear it for the Boys!"

2009-06-23T11:27:00.004-05:00

This week, I thought I would only have an entry for the kids section because, though I cannot believe this, I have never had a willing male model over the age of two (and, truth be told, even the two year old wasn't exactly what I would call, "willing.") until this weekend. Man, that was a long sentance!

Anyway, my sister, {Lindsay} and I met my daddy for our traditional Father's Day brunch on Sunday and I begged him to let me take a few photos of him and he obliged! YEAH!

My Dad is so handsome! I only wish he'd passed along those baby blues to me, but no such luck.

A few weeks back, I also got to "shoot my friends baby." That's been our joke since that day. As we were leaving the park I said, "thanks for letting me shoot your baby!" And she cracked up! Then she posted that as her Facebook status. Ah! That's how you know you've arrived. When you're quoted in a Facebook status.

Anyway, Meaghan's little guy, Aidan, is about the cutest thing I've ever seen. Seriously. Tell me this face doesn't melt your cold, black heart:

Please head on over to I ♥ Faces and check out this weeks entries. I love the themes! It's the best part! Or maybe the comments are the best. Or the community of photographers I've met. Or the friendly competition. Or, or, or....

I ♥ Faces - Giveaway!

2009-06-17T10:23:00.007-05:00

KODAK ESP 9 All-in-One Printer

I know you're looking at that printer thinkin, "Man, that is one sweet printer! I could print my photos out from home and they'd be rockin' the heezy if I had that printer!"

Well, you too can have this printer...maybe! Head on over to I ♥ Faces and follow the directions to be entered into this sweet giveaway! A $299 printer for the free?!?! Offers like that don't come along every day!

I've blogged about it, twittered/tweeted/twat about it, whatever it takes!

I ♥ Faces {Week 23} Sepia Toned

2009-06-15T13:00:00.004-05:00

Okay people! First, I just want to thank everyone who voted for my photo of sweet baby Addison and her Daddy Joe for the Reader's Choice, Blurb Book Contest. I know so many people who spent a lot of time voting as much as possible and it's just amazing that anyone would do that for lil' ol' me! Currently, we're in second place, but I know you all will find a way to put me back in first!

Now, onto this week's photo challenge for i ♥ faces! This week's theme is Sepia Toned. I'm actually not a huge fan of the Sepia photos, in general, but I'm excited about this week because I actually have a photo for the kids category as well as for the adults! Oh, it's the little things in life that thrill me.

Here is my entry for the kids:

I love this photo of Princess Nyah. She's such a good little girl. And smart too! She's in the gifted program in school and making straight A's! Or pluses! Or S's! Or whatever the heck they get in the third grade. Either way, I swear, she's going to be President one day.

And this is my Adult's entry:

This is a photo of my friend, Jennifer, from high school. She's also an amazing girl. Super sweet, so giving and kind and she volunteers at a rescue shelter for dogs. She takes the dogs and runs with each and every one of them almost every day. She's awesome and I'm so lucky to be able to call her a friend.

Please pop on over to i ♥ faces to check out the other entries or to enter a photo of your own! You know you wanna do it!

Vote For Me!

2009-06-12T11:01:00.005-05:00

I am so honored to have been chosen as one of only 8 (EIGHT!!) photos for the Reader's Choice contest for the Blurb Book on I ♥ Faces!!

I am so excited and so want to get my hands on a free book!

Please click on the button below to link directly to the voting page and vote for my photo of Addy and her daddy, Joe! (I'm the last photo and you can vote more than once. Not that I am telling you to do that, just sayin'...)

Please spread the word and thank you to all my supportive friends, fans and loyal blog readers!

So You Think You Can Make My Ears Bleed

2009-06-11T09:00:00.001-05:00

Can we talk about Mary Murphy?

Can we please just talk about this lady for a moment?

Summer, for my sister and I, means making a date every Wednesday and Thursday night, to sit in my living room, eat dinner (and occasionally ice cream) and watch So You Think You Can Dance.

My sister and I both danced throughout our early childhoods and then my sister continued to dance through high school and then for one year after in a group called Alliance of Miami. We are fans of dance and we love this show!

When I say we love this show, I mean we LOVE this show: we love the dancing, the costumes, the music, the choreography, the choreographers, everything! Well, everything except Mary Murphy.

That loud-mouthed, screaming, overly-botoxed, obnoxious "lady" makes my friggen skin crawl! Normally, I would just fast forward through every single moment that she is on screen, but my sister doesn't want to miss a minute. Man alive, that woman is like nails on a chalk board. She's like a cat in heat. And I have to say, if the fact that this lady has been botoxed to the umpth degree is no secret, why then, did she make such a big deal about that confession last night? Apparently, she let it slip that she's injected more garbage into her body than Amy Winehouse and then freaked out about it. Oh, come on Mary. If I licked your forehead, I've have a severe case of botulism. You're not fooling anyone with your expressionless face.

If you don't watch this show, you should. But please make sure you have DVR or Tivo so you can fast forward through the Hot Tamale Train. Believe me, your ears and sanity will thank you.

Rose & Nyah

2009-06-10T14:07:00.003-05:00

*Disclaimer*
Okay, so I promise to post an entry that has nothing to do with photography soon. It's just that my interest in this has skyrocketed and I'm being asked to photograph friends, friends of friends, children of friends, co-workers and their children and the occasional pet and a college graduation, like...a lot. I end up with not much else to talk about because my free time is spent with camera in hand!

*****

My friend Rose and I share an office so we get to see each other's smiling faces every day, Monday through Friday from around 8 o'clock in the morning until about 5 o'clock in the evening. Why we would want to see each other again on the weekend is beyond me, but we managed to tolerate each other for a few hours this past Sunday in the park.

I wanted desperately to photograph Rose's daughter, Nyah. First of all, she's adorable! So cute! And her skin is like...like...like chocolate butter. (Mmmm, chocolate butter...) Also, when looking through my new website I noticed a serious lack of brown skin. Ugh! So not representative of me. I had to rectify this immediately so I used Nyah. Yes, I used her. Don't judge me. Okay, judge me, but know that I had the best intentions. Okay, my intentions were totally selfish, but I gave Rose a CD with all of the photos on it. Okay, so that doesn't make up for the fact that I, admittedly, used her daughter for my own personal and professional gain, but I SWEAR I'M A GOOD PERSON!

Anyway, the photos came out great! Not because I'm some rockin' photog with a gift for turning beasts into beauties via my magical Nikon. No, no, no. Because Nyah is beautiful and her mother is equally as easy on the eyes. They make it so easy. Also, it was a really overcast day so the lighting was perfect and certainly, I can't take credit for that!

I had so much fun with these two! And Nyah made it so easy - she's a great little model...except for the fact that I couldn't buy a smile from this kid!!

Meaghan & Aidan

2009-06-07T18:56:00.004-05:00

My friend Meaghan and I reconnected through Facebook! (Surprised? Ya, didn't think so.) We went to high school together but haven't spoken since graduating over ten years ago. In that time, Meaghan got married and had a beautiful baby boy, Aidan!

Unfortunately, Meaghan lost her husband of five years just weeks before finding out she was pregnant with this handsome guy:

Meaghan and I got to chat a bit and I have to say, she's a strong, independent woman, but more importantly, she's an incredible mother. She's the perfect mother for a little boy - she doesn't mind him getting dirty and she doesn't freak out when he gets hurt. Of course, she is a nurse so that may play a role in her calm demeanor, but her ability to stay cool definitely has an effect on little Aidan.

Aidan is a laid back, super-smart, very verbal, dramatic, funny & just plain CUTE little guy! He was so much fun to photograph even if he wouldn't look at me for most of the day! He was on to me in a flash! (Pun intended) After the first click, he knew I was trying to catch those incredible baby blues. I would call his name to get him to look my way and he'd say, "No, no, no!"

I didn't mind because when I was able to catch him looking at me, I knew the photos would be good! He's just so stinkin' handsome!

I allowed Meaghan to pick her favorites of the shoot and I used those in those in this post. (And I, ahem, might have thrown one or two of my faves in as well.)

Aidan - I had a blast hangin' with you at the playground, Dude!
And Meaghan - Thanks for letting me shoot your baby! Ha!

Nicole & Buddha {Take 2!}

2009-06-02T11:26:00.003-05:00

As you may already know, my friend Nicole is graduating with a Mster's in Psychology. So, this weekend, she asked me if we could take some more graduation photos. Naturally I said, "WHAT'S WRONG? YOU DIDN'T LIKE THE FIRST SET???" But she assured me that, while she loved the first set, she just wanted some photos with her dog, Buddha, so I happily obliged.

The cap and gown is a tough look to pull off well, but I think Nicole "mastered" it! (I slay me!) She ended up liking most of the photos without it, though.

The weather was not cooperating earlier in the day but by the time we were ready to shoot, the rain had stopped and the light from the setting sun was nearly perfect!

Did I mention that Nicole has a great sense of humor?

When I think of my friend, Nicole, I think about a lot of things...but mostly, "shoes." Man, that girl loves shoes! The more uncomfortable, the better!

And when I think of, Buddha - I think of his long tongue!

Nah! I think about what a well-behaved, sweet guy my Buddha-baby is! He really is a great dog!

C'mon, who coudn't love that face??

I ♥ Faces {Week 21} Pets!

2009-06-01T17:36:00.002-05:00

So, at this point the good majority of my posts are only in relation to I ♥ Faces, and if you've never partaken in the fun, then you probably won't understand. But, if you're an I ♥ Faces fan like I am, then you're probably only visiting my page to comment on my latest entry anyway so you don't mind.

I'm always excited when there is a pet's category but this week, I'm beyond excited. I'm charged! I'm delighted! I'm elated and ecstatic and just plain tickled because I have SO many good photos to choose from! Oh - wait. That actually makes me a little distressed. And nervous. And anxious.

How do I choose?!?

I did a photo shoot on the beach with my friend Jen, two weekends ago and then another shoot with my friend Nicole this weekend. Ugh! What to do - what to do??

Okay, I think I like this photo:

For those who don't recognize him, that's my "nephew," Buddha. He's gotten so big but he's still such a good boy!

Head on over to I ♥ Faces and check out the other entries this week. Pet's week is always fun and different!

I ♥ Faces - Fix-t Friday #15

2009-05-29T10:08:00.004-05:00

Lately, I haven't been too impressed with my results for the Fix-it Friday contests. I think it's because I'm using Picnik to edit my photos (because I'm at work - shh...) as opposed to Lightroom. And while I used to sing Picnik's praises, I'm no longer as impressed. Also, is it just me or are the photos they post like, really, really small?? Once you crop them, you're down to a postage stamp-sized photograph to work with.

Still, I look forward to this contest (can you call it that?) every week so I choose to join in on the fun whether I'm impressed with the fruits of my labor or not.

So, here is "Little Precious" before:

And here is my edited version:

(See? Postage stamp-ish, no?)

- I rotated the photo a drop and then cropped it a bit.

- I upped the exposure and contrast so you could see her adorable little face!

- Then, I warmed up the photo a bit in the 'colors' tab.

- I went into the 'create' tab and I (drooped acid, perhaps? NO!) turned the background blue (to match her shirt and her eyes) with the 'Tint' option.

- Then, I went into Dots and Dots and I went over all the blue areas again. (Okay, HERE is where the acid comes in!)

- Then, from the drop-down tab in that feature, I selected 'color dots' and slid the size slider all the way to right to create those huge dots of color behind her head.

- I added a border, made the 'caption height' about 300 and added text.

