I refuse to be a tv junkie!!

I really never thought I would blog about tv, but here I go!
So, with everything going on in our lives, Derek and I really don't make time to watch tv. We will watch The Office on a regluar basis, but mostly thanks to hulu. We will watch reruns of The Simpsons, Family Guy, or almost anything on the food network or learning channel when we are lying in bed trying to go to sleep. BUT- I have found a couple of shows that I feel I can't pass up. I have a secret love for So You Think You Can Dance. The set up is very similar to American Idol, but for dancers, and I LOVE IT! I am slightly obsessed with contemorary (or modern) dancing, and I love love love when they show or choreograph that style!! My other hidden love is Fox's show Glee. I REALLY REALLY love this show! There was a sneak preview of the show after American Idol, and it reminds me of Findlay's show choir, FFE (Findlay First Edition). It is an odd show, no doubtedly, but I love it anyhow!
So, I am not sure what the point of this blog is other than letting people be aware of my addictions, or having people join in my addictions!
Oh well, happy watching!!
xo!

NEW YORK, NEW YORK!

Over Memorial Weekend I went to Nikki's to have an early birthday celebration for her! I arrived on Friday evening. We had dinner with Zach and Gene, and Saturday we went out to White Plains. We ate at The Melting Pot, and went out dancing and saw the band 29 Mariner. The band loved us! Here is our Charlie's Angels pose! In Order: Natalia, me, Beth, Nikki.



Sunday was a relax day! We went to a diner for breakfast/lunch, and I had the greatest chocolate chip waffle with whip cream!
Monday (Memorial Day) Nikki and I went in to the city. We ate at The Olive Tree in the Village, I got an AMAZING jasper stone ring, and Nikki got a moonstone ring. We walked around and did some shopping, and then we went in to Manhattan. We saw Time Square! Monday was the first day they shut down Time Square to cars/traffic, so people were sitting in the middle of the street in lawn chairs! We literally danced in the street! It was also fleet week, so we saw and took pictures with sailors!! :)


We has dinner at Juniors. It is a diner/restaurant/bakery that has been on Bobby Flay's Throw Down show! We ordered the cheesecake he was up against, and it was AMAZING!!! YUM!!

I had to go to the M&M store! I love them! They have a machine that tells you which m&m you are. I was hoping to be pink, but I was the light purple, and the quote was "Once people meet you, they understand what all the fuss is about." Nikki was the peanut butter m&m, and her quote was something like "a little bit smooth, but a little bit nutty!" haha!



Tuesday I came home, and Derek picked me up from the airport. He took me straight to work... and here I am!

It was a great weekend!!

While I was in New York, Derek and Mike worked on our bathroom. Derek gutted it, and he and Mike are now putting it back together. Needless to say, I will be happy when it is over, and I have a beautiful, new, tiled bathroom!

YAY!

I can see where this might be an issue...

So, I received a Caribou gift card from my boss for "administrative professionals" day a couple of weeks ago. He makes fun of the 'long name drink' that I get, and he decided to support my caffeine habit with a gift card. I am not going to lie, I am a red canned coffee girl, because, according to experts, I don't really like coffee, I like the cream and sugar! So, I get a non-fat, sugar free, vanilla latte when I decide to splurge on an overpriced drink! Well, now that the weather is nice, I have been walking down to the Caribou in the mornings to get a drink. I LOVE IT!! I love that it is a little outside time from the office, and I love my lattes!! I love that our office is on France Avenue now, and there are all these little fun shops that I walk pass too! Well, the problem is that my gift card is only for $25, and I have already spent $6 of it.... now if I do the math right, this gift card will not last me the summer season of nice weather, even if I take out the rainy days! SO... this might be an issue for my pocket book! haha! Actually, it won't be because I have a little voice inside my head (aka Derek's voice) saying "don't spend the money, we have bills to pay." So, I will be responsible, but if there is any one who would like to buy me a caribou gift card, please feel free! :) jk!
On a COMPLETELY unrelated note.... My blog is semi-up!!!!!! it is blog.photojessic.com I have to work on the layout and photo size. I am also still working on my logo, but the blog is up at least! There are a couple of things on there right now, if you would like to take a look. The website is coming along, but it might be a few more weeks!!! I need to make brochures, business cards, etc, but I have to finalize the logo before I print anything!

