a little of this, a little of that

As much as i hate the posts where people sit here and blog about the blogging slump they are in, I have decided to do just that.

I'm going to pretend that people don't read this thing and just write what's in my head. Because, after all, that is why I wanted to begin blogging to begin with.

The past few weeks have been so different for me. Usually during the winter, I hit a serious low. Like the kind of low that makes me realize that I really should be on meds for that time... like seriously. Although I have so many exciting things in my life, it seemed that it didn't really hold that slump at bay this winter, which was even more depressing.

In any case, as I've written about on here, I have begun running. Not only that, but I decided to go a step further and actually join a gym! I went back and forth in my head about it before ultimately deciding that it was the right decision for me.

Since joining, I have found that I so look forward to going. I used to wonder what kind of drugs people had flowing through their veins when they would talk about how much they loved going to the gym... well, I understand now. Maybe it's that I have so many things going on in my life, it's really nice to have that hour or so all to myself.

As a result of building more discipline into my life in this way, I have seen all kinds of good things happening in my life. I feel more energized, empowered and confident about myself. I, however, have also begun to see so many of my shortcomings in a clearer light. I think that this is because I am not ignoring all my faults because I feel powerless to overcome them, but rather I am seeing them now because I know that I can actually do something about it.

I'd like to say that I think i'm growing up a lot... I mean, seriously, I'm 24 years old. I'm a grown-up. But I don't think anyone ever really grows up. I will probably be like 89 years old and saying the same thing. It's a dangerous place to be to think that you've figured it all out, or that you don't have more to learn. I have a hard time with people who flaunt their knowledge and life experience in my face as a way to say that they have a leg-up on me.

Moving right along.

So as not to make this post entirely self-reflective I will now begin moaning about how many pictures i have not been taking. I have a plan in place to get myself organized so that my workflow becomes a more streamlined process. I think that I don't take pictures because it's so time consuming to do them the way I actually like them. Therefore, probably this weekend I will be implementing my new plan to make that happen.

Speaking of this weekend, I have my first wedding to photograph. I am so nervous and so excited all at the same time! I have so far booked 3 weddings this year and have one more in the works. I have at least one for next year and have been booking for other shoots throughout this summer!

I never would have thought a year ago if you had asked me, that I would be where I am right now. Seriously. Never.

That seems to be all that I have running through my mind right now (at least all that I can write down appropriately ha) Tomorrow I will be taking a picture of myself in the dress again. I have actually lost some more weight since last time, so I'm hoping that it fits better than before. Not that i'm complaining about before... it would be nice though :)

i <3 faces - no flash

I have been watching from a distance the past few weeks as i heart faces has been popping up in the blogs I read, so I decided to finally join in.
This week the challenge is no flash.

While I have been using lights almost all winter long, I have had the opportunity to get outside a couple times and use the beautiful natural light! I love love love natural light. I would not dare categorize myself as a natural light photographer as I still rely on lights a lot of the time. Maybe someday I can be cool enough to do everything with natural light... or at least make my stuff look like natural light ;)

While there are two categories, one for adults and one for kids, I am only entering the adults category.

This picture is taken from an engagement session I did about 2 weeks ago for my upcoming first wedding! I have had such an amazing experience with this girl that I am about ready to make it a requirement that a couple do their engagement session with me before their wedding. She is so much more excited about her pictures now that she's gotten a sneak-peek as it were :)

When this picture was taken, she was talking on and on about how silly she probably looked and I said, no way, you look soooo cute! and then she laughed, and I got it. I don't even think she knew I clicked at that moment, but guess which picture ended up being the fave? ;)



If you would like to join in or check out other entries, just go over here and check it out.

it actually fits!

The dresses for Melissa's wedding came in on Monday... the long awaited day had finally arrived. About a month ago, I came to terms with the fact that this dress would not fit if I didn't do something. I did not intentionally order it too small, in fact, when I ordered I was deluded into thinking that I would be able to fit into it.

My reasoning was this. Last year I was in another wedding on the same weekend as Melissa's. When I bought that dress I weighed what I weigh right now. And the dress fit perfectly.

I did not take into account though, that last year's dress was much more forgiving leaving me that room to waiver.

This year's dress is much more fitted. And there's no stretch to it at all. So, when purchasing the dress I told them (against the counsel of the seamstress) what size I wanted because gosh darn it, that's what size I am!

