Hawaii: Long Over Due

I can't believe this is my last week of summer vacation and I have yet to even post a single Hawaii picture. The time has come.

The week was great and Oahu is truly beautiful. For those of you that didn't know, I want to Hawaii with my boyfriend and 5...count them...5 of his guy friends. For some reason we were all incapable of convincing another girl to go on a relatively inexpensive trip to Hawaii. Needless to say, there were some VERY interesting moments. Never again do I ever want to see the inner workings of a group of guys. Haha.

The trip was amazing though. We had some dynamite food (I had sushi for the first time and liked it, we went to a true locals place for some traditional Hawaii food - we were literally the only tourists there, went to a luau, had some incredible Kahlua pig tacos, drank our fair share of mai tai's, and many other amazing things), got to snorkel with sea turtles, cliff dive, hike, see Pearl Harbor, explore the Dole Plantation and the 2008 Guinness Book of World Records' largest hedge maze it has there, and just enjoy the serenity of the ocean and the convenience of having the beach be a mere two minute walk from the house we stayed at. We spend pretty much all of our time on the North Shore which meant a lot less tourist stuff. There were times it was hard to believe that we were technically in the United States, which was one of my favorite parts of the trip.

I could go on for awhile about it, but why not stop here and let you check out some pictures instead. Aloha!

DIY Project Photo Booth Update #1

Project began. Once I've decided that I'm going to do something I want to get started as soon as possible. But like all DIY projects, there was an immediate hiccup. I showed my mom the black and white polka dotted fabric I liked and she said it was cute, but pointed out that I had already made a black back drop. Hmm...good point Mom. So it was back to the drawing board. At first I was reluctant to the idea of picking something else. That is what I had chosen and that's what I was going with it. It'll work with all color schemes, classy or more casual parties/shoots, etc. But...do I really want/need two things of the same color as I'm starting out? The answer is no. So I started searching again and came across a great white and chartreuse patterned fabric. Loved it. Not too busy of a pattern and who doesn't look great in green? As I was taking one last look at other white and chartreuse options before making a final decision, I came across something else I loved...until I realized that I already own it and that's why I loved it. So then white and chartreuse had to be thrown out for the same reason. Back to the drawing board once again. Then I found the one I ended up buying tonight. It's kind of a brave color choice, but I LOVE the pattern and after finding a coupon code online, I went for it. Luckily if I end up hating it in person they have free return shipping. Hahaha.

So here is what will be the back drop to my photo booth. Premier Prints Traditions Slub Texture Yellow/White. 4 1/2 yards, 15% off plus free shipping brings my DIY total so far to: $32.44.

DIY Project Photo Booth

I'm in Harrisburg, PA hanging out with my mom until June 30th. My mom LOVES HGTV (and I mean really, who doesn't?) and so we often spend the time between dinner and bed time watching it and chatting/commenting on the crazy/cleaver/awesome things they do on these shows. It gets both of our wheels turning on what we can DIY in our own lives (like these amazing floating night stands we are going to make and put into my mom's guest bedroom). At this point in my life I am still renting and so I turn to my budding photography career to satisfy my DIY desires.

The more research I do, the more photography sessions I do, the more ideas I have (and get obsessed with). My current one? A photo booth. I have a shoot coming up that a photo booth would be PERFECT for. The problem? I have a teacher's budget which, for those of you that are unaware, is not a lot. Plus I'm currently paying down debt I've accumulated from rough patches in my life. Photo booths can be expensive, especially "professional" ones. One of my favorite websites is www.estsy.com so hopped on to see what I could find. I found some amazing options and could even have one custom made, but including shipping it would still cost me around $150 which I just can't do. I started thinking about it and having an internal desire vs. affordability war with myself. Then I had a thought: what if I made it? With the help of my amazingly crafty friend Amy I made my own black back drop that has worked perfectly so far. Amy and her husband have since moved to North Carolina (*sniff sniff*), but she has agreed to help from a distance by answering any questions I might have.

So with the help of my long distance craft guru, here's the plan:

I will be making a photo booth setup (including PVC piping stand) like this one, except mine will go all the way to the ground so I can use it for children of all ages:

Except I think I'm going to use this fabric (or something like it):

The goal: Make it all for $50. The most expensive part will be the fabric, which should account for about 80% of the total cost. If I can stay within this $50 price range than I think I will have enough money to buy funky picture frames or make mustaches on sticks for people to hold and have fun with at the photo booth. Plus this black and white polka dot pattern should let colors stand out and be versatile enough to use for any kind of event/shoot. I'll keep you updated on how the project is going along with a running total of how close to budget I'm able to stay.

