A New Project

I have not been blogging here because I have been busy with a new project. A new goal. I am still doing photography, but not blogging about it. If you are interested in following my happenings you should head over and check out The Ninety K Project. It's a work in progress and I think it's gonna be awesome. I think it's already awesome :)

Eleven Eleven Eleven and Thirty Five

CELEBRATE! Eleven Eleven Eleven will not happen for another 100 years! You should feel special to live in this century and be able to enjoy such a rare occasion. Really. What is extra special about 11.11.11 though is that it is Brain's birthday! That's where the 35 comes in... HOLY COW! I know, 35... (sigh). I say it every year and I will say it again... he will always be 28 in my mind (at least until I am 28!).I was thinking about making a list of 11 awesome things to do on this grand day, and then I realized I coulcn't think of 11 awesome things that Brian would want to do on his birthday, because there aren't eleven things. There is only one. Go to the beach! Well, and of course, HAVE NO PLAN! Plans don't seem to work for us, and they only seem to frustrate me so I decided not to have one and so far it has been grand! It is also Veteran's Day so be sure to hug your soldier or sailor! I know I sure will :)



Yes, this guy is 35... Doesn't look half bad for 35 if I must say so myself! :) Yes, this shot was taken mere days ago... so I guess THAT guy below is 34... Don't worry I will post the shots of the 35 year old soon :)



Doesn't he look SO much like his dad in this shot?! CRAZY, crazy.

Crazy Ideas & Helicopters

I have a lot of crazy ideas. Crazy ideas followed by more crazy ideas. They breed like rabbits. My latest idea or goal rather is to become a helicopter pilot. Yeah, sounds random and I guess it kind of is. Last summer (2010) my friend Kristan and I went on a helicopter ride in New Zealand. We flew over glaciers and even landed on one. It was pretty awesome, especially as Kristan landed (oh so gracefully) on her bum while exiting the aircraft. Who knew the snow was so powdery and soft! There was definite skill because she was stepping out facing forward and she landed on her butt... a wonderful twisty move to save her dear camera :) Rabbit trail! The point is, the helicopter ride was pretty freaking awesome, and for whatever strange reason both Kristan and I have started seriously considering becoming helicopter pilots. Something about letting that experience fester for a year worked the same way on both of us. Problem is... becoming a pilot is EXPENSIVE. I took an intro flight where I was allowed to fly the plane (only under direct supervision of course) and it was, as I'd imagined, AWESOME. The shot below is directly after our flight in NZ when the helicopter left us on the side of the road for our bus to pick us up... I don't think there is a happier picture of us anywhere.



The school here in Hawaii is $90,000... it's painful to even think about that amount of money especially when we are still paying off our oh so painful student loans. No way I am taking out more loans, and really, how hard could it be to make $90k? I had a new idea almost daily for about 3 weeks. Some days I had more than one idea, but let's be realistic... there were a lot of bad ideas. No need to worry though, I bounce all ideas off Brian before attempting them. As of now I am going to attempt to make enough money with photography to at least get my private license. After that point, I am hoping to win the lottery. Actually, winning the lottery may be a little more difficult, all I really want to do is go on the Amazing Race and win that. Everyone's got goals they are working on, these are mine: Goal #1 is to pay down as much as possible on our student loans by the end of the year (I have a specific goal to reach each month and we JUST might make it!). Goal #2 Somehow muster enough photography business to at least get a small start on my helicopter plan by January. Goal #3 Apply to be on the Amazing Race with Kristan (and possibly my dad too) hoping that I can make it on with one of them. Goal #4 Enjoy getting there.

Number four is proving to be the hardest one this week. Life passes by too quickly. Don't sweat the small stuff.

