friday's letters 04

^^^hey awkward hand.^^^

>> dear DVR, what would i do without you? i love being able to hang out and relax with a few of my favorites anytime i want with the added bonus of zero commercials. i currently have 4 episodes of revenge, 3 grey's anatomy and maybe a few more waiting for me on my day off today :) >> dear april, you have made quite the enterance this year. after the worst winter of my life, these warmer temps are much appreciated. i am beyond okay with a few showers here and there as long as it means we are done with snow & moving towards warmer days. >> dear running shoes, it is so nice to finally see you guys again. i wear my work out clothes far too often considering i'm never heading to the gym, but i only wear my nikes if i'm actually working out...which i finally did a few times last week! i think i have decided to start going back to the gym more regularly, but we will see how long it lasts. i'm hoping a while. >> dear girl's night, you are fabulous & necessary. i would just like to tell my lovely ladies that i love getting together with you girls on a weekly basis. spending time with my friends helps keep me balanced. i need girl time. i especially love it when we get together at the best restaurants in town & get to indulge in amazing food together :):)

hoping you all enjoy your weekend!

i am also featured on my friend amber's blog today! have you heard of barefoot blonde??? 

if not, you're welcome & this is sure to become your newest must read blog. 

check it out here

& if you want the chance at being featured on amber's blog follow these instructions >>

-instagram YOUR fav look, hair, beauty, fitness tip, travel destination, whatever!

-tag #bfbdailyfav and @amberfillerup. (must be in original first caption of photo)

live it up & write it down

this cute little "j" notebook is my photography journal where i write down notes, ideas, things i learn & what not relating to photography. i love looking back at the things that i have written down & to see how far i have come in my craft. journals of any kind are such a cool thing, don't you think? they reveal so much about a person! 

as a little girl i kept a diary that i wrote in from time to time. it had a lock & key so that no one would be able to read my deepest secrets. looking back on it now, i wish i wrote down more so that i could remember the important things that were occurring in my life at the time. i love being able to remember such innocent & funny things that i deemed important enough to jot down as a 10 year old.

i like to think that this blog serves the same purpose as my personal diary did then, but i know that i don't share very intimate & personal details about my family's life on here. to me public blogs just aren't the place to completely vent about everything. maybe for some, but not me at this point in my life. but i do love that this blog is a little place to share experiences & thoughts with others, as well as a mild journal of sorts.

// i really wish i would spend a little bit of time writing in a personal journal, though.
journals are great for venting & really fun to look back on. unfortunately, for some reason i find it hard to
find time to want to sit down & write with a pen and paper these days...thanks, technology! //

how much is too much to share on your public blog? do you guys keep a journal other than your blog???
how do you stay motivated to keep writing in it?

friday's letters 02

i used to think winter & i got along, but after this year...i'm not so sure! i know i've blogged enough about

 the joys of winter {sarcasm}, but here are a few more for ya! 

>> dear hands, i'm sorry i let you turn to icicles every morning. i am now starting to really understand & appreciate winter clothes. like real winter clothes. lately my hands have been frozen, especially when driving in the early hours of the morning, & my little target mittens just aren't cutting it! leather gloves make sense to me now. i would kill for a pair right about now. >> dear excessive layering, as pretty as the snow may be...i'm officially over bundling up to go anywhere! this pretty woman in the picture above is so stylish & gorge walking down a city street with snow at her feet, but come on...there is no way. >> dear me, let's try to be more optimistic, shall we! so, on a more positive note, winter is a great time for soups. i have enjoyed making various soups & stews lately. i do tend to miss this aspect of winter when the hot summer months are around. so, i think i will try a few more new soup recipes before the winter chill is gone & spring arrives! >> & since we are chatting about food, dear waistline, my apologies for not paying enough attention to you. making desserts seems to be inevitable when you are snowed in...or perhaps simply too cold to even think about going outside. i sometimes feel like a bear. all i want to do is eat a bunch of heavy desserts & hibernate for a while. i know some of you girls know what i'm talking about! &&& with all the many layers of clothing i wear every day, no one will notice the extra lbs, right??? because we all know i haven't hit the gym for a few weeks...okay, months. yikes!

cheers, winter.
but i am happy to report i am headed to NYC today!!!! big apple, here i come.
i can't wait to see you tonight.

blogging to inspire

blogging is such an interesting medium. when i first started this little blog i never read other people's blogs & didn't think anyone would be reading mine. i didn't really understand what the blogging world was all about. but in the past few months i have signed up with bloglovin ^^ & began following tons of various blogs. in fact, i have found that the blogging community is actually pretty awesome.

