Change of Plans...

Well, friends...

I'm not giving up on this project but I am changing my plan a bit. I don't have a lot to say about these photos and I feel like it's just an excuse to try to keep this blog alive :)... So, for now, my blog will go dormant again. I will, from now on, be posting my photo-a-day challenge pictures on Facebook. If you're following this and you aren't my friend, well, find me!

Thanks for reading, and I hope you'll check out my photos over yonder.

Love,

hlm

February Photo a Day - Week 2

So, my second week of taking and editing one photo each day has passed and it's going very well! I'm very glad to have this outlet to share and keep me accountable.

Feb.7 - button: This is my purse. It has the face of a fox. Do I really need to say more?

Feb. 8 - sun: We certainly have plenty of sun here in Florida... I didn't want this photo to look too predictable and I really like the way it came out.

Feb. 9 - front door

Feb. 10 - self portrait: I don't take pictures of myself. (Well, except on photobooth... I do that all the time, but I don't think I want the world to see those...) I don't even really let other people take pictures of me. It's part of the reason I love being a photographer. However, I've been reading blog posts here and there about the importance of being in your photos, and of posting photos of yourself on your blog, so, here I am. I actually like the way it turned out.

Feb. 11 - makes you happy: I know this picture is blurry and the light was horrible but it represents what makes me happy best of all the photos I took. This, if you don't know, is my sweet husband. laughing at Joel McHale. And that, my friends, makes me happy.

Feb. 12 - inside your closet: I think this picture is a pretty good cross section of my wardrobe.

Well friends, thanks for checking out my second week of photos. I'm having so much fun!

You all rock,

hlm

February Photo a Day - Week 1

Hi Friends!

Ok, so, you would guess by the fact that this post is a day late that I'm not doing very well with this February goal. But, there is actually a very good reason this post is late. Terry and I were out of town for the past two days because his grandfather recently passed away. So, we got to see his family and now I'm back and ready to get back on the blogging train. So, without further ado, the first six days of February in photos.

Note: I'm not sure why blogger is cutting off the right side of each picture, and I'm working on it, but for now you can click on any picture to see the whole thing. :)

Lots of love,

hlm

Should Old Acquaintance be ... Remembered?

Hello, Long-Lost Blog World.

It certainly has been a while. Let me tell you a little story.

Once upon a time, there was a girl. This girl was very good at making plans, but terrible at following through with them. This girl loved to take photos and wanted to share them with people, so she started a blog. But, this project got thrown by the way-side (as so many well-intentioned projects do). So, as 2012 started the girl decided that New Year's Resolutions just aren't her cup of tea. I mean, come on, who can really do any one thing for an entire year? And if you can, kudos. So, after a hectic January the girl decided to make Birthday Month Resolutions, instead.

If you haven't already guessed, the girl is this girl. I stink at follow-through. It's the reason I lack in both blogging and bowling. Buuuut, I've decided to try shorter term goals. A month. A short month, at that. And I'm starting slow. One post per week. I have other goals, too. Important ones, like studying my bible and going to the gym a few times a week. But this goal, it's important to me too. Let me tell you about it.

I decided I needed specifics. I needed something to take pictures of, a photo project, as it were. So, I had seen one of my favorite bloggers, Mandy, of Harper's Happenings (yes, I read baby blogs and I don't have a baby, deal with it. Plus, she's completely hilarious and wears super cute clothes that I can actually afford) doing a photo challenge for the month of January that was created by Chantelle of fat mum slim. I had hoped and hoped that she would do one for the month of February too, so that I could join in the fun, and guess what? She did! So, I will be taking and editing a photo each day, then posting a week's worth here each Monday. yay! I'm also excited because these challenges might continue and I think I'd love to do another month with my cell phone camera instead of my big-girl camera.

So, check back here every Monday if you'd like to see some peeks at my photos and my life. I'm hoping that posting my photos each week will be both fun and motivating. If all goes well, I might get into a rotation of a few posts a week, but right now I'm just working on February! One month at a time.

Thanks for sticking with me, friends. Feel free to comment and tell me what you think about my monthly resolutions and this photo project :)

So much love,

hlm

Awaiting...

