Taylor

Oh my goodness gracious, was this girl ever fun to photograph. She let me drag her all over East Anglia...and we've got the photographs to prove it. We had a ton of fun, talking about our lives, the ways her friends make her laugh, her desire to be a model someday, and what she does in her spare time. In exchange, I talked with her about how I got started with photography and my lack of "girly-ness". I'm trying to change that, by the way and become more, well...girly. Mom helped me out with a dose of some cute vintage-type clothes when she was up last...but that's a whole 'nother story. So, here's some of the MANY favorites I had of Taylor!

The Poppies

Living here in the UK, I've been most impressed by one thing. The FLOWERS! This place seems to spontaneously blossom. My garden is included in this phenomenon. I have never tended a garden less and seen more production. This morning I awoke to these blooming beauties. I only became aware about a week ago that they were poppies. (I've been hesitant to uproot anything here because I am having the hardest time telling what is a flower and what is a weed. Even the weeds have pretty blossoms here. Except the stinging nettle. I now know what THAT looks like from a painful experience in the garden about a month ago...and I've been attacking it with vigor each time I see it). I have been waiting to see them unfold. They were waving their cheerful pink heads in the breeze this morning, beckoning me to come and examine them closer. My son and I carefully tiptoed out into the dewey grass to smell them and photograph their fuzzy stems. You know, I don't think I've ever seen a poppy up close before...if at all. But, they may become one of my favorite flowers forever after!

Grilled Chicken and Summer Veggie Sandwich

OK...so I tried a new recipe for dinner tonight and OH MY HECK was it fabulous! We'll rate this one a 10 on our food scale (10, by the way, stands for "I'd eat this every day if I could"...1 being "I'd rather eat cardboard". None of the "1" recipes make it to this blog. Thank goodness. I don't think I've ever actually made a recipe like that, but I've seen a few. Ran across one once that was a mixture of cottage cheese and frozen mixed veggies. The lady who submitted it said it was good...but it LOOKED like vomit, and combining the ingredients in my head, I was pretty sure it would taste like vomit too. But, I digress...) This is a grilled chicken and summer veggie sandwich that will knock your socks off! And, if you're like me and trying to cut a couple of pounds...it's not bad for that either!

Ingredients:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (more if you like alot of meat on your sandwich...but the veggies really do add alot of substance to this baby...so less is more in my opinion.)

1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise (I used a vegetable peeler to slice mine)

1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and quartered

1 small red onion, cut into 1/2 inch slices

1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

1/2 cup prepared Italian dressing (divided in half)

1 loaf ciabatta bread (14 oz), halved length wise

2 tbsp olive oil (accept no substitutes...this adds some oomph to the sandwich)

1/4 cup reduced-fat mayo (or if you're throwing caution to the wind, like I did tonight, use real mayo)

1 Tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp grated lemon peel

1 tsp minced garlic

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the zucchini, pepper, mushrooms, onion and 1/4 cup salad dressing. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Drain and discard marinade.

Meanwhile, grill chicken, covered, for 7-10 minutes on each side, basting frequently with remaining 1/4 cup Italian dressing. (You can tell chicken is done when you prick it with a fork and the juices run clear). Remove chicken from grill, cut into slices, and keep warm.

Brush cut sides of bread with oil; set aside. Place vegetables on grill rack. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or until crisp-tender. Remove and keep warm. Grill bread, oil side facing the heat source, over medium heat for 30-60 seconds or until toasted.

In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, lemon juice, peel and garlic. Spread over bread bottom; sprinkle with cheese. Top with chicken, vegetables, and remaining bread. Cut into four slices. Yield: 4 servings.

*If you're feeling adventurous, just like to march to the beat of your own drum, hate to be told what to do, or just hate feta cheese, zucchini, or whatever else...use this as a loose guide. Hey...that's what I do! You didn't think this was actually the recipe I got from the magazine, did ya? I made it my own thing. The recipe in the magazine was an idea maker...not a strict "how to". So, take out the mushrooms, add some fresh tomatoes, forget the feta and go with cheddar, use your own funky raspberry balsamic vinagrette instead of the Italian...whatever makes you happy. After all, cooking is about the creative process. It's expressing yourself in edible form. And creativity equals joy in my book!

Happy

I keep coming back to this blog...not to update it, but to look at the blog header and smile. It makes me happy. Simple minds, simple pleasures...maybe. Or maybe I just derive joy in the everyday. Either way, I like what I see. And there is nothing more rewarding than a job well done.

Our Deepest Fear- By Marianne Williamson

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

God works in mysterious ways. He's proved it to me over and over again. And then, this morning, as I opened my scriptures, I thought of this quote. It was exactly what I needed to hear right now.

Beginning this business is stretching me. It's purging me of my insecurity. It's making me face myself as I've never done before. I am not afraid that I will fail in this business. I KNOW that I have what it takes to make fabulous art, to friendship and network with other people and businesses, to drive myself to improve. I think what I fear the most is that this whole plan will actually WORK! What then?

I think I've spent so many years hiding from myself. Fearing that if I'm my best self, that others will feel uncomfortable around me, and so I sink a little...give them the upper edge, make myself appear lowly. I thought for the longest time that this was modesty and humility. I thought that I was following in Christ's footsteps. But, now I believe I was DEAD WRONG. That is not humility. That is humiliating! And if we kick ourselves down a notch too often, pretty soon, we begin to actually believe it! We begin to actually think that everyone else is better than we are.

