Just Like Us

Remember when I was in California and wanted to see a celebrity? And despite the entire state being lousy with them, I didn't see a single one? Yeah, well life is a little funny. Within a one week span beginning Friday, October 16, I had two celebrity sightings. And I was nowhere near California.

The first was in Chicago. Mike and I saw the play Million Dollar Quartet last Friday. We knew the actor playing Johnny Cash and scored some free tickets as a result. As a side note, I must say that if you live in Chicago or are visiting Chicago GO SEE THIS SHOW. It is nothing short of spectacular.

We were waiting in the lobby for our actor friend to emerge from backstage when one of the extended members of our group came back from the restroom and announced Elliott Gould had been in the stall next to him. I am a bit ashamed to say I didn't know Elliott Gould by name. His major acting contributions were a bit before my time. It wasn't until someone said, "You know, Monica's dad on Friends" that I though OOOOOOOHHHHHH. I have watched every single episode of Friends approximately 1,002 times so I then knew who Elliott Gould was. When he stepped into the crowded lobby I spotted him right away. He's pretty tall so even though he was on the other side of the room, he was hard to miss. And then he was gone. But for those few moments we shared a lobby it was exciting! I promise.

This past weekend at the Hilton Head wedding, my brush with fame was a bit more prolonged. Going in I knew there was a possibility of a celebrity sighting. Mike has told me before that the groom's brother is dating the funniest female character on SNL - Kristen Wiig. As we took our seats in the church on Saturday, I looked and there she was sitting a few rows in front of me. But we didn't just see her at the church. She was a part of every event that weekend, from the ceremony, to the reception to the post reception after party to the Sunday morning brunch. However, throughout the entire weekend I couldn't think of anything I had to say to her, so I didn't. My claim to fame though can be this: after the reception, her parents gave Mike and I a ride back to the hotel in their car. They were incredibly nice. Kristen seemed incredibly nice too. I probably would have found that out first hand had I been able to muster the courage to just start talking. But I couldn't. I honestly reverted back to junior high school Amy. The girl who didn't think she had anything interesting to say and froze up completely around the cool kids.

Regardless of my inability to actually speak to any celebrities, I found my brushes with fame none the less exciting. It's just not all the common in the Midwest to see famous people. But if I have learned anything it's that celebrities are just like us (thanks People magazine). They also live and visit places outside of California and I should probably keep my eyes open for them more often. Or I should just continue living my life normally and stop caring about such things.

Stolen Moments in the Sun

After a weekend of drinking, dancing and general marital merriment, Mike and I found ourselves enjoying a quiet, peaceful moment just outside the Savannah airport. We flew down to Hilton Head, South Carolina this weekend for a friend's wedding - specifically one of Mike's friend's weddings. The wedding was a fantastic excuse to visit Hilton Head - a part of the country that I'd never seen. It was beautiful to say the least, simply stunning. It had me at moss covered trees and coastal breezes. Not to mention the wedding itself was as stylish and tasteful as the bride and groom. In short, it was an event to remember.

Our flight home wasn't until 5:30 p.m. tonight so Mike and I made use of our free time by visiting another nearby city neither of us had been to, Savannah. Savannah was equally beautiful and quite the unexpected charmer. Mike and I may have looked at some real estates listing we saw displayed in store fronts as we strolled through the historic district.

After touring Savannah on this sunny, blue-skied day Mike and I for the first time the entire weekend were running early instead of late. After getting lost in Hilton Head and then getting lost navigating our way to Savannah, we made it lickety split to the airport. It figures. Mike turned the car around as we approached the rental return saying he didn't want to spend all our time extra time sitting in the airport. He pulled off on a side street and that's how we found ourselves laying in a open field.

We lay in the grass for about 15 minutes warmed by the sun, watching the clouds pass overhead. As city dwellers we don't see, let alone touch much grass. It's a novelty. And despite the glitz and the glamor of the weekends' activities, I knew that those 15 minutes laying silently in the grass with my love, watching the wispy clouds glide by would be among the most memorable of the past 48 hours.

So Long, Cutie Pie(s)

I'm done editing. And with that, you will all have to say hasta luego to this adorable family.




I know. I'm sad to see them leave too. But I'm happy to be done editing. This is the quickest I have ever been able to get through editing photos. In my obsessive photo blog reading as of late I picked up a few tricks of the trade that really streamlined my process.

Aside from improving my workflow, I learned (or reconfirmed) something else. I simply, truly and honestly love doing this. The compliments that have come from my friends, this family and people I don't even know have left me positively giddy. I'm hungry and I want more. So much more.

Cutie Pie, Part Two

You may be asking yourself how is it possible that this little boy is so adorable.




Well the answer to that question is simple: His parents are this adorable.




And together, the three of them are an unstoppable photographic force.





Honestly, my job could not have been easier.

I think I'll be done editing these tomorrow. I made some serious headway tonight which is good because Mike and I are flying to South Carolina on Friday. We will be attending our third and final wedding of the year. And very uncharacteristic of me, I have nothing whatsoever to do on the actual wedding day except show up. It's a nice change of pace.

Cutie Pie

I am one lucky girl. You know why? Because I spent a beautiful fall day by the lake shore photographing this cutie pie and his equally photogenic parents.


So, so lucky. And so, so many more photos to come. I filled up my SD card because I just couldn't stop myself.