HAPPY CINCO DE MAYO!!

Oh yes.... Happy Cinco de Mayo!....

xo!

Last Great Grandparent

My great-grandmother on my mom's side passed away this past Sunday morning. Here is the brief article-

Taken from Robinson Daily News
Twila Perkins

Twila Jones Perkins, 82, Robinson, died about 5:15 a.m. Sunday, May 3, 2009, at Ridgeview Care Center, Oblong.

The funeral is 2 p.m. Tuesday, May 5, at Goodwine Funeral Home, Robinson. Burial is in the Westlawn Cemetery, Newton. Visitation will be from noon to 2 p.m.

I was not able to attend the funeral, but my thoughts are with my family. It is difficult to live far away from family, but I should be used to it by now! :) She was my last living great-grandparent, so it was hard to think she is gone.

IN OTHER NEWS:
My mom visited a couple of weeks ago, and we had a great time!

My business is off to a slow but steady start! I have an llc.... it is call: photojessic photography! A website and blog dedicated to only my work will be up soon! I will keep a link posted on here as well.

I attended a photography workshop this past Saturday, and it was amazing!! I LOVED IT!!! I wish I could go to one every weekend! Ok, maybe that is a bit much, but it was a lot of fun, and I learned a lot. I have a lot to think about as a business owner, and it helped me straighten some ideas I had out! :)

My blog got a facelift!... I like it!

My friend Sarah officially moved to Vegas last week, and I am super sad!!

If anyone would like some summer photos of their family, baby, themselves, pets, what ever! Please let me know! I am eager to get busy with work again for the summer! I have a couple of new ideas that I am thinking about, and a couple new spots I would like to shoot!

So, those are my random thoughts for now! Sorry there haven't been photos lately! I will have to stop slacking! :)

xo!

Tomorrow I will be a business owner!

Tomorrow I am going down to the state offices in St. Paul to apply for an llc for my photography business! Yes, I will still manage Camelot, and yes I will still be a photographer for Camelot, but I will also have my own business as well. I will not reveal the name until after tomorrow when it is a full llc, and no one can swipe the name from under me! Yes, I am a bit paranoid about it! But, I am not going to lie, it is super cute!!!
I have offically finished the portfolios for the website, and all the wording. I am leaving it in the hands of Kyle and Mac Kenzie at this point! I have also made the logo! These things seriously took FOREVER!!! ... forever. But, now that I have a base started, it will be easier to update things as opposed to starting from nothing. After the site and blog go up, I need to market, market, market! I know a couple people in that department! :)
I can't believe I am going to be a business owner!! YAY!!
So, if anyone has any advice for me, please feel free to comment!
and FYI- it is super nice and sunny here today! It is the warmest it has been in 7 months!!

xo!

Worst Blogger..... ever. and Easter!

So, here I am at work again, and still not photos of, well, anything to post!! :)
Here is the deal, it isn't that I don't want to, it is that I currently barely have to time sleep let alone post photos!... but I am on here now, so where are the photos?!... Well, they are on my personal computer and I am at work! Work seems to be the only place I have a couple spare minutes to even write on here!
So, my mom is coming to town on Thursday, we have a few big days planned, and then hopefully things will settle down a bit. I have a photo shoot for Aimee that I took, and I have to edit and color correct, and then I also have to FINISH the photos for my website/work blog!! I understand these are trivial things, but they are really more time consuming then people may believe!
So, now on to Easter!
Easter weekend was really great! Derek and I had a date night on Friday night! He planned a nice dinner in St. Paul which turned out to be a restaurant I choose for us 3 or 4 years ago for one of our anniversaries! He apparently didn't connect the facts that it was an Italian restaurant in the same building he knew he had been to before! Oh well, it was wonderful regardless! After dinner, we went to Best Buy, Target, and Wal-Mart to look for a few things we needed (like earphones for my ipod that Isabella managed to devour when Derek put them on the stairs).
Saturday I worked at Party Booths, then we went to Kyle and Mac Kenzie's for a fun night! Sunday we went to church, then out to eat with Mike, Laurie, and Heather. We went to the Machine Shed for their brunch, and it was REALLY good! Apparently they have really good, crispy, bacon! Derek mentioned how great the bacon was about half a dozen times! But, I had 1 1/2 mini waffles with whip cream and chocolate chips! YUMMM.... After brunch we went to Jerry and LeAnn's house and hung out for the rest of the day. We had appetizers, yum stuffed mushrooms!! Ok, so maybe I shouldn't be writing this at the end of the work day when I am really hungry and want to go home and have supper!! :)
Now that the weather is getting nice, my allergies have decided to kick in!...
So, that is an update... nothing too crazy or outrageous!
My mom comes to town tomorrow... yay!
xo!