Wish me luck!

Summer is almost here!

This weekend was incredible. Low 80's all weekend and absolutely beautiful! The perfect setting for so many wonderful things. Graduating with my Masters, sitting outside eating frozen yogurt, celebrating with friends, walks at the park, and an extra tasty Sunday Night dinner BBQ with someone special. I couldn't ask for a better weekend. Summer is almost here and this weekend made me even more excited for what lies ahead!

A beautiful day for a graduation!

Breaking in the outdoor BBQ area with a little lamb for Sunday night dinner.

Too much fun for little Juno. :)

I know, right? How good does that look?! (It tasted even better!)

A tasty champagne graduation present.

Baby Shower

I love when my friends provide me with great opportunities to practice my photography. Plus I get to (hopefully) provide them with beautiful pictures of these memories for a long time to come. I went to the cutest baby shower a couple weeks ago. The girls that put it on did a great job. I'm not a games kinda girl at showers, but the girls had the perfect blend of adorable baby shower things paired with amazing food and the ability to sit back and enjoy the company of everyone. Kudos ladies! Here are just some of the cutest that happened that afternoon.

Maternity Shoot

During Spring Break I had the opportunity and extreme pleasure of doing a maturity photo shoot for a dear friend of mine. Not only were we able to catch up on life, but I was also able to help document this very important step in her and her husband's lives. Their first child. I can only imagine the excitement and anticipation they must be feeling and I am so happy that I get to witness this new stage in their lives. When you are about 8 months pregnant I am sure it must be hard to feel beautiful. Your body hasn't been your own for awhile now. I'm sure all (okay most) pregnant women hear (and believe) the whole thing about the miracle of life being such an amazing experience, but let's be real, sometimes it has got to suck. Bre is truly a spectacularly beautiful pregnant woman. Radiant. I hope when she looks back at this time she will be able to see what we all see: being pregnant looks good on her and she makes it look easy. Plus I got to use the backdrop that Amy helped me make. :) Enjoy!

RIP Wendell

Life has been so busy recently. Grades and report cards, parent-teacher conferences, the start of my FINAL grad class. SO busy in fact that I haven't been able to report that....Wendell has passed away. Amanda and I came in one Monday about a month and a half ago, I sat at my desk, and gasped. Poor Wendell had finally gone belly up. In reality it was best for him. He had been looking pretty raggid and I was afraid that he was suffering. He had obviously died not long after we left Friday afternoon so he was looking pretty gross. Amanda gagged (which was pretty funny) and we took him off to the bathroom.
We decided not to tell the kids until someone asked where he was. That moment came at snack time. One of our more sensitive kiddos (who just so happens to sit in front of my desk) asked where Wendell was. I didn't want to say "Wendell died." It just sounded too harsh to tell little kids, so I tried to soften the blow by saying that "Wendell passed on." Unfortunately for me no one understood what that meant and I just had to tell them he died anyway. Then they asked where he was and I told them that we gave him a "burial at sea." Amanda and I died laughing, but again no one understood that either so we told them that fish get flushed down the toilet when they die. Long story short...the kiddos were upset (although some were more upset about the fact that I wasn't going to buy a replacement Wendell this year).


Some of the students made me sympathy cards about how sad they were that Wendell had died. Just now, as I sit here typing this, one boy that sits right in front of my desk turned to me and said "Miss L., I wish Wendell was still alive." To which I responded "I know (insert student's name here), me too."
Wendell was probably the most loved fish there ever was. He will be greatly missed. To commemorate his passing Amanda made the following hysterical comic:

The 100th Day of School

Today was the 100th day of school!