Clearly, I was going for something a little...outside of the box. And definitely NOT subtle and understated! It's cool though. Head on over to I ♥ Faces and check out the other edits done by people NOT reliving the 60's via photo-editing. I have honestly learned so much about professional editing from this weekly challenge. AH! That's the word I was looking for - "challenge!"

I ♥ Faces {Week 20} Silhouettes

2009-05-26T15:11:00.004-05:00

This week, over on I ♥ Faces, the theme is Silhouettes. I'm so psyched because I have one photo that I absolutely adore and I have been dying to use it!

I took this photo {by accident. Heh.} when my cousins were here. This is the ever-adorable, Miss Jaclyn.

I just love the way she's holding her shoulders and the shadow her body is creating. The light in her hair - yummy! The color of the sky behind her reminds me of a drink served pool-side with a little paper umbrella and an orange slice and the tree peeking out on the right just makes the whole composition perfection in my eyes. It is really very rare that I will gush over a photo I've taken but this one is a rare exception. I really do like it!

To check out the other entries or to enter a photo yourself, head on over to I ♥ Faces.

Jen and Haley

2009-05-25T12:21:00.005-05:00

Facebook can be a glorious thing - it really can. I've been able to get back in touch with so many people from high school! Actually, come to think of it, sometimes Facebook can be a glorious thing.

For the past few months, I've been chatting back and forth with my friend Jen, from high school.

Today, Jen is a financial planner and in her free time she volunteers for an animal rescue organization. It's amazing how she so freely and selflessly gives of herself to these animals. She currently has four dogs and a Lemur, Pachino!

Recently, she asked me to take some photos of her with one of her dogs, Haley. I jumped up and down, did a back flip, high-fived some random guy and then calmly said, "Sure, why not."

We decided to do the shoot this weekend on the beach. Heh. Little did we know it was going to rain for five days straight!! In the end, the weather gods smiled upon us and gave us a few rain-free hours of beach time!

I'm happy with the way the photos came out, but really, when you have two beautiful subjects, how can you go wrong?

It really was a fun shoot and I so enjoyed reconnecting with Jen. I hope you all enjoy the photos!!

(I'm trying out a new *thing* with the border and the 'jamielauren photography' on each photo. What do you think? Should it stay or go?)

Flora & Fauna

2009-05-23T14:13:00.005-05:00

I decided to treat myself to a $10 bouquet of flowers yesterday and I've been happily snapping away ever since!

I made sure to pick a bunch of flowers with lots of bright colors and as much diversity as possible because I had a few ideas in mind. Like most of my bright ideas, however, they sound better in my head than in practice, but I managed to take a few nice shots.

I think what I'm missing in my life (aside from everything else) is a macro lens. I think the ideas in my head would have been better executed had I the ability to get closer, shoot those fine details, capture every line & wrinkle - unlike people, flowers are okay with that!

In the end, I was able to get some great shots even though they weren't thisclose. I've even considered having some of these printed out to hang on my walls! But then I remembered that I live in a townhouse with concrete walls and until I can afford a jackhammer, I'm not hanging up so much as a postage stamp around here.

Oh Calla Lilies! How I love thee!!

I just love how bright these daisies came out! The contrast of the bright fuchsia petals against the bright green stems in the back - lovely!

I just adore having fresh flowers in the house, too! I usually think og such things as total luxury, but for $10, I was able to make a few little arrangements in addition to the big one & they just add a little pop of color and life to the house.

Unfortunately, I'm not the only one who is enjoying the flowers:

This photo was taken mere moments before my darling, Kisa, swatted the flowers to the ground. Alas, having kittens is not unlike having children. You can't have anything nice!

Kyo was far more gentle at first, but later that night, he jumped up onto that little table (something he has never, ever, ever done) and knocked that little vase to the floor too. I hope Jason's shoes dry before he plans to wear them again. Doh!

A Tool of the Devil

2009-05-20T09:55:00.004-05:00

Click photo for credit.
Last night, while I was in the kitchen whipping up my best tuna-noodle casserole, my darling boyfriend was upstairs playing his newest fixation, Half-Life 2. He's a computer nerd {fo sheezy}, but he's not a "gamer" per se, so I was little surprised to find that he likes this game so much. I did find it a little...comical, however, when he came downstairs this weekend, after having been at the computer playing this game for quite a while, with this worried look on his face. I asked him if he was finally able to pull himself away from his new best friend and he said, "I had to put it on pause. It's getting to the scary part where things jump out at you and I uh---need to take a break." He's afraid of the game, my little ex-military man. Thank God they never sent him to war!

So, last night he, once again, comes down the stairs with a "look" on his face. Except this time, it's a look of guilt. And he's clutching his cell phone. Oy vey.

He tells me that he's receiving some strange text messages from a wrong number and that he's been "playing along" but it may be going too far at this point. Ooookay! So, here's what's happening:

Strange person - "Hey, so what's up for tonight? Are you ready to play or what?"

Jason- "Ummm..."

Strange person - "Did you get those directions I emailed to you?"

Jason - "Where do you wanna meet up?"

Strange person - "Did you get the directions? I think it would be best if you just come in when you're ready. We've all been playing together as a group for some time now so you may feel a bit uncomfortable at first, but as soon as you feel warmed up, just jump in."

Jason - "Okay, um...thanks?"

Strange person - "Yeah, just play with yourself for a while when you first get there. We're all dying to have another person join. It just makes it more exciting!"

This is the point where Jason realized this may have gone too far and he came to me to see what he should do next. I'm hysterical laughing at this point and then, "rrrrrrrring" his cell phone is ringing and it's the same number.

We panic! (WHY?) And Jason decides to let it go to voicemail. The "strange person" leaves a voicemail so we check it, on speaker, and he says, "Hey man, you keep talking about 'where we gonna meet up' but I need to know if you got the email I sent you with the IP address and directions?"

I look at Jason who is now in the fetal position on the floor, cracking up laughing. Obviously, I'm missing something so I say, "IP address? Huh?" And he manages, between bursts of laughter, to say, "This is my friend from work. He's talking about us meeting up to play Half-Life 2 online! He's been playing with this group of guys for a while and he invited me to join them but I told him I was a little intimidated because I'm new to the game and not very good." And then I said, "OH!!! I'm so blogging about this."

The End.

I ♥ Faces - Week 19 {Blurb Photo Book}

2009-05-19T19:47:00.002-05:00

I don't know if this is my "best" photo ever, but thus far, it's certainly my favorite:

This week's contest is an interesting and exciting one! Since I only have 10 more minutes to post it, however, I'm going to hurry up and shut up! Check out the other entries over on I ♥ Faces.

"I am submitting this photo into the www.iheartfaces.com Blurb Book photo contest. I am granting I ♥ Faces permission to use my photo in a printed version of a book for commercial use and possibly advertising of a photo book on both the Blurb and I ♥ Faces web sites."

I ♥ Face - Fix-it Friday # 13

2009-05-15T14:23:00.002-05:00

This week, I decided to try two edits. I actually went for a third but held back and closed the screen mid-edit. It wasn't going anywhere good and um...I'm at work. Yeah, and not as a photo editor. Nope. So, yeah...I'mma keep this one short.

Here is the original:

Here is edit el numero uno (I speak Spanish ya'll!):

And edit el numero dos (there I go again!):

I know the whole point of Fix-it Friday is to do a creative edit and then share your tips and tricks with your readers but I don't remember what the heck I did. Mostly because I played around so much that I did (and un-did) about a zabillion (it's a real number!) thhings.

Things I know I did for sure:

- Crop
- Adjust exposure
- Adjust contrast
- Desaturate
- re-color the flowers
- Add a boost
- Add a frame

Voila! Nothing special. You all rock so much harder than I do.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-05-13T15:42:00.001-05:00

I ♥ Faces - Week 18 {Laughter}

2009-05-11T12:31:00.003-05:00

I'm so excited this week because I have an entry for the kids category as well as the adults!

When my little cousin Jaclyn, now 16, was here a few weeks ago, I took so many great shots of her. She was just born to be photographed! Because she's a teenage girl, there were lots of giggle-fits. It wasn't tough to get a good, "laughter" shot. In fact, there were so many that it became hard for me to choose just one! (Oh, how I love that problem...)

I went with this one:

She was lying in the grass cracking herself (and us) up and I snapped a few photos. Man, she's a cutie!

And for the adults category, I selected a photo of my little sister, Lindsay.

I love the casual feeling and the light behind her head; beautiful, just like Linds!

Head over to I ♥ Faces and check the other entries this week. Ya know what they say about laughter - it's contagious! But not in a "Swine Flu" kind of way.

Tell Me Again Why Theres a Father's Day?

2009-05-10T07:00:00.002-05:00

I'll never forget it. We were sitting in our high school Home Economics class watching a video of a woman giving birth. My best friend, Carrie, ever the naive, sheltered sweetheart, is under the table in the fetal position with her hands clasped firmly over eyes, rocking back and forth while whispering to me, "Is it over? Is it over? Is it over?" Finally, I was able to assure her that not only was the portal of life no longer plastered across the television screen, but the alien-looking being who just emerged had been whisked away to have all that Marinara sauce and Jell-o washed off of it. She climbed slowly back into her chair and, still trembling and pale, said, "Okay, so I understand why there is Mother's Day, but...tell me again why theres a Father's Day!?"

I guess the reasons for Mother's Day are so apparent and abundant we needn't be reminded, but after watching that video, you can't help but be left thinking, "Dude? What the heck did HE do to deserve a card and necktie come June??"

This year, in honor of Mother's Day, CNN posted a mildly interesting article entitled, Ten Questions to Ask Your Mother Now. In truth, the article was kind of lame as were many of the questions, but I had this bright idea to ask my mother to answer said questions and then I would post her answers to my blog for Mother's Day. Seeing as how my mother is a hysterical trip through adult A.D.D.-land, I figured she's be good for a laugh. She didn't disappoint. I mean, she started off a little serious, but she loosened up by question 3 or so.

1. What's the one thing you would have done differently as a mom?
Marry someone else?
Maybe not LOVE you guys soooo much.
Too protective.

2. Why did you choose to be with my father?
Refer to question one. I do not think my marriage was a good choice for me. I was young. The only good that did come out of that marriage was my children. I chose him because he had everything under control but that included me : (

3. In what ways do you think I'm like you?
You have a huge heart and you are an honest person. You are able to put yourself in someones shoes and not judge. People want to be your friend. However, you do not put yourself first, but very last if ever. You always wait for tomorrow.

4. Which one of us kids did you like the best?
You know, I would never say I liked you better.(<--see, she's loosening!)

5. Is there anything you have always wanted to tell me but never have?
There are many things, but you have things you never told me either. We both keep secrets.

6. Do you think it's easier or harder to be a mother now than when you were raising our family?
It's harder now because I didn't have a job. I had a career being MOM. I devoted every day to my two masterpieces. I didn't have to worry about the Internet and could keep my children innocent longer. I hope my children know I had a great time raising them both.

7. Is there anything you regret not having asked your parents?
Yes, "If I come home after the honeymoon will you promise not to say "'I told you so?'"

8. What's the best thing I can do for you right now?
Graduate, take care of yourself... (that means a few things)

9. Is there anything that you wish had been different between us -- or that you would still like to change?
I love our relationship. I wish I could advise you without you getting all gansta on me.

10. When did you realize you were no longer a child?
I was just thinking that the other day... when will that happen? I was wondering when I would feel like a "woman" I still don't. I am not old enough..lol lol lol. I am messed up.

