Dear Friday

You must really be joking me as there is no way it can actually be Friday already?! AND I guess technically it is still Thursday, but for most of the world it is in fact Friday. On top of it it’s the 19th of JULY! Is anyone else seeing the time zoom by. I seem to have a to-do list that is longer then the hours in the year, and I feel very unaccomplished these past few weeks. Should probably revisit my goals from last the beginning of the month.

Dear Lilly, you gave me a heck of a time this week. First I come home to you having devoured a whole bag of sandwich bread. Then that same night, you decided that it would be a really good idea to jump on mom and dad’s bed and PEE on it. Really bug? Is this what we have taught you? Dear Time, please slow down. I need to catch my breath. Dear Leia, I love you for kicking my butt. Even know my butt is literally sore and I am loving being back at the gym and having some guidance as to what I need to do. Dear Photography Clients, thank you, from the bottom of my heart for the repeat business and for all the referrals. You guys rock and be advised that I will be starting a referral/repeat customer program that you will LOVE. Dear photographers who give out digital negatives, please stop. It’s really hurting the industry and not doing anything for your sales or reputation. Just think of all the people re-editing your photos and then getting them printed at Wal-Mart. Terrified yet? Dear Leia, thank you for the pep talk the other day, while my butt was getting kicked. You got to know that you are worth it!!! It’s helped a lot this week. Dear Husband, I’m sorry that you hurt your finger yesterday while trying to do laundry, and NO a hurt figure is not an excuse to never ever ever do laundry again. Dear Colorado, I will see you in 12 days! That’s right, I’m counting down. Dear Bed, you are calling my name, BUT there’s a discussion that needs to be done for school.

 

Finally, Dear Weekend be kind to me. I’m on call all day Saturday and Sunday. Let’s hope for good weather and no issues in ANY of my cities.

I’m going home!!

I feel like you can never have too many homes. For example, our home is here in Arizona, but I consider Denver home as well, since I’ve grown up there and my family is still there. However, my first real home has and will always be Yerevan, Armenia, and I get to go back in two months and 3 days.

My Dad called me this morning, as I was reluctantly getting up at 6 AM to take Lilly out and feed her, to tell me that he was booking my ticket. This was great news, as we wont have the money to pay for the ticket until later this month, and the price would have most likely gone up. Now, I just have to get my name fixed in my passport and pack my camera!

The sad part is, that I’ll only be in Yerevan for 3 full days, then leave for London and spend another 3 there before heading back home to Denver, and then flying back to Tucson. I cannot wait to see my grandmothers, and my aunt, cousins and above all my adorable new niece.

So today’s Sunday Social questions are perfect for me and my travel mood.

 

Best trip you've ever been on: It’s really hard to pick one trip that was “the best” as each trip I’ve taken has been unique in its own way. There have been a few trips that have just been awful. BUT if I had to pick one trip that was the best, I’d say my last trip to Austria with my brother. We were just flying through Vienna on our way to meet family, and had a 12 hour layover. We got into Vienna at about 6 AM and the city was still asleep. So we walked around the streets of downtown, hung out in a park for a little while, then when the city started waking up we got some breakfast at a small little coffee shop right on the street of Vienna. It was the shortest 12 hours I’ve spent anywhere, and it was a great time with my baby brother. I think it’s where our relationship really solidified into the one we have today, from the kiddy/bickering one we had before.

Best idea for a girls weekend trip: My beautiful friend Katy and I always talk about a spa trip out of town, but have yet to find the time to do it. Maybe we’ll go to Scottsdale when she comes to visit. Personally, I’d love to spend a weekend in a spa, sipping on margaritas and enjoying the company of beautiful friends.

Best idea for a couples trip: Hands down an all-inclusive beach vacation. Mexico is ideal. Especially when there is lots of alcohol available, no need to drive and the beautiful ocean steps away. We’re actually working on a trip in November for our anniversary and talking our friends on coming along. I don’t think they really need lots of convincing.  

Best vacation on the cheap: Humm, staycation?! Haha. We’ve found some amazing deals on Groupon for getaways! My in-laws celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary this year, and we got them a deal off of Groupon for Las Vegas. They loved it!!! We’ve also managed to do a trip to Vegas with flight, hotel, food, and entertainment for under a $1000 for the 4 days!

 
Place you most want to visit: A better question is a place I don’t want to visit. I’d love to go to Paris once every season so I can photograph it in all of it’s beauty. However, my current “want” is to go to Belize, the diver’s paradise!