Desperate Times... Desperate Measures

 Life is an adventure. I have been marveling lately over all the adventures that Brian and I have shared. We got married one year before we graduated college (in Santa Barbara, Ca) and we have since then lived in San Diego, Japan, Florida, and now we are in Hawaii. That is five very different locations in five years. I think that has to be some kind of record! I have done something different in every location. It seems I am a Jack of all trades master of none. I completely thought that of myself in high school... little did I know it would follow me into adulthood (I'm pretty sure I am actually considered an adult at 25 now :). Photography is always on the side everywhere I go, but this time around I am working at a dive shop. Because what other way can one truly enjoy Hawaii? I spend my days on the water in a kayak and went on my first dive Thursday. My question is how the heck did I get this job? The question can only be answered by the picture below...

I saw an ad on craigslist about a week before coming to Hawaii. I had responded to a similar ad the day before (a job as a kayak guide). I really wanted the job and was deliriously responding to it late at night thinking, I have no qualifications for this job. I need to stand out. They want a picture? There are only two pictures of me on this computer... and so I sent the picture above in my response to the email making some comment about how I am outdoorsy and athletic and promising that I am professional despite the ridiculous picture. Somehow I received a call from them a few days later (I had already forgotten about it thinking they had hired someone else). They asked to do an interview the day after I landed and asked how soon I could start. Next thing I knew I was “working” three days after arriving in Hawaii. The program that I work is called Warrior Adventure Quest (WAQ) and it's a contract they have with the military. The people that come out for this program are signed up by their unit and they get to do kayaking, stand up paddle board, snorkeling, and diving. I have been on the kayaks for the most part, but will be learning to dive next weekend so I can help in other areas. With my dive certification they will also have me work in the dive shop on the days that they don't have WAQ. Which means, I have a steady job Monday through Friday. I have no idea how this happened. I just got lucky. Really lucky.

So... Hawaii. It's going awesome :)

Road Trip - Reno, Nevada

Road trip of the year. I didn't exactly go on any other road trips in 2011 and now that I am in Hawaii “road trip” is not something really in their vocabulary. Or if it is, we did it yesterday because we took a “road trip” to the north island (a whopping hour drive). Which brings me back to my initial point that Florida to Indiana to California was and is the road trip of the year.

Brian's parents live in Reno, NV and they were our last stop before hitting my parents in California. We stayed the weekend there and enjoyed a visit to Lake Tahoe, a hike, and some good time with the family :) The flowers below are all snaps from our hike. I like the image below and I am not sure there is anything to say other than throw your arms in the air and sing... aaaahhhhhhhh! I don't know how to spell a tune. Sorry. It was light at the end of the tunnel. I enjoyed the road trip and time visiting all my family thoroughly, but I was SO ready to get to Hawaii, reunite with Brian, and get settled into my own space. It wasn't a bad tunnel. It was an exciting tunnel, but I was finally beginning to see light at the end of it :)

 

 

 

Traveling Dogs

That's right. Traveling dogs, not traveling gnomes and though I have packed my traveling gnome t-shirt, I have yet to wear it on my travels. My dogs will be the most well-traveled dogs you will ever meet. At the end of this trip I will be posting their photos of all the lovely locations that they have been able to visit. Chancho even swam in the Mississippi, but only because he took a dive off the dock... the water wasn't super nice at the spot we stopped so we didn't actually want to get in. I even asked the lady at the gas station if the Mississippi was nice and clean to swim in. Note to self: don't ask a local if their super famous river is gross.



Aren't my pups the cutest!?! They really do look like brothers :)

Hicks Family – Huntington, Indiana

My brother and his family have just moved from Massachusetts to Huntington, Indiana. He is a new professor at the university in town and the timing was just right for me to visit just days after their arrival and days before the school year starts. The last time Jonathan and I saw each other was in May 2008 when I drove with him across the country to help him move all their stuff from California to Massachusetts. Adrienne was very pregnant with Camille at the time and sitting in the car for days on end at that time was not going to happen. So here we are in August, three years later. Camille is turning three in a few days and we all have really enjoyed the week together :) Her little curls are my absolute favorite!