Mom,

You are not, "messed up" at all. You're flawed and perfect just like me. You're funny and annoying and sometimes more than a little crazy but that's why everyone loves you. I've never had a better friend than you. And, while we're on the subject, I've never had a friend I didn't think loved you a little more than they loved me, but I digress.

You were (and still are) a good mom. A GOOD mom. It was your number one priority and we always knew that.

You're a good sport. You always sit there and smile when Lindsay and I make fun of you. You encourage me to be a stand-up comedienne (why, I still don't know) and tell me, "It's okay! Use me! I'll give you lots of material!" And boy oh boy, do you ever.

Sometimes, you're kind of a ditz! Lindsay and I love to say you have, "Shiny-ball syndrome," because you're easily distracted by shiny things. I'll never forget the day we were in your office and you were so mad at Lindsay you could spit! I, of course, had ring-side seats because I love when you're so mad at Lindsay you could spit! Anyway, you were yelling and angry and annoyed and just so! pissed! off! And Lindsay points to some shiny thing hanging from the light pull on the ceiling fan and said, "Mom, what's that? Is that new?" And you immediately stopped yelling, looked up and said, "OooOOH! Yeah! I guess so! I like it!" We died laughing!

You were a great "mother-of-two-teenage-girls" because you didn't sweat the small stuff. (Well, for the most part - I mean, you did call out a SWAT team if, heaven forbid, we were one minute later than we said we'd be home! And you did threaten to handcuff yourself to us if we ever dared to sneak out like that neighbor girl across the street. You said, "Jamie, we'd be together 24/7 if you ever pulled a stunt like that. We'd shower and POOP together!") But you always told me that I could die my hair fuchsia, spike it into a Mohawk and wear a stud through my nose...as long as I let you take a picture to show my children one day. I guess that's why I never went for that look...

You know I love you mommy! You're the best! Just remember to be nice to me - I'm the one who is going to pick your nursing home one day.

What's in a Name? UPDATED

2009-05-08T10:12:00.007-05:00

***Okay, well congrats are in order! Shae from The Daily Photo guessed correctly! La-a is pronounced, LA-DASH-A! Yes, you pronounce the dash....*sigh*

After having spent my entire adult life working with or around children, I have come across some of the most insane names anyone could ever be burdened with. I have long thought that I should keep a record of said names and maybe one day publish a book so these mothers and fathers will no longer have to worry themselves with trying to think up the most asinine way to spell Elizabeth.

"Should it have two 'z's or three? And where will place that 'y'? And don't forget the silent 'k'! We simply must have a silent 'k' in there somewhere or it won't be unique enough!"

And before you know it, Eklizzzybetph's poor first grade teacher is totally confused during roll call.

In the interest of anonymity, I will not include last names but truth be told, that takes a lot of really good candidates out of the running for the title of Worst Human Name Ever. I mean, sometimes you'd think, "Hey Ben is a nice name! What's she's complaining about?" But then you learn that Ben's last name is actually Dover and you're all, "Oooh! Ouch!"

So, I present to you, my personal collection of The Worst Human Names Ever:

In the category of sibling groups, we have -

- Empress, Enchantress, Envy, Diety and Wrath D'Angel Ofmercy.

- Infinite Born Power, Infinite Mohammad, Infinite Supreme, Infinite Struggle, Infinite Kayborn and their little sister, Eternity Kleapatra.

- Lyric, Harmony, Melody, Song and Symphony.

- Chino and Alpachino

- April, May, June (Not too bad - corny, but not terrible. Wait, it gets better:) January, August, September and Octobyr. (Why they spelled all the other months correctly, but decided to get creative with 'Octobyr', we'll never know. *sigh*)

- Garnette, Ruby, Pearl and Emerald.

- Cadillac, Escalade and Lincoln.

- Alize' (for those of you who don't know what that is, click the link) and Cristal.

Okay, so yes, those are bad. But at least they have each other to be like, "Dude, your name is FAR worse than mine. Clearly, mom loved me more." But it's the children who are named Shonquinesha in a sibling group of Robert and Raquel who I feel bad for.

For example, I know a sibling group who were all named for their father, Raymond. Their names are Raymond II, Raymonda, Rayshonda and Raymon. Not great, but not the worst names ever. Well, apparently by baby number five, mom and dad were no longer in love so the "Raymond" streak had come to end and she decided to name her bouncing baby girl, Rainbow Starbright. I. Kid. You. Not.

I am not making these up, people. These are all names of children who have come across my desk at some point in time. And if you think it's just a lower-socioeconomic issue, you're sorely mistaken. I also worked in a very wealthy area and the names were just as bad. Sometimes far worse! In an attempt to be unique, you've literally named your baby out of the possibility of ever finding anything, ever (!!) with his or her name on it! Let alone spelled correctly!

I remember being a little kid and going into a store where they had stickers with names on them and when I saw that they only had J-A-I-M-E and not J-A-M-I-E, I literally fell apart and wanted to change my name to Mary. I can't imagine trying to explain to Jayduh, why her name will never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, be spelled "her way" on a packet of stickers or toothbrush or a notebook, but I digress.

The impetus for my post today was a baby name for the record books. A baby name to end all baby names. A name so utterly ridiculous you will read it, be confused and then want to punch yourself in the face. Seriously. Just to warm you up for this one, the child's sister's name is Lemonade. Yeah. As in the drink.

Okay, so this one was new to me and when I saw it, I didn't immediately realize what was going on. I emailed the name to several people and none of them could figure it out either. Let's see how smart my bloggy audience (of 2 people) is. The child's name is spelled La-a. How do you pronounce that? Please write your guesses in the comments section of this post and check back for an *UPDATE* so I can let you in on the answer because none of you will guess this. None of you. You're not dumb enough.

Nicole's Grad Photos

2009-05-04T11:02:00.002-05:00

So, as I mentioned in my previous post, I did a fun shoot this weekend with my best friend, Nicole. She's done with school (for now) and is officially graduating with her Master's in Psychology in June. I'm so proud of this girl! She managed to work the whole time she was in school (and she has a pretty big job! Sometimes TWO!) and still pulled off a 3.46 GPA! She missed magna cum-laude by .04!!

My friend Nicole is fun and funny and always down for a good time! Never a dull moment with this one!

She's a daring chick too! She's not afraid to wear the things I'd never even try on and she can pull it off and work it. She has a pair of outrageous shoes and a bangin' bag for every outfit! And she accessorizes like a personal shopper.

Nicole and I go way back, too! This girl has been there for me - wherever 'there' might have been, and I'd like to think I've been there for her too.

Nicole, as smart as she is, is also a bit of a ditz. We joke with her, often, about that. So, while preparing for this shoot, I was running around the house looking for some props. I grabbed one of Jason's text books off the shelf and he said, "What are you doing with that?" I told him I needed a text book for my shoot with Nicole and he said, "But, Calculus? For Nicole? REALLY??" We laughed and I put the book back and grabbed an Encyclopedia instead.

One of things I love most about Nicole, is her ability to laugh at herself. When I told her the story she thought it was funny too and agreed, whole-heartedly, with Jason.

Nicole is also Buddah's mommy! And I think that's what I like best about her! (Just kidding...I think!)

Best of luck, my friend! May your future be so bright, you gotta wear shades!

I ♥ Faces - Week 17 {Hats}

2009-05-04T10:46:00.004-05:00

This week's theme over at i ♥ faces is hats!

It really couldn't have been better timing since I just did a shoot this weekend for my best friend Nicole, in her cap and gown. She's graduating in June {officially} with her Master's Degree in Psychology. Maybe she'll finally figure out what the heck is wrong with me!! Anyway, because Nicole is so beautiful, it was tough to make a choice, but in the end, I went with this photo because I love the movement, her expression, the flying hat, the emotion, the back-drop, everything!

Head on over to i ♥ faces and check out the other participants. As always, they're incredibly creative and inspiring! I so enjoy this weekly contest so if you haven't taken part yet - What the heck are you waiting for?!?!

Happy 1st Birthday, Kyo & Kisa

2009-05-01T15:39:00.005-05:00

I can't believe my babies are one year old! They're still crazy kittens & they still don't quite say, "meow" like big boys and girls, but I can definitely see how much they've changed since we brought them home in August.

In this photo, they're only about 4 months old! They were so sweet and snugglie...when they slept.

Tonight, I plan to throw them a little party! I'll take some photos and upload them to the blog so you can all promptly call to have me Baker Acted.

i ♥ faces - Week 16 {Reflection}

2009-04-28T11:16:00.002-05:00

This weeks contest was the toughest for me thus far. I think I just felt really unispired and the truth is, I kinda felt like, in many ways, this week's theme is just too similar to last week's theme. In fact, up until about one second ago, I wasn't going to partake in this week's contest. I'm not thrilled about entering a photo that I'm not proud of and this week I just feel 'meh' about my choices.

In the end, I decided to participate because I really do enjoy the i ♥ faces fun whether I'm proud of my photo or not & also, I need to stop taking myself so seriously! So, I went with this photo:

I'm not sure if this is "reflection" per se (more like refraction) but I went with it.

Either way, even if you're not moved by my photo, you have to check out some of the others. They're really, really good!

Fix-it Friday {11}

2009-04-24T09:38:00.003-05:00

This week's Fix-it Friday made my ovaries ache. Check it out:

Why, oh why do those ladies at i ♥ faces do this to me? Don't they know I have an incurable case of baby-fever??

As always, I edited this photo in Picnik {Flicrk}. The more I use Picnik, the more I like it. I wish I could be sitting at home using Photoshop (and knowing what the heck I'm doing) but alas, I'm stuck at work so I figure I'd do something productive. Heh.

Here is my edited version:

The first thing I did was flip the photo right side up. I think the sideways shot was interesting, but I like being eye to eye with this little punkin', who, I assume, is a boy(?).

I played around with the sliders a bit in the 'rotate' tab, so I'm not sure if I ended up rotating at all, but I'm pretty sure I did. At least a bit.

Okay, so I recently became mildly obsessed with babies in black and white. I think it's the smooth, flawless skin that just calls out to me - not sure! So, I went into the 'colors' tab and hit the top slider all the way over to the left to desaturate and the hit the lower slider all the way to right to warm it up. I liked the results but the photo definitely needed something else.

I went into the 'exposure' tab and upped the exposure a good deal. Then I hit the slider to up the contrast and suddenly, I was in love all over again.

After that, I went into 'create' mode and softened just the background. I added a vignette (edge-burn, sorta?) and took down the fade on it so it wasn't this dark black ring around his face.

::Soapbox::
Uh-oh! Hot-dog! My soapbox just came out! In the middle of a fix-it Friday?!? This is nuts! But, since it's out, I must climb upon it and speak my mind.

What the heck is with these people who take beautiful photographs and then ruin them {ruin them!!} with those vignettes? I cannot see your baby's face with that dark black ring around her head. The sliders are your friend! Please use self-control!
::Soapbox put away::

Okay, that was outta left field. But I'm glad I got it off my chest.

So, after the vignette (sliders, people!) I added a border, changed the inner color to baby blue and then added a drop shadow. This was first time using the frame I chose and the drop shadow and certainly my first time using them together, but I like it. I might even use it again someday.

I can't wait to see what all you creative, photo-editing gurus can do this week! You never cease to amaze and inspire me!

It's The Little Things

2009-04-22T07:30:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted about my fur-babies in a while so I'm feeling obligated.

