Doing Time in a Sunset Town

Ahhh Down To The Wire

2007-06-09T20:21:00.000-06:00

So here I am moving from one sunset town to another. Who knew?? Oh well I am excited anyway that in about a month we will be packing up & moving to New Mexico. I am hoping once we get there that I will try to restart my photography business as a full-time job. I recently shot a quick session of my friend Ginger for her maternity pics I wanted to post at her shower. She is just so little! She was too cute & up for anything as usual. Today I bought a really cute dress that I can't wait to have a size 5 girl wear for a 50's kind of look & shoot. Know anyone? Tell me please! :)

I'm Moving to New Mexico

2007-04-18T21:41:00.000-06:00

I can't wait to try out a new destination! I am also planning on going for a cowboy inspired living room. Maybe hang some spurs up along with some photos I took at Kathy's Cattle Branding a couple weekends ago. Hey I like them even if no one else does. I had a great time this past weekend with my friend Lydia & her hubby Frank! They even let us bring our dogs. It was great as they had a kennel we could keep them in while we were visiting. We took pics at this house thanks to Lydia stopping & knocking on the door to ask for permission! LOL! There was so much cool stuff at this house's old barn. Then we even went for a ride around in the country. A lot of pics to proof now! Oh well what's new!

Another Day Another Nickel

2007-02-28T16:24:00.000-07:00

Yep...here I am working or maybe not so much. This week is going to be BUSY! I have a wedding this Saturday & it will be my first as primary shooter. I have rented a 70-200mm f/2.8 & a fish eye. I want some fun shots with the fish eye. I rented them from www.rentglass.com it will be my first experience & hopefully a good one. It was cheaper to rent them online versus going to my local store in Santa Barbara. It would have been the same price for one wk from the local place as 3 wks with the online place. I also took some pics of my friend Zenia's twins. They were soooo cute! Currently gearing up for my move in July. Hopefully we will be moving. Haven't heard anything to the contrary.

My Grannie is doing okay but still gets confused. I wish I lived closer to help out. I wonder if she would like New Mexico. :) Went on a scrapbook get a way this weekend. It was good times & good food. Supposed to go again March 30th. Maybe I will get more than 8 pages done this time.

Taxing time is approaching & I am dreading getting all of my stuff together. I know Mike would like to get them done with the quickness, but I am dragging my feet. I am going to be claiming my photo biz this year & I think the unknown is scary.

Also scary this week I finally have to learn to give the dog his shots by myself. I know he needs them but I hate poking the little pooch. Mike is going to work the Nascar race in Nevada. He should be able to leave & have a good time without having to worry about if I am taking care of the dogs. Still sucks.

Also have to say one of my friends in Colorado passed away Feb 16th. Her name was Melissa Marr. She was a Longaberger consultant, homemaker, quilter, crafter & great friend. She was sassy, full of spirit & a joy to know. I will miss her stories & sassy ways. Knowing her made me a better person. That's all we can hope for is to do some good while we are here & leave the world a better place. Her husband is one of the kindest men I know. I feel bad that he is going thru such a tough time right now. Grief is hard to deal with especially when you have no family nearby. Say a little prayer for him as he goes thru these difficult days without Melissa.

I think Helen Keller said it best when she said "My friends have made the story of my life".

Valdosta GA

2007-02-01T07:53:00.000-07:00

It's a cute little town with several places that have FREE Wifi! Chick Fil A is my wifi of choice today. Maybe Krystal for dinner. Denny's was last night. I love how fast you fly thru the internet & surf at least during business hours. Starbucks my fave drink of choice normally will have to wait as they charge for theirs! Oh well my Granny is doing better thank goodness & I will be here till 2/9/07. I plan to spend lots of time with her.

I feel Creative today!

2007-01-11T11:41:00.000-07:00

Been a while since I have posted. Twice now I have started a post to update (anyone even checking this thing?) and typed a big old long message & either the computer has locked up or I accidently hit the close button. So forget it! I have been busy bottom line. I am starting the new year off with my new photography business "Candid Thoughts" Now I just need some clients! Hope your New Year is off to a good start!

Argh...There is a pirate in my midst!

