winner!

I posted this on the give away post but thought I should make an official announcement that Aleisa is the winner of the You're Invited Idea Book. And since I asked you all what you're looking forward to this Spring, I will list mine as well. I am really looking forward to making my favorite yummy salad with strawberries in it (which might be more toward the later potion of Spring / the first part of Summer), wearing short-sleeved shirts without a thermal under them or a hoodie over them, not having to take my coat with me everywhere I go, lots of fresh fruit (especially berries) and hopefully a bit better weather for photo shoots. Thanks for playing along!

[A few of my favorite Spring images from Flickr. Credits: 1. Another TTV, 2. Faded glory, 3. Happy Monday!, 4. promise ~ glowing vow, 5. blues and greens, 6. The color purple!, 7. Be the student, 8. freshly-picked blackberries., 9. cherries, 10. splendour in the grass, 11. Red Red Red, 12. .pretty in pink, 13. oh look, more naturey crap, 14. spring art, 15. Nothing Compares, 16. .blue, 17. Shadow Dance, 18. Untitled, 19. farmers market strawberries, 20. Enjoy Coke.]

moving on to plan b

I finally heard back about the graduate program I was hoping to get into. I didn't get accepted. It was kind of difficult to take because I worked so hard to get in and I feel that I am very qualified. I did know that the program is extremely competitive and that my chances for acceptance were not high but I had to at least try. I believe that many things in life happen for a reason and that whatever happens with school will work out for the best. I have felt peace about that, which gets me through this sad time.

So, moving on to plan b. At least there is a plan b, right? There is another excellent program that I will apply to. It's longer and more expensive but at least it's an option. (Also extremely competitive, by the way, but again, I have to at least try.) On the bright side, now there is a chance that Julie, Jessica and I can get our MSW degrees together. I love those girls. There's always a silver lining.

a giveaway!

ETA: Congrats to Aleisa, the winner of the Invitations Idea Book!

Giveaways are always fun and I could personally use a bit of fun with this dreary weather and relentless cold. It's almost more fun on the giving side too. I have an extra copy of You're Invited idea book. I have a fun little invitation in here and there are tons of cute ideas throughout this book. Leave me a comment and tell me something you're looking forward to this Spring...maybe how you plan to spend your days, a fun activity you have planned, it could be food-related...anything to do with Spring. I will draw a name on Friday.

I also wanted to mention that I have a brand new Nikon SB-400 Speedlight Flash for sale. It has never been used or even removed from the box. We shoot with a Canon so we have no need for it. If you are interested, you can email me or leave a comment. You can see the listing for it on Craigslist here. ETA: The flash has been sold.


And last but not least I finally finished editing pictures of these cuties. You can see my favorites here.

feeling better

Thankfully, Squeak is pulling through. He still wasn't feeling too great yesterday (as you can see from the picture on the left of him laying on W's arm). He stayed "in bed" (on his pillow on our bed) all day. We had to force-feed him water with a syringe again. But then last night he started bathing himself. This morning he tried to jump up on the bathroom sink to get some water (he only drinks running water) but didn't quite make the jump. We lifted him up and he drank. He hasn't done this on his own in almost a week. We were pretty excited. Today he followed me into my office and jumped up on my desk, a favorite spot of his (as pictured on the right). He's going to make it. We sure do love him and we're so relieved that he's feeling better.

it's that time again...

for Sassy Mei! For those who live locally, mark your calendars for next weekend. This is a fun home and gift show - there are so many cute things. We will also have a booth there with samples of our photography. We had a great time at the last show and we're looking forward to it.

P.S. Yes, that is Miss Claire Worton on the left. She's famous!

christian the lion

If you watch Oprah or CNN, you have probably seen this video. I rarely have time to watch Oprah these days but had a recorded show playing while I was working the other night and she showed this video. Grab some Kleenex, it's a tearjerker.