Caesar does not like to be photographed. I swear he runs and hides whenever I take out my camera. On this particular day, however, I think he stayed put because he had just spent a large majority of the morning moving each and every one of his stuffed toys from the basket in his room to his bed in the living room. He did this so he could keep a watchful eye on them while he napped. He can't risk leaving his worldly possessions vulnerable to the attack of the dreaded kittens just to run and hide in his room. This photo is fuzzy and gross, but it's pretty hilarious when you see just how many toys this little brat has and the fact that he has fit them all and himself into this tiny dog bed.

We bought the kittens a tunnel as per the suggestion of a friend and fellow cat owner. They love it. Love!! It!! Here, Kyo is attacking his sister.

Again, crappy quality, but I had to share. You'll find this is a reoccurring theme in this post. Sorry!

This shot pretty much sums up their relationship with each other and this tunnel.

Kisa loves (!!) fuzzy mice so when I tossed a handful into the tunnel, she found her utopia. Here, she's holding onto a purple mouse (can you see it in her death grip!?!) and I think she looks like an otter.

And this little whacked-out, monster constantly thinks he sees things moving on the other side of the tunnel. If he's outside, something is moving inside. If he's inside, somethings moving outside and must be attacked furiously!

Kisa has suddenly become more Siamese looking. She's so beautiful...and she knows it! I can't believe how big my little girl is getting! I still remember them both like this:

(This was only 8 months ago! They grow so quickly!)

Just look at them now! So big!

But they still act like kittens! Look at this face! If this doesn't scream 'trouble,' then I don't know what does:

I love my fur babies and I'm happy they love their green tunnel...it's the little things that make them happy.

8 Things {I was tagged!}

2009-04-21T11:49:00.003-05:00

I was tagged by EL at Through My Own Lens and I can't tell you how honored I am to have been tagged because this means I'm officially a blogger...I think. Either way, YEAH!!!

Here are the rules for "8 THINGS":

1.) Mention the person that tagged you.
2.) Complete the lists of 8's.
3.) Tag 8 of your wonderful bloggy friends. (Uh-oh! hot dog! I don't have 8 bloggy friends!)
4.) Go tell them you tagged them!

8 THINGS I LOOK FORWARD TO (in order of occurrence):
1.) Clocking out at 5:30pm today and going home!
2.) Watching Heroes with my sister and freaking out about every plot twist and turn while snuggled up with my pup! (Thank goodness for DVR!)
3.) Crawling into my comfy bed tonight and snuggling with my sweetie.
4.) Payday this Friday!
5.) Fixing my car - I know, I know! But I really, really want it to just be done!
6.) This weekend...just in general.
7.) Getting caught up with my school work.
8.) Possibly photographing my friend Rose's daughter, Nyah.

8 THINGS I DID YESTERDAY
1.) Hit the snooze button.
2.) Learned a new "fun Spanish phrase!" (Mentirosa = liar!)
3.) Laughed.
4.) Snuggled my doggie.
5.) Made garlic & lime baked chicken for dinner.
6.) Made brownies - never ate them and forgot to bring them to work today!
7.) Played The Sims 2.
8.) Went to bed at almost midnight and had to be up before 6am. Ugh!

8 THINGS I WISH I COULD DO
1.) Buy as many lenses as my heart desires.
2.) Have a baby...TODAY!
3.) Buy a house...TODAY!
4.) Be more patient.
5.) Judge less often.
6.)Learn to be happy with all that I have already!
7.) Finnish school!!
8.) Makes Caesar live for as long as I do.

8 SHOWS I WATCH
1.) Family Guy
2.) The Office
3.) 30 Rock
4.) Heroes
5.) The Daily Show w/ Jon Stewart
6.) The Colbert Report
7.) Oprah
8.) Ellen DeGeneres

Okay, I know I'm supposed to tag people, but I don't know 8 bloggers and I hate giving people MORE to do when they're already so busy with life and children and blogs so, if you read this...TAG, you're it!

Black & White Obsession

2009-04-21T11:21:00.003-05:00

Not sure why, but whenever I shoot kids and babies (or, this one time I shot a baby..wait! Did I just say, "this one time I shot a baby"?? What the heck? I never thought I would type that sentence! I guess I should rephrase that: this one time I was able to photograph an actual baby...) I have found that I like the photos better in black and white!

The reason this astonishes me is because I don't typically feel inclined to convert photos to black and white. I don't know what it is about that smooth baby skin, that silky baby hair, those sparkly baby eyes that just scream 'black and white!!!' to me, but just look at these photos of baby Addison, and tell me you disagree:

Okay, so a few things may have just became clear to you {about me} from this post:

1.) I have a serious, 5-alarm, no holds barred case of baby fever.
2.) I have no self control.
3.) I'm loving the close ups.
4.) I ♥ baby drool.
5.) I have no self control.
6.) I don't know when to stop!
7.) Because I have no self control.

Please, don't judge me.

I ♥ Faces - Week 15 {Self -Portrait}

2009-04-20T08:16:00.004-05:00

This week, the theme on I ♥ Faces, is 'self-portrait.'

Wow...I was stuck. Big-time stuck. With my new camera, my arms are just not long enough to take a self-portrait and the rules explicitly state that you cannot use a tripod or anything like that. I totally understand, though, because whose to say a friend didn't fire that little shutter button? Hmm? Cheaters??

Anyway, I had to roll with a photo from a few months ago that I took with my little point and shoot (which, by the way, has been sorely neglected since I purchased my DSLR!). I liked the light in the room at the time and I was feeling pretty, so I sat by the open window and shot about 5,000 photos and liked this one:

...and only this one!

Yes, it's the same photo I use in my blog header. And yes, I'm really that pale even though I've lived in Florida most of my life.

Head on over to I ♥ Faces and check out the entries this week. People had to get pretty creative so some of the shots are...interesting! But always inspiring and fun!

Addison Gabrielle

2009-04-19T09:49:00.002-05:00

Who knew, when I started this blog, that it would turn into a photography blog? Certainly not me!! I cannot believe I'm posting yet another set of photos that I took...of a person...sort of by request. Whatever.

My sister has been friends with Joe for a long, long time! I think they met when they worked together at a local grocery store as teenagers. Well, Joe is now married to the beautiful Stephanie and they have a little five month old daughter, Addison, who is so cute she makes my ovaries ache.

The shot was fairly impromptu since Joe and Stephanie are living on the other coast {of Florida} and just happened to be in town this weekend. My sister called to say, "I have your camera and I'm heading over to Cold Stone to meet Joe and Stephanie and the baby. Get your @$$ over here, STAT!" And when she says, 'STAT,' I move!

We started shooting inside the Cold Stone {mmmmm...Cold Stone....} and then moved the shoot to the parking lot. I wish I had more time, better lighting, or that Joe and Stephanie had been prepared for the Nikon smack-down, but overall, I'm pretty happy with the results.

When you're shooting a family as beautiful as this, it's very hard not to have beautiful photos.

(This one might just be my favorite. I love the look on her face and the light in her eyes.)

I was really feeling the black & whites for some reason! I think it's babies that brings it outta me because I don't often feel the pull to convert a photo to black & white.

Man, on man! They love this baby girl! (What's not to love?)

(Sometimes, maybe a bit too much?!?)

(How beautiful is Stephanie? Gorgeous, right!? And just the nicest person you could ever want to meet!)

My sister and I just melted when we overheard Joe, while looking through the photos, turn to his wife and say, "You look so beautiful." He's a great husband and father!

My Lips Are Sealed

2009-04-17T11:32:00.004-05:00

I have tough job. Not a hard job, per se, just a tough one. One that exposes me daily to the worst side of people. A side so ugly, most people couldn't fathom it. I love my job. I love feeling like I'm able to make a difference in the lives of children and in order to do so, I often can't allow the things that would trip others up to effect me too deeply. That being said, however, I never want to become a jaded or apathetic person. Never ever.

Today, I was reminded how un-jaded, how un-apathetic I still am. How raw and primal and unadulterated emotions can be. And while I'm happy to learn that I am still my empathetic self, I'm also nervous about being able to handle what I've heard and read today like a professional.

Unfortunately, I cannot discuss the details of the situation that is weighing so heavily on my heart today, here on my blog for fear of losing my job. I just felt like I needed to use this post as a bit of an outlet. I hate when people do this - act all cryptic and weird, leave their readers hanging, etc. but I don't really have a choice. I need to maintain my professionalism even outside of the office and I will not risk losing my job or causing my agency any problems by spilling my guts on some little ol'blog.

What I can do {maybe} is provide a link to an article. You can draw whatever conclusions you wish from that, but my lips are sealed.

Sunset Silhouette

2009-04-17T08:00:00.000-05:00

(The lovely Miss Jaclyn)

Jennifer Rose

2009-04-16T16:25:00.003-05:00

I was "hired" (Heh.) to shoot some photos of my sister's friend Jennifer, this past weekend. The shoot went well and I think it's because I've gotten a lot of practice lately! Oh, and Jenn is adorable, so that helps! Please enjoy a few of my favorite shots of the day:

(I think the palm trees behind her look almost fake or plastic or something. Odd.)

There are a few more I really liked that I might share eventually. Or maybe I'll save them for a good I ♥ Faces contest. I need some good stuff in my arsenal, right?

I ♥ Faces - Week 14 {Easter/Spring}

2009-04-14T11:58:00.004-05:00

This week, on i ♥ faces, they're doing things a little differently. Instead of having a kids category and an adults category, they're having a kid's category and an amateur's category! AWESOME!

I'm fo' shiz an amateur! In fact, do they have anything below amateur? Because that would be me all day long! I'm learning though, and I think my "springtime" entry for this week is pretty good if I do say so myself:

This is a photo of my beautiful, wonderful, smart, funny, dramatic, middle-child, 16 year-old, newly licensed driver cousin, Jaclyn. She's the best kid, I swear, and just so G-darn (as she would say) pretty! I love the purple flowers, the touch of grass behind her head and the little blue Easter/Spring dress she's wearing. I love the angle, I love her expression and the way she's got her hand on her hip (even if you can't see it). I love this girl and I love this photo! Hope you do too!

Please swing by and check out the other entries for this week in both categories. They are some really, good photos and some amazing photographers who just continue to inspire me each and every week!

Marissa Nicole

2009-04-12T20:46:00.003-05:00

I posted a quick shot of my cousin, Marissa, the other day but I wanted to post a few more shots of her. They came out okay (truth be told, I'm not in love with many of them) but that's totally my fault, not hers. She's perfect!

She's learning all about that "smoldering" look now that she's entered womanhood. (heh.)

I'm really into these shots where the subject is actually laughing as opposed to the forced smile or the dead-behind-the-eyes stare.

She looks like a woman in this shot. It scares me, man! I can still hear her diaper crinkling as she runs down the hall at 8am screaming, "Dame! Dame?" in an attempt to wake me. I used to stay with my Aunt and Uncle for a few weeks every summer and when Marissa was about 14 months and I was just 12 years old, she would take sheer delight in waking me each and every morning. I couldn't think of a better way to be awoken. Man, I love this girl.

Marissa just joined a Sorority at UMiami. She's officially a Tri-Delta!

Okay, there is the funky thing happening here with the exposure, but I like it.

Something funky is going on with this one too (umm, it's called sunlight, Jamie!) but I like it!

And, she may not be happy about this but I just gotta say - she spends a lot of time on this computer whenever I see her. Well, her and her sister, Jaclyn:

But they're my girls and I love them to the moon and back times infinity plus the square of a skillion. I'm not great with numbers, but even I know that's a lot.

A Zeesen Pesach!