Ethan is a wild boy. Loves to be loud and all over the place. Typical boy. Below is the reaction I received when I told him his parents were not coming home and I would be taking their place. They went out to shop for some birthday stuff for Camille and we had some good bonding time with the camera.

Camille is really difficult to make look at the camera. She unfortunately got over me pointing it at her rather quickly. I only got the shot below because I told her to watch for the camera to blink at her :) It worked! Then Ethan also wanted to see the camera blink at him.

 

I LOVE both the shots below. Awesome :)

I love grumpy kid pics too...

Looks like he's up to something, definitely my brother's boy.

Ethan's got that look again... JUST like my brother! Sneaky sneaky ;)

Cute little country girl!

Balance

Sleep comes in sets. It's better to sleep for 4 hours than 6, it's a rem cycle sort of thing. Not that I know that much about sleep, but I do know that I feel more awake now than I would have had I slept till my alarm clock. I am off to get balanced. I leave for Hawaii in a few hours to see my other half. My motto for life is all or nothing. It's not a motto that I chose, but rather just who I have always been. Brian of course was the one that brought this realization to me six to seven years ago when we first met. I have been ALL into my job and I am about to be ALL into my vacation/marriage. Brian and I are pretty independent from each other. When we are apart we don't talk as much as most couples do, or let me rephrase that we don't talk ANYWHERE CLOSE to as much as most couples do. We function better that way and it works. I am not sure where I came from, but it seems that I am the only one in my family that is this way.

I am off to find my balance. Brian is my balance. He helps me to stop, take a deep breath, and relax. I have learned to do it on my own, but he can do it for more than moment that I usually do. I am excited to meet up with him again, and excited to catch up on each others' lives. He has been thoroughly enjoying his time in Hawaii. He works at night and bodyboards during the day. It's a replica of his time in Puerto Rico and I look at his FB page and wonder who the heck he is! Since we have known each other we never really lived in a place with good waves so he wasn't THAT into it. Aside from San Diego, but he was working constantly while we were there. So... I'm off to get to know (all over again) this man I am married to and hopefully I recognize him despite his tan and extra blonde hair :)



I love the shot below. Usually I am the one with the silly face and Brian is the serious one that is concentrating the second the shot is taken... a perfect opposite to our usual :)

Vote for Alaqua!

I know it's been ages since I posted anything. Sorry internet world, I have not cared to keep you updated any longer. Someday when I move and am going through my new living space excitement/boredom (yes my life is a conundrum) I will perhaps get back into blogging. Until then you can enjoy my very random posts. You have one job right now, ONE.

1. Go to this link and vote for Alaqua Animal Refuge (zip code - 32439). Do it! Go now! Don't waste another moment!



Alaqua Animal Refuge is a pretty amazing place (as you can clearly see in these pictures). It costs $50,000 a month to operate Alaqua. We receive no government funding and operate off of donations, fundraisers, grants, and fun contests like this! Please vote so we can win the $15,000 to help us continue to help all the animals! It's really easy and it only takes a moment. Thank you!

Chula - Pet Photography

The plan is to get Chula adopted. She is my foster pup and I have precisely three months to find her a home. If I don't she will be stuck here at Alaqua. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad place, but I know she will not do well in a kennel. She is already skiddish in new places as it is. I can't imagine her being in a kennel. She's a great dog. Minds well. Knows how to sit, down, come (most of the time), and she's crate trained. Seriously, if there is anyone in Northwest Florida looking for a fairly trained young dog, who LOVES her master, this is the one for you. Once she gets to know you, she'll stick by your side for anything. I'd keep her myself, but it turns out you can't have more than two dogs in base housing. And, realistically, three dogs is a bit excessive for the often moving military life. So here she is... born mid-September, Shepherd/American Bulldog mix, spayed, crate trained, and ready to go! If you know anyone interested in adopting her please contact Alaqua Animal Refuge at 850-880-6399.



I hate to split these two up, but what else can I do? I'm sure they'll get over it. Not like they have a choice.