Things, things, and more things....

So, you are probably wondering where the photos and details of Louisiana and my most recent photo shoot are. Well, to put it simply, I have not had time to get on here at home (Yes, I am currently writing this a work, because I am at work more than I am at my own house these days!), which is where the photos are!
I knew this would happen around this time of year! Things get crazy, and I have to prioritize things that should all be at the top of the list! :) I need to get better at time management, anyone have any suggestions?!
I have been working late evenings at Camelot because of consultations, which is a GOOD thing! It means people are getting married, and even more importantly, they like our photographers!
I have been working endlessly on my portfolios and wording for my website that Kyle and MacKenzie are graciously helping me with! I love having connections! :) haha! So, any spare minute is basically dedicated to working on those things.
In addition to Camelot, I have a part time job at Party Booths doing office work on Fridays and Saturdays.
I am also getting busier with photo shoots and post production work for my own business. I am not complaining!! I love that the word is getting out about my work!
Derek and I are also getting more involved with church functions. I volunteer to teach every Sunday morning, so I don't leave church until 12:30 most Sundays. We also have a small group every other Sunday evening.
I also had my first wedding of the season on March 28th. It was a 10 hour shoot.
Last weekend was Brad and Noah's birthdays! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!
Derek and I are going to have a date night on Friday night... a real live date! We haven't had one of those forever! He is taking me out... I don't know the plans, but it should involve looking nice, eating, opening car doors, and possibly even flowers! :) (derek take note if you are reading this) It should NOT include the couch, doing laundry, computers, or sweatpants and tennis shoes!

So, that is a quick update of my life!
I will post photos as soon as I remember to!! :)

xo!

Back to the Daily Grind...

This is just a quick update to let everyone know that Derek and I are back from our trip! We set out on Friday, March 13th, and we returned this past weekend. Our trip to Louisiana was very fun and entertaining! I plan to blog about it this weekend, pictures included!
Sunday, the 22nd, I had a photo shoot with a co-worker of my friend, Aimee. She has 4 girls, two of them our twins that will be 3 in June, and they were an absolute JOY to work with! I may post a couple of those pictures as well...
This Saturday, the 28th, I have a wedding in Elk River. I am excited to get the wedding season under way, but at the same time it is still crummy weather, and I enjoy nice weather for weddings!! :)
Derek will be leaving for Texas this Thursday for work. He will return Friday night. Hopefully we can see each other on Sunday! :)
Other than that, it is just work, work, and more work!
xo!

Todd's Birthday!... and I still love my point and shoot camera...

Since Derek and I will be in Louisiana for the next two weekends, we celebrated Todd's birthday (March 12th) early. Jillian asked Todd what he would like to do for his birthday and he decided he wanted to go skiing. Now, Jillian has never skied before, and I am prone to spraining or breaking things when I ski, so Derek and I met Todd and Jillian at Afton Alps, the boys went skiing, and the girls went snow tubing. This also seems to be a pattern when Derek and I decide to go anywhere that has snow and hills (i.e., Colorado with Breezi). So, you may wonder why Todd and Derek are not in any of these pictures, especially since Todd is the birthday boy, and we were celebrating his birthday! Well, Jillian and I had the camera, and the boys didn't, so this is what we got! :) These first two pictures were taken by our "tubing boyfriends!" They have helpers at the top and bottom of the hills, and the guys at the top will push you, spin you, etc. down the hill. There was a super sweet guy from Montana who works there who was especially good at shoving and spinning Jillian and I down the hill. I didn't get his name, but I will give him a shout- out! 'Thanks snowboarder from Montana who has a sister is Denver!'



