A Little Behind

Last night Mark said to me "when are you going to put some new stuff up on your blog missy?". It made me realize how much I have neglected my blog over the last few months. At some point, I began to fall behind on everything and have had to put it on the back burner. Just when I thought that I was about to catch up, and even launch and official website, a minor catastrophe strikes. We got flooded. Yep, our house had some flood damage. Although we still have our house when so, so many others don't, it's still quite frustrating. We have to wait on this or that, or leave work at the drop of a hat so that we can meet with adjustors or someone working on the house. We have to sit in an 86 degree house and watch our dog pant all her weight away and the cats sprawl out on the floor trying to find a little breeze somewhere. I take cold showers only to get out and immediately get boob sweat because it's so hot. It hasn't been fun and I just wish it would all fix itself right now. I sit and complain, but every time I am reminded that, at least I have house to sit in. Whether it's 86 degrees or freezing, I still have 3/4 of my home saved from flood damage. I am so incredibly grateful and thankful for that, for my father for rescuing my mother-in-law and animals in waisted deep water, and for all the people who have been helping us or simply giving us advice. Along with all of that, I have never been more proud to be a Nashvillian. We are an absolutely amazing city and I am so proud of all of us.


Our house is the greenish one with the red car in the driveway after the waters receded enough to walk towards the street. The car had water up to the windows before that.


With all that said, I have been busy outside of the flood stuff. I have been photographing weddings and sweet little babies. It's been keeping my mind off of all that is to come. I have so much that I need to update you all on as far as photos go. I will post as much as I can in the next few week—until I'm all caught up.

Thank you to everyone who has supported my photography and given me the opportunity to develop relationships. You all mean so much to me and I will give back as soon as I am able. Without all of you I would not be where I am today, honestly.

I Can

I consider myself a bit of a graphic designer. Yes, I went to school and got a degree in Design Communications, but that's all it did for me. It helped me communicate how I felt about design but not really how to do it. Right now I design books. I want to do so much more but I don't know what, where or how. For the longest time I have been completely down on myself about the things I do because they seem so . . . so . . . already done. I've been struggling to find the place I fit in in the design world. Every time I see something awesome I think 'I can't do that and will never be able to'. Somehow today, my mind changed all that for me. I was watching a making of an animated video and quickly thought to myself 'I can do that'. I caught myself and almost told myself that I must be jerking my own chain, but it's true. I can do it. There are ways and all it takes is a little understanding of time and patience from others. I realized that it's all gravy if you just work hard enough. Now, let's figure out what I want to push towards. Web Design? Animation? Advertising/Marketing? Who knows. I will make one of them work damnit.

August

HOLY FRIJOLES!!! Another month come, another month lost in the dark abyss of our past. August first has arrived. Kids are starting school, those summer vacations are over and I am realizing exactly how fast life comes and goes, as well as how fat my ass is getting. That's beside the point. Actually I really don't think I have any point here because I do this at the beginning of every month. I'm amazed at how quickly it goes and that Christmas will be tomorrow. Blah, blah, blah. Now what do we do with the next 4 months to make 2008 the best year ever? When will I finally be able to stop asking myself that question and just "do". Eh, why can't things just be easier done than said? Anywayth, happy August to all!

Two More Days

Two more days. Two more days and it will officially be another month. Two more days and we will be sitting in the month of the half year mark. I was always one of those kids that wanted to grow up so fast and get through life. My mother always told me to take my time because time flies. I would turn my head and roll my eyes and just think that she only told me that because she didn't have anything better to do than work. A stupid naive kid was I. I would have taken more time to swim in the pool at my grandmothers. I would have taken more time to catch fireflies and hang out with my friends. I would have taken more time to read and enjoy my sisters company. I would have asked my mom to go to a movie more often and not taken so many trivial things so seriously. I would have not cleaned the house as much as I did.