Chula loves this little pool. She dunks her head in as far as she can and swirls it around :) It's pretty hot here these days so it's a pretty good idea.



This is THE BEST shaking dog pic I have ever gotten. I have tried quite a bit too. Pretty stinkin' hilarious :)

Thunderstorms + Angels

Thunder and lightning woke me up just before 2am. I lay there in bed trying to decide if what I heard was rain or the fan in my room. It shouldn't be a difficult thing to decipher, but I have confused simpler things when being awoken out of a deep slumber. Remembering that I was in charge of caring for Angel should it start to pour in the night I decided it wasn't raining, but knew it could start at any moment so I jumped out of bed, pulled on my boots and headed for the door. Chula hollered at me from her crate and I continued outside. It was only drizzling, but the sky was lighting up. Standing under the shelter I yelled for Angel. She nickered at me and started my way from the other side of the pasture. It amazes me how friendly she is, but I guess that's what happens when you get a horse from a neglect case and not an abuse case. She's a new arrival and seems to really enjoy the regular care and attention.  Pretty happy to have a visitor in the middle of the night, she followed me straight into her stall. I gave her a few pats and made a run for the house. How often do people get struck by lightning? I love thunderstorms, but something about walking around outside during them makes me a tad nervous.

Shortly after I went inside it began to pour. Good timing :) There was quite a bit of thunder and lightning and I grabbed my camera hoping to get some cool shots. I have never got any lightning shots and this was my perfect opportunity. Great idea. Poor circumstances. I have no tripod, and as I opened the door thinking I would just shoot from the doorway (using the chair as my tripod) I realized I was blocked by trees. Door number two... a bright light coming out of the shed, buildings, and more trees. Not quite a perfect scenario for good lightning shots. Maybe if I went to the barn I could get some shots, but I would have to make a run for it and have something to cover my camera. Too much effort. Chula is upset that I have been up for a few minutes now and have continued to ignore her in her crate. Who am I kidding? I have never had the patience to shoot night photography or anything that requires tripods cause I hate setting them up; and really, it's 2am and I should be sleeping.

Cocoa

I love this dog. I don't love all dogs. I can be picky. Small dogs have to seriously work for my love. This dog though? Instant. I think Cocoa has been here a week or two. Not sure how she was not instantly adopted. Clearly not everyone shares my affinity for large puppies with floppy ears. Do I need another dog? No. Can I turn down a puppy? It appears I am capable of such things!

If you live anywhere near Northwest Florida and want to adopt this puppy. Check out her link and call on her!

A New Season

I do not know where to begin. There are seasons in life and I think I have started one in which blogging just isn't going to happen. Let me explain. In my worry about the dogs and where they would spend their quarantine time in order to get to Hawaii I found a great solution. If you want it done right do it yourself. I am staying behind to wait out the dogs quarantine and we will meet up with Brian in Hawaii in September. I am hoping to visit him in July, but I know how ships can be and if he is out to sea too much or cannot get leave, I might not be able to visit. I'm not getting my hopes up and am trying to enjoy our last two weeks together. By the time he leaves we will have been together for a full six months. It seems like it's been a lot longer (and I mean that in a good way!).



So my plan to stay was secured by a job at Alaqua Animal Refuge. My life seems to revolve around being a jack of all trades, master of none, and it seems I will be the jack of all trades at Alaqua (or one of the many there...). I've been busy with Alaqua, preparing to move, and making sure I am taking the proper steps with the dogs' quarantine. I will still be doing photography work, but to be honest I haven't got a ton of work anyway, so my focus will be shifting to Alaqua and whatever photography work I get on the side will be great. But it will be just that, on the side. I'd like to keep blogging for you people who actually follow me. I know people like seeing pretty pictures and I will be taking plenty of the animals at Alaqua. Perhaps I will turn this into a place to advertise pups up for adoption that I photograph. Yeah, actually that sounds like a plan to me. I need to keep it simple. Maybe some days I will just post a picture, and some days you will get a story with it. Either way I will make an effort to keep this going. I like blogs. I think their fun. So there you go, that's my plan. Just remember, the puppies that are on here are up for adoption! The one below on the right... he was howling at me, in case you can tell :) Or perhaps it was at my camera.