Then Jillian and I decided it would be fun to take pictures of each other as we went down the hill! This is a montage of those photos! Things included in here are Jillian giving a shout-out to her homies in Woobury (that isn't a W for west side, it's for Woodbury!), me yelling and laughing REALLY loudly, Jillian's boots, my boots, and a couple of really cool sundflares!

After tubing (and skiing for the guys), we headed back to the house where we had Chinese take out and birthday cake with balloons on it!


Derek and I got Todd 2 summer dress shirts, something I am sure he has always wanted! :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Gearing up for wedding season...

Wedding season is approaching fast! I don't just photograph weddings, I manage the office and all that it entails. It is a fun, forward thinking, fast-paced, high energy industry, and I love it! Of course, my real interest is the photography, but I love meeting with brides and grooms, going over their special day, and helping them choose a photographer. I am often the first contact they have at Camelot, and I love holding consultations.
My Camelot year goes like this:
January-March- booking season
April - October- wedding season
November and December- album designing and booking season.

I thought I would share some fun marketing that Camelot is apart of:

In The Knot, Minnesota, we are listed on the photography page! We are also on the back cover of their printed magazine.
The Knot Minnesota: http://www.theknot.com/vs_MINNEAPOLIS-ST._PAUL_PHO.shtml

On Onewed, we are one of their premiere photography vendors for the Twin Cities
Onewed.com: http://www.onewed.com/vendor/search/126/55406/0/50

For Twin City Bridal, we are located on their website, and we also participate in their wedding fair at the Minneapolis Convention Center 3 times a year.
TCBA: http://twincitybridal.com/expert.aspx?parent=10&category=141&expert=82

I just thought I would share some things about the business! And now, here is my marketing ploy: If you know anyone who is getting married, I encourage you to share our website with them! It is www.camelotphotography.com. We have 10 photographers to choose from!

XO!

Isabella and the Vet...

Isabella and Victoria have been known to get in to places and things they are not supposed to get in to! Some of these things include, but are not limited to the garbage, cabinets (both kitchen and bathroom), the guest bedroom, purses, drawers, and the counter tops! So, over Valentine's Day weekend my mom flew up from Louisiana, and drove down with us for Alan's funeral, and had some homemade trail mix in her purse. Isabella, being the curious cat that she is, decided to hunt around in said purse and found these yummy treats! She then began vomiting all of the nuts, cranberries, and raisins up over the next 24 hours! We had to leave for the family dinner and funeral, so Mike, my father-in-law, was kind enough to monitor the situation and take care of his "grandkids" while we were gone.

(Here is Isabella....)

The Tuesday after we returned home, Derek was in the kitchen getting his breakfast when he heard noises coming from the cabinet where we keep most of our dry food. He opened it to see Victoria eating through our goods! These items included Baked Lays Sour Cream and Onion chips, pretzels, and long grain rice! Isabella was not in the cabinet when Derek caught Victoria red handed, but she did seem very full and uninterested in her food when it came time to eat breakfast!
Now we fast forward to Saturday! I noticed in the morning that Isabella was drooling more than she normally does, but I didn't think much of it since she seemed to be happy and cozy cuddled up on the couch. When I came home after spending the day with Jillian, I didn't see much of her, but still, I didn't think much of it. I got in to bed later that evening to watch tv, and she came to cuddle up with me, and she was drooling like a leaky faucet! I knew something was wrong; call it a 'motherly instinct,' but I could tell it wasn't just Isabella being the strange kitty that she is!
So, I drug Derek out to the emergency vet at 2:00 in the morning! While we were there, they checked her out and noticed she was "backed up." They gave her an enema, and examined her a little further, then sent us home with instructions to bring her back if the drooling did not stop by noon the next day. For those of you who may not know much about cats, they drool like that when something is wrong with their GI system, or if they have something wrong with their mouths (usually a tooth ache, something punctured in their gums, or even eating or biting something with chemicals on it). So, we arrived home at 5:30 in the morning. Derek went straight to bed (probably thinking I was a crazy maniac for making him take her to the emergency vet in the middle of the night), and I stayed up observing Isabella. By noon the next day, she was still drooling, and so we made trip number 2! Isabella had enema number 2! We brought home stool softeners and pain meds, and waited...
Yesterday the drool had stopped, and she seemed to be more of her relaxed, silly self! This morning Derek and I took both Isabella and Victoria to the vet for their annual check ups, and then to do a follow up with Isabella. She had blood work done, and everything seemed to come back normal. So, the conclusions we have made from this whole thing is this:
1. Isabella acts more similar to a dog than a cat in that she likes to eat whatever is on hand!
2. Raisins (and grapes of course) are toxic to cats, and can cause kidney failure!
3. Long grain rice eaten uncooked can cause dehydration, and can cause a back up in that department!
4. I act as though Isabella and Victoria are our children, and Derek is thankfully tollerant of this!