Vacation/Travel necessities: This is a good question. I use to be a complete overpacker and would take everything under the sun. In the last few years, I’ve been able to really narrow down what I really need on a trip. For example, my trip to Armenia, I’m going to take my camera gear and a small carry on with my clothing, and this is what I’ll most likely include:

1. Camera body, prime lens, zoom/telephoto lens, flash, CF cards, and other minor gear
2. A dress, something that can be dressed up or down
3. Pair of jeans, usually something that’s a little bit more loose and comfortable
4. A pair of comfortable flats
5. Sunglasses
6. Toothbrush
7. Facewash
8. Sports bra!!!!
9. Phone
10. Laptop

The end!

Sunday Social–TV edition

Hi Sunday, you’re here again and this weekend, unlike the last I am not on call. Which means that yesterday, I actually got to enjoy my day. I’m once again up at the crack of dawn, because Lilly thinks that it’s the perfect time to go out a pee and do a bit of surveillance work around the backyard. She doesn’t realize that mom likes to sleep in, and has decided to never ever ever let me sleep in again.

Today’s Sunday Social is all TV. Now, if you know me in real life, you know that we’re not huge TV people. We love movies and certain shows, but paying for cable is really not for us. We had cable for a little while, and paid $200+ a month for it and never really used it. So we turned it off, and haven’t missed it sense. It’s cheaper to watch our favorite shows on their site, or through my dad’s dish subscription online, or just go out and buy the season on DVD and have it to watch on our own terms.

  That being said, here are my answer.

 

This Weeks Questions:

Favorite TV show of the past?

Favorite show of the past would have to be Sex and the City. I never really watched the whole thing when it first came out but a few years ago, I got the whole collection and I love just popping it into the DVD player and watching an episode here and there. I love looking back at the style and seeing how it’s changed over the years.

 

Another one would have to be House. I just love the sarcastic, asshole personality of Dr. House.

Favorite TV show currently?

Game of Thrones has got to be the best show out there right now. We love it. We’re also loving Suits and Burn Notice.

      

 

Which Reality Show would you NEVER do?

Any of them. I never got into the whole, let’s watch other peoples lives. I read about them here and there so I know which ones are out there. BUT really, what’s the fascination with sitting on the couch and watching other people live their lives. I’d rather be out there living my own life.

Which Reality Show would you LOVE to do?

Again, reality TV is not my thing. BUT if someone was going to pay me to do a reality show, I wouldn’t say now. And honestly, wouldn’t really care what it was about considering I’d be getting paid. That being said, I totally do not blame the likes of Kim Kardashian and Snooki for milking the reality tv industry.

TV personality/character that you feel is most like you?

Hahaha. Hubs and I were just talking about this. It’s got to be Donna from Suits. Hubs said that I’m just missing the read hair and the ability to raise just one eyebrow.

TV character you'd want to date?

Humm, this is a good one. Harvey because he’s practically my husband just with a law degree.

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Hope you all have a great Sunday.

We’ll be cooking, cleaning and getting things done today. I start my next class tomorrow morning, and I can’t tell you how much I am not looking forward to having school work again. But got to do what I got to do.

Is it really July?

We’ve officially entered the hottest part of the summer here in Arizona, and it is NOT pretty. It really is super hot, but the monsoons are also here which cools things off.

Our yard is still a mess of dirt, sand, minus material, flagstone, artificial turf and rock. Our master has two walls painted and has all kinds of painting supplies laid out all over. The front bedroom has a quarter of one wall to go with the paint, and needs a trip to the store to get an accent color for the back wall. We did finally get couches but now need two chairs and some pillows to complete the set. AND I could keep going with my list of things that need to be done.

So instead of making a long, drawn out list, I’m just going to write things down as goals and get going on getting things set and done.