So here's to a new season, a new job, another move, another separation from Brian to make our hearts grow fonder. Sounds kinda sappy to me, but it's true. Our hearts do grow fonder. Four months of something different. Four months of not having any of my stuff. I don't really care about my stuff, so it's not a big deal. I'll have my dogs and that's what I care about. I'll only really miss my whiteboard and my ice cream shovel.

Freedom

"Do you hear that? . . . it's the sound of freedom." That's what Brian said to me the other day when a jet flew over our heads while we were leaving the base. He then explained to me how when he was in school and they blew something up the instructors would say the same thing. Then, as we drove home we saw a new billboard that essentially said the same thing. I like it. It made me smile.

Freedom is an odd thing. I don't think that most Americans really understand it, myself included. When you are born and raised in America it is difficult to understand and imagine what other countries are like that do not share such freedoms. It's always nice to hear someone thank Brian for his service even though he has never served in a war zone. All military are a part of the process and it's a different life that is a choice.



Our freedom is a sobering thought. Knowing and thinking about what our military go through to keep us safe is serious stuff. Thinking about our government and what they do to control our country? That part is generally infuriating. I know it seems as though all generations think that things are getting worse and there is more corruption etc. I personally don't know if it's getting worse. I am horrible at following politics and until something effects me personally I often don't pay much attention to it. Well, it's personal now and I think with the serious debt that we are in our government is becoming even more crooked. We have recently had some issues with our pay that have thankfully been cleared up (I think), but it makes me wonder how many others there are in the same situation that possibly did not take the time to look into it, and had money wrongly taken from them. Is our government trying to steal from their own military to get out of debt? Has the government become so crooked that they would actually steal from those that gave their lives so others could have freedom?

I really have a love-hate relationship with our military, and essentially our government I suppose since they go hand in hand. It could have been an honest mistake, but deep down I feel it wasn't. It makes me want to write a letter to Obama. But then I figure he wouldn't receive it, or no one would care, it'd get lost in the shuffle. Can one small person in the military with a very weird situation be heard? I just hope that it was truly an accident because it would really be horrible for the government to be that corrupt. I'd like to think that the sound of freedom is what we think it is.

Travis & Sarah - Beach Portrait

Congratulations Sarah and Travis! Newly married and newly pregnant! Two very exciting adventures and I was lucky enough to photograph them during this special time in their lives :) Sarah is a fellow Crossfitter and we enjoy getting tortured together at the gym :) She looked quite lovely in her dress and we enjoyed our photo shoot at the beach near the mid-bay bridge. Sarah is in the Airforce and Travis used to be in the Airforce. Yay for military people! We share the common bond of a love/hate relationship with the government within the military, and we understand the roller-coaster lifestyle that we all lead. Sarah and Travis, I had a wonderful time photographing you guys and I wish you the best with all the big changes you have coming!

Spring Baby!

It is still Spring isn't it? Technically I think Spring is over here, but it is still happening in other states, so there. Meet the Spring baby at Alaqua! This little colt was a nice surprise to wake up to for everyone at Alaqua. The mama has not been at Alaqua for too long and it's great that everything went well because who knows what she went through during her pregnancy. Complications were definitely a possibility so yay for everyone being healthy! The mama was nice and let me in the stall and I stood at a distance taking pictures for about 10 minutes or so. When I was done she'd made her way back into the stall with the little one trailing behind her. As I started to step in to leave out the stall door she gave me a mean look and I thought maybe climbing over the fence would be a better way to escape :) No need to cause any more excitement than I'd already had. It's kinda nice being the designated photographer at Alaqua. It gets me all kinds of access to visit the cool new additions :)







Cute yawn!