2006-10-29T13:20:00.000-07:00

So Mike went to a Halloween party last night & I snapped a picture of him before he left. I love this shot it makes me think film for some reason. I used MarieC's deep b&w action to convert it. So I have been busy taking pics & working & school. So this week I am going to a photoshop seminar that should be pretty cool! That's it for now.

Tuesday already?

2006-10-17T10:39:00.000-06:00

So Sunday I had a chance to play & go with my new found friend & model Mary to Santa Barbara. We went to the County Courthouse & took some shots. She is gorgeous & the lighting was awesome which made for a great combination. She wore this incredible skirt that was flowing & green. She would make a great flamenco dancer. Maybe we will find her an outfit! LOL! We had lots of fun & people kept looking at us like we were crazy but who cares! We had fun. Not too mention Chipotle for lunch & El Torrito for dinner with tableside guacamole. I love guac! The only thing that would have been better would have been a margarita! But I was driving. :) Oh well off to work with my cold to infect the masses! :)

Fall is in the air & I love Halloween!

2006-10-14T11:44:00.000-06:00

So yesterday was a shopping day! I got new halloween socks & my new Halloween Old Navy T-shirt came! I love this time of year. I love the cute decorations, the pumpkin carving, spooky sounds, & little kids begging for candy! Mike is going to be a pirate. I have not decided. I did find some devil horns at Target with a forked tail. I think I will let my inner little devil come out to play! That or I might be a deviled egg. Still deciding. I love love love my new little socks. They are too cute. I am wearing the cat ones today & they are super soft. I want to go to the pumpkin patch but alas it is the weekend & everyone is going to be out there. I think I will wait to go during the week as it will be less crowded. Oh well off to coffee with Ginger!

I've been bad....About blogging that is!

2006-10-11T23:36:00.000-06:00

I have been busy! Doing what I have no clue! I have been going to school taking a graphic design class that is very interesting & challenging to me. I got an "A" for my midterm grade. I think you must just get bonus points for showing up & applying yourself! LOL! So I finally got my website up a couple of weeks ago & I really like how it turned out. I can say I did it myself with the help of a really easy site that is! No HTML for me! I did take some pics recently of my friend Susan. She looks phenomenal! She has lost a lot of weight & she is looking fabulous. I also did some one year shots for another gal. Her little boy was so cute running around eating cookies to make him happy! I caught this one shot of him eating the cookie & I love it! Still proofing. I guess that is what I am doing, along with school, catching up on my tivo'd shows, oh yeah & that job thing I do too! Catch ya on the flip flop!

Going home!

2006-09-23T13:25:00.000-06:00

I am soooo excited! Yesterday I purchased airline tickets for Mike & I to head back to the East coast for Thanksgiving. It is going to be sooo much fun to see my Mom & Ashley! Not too mention the family photo ops. They best get their smiles on as I am coming to town ladies! You need some updated snaps & I am the girl to take them! Now just to find someone to care for the pooches. Especially our high maintenance diabetic pup! Photo shoot today of a newborn! Can't wait it will be sooo much fun! I have also been making some fall cards & altered coaster frames! I feel creative! I also have some photo sessions to proof as well. So it should be a pretty busy weekend. I might add that it will be very nice to see my friend Christy & take her & Bre's pic together. Remember ladies model releases! Here is one of my favorites of Christy D.

Sometimes Life Can Be Tutu Much

2006-09-17T16:01:00.000-06:00

Yep here is our dog Heidi in a Tutu. See doesn't she look happy! You know she is smiling. Of course she's not looking at the treat in my hand but at my camera. Hey whatever it takes to get the shot! If I have to hold a chocolate bar above my husbands head I will do that too. LOL! So lately we have been checking out housing in Alamogordo, NM because as of July 2007 that is where we will be living. I think we may look for a couple of acres with a house. It would be nice to not hear the neighbor yelling at their kids or be concerned our dogs are barking too much or too loud. I guess we will just have to worry about them being bitten by snakes & such. Yikes! I don't care for snakes & I know I must have gotten that from my Grannie. She is deathly afraid of them. I can remember an instance as a child when one got in the house & she cleared the coffee table in the living room to the top of the sofa back, scooping me up on the way. I remember I patted her hand and said "Don't worry Nana, Papa & Mommy will kill the snake" How funny a little kid comforting an adult! They lived in an orange grove in Florida at the time. There were all kinds of critters in and around that place. I used to walk barefoot all around during the summertime when I would visit them from Virginia. They definitely lived off the dirt road! I had the best of both worlds, country girl in the summer & city girl in the winter. Hey how many girls do you know that can bait their own hook yet find a great deal on a sassy pair of strappy sandals? exactly! Ahh those were the days!