Buuuut, when reality set in, and I realized that I would have struggled to get into my "forgiving" dress from last year, I set to work. I started running/walking and have since begun resistance training. (the sight of my arms in a strapless was more than enough motivation)

Two nights before I got the dress and had to face my moment of truth, I had a horrific dream. Let me tell you...

It was the day of the wedding. And I for some reason, was shooting a wedding that day... how that happened, I don't know. I had forgotten my camera and all my equipment and had to run back to my house to get it all. By the time I got back home, I was all sweaty and nasty, but realized that I had a job to do, so I just ran back to the church (which happened to be LCS, why? idk. I haven't even been there in about a year lol)

Upon arriving back at the church, I couldn't find the bridal party, so I was calling everyone on my phone who might be able to locate them. After a few calls, the bride finally calls me and is all like, where in the world are you?

I found them all and that ended that segment of the dream. I moved to a trailer where I was getting ready for Melissa's wedding now. Apparently this other pseudo wedding was over and done with haha. As I went to put on my dress believing it to be a very pretty shade of tan (like latte) I pulled the cover off of it and realized it was blue! Which, by the way is indeed the color of the dress... and I happen to love it. But, upon seeing that it was entirely different than what I expected I was immediately disappointed.

I got over that quickly and went to put it on. Now, it seemed to go on just fine... until I looked down and saw that the cut on the bust line was made to show off as much as possible and my *ahem* bust, was not staying where it should. It was like one of those heart shaped cuts, where it scoops down in the middle. But instead of the little scoop it should have been, it was like whoa nelly! I decided quickly that I would need some wardrobe tape in order to keep everything in place (nevermind the fact that I would never be caught dead in real life wearing something that revealing) wardrobe tape would most certainly be the solution.

An old friend from camp suddenly appeared and allowed me to borrow her car to go to the store. So I grabbed her keys and looked down to see that I was already wearing shoes...

Yes, the shoes that I had bought for the wedding.

Imagine a pair of soft leather beige boots that laced up the front.

That's what I was wearing. And for the life of me I could not figure out WHY Melissa had ever approved of them.

When I got to the store for the tape, all I remember finding was velcro.

The End.

HAHAHAHAHA! I don't know if that makes you laugh, but I certainly got a good kick out of it. There were so many sub-conscious thoughts coming to the surface there it's not even funny lol!

Well, onto the reason for this post. Since I began this journey to shed some pounds in order to fit in the dress, I have lost a total of 7 pounds. I still have some more to go, but I did indeed squeeze into that dress on Tuesday. And didn't look half bad doing it ;)





So, I decided that for the next few weeks, a fun thing to do would be to put on the dress and take pictures of how I fit into it better than before. At first I was thinking every week, but I think that may get a little boring. So every other week I will be putting it on, taking a picture (next time not with my cell) and posting.

It looks fine... really. Unless I sit down ;)

my "purse" revealed

I've long been made fun of for my non-affinity of carrying purses. It's not that I don't have them, but like with many things in my life, I get bored with them. They are annoying to carry, and I'd rather have a wallet that holds the "essentials" and use my pockets for the rest.

It also keeps me more organized (amazingly enough) because when I have a purse to keep throwing stuff into, it ultimately turns into a portable trash can. yuck. PLUS, there is another added bonus. I can't lose it! Now, you may think that my probability for losing stuff that I put in pockets is higher, and while you may be right, you've forgotten that if I only have $5 in my pocket, that's a LOT less than all I would have had in my purse!

Hey, it works for me ;) and I rarely lose anything... at least anything important...

So when I was tagged to post pictures of my purse and its contents I said hmmmmm... what shall I do? I do not have a purse... But, I did have a bag that day. So, that's what I took pictures of.

Here are the rules:

1. Post a picture of whatever bag you are (using) today - not last weekend when you and your hubby went out to that fabulous restaurant. No cheating!!!

2. Tell us how much it cost. This is a no-judgment zone -- there will be no ridiculing or eye rolling here. (Whatever! Judge all you want! Purses are necessities like food and water!) And, if there is a story to go along with how you obtained it, I'd love to hear it.