My mother was right in every sense of the word. Now I am not one of those people who can recount every little detail of my 5th birthday party but now, because time flies so quickly, I am beginning to remember more. Why does this scare me? Is it because time actually starts to become shorter as you get older? Is there some sort of fast forward button that you subconsciously push on the clock once you hit 18? I can remember Christmas 2007 like it was yesterday. I remember how it felt and who was sitting where and who did what and who got what. This is not like me. Half the time I can't remember if I changed my underwear much less what happened on Christmas. My mother told me to slow down and I what did I do, I went full speed ahead. Sometimes tossing aside things that mattered just so I could be more serious about life. So here we are. My nephew just turned 6 and was born yesterday. My niece is about to be 2 and was born 5 minutes ago. My sister is about to have her second child in 3 months; the same day I turn 27. Christmas will be here next Sunday and June 2009 will be here next month. It really does move by so quickly. If only there were one more hour in the day. One more hour to work out, to spend with friends, to stay at the beach. If there was only one more hour. If only I had listened to my mother.

Two days. Two days and we have officially begun our journey through half of a year.

May 9 - 11, 2008

Here is what I did this weekend:

Friday night I went to my parents church to set up tables for a surprise party we were throwing for my grandfathers' 90th birthday. I took the keys and the alarm code that was supposed to work and proceeded to set of the church alarm. For about 30 minutes Mark and I were going inside and outside talking to my dad and ADT while a robotic voice kept warning me to get out of the building. Mark decided to tell me that we would get booked if the cops came. Um sure, whatever you say there darling. I personally don't think that they will arrest us seeing that burglars usually don't sit around on the curb waiting to be arrested with flashing signs saying "Come Arrest Me. I'm the Thief that Broke into the Church". Anyway, we finally got in, set up 100 peoples worth of tables and waited for my parents to get back from their drunken night at longhorn. After waiting for about 2 hours, losing two games of horse and some dirty talk my parents finally made it to the church in their giddy drunken stupor so we could go home.

Saturday I wake up ready to move and get this party on the road. A few nights before, mom and I ordered some balloons for the party. We neglected to look at the size of the balloons on the packages. Three nines, three zeros, one over sized "happy birthday" all about half my size along with 10 latex . . . wait, 9, oh damnit . . . 8 latex balloons were stuffed into my car. I drove home pretty much with my head out the window so I could see the road. All of this and not one of those suckers popped. I am magnificent! Well, we get there, get everything set up, get the blue cake, yes the blue cake, out, the pictures up and the alcohol out. Let me just tell you, old people don't hesitate to jump right on it. There was a hord of people hovering around the drink table. My grandfather finally came in, surprised as ever and not getting one second to eat. Never in my life have I seen or known a man as loved and respected as he is. I was in awe at the number of people who came and at all of the passionate and caring words they had for him. I can only hope that I am still as intelligent, wise, respected and loved as he is when I am 90. After it was all over and everyone has a blue mouth, I got sent home with half of the leftovers while my brother and sister-in-law bolt out the door with what was left of the alcohol. What a bunch of stingy lushes! I finally get home, put my feet up and rock myself to sleep telling myself I will never do this again.

Sunday I wake up, stiffly get out of bed and try to walk only to realize that I am slowly inheriting my mother's bad knees. It's time for me to clean the house, go to the store and get ready for the rugrats and the rest of the fam to come over to celebrate them being overtaken by the urge to have children. So yesterday was filled with high pitched children, a bunch of "I didn't do its", or "she took my chips", crayon all over the floor, "CHICKMUNKS!!!", chinese new year calendar, tear jerker cards, jokes between siblings, stories from long ago, one dog on top of my mother-in-law, two exhausted parents/grandparents, leftovers and wouldn't you know it, those lushes aren't stingy after all. The night ended with a few beers, a lot of "YOU HEIFERs" and a 5 year old crying because her braids were too tight.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE MY FAMILY. HAPPY MOTHERS DAY AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDPA.