Oh, Snap! A New York Edition

If you've been reading lately you may have noticed I recently took a trip to New York. Rochester and Albany to be exact.

You may have also noticed I posted a couple of mobile blogs. I have an opinion on this and I feel like sharing. I didn't like it. I didn't like it one bit. First, it took me approximately 1,000 years to type out the very short message I was going to post. I then agonized for another 200 years over whether the picture I wanted to post along with it would post sideways as my phone pics seem to always do. Then I hit send.

And I waited.

And I waited.

And I waited.

And then I received an email telling me my message had been delayed. Seriously?! I couldn't have possibly done anything wrong! Not me. No way.

But I did do something wrong. I sent the email to @blogspot instead of @blogger. Sheesh!

So I tried again. It went through this time. The picture even posted with the correct orientation, but you know what really bugs me? Besides that it sent with the silly "sent via Blackberry" message at the bottom (which I could totally fix if I were so inclined)? It bugs me that it took me approximately 1,400 years to post that one measly blog entry.

Did I let this deter me from my goal? No way, man! I tried it again a couple of days later. I still didn't like it. So I quit. And all of the blogging I just knew I would have time to do from NY did not happen, but it's happening now! Yippee!



Once upon a time...

These two feet in this cute pair of shoes left their nice comfortable home at the ridiculous hour of 4am. Not only were these feet sleepy, they were hot because at 4am where these feet are from it was already a steamy 80 degrees.

Even though the feet were sleepy and hot they still had this wonderful bag of goodies to get them through the morning at the airport.

*Not pictured: Chap Stick, an iPod, and Cheez-its

Once aboard the plane, the feet saw a very odd sight. Could it be? Nick Jonas of the Jo Bros? Surely not! Besides, the feet were fairly certain the little Jonas would never wad up his suit jacket and shove it in the overhead compartment. Barney Stinson would eat him for breakfast for disrespecting The Suit in such a way.

Utterly appalled at such a sight, the feet turned their attention to the window where they saw this box that MUST have contained some type of hazardous material. It just had to. What else could have been in a box like that? Possibly some bacon? They should have brought it on board for a mid-flight snack.



Here endeth the feets' story. They will now hand it over to me. The face. Or the hands. Since they're typing.

After arriving in NY, I felt the need to suck down one of these daily. What is it, you ask? None other than a Venti Iced Caramel Macchiatto with Soy aka VICMS. Superbly scrumptious and 7 points plus values if you're counting, but I didn't count that week. I ate and I drank willy nilly like a kid in a candy store.

Speaking of willy nilly eating shenanigans. These are Cajun flavored sweet potato tater tots and they were to die for. To die for. Literally. Yum, yum in my tum. Dee-lish! I gobbled these down just in time to eat this...

A bacon cheeseburger with 2, that's right I said 2, half pound patties! I know what you're thinking. Pig. I know, I know! But, in all honesty, I had no idea it was that huge. The girl said our bacon cheeseburger is on special. She didn't say our 1 pound bacon cheeseburger is on special. This thing was literally as big as my head, but I didn't let that stop me. Oh no. I picked it up. Cheese began dripping and running down my hands. I brought it up to my open mouth as wide open as I could possibly get it and CHOMP! I bit right in. It was heaven. It was amazing. It was the best thing I've ever eaten. Too bad I became uncomfortably full not quite halfway through, but never fear! I took it with me and ate it for a snack later.

You know what else was heavenly off of this plate? That teeny, tiny little bowl of pasta salad. I think it was made of mostly cheese and mayo. Two of my favorite food groups.

In conclusion (I love saying that!), I'll leave you with something to ponder. These are crossword puzzle clues. Notice #44. Do you see it? Ok, now look just above it at #43...

It doesn't seem quite right putting these two things side by side, does it?

Oh my goodness, oh my goodness!

The other day I was checking out Less Cake {More Frosting} because I like the way Miss Ellie G writes. I feel like we're sitting there together laughing our faces off! Plus, she does some rockin' projects that I keep adding to my list of "things to try." Basically, she's just super cool.

Anyway, last week I was over there checking out her Pick Your Plum post. I <3 Pick Your Plum with their fantastic daily deals! Honestly, I thought she would just be telling us how awesome PYP is which I already know because I order stuff from them ALL the time, but like I said I love Ellie G's way with words so I was reading it anyway. BUT it wasn't just another evaluation of PYP, it was a giveaway! Of course, I entered. How could I resist?

Guess what?! I won!! I checked out LCMF last night and lo and behold there was my name with a link to my blog. Can we say best 2 days after my birthday present EVER?!

If you haven't already, you should definitely check out Less Cake {More Frosting} AND Pick Your Plum. Especially if you're an amateur crafty pants like myself. :-)

Thanks again LCMF and PYP, you're both awesome!

I Heart Faces Photo Challenge: A Touch of Whimsy

I'm so excited to be entering my first photo for the I Heart Faces Photo Challenge! This weeks theme is a Touch of Whimsy and I thought this picture I took while visiting friends in New York fit the bill perfectly.

This is Gabby. She had no idea I was randomly taking pictures of bubbles and I had no idea she was going to start chasing them. I love when accidents turn out so spectacularly!

I Heart Faces

Click the link above to check out even more fabulous whimsical photos!

29

I turned 29 on Saturday.

That's all I really have to say.

Kidding! Like I'm really going to leave you with only 12 words. I'm long winded, remember?

Anyway, I had a good day. I woke up at the butt crack which equals 7am in my world. I seem to wake up earlier and earlier the older I get. I wonder why that is? Then my grandma made me bacon, eggs, and waffles. Yum! I spent the day with mom and grandma hanging a shelf and a few pictures, visiting my favorite shoe store in all the world, Nabors, eating Braum's ice cream, and then the icing on the cake! The homemade pizza and chocolate sheet cake which were my birthday dinner requests. Delicious!

I might have made a birthday purchse or two or three while at Nabor's...you know how I have all of these obsessions? Well, there's one I haven't written about. Watches. Fossil watches in particular. I already have 10 or so, but when I go to Nabor's I can't help but look at the Fossil display, and they have so many cute ones I just couldn't resist!




Source


Who could say no to this beauty??

Mom had to get one too. Her obsession is even worse than mine. Don't even get me started on her earring collection...

Thanks to my dear family I'll be able to use birthday dollars to buy a new lens for my camera. Yippee!

All in all, my birthday was simple, quiet, and sweet, just the way I like it. And a little bling never hurts anything.

I think I'll enjoy being 29, but 30...I'll let you know when I get there.

Confession From a TP Queen

I really like this picture. Because it's glittery and it has an owl on it and that Pinot was DEE-LISH-US.

This picture has absolutely nothing to do with what I'm going to write about today, but I like it so I'm sharing. Seriously? Who wouldn't like glittery owl Pinot's?



I have a confession to make.

I know I've already told you on many occasions that I'm quite weird. Well, what I'm about to tell is going to make you believe with every fiber of your bean...I mean being that I'm the weirdest person ever.

I am a toilet paper snob.

There, I said it.

I'm a snotty, snotty, snob when it comes to toilet paper. I mean seriously snobby. So much so that I've considered on more than one occasion carrying my own roll in my purse.

{Side Note} - Speaking of my purse...

Is this not one of the most gorgeous specimens of the purse family you have ever seen? This, folks, is my very first Kate Spade (sitting with a peach bellini slushy thingy that was quite tasty). I named her Delilah as soon as I took her out of the box. She just called to me, "Delilah, call me Delilah."

Jesse and Stephanie gave her to me as a Maid of Honor gift. All I've got to say about that is they give some rockin' gifts! Wowza!

Oh, and thank you, thank you, thank you times a million, trillion, gazillion!!! I love you girls!

Delilah's guts. Just as gorgeous as her skin. And so flawless too. I wonder if she moisturizes?


I'm such a digresser.

Ok, so back to my toilet paper snobbery.

I really want to carry a roll in my purse, but they're just so big, you know? Since I can't possibly carry around some huge old roll of TP I use what's out there as painful as it is. I mean this literally. Who invented TP that's about as soft as a piece of sandpaper? And who invented that stuff that's so thin and crisp it's like tissue paper used for wrapping gifts? In fact, I should start buying that stuff for wrapping, it would definitely be cheaper.

Anyway, I only purchase one brand and I never ever, ever, ever deviate. Quilted Northern. It's the bomb (do people still say that?). Not too soft, not too crispy. It's just right. I also use it as Kleenex because I'm way too cheap to buy a box of the stuff. Besides QN has the perfect softness and strength for nose blowing.

But here's the deal...last week when I was in New York, everywhere I went had thin and crispy TP! It was like a plague. I didn't know what to do. It was rough, I tell you! I tried blowing my nose with that stuff and I'm pretty sure I got a paper cut in my nostril, and we all know how I feel about paper cuts.

I'm so happy to be home with my QNTP (Quilted Northern Toilet Paper for those of you who haven't been paying attention) I can't even explain the happiness I feel or that my nostril feels. It's priceless, really.

I have to say, though, that I still love my New Yorkians...New Yorkers...Yorkiteers? Whatever. I love each and every one of them. Well, the handful that I actually know. What I'm trying to say is yes, I'm a TP snob, but I won't hold the crispy stuff against them. Especially since they gave me Delilah.

Another unrelated photo to help you clear your mind of images of my nostril getting a paper cut.

I have no clue what happened here. I held up a wine glass to a window, I was way to close with my 50mm lens, I released the shutter, and BAM! Crazy, weird, super cool, glittery, blurry, strange wine glass art. I think I'll keep it.

Home

Is there really anything better than being home? Besides coming home after you've been away?

My week in upstate New York was fabulous as always, but being home just makes me feel complete.

I could most definitely do without the 95 degree heat, though. Give me some good ole early Summer New York weather any day!

While I was gone I shot somewhere around 2000 pictures. I'm not sure if that's a lot or a little. I'm new to this whole fancy camera photography stuff, but I felt like for a 6 day visit 2000 was just about right. Besides, out of all of those shots I only love two and  really like about 10 or so. Maybe I'm picky?

I read somewhere between a million and a gazillion photography blogs in order to learn anything and everything I can about lighting, composition, and anything really, but what I wonder the most is if the pictures I take are only good to me. I'm sure they're not anywhere near being technically perfect (especially the ones I'm posting today since after all the resizing and transferring from place to place they seem to be a lot less crisp), but I guess if I like them then that's all that really matters.

Anyway, before I get too long winded with all of the life questions I ask myself everyday...sometimes out loud. What?! There's no one around to hear me. At least I don't think there is. Oh, geez, there I go again..

For real this time, I'm done rambling...
Here are the handful of pictures I like from my week in New York. I might even frame a couple. Gasp!

This is an office building. Can you believe that? Crazy, I know. I like this one because well, I just do.

This is the same exact building from the other side but instead of shooting into the sun, the sun was behind me. I like how different they look. I also like how close I was standing and the angle I was holding my camera. Cool beans if I do say so myself.

Jesse and Stephanie, the pepples (yes I said pepples) I was visiting. Cute, cute!

This is my favorite shot of Stephanie besides the one above. Her glasses were falling down like that all day long. Silly girl!

Ah, Jesse, what a gorgeous girl. I really like this one. She looks sweet and sophisticated. I think this was her favorite of all them since she immediately made it her Facebook profile picture after I took them off my camera. Ha!

Now, this is my favorite shot of Jesse. I like the two above as well, but this is how I see here when I think of her. Carefree, happy, and dancing. Always dancing.

This is Stephanie's sister, Mary. I would kill to have her legs. I don't know what I was doing on this day when I all of a sudden said, "hey, stand there just like that with your hands on your hips and don't move!" She probably thought I was a nut!

Who doesn't love an old Ford?

I referred to this as "The Hippie Winery" all weekend. It was super fun!

Finally, one of the two shots I absolutely, positively love, love, love. For this one I also said, "hey, stop right there! Don't move! Move your hand to the left some! Yeah, like that...now don't move. Just hold on a second." Once again, I'm sure there were some "she's a nut" thoughts going around...

This is my FAVORITE!!! And you know what? It was a total accident. I was standing there taking pictures of bubbles not really paying attention to anything when Gabby walked behind them. I think it's super dreamy and amazing. :-)

But I can't decide if I like it better in it's original state or like this...

I think it looks a little dreamier this way.

I wonder if all of my favorites will be "accidents?"



Aren't you glad I didn't show you 2000 pictures? I sure am! A lot of them were atrocious anyway. Like the ones with me in them. Ha!

I loved New York, but it's so good to be home!

MOH Chronicles: Part 5

Straight from Upstate New York while I hang out on the couch with my dearest and nearest Bride to Be, Jesse, the finished veil!

AND...she loves it!!!

I didn't take a picture of it for some reason, but there's a blue felt heart on the back so she'll have her something blue!

I'm getting so excited!!

Shower Time!

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Things That are the Same...

At 3AM.

1. The toilet paper roll is still empty
2. The dishes are still dirty
3. It's still too early to be awake
4. The alarm clock is still Enemy No. 1
5. The house is still cluttered
6. It's still really HOT outside

Basically, getting up at 3AM is the same as getting up at 7AM and I still don't have a maid.

But that was yesterday.

Today, in upstate New York Jesse, Stephanie, Mary and I will be wine touring ALL day!

Mom told us to remember to sip only! Ha!

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New York

I leave for upstate New York in the morning and when I say in the morning I really mean before the rooster crows. I am NOT a morning person, in case you were wondering. I'm not a night person either, though so what does that make me?

I am for sure a McAlister's Tea person, as we all know from my multiple Tea posts, but there are no McAlister's Deli's in upstate New York. In fact, tea up there is utterly disgusting. It's full of sweeteners and lemon and other horrific flavors like peach and raspberry.

What's a girl to do? I guess I'll just have to drink Kool-aid.

Like this...

That Jesse...she didn't have any spoons for stirring!



Coming up, from the great state of New York! MOH Chronicles: Part 5 where I will finally, finally, finally show the finished veil. Keep your fingers crossed that Jesse likes it and I don't have to remake the dang thing.

Beautiful Butt Heads

Remember how I gave myself a shiny new Nikon D90 as a Very Merry Un-birthday Gift a while back? And remember how my main reason for giving myself this gift besides that it's just a way awesome was to be able to take pictures of my family? Well, I had my first official family photo shoot yesterday with my two cousins on mom's side of the family.

These girls are just too cute for words. I'm not sure either one of them could take a bad picture if they tried. The butt heads.

Brace yourselves because I'm about to show eleventy million photos. Really you should be thanking me because I took 480 something, but I'm only going to post about 10% of them. You're welcome.

I'm pretty proud of all of these. Especially since this is my first time. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the older one, at least, will love these so much she'll want to become my full time model! Ha!



Jessica and River {the two cutest sisters you'll ever see}

This is River. I'm hoping, hoping, hoping she grows out of this goofy smile, but she's still totes adorbs.

I love saying totes adorbs.

My friend says the background in this one is too busy, but I love it anyway. How can I not love it with those two beautiful faces in it?

I love the expression in this one so I can totally ignore that she was standing in full sun causing a shadow across her face. :-)

Jessica...is this girl gorgeous or what?

I have a love/hate relationship with this shot.

First: I love Jess, she looks relaxed and beautiful and completely oblivious to River's antics,

Second: I love River's antics. She's such a little jokester.

Third: I hate how you can see me in the background. I look like a fat tub of lard. I'm going to tell myself you wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't pointed it out...

River's interpretation of sitting "Indian Style"

I was too close, but...I'm starting to sense a theme, as usual...I love it anyway.

This cracks me up! I said, "act like strangers, like you don't even know each other." Apparently when River doesn't know someone she makes a duck face!


I love, times a million, the next three shots of River. She's super close which cut off the top of her head, but she had just discovered she could see my eyeball through my camera and she kept trying to get closer. Even though they're up close, her expression in these is so sweet.

Beautiful butt head...

Jess' mom specifically requested this shot which Jess informed her was totally cliche. So, I made her do it anyway. Ha!

I almost didn't get this one. I'm glad I did, though, because it's stinkin' cute.

Can you tell she's thirsty?

"I'm thirsty Amanda. I'm thirsty Jay-uss! I need a drink. I'm hot!"

To which I would say, "ok, just one more shot and we'll go get a huge drink. One almost as tall as you are!"

And then I proceeded to take about 50 more pictures in the 95 degree heat. Poor kid...

We did get her a drink, though. I swear!

"Get me a drink, or else!!!"

The very last shot of the day. River's "flippers." I'm not sure why she kept calling them that, but now it's stuck in my head for life.



My family better watch out! They're gonna be all over this blog!






P.S. Does anyone know why some of my pictures insist on posting like this?

Because it's really irritating...