1. Finish editing the remaining sessions from June by the 6th of July (this Friday) – I have about 4 more sessions left to edit from my June shoots. I can’t wait to see how they turn out, and from all likelihood, I’ll have them done within the next few nights.
2. Finish painting the front bedroom, this includes the accent wall and the need to get my butt to the store to get a paint color – This bedroom was suppose to be done before my in-laws got here. I got most of it done, and then we realized that the couch we wanted to put in there wouldn’t fit, so I stopped painting and it’s set there like that for at least a month. There isn’t too much left to paint but I did run out of paint. So back to Home Depot I go.
3. Paint master bedroom  - our master is a mess. One wall is completely done and looks great, the other is 90% done and looking good, the others are half assed. We really need to get on this, as our bedroom looks like a construction zone right now.
4. Paint master bathroom – We haven’t even touched the bathroom yet, but have the paint and it’s all good to go. We just need to get on it. We’ll be able to knock it out within a day if we really try.
5. Organize spice cabinet – this is pretty much done, but I just got a bunch more spaces and now everything is crammed in there. I’ve also read that spices should be kept away from the stove and oven so that they don’t get hot and lose their flavor, well my spices are right in between my range and the double oven. SOOO I’m thinking I may need to move them.
6. Organize master closet & figure out what I’d like to do with it – this is pretty dang organized but I still have a few more boxes to unpack, and I need to figure out what kind of shelving system we want in there. We have some shelves but they are awkward. I may just need to get some bedroom furniture (dresser) to put all of our folding clothes in so that my shelf space is opened up.
7. Find paint for the office – I am pretty sure I know what color I’d like, but I may need to get a few samples to figure out if it will work.
8. Organize Office – the office is a mess of boxes right now, it needs a good organizing so that the space can be used.
9. Start working on Senior Session Promos as well as holiday promos – it seems that with the kind of weather that Arizona has, senior sessions cannot be done until after the monsoon season is over. However, it would be good to get things worked out and sessions booked for mid-August and on. Also, if there are brave soles out there we can get a few of them done in July.
10. Sell the clothing/shoes that I don’t wear – our community has a great little Facebook Page that’s an online yardsale, and people are constantly selling things on there. I’m thinking that it’s time I get rid of some of the things I have that I never wear. Maybe I can use the money to help save for our vacation.
11. Don’t drink soda. AT ALL – at one point I didn’t drink soda at all, and it felt so good. But lately I’ve been drinking some, and I really need to stop.
12. Only eat out once a week or less – there isn’t really much around us to go and eat out at, but we’ve seem to have found a way to do it anyways. I’d like to keep our eating out to one meal a week and on a weekend. Mainly because it’s unhealthy and it’s also expensive, and I’ve got a freezer full of salmon!
13. Save an additional $150.00 on top of our monthly savings – I’ve taken the advice of a good friend, Janna, and started looking at our savings account as a monthly bill. So every month, I put a chunk of money in there as though it was a bill to be paid. In addition to this, I’d like to save another $150.00 to go in there.
14. Put together a budget (clothing, food, and entertainment) – I’ve never really had to worry about a budge for these things, because my paycheck has always been an extra paycheck. It’s been my shoes and purse fund. However, having a house and needing to turn it into a home has put a damper on that fund. My paychecks now count towards the mortgage and car payments. Hence, I need to have a budget for what I can spend. I also think that a clothing budget would be good, and force me to buy pieces that I really love and know I’ll wear for a long time.
15. Find a trainer for Lilly – Lilly had a great trainer in Tucson, but it’s a long drive to go up there. So I need to find someone nearby. There’s a k9 cop that has a kennel and trains dogs so I think I’ll give him a call sometime this week.
16. Sign up for my Summer/Fall classes – this needs to be done today, as classes start next Monday. EW
17. Drink more water (2 water bottles full a day) – I’ve noticed that when my water bottle is not next to me, I don’t drink water, so now it will be dragged around everywhere with me.
18. Explore at least one new place around town – I’ve been dying to go to the mission that is next to us. Maybe Lilly and I can go explore.
19. Help hubs finish the backyard - our backyard needs to be done. My floors are continuously dirty because Lilly brings in all the dirt and dust that is out there.
20. Start back up on my P90X workouts – I found a great trainer here in Sahuarita, but with the need to pay off debt right now, I can’t really afford to hire her. AND I’ve got great results with P90X before, and I already have the DVDs soooo, I’m going to go ahead and try that again.
21. Swim at least three days a week – Our pool is awesome, there’s hardly anyone there at any given time. We’ve gone twice and taken our fins and snorkel gear to get back into shape for diving. It’s really good exercise and I love swimming, so win-win.
22. Take Lilly on walks at least 3 times a week – It’s been super hot and we’ve been busy, so poor miss Lilly has been sitting around the house. We play with her, and since there is no furniture in most of the house, she runs around and such, BUT it is probably a good idea to take her on more extended walks around the neighborhood.

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Now the tricky part is actually getting all of the above done. I do have to admit that I tend to get more done when I have things written down and goals in mind. So we’ll see how this all works out.

Hope you all are having a great Monday, and if you have goals for this month, go and link up with Meghan for Go for the Goal!

Better late then never… right?!

This past Friday, I was going to link up with Natalia over at Ma Nouvelle Mode… except that I wrote up the blog, edited the pictures, but never actually got around to combining the two together and scheduling it to post.