2009-04-10T10:45:00.002-05:00

Happy Passover!

Uncle Mark getting the table ready for Passover seder!

The seder plate:

Maror and chazeret - Bitter herbs, symbolizing the bitterness and harshness of the slavery which the Jews endured in Egypt.
Charoset - A sweet, brown, pebbly mixture, representing the mortar used by the Jewish slaves to build the storehouses of Egypt.
Karpas - A vegetable other than bitter herbs, which is dipped into salt water at the beginning of the Seder.
Z'roa - The lamb shank.
Beitzah - A hard-boiled egg, symbolizing the festival sacrifice that was offered in the Temple of Jerusalem and roasted and eaten as part of the meal on Seder night.

The seventh symbolic item on the Seder table is a plate of three whole matzot, which are stacked and separated from each other by cloths or napkins. The middle matzah will be broken and half of it put aside for the afikomen. This year, Jonathan found the afikomen and won himself some money and a few {kosher} chocolate lollipops! YUM!

A bowl of salt water, which is used for the first "dipping" of the Seder, is not traditionally part of the Seder Plate, but is placed on the table beside it.

Jonathan, reading the four questions. That's the job of the youngest child at the seder and Jon did an excellent job! His Hebrew was awesome! He's going to great at his Bar Mitzvah in a few years.

Marissa (and her sunburned nose) reads her part from the Hagaddah.

Hey, there's a Hagaddah for everyone! A Passover seder in 20 easy steps - wow!

Uncle Mark and Jon reading from the Hagaddah together.

Leaving the door open for Elijah who entered our home in the form of a mosquito apparently.

This family doesn't drink no stinkin' Manischewitz! We like the good stuff!

Some "red wine" for the kiddies too!

My beautiful Grandmother who just turned 76!

We had a great Passover this year! Having family around really makes it meaningful and fun! Everyone is leaving today to go back home and I miss them already.

A zeesen pesach & a Happy Easter to all!

I didn't ask to be a Princess...

2009-04-09T15:19:00.005-05:00

...but if the crown fits!

This is my beautiful cousin, Marissa. She's Jaclyn's older sister and she's almost completed her Freshman year at UMiami. She's a Princess and I love her!! Both myself and my sister, Lindsay, call Marissa our "third" because she's sort of like our other sister - we're that close. I love knowing that she's only a short drive away from me while at school and I'm happy to report that next year she's going to have four-day weekends every weekend (interesting how she arraigned that, huh?) so she plans to spend a lot of time up here at my house. YAY!

More Jaclyn...

2009-04-06T09:00:00.001-05:00

I decided, since I've spent the majority of my Sunday evening editing them, that I'd post some more photos of Miss Jaclyn, the diva.

Tell me she's not the cutest thing since cupcakes with sprinkles were invented?

(Romeo, oh Romeo! Where for art thou, Romeo?)

(Hey, anyone out there with PS want to remove that vent for me?)

(Oh, how I adore that beautiful smile! She's so smart, sweet and genuine. If you met her, you'd love her as much as I do, internet.)

(Hey, you know that person on the left! My other favorite {willing} model!)

(I think at this point, my sister was behind me making some obscene gesture to make Jaclyn laugh. I guess it worked. I hope it wasn't too obscene! She's only 16 for crying out loud!)

(Man, I love that sweet face! She's an awesome kid, this one! I love her to the moon and back times infinity!)

Hopefully, I'll have a few more opportunities to photograph, not only Jaclyn, but her equally beautiful sister, Marissa.

Happy Monday, internet!

I Heart Faces {Week 13} My Friend and I

2009-04-06T08:01:00.003-05:00

This week's I ♥ Faces theme is 'My Friend and I' and I have to be honest, I didn't have much in my arsenal to choose from! I don't have a lot of good two person shots.

I think the reason for that is two-fold:

1.) Because I can't seem to find two willing participants on any given day at any given time.

2.) Because whenever one person looks great in the shot, the other person looks like they're trying to find the square root of a decimal.

I ended up picking the following photograph of my father and his girlfriend, Carol.

I took this photo about three weeks ago when my sister and I went over to his house for dinner. I knew he wasn't going to be down with the idea of a full-on photoshoot so I only had one shot to take a nice photo. Carol would have probably let me take as many shots as I wanted because she's cool! And she's a psychotherapist so I'm hoping she can help us all!

Nah, we're beyond help.

If you get a chance, head over to I ♥ Faces and check out some of this weeks entries. They never disappoint!

Jaclyn Danielle

2009-04-05T09:15:00.002-05:00

I got to spend some time with my incredibly beautiful, smart, funny and lovable cousin, Jaclyn. She was a willing, gorgeous model and couldn't have been more agreeable - what more could I ask for?

Here is a "sneak peek," of 9/400th of the photos. Yeah, seriously. I took over 400 photographs of this angel. I just couldn't stop snapping and she just happily kept posing and I already told you I have a serious problem with self-control!

It was just too easy to photograph her! She's so perfect...of course, I'm slightly biased, ya' know, because I changed her diapers and all - Oops! I promised her I wouldn't mention that to the internet. Ah well! Did I tell you she's also very forgiving?

100th Post!

2009-04-04T10:53:00.006-05:00

I really wish I had something exciting, important or profound to say in honor of my 100th post, but honestly, why should this post be any different than the other 99, right?

I do have one exciting bit of news:

I won third place (third!!!) this week in the I ♥ Faces photo contest! I was so excited to see that I placed because I can't tell you how many amazingly talented people enter into this contest! To be considered in the top 10 for the second week in a row, well,...it boggles the mind.

Also coming in under the "awesome news" category, my family is coming down today to celebrate Passover together. My cousin's are the bestest and I love them to a ridiculous degree and I can't wait to take some photos of my cousin, Jaclyn, who, like most 16 year olds, is an aspiring model and actress. (Jaclyn[left] pictured here with her big sister,Marissa[right], at the Tony Awards. Very cool, no?)

If she can't use them for her head shots, at least she'll get some new Facebook photos? I mean, Jaclyn is only just short of 2,000 photos of herself (at last count) on her Facebook page.

In slightly less than awesome news, Jason has hurt himself. Again. Badly. After his surgery last week, my mother came by and Jason went flying down the stairs to answer the door. Except that he literally when flying down the stairs and landed on his bum. Hard. Now that the narcotics for his shoulder are wearing off, he's finding himself in major, major, excruciating pain. He thinks he broke is coccyx and I think he slipped a disk and pinched a nerve. Either way, he's writhing in pain for most of the day and night and I can't stand it! I just want him to feel better already.

In "ew, you stink" news, I need to hit the showers. It's 12:36pm and I'm still in PJ's. Man, I hate being unproductive and stinky. The only good reason to be a stinky person is if you've been working really hard and watching TV while blogging hardly works up an excusable sweat.

Fix-it Friday {9}

2009-04-03T09:25:00.004-05:00

I loves me a good Fix-it Friday and this week did not disappoint!

Here is the before:

and here is my edit:

For this photo, I once again used Picnik {Flickr} to make the edits.

I started off by upping the exposure and contrast a bit and then warmed up the colors because I thought it was overall, a little cold. Then, I cropped it leaving the subject on the right and a little more negative space on the left...as you can clearly see. I like that look. One day, I might get over it, but for now - DEAL!

The photo looked good and the gal looked snazzy, but I wasn't done.

I boosted the color but I didn't like what it did to her uniform and her skin. She looked like she had some kind of Amazonian Flu. So, I went ahead and applied the boost action to only the background and her little pom-poms. (How awesome are pom-poms, btw? VERY! I know.) And then I added my new fave (the dots!) to the background to give it even more texture. Then I added a frame and VOILA! Beautiful!

I played around with some text but decided, in the end, to just leave well-enough alone. (I really wanted to add, "Save the cheerleader. Save the world," somewhere, but I thought you'd think less of me and I just couldn't live with myself.) You have no idea how difficult it is for me to real it in. I wasn't born with the, 'leave well-enough alone' gene so I've had to work really, really hard at that. It's my personal challenge. I've joined a support group. Pray for me.

Check out the other entries for Fix-it Friday on I ♥ Faces. Some people are just so darn creative!

April Fools!

2009-04-01T10:26:00.005-05:00

Be ready for it today, my friends! Don't be duped into showing your ugly side on account of an April Fools Day joke! It happened to a friend at work and it wasn't pretty.

Yesterday, my unit (there are five of us) decided to play an April Fool's Day prank on our Supervisor by calling her early in the morning and telling her, one-by-one, that we were not coming in to the office today. Apparently, it worked! Her husband, who also works in our office, said we freaked her freakin' freak this morning and she had a total spazz attack. Mission accomplished.

But then later, we decided to get someone else. You see, Internet, in our unit of five lovely ladies, only one of us does not have to take part in the ritual of Live Scan. (Live Scan = fingerprinting. I work for a non-profit child welfare agency and all of our employees, foster parents, parents, relatives, ect. must be fingerprinted and background screened before they can take our children.) The Live Scan operator is on maternity leave so in addition to our regular duties, each of us has to take one day out of the week to handle Live Scanning for the entire day. Honestly, it stinks like 3 day old garbage, but we do it. Except for Raquel. Not sure how she got out of it but it she did. Well, we all decided that just isn't fair, so we wrangled our boss, Deena, into the scheme and told her to call Raquel and tell her that unfortunately, she has managed to stay under the radar for too long and she's going to have to jump in the Live Scan rotation.

Well...she flipped out.

She hung up on Deena and started cursing and throwing things. (I told you - doing Live Scan stinks!) She then started blaming Vilma, one of the ladies in our unit & her closest friend for over 10 years! She said, "I knew it! I knew eventually you would get your way and rope me into this! Don't you think I have enough to do!?!"

She got so mad, she stormed over to Vilma's office, opened the mini-fridge, took all of her stuff and marched back to her desk. Vilma, in her thick Spanish accent, yells out, "Oh no! We've unlished the bist!" ("unleased the beast") We all start cracking up but we can see that this is no longer a funny joke. Raquel is showing her true (not so beautiful) colors and it's time to let her in on the prank.

We all shouted, "April Fools!" but it went over like a lead balloon! She's still mad. And not talking to any of us. And has her earbuds in. And a scowl on her face that could rival the Wicked Witch of the West!

So, let this be a lesson to you - don't show your ugly side when someone angers you today. Stop. Think about it. Consider whether or not it may be an April Fools joke. Otherwise, you just might end a 10 year friendship over a prank....

I ♥ Faces - Pets! {Week 12}

2009-03-30T13:57:00.003-05:00

This week, on I ♥ Faces, there is no adult category - instead, they're doing a special pets week! This excites me to no end because, as you know, I have a serious lack of human subjects and a crazy abundance of four legged, furry ones. In fact, the biggest problem this week was choosing a photo amongst the plethora of favorites I could submit!

I ended up narrowing it down a bit when I realized that tomorrow is Buddha's first birthday! I decided to go with a Buddha shot in honor of his big day. Plus, he's so cute - there is no such thing as a bad shot of Buddha!

I went with this one because it's a little different and I love it. For some reason, it moves me...it speaks to me! And I love his little blonde lashes! You can see them so clearly in this photo.

Head on over to I ♥ Faces and check out some of the other entries. They're all really, really good and so creative! And, also, check out the guest judge this week!! His photography is so my style! I would love to just follow him around to a few of his next 458973 shoots. Awesome! So inspiring!

