Moods

Moods are the funniest thing. I would know seeing as I frequently enjoy the boundless list of them. I am not specifically a moody person, but so many of my decisions are based on how I feel that I certainly can't discount the role that my mood plays in my decisions.

For example, this last week, I have not been in the mood to blog. That doesn't mean I haven't been in the mood to write, because I have been writing endlessly. It is only that I haven't been in the mood to share my thoughts with others.

Also, I'm not really in the mood to spend money. I hate spending money, but there are things I want to buy. So now what? To spend money or not spend money. It doesn't help that Andy is trying to convince me we should spend money. Oye!

I haven't really been in the mood to go to work either. I'm feeling a sort of "Senioritis" as it applies to working instead of school. The end is so close and yet I still have two more months to go.

Also, I have been in a healthy mood. I'm trying to eat sushi instead of pizza. And cook at home instead of eating out. I'm trying to eat less, drink water instead of juice, exercise regularly, etc. I haven't been very consistent, but I'm trying.

Anyway, enough about moods. This last weekend we went to Bullwinkle's for Nickolas' third birthday party! It was so much fun! I love my little nephew. We ran around the "Kidopolis" for a while and had a blast. He got so freaked out on the nets that you walk on that he made me carry him across. It was super cute.

Then we all played miniature golf. We showed him how to hold a golf club and hit the ball in the hole. He even got a hole in one (with a little help from Daddy). Then off to the bumper boats. Needless to say, Nickolas was braver than Robin. ::grins:: My best friend was definitely hiding behind her three year old son.

We had a blast, got soaking wet, and just enjoyed hanging out with all our friends. I really miss these people. I LOVE them - they are truly my other halves (if you can have more than one of a half....).

Here's some pictures I stole off of Robin's myspace.


Taleah mischievously getting everyone wet:



My lovely mommy and my soul buddy-



Me getting soaked:



Robin shamelessly hiding behind her brave son:



Everyone soaking everyone:



My favorite "brother from another mother" and "sister from another mister":



Nickolas blowing out his birthday candles:



The thumbs up while playing miniature golf!



My other "halves":

Time & Exercise

I just can't figure out how people who work during the day make time to exercise and still have a life... I've been brainstorming for the last year about how to fit working out into my schedule and I can't - I really just can't. The desire to work out came on after I married Andy and we have HUGE AMAZING dinners almost every night. I can't be rude and not eat after all his hard work, and it tastes so good anyway, why would you want to deny yourself? So - I've gained nearly 10 pounds since we got married and it is killing me!

So, my goal is to get fit (actually it has been that for about a year now, but with a sedentary job and Andy's cooking, it hasn't worked out so well). Any suggestions about how to be diligent?

I've tried waking up early and I value sleep WAY too much. I've tried working out when I get home, but I want to hang out with Andy and we usually cook dinner together shortly thereafter. I've tried working out after dinner, but who wants to do that? And finally, I can't work out right before bed because it gives me extra energy and I value sleep. I'm doomed.... I think I'm just going to have to brave the early mornings, but I just can't seem to get myself out of bed. It truly is a curse.

Hmmm... I've got to somehow want to be in shape more than I want to sleep.... I'm not sure if that is possible, but I'm going to have to think on it.

The Quest for a logo: Part Deux

Here are some freshly cooked up logo ideas that I whipped up this morning. What do you think? We want to know - nothing moves forward until this is done.

Just FYI, all designs copyright Adara Studios 2008. :)

Unveiling Adara

Adara is the Greek girl's name for beauty... It is also the new name of our photography studio. We'll be making A TON of changes to our studio including a new website, new name, new logo, and much more. We're excited about the changes and we hope that they will be the last GIGANTIC changes our studio will make. We plan to keep this name for as long as our studio exists and we hope to make very few brand changes in the interim - which means we have lots of long term planning to do.

In the effort of making the best decisions, we'd love input from our friends and family. What do you think the studio should look like? Any advice in terms of branding styles you would suggest?

Andy and I spent a lot of this last weekend designing new logo prototypes while I was sick. Here are some of our attempts. These are not the finished designs, but rather starting points for where we may like to head in the future.