Ok, so, here's the deal. Two Sundays ago I took a lot of pictures at church for an event we like to call "Cheesecake Sunday." My church is a plant that was started three years ago and each year on our "birthday" we have Eli's cheesecake from Chicago and celebrate. This year we also had an art auction where we auctioned off all of the amazing work done by the creative people in our community. It was awesome. I took pictures because Kim, our Kids' City director, asked me to provide some pictures for a free local paper so they could run a story about it. Cool, huh? Well, I was waiting to hear back from her about when it would run or if it would officially run so I could share with the blog world and show some of my pictures from that day. Well, time is going on and I haven't heard anything so I'll just say that hopefully someday soon I'll be a published photographer (woot) and here are some of the shots from Cheescake Sunday. (This will come to you in two parts because it's a lot of pictures) :) Thanks for stickin with me!

Love you all!
- hlm

Oh! And I got this cool thing called "The Puffer" which is a flash diffuser (because my flash was pretty killer... no one told me this about Canons before I bought one). Anywho, it was so helpful and makes people look so much better with the flash! Yay!1. Some college students enjoying fellowship and cheesecake.
2. The president of Eli's cheesecake sent us the sweetest video message. Like ever. It was so cute. And they sang us Happy Birthday. Badly. Hilarious. :)
3. Mark, our lead pastor, eating cheesecake in front of us, like he does every year. :)
4. Just a snippet of the amazing art that has been created by our community.

4. The best cheesecake in the world. For reals. Yum.

Feel free to check out my awesome faith community's website at www.crossingsknoxville.com. I never want to be one who uses a completely unrelated outlet to push church-type-things, but this is something I thought was pretty exciting... So there ya go! :D

Noticing a theme

It seems, for whatever reason, that probably half of my pictures on this website are either of babies or desserts. I really wonder what that says about me as a human being. :)

Well, that being said, the desserts are a cute little cupcake from a superbowl party and some amazing birthday/Valentine's Day fondue dippers at the Melting Pot. Yum.

The baby is, as you might have guessed, Cooper. We had an impromptu photo shoot in the snow last weekend.

Thanks, as always.

lovelove,

hlm

More Hard Light...

This is another example of what Hard Light in photoshop can do to a photo... I think it just makes everything pop and brings out the fun quality that this picture already had... Next time I'll do a before and after so you can really tell :)

This is a sweet little 1st grader that was in my Field Experience classroom last semester. I had a lot of fun with those kids and they definitely taught me a lot. One of the girls I worked with was having a hard time with numbers and I got to pull her out to work with flash cards and after that we were best buds. Their lives are so simple and sweet. Kids are the best. :)

Ok, that's all, Thanks as always!

love,

hlm

More Snow...

Since good old Punxsutawney informed me that there will be 6 more weeks of winter (bleh) I decided to embrace it and remember the beauty. This is just a shot I happened to get in the middle of a bunch of winter festivities and I really like how simple the icy trees are, but it needed something. So I remembered another trick I learned from Pioneer Woman... I did no editing to this photo except sticking it into photoshop, creating a layer, and adding Hard Light. Man, it makes a difference. The whites are brighter, the green underneath pops, and the overall picture just looks more... cool. Yeah, I know, not a very sophisticated descriptor. Sorry.

Anywho, this is another one* that looks better bigger, so feel free to click on it and check it out. Thanks, as always, for your undying love... or maybe just for reading. Either way.

I still love ya :)

hlm

* I know on my huge catch up post there was a photo I told you to click on and enlarge and if any of you tried, you couldn't... I'm still working on fixing it. I have to re-upload all the pictures in a different size. I promise I will, I just haven't yet. Thanks for your patience. :)

Logos... Like more than one Logo, not "the word"

Silly Greek scholars. I guess that comes along with Bible college... You see "logos" you think John chapter 1. Ok, well, now that I've confused some, moving on. This is a logo (not a logos). Well, a potential one anyway. I was bored and sketching and thought this might be simple and cute for a logo for the site and eventually for my photography so I thought "hey, why don't I photograph my photography logo?" Brilliant, I know. So, here it is. What do you think? Too simple? silly? love it? hate it? I'm dying to know. :) Thanks for your opinions!

lovelove,

hlm

Always Playing Catch-up...

I'm sorry for being such a terrible Blogger. I try. I've never been good at doing things every day...

Ok, enough of my sad excuses. To the pictures:

6 pictures for today, to make up for all the time I've missed, but you have to forgive me because it's my birthday :)

Ok, here goes.

1. Pistachios. A yummy snack and fun to take pictures of. I love the little hint of green.

2. A lamp and brick wall at Remedy, a coffee place downtown. I don't know what I like so much about this photo I just think it's kinda neat.

