I confess

So this morning Chandler's at work, mom's at work, and Breagan is at school so here I am left all alone to solve the world's problems alone. Left alone with only the crazy thoughts in my head ;) So I felt I needed a confession blog. Here goes--Enjoy the rollercoaster haha

I confess that



*I'm OBSESSED with birds. and cats. I'm pretty sure that after we die we all come back as things that we loathed in life and Grandpa Keith HATED woodpeckers (because of the hell they raised at the cabin) and there is one in my backyard. I'm convinced it's Keith. I'm also enthralled by seagulls. and magpies. WHAT!?!? I have no idea why. They just make me laugh. Seagulls are the state bird and yet they hang out at trash piles....Interesting. And the magpies around my house chase my cat. It is highly amusing. And as for the cat part, I seriously almost attack a cat when I go to anyones house. A lady on my mom's street has a cat named Scooter and I've been planning his abduction for weeks. If only I could get Mojo to get along with him...




*I'm a closet school supply hoarder. I am DRAWN to the school supply aisles at stores. I could stand there for hours looking at all the crayons, markers, sharpies (for some reason my school supply of choice) paper, pencils, etc. I could go on for hours. And back to school time---don't even get me started. It's like HEAVEN.


*I have extreme anxiety. I actually take medication for it. But I notice that if I go through a certain 'routine' in the morning it cuts back on it immensely. Get up, get Breagan her juice and crackers (or whatever she will eat!) bathe, blow dry my hair, make bed, clean up living room, and vacuum. And in that order. If I don't have those things done before Chandler gets home for lunch, it's all downhill.


*I wish I was crafty. I have been trying to be a little moreso lately, but for some reason my brain lacks in that area. I'm obsessed with an app on my ipod called 'Craft Gawker'. It's a lot like Pintrest but for some reason it seems easier to navigate to me. Love It. It's a free download so totally go get it if you are into things like that.


*The past few days I have contemplated getting a concealed weapons permit. Why you may ask? I have an extreme phobia of being kidnapped. Now who in there right mind would kidnap me of all people I do not know (because heaven knows they would be bringing me STRAIGHT back after I yacked their ear off) but it still scares me to death. I think I watch entirely too much Investigation Discovery.


*I have to take periodic 'breaks' from Facebook because of how badly people irritate me.


*I also get angry that I can't post exactly how I feel on FB. Chandler tells me it would be bad for business. He's probably right.


*I call or talk to my mom at least 20 times a day. And I'm damn proud of it. I love my mom and I'm pretty sure that she should run for President next year and call me as her VP. We could solve the world's problems.


*If I could go back and do something over again, I would go back to high school just so I could change my self perception. I had a pretty low self esteem issue and I look back and think, "I could have been freaking awesome!" But then I think about all the crap that goes on in high school and I cringe at the thought of ever having to return. No Thank You.


*The 2 years of high school changed my life. Now, I do not care what people think of me for the most part. If you don't like me just because you don't like me, that's your deal. There's something wrong with you. But, if I did something to offend someone unintentionally, then I DO care and will do whatever it takes to make it right. I'm not a mean person. For the most part. ;)


*I'm pretty sure that God gave women a 6th sense. The one where you just can tell how someone is. I think it's because we are less able to protect ourselves. I always tell Chandler "there's just something about ____ that isn't right". And I'm usually on the money about it.


*I'm very hard on people. Especially with first impressions. It's hard to change my mind about you if it's already been made up. Not nessessarily a quality I am proud of, but just the way it is.


Okay, I think that I'm done for now. Just some of the CRAZY things runnin through my head this beautifully cold morning. Which brings me to one last thing....I'm a HUGE winter advocate. I dispise the summer with all of my being. But this year is a little different. The cold is hurting my bones. (does that mean I'm old???) Not sure how excited I am for the winter....