I have ideas for this option, but I don't have a camera phone to take a picture of my drawings and post it... Maybe I'll work on it tonight.

New color options:

So throw your ideas this way - email, call, comment; we just want to hear everyone's thoughts on it.

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мотоцикл! (That's motorcycle in Russian)

I had a ton of fun yesterday with my friend Ian - we got to do something I had never done before, which was high-speed photos of him on his new motorcycle. We drove out to some podunk road outside of Corvallis and snapped some sweet shots before the rains hit. Check 'em out!

Love!

I absolutely love this picture Sean Morrison took of me! Holy cow! I'm going to blow it up into gigantic proportions and put it on my wall.

Also some favorites by Jonathon of Blue Castle Photography -

The Pillars of the Earth

I recently finished reading The Pillars of the Earth. I went into reading this book with some preconceived notions of what to expect - which is a little unusual for me. However, the book completely sideswiped the majority of my expectations.

Why I had expectations and what they were:

1. My mom gave me the book and told me it was about the building of churches. To help you understand, my mother has always been very conservative throughout my life. We were really only allowed to read Christian novels, appropriate teen novels (ie. The Boxcar Children, Ella Enchanted, etc.), classics, and educational materials growing up. So I assumed that this book would fall within those categories - or at least be modest without a hint of the risque or gruesome. First assumption = wrong, so very wrong.

Okay - so that was really my only BIG assumption about this book. However, Ken Follett treated each character's life and person with no regard. The main characters die - suddenly without any foreshadowing. The main villain repeatedly rapes (in graphic detail) woman after woman. [I had to skip some very disturbing scenes...]

The protagonists do "bad" things that you wouldn't expect and each character has their own flaws which make them all too human.

And I expected a happy fairy tale book about building beautiful churches for God.

However, with all of the smashed preconceived notions about this book, I could hardly put the book down. He builds each character to perfection - you absolutely loathe the villain because of the detailed descriptions of the awful things he does. You have sympathy for his victims (one of which is one of the main characters), and you desperately want him dead throughout the entire book. Which happily ends up happening in a way that makes you almost (but not quite) pity the evil man because of what he turns into in his old age.

You follow the desperation of Tom Builder whose wife dies in the beginning of the book and who falls in love with a beautiful forest woman, Ellen, shortly thereafter. However, he's desperate for work and his family and Ellen and her son are near starvation when they seek shelter of the monastery of Prior Phillip (also a main character). To summarize, Ellen's son burns down the church so that Tom will have work by rebuilding it. Everyone thinks it was a lightning strike, so building begins and Tom and Ellen's children grow up.

Then after many struggles and successes of the main characters - Tom suddenly is killed. Just like that. However, his death does not stop the book from moving forward. It's as if there are 10 main characters in this book and 5 villains. The book could move forward endlessly and you would still have a main character to root for and a villain to hate. Villains emerge and dissipate just as the protagonists emerge and dissipate. It's an interesting way to write a book - a little disconcerting at times, but still very enjoyable.

I would recommend this book if you can stomach gruesome battles, heated love scenes, and descriptive rapes. I honestly couldn't, so I skipped several parts. However, there is something to be said about the descriptiveness because it makes your heart break for those who are hurt and hate those who commit the vile acts of treachery. So do I suggest that you read it? Maybe - and then maybe not. I think that you shouldn't do what I did and start the book unaware of the intense scenes, because it is a hard book to stop reading once you have begun.

25 things I love

(these are not in order of importance!)

1. My hubby

2. Chai tea

3. Dancing

4. Photography

5. Jesus

6. My sisters

7. Reading

8. My mommy and daddy

9. Classical Music

10. Laughing

11. Sleeping...

12. Prayer

13. Camping

14. Swimming

15. Heated Seats....

16. Baths

17. Blog Reading (and writing!)

18. Photoshopping (not shopping for photos silly!)

19. Smelling pretty flowers

20. Talking with friends

21. Drinking tea with friends

22. Graveyards... Weird huh?

23. Beautiful Architecture

24. History

25. Love

Oatmeal

On a completely random note - I love Mom's Best Naturals Oatmeal. It rocks! Specifically - the apple and Cinnamon kind... mmmm!