Bathroom Humor

2009-03-27T12:59:00.005-05:00

Allow me to start this post by explaining that I do not enjoy bathroom humor, (At. All.) nor do I think this story is really humorous in any way. It's wildly embarrassing, as a matter of fact, and if I had three wishes, one of them would be to go back in time and shove a sock in my mouth so as to avoid this situation from ever coming to fruition. That being said, however, I thought you might find this story funny so I figured I'd share. I know how you like to laugh at other people's pain and humiliation. You're twisted like that.

I work in a building with roughly 300 employees and a steady stream of people coming in & out - many of whom will eventually use the "facilities." The "facilities" of which I speak are two sets of three bathroom stalls on either end of the building. There is a serious toilet shortage in this agency, but we're non-profit so it's to be expected, I guess. Many a days, one of us will enter the restroom only to be turned on our heels and sent screaming in the opposite direction by the mysterious (or not so mysterious) green fog. And those are the good days! The bad days are the ones when your in the stall, things are smelling like roses, you're happily doing yo'thang, when all of the sudden, someone with an affinity for Mexican food rushes into the stall next to you and before you can even stop yourself mid-stream, she's done with round one and you're just trying to hold your breath long enough to wash your hands and get outta there!

Well, my friends at work and I have this little "game" we play. First of all, we always have air freshener on hand (or in office, as the case may be). Also, we always warn one another if a particular restroom is worse off than the other.

The other thing we do is sort of more...mean-spirited. First, we tattle on those creepy-creeps who fail to wash post pottying, but we also give a detailed description (from the ankle down, of course) of the culprit of a particularly offensive odor and/or sound, i.e. "jeans and black boots was tearnin' it up in there!"

Not nice.

So, the other day I had a venti-iced whatchamacallit and about 30 minutes later I had to pee like Seabiscuit! I ran to El Bano Numero Uno, only to be turned around by the infamous green fog. I headed over to El Bano Numero Dos and at first sniff, all seemed right with the world. I got in and got down to business and that's when it hit me! AH GAWD! The smell was atrocious! The sounds coming from the stall across from me were so bad that I even considered skipping the sink in lieu of some hand sanitizer on my desk but thought better of it and then headed back to my fresh smelling office.

A few minutes later, my office-mate came back and sat down at her desk. She asked me when I was going to lunch and I explained that I just lost my appetite because someone was having a tough time of things in the ladies room and the scent has literally singed my nose hairs and caused me to be unable to even think! about eating anything. She said, "Really?" And just as I started to form the words, "Yup! White pants, red shoes..." things slowed down and my eyes focused on my friend's lower extremities and I noticed her white pants and red shoes and I continued, "...Ohmygosh, wasthatyou? Nonevermind!" Suddenly life sped up and I could taste my shoe laces. (Well, I was at work, so I could taste my heels.)

We both were so embarrassed! When I later retold this story to Jason, he and I were cracking up! I don't usually find these sorts of things funny, honestly! I just think it's was funny because it's so like me to stick my size 7 directly into my mouth and then notice mid-sentence and then try to back off of it but only end up making it worse. Yeah, we were definitely not laughing at poop.

Wish Us Luck!

2009-03-24T19:56:00.003-05:00

Okay, so that is not Jason's broken arm, but it could be. Well, it couldn't be, really, because he broke his shoulder not his arm, but he did break his left arm, so it's kinda the same.

Either way, when I looked at this X-ray all I could say was, "AH GAWD" a la, Quagmire from Family Guy, so I thought I'd share it with you. You're welcome, internet.

Tomorrow, I need to be all the way in Weston (about 45 minutes from our house) at 6 am.

Six. A. M. People!

Pray for me. Or wish, or hope, or chant, or put a root on me or whatever you feel you must to do help me to get up at about 4 o'clock in the morning and out of the house by 5:15 am (latest!) to have Jason at Weston's Surgery Center in time for his 6 am surgery.

I know he'll be okay, but I couldn't help but ask him what he wanted me to cook for his, "last meal." Haha! I slay me!

I Won! I Won!

2009-03-22T19:36:00.002-05:00

...7th place in the I ♥ Faces photo contest! YEAH!! And doesn't it just figure that the week I let Jason select which photo I enter is the same week I place in the top 10? Hmmm...

Thank you to everyone who left me a lovely comment of congratulations! I love you all even though you had absolutely nothing to do with my winning. It was me. All me!

Do you think I've let 7th place go to my head? Good! I didn't think so either.

Spring Has Sprung!

2009-03-21T08:11:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was the first day of Spring and the signs were everywhere! Those naughty birds and nasty bees were doing what they do best right on my front lawn!! Okay, not really. But there were ducklings on my front lawn!

Man, they were cute! But as I've mentioned here before, I'm deathly afraid of all things feathered and in the interest of complete honesty, I was intimidated by these fuzzy waddling babies. Mostly because they had a big, huge, hissing mama who wasn't too thrilled about how close her ducklings were getting to my dog.

Luckily, Caesar couldn't care less about those stinkin' baby ducks. When he's outside, he's like a man on a mission and that mission is: Urinate on anything that stands vertical! STAT!

You're probably too nice to point this out, but the majority of my photos are terribly blurry. That's mostly because I was snapping photos while holding my dog's leash and running in the opposite directions of the ducklings.

Seriously, dude. They were chasing me! They got confused and thought I was their mama for a second. It was almost cute. Almost.

But then their mama duck took over and headed out to the lake and her babies followed. But not before stopping for a snack in the grass.

Run Ducklings! Run!

Go learn how to swim little ducklings; with your little webbed feet and wing buds. One day you'll be huge and gross and sitting just outside my front door holding me hostage in my own home.

iHeartFaces - Fix-it Friday {# 7}

2009-03-20T10:07:00.003-05:00

This week, the fix-it Friday face is that of "Dimpled Darling" pictured here in the "before" photo:

Can't really mess with perfection, can ya? I mean, seriously, what is not to love about this photo? The impish grin? The dimples so deep you could eat ice cream out of them? The boy-ish look in his eye? Swoon! I ♥ little guys!

That being said, however, I felt the photo could use a little brightening so I up-ed the exposure and contrast a few notches and then warmed up the photo a bit. I did crop the photo a tiny bit, but only a teeny-tiny bit. I tried something new too - I added a bit more bokeh to the background only by using "dots" in create mode. I had to play around with the sliders a bit so it didn't look like newspaper or giant blobs of color behind his head, but I like the end result. I then converted the photo to black and white, but I colorized his shirt because I liked the little pop of red. This is the end result:

All edits done in Picnik on Flickr

Green Options

2009-03-20T08:51:00.003-05:00

As per Tish's request (because I do whatever she asks of me) I'm posting a few of my favorite ~~things~~ photos from Green week. I couldn't decide which to post on I ♥ Faces so I decided to let Jason choose and he selected my least favorite of the bunch. {Figures}

I blame the heavy dose of Percocet he's on for altering his judgement but whatever.

Here are my favorites from the over 200 photos I had to pick from:

iHeartFaces - Week 10 {Green}

2009-03-17T15:58:00.002-05:00

This week, I let someone else pick which photo I enter for the I ♥ Faces contest. Jason, my darling boyfriend, selected this photo of Lindsay for "green" week.
It is quite green with that polka dot top and little green earrings. So cute! I like this photo, but I don't know if it is the one I would have selected. Hm...we shall see.

Take a minute to pop on over to I ♥ Faces and check out the other awesomely green entries!

He Was Perfect

2009-03-16T16:06:00.005-05:00

...but now he's broken. Well, technically, just his shoulder.

So, it was about 6:00am on the morning of Friday the 13th and my boyfriend Jason, (yes, he heard all the jokes growing up about being named Jason on each and every Friday the 13th) gets on his bike, as he does every morning, to ride the 10 miles to work. About 5 minutes later, I can hear my dog barking incessantly. He would. Not. Stop! I screamed at him to, "shut the **** up!" but my polite request falls on deaf doggy ears. Then, I heard my sister get up so I figure, ah forget it. I might as well get up! By the time I got downstairs, my sister was coming back into the house. Her face was white like she'd seen a ghost and all she could say was, "Jason,...some guy....he said....Jason...Jason's hurt." So, I run out the front door and see Jason lying on his back, his bicycle a few feet away from him and the nice gentleman who knocked on our door to let us know that my boyfriend was splayed out on the embankment was driving off in his car before I could even thank him.

I tried to help Jason up but he was ~~screaming and swearing~~ loudly and firmly letting me know that would be impossible. We finally got him in the car to take him to the E.R., but when I hit the brakes at the gate at the entrance/exit to our community, he shrieked! (Like a Ninja - not like a girl. He wanted me to clarify that.) He was in extreme pain. He asked me to call 9-1-1. When someone asks you call 9-1-1, you call. You don't ask questions. So, I call. The operator says, "9-1-1. What's your emergency?" And no soon do I get the words, My boyfriend... out of my mouth, does he start saying, "No! Forget it! Hang up the friggen (we're keeping it PG) phone!" And the operator is all, "Ummm, Ma'am...." And I'm all, "Jason. When you call 9-1-1, you can't just hang up. Especially in a post-Chris-Brown era!" So, eventually I get through the call and the Paramedics show up. They took one look at him and told me, "Just drive. It makes no sense for us to take him because the ride is only going to be far worse in an ambulance. Just ignore his screaming and take him to the closest hospital NOW!" And so I did.

To make an already very lengthy story, markedly shorter - he broke his shoulder. On the way home from the hospital I asked him if there is anything he needs or anything he'd like me to get for him and what, pray tell, was his only wish? A bell. Yeah, it's going to be a long 4 - 6 weeks for me.

No pictures today. Jason refuses to let me capture his pain on film - darn him! But I do have a green entry for this week's iHeartFaces contest coming soon!!

A Dog Day Afternoon

2009-03-12T09:00:00.001-05:00

My best friend, Nicole, has the same pet set up as me; one dog, (Buddha) and two kitties (Nala and Mega). I have been dying to really photograph Buddha for a multitude of reasons. They are as follows:

Because he is SO friggen cute!

Because he's really well behaved.

Because I am a lunatic when it comes to puppies.

Because I have an obsession with my camera and all the humans I know will either not allow me to photograph them or they're not allowed to have their photo posted on the interwebs. Because they're wanted...by the F.B.I....I KID! I KID! (More like, because they're foster children. Relax!)

Anyway, I was at Nicole's house this weekend and I took some nice shots. Here are 1/2,000 of them:

The Mega-kitty

Sweet Nalita, the 100 year old cat.

And my Buddha baby. He's just a love-bug!

Buddha Babushka - he had just come back from the groomer. This is what he thinks of his lovely yellow bandana.

This one is WAY too blurry, but I like his "smile" here.

I love this one. Then I took it up a notch and added some text. (Incase you haven't noticed, I've been kind of into that lately. I'll get over it soon - promise!)

My How My Friday Nights Have Changed

2009-03-11T10:03:00.003-05:00

This past Friday, instead to painting the town red and partying it up with my sister and some friends, I frosted cupcakes and baked with my sister and my cats. Man, the excitement sure has been dialed down in my life recently! But in truth, I was never an avid party-goer, so staying at home and baking the world's most delicious Oreo cupcakes with the world's most adorable sister while sporting the world's most comfortable ~~mu'u mu'u~~ PJ's is a fine substitute for me.

I'm sharing this recipe with you {Tish} because it's yummy, easy and when they're done, it looks like you actually know you're way around a kitchen! I enjoy giving people that illusion. I'm also posting (almost) step-by-step photos because I thought that would be fun! I was wrong, of course, but whatever. I mean seriously, these photos are mostly craptastic. For some odd reason, I thought it would be a bright idea to take 4958572 photos of Lindsay doing most of the work in very low light with no flash. (Have I ever told you how much I loathe flash-photography?) Brilliant!