And for the finale--- I have an EXTREME obsession with 'animal machines'. Pretty sure I could spend my mortgage in them if given the chance. Case and point:

Asylum 49

So I have never really been a huge Halloween fan, but for some reason, I am in love with freaking myself out! I love scary books, movies, etc. So one Sunday I found this marathon of a show called 'Ghost Adventures'. One episode in and I was HOOKED! Anyway, long story short, the GA crew visited an old hospital in Tooele, Utah. Come to find out, they do a haunted house there for the Halloween season so, naturally, I had to make the 2 1/2 hr drive just to get a peek at this INSANELY haunted place. Don't believe me?? Check out THIS. (Disclaimer, this is not for the faint of heart! ;)

Chandler and I were suppose to go up on his Saturday off, go to the haunted house, some movies, stay the night in Salt Lake, and then come home. But due to work responsibilities, we didn't end up getting to go. At least not on the day we had planned. Fortunately for me, they do the tour through the week so we went up on a Wednesday afternoon. I SCREAMED THE WHOLE TIME! Are you kidding me! It was a little pricey to get in, but it was SO SO SO worth it! I'd go back in a heartbeat! If you are into scaring yourself, check it out! Asylum 49

Me out front of Asylum 49. I'm not gonna lie, I've looked these pics over trying to see if I can see any types of 'paranormal' things in them LoL!

We met some of the security people and they opened up the hurse for us and let us have a photo op! Thanks guys! :)

Chan out front---Love this guy for humoring all my craziness! :)

Check out minute 5:46 on the video...This little girl was not only part of the haunted house, but was ALSO on the episode of GA as the SUPER CREEPY girl in the bathtub! Awesome! Thanks again to the security guys for hooking us up! P.S. She's a lot cuter in the photo than she was in character in the haunted house...

The 'Bathtub Girl' and another girl that was in the haunted house. The brown haired girl ate me up cause she would come up into my face and scream and I would freak out every time! She was such a good actress!

So, in short, GO TO THIS HAUNTED HOUSE! It is totally worth the money and if you go, make sure it's on a weekday because there was hardly no wait! And now, for the grand finale---

The 'Traveling Chair'. Watch for future updates on this. Yes, it WILL have it's own blog soon...

Bad Blogger...

So my mom told me it was time to update. (Apparently only posting once every 6 months does not qualify as decent blogging in her opinion ;) I've been using facebook a lot so I guess I just assumed that was good enough.

But anyway, the reason I haven't been blogging is, well, I don't have much to blog about! Unless you want to hear about my riviting days of making beds, vacuuming floors (numerous times a day might I add!) all whilst chasing a wild, cute, sometimes with a personality-entirely-too-much-like-her-father's toddler around! Believe me, some days you wouldn't BELIEVE the excitement that goes on in this home. (*note sarcasm*) 

Things are going well though. Breagan started pre-school at the first of September and LOVES it!  

She went in and never looked back! That's okay though cause, as I said before, she's been quite a handful lately and I think that preschool has been a great thing for BOTH of us!

We have also been in the process of redecorating our house. We hired a friend of mine to come in and give us some ideas because we've been in a rut when it comes to our house. We know that we are going to be here for a while longer so we want to LOVE it, and frankly, love wasn't the first word that came to mind when I thought about the decor of my house!

First item of business, PAINT. Naturally. And what color you may ask? RED! Only one wall, but I LOVE IT! Then, more photos, a wall of the the 'B Kids' and then someone to come and paint the rest of the house because, at this point, I'm SO over painting! We are just in the beginning stages of all of this, so I will have photos of the progress once we get into full swing.

Also, for the VERY first time EVER, I went out and shot guns! YAY ME! Ever since I can remember, I've been afraid of everything that made loud noises, so obviously, that included guns. I have never actually shot a 'real' gun before until yesterday! And now I am officially in love with shotguns! I had such a fun time! Pics to come on this one too!

7 years...

It was SEVEN YEARS ago yesterday that Chan and I went on our first date. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!?! I can't believe it's been that long! And the funny part about it is, I can tell you exactly what I was wearing, where we went to dinner, what I ate, and even one of the songs we heard on the way to dinner!

1- Levi's (cause we went to the rodeo) and a cute pink shirt with a white and orange stripe from Maurices.
2- JB's
3- Fetticcini alfredo--haha what a bad choice for a first date meal btw!
4- The Reason--Hoobastank (yep, I remember entirely too much about things LoL!)

Honestly, I knew from the first date that I was going to marry him. That sounds so cliche, but it's totally the truth. I love him more every day and am so thankful for him in my life. I love you Chan! Thanks for all you do and for all the amazing years! Here's to another amazing 7 years!

Haha, not from our first date, but from our first Valentines day together! We look so young LoL!

My Freedom...

So today I experienced it.... The day that it hits you. The day that you realize that your freedom comes from something else. Someone else. I realize today that the reason that I am able to enjoy my freedoms, not only as a mom, but as a wife, a photographer, an AMERICAN CITIZEN. The reason is because of young men like this:

It is because of him that I am able to be on this computer typing this. Taking this photo of him. EVERY move that I make is because of men and women just like this that put their lives on the line EVERY DAY for ME. I have honestly never known a soldier or their family as personally as I have known this one. I have grown to LOVE them SO much. I thank him AND his family for the sacrifices that they have made for me and the rest of this great country. Thank YOU so much Kristen and your family for letting me be a part of this AMAZING time in your lives. In just a few weeks, this young man leaves for Iraq to defend MY right to be who I am. I am SO humbled by his courage and that of his family. Thank you so much to all of the men and women who fight for our freedoms EVERY DAY. I know that I am just an ameture photographer in central Utah, but my heart, prayers, and sincere gratitude go out to you. I am SO proud to be an AMERICAN today. I am SO PROUD and HUMBLED to be able to take the pictures of the soldier and his family that make sacrifices so that I can live the life that I have and enjoy the freedoms that I do. I know no words will ever be enough to thank you, but THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SACRIFICE. You are amazing and I am truely greatful for all that you do...

Even the cat knows...

Anything that makes fun of crocks gets major props in my book. And to add a cat to the mix....PRICELESS. Check out this website if you want to have a little laugh for the day. And lets be honest, everyone needs a good laugh on a Monday right??!?!?

Easter

Can you believe this was TWO YEARS AGO!?!?! Holy Cow! She was less than a month old her first Easter and this Easter she is already TWO! Time flies so fast! I love this little girl so much and I can't believe the joy she has brought into our lives. Don't get me wrong, right now she is giving me a run for my money, but I guess I'm just getting a little bit of payback for the headaches I caused my parents. We still love her though! She keeps things interesting with us! We love you Breagan B! Happy Easter!



My Model

I can't believe that my model is going to be a SENIOR. Craziness. She's too young to do that! And more importantly, who the crap am I going to take pictures of????  I guess I have another year or so to figure it out. But just for the record, I'm not very excited about this "I think I'm a grown up and going to go to college" business. This is not good for my photography plans....So Brinley, stop growing up -k-? Just stay this young forever so I will have a model. Thanks :) 

"Sometimes I do get to places just when God's ready to have somebody click the shutter."

--Ansel Adams

Heaven

That's exactly what this moment was for me: HEAVEN

The beach. The GORGEOUS sunset. The two most important people in my life to share it with. I could not have asked for a more perfect moment.

I have so many more pictures from this vacation. (I think from Coranado alone there were almost 250!) And I will post them as I get a chance. But this was one of my favorites. A moment in time that I was lucky enough to capture.

Thank you Chandler for helping me throw everything together frantically to get to the beach for sunset. And for helping me with Breagan while I ran around like a crazy person snapping photos. And for humoring me on yet another of my crazy adventures. (He's such a patient man!)

But yes, there will be more pictures. TONS MORE. But for now, I thought this one said it all.

Dear Brinley

I know that you were SUPER irritated by the time we got done with these pictures, but I think it was well worth it. Especially after seeing this one:

Oh, and this one as well:



Yep-- I think your anger will subside soon enough... ;)

Not disappointed

As if I was surprised.

I painted this chair:

And took out my FAVORITE model:

And of course, it was a match made in heaven. (I mean, can you really take a bad picture when you have someone this pretty to take pics of???)

Answer: NOT A CHANCE



Yeah, I have a sneaky suspicion that these two will be appearing in a few more of my pictures. 

Dear Red Chair

I cannot wait to take you out today and get photos with you.

So I've been looking for 'The Chair' for quite some time now. 'The Chair' that would be the center of some of the most spectacular photos that I have EVER taken (or so I'm hoping!) Then one day whilest dropping off donations to the DI, this little beauty caught my attention. Granted, it did not look like this when I bought it. But a few sandings and a couple of coats of paint later and "ta da"! Brand new chair!

Hopefully it will be the amazing piece that I've been searching for! I'll find out this afternoon! :)

Sometimes you just know...

You just know that there's something more... There's a greater power out there. And I KNOW that from looking at these.

Tea Time

After Chan got home from Fire meeting, we hosted a tea party. It's so funny how, even as young as Breagan is, she still knows how to pretend.

She's got her daddy wrapped around her little finger if you can't tell.



I love these two. They're my world and I don't know what I would do without them. I love you guys! :)