Wow what a day & now I am posting a 2nd time in one day!

2006-09-08T00:39:00.000-06:00

Write it down folks! Twice in one day! That is right it is still 11:32 pm pacific time & still today. Had a fun shoot with a gal that wants to get into modeling. I hope that she likes the shots I took of her. Her serious face was very cool & her eyes were amazing. She is so thin too! She is getting ready to move to GA for her first duty station in the Army. So let me know what you think! ;)

Wow almost a week has passed since I blogged!

2006-09-06T23:44:00.000-06:00

I am a bad blogger. I should really work on this I know. I am currently taking this Graphic Design class that is pretty cool & I am learning quite a bit more about photoshop than my previous knowledge. I have been pretty busy lately doing on location stuff for families & seniors. I wish I didn't have to work & could play all day! That would be the best. I guess I don't really have to work...It just helps fund my photo addiction! I really need to get cracking on my website & deciding on pricing for my page as well. So yesterday I found out that I delivered some Close to my Heart stuff to a customer at the wrong address a month ago! So, today I went & knocked on the door of the house that I left it on & noone answered...So I left a note. "Hey I left a bag at this address with CTMH stuff in it but it was supposed to go to 1317 E College, not 1317 W College, Please call me so I can stop by to pick it up" Think they will call??? They were probably stamping till their heart was content while I was knocking away at the front door. Ugh! They probably threw it in the trash thinking "who left this crap on my door" or "Oh, what a wonderful surprise! I should make a card!" I have to give a shout out to my friend Ginger as she is the bestest & her husband is in the hospital having some surgery. Also to my friend Liz...she may be gone but not forgotten, Mitzi in Vegas woo hoo! I still cannot believe next year in July I will be moving to New Mexico...Who is gonna wanna come visit me in New Mexico. I can't even get people to come out to California, let alone New Mexico. Oh well. Last but not least a shout out to my friend Christy D. She always makes me laugh! Even when we have gaps of connecting it only takes me 2 seconds to realize why I miss her on a daily basis. ;)

Hump Day! oh wait it's Thursday! Yikes!

2006-08-24T11:34:00.000-06:00

So this weekend I am supposed to do a Senior shoot but haven't heard too much from the Mom. Hopefully I will talk to her today or tomorrow. I have been playing with digital elements & babies! Loving the outcome! Did a Newborn shoot on Tues. The baby is soooo cute! She was not into being undressed or sleeping for any of the grand plans I had! I may ask to try again to get the artistic ones I wanted. Oh well must go & get ready for work.

A new baby to play with!

2006-08-18T11:01:00.000-06:00

So yesterday our friends Lori & Chad had their little baby girl & Ethan is officially a big brother! So we went to the hospital & I took a couple of snaps & will get to play more with her on Tuesday! I can't wait she is soooo little! In the meantime, I am going to Samy's Camera today for a lecture then after we are all going to the Santa Barbara Zoo to shoot from 5-8. I am very excited! Hope to meet some new photo friends while I am there. Will also be stopping by Chipotle too! Lions and tigers and bears...Oh My!

Monday Morning again!

2006-08-14T10:06:00.000-06:00

Well today I start my first graphic design class. I am pretty excited & hope that I can learn some useful things in this class. Not too mention my new friend Mariah from Digi photo class will be taking it too! I am getting that travel bug too. I feel the need to plant my feet on the East coast for a visit. It would be nice if I could line up some photo gigs to pay for my trip there! I miss my Mom & Sister! Then I also want to see my Grandparents & my family in FL! Ugh! See I need an East Coast Fix. The bad part is that when I take off work I don't get paid. So nothing like spending money you are not making! I did a wedding a week ago & I am still proofing the photos so that will take a while. My friend Dee Dee in Colorado Springs hooked up my web page for me! Thanks Dee Dee you are the best! So check out www.candidthoughts.com So long for now!

Busy Week!

2006-08-01T10:58:00.000-06:00

Well this week is off to a busy one! This past weekend Mike & I met Mom's Co-workers from H&W at Hearst Castle. It was really cool! We had a fun time hanging out & then ate dessert at the Madonna Inn. Yummy! I should have taken a pic of the cake I had. Today I have school, tomorrow night Mike & I are going to see Carrie Underwood at the Midstate Fair. Thursday school again. Friday or Saturday I may have a family photo shoot in SLO. Sunday wedding in Santa Barbara for Mike's friend Mike & his fiance Crystal. Should be beautiful as the wedding is at a garden by the coi pond. Ahh when will it slow down??? The madness!

Ahh The Dog Days of Summer...

2006-07-25T01:03:00.000-06:00

Well summer is here & some unseasonal heat has come with it. It's been in the 80's! I know that does not sound like a lot but it is for our neck of the woods. At least it cools down at night or Mr. Stuno would turn into Mr. Grumpypants. He can't sleep when he's hot. I think that is about the only time that man can't sleep... He would sleep the day away on the weekends if I didn't wake his butt up. I don't know how he does it! He also comes home for lunch & takes a nap! That man loves his sleep. On another note our friends Trisha & Jessie were up from Corona with their little guy Tristan. He is so cute that I had to take a few (60 or so) shots of him. I love his big dark eyes. We also looked at an awesome travel trailer that we wish we could afford. Oh well I guess we can dream! Ha! My Mom's girlfriends from work are coming to CA this week & I will get to see them on Sunday when we all go to Hearst Castle. I myself have never been. All I have to say is they better put their smile on for the photographer in tow!
Next week we will go to see Carrie Underwood in concert. It should be a great show & I can't wait to see her. Tomorrow is gym day, work & school at 3:45. Busy day ahead of me & I must get to bed! Aaackk! Not enough hours in the day.

TGIF

2006-07-14T09:29:00.000-06:00

Well, I made it to Friday! I had class last night & we started working on our next assignment which is an abstract photo. Should be interesting! Today I have a photo shoot after work at a park in Santa Maria & a shoot on Sunday. It's starting to get pretty crazy as word of mouth advertising is taking off not too mention I hung up some cards in the post office. I have also quickly become a collector of books such as Photoshop CS2, Photoshop Channels, How To Start Your Own Photography Business and so on. Next sememster I am going to take a graphic design course that will hopefully help me to do more things in photoshop. My goal is to be proficient in both! Ha! As of now I am in business but not quite hanging out my shingle. There is still that underlying fear of failure. Ugh! Anyway Mike & I are going to see Carrie Underwood in concert August 2nd @ 7:30pm. I am pretty excited & plan on taking a camera. So hopefully I will get some shots of her! Happy Friday to all!

Just Another Manic Monday...

2006-07-10T09:17:00.000-06:00

Well, here I sit in quiet rebellion in front of this computer. I am willing myself to get up & start getting ready. I have this fight everyday Monday-Friday. The job just bites, but the flexibility is great! So this weekend my friend Ginger came over on Sunday & we did her hair & makeup then we went to this building on base that looks like an old church & started shooting pics. It was really fun. Cars were riding by & people were staring. Hmm something about a girl in a wedding dress really catches their attention! I told her next time we will just hit the town & go around shooting earlier in the day. This time as we left the house the fog had started to role in & it was a little chilly. I am gearing up for a wedding that is August 6th! It will be at 2pm during the day & the lighting situation will be a little harsh. There is some open shade so I think the photos will be fine. Mike has taken 2 wks off to work on his project car. Yeah... where is the vacation of my dreams? Obviously will have to plan that one on my own & go myself. Oh well another Micro Monday is ahead of me at work. Hope your Monday is better than usual today!

Ahhh the weekend...

2006-07-01T02:28:00.000-06:00

Well today my friend Liz left town for good. She & her husband are enroute to Texas then onto Louisiana. Beware my Cajun friends Miss Sassy Pants is coming & you will like her! LOL! I cut out of work early today & went with Ginger & Liz to see "The Devil Wears Prada". You don't know how many times I must have picked this book up in the store to buy & didn't. The movie was cute I enjoyed it & then came home for pizza & watched the movie "Taxi" not too bad. Tomorrow I don't know what I will do. The above picture is from the carnival at the Lompoc Flower Festival. Pretty much the biggest thing that happens in Lompoc during the year. Off to bed I go!

Another day another nickel...

2006-06-29T11:08:00.000-06:00

Yeah here we are another day at the happiest place on Earth minus the rides. Not! Well, time will tell if I find something else to do in the meantime I guess I am stuck or until they really tick me off & I quit. Which is kind of likely considering the mood I am in. Just tired of being taken advantage of & putting up with the Drama Q. I saw a shirt at Target last night & I almost bought it. "Save the Drama for your Mama" How fitting that would have been. Oh well. School tonight. Also Liz & Homer will be leaving this week. We all had dinner together last night so here are some pics.

Ahh Monday is done now to get on with the rest of the week!

2006-06-19T23:38:00.000-06:00

You never like to wish away the days, but sometimes on Mondays you do find yourself wishing it was any other day than that one. So today I went in to work early as I was told we would be having a sales meeting via Skype with the Mexico Sales Dept & ours. Yep 2nd Monday in a row I went into work early for a meeting that never materialized. Hmmm... Are they testing me to get me into work earlier??? I think tomorrow I start my first class for digital photography and I have no idea where to go & I need to buy a parking pass. Ugh! Oh well it means I will be leaving work around 3pm on Tues & Thurs for the next 8wks. Yippee. The job market here is pretty sucky unless you are willing to commute 45min to an hour to Santa Barbara. I would love it down there to work if the drive wasn't so long. My friend Liz is finishing the last week of her Lompoc Sentence & then off to Louisiana she will go with her family. Meanwhile back at the ranch Ginger will hopefully be here till we leave at the same time. Hopefully she won't get time off for good behavior or anything like that! Mitzi should be coming to town as this is the week for Flower Festival. Maybe I will go this year as I have never gotten around to it that last 2 years. Always time for a first. On another note I talked to my friend Kim this week she is the one in the middle. She wants to come for a visit next year as this year will be her 40th birthday. Funny how things change & you are caught in the middle between two friends not really understanding why the 2 of them no longer speak. We used to be the 3 Amigas & now it's hang out with one or the other when I go home & always one will get the short end where my time is concerned as family does take priority. The funny thing about friendships even when our friends hurt our feelings aren't we supposed to forgive them & work thru it? why do some choose to shut down & turn away from those that care about them? It can be a great mystery to those that are left behind in the wake. I think everyone should be entitled to closure.

Well the weekend is almost over.

2006-06-18T23:59:00.000-06:00

Here I sit at the end of the weekend updating my blog. Today we went to a car show in Pismo Beach. There were a lot of cool cars there. A few I would not mind having myself. Finished up proofing Zenia's wedding shots & another shoot. Hung up a flyer in the post office for some possible business. Now I just need to get in gear & get that website done. Joined myspace & I am adding friends as I go! Hee Hee Hee! Weird to see an ex-boyfriend on there. Strange but true. Oh well. Time for bed as I have an 8am conference call in the morning for work. Yippeeee! That was sarcastic of course. Until another day.

Live Like You Were Dying

2006-06-09T11:10:00.000-06:00

That is one of my favorite songs by Tim McGraw. I think we sometimes get so tied up in the goings in & goings on that we forget that each day is a gift. So what if my friend doesn't want me to come take pictures for her wedding. Someone else will. Just because you want to give people a gift of yourself doesn't mean they want to accept it. Sometimes you just have to let go & move on. So today is a new day. I am running behind...but I leave you with this. When you were a kid & they picked you last for kick ball doesn't mean the others were better...they were just saving the best for last.