I could spend a lot of time giving you all kinds of excuses as to why I’m late, but I’m sure you don’t want to hear about how bad of a blogger I am and how I’m just SOOO tired all the time. SO, without further ado here are three of my styles.

My hair has gotten super long lately, and I have been keeping it pretty dark. My all time favorite color and the go to is the blue-black that my amazing stylist and friend mixes for me. The bangs are new, because I wanted something different. Speaking of something different, I had a few of my extensions died Katy Perry colors. Since I used my extensions when I was growing my hair out and now just use it for volume, I didn’t really need the one inch pieces so we died them hot pink, blue, aqua and purple. They stand out super well with the blue black and I love it. I also feel like I am 12 when my hair is so bright.

Day 2 was just as boring as day one, so I decided to throw in some braids. NOW, I suck at braiding my hair in all kids of cool French braids and twists sooo, I end up with boring braids as in the above pictures. I also DO NOT wash my hair daily… as a matter of fact, I wash my hair every 3 to 4 days. GROSSSSS I know. BUT it is much better for my hair. AND my color does not fade as fast. AND if you look at the first set of photos you can see how puffy and freezy my hair can get… and day two is usually much more tame.

OH… dry shampoo is my BEST FRIEND.

By Day 3, my hair needs to be pulled back, and really styled so that it does not look gross. Hence, the side messy bun. My bangs are also in need of a trim! Hence the side bangs. I usually add a few of my longer extension pieces to make my buns look fuller… however I am lazy and did not feel like putting in extensions … hence the miserable side bun.

I hope you all had a great weekend. I know mine was pretty productive, aside from a few work disasters that are going to make me cry tomorrow morning.

OH and in other news, I am now officially a graduate student and start class in 30 minutes. Can someone explain to me why I am going back to school?!

What I’m loving Wednesday

This has become one of my favorite posts of the week… so once again I’m linking up with Jaime from this kind of love to share what I’ve been loving these past week.

I am loving these beautiful shoes. The chunky heels have me sold. I love a heel that is sexy and comfy, and the thick heels do just that. How beautiful are these shoes?!

 

Levity Nicolo Pump

Mojo Moxy Sophia Pump

Aldo Lewi

I’m loving these quotes… each one of them speaks in ways that cannot be explained.

I’m loving that things are changing. That things will always change. I’m not loving that it’s so hard to adjust that we will be all alone in a new place. I’m loving that we will be buying our first house, but hating how stressed I am about the whole thing. I’m not loving that I want everything, yet cannot have everything. And above all I am not loving that by accepting this promotion, Husband and I will not be able to live in Europe like we wanted to… we might never be able to do this due to the nature of his work. It breaks my heart, but I wouldn’t trade his happiness and success in his field with anything… yes even going back home for a few years.

I’m loving this little girl:

She’s everything I’d ever want in a daughter and more.

And as always, I’m loving my handsome Texan, who does nothing but work hard to keep me happy and cater to my stupid whines and needs.

I love you baby! I know I can be a pain in the tush, but at least I know how to cook.

Hey… It’s Okay

  It’s Thursday and I am so excited to be linking up with Neely over at A Complete Waste of Make Up  and Amber over at Brunch with Amber.  

It’s completely and totally okay that I squealed and raced to the door when my new lens arrived yesterday. I might have scared our UPS guy a little.

It’s also okay that I immediately put the lens on, and ran around the house taking random pictures of things. Here are some examples of the randomness I photographed to test out the lens.

 

These pictures are straight out of my camera with no editing. The colors and sharpness can be fixed and the pictures can really be enhanced through some Photoshop help. But hey… it’s okay to have raw pictures from the camera on the blog.

It’s okay to schedule a day, in the middle of the week to just go shopping, even though you don’t really need anything at all. Not only that but to end up buying not one, but two pairs of MEK jeans because they are on sale for $54.00.

It’s OKAY…

to not care what your hair looks like when you spent the day working at Barnes and Nobel

to hate when the phone rings, because it’s another customer with the same EXACT question

to hate the customer a little for being so lazy and not reading what is posted on the website

to crave a Mike’s even though it’s noon on a workday

to allow the husband to make a mess of the kitchen because he wanted to make beef jerky

and then to tell him that the beef jerky he spent 5 hours making was decent even though it was amazing, just to get him to like it even more when he got home

to leave the dishes in the sink overnight… especially when no one is coming over

to have a Skype dinner date with a good friend

to be ready for Fall and winter

to really be excited, sad and nervous about moving to a state where we don’t know anyone

and to talk entirely too much about moving.

Hope you all are having a great Thursday! Head on over to Neely’s and Ambers and link up with what you’re okay with this week.