UPDATED
I've spent my afternoon weeding down the photos I took. I started with 400+ and have about 75 now. Seventy five photos that I just cannot part with, so I'm thinking that is how many my friend Amber will be getting. Here's a sampling of a few.

Saturday Snaps

Mike and I finished celebrating his birthday this Saturday at a really good brunch place not too far from our home. After we ate, Mike and I went our separate ways - physically, not emotionally. He headed out to the burbs to work on his dad's car, and I walked around that area for a bit.

I was scouting locations for next weekend's photo shoot. I am still incredibly nervous that's it's going to be incredibly cold. I needed to find an alternate location in case it snows. It may very well snow. Thankfully I found a suitable, but not ideal location, and was able to somewhat put my mind at ease.

I of course brought my camera and wandered a bit. My photography go to safety shots have always been plant life or intimate objects. They're easy. They don't move, so I usually have time to compose a good shot. So of course, I got these shots.



Nearby this same park was a football field with about four pee wee teams playing and running through drills. I get a little nervous taking photos of people in public, even though they are in public place. I'm never sure if I may be crossing some boundary. I figured this was a good opportunity to practice getting high speed action shots, so I put away my discomfort and starting shooting.



Turns out I'm totally a sport's photographer. Well that may be stretching it, but I was glad to have stepped out of my comfort zone for the moment. I like adding new shots to my portfolio.

Ed Note: I'm annoyed because I can't figure out how to make my photos larger and remain sharp. If you click on the photos though, you can see a larger image.

Looking Up

Ways in which my mood has improved since my last post:

- Our tub is draining. (Yeah team plunging effort!)
- I will be going to bed after I finish this post so I can get up and work out tomorrow morning. (Yeah exercise!)
- Mike loved his birthday presents. (Yeah for knowing my man!)
- I still haven't caught Mike's illness and my headache has gone away. (Yeah immune system!)
- I took some photos tonight. None of which I have uploaded to my computer, but a simple shutter release made me feel better. (Yeah photography!)

Still a problem, stupid whiny cats. Ah well. Such is life.

So what's been occupying my mind now? Home redecoration. Mike and I have been talking housing options lately and whether we stay or whether we go, we'll need to do upgrades. I have turned to the one design source that simultaneously inspires and intimidates me - Apartment Therapy. My home looks no where near as good anything on this site, but maybe I can make some minor improvements. For starters, Mike and I will be doing some rearranging of our furniture this weekend. If it's not a complete disaster, I may be showing our improvements on this here blog.

Verbal Diarrhea

These are the thoughts that have been circling my mind as of late. I can't get beyond them to put up anything decent on my blog, so I'm hoping that if I just put them out there I can mentally move on.

In no particular order:

Our tub may never drain regularly again. My hair is no match for our drain. It's no match for a lot of drains. It's a shame because I don't like taking showers in standing water.

I've got a photo shoot coming up in two weekends. I'm excited for it but incredibly nervous for the weather. If it snows, which it very well could, I have no back up plan. And my friend is driving from Wisconsin.

My home would be so much cleaner without cats. And I'd never have to wake up to whiny meows. I hate waking up to whiny meows.

I haven't played my violin since the wedding. I am afraid with nothing to work for, I'm going to let my skills skip. I need to stop being so lazy.

Speaking of being lazy, I wonder if I will every find a workout routine I will actually stick with. I'm having a hard time waking up in the mornings, but I can't bring myself to go at night. Turns out I like my daily routine sans gym. I however do not like my waistline sans gym. I do not know how to reconcile these two facts.

Mike's birthday is in two days. I hope he likes his presents. I always stress about getting presents people will actually like. He'll like them. I think. I hope.

I make some darn good lemon poppy seed bread. Two weekends ago, I found some poppy seeds in my and Mike's spices cupboard. I say cupboard and not rack because we have way too many spices. They take up a cupboard, and I'm constantly amazed at the random spices I find in there. Last weekend, I found lemon peel in our spill over spice cupboard (yes, it's that bad). I now feel compelled to make lemon poppy seed bread until these spices are gone. One batch down, dozens to go.

I am voluntarily watching Monday night football. And I enjoy it. This is new.

I went for a walk on Sunday afternoon to a nearby neighborhood for shopping and some photos. I bought a necklace and a bracelet but did not take any photos. This is the second time in the past few weeks I've done this. Everything I read about becoming a better photographer says you need to shoot, shoot, shoot. I know this and yet apparently don't actually follow this advice. Photos should take priority over accessorizing.

Mike's been sick for a little over a week now. I never caught what he had, but I've been much more tired that normal. And I've got a headache. I've had it since yesterday when I ran into the back hatch of Mike's car with my noggin. Be that a lesson to you all: when walking around to the back of a car, make sure the hatch of the car has gone all the way up before rounding the corner.

I may go to bed now. It will alleviate at least two of my concerns - my sleepiness and my headache. Sadly though, it means I'll be waking up to whiny cats in no time at all.

So tell me, what's been on your mind lately?

Kinks

I redesigned my blog and have yet to really post any photos. But I also am not very comfortable posting photos because of the code. Code scares me. I'm hoping I'll be able to post two larger horizontal photos side by side in a post. That is what I'm attempting to do with the two photos below. If you see them stacked on top of one another know that I haven't succeeded just yet, but I'm trying.



DONE. Look at me figuring out code. Consider this the thing I learned today. Although I'm troubled that my images don't look as clear as they should. That's for another night.