pretty awesome? yes! you can find blogs about ANYTHING you are interested in reading about. i follow lifestyle blogs, fashion blogs, food blogs {the best!}, design blogs & of course, photography blogs. some might think, wow that is a lot of random reading to do, but the truth is i find inspiration by looking at all sorts of things that people post. finding a brand new, delicious recipe to try or stepping up your personal fashion after seeing how others creatively put together outfits! there is just so much out there! i also find a lot of inspiration for my photography via blogs. whether it is locations that i love, a pose or lighting that i want to learn how to capture, i have found that i actually do learn a lot by reading what others have done. inspiration is a beautiful thing & i love that i can find beautiful pictures, interesting stories & new things to try just from reading a stranger's blog.

at first, my biggest issue with reading blogs was how to find them. but bloglovin can help! this site is really cool because you can look up top blogs or find popular ones in certain categories. do you love crafts? cooking? weddings? you can find them all! and once you've found blogs you like, you don't have to always check back with their sites because bloglovin will tell you when there are new posts! makes my life much easier.

blogging may not be your thing, but if you want to try something new {& who knows, you may find some inspiration of your own}, then get involved in this crazy, little blogging community!

sign up to follow me on bloglovin!

liebster award

in the blogging world there are fun little ways to help your blog get noticed & the Liebster Award is one of those things. it is a fun way to share a little bit more about me & i would like to thank brooke & mrs. adventures for nominating my little blog over here.

so what is this award??

the rules

1. list 11 facts about yourself

2. answer the 11 questions given to you

2. create 11 new questions for the bloggers you nominate for the award

4. choose 11 bloggers with 200 or less followers to nominate

5. go to each bloggers page and let them know about the award

6. thank the person who nominated you and link back to their blog :)

11 facts about me

1. i hate to vaccum

2. i love love love to cook & try new recipes. healthy or not! but dishes are a different story....

3. i declined graduate school in order to become a photographer

4. i work as a nanny during the week

5. i am so hot! as in, i get over heated SO easily! my body temperature is a good 10 degrees higher than everyone else's at any given moment...thanks mom!

6. i've always wanted to be a real city girl

7. i wish i wore glasses - i think they are so adorable, but i know the day i actually need them i will hate it 

8. i am known as having terrible taste in tv, movies & music. to get a better understanding of what i mean...i love reality tv {almost ALL reality tv...yes that includes the bad girls club}, i love lifetime movies & the radio is where i get my music.

9. i have recently fallen in love with lipstick. i never used to wear anything on my lips, but i am really learning to appreciate having a fun color pop on my lips. 

10. i want to move back to california SO badly at this point in my life

11. i try really hard to drink lots of water in a day & so i always have my pink camel bak water bottle with me at all times. that, or a diet coke...haha i know, total opposite.

11 questions for me

1. Favorite book? i'm not a huge reader, but the last book that i couldn't put down was the help. if you haven't read this book you should. i movie was good but the book was great.

2. The song you currently have on repeat? i have two. c'mon by kesha {i know, i know} & the a team by ed sheeran. two very different songs but AH i love them both.

3. Least favorite thing about your day? the idea of showering!! i love to shower but getting ready afterwards is so time consuming. long hair can be a blessing & a curse.

4. Favorite meal? mexican food. growing up in southern california i was blessed to have endless amounts of mexican food all around me. i could eat tacos everyday & sometimes do.

5. Favorite nail polish? i love OPI nail polishes. i tend to stick with pinks, reds & orangey reds. a few of my favorites are >> color so hot it berns, hot & spicy and charged up cherry. interesting names, huh? hah

6. What was your last tweet? i am not a huge twitter person. the last tweet i did was about one of my blog posts haha. i am way more into instagram than twitter.

7. Last store you visited? uhh, the grocery store? haha. we made a huge, fancy meal last night with some friends.

8. What do you like to do on a week night? i wish i was more interesting...but, i like to come home from work, eat with the husband & watch some of our favorite shows on tv.

9. Your most re-purchased beauty item? MAC zoomlash mascara...this has been in my makeup bag since 9th grade.

10. Favorite shampoo and conditioner and why? i love redken shampoo + conditioner. i actually don't use it right now cuz it's about $50 for each bottle but when i can afford it again, i will pick these babies up again! i love the smell & they have so many different kinds of shampoo for any kind of hair type.

11. Essential piece of jewelery? The one you can't leave home without? my wedding ring! i do tend to take it off at home a lot when i'm cleaning, cooking, blow drying my hair, putting lotion on, etc. so i kind of, more often than i'd like to admit, leave the house without it & feel naked! so i have to remember to grab it, it is an essential!

11 questions for my nominees

1. what is your favorite color to wear?
2. what is a hobbie that you wish you had?
3. best part of your day?
4. favorite beverage?
5. what is your favorite season & why?
6. do you have a hidden talent that most people don't know about?
7. what is your go-to junk food?
8. favorite vacation spot or memory?
9. what does your ideal saturday night look like?
10. what is a guilty pleasure of yours?
11. are you a morning or night person?

my nominees
kaylyn from the weir house
rachael from shore society
erica from la petite reine
ani from catch 21
melissa from a little bolt of life