3. My coffee (ok, sip of my husband's coffee) and yummy muffin, also at Remedy... It just looks like a cozy breakfast, doesn't it?

4. A tree outside my house last summer. I love this one. I think you get more of the feel for it if you click on it to see the big one. Do it! Did that help?

5. Chris Dorsten and a sweet painting. This was from a late-night worship gathering (I can't think of the right terminology...) called Encounter here at school. It was an awesome experience and I was glad to get to take some pictures of it.

6. A building in downtown Atlanta. This is one of the only times I've gotten to take some photos of some architectural stuff, and it was really awesome. I love the shape of this building and it's contrast against the sky.

So, what do all these photos have in common, you ask? Well, not much. Except that they were all taken when I was just starting with my own camera. I know I haven't been doing this for long at all, but these were all in the first few months. Anyway, now that I'm caught up I'll try not to get too behind again :) Thank you all for being patient with me and waiting for me to get my wit back... I'm sure it's just on vacation... I'll be more fun soon. :)

lovelovelove,

hlm (the birthday girl)

"Professional" photography?

So, I stink at this. I think my days just get away from me and I think, 'oh, shoot, did I just completely miss Tuesday?' Does anyone else have that happen? I really think I'm just a teeny bit crazy.

Anyway, since today is another two picture post and I did intend for this blog to be the start of my "business" that is as-of-now nonexistent, I thought I would show you some of my "professional" work. I took Christmas Card pictures for a few of my friends back in the fall and this was one of those shoots.

These wonderful people are Wes and Melanie Jones. They are wonderful people and some of my best friends, and .... they're having a baby! Yay! :) I have this theory that the more friends I have with babies the less I will want one because I'll get to be around them. I don't know if it's working yet. I'll let you know. Anyway, that was completely off topic, but, it's still exciting.

So, yeah, this is Wes and Mel... aannndd, I like taking pictures of people. The end. :)

Thanks for sticking with me through the ramblings... Love you all!

hlm

Food!!!

Since I'm playing a little catch-up today I thought I'd at least play on a theme... and what better theme than food? Especially sweet food...

This first picture is of a kourambiedes (I'll admit it, I had to look up the spelling... but at least I remembered what they were called). This is a crumbly greek cookie sprinkled in powdered sugar. I first experienced these little guys when I worked at my very favorite job of all time, Patera's Bistro. They were a wonderful family who made delicious food and were so much fun to work with. This particular cookie was from the Greek Fest here in knoxville. It was very fun and we had quite a few treats like this one.

This is, obviously, a chocolate chip cookie. But it is no ordinary chocolate chip cookie. It is a vegan chocolate chip cookie from Tomato Head downtown. Oh, my, goodness. They are so good. I don't know what it is but they make me feel very happy inside (as does pretty much everything at Tomato Head... particularly anything with goat cheese. yum.)

This one is, you guessed it, cereal! It's the off-brand lucky charms (Marshmallow Mateys, which I personally think is a way cooler name... anyone else buy their cereal in the giant bags? I love em.) and for some reason it just inspired a picture. I think it's fun and whimsical and I love the soft pastel-ish colors in it. And it makes me want cereal. I loovvee cereal.

These little beauties are cupcakes from Bubblecake in Roanoke, VA. We had an assortment of bubblecakes last time we went to visit my Aunt and Uncle there. Everything was so amazing and so adorable. I couldn't get over how such simply decorated cupcakes could be so eye-catching, and then taste so fantastic. I'm pretty sure these were vanilla cupcakes with lemon buttercream... So simple, so good. I cannot wait to get back to Roanoke to get some more Bubblecake (and see my family, of course) :)

Well, looks like that's all for today. I'm glad to be caught up and to have internet access back. Thanks for sticking with me through my internet issues and my ridiculous food postings. :)

love to all,

hlm

A small issue

Hi friends!

Not that I think anyone is terribly offended that I've missed a post (or two... I'm not sure) I thought I would just come on and say I was sorry and that the internet at our house has been down. I'm out right now using some wireless, and I don't think I can really post now, but as soon as I can I'll catch up. Anyway, thanks to everyone who reads, you really make me feel special :)

lovelove,

hlm

Sunsets and Sushi

Ok, just sunsets. But Sunsets and Sushi sounds like so much fun... and like my dream vacation. If I could do nothing but go to the beach and eat sushi for a week my life would be a wonderful place.