Maybe more-so for me because my sweet cat, Squeak, is pretty sick right now and we're worried that he might not make it. He hasn't had food or water in two days. We force-fed him water and it just came back up. Poor little guy. Breaks my heart.

a few things and a tag

1. I finally posted about our Mexico trip (which was way back in September). See, I am on Spring Break, so I can finally wrap up a few things like that. For those of you who use google reader or another RSS Feed site, you were probably a bit confused. For the rest of you, if you want to see the longest post ever and read about our crazy trip, you can do that here.

2. I updated my recipe blog with a few new recipes as well as my photography blog, for those who are interested (and I am finishing up another shoot of two super cute girls that will be added to our photography blog this week).

[This is one of them. Is that not the cutest face you've ever seen? I love her crooked smile.]

2. I am really liking this article. I know I am personally guilty of quite a few of the things he listed and could try better to make life a little more simple. I sometimes think about what life was like for people back in simpler times, before tv and the internet and even telephones. When people visited each other in their homes when they wanted to talk, when playing games together was entertainment, when going on walks was what families did together instead of watch tv. It sounds nice in a lot of ways (but of course I do love the internet too.)

3. If I had lots of money to spend on home decor, I would buy these pillows. I love these three colors together too.

4. I was tagged by Becky:

1. Take a picture of your self right now, no primping or preparing. Just snap a picture.
2. Load onto your blog.
3. Tag 3 people to play…remember if you are tagged on another blog we will all be heading to yours to see if you played along.
So when I read this on Becky's blog and saw that she had tagged me, I had just woken up. I was in my pjs with no make-up, no bra, my hair wasn't brushed...you get the idea. The rules don't say that I had to take a picture of my face, so here you go:

[Sorry for those of you who are grossed out by feet. Mine aren't even looking pretty.]
So now I tag Lindsey, Jackie, and Melanie.

5. I hear back about my first choice of graduate school "at the end of March." That time is quickly approaching so with every passing day I get a little more anxious to find out. Hopefully just a few more days.

mormon temples

As many of you know, I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which is also known as the Mormon faith. Similar to other large faith groups, our church is at times the focus of attention from Hollywood, books, and other media. Sometimes these depictions are accurate and sometimes they are not.

The past couple of days there has been a lot of focus on our church because of a recent episode of the HBO series Big Love. Before this series first aired more than two years ago, HBO executives and the show's creators told LDS Church leaders that the series would not be about Mormons. However, Internet references to Big Love indicate that Mormon themes are continually woven into the show and that the characters are often unsympathetic figures who come across as narrow-minded and self-righteous. According to TV Guide, the show's writers are now depicting what they understand to be sacred temple ceremonies. It is offensive when our most sacred practices are misrepresented and presented without context or understanding.

I understand that there are many misconceptions about our faith and beliefs so I would like to take this opportunity to share with you a little about Mormon Temples and what their purpose and meaning is through the short video below. I also invite you to respectfully ask me any questions that you may have and I will do my best to answer them.



Also, I want to share this video that I saw on my friend Becky's blog. This is a panel interview with a 20-year-old Harvard student named Rachel Esplin who is also a member of the LDS faith. She talks about misconceptions about the LDS faith as well as her testimony and upbringing. I would like to add my testimony to hers. My faith really is such a big part of my life. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is truly my compass. There is not a day that goes by that it is not integrated into my life in some way. It brings me hope, peace, love, endurance and strength. My faith and testimony of Jesus Christ has blessed my life and I am thankful for it.


Day of Faith: Personal Quests for a Purpose - 3. Rachel Esplin from Harvard Hillel on Vimeo.

*the things I've done*

I saw this tag on my sister's blog forever ago and thought this would be fun. Maybe my posterity will get a kick out of it someday.

Copy and paste this to your blog and bold the ones that you HAVE done. Have fun! :)

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band [They didn't specify which kind of band.]
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie / commerical [I was in a made-for-tv movie before I was born, when my mom was pregnant with me. I'm counting it.]
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible [The New Testament and The Old Testament separately - never all the way through from cover to cover.]
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
98. Owned a cell phone
97. Been involved in a law suit
99. Been stung by a bee [On my nose.]

Join in if you feel up to it. I think I have some new goals for my life now...