For those of you who don't live in the world of first grade, it's a BIG deal. All day is dedicated to the number 100. We have been counting up and looking forward to this day all year. While it is a break from the normal teaching schedule it is not, by any means, an easy day. Well...at least not for us teachers. Breaking from the day-to-day routine means working double time to keep everyone in control and make sure no disasters arise. Luckily for us, it was a smooth-sailing kind of day and truly a blast. The day started out with the kids bringing in 100 objects to glue onto a piece of card stock that has 10 circles on it. This year, my favorite was the kid who brought in 100 pieces of sponges. But they were huge pieces. He had written 100 on all of them and even made one look like SpongeBob SquarePants and one look like Patrick. It was awesome, but there was no way they were going to fit on that piece of paper. So he had to cut a couple into 100 smaller pieces and glue them on. We sent him home with an entire bag of sponges. I'm sure his mother will be thrilled. Haha. As the day progressed we read a couple 100th Day of School books and wrote 100th Day of School poems. I wrote one for Wendell, it goes a little something like this: I wish I had 100 food pellets. I wish I had 100 more days to live. I wish I had 100 first grade friends. But I do not wish I had 100 eyes. For those of you that are not familiar with Wendell, Wendell is our class pet. He's a betta fish and on his last leg as far as life goes. He does not look well and it is a constant topic of conversation in our classroom. Pretty much everyone laughed at that line because unfortunately, it's true. At least my kiddos will be prepared. They "awed" at the first grade friends part, and Wendell doesn't want 100 eyes, he only wants 2. He lost one due to the fish disease called "Pop Eye." I kid you not. The moral of the Wendell story is this: he is just as special as the rest of us and we love him because of it.

ANYWAY, I digress. We did have normal Riggs, Art, and P.E. today, but that's about it. The rest of the day was spent doing special 100th Day of School math, writing, making an extra special 100th Day of School snack, and coloring 100th Day of School glasses. To end the day our principal (who is always such an amazing sport when it comes to doing ridiculous things for our kids) came in dressed like an old 100 year old man. He plays it up big time, even pretending to fall asleep in the middle of a sentence and shuffling his feet as he walks. It was a great way to end the day. We sang songs for him and counted to 100 with him. I can't even begin to explain how much the kids love it and I can't lie...so do we.

Now it's time to head home and take a nap in order to recover some before enjoying my weekend and going out with the girls.

Hooray!

I just got an email saying that three of my pictures made it to the second round of judging in the photo contest! I am so excited! I have to be honest though, I am kind of surprised about the ones that were chosen. I chose all the pictures because I felt they held some kind of "dramatic" impact that could be seen and felt by all and not just by people that had been on the Sierra Leone trip with me. But I definitely have my favorites. Nevertheless, I am excited beyond words and am keeping my fingers crossed for an even more exciting outcome. These are the three that made it into the second round (and the titles I gave them):

Snap Me

Natural Beauty

Is That What I Look Like?

I'm not going to lie, I'm sure the stories I wrote to accompany each picture and explain why it was taken definitely helped. But isn't that the point? When people buy something like this, don't they want to feel something when they look at it? Be stirred to want to do something or just to smile and enjoy? I say yes. And as I look at these pictures now, smiling is definitely what I'm doing. :)

I'll keep you posted!

Photo Contest

So...I entered a couple of photos in a contest I found online. The contest is entitled "People and Portraits" (or something like that) and it is for a book that is also a fundraiser for Save the Children. I emailed in these seven pictures from Sierra Leone. While I love my pictures and think they are book worthy, we'll see what the judges think. Within the week I should find out if any of the pictures made it through to round 2. While submission into round 1 was free, you have to pay if you are chosen for round 2 (why? I'm not really sure.). I don't really have the money to spend on entering photo contests, but if I make it to round 2 then I will gladly pay the fee. Although I realized just now that I never edited the photos. I did editing on the pictures I took of Kyle and Connor and the pictures I took of Lyndie and the twins, but never on the Africa one. I had just downloaded a new editing program so that accounts for a lot of the editing (I was excited), but also when it comes to my Africa pictures I just haven't thought they needed them. The place, the people were just so beautiful that, for me, nothing needs to be done to them. I guess we'll just wait and see.

Starting this weekend I am (hopefully) starting on a new project. I'll keep you updated.

On a different note, life is good. Tiring, but good. School is going well (first graders are so much fun and hysterical) and I couldn't ask for better coworkers. Starting in March I will be starting and finishing my last two chapters of my thesis. I can't wait to be finish! I am done being in school and ready to do nothing but grading little kid work. Oh and living with Rosie is fantastic. It really couldn't be working out any better. And Juno is pretty happy to have a backyard all to himself. :)