(And here is Victoria)

So, they are both doing fine, we just have to keep an eye on Isabella and her bowel movements! Doesn't that sound fun?!

So, I hope all is well with everyone, and I hope that your weekend was better than Isabella's! We are starting to get a taste of spring weather (minnesota spring anyway), and I hope it continues this way, although I am not going to hold my breath!

Be My Valentine!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day! Derek and I spent the morning driving back from Iowa. I went to work for a few hours, then Derek and I were able to relax and enjoy Valentine's Day! Mike and Laurie had us over for dinner. Laurie made chicken, seasoned potatoes, green beans with almonds, rolls, and for dessert we had chocolate gnoche (sp?!?) cake with pink icing hearts! I don't have any pictures to show, but it was a great time, and it was nice to just be able to relax and enjoy the company. Laurie set up the table with candles, and we ate by candlelight. How romantic! :)
Derek and I went very low-key this year for gifts! Partly because our schedules have been anything but slow so we were unable to really shop, and partly because we are all feeling the economic situation. I got Derek cute Valentine's boxers with lipstick kisses from Target, and Derek gave me a really sweet card and money for my MAC purchases I will be making on Saturday. So, I hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day! Many X's and O's!!

Alan...

This is the article that was written about Alan. I just wanted to share it... For those of you that don't know, Alan is my step-dad's father.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009 7:53 AM CST

Pawnbroker Alan Levi dies

Alan Levi COURIER FILE PHOTO

By PAT KINNEY, News Editor

WATERLOO --- A longtime Waterloo pawnbroker and operator of one of the city's oldest businesses has died after an 18-month battle with cancer.

Alan Levi, the third-generation operator of Levi Bros. Jewelry & Loan in downtown Waterloo, died Monday at home. He was 67.

Levi Bros. celebrated its 100th anniversary of business in 2008. Alan Levi had run the business his Polish immigrant grandfather established for 26 years. He has been working in the shop since age 9, initially hauling boxes and sanding scratched gun stocks.

The business has been in downtown Waterloo for its entire existence, first at 520 Lafayette St., and in its current location at 306 E. Fourth St. for 60 years, since 1949.

The colorful Levi was widely known to eastern Iowans for his "Santa Levi" television commercials during the holidays, in which he donned a Santa Claus cap. The idea came from longtime local broadcaster and friend Don Timmerman.

On first reaction, Timmerman said Levi deadpanned, "Well, a Jewish boy doesn't have a lot of practice in that." The television ad became well known.

"It's the most notorious commercial I've ever done," Levi admitted with a grin in a 2007 Courier interview.

When Levi was diagnosed with terminal cancer in September 2007, many friends and local civic organizations showered "Santa Levi" with numerous honors for his community service.

Funeral services for Levi are pending with services pending with Hagarty-Waychoff-Grarup Funeral Service on West Ridgeway, 233-3393.

Contact Pat Kinney at (319) 291-1426 or Pat.Kinney@wcfcourier.com

Copyright © 2009 Waterloo/Cedar Falls Courier

COLORADO TRIP... and we love you Molly!