Okay, so Oreo cupcakes! I have no idea where I got the recipe because I actually found it in my kitchen drawer from a long time ago, but if you really want me to provide a link because you think it's the right thing to do then...umm....okay....how about this site? Ya happy now? Good! Now go try making THOSE babies and let me know how that turns out for ya!

On to my cuppycakes:

COOKIES AND CREAM CUPCAKES
Makes 22 - 24 cupcakes (I made mine a little too big so we only had 21. Heh.)
30 Oreo cookies1 package
1 Box plain white cake mix
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tub of Vanilla (or any flavor you like) frosting

1. Place your rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners. Set the pans aside.

3. Count out 12 Oreos and separate the top from the bottom. Try to see that each side has some of the icing on it - I was unable to achieve this so don't beat yourself up if you can't either. Place one wafer, icing side up, in the bottom of each paper liner and then set them aside. (I had a beautiful photograph of this but I accidentally deleted it from my camera. Don't. Ask.)

4. Place the remaining 18 Oreos between sheets of waxed paper or in a large, closed zipper-lock bag and crush them by rolling over them with a rolling pin or a large, heavy glass. Whatever blows your skirt up.

After proper crushing has ensued, set these heavenly cookie bits to the side.
(Tip: I don't pulverize the cookies. I like big hunks in my cupcake!)

5. Place the cake mix, sour cream, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 1 1/2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. Measure out 1 1/2 cups of the crushed Oreos and fold these into the batter until well incorporated. Set aside the remaining crushed Oreos for the frosting...or don't. I didn't. I didn't want the black specs in my frosting. I just dumped the whole lot of crushed cookie crumbs into my batter. And guess what? The world did not come to an end.

6. Don't forget THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP!!!

Lick the beaters! (Or the spoon, as the case may be.)

7. Spoon or scoop 1/3 cup batter into each lined cupcake cup, filling it three quarters of the way full.

8. Place the pans in the oven to bake the cupcakes until they are lightly golden and spring back when lightly pressed with your finger - about 18 to 20 minutes.

9. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool. Remember to wait until the cupcakes are completely cooled before frosting them or you'll have a drippy-dippy-oopey-goopey mess on your hands. A mess that tastes like vanilla frosting.

Here is the end result!

Let them eat cake! CUPCAKE!!

iHeartFaces {Week 9} Creative Crop

2009-03-09T20:53:00.003-05:00

I decided not to do last week's I ♥ Faces 'messy' theme because I just couldn't find anything worth posting, but this week's theme is 'creative crop' and I was looking forward to the ability to get creative. Well, I may have "created" my way right out of the competition. I think I may have gone slightly overboard, but I'm happy with the photo so, in the end, I guess that's what really counts.

So, here is the original of Lindsay, taken this past Saturday before she went out with a bunch of her girl friends who she's been friends with since she was seven years old!

And here is my submission for the competition:

Don't forget to head over to I ♥ Faces and check out the other submissions. I'm inspired and blown away each and every week.

iHeartFaces - Fix-it-Friday {week 5}

2009-03-06T09:11:00.003-06:00

This week, I didn't take part in the I ♥ Faces contest. The theme was 'Messy' and I just couldn't find anything worth submitting. Next week, however, I plan to be back in full effect!

Though I didn't do the weekly contest, I did take part in the Fix-it-Friday fun! This part isn't a contest; it's more about practicing creative editing and learning more about editing from the other participants. I've already learned so much it's incredible!

This weeks unedited photo:

Mr.Pouty

And the edited version:

Mr. Contemplative

Check out the other edits over at iHeartFaces.

Then Someone Sang The Titanic Song...

2009-03-03T16:26:00.004-06:00

My Step-Father, Louis, is in the entertainment business. I use the term, "entertainment" loosely because there is really nothing entertaining about people in the midst of a mid-life crisis thinking they're going to be discovered by belting out their best rendition of Englebert Humperdink at a coffee shop in the middle of Deerfield Beach, Florida. Really. Jason and I don't normally go when Louis is doing a Karaoke gig because other than the free food and all you can drink Cappuccinos (Thanks mom! I haven't blinked since Saturday!) there really isn't anything enjoyable about the experience. This Saturday, however, my Uncle Mark was going to be down in Florida on business and his daughter, my cousin Marissa, who goes to the University of Miami, would be up (we're just North of Miami) and they planned to come to Karaoke. When my grandparents heard this, they decided to come too. And then my sister and her friend Jenn (the only one who can actually sing) decided Karaoke might be fun! And then my sister's ex-boyfriend's parents (long story) decided they would come too! Do I even have to tell you about the Jewish guilt that would have been thrust upon Jason and I had we decided to sit this one out? I didn't think so.

In all, we had a great time! I brought my camera because I didn't know when we would get all these people in one place again any time soon - OH! And I'm obessed with my camera and haven't put it down since I got it. The lighting was pretty terrible (I figured it would be) so the pictures are just 'meh' but I figured I'd share them anyway.

I'm desperate for constructive criticism from people who know what they're talking about in the field of photography so if that's you (why would you be reading my lil'ol blog?) critique away!!

(Louis and my mommy)

( (My Uncle Mark and his daughter, my cousin Marissa)

(My sister and her friend Jenn have been friends since they were 7 years old!)

(My mommy and my baby sister - anyone want to guess her age? My sister, not my mother.)

(Marissa and Lindsay)

(My Grandma Judy and Grandpa Murray. How cute are they? Today is actually my Grandmother's 76th birthday. She was born on 03/03/33 - how cool is that?)

(My sister with Lou and June, her ex's parents. Lou thinks he's funny with those bunny ears...actually - he kinda is!)

(Dudes! This photo was so dark that when I uploaded it, I couldn't even tell what it was! I decided to funkdafy it a bit and hoped no one would notice how truely terrible it was....but then I went and told you. Nice.)

(Sing it, girl!)

Blue Skies

2009-03-02T21:10:00.002-06:00

iHeartFaces - Fix-it Friday {Week 4}

2009-02-27T08:31:00.007-06:00

Yes, ladies ~~and gentlemen~~, it's that time again! Fix-it Friday! Whoo-hoo! Can you tell I'm loving the whole iHeartFaces thing? Because if you can't tell then you're either not reading my blog or your blind or your not reading my blog because you're blind and if that's the case, I will have to talk to blogger about adding Braille as another language option. I mean, they have Braille on the drive-up ATM machines so why not computers, hm?

Okay, so back to the topic at hand...

How cute this little face??

Seriously cute! Am I right?? And really, I didn't think there was too much to fix about this photo. It's pretty darn good as is. The only thing I could think to do was to change it to black and white (maybe because the theme of the week is black and white, I dunno, but for some reason this shot just screamed b&w to me!), do a tighter crop to eliminate most of the negative space and then fix a few tiny blemishes. (I think little "silly girl" needed her nails cut because I see a few little scratches on her forehead. ) And that was really all I did! Pretty boring, huh? Well, this is my finished product:

I mean seriously, those eyes! That little mouth! Swoon!!! I ♥ babies...and I ♥ faces!

Me too! Me too!

2009-02-26T10:56:00.005-06:00

Okay, so I did it! I did the meme, Jamie Needs... and here is what I need:

[Disclaimer: Blog owner not responsible for "off color" choice of words...in this particular post.]

1.) Jamie needs a kid.

2.) Jamie needs to maybe stop copying her sisters.

3.) Jamie needs mental help!

4.) Jamie needs our support.

5.) Jamie needs a housewife like me.

6.) Jamie needs a Tanner family hug.

7.) Jamie needs a haircut.

8.) Jamie needs a poo.

9.) Jamie needs boobs.

10.) Jamie needs a China destination

Okay! So, that's what I need. Who knew? Certainly not me! And I can assure you I did know I needed number 9. I thought I had more than enough but ya never know by today's standards. Let me know if you play along so I can read and comment on your special needs. Special needs? Huh?

Choices, choices, choices!

2009-02-24T12:56:00.007-06:00

So, here are the seven photos I selected for everyone to vote on:

I didn't like number 7 at all and I wasn't thrilled with 5 either. I loved 1 and 2 and I really liked 4 and 6 but there were some issues. I didn't choose 4, even though her eyes looked awesome, because her fingers were cut off. I didn't pick 6 because, although I love the contrast in that one, I wasn't crazy about that sunbeam/halo over her head. In the end, after all 20+ people had voted, numero uno seemed to be the favorite so I went with that one. I'm happy with my choice but a little disappointed in myself for getting far too invested in a fun contest and not so much in my school project which was due one week ago today. Ahem...

iHeartFaces - Week 7

2009-02-23T18:31:00.005-06:00

This week, the theme is black and white! I am very picky about black and white photos - not every photo is worthy of the conversion. I had a hard time this week, selecting a shot to use for the contest so I got creative. On my Facebook page, I created a note where everyone could vote for one of seven choices. This was the winner by a landslide:

Tomorrow I'll post the other choices so you can all let me know if I picked the right one! Meanwhile, head over to iHeartFaces and check out the other submissions. If you haven't taken part in the contest yet - you HAVE to! You just absolutely HAVE TO! It's been a blast and a half! Next week (I believe) they're starting an "amateur" section so if you feel a little intimidated by the competition, you'll feel more confident taking part in the fun.

Kiss Me! It's Friday!

2009-02-20T16:59:00.004-06:00

iHeartFaces - Fix-it Friday #3

2009-02-20T11:07:00.007-06:00

Okay, so, clearly I'm obsessed with the iHeartFaces website. If you have been playing along as well, then you understand completely. It's just so much fun!! If you haven't been playing along, then it's never too late to start - get your booty over there and partake in Fix-it Friday!

Original Photo:

And here is my edit:

To edit this photo, I cropped it a bit off-center (which I love) and then I warmed it up and adjusted the exposure a tad to brighten the overall image. Next, I boosted the green in the background and did a cross-process (from Picnik) over the entire photo. I removed a few blemishes from her little face, softened her skin a bit and added a frame. Quick and easy and oh so cute! (Not that I had anything to do with the cute-factor!)

How Cute Are They?

2009-02-20T06:13:00.001-06:00

Shhh....

iHeartFaces - Week 6 {Wonder}

2009-02-17T19:02:00.006-06:00

Well, I'm trying my hand, once again, at the iHeartFaces photo contest. This week the theme is wonder and it presented a bit of a challenge, but I enjoyed it! I took the following photo of my sister, Linsday, recently and I think she looks a bit "wondrous."Maybe even a little pensive...

Considering what she's been through recently, I couldn't blame her. She's so incredibly strong and strong-willed and at 4'10" I think she has to be!

Anyway, check out the site and some of the entries. It's always fun! I adore it!!

Nikon, I love thee

2009-02-17T10:49:00.004-06:00

I have been lusting and drooling over this Nikon D60 camera for as long as I can remember. Or a few months. Whatever. Either way, I really, really, really wanted it! I was hoping to get one from my mother for my 30th birthday (which is fast approaching!) because I just could not rationalize spending that kind of money on a "hobby" and of course by, "hobby," I mean myself. I couldn't do it. I would go into the camera store, play around with the camera, casually wipe my drool off the glass counter before the sales associate noticed and walk out before I could take my credit card out of my wallet.