I'm going to have to get my Flickr account up to date because these little pictures don't do justice to what the actual photo looks like. Not that I'm saying my photography deserves better, but I think you all deserve to see how beautiful this sunset really was. :) It's always my favorite when there's a little hole in the clouds where the sun peeks through. It always reminds me of God looking down, for whatever reason.

Anyway, this was taken when I was down in PC to see my in-laws. I went with my lovely friend Kristin for the purpose of getting some sunset pictures. I was a little disappointed because there were so many clouds on the horizon so I couldn't get a "true" sunset picture, but I tried to work with it. I think what I ended up with was something a little different but still pretty special. What do you think? Thanks, as always, for your time!

lovelove,

hlm

Honey Bears

This is one of my favorite pictures I've taken. I'm not really even sure why. I really like the composition and the warm colors. This was another one I took borrowing Cris' camera, this time during the trip to Virginia. I also think honey tastes better from a bear. Any opinions?

Thanks, as always.

lovelove,

hlm

My little friend

I am a strange person. Really, it's true. This little guy was stuck to my window as my husband and I were leaving for a trip to see my family in Virginia. I loved him. He was so cute and pretty. So, I took his picture. :) See how strange I am?

I took this picture with my good friend Cris' camera. Him lending us his camera was what got me hooked on photography. So, thanks Cris. :) I love the Bokeh, again. I'm also switching seasons again. Is it Winter? Spring? Fall? Who knows.

Thanks for reading!

lovelove,

hlm

Where are you Spring?

Today was one of those days where you get a glimpse of Spring even though it's still the bleak midwinter (I know, I have it good in East Tennessee, but still...) so I decided to post a picture of the beach. Logical, right?

Here are my reasonings.

1. I miss going to the beach in January. It is an innate right in every Floridian to go to the beach no matter what weather the rest of the country might be suffering. You play in the snow, I'll build a sand castle.

2. I have moments where I get "home-sick". Not, like, missing my family (though I do that a lot), but missing where I grew up. Flat roads, beaches within a few minutes drive, palm trees, good Chinese food. (Seriously, what's with the Chinese food in Knoxville? Sub-par.)

3. I feel like, if I post a picture and pretend like it's summer, it will magically become summer. *poof* (did it work? are we at the beach? no? drat.)

Well, here's to trying. Thanks, as always :)

lovelove,

hlm

Random, Random.

This might be my most random posting. Two more pictures because, no surprise, I'm not great at this. Anywho, these pictures are random. Did I mention that? One is of my worship pastor's dog, Harley (remember Bill? I feel like I've mentioned him quite a bit...). I love Harley. I'm pretty sure we're BFFs. I went over to their house to babysit tonight and Harley and I hung out. She's awesome. She redeemed my feelings about pugs.

The other picture is of this fun new little kitchen gadget we got for christmas. It's called a "Veg-hog" (get it, veg-hog... hedge-hog? So punny) and it's in a whole line of kitchen products we're slowly starting to collect. My very favorite thing is the expression on his face. He looks like he's scared to be cleaning vegetables. Too cute. Also I love bokeh. Remember when I talked about bokeh? Yeah, it's fun.

So, here's to a mish-mash of pictures. Cheers! :) And thanks!

lovelove,

hlm

This Time Only the Song is About Babies.

This will be another short post because, well, it's late. Today I took some "album art" pictures for a song that my worship pastor (remember him? Bill? from yesterday?) wrote and that this beautiful girl sang. This is Emilee and she is super sweet, super talented, and, obviously, super pretty. Do you all think this could pass for a picture to go along with a CD? The song is called "A Baby Will Come" and there's a live recording of it on Bill's website that I linked to yesterday.... but you've already checked that out, haven't you? :) This was one of my favorite shots of the day, maybe you'll see more later! Thanks, as always.

lovelove,

hlm

Yep... It's 2010. Can you believe it? That means it's the year I graduate from college. Wow. It feels weird to be a grown-up. Anyway, I was randomly walking around the house thinking I needed some new material and I found our calendar. It's a pretty rockin' calendar. It's made by Nintendo Power.... Ya know, the magazine... No? Well. Then I guess it's time you know... I'm a nerd. Or maybe it's a geek. I don't really know. I love Nintendo. I love Mario. I like nerdy things. It's true. Does anyone else have secret nerdy obsessions? I also love things like math and grammar. Yes, math... and grammar. It's cool, I know. :) Thanks for hearing my nerd rant and looking at this picture of my nerd calendar (picked out by my husband, so I'm not the only nerdy one).

lovelove,

hlm