Mike and Laurie were very generous to take Derek, Heather, and myself on a skiing trip to Colorado! We were there January 23rd-January 26th. Laurie was unable to go last minute because Molly (the family cat) was getting sicker by the day (more on that later).
We managed to bring the cold and snow with us from Minnesota to Colorado! It was cold and snowy for basically the entire weekend we were there! So much for a break from the winter wonderland we call home!
I couldn't go to Colorado without visiting Breezi!! Friday, I met up with Breezi and Dusty for lunch! We ran some errands which included, but not limited to picking her dad up from the hospital after ankle surgery, going for a walk that turned in to us realizing we would rather have cappuccinos and be at the mall, and meeting up with Mike, Derek, and Heather for dinner! Saturday Mike, Derek, and Heather headed up to Winter Park to ski early in the morning, while Breezi and I slept. We decided to meet up with them for lunch, and I almost cried as we trekked up the mountains in the family SUV! Thank you, Breezi, for not killing us! GREAT DRIVING SKILLS!!! Breezi and I decided to go snow tubing instead of skiing. IT WAS SO MUCH FUN! I love tubing!

Sunday, Derek and Mike headed back to Winter Park for more skiing, and Heather, Breezi, and I went snowshoeing! It was a lot of fun, except for the crazy rollercoaster drive! I felt a little woozy, but managed to tough it out for the most part. We also managed to find a "restroom" for me to use in the middle of the park, but only after we tracked over the frozen lake covered in snow cracking underneath us! It is always an adventure with Breezi and I, whether we want it to be or not!

Sunday night Heather and I made a delicious dinner of spaghetti and salads at the hotel, and we got up at 3:00 AM to get to the airport.

When we came home, we had to say our good-byes to Molly. The past couple years have been hard on her. She has given us a couple scares prior to this, but Laurie knew it was her time. She was put to sleep Monday afternoon, January 26th. She was such a sweet little cat, and she will be missed!! She had a very spoiled, fun, 18 years!! XO Molly!!

Madison and Morgan Photo Shoot

I shot these photos on January 16th at Melissa's house. I brought over some lighting and backdrops. We took some individuals of the girls, and then attempted to get them to play and pose together. I tried to do both posed and candids. Madison was very excited and posed great! She wanted to include her American Girl doll in a few shots. Morgan is at the age where she is constantly on the go, so we just went with it! The photos turned out great! These are a few of my favorites:

Highlights from 2008...

How does the saying go? ...Something like, 'before you can move forward, you have to look at where you've been.' So, I thought it might be a good idea to show some of my work from 2008.

This is in no way, shape, or form a collaboration of all of my photos from 2008, but it is instead some highlights that I still have on my computer and not archived away. I also wanted to use photos I knew people wouldn't mind me sharing! So, please do not take offense if you are not displayed on this spread! :)

As most of you know, I have been shooting with Camelot Photography since summer of 2007, and I have branched out in an attempt to shoot on my own as well. I took some classes in photography and photoshop, but the best way to learn is to just pick up the camera and start shooting! I have mostly photographed family, friends, and friends of friends, and I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it! My goal is to take as many photos as possible while using as much natural light, and capturing as much real emotion as I can. I like posed shots too, but I like to "choreographer" and just let some things happen. Call it a "style," call it a "preference," but whatever the reason, I LOVE the outcome! So, just a quick thank you to all who participated! Here are some examples of my work from 2008.

These were taken in early summer. Fun shots of Vanessa and Laura in uptown! What a day!! Thank you ladies, you are both wonderful!!

This shoot was taken in early summer as well. I have known Tawny her whole life! She had a beautiful baby girl in July. These were taken after her baby shower. These were natural, fun shots.

My friend, Aimee, had a son in April of this year, and I have been taking photos for her. She has a "package deal" with me. I take photos of Noah every 3 months for his first year. These are some shots from his 6 month shoot. I shot these downstairs in my house. She brings clothes and a few props, and we shoot for an hour or two.

This fall I met with Todd and Jillian on a cold, rainy Sunday to shoot holiday pictures for them. We did all outdoor shots, and they really turned out great! I can't emphasize enough how much I love natural light, especially overcast days!





My goal is to keep this updated with my photos! I am still working with photoshop and a couple of other programs. I also plan to post any new and exciting events that Derek and I can share! xo!