Well, Jason knew how badly I wanted this camera and he knew that he had just spoiled himself big-time by dropping a boat-load of cash on a bicycle (who knew they were that expensive!!??!) and I was going to hold that over his head until he broke down and bought me this camera so I didn't have to do it myself. And so, for Valentine's Day and the next 15 gift-giving holidays to follow, he bought me this camera. And I'm in ecstasy! I think I've shot over 250 photographs since Saturday evening and I when you consider that I have to sleep some times, I pretty much haven't put the camera down since I got it.

We bought the camera and as we were leaving the store we decided to head over to our friend's house. I was so excited to have my new toy that I was talking about what I would photograph at our friend's house when Jason said, "Well, maybe you should wait and photograph Caesar or the kittens first. You want your first shot to be meaningful. Like when I get a new cell phone, my first call is always to you."

My sister and I just looked at each other and simultaneously mouthed, "awww!" because that was seriously sweet! So, I took the above photo with my sister in the mirror of my friend's bathroom and then got busy shooting any willing object in my eye-line. I couldn't stand the 90 minute wait for the battery to charge!!

The following morning I started snapping photos of my favorite subjects: my fur-babies! I took some incredible shots of Caesar and the kittens.

Clearly, Kyo couldn't care less that I got a new camera. He was bored with the whole experience.

I took some of Lindsay too but I haven't uploaded them just yet. I'm dying for some variety in my subjects! Any volunteers?

Happy St.Valentine's Day, Internet!

2009-02-14T09:00:00.011-06:00

I've never been a big fan of Valentine's Day even though I've had a Valentine on every Valentine's Day of my entire adult life. Don't get me wrong, I like candy and flowers as much as the next girl, ( and would be willing to share my home address with anyone willing to send me some) but I hate the pressure, the competition, the jealousy and the look on the faces of my single female friends and co-workers on this most painful day of the year.

I remember one year, Jason sent me the most beautiful flowers at work. The best part was the note. He sent me two dozen of the most beautiful long-stem, red roses and on the card attached he wrote, "Thank you for loving me, thorns and all." OoooOOOoo! It still makes my heart skip a beat. Anyway, as I was dancing and twirling around my office, vase in hand, someone called me to come out to lobby. I come out only to see a barber shop quartet. Yes, someone's husband had hired them to come and deliver flowers, candy and a few snappy tunes to her at the office. Talk about stealing my thunder. LoL!

One of the things I do like about Valentine's Day is the cards and the expressions of love. Even if you have to be reminded one day per year to show it, it's never a bad thing to show love or to tell the ones you love how much they mean to you.

I absolutely love these someecards. So many of them made me laugh out loud (and some made me blush) that I couldn't just choose one. I also found one that made me laugh, then scratch my head in wonder. Is this a bit...wrong? I don't know but it just goes to show that adoption, especially international adoption is certainly becoming more mainstream. Bravo!

iHeartFaces - Fix-it Friday

2009-02-13T14:39:00.009-06:00

I decided, sort of last-minute, to take part in this weeks, 'Fix-it Friday' competition on iHeartFaces. I mean, when I saw the picture of this cutie-pie face, I couldn't resist! It's fun editing photos of kids and babies and now that my mother's school has closed it's doors and you can't legally post pictures of foster children on your blog, I have no opportunities to photograph children.

To edit this photo, I used Picnik. I brightened his eyes a bit, not that they needed any help, and then I changed the photo over to black and white. It was a little...well, boring. So, I recolored his eyes to make them blue again by undoing the black and white in just that area and then I turned down the fade a bit so there was still a little color left in the photo. Then, my ever-favorite, I did a vignette but as always, I crank it way down on size but way up in intensity. OH! Also, I cropped it. Yeah.

Head on over to iHeartFaces to see the original photo and then to see how everyone else chose to edit this handsome baby boy. Man, I'm a sucker for a thumb-sucker!

Early Morning Fog Blog

2009-02-13T09:10:00.005-06:00

So, this morning when I opened the blinds in my bedroom and looked out the window, I momentarily thought I had been transported to London, England. Or Heaven. We were seriously in a cloud!

(Normally, you can not only clearly see the little water fountain/spout-thingy, but also, the houses on the other side of the lake. Today, not so much. Also, I promised my sister I would tell you all that this little house is my home. Yep, it's quaint. And just think; me, Jason, my dog, my two cats and now my sister and all of her stuff live comfortably in this little tiny dwelling....yeah.)

The fog was thick! I hadn't seen fog like this since college!! (Heh. Actually, I'm still in college. Just with a lot less fog this time.)

I don't even think my camera did it justice but had I taken a picture of my frizzy hair, you would have really understood. And I can I just say; it is hard to keep a steady hand and not take blurry pictures while walking your dog! Luckily, Caesar didn't seem to mind that I kept stopping to frame a shot. He was too busy doing this:

We're back!

2009-02-12T16:32:00.004-06:00

This was the temperature reading today as I got in my car at 5 o'clock to head home from work. I guess we're back in business here in good ol'South Florida! Goodbye 6 days of "cool" weather. I'm sad. And hot!!

iHeartFaces - Week 5

2009-02-10T20:09:00.006-06:00

I'm trying again this week in the iHeartFaces contest! This weeks theme is 'silly' and I thought this picture of my sister imitating my sweet Kyo, was pretty silly. Of course, Kyo thinks she's making fun of him but I chose to believe she's just trying to be like him. (Psst! It's the other eye, Sis!)

If you get a chance, you should head on over to iHeartFaces and, if you're not going to participate, at least check out a few of this weeks' entries. Be forewarned, you just might LYAO and then how will you ever win that Best Booty Contest you've been thinking about entering? Don't say I didn't warn ya!!

Can I Just Say?

2009-02-10T12:57:00.009-06:00

Today is one of those, "can I just say" days. I need to vent and since this is my ~~world~~ blog, I'm about to let it fly with reckless abandon...in bullet point form.

Can I just say how I hate midterm papers? Seriously, I have been in school since I was 5 years old and I'm just so ready to be done! I used to love paper-writing because I actually enjoy writing, but in these higher-level courses, there is absolutely zero room for creativity and I find myself tempted to completely plagiarize and just turn in someone else's work. Do you think my Professor would notice if I copied the Declaration of Independence word for word? I mean, who reads that thing anyhow?

Can I just say how annoying it is when neighbors are inconsiderate and sit in their car outside with their music blasting loudly at 7 am? I'm up anyway because I have to go to work, but it just annoys me that other people might be sleeping and this self-centered jerk only cares about hearing every single word Lil'Wayne spits from his gold-plated mouth at 1400 decibels.

Can I just say how much I cannot stand people with Master's Degrees coming to me to explain things to them over and over? I know they make twice what I'm making because of that stinkin' piece of paper and yet I'm far more capable of doing their job! Sometimes, in order to motivate me to keep on keepin' on in school, I print out an email from one of the educated idiots I work with and stick it up on my wall. When I feel like I just can't do another paper, I read their email and think to myself, "If this guy can get a degree, so can I!" It's sad but true and a little embarrassing when they come into my office and ask why their email is pinned to my wall with all kinds of doodles and devil horns scrolled in red ink all over it.

Can I just say, I hate fighting with Jason over little stupid things because we're both stressed and it's just easier to take it out on each other?

Can I just say, I hate people who lie and even more so people who lie for no good reason? Most people lie to others once or twice a day and deceive about 30 people per week, according to research, but I'm sure that includes things like when your friend asks if her butt looks big in those jeans and you don't feel like wiping the snot from your shoulder should you decide to shout, "YES!" from the hilltops so you just shrug and go, "Nope!" But then there are those people who tell you they have a dog when they don't (WHY?) or tell you they have a Facebook account when they don't (HUH?). Yeah, those people get on my nerves for serious.

And while we're on the subject of Facebook, can I just say, is it completely necessary for you to update your Facebook status every fifteen minutes? You're a stay-at-home mother so I understand this may be the only communication you have with other adults on a daily basis, but seriously; go play with your daughter or take a gymboree class or something!

Can I just say, why are some people so blinded by jealousy that they can't see how blessed they are? I know everyone loses sight of the bigger picture sometimes but I have a friend at work who drinks so much Hateraide it's pathetic. She always seems to be in direct competition with another friend of mine and she makes my other friend feel bad or guilty about what she's achieved or accomplished. Just today she shared with us that she and her hubby will soon be buying their first home and this co-worker just put down everything she said from where they're looking (too expensive) to what insurance they're going with (no, you have to use Citizens or you're an idiot) to the fact that they're looking for a house with a pool (are you crazy?). She even put down my friend's puppy when she showed us a picture saying, "How old is he? He should be much bigger by this age. Maybe you got the runt." UGH! It's so annoying! Take your negative attitude somewhere else.

Well, speaking of negative attitude! Heh. Oookay, I think I've done enough venting for now. I may come back an add a bullet or two as the day progresses and my tolerance for ignorance diminishes but for now, I'm at work so clearly I should stop blogging and get back to writing my mid-term paper. Anyone feel like writing a 10 page paper on transnational organized crime with a focus on human trafficking, drug trafficking and Internet and financial crime prevention ? Hmmm, didn't think so...

Blog Make Over!

2009-02-09T10:36:00.005-06:00

For over a year now, I have been secretly coveting a blog make over of massive proportion. I've asked my computer nerd boyfriend 1,000 times to help me but he's a busy guy - too busy for virtual sparkles and leopard prints. So, I decided to bite the bullet and p-p-pa-pay (that wasn't easy) for a blog make over!

I was referred to Jennifer Gray at Polka Dot Design Shoppe by Rebecca over at China, Baby! Rebecca just came home from China with her handsome bundle of joy, Owen. So, while she's spending some time at home just bonding and recovering from jet lag, she's put a pin in blog designing. I'm so happy she sent me over to Jennifer because she was friendly, helpful and oh-so-professional, not to mention fast and creative!

I wasn't sure what I wanted at first. All I knew was that I didn't want a "scrapbooky" look. She listened to my ~~gripes~~ opinions and concerns and then took the ball and ran with it. I was surprised this weekend when I logged on to post a video of my kittens and it was all done and looking fierce! I love the leopard print and the little touch of sparkle over my name in the header. I especially love my blog signature! She's awesome and I love my new blog look. What do you guys think? All three of you...

Love/Hate

2009-02-07T19:58:00.001-06:00

This video was taken a few months ago so the kittens are quite a bit larger now and they no longer wear those collars (which were so cute!) but I just found this video again and it made me smile so I thought I'd share it with you all. Even if you're not a cat person, this is pretty darn cute. And they totally remind me of a typical sibling relationship. One minute they're licking and loving and the next, they're fighting and biting.

Crash! Boom! Bang!

2009-02-06T14:06:00.008-06:00

That, my dear readers, is the sound of my quiet life coming to an end. Last week, my mother closed her business and had to pack up everything (from a 4,000 square foot preschool) into a U-Haul and move it all into storage. Then I had to help her try to sell the entire contents of said school. Then, when I thought things were slowing down a bit, my sister called to say, "I need to move home. Now. See you Saturday!" And, indeed, she arrived at midnight on Saturday with her friend Jenn who drove the U-Haul (my sister, who is 4'10" - legally a midget - can't reach the pedals) and they brought a lot of crap-o-la into my house.

Truth be told, I couldn't be happier to have my sister home and it's even better having her in my house!! But it just all happened so fast! One serious benefit (and there are many) to having Lindsay around is that she's the first willing model I've ever encountered. I couldn't believe she was willing to let me ~~boss her around~~ photograph her! And she's a beautiful model too! Just look: