Christmas Tunes, And Yes I Know I Have Weird Taste in Music!

Christmas is right around the bend, so I thought I might share a few of my favorite Christmas songs! Warning, I have weird taste in music. 

Love this song! 

I grew up with The Kingston Trio's songs, my mom always loved them. 

The Civil Wars are a personal favorite, and so is "O Come O Come Emmanuel" 

Another one of my childhood songs. 

This was a must, every single Christmas! We always had this playing so it is a very BIG Christmas memory for me. 

Well, I don't know when I'll talk to you guys again, but if I don't before Christmas, I hope you all have a happy holiday! :D 

Eating Up Christmas Time!

I love Christmas time! 

It's one of my favorite times of the year, even if I have to share my abode with sometimes cumbersome decorations. :) 

Currently I'm enjoying the Christmas tunes and the new photography opportunities. Christmas always posed a problem to me with photography--even back when I was just snapping candids for the family. My camera never wanted to 'digest' the lights correctly, and I usually ended up with a blurry mess--unless of course I submitted to the flash, in which case I got an overbearing, overly detailed, glimpse of everything. Trust me, flash on people isn't always great. 

I've also been happy because I got my final grades back for the semester. I was blessed with all A's--shocking considering that one of them was in Physical Science, which I had been expecting a B in. Wonderful, blessed feeling there! :)

But I'm loving this season so far! :D It's so great to have family around for the holidays. :) I've got almost all of my shopping done, which is a relief! All of the big gifts are bought; I just have a few last minute gifts to get.

We're not in the cooking part yet--but once it gets here I'll be making chocolate fudge, pecan pie, and a vast assortment of cookies. There are usually a lot of sweets around for us during the holidays. I'm going to gain so much weight over this holiday season! :( That's okay though, I'll lose it all over the Spring semester. Stress does that to you...grrr.

I've also--finally--finished my Christmas list! About time too, considering the fact that Christmas is next week. 

iPod,(Yes I still want an iPod.) 

Loki t-shirt from Hot Topic,

"The Fault in Our Stars" by John Greene,

Tardis Necklace from Hot Topic,

And that's about it for this year. I mean, asking for a new iPod is a big deal, so I'm keeping my list simple. :) I really want an iPod.

In other news, I also wrapped a dinosaur...

I got my cousin, Michael, a dinosaur toy for Christmas--more specifically a T-Rex toy. 

It was not so much I had to wrap the dinosaur--as I wanted to see if I could wrap a dinosaur. I'm glad to say I succeeded, though his tail was sticking out. 

Don't worry, he's nicely put in a bag now--this was more of a random idea to use up the bits of wrapping paper I had left over. Fun idea I guess, though kinda messy. 

Today, I also babysat my cousin Michael and my little sister Joanna. We had a great time riding around on the golf cart while belting out Christmas carols--albeit the wrong words. 

I also survived a ten year early driving lesson. My sister has already learned to drive the golf cart--but my cousin was a newbie. So I let him drive a little on his own--basically I let him steer the cart while I handled the pedals. He really enjoyed it, and was thrilled with himself afterwards. Yep, ten years from now I'll be the cool cousin that lets him drive an actual car. 

I also finished a lot of the editing on my aunt's Christmas card photos. I don't do much with editing, I just adjust a few things and then leave it be. 

This is one of my favorites. 

This is a really fun shot, fun for Michael anyway. Haha, now he can bargain for better Christmas presents! 

Well, now I've got to head out! :D 

You Rarely Think About Where You're Going, Until Someone Asks

Yesterday I finally got to take pictures of my friends up in the warehouse! I was absolutely thrilled! 

Taking pictures of the cool objects up there was fun, but my favorite area of photography is portraits!

Our trip was short, and we only spent about thirty minutes in the warehouse. We got there later than I would have liked because we had a lot we had to do first. One of them was actually opening our Christmas presents to each other, which was really fun. I gave Hannah a Downton Abbey shirt, Clara a scarf and cameo, and Hannah gave me a photography book! I haven't given Jessie her present yet because she'll be joining us a week from now on Christmas Eve. Can you believe that it's a week till Christmas? I can't, I really can't. It's flown by so quickly I've barely had time to digest it all. And to believe that after that I have a week and a half until my school starts back. Yikes is an understatement! 

When we got to the warehouse we had a lot of fun taking pictures, but we had to be really REALLY quiet because they were still running the business downstairs and the sound travels. We didn't cause any problems though, so that was a blessing.

I also met a very nice young man who was running the store yesterday. We talked about photography and it turns out he modeled for a bunch of really big league clothing brands in New York a few years back. He said he was trying to get back into the photography/modeling business--and he said if I ever needed a male model he'd be happy to oblige! I reminded him that I was not a professional, but he said that he liked the pictures I'd already taken and that he was looking to add to his portfolio. It's a great opportunity, and I have his number now. :) But when he asked me about my photography and where I wanted to go with it..it made me think. Where do I want to go with it? 

I mean, it's a hobby, yes...but I don't know the first thing about making money with it or actually photographing a real model. 0_0 It's a scary proposition in the sense that I could fail miserably at it. There again it's a great opportunity if I want to actually go somewhere with my photography. Question is...do I? 

IDo I want to take on that responsibility, along with the rest? School, personal life, declaring a major this year, and my main hobby--writing...all of that is very important to me right now, so do I really need to be adding yet another thing to my list? Then there's the fact that I've only been in this game a short little while, and to a lot of professional photographers who have been around for many years--my suddenly declaring photography as a viable part of my life  might seem a bit premature and silly. They've seen people come and go in that, with only the truly dedicated remaining to slog it out. I don't like to be a quitter in anything, it makes me angry, so I guess what I have to decide is--how dedicated am I? It's a burning question alright..one that I will have to answer soon.  

Hannah by the window

This is one of my all time favorite shots of Clara! :D I think it's actually one of the best ones I've ever taken of her!

Jessie! 

I also got to show them the scary mannequin room! This is a very blurry pic, I know, but it captures the moment pretty well. Hannah actually jumped when she saw the Lady of Death, standing in the back--and we were all freaked out when we actually went into the room. Though to be fair, I wasn't really creeped out so much, I was just sitting back and enjoying their reactions. Needless to say, none of them liked that room at all...and I don't blame them. The back part of the warehouse has all of the scary stuff like the rabbit and Headless Henry--plus some jack-o-lanterns that were hiding in a dark corner and that I had somehow missed. Hannah waded cautiously back through the carnage by the light of her iPod--there were many times we were sure she'd never emerge again. :) That place is horror movie central.   

Here's a picture of us when we were opening our presents. There was wrapping paper carnage everywhere! :)

I think everyone had a great time though, and I look forward to going back up there again to take more pictures--and possibly going to Dairy Queen afterwards, which is something we wanted to do this time but because of our late start we couldn't. Besides, when we got home we found that the moms had baked a TON of goodies (including brownies! Yummy!). 

Cutting off Caffeine at Christmas

It seems to me, that as a child, the Christmas season eeked by slowly--mainly because we were so desperate for our presents--but we were able to savor and enjoy it to its fullest. Now it just flies by, no time to sit back and relax.It's just part of growing up, and it's not a bad thing necessarily. I like to be busy. When I'm idle I'm miserable, though I will admit I like a good lazy day every now and again. 

But with the Christmas season flying by, I am constantly reminded that my new semester of college is coming at a pace! I'm taking four classes, like before, but one of them is a Biology class--and I'm very nervous about that. My first day of class is actually a lab, and while it will probably be choosing lab partners and discussing lab procedures--I'm still nervous. I've only dissected an earth worm...so how well will I manage with something as substantial as a frog or pig? Personally, I'm going to look for a boy in camo--if he hunts he will know how to field dress a deer and that can be very useful when it comes to dissecting things. I will label, make notes, and let him handle all of the gross stuff. Praying for a good lab partner! 

So, what did I do today? 

Today, after church, I went to my aunt's house to take her Christmas card photos--which was great! I love being able to take pictures for people, it helps them out and it's great practice for me.

Afterwards we went to my favorite antique store and I tested taking pictures of people up in the old warehouse. In a few days I hope to take some pictures of my friends up there; it'll be like having our own studio! Today was a great trial run because I needed to see what the lighting would do to an actual subject. Turns out, the natural lighting (of which I am not a fan) was perfect, the old style window provided a good filter. 

This is an angle for a shot I really want to try with my friend Clara. Problem is I was trying very hard not to actually sit on the chair because it's so old--and also not mine. 

When I came home I got to visit with my grandparents before wolfing down three eggs. I was starving.

With the busy Christmas season coming to it's peak--I have decided to wean myself off caffeine. I know, stellar time to pick, but I believe that I really should do this before the stress of the new school year begins--during which time I know I wouldn't limit my soda/coffee intake. Caffeine is really bad for your heart, adrenals, metabolism and so on--so I'm trying to limit it. However, limiting ones caffeine--limiting MY caffeine--is a dangerous occupation. Yesterday I was doing good, until my friend came over with soda. I was still good and refrained from having any...though it was a struggle not to knock her out with my tennis racket and steal it. Today, I did have caffeine--as I am shooting for one day clean and then the next with only limited indulgence. However, I did noticed the decrease. I had only a little soda, not even a full cup full, in the middle of the day--to sooth the with drawl headache. It didn't work. I still have a headache, but it got a little bit better. Tomorrow I will have to go without my precious caffeine, my strategy: Get more sleep and try not to morph into an over-sized Smeagol. 