Jesus Christ knew who he was. He was NOT afraid to let his light shine. He wanted people to rise to his level. He showed them what they COULD become. We are his children. He's asked us to "Come follow me". Shouldn't I do the same? Shouldn't I let my light shine instead of hiding it under a bushel? Wouldn't people be more confident to be themselves if they knew the genuine me? I think so.

I am not perfect, nor will I ever be in this life. The piles of dirty laundry in my hallway and clean laundry piled on my bed can attest to that. But I have a lot to offer the world. I love my family. I love people. I serve my heart out every stinking day. I love Jesus Christ and I'm doing my very best to do his will for me. I have so many gifts it's ridiculous. I don't know what I ever did to deserve them all. This business is helping me see that I was given those gifts to USE them, not hide them. And if using them means that I put myself "out there" a little more, that the beauty that is inherent in my person comes to light along with my warts...so be it.

So, watch out world! I'm going to try and stand up tall on these two feet of mine. And, maybe, just maybe I'll get around to doing the laundry too?

Goodbye Favorite Shoes

I've already received some "concern mail" from some of you who love the "red shoe" picture that used to head this blog. Be assured, the red shoes are alive and well. They are still my favorite shoes. I still wear them frequently. They actually kinda stink from all of the wear-age. I really should probably put some powder in them or something. OK...TMI. But, in the interest of preserving their memory forever, I will post the picture here. Look at it to your heart's content.

Shelby

This is Shelby. We had a very fun photo shoot yesterday where she pretty much let me try any and everything that came to mind. She was so fun to photograph, as almost all teenagers are. A little shy, alot spunky...it all came out on film. I considered it my greatest triumph to get her to full out laugh! What a beautiful girl! Truly, truly a pleasure.

On Shelby's photos, I used a series of vintage washes. I really am in love with vintage right now. The locations we chose today just lent themselves well to the washes I've been dying to use. I think they look fabulous...old and wistful.

Late at Night

Above is the original. It's a great picture. I liked it to begin with. But, I think I like it better as a vintage picture. This location just screams for vintage, doesn't it?

I think this faded black and white might very well be my favorite. I love black and white to begin with...and add my new vintage craze on top of that, and this one's a winner!

Alright, I can barely keep my eyes open, and here I still sit, addicted to learning everything I can get my hands on about photoshop. I finally figured out layering masks (which is no small miracle in and of itself) and it has opened up a whole new world of possibilities for me. Possibilities that are begging me to try them out RIGHT NOW.

My latest craze is making "vintage" photos. Tonight I've practiced for a few hours, used a few actions from Pioneer Woman (another in a long line of photographic heroes of mine). One of my favorite photos from James' senior session has undergone a makeover...several times over. If I had a little less self control, I'd stay up another hour and play with another photo...just to see what happens. But, a hot bath and a tall glass of ice water are calling my name. Ha! And you actually thought I was going to bed!

Love Affair Workshop

So, I did it. I bit the bullet and clicked the "register" button for the love affair workshop in Atlanta, Georgia. Of course I talked to Kevin first, and of course we both kind of hyperventilated when I told him the price. But, we're committed to making this new little business of ours viable, and we both figure it's better to learn from other people's trial and error mistakes than make them all ourselves. Like I've heard several times before, "Why reinvent the wheel"?

So, in July, I'll head to hot and humid Atlanta where I will learn from 4 wonderful and SUCCESSFUL photographers who will hopefully help me reach my photography goals. I have a vision for this little baby of a business, and I can use all the help I can get lifting it off the ground. Plus, all of you know how over-obsessed I am about making my pictures look as good as possible. They are going to help me in 2 ways with that. First, they are going to help me make my pictures look more amazing. And second, they are going to help teach me ways to keep my obsession from taking over my life and my time with my hot husband and cute kiddo.

And last, I get to eat Chick-fil-A. I almost would have bought the plane ticket and paid the workshop fee for that alone. So, first opportunity I get, I'll be trekking to the nearest Chick-fil-A for some good, ol' fashioned fried chicken goodness...I can almost hear the hallelujah chorus already! (It's been over a year since I've laid into one of their sandwiches!)

Anyway, I am SO EXCITED about this trip on so many levels. First, I get to visit the US of A again (because I'm a little homesick for the familiar), second, there's chick-fil-a, third, it's a trip ALL TO MYSELF to relax from the 4 months of being super mom while Kevin's been deployed, and fourth, it will be so nice to have a successful professional answer all of my questions that have been clanging around in my head for the past 2 years. I've been writing them all down so that I don't miss a single one. And, last...I get to do nothing but photography for an entire solid week without an ounce of guilt and hopefully I'll come home feeling like I can conquer the world...and help get myself geared up to meet all of those goals I've made for this year!

So, check out their website and blog...it's awesome. Just reading it pumps me up! And about the name, it's a workshop for women who have a "love affair" with life, their families, photography, and so many other things. The workshop is about sorting out all of our different loves so that we can live life and build our business to the fullest.
http://www.loveaffairphoto.com/

James

Oh how I love photographing seniors! Hanging out with teens for a couple of hours is so much fun. It was a joy to photograph a GUY again. They are so easy going, less self conscious, and he was willing to climb on pretty much anything I asked him to climb on...except the dirty seat in the jeep. Heck...I don't know that I would have crawled in there. What a great shoot! I'll be editing into the wee hours of the night because there are SO MANY GOOD PICTURES. These are some of my favorites.