3. Now tag some fellow bloggers and link back to this post so people know why you are posting pictures of your bag.

THE BAG



Yes, that is right friends. A wal-mart bag. My usual form of transporting various items that I need for the day when I leave for work. Environmentally unfriendly? Sure. Convenience it provides for Amanda? Priceless...


THE CONTENTS



The receipt with the previous day's purchases on it. Just in case any of your nosey nancy's want to zoom in and see what I was buying, you'll be glad to know there is nothing of note on there. I think there was some juicy juice and some other random food items... maybe some club soda?



The ever-present orange. Yep, almost everywhere I go, anywhere I am, you will most likely find and orange on me somewhere. What's ironic is that I rarely eat them. Not that I don't like them, but I just like to have one around in a pinch. They're very portable and clean, that's why I carry them :)



mmmmmmm... garbanzo beans. I love these things. However, they have a notsopleasant effect on my body and as a result, I must only eat them when I plan on being alone... therefore I don't eat them nearly as often as I would like ;)

Well, that's it. Sooooo exciting. I know, you guys were probably all like, ohmigoodness, Amanda posted what's in her purse?! I can't wait to see what treasures lie within... only to be disappointed.

Hence my cheesy comments throughout.

If you want to do this and bare your soul purse to the blog world, let me know you did so I can come stalk you :)

the eagle can soar again

Today was a special day.

Because it was st. patrick's day?

nope.

Because it was saturday?

nope.

Because I had the most disgusting breakfast ever that almost made me hurl?

nope.

Because I sold the car that's been sitting in my backyard for over a year now?

yep.

It's been over a year since the eagle began its journey to the cinder blocks in the back of my house... and forturnately for the neighbors, it never did make it atop the cinder blocks...

But with spring just around the corner, the threat was there... and very real.

The car had to go!

I lined up a place where I could donate it about 2 months ago... until my neighbor (the one referred to as Irish) showed interest in it.

for REAL? Yes, for real!

With no hesitation, I readily accepted the $100 he was offering me... seeing as how $100 is far more than the nothing I was being faced with. I signed the title over to him and wrote up a receipt (oh, how i wish i had a picture of it... it was sooo ghettotastic)

However, I do have some pictures to share with you... they're all taken with my cell, which I have to say i'm pretty amazed at the quality. and I decided that it would be far more entertaining to write right on the picture than here underneath every one.

the wedding jewelry

Last week I got the wedding jewelry in! As I set out to try and take a picture, a) i wasn't feeling super creative and b) i was being lazy.

As evidenced by this picture.



Oh well, you get the idea. I'm just bummed that not everyone can be happy. I absolutely love this set, especially put with our dresses... but that's just the nature of working in groups.

That's not to say that anyone is totally unhappy with it, we all seem to like it enough, just not everyone loves it as much as I do :)

if i'm feeling boisterous (or possibly inspired) i may try to take a picture that doesn't look like i used a disposable.

76 days left... at least 5 pounds to go (more would be nice lol)

more on the running

I am now in the middle of week 3 of my new exercise of choice, aka running.

It has been phenominal to be able to set small goals and watch myself not only meet but definitely soar past what I thought I could do! 3 weeks ago, the thought of running a mile, non-stop, with no walking was enough to make me break into a sweat and start hyperventilating. But what a difference 18 days makes!

Friday morning, I had a bit of a sore throat, but I pressed on. I'm glad that I did, because that sore throat erupted into an all-out cold monster by evening. I wasn't able to get back into the work-out for 4 days. My worst fear. Seriously. Because I knew that if i didn't keep going, i would be much more tempted to stop.

I thought for sure that I would be weaker when I got on the treadmill to do my 2 miles this morning... so i started out nice and easy. A little walking, a little more running, and so on. Until I was in about 7 minutes. Then I thought to myself, "self, you can do this. You can go just a little bit further. You're breathing well, your legs don't hurt anymore, heck push yourself past your 2 minute running cap and see if you can finish 2/10s of the mile."

Please don't laugh! That's seriously what I was thinking. Because, you see folks, in my mind, 2/10s of a mile is equivalent to an eternity.

So off I went. Go, go, go! I got to 2/10s and realized it wasn't as difficult as I had thought it would be, so I continued. For 6 minutes. Where I stopped at reaching exactly 1/2 mile! I finished the first mile in 13 minutes, which is also a new record. The second took me a bit longer because...