Well, that's my two cents, so I'm off for a movie night with my family! I hope that your Christmas season is going well and that you have an awesome holiday! :D 

This is one of my favorite shots from my shoot with my aunt. Little Michael behaved perfectly! 

Warehouse Pictures

Today I finally got to go down to a local business (the antique store I love so much) and take pictures in their warehouse. I was really excited about it! I had been wanting to take some pictures in an old building--and this place was perfect! It was a factory back in the 1950's, so the architecture is really interesting. 

There were a lot of really interesting things stored there, so I was happy that I had some props to use.

This tag on an piece of luggage was interesting. 

This was the big window up in the attic. I love the vintage feel and the cool lighting it gave me! I was worried with the attic not having any overheads, my camera wouldn't pick anything up. 

I love this picture so much!

The colors were interesting too. Several walls were painted lime green, with all the pipes painted purple. 

There were also a lot of chairs.

See, it was really packed with chairs. I had to be careful not to back up over one and trip while taking the pictures. 

But, as much as I loved the warehouse, it was a little creepy. So just in case you thought you were going to get some sleep tonight--here come the nightmare. 

The door up to the attic was a little foreboding. 

And inside....

This is the first thing you see when you come in, it's right beside the door. Note all of the flower baskets around him, probably offerings to keep him from going on a killing spree and devouring small children. 

There was this headless wonder...yea, not sure exactly where he came from or where his head is. Maybe it's in the flower pot right there. 

But worst of all---was the side room. There are two rooms in the attic, and in there is...this:

The mannequin of death. When you go in, she's just standing there--with the dissected bodies of her brethren scattered about her. She is, I believe, the scariest thing in the warehouse. 

There are dozens of pieces of other mannequins lying around there, I'm not sure where they came from but hey, there they are.

Yea, the mannequin is a little beyond creepy. 

Winter Fun with Friends!

We all piled our feet on Hannah--she did not appreciate it. ;) But she was a good sport and didn't kill us for putting our wet, dirty shoes on her. That's what you get when you have long legs---you are used as a footrest! 

Well, from the title I'm pretty sure you can guess that I had friends over and we had an amazing time!

This was the first time our little group had been together in weeks--since everyone had been out of town for the holidays...and then were stricken with illness. But yesterday we got back together and had a series of adventures!


Mainly we just talked, that's usually what we do. We laugh and talk (very loudly) and basically just have a good time. We fangirl over our favorite shows (Hannah and I completely freaked out over Doctor Who) and listen to our favorite bands. We talk about life events and all sorts of crazy stuff. We're weird, crazy, random and very, VERY chatty!

First on the list was a golf cart ride--as always. 

It was a lot of fun, despite the rain. All day long there was a thick mist coming down and by the time we got back inside we were all pretty much soppy wet. I hate it when it rains like that, the mist soaks you and then you can't get dry or warm no matter what. But we had fun.  

I don't trust Jessie

See that look, that's the look I give Jessie when I know something crazy is about to happen--and it did. Right after this pic we took a turn too sharply and I was slammed into her. There was much screaming and laughing.

See, this picture is very poor quality and the colors are all messed up, but here we are. Yes, lovely aren't we?

Jessie, Hannah, and Clara. We were unable to get really good pictures due to the low lighting.

Jessie and me together after coming in from the rain. 

Jessie and I before we actually went out riding. It wasn't raining then--tricking us into thinking it was safe--but once we got out over the hill (the very back end of our property, here came the rain! Very sneaky, rain...sneaky. 

The back end of our property. 

After we got back inside we were all exhausted, and we retired to the sofa. We ate pizza, and watched Disney's Robin Hood. Yep, Disney night with the girls! Nothing better! Next time we want to watch Pocahontas so we can sing along. Love these girls!

This was, I believe, the best picture of the night. Haha, this is truly us! From left to right: Joanna (my sister), Jessie, Clara, Hannah, David (Hannah's brother) and, of course, that's me sitting on them. :) I love David's expression! Haha!


What else has happened since I talked to you last? Well, I finished all of my finals! Yes, I survived and (though I don't have my grades back yet) I believe I passed! I'm so happy! Today's final was history, and it marked the end of this semester.


It's been a real learning experience, and I'm glad I can say that I'm better off because of it--but I will miss it. I'm excited/nervous for the new Spring semester--and also the new year!

Each year I'm nervous about starting over--but I remind myself that God is with me and he has continued to bless me in unimaginable ways! I pray and trust that he will guide me through whatever challenges the new year brings and that he will bless me beyond my wildest dreams!


That's about all I can say right now--because I've got to take my sister to piano--so until next time!