I know this shot is blurry, but I really like it anyway :)

More Change

Hello internet world. It has been a while and I was doing so well with posting regularly! I went into internet hibernation due to some serious changes going on. It seems we wait for weeks and weeks and then BAM! everything is immediate! Well, what if I am not ready to leave Florida? Leave Florida you say? That's right, this trip is coming to a quick end.

Turns out Brian was not meant to be an EOD tech. He is no longer in the program and as of today we officially have orders to Hawaii! It has been a crazy couple of weeks with all kinds of changes and waiting for information. The dogs will have to go through quarantine and I was pretty stressed about that for a bit. Turns out Shugo is still clear cause the FAVN test is good for 36 months. We'll make it just in time. But then there's Chancho... it crossed my mind to find him a home for about one day. If only I could find the perfect home who would take both Chancho and Chula... unlikely. And in reality, I don't want to get rid of Chancho. He is a part of the family. So, there are some other plans brewing and we are still waiting to get a move date, but we are officially moving to Hawaii and I am officially keeping both my dogs no matter what! Below is a very excited pup cause that is how my life feels most of the time. Exciting, crazy, all over the place. And right now I am excited about new plans and some upcoming changes :)

Chula - Alaqua Animal Refuge

Alaqua is addicting. There is so much to help out with and it's nice to be contributing to the community. This is my first time ever doing so much community service with one particular place. And, to be honest, I have probably spent more time volunteering with Alaqua than I have with any other place throughout my life all combined! I have just never really done much volunteering. At least I am now though! So many different things they have going on and so many different ways one can volunteer. I feel as though I have done a little of everything almost yet I know I haven't! Chula is my new "thing" :) I am now also a foster parent! Please do not be confused by the picture... this is Chula. I promise :)



Chula is Chancho's sister. And by sister I mean litter-mate, not half sister, or look alike. They are positively 100% brother and sister! We found Chancho on craigslist. He was free and had two sisters with him. We went out there to find a odd situation. I didn't really like any of them a ton, but I felt obligated to save at least one. I considered for a moment taking all of them, but thought better of it. They all freaked out when something fell over and made a loud noise. One puppy in particular (Chula) never recovered. She was yelping the entire time we were there (about 30 minutes) hiding under a truck. We couldn't get her to come out and I knew she would be lucky if someone took her. Who would want a whiney/yappy dog like that? I know it seems heartless, but we are Barkers... we don't want barkers. Needless to say I was not one bit surprised when I saw her picture posted on FB and she was in fact, out at Walton County Shelter. I immediately knew it was Chancho's sis cause she looks just like him and is the same age. I figured I would call the next day to save her, but then realized that we can't spend the money to adopt her and spay her etc. I emailed Laurie Hood (founder of Alaqua) and asked her to pick her up as an Alaqua dog and I would foster her until adoption since I know they don't have any space at Alaqua. Less than one week later she's here!



Below, Chancho is on the left and Chula is on the right. Definitely siblings. At Alaqua when they get a litter of pups they name them all starting with the same letter for organization. So I figured I would pick a C name and keep it Spanish too :) They have not been reunited yet as we need to have a quarantine period to be sure no one gets each other sick. Chula is very sweet though. Skiddish, but coming around quickly.



These two boys can't wait to meet her. When I put her in her crate and let them out of the front room they RUN out the door to the yard thinking she might still be out there and perhaps they could all be friends. I trick em' every time! And Chancho... mister pig who wouldn't leave his food behind for anything? I locked the boys in the front and gave them breakfast and went to the back to take Chula into the yard and there he was... staring through the sliding glass door hoping to get a glimpse of his sis as she passed through the hall :) I put her outside and immediately went to rescue Chancho's food from Shugo's mouth. I had to lock Chancho in his crate so he would focus on his eating and Shugo wouldn't steal it! Ridiculous... Soon though they will be reunited and it will be sweet :)