My one mistake lay in the fact that I did this too early on. While I wasn't ready to die after doing that, I did feel like I might throw up and I was quite weary. I still had another 15 minutes to go. But go I did! And I feel so GREAT!

Even as I'm writing this, i'm thinking that you (my readers) will have one of 2 reactions
1) you're really proud of me and are inspired to know that you too can get in shape!
2) you think i'm just tooting my own horn and i'm annoying for flaunting my success.

Well, to the #1ers: Thank you for being proud of me and if I could ever be an inspiration to anyone (especially in this area) it would be one of my greatest accomplishments... seriously.

And to the #2ers: This is my blog, I can say whatever I want!

I'm growing ever closer to making the leap and actually registering for the 5K i was talking about doing a couple posts ago. I was disheartened at first to realize that it is indeed on the same day that I am shooting a wedding, but I think I may just do it anyways. The race would be over a good 3 hours before I needed to be anywhere ;) Plus, it's categorized as a "walk/run" which will make me feel like less of a loaf when I need to walk a bit.

So #1ers, cheer me on! I was down 4 lbs last time i checked, but it's been a week or so, so i actually have no idea if I've lost more or not. Whatevs, as long as I fit into that stinking dress, I don't care how much the scale says LOL!

new chuch website

A few weeks ago, I was asked to take some pictures for the church's new website. I would have liked to get more involved with the project, but time was not letting me. Anyways, they had a lot of graphics and stuff for most of the site, but there were a couple pages that would look good with shots of real people and things that go on at the church.

So, I set out to capture some. It is hard to take pictures for specific venues! Let me tell you! I have decided that I don't want to be a commercial photographer. They make a lot of money, but honestly, there is a lot of aggravation involved and i'm not really willing to deal with it! That's not to say I didn't enjoy doing this. I was more or less referring to something else... which I may or may not blog about. I haven't decided yet...

I took soooo many pictures, and only a handful ended up making the cut. In fact, my favorite one DIDN'T make it when all was said and done! I was kinda bummed, but meh. At least I can share it on here.



Anyways, go to the newly redesigned Elim Gospel Church website and check it out! It's very cool, I think :)

You'll find pictures that I took on the very first page of "new to EGC" and on all of the "for your family" pages

Also, I updated my photo blog today, FINALLY! It's been awhile. If you're one of the ones who's been asking when Andrea's pictures were going up, well, wait no longer. They are up. Again, FINALLY. eep. not like i'm a slacker or anything! go check out amandaslakesphotography.blogspot.com.

monday... eww

I thought that by saying i would pick a winner friday night or saturday morning that i would be more likely to actually post the winner then... buuuuuuut, after I got up at 10:30 saturday morning (and all the angels in heaven sang HALLELUJAH!) I ate some breakfast and by 11 o'clock was elbow deep into a huge framing and matting project that is not for the faint of heart. It took me no less than 8 hours to complete.

However, in the middle, I took a little break to pick the winner. I printed out all the entries and put them in a bowl... mixed it up... then had my dad pick the name.

But first, Lex left a message to everyone who entered the giveaway:

Yay! Thank to all of you for your wonderful comments! I am currently uploading more stuff today. Lots of earrings, but some other things, too! I also want to let you all know, I can create anything custom - if you see something you like, but wish to have a different ear wire, or if there's a pair of earrings with beads you'd like to see in a bracelet or necklace, I'm your gal! Custom is what I do.

Now, back to the winner... the name he pulled out waaaaaas...

Andrea at Sgt and Mrs Hub!

Since I just happen to have a picture of this lovely girl, I was compelled to post her beautiful face along with her name.

This picture, taken back in January (as some of you may have seen if you read her blog) has a lot of friends that go with it! However, it was not until just last week that I finished them. They will be the next post on my photo blog... hopefully today, but if not, then most definitely tomorrow. Tuesdays are library day and I get 3 uninterrupted hours to do things that I always get interrupted doing! for example, blogging.

So, Andrea, you will be receiving an email from Lex (who also happens to do blog redesigns!)

She's just added a bunch of new pieces even since I posted this giveaway. This woman is so talented and she is all about doing custom. So if you see one thing on one piece, and another on a different piece that you like, TELL HER! She's all about that :)

Anyways, I am so happy to have done my first successful giveaway lol! I will hopefully be back blogging either later today and if not, then tomorrow :)