the "romantic" life of a military wife ...

Hollywood would have us believe that being a military wife is romantic ... for those of you who think my husband has carried me off from work in his uniform whilst everyone looks on & cheers well you would be way off. Being a military wife is anything but romantic, it's stressful & tiring & emotional & for me most of all frustrating. Saying all this i wouldn't change my life for anything.

But here begins a series of photos, taking using the technique ttv highlighting the not so romantic life we lead.

The Inspiration Avenue weekly challenge

I belong to a group of artists on Etsy known as Inspiration Avenue. As a group we work within different mediums, selling a variety of products but act together as advisers, colleagues & friends. Recently we decided to start a weekly challenge, a way for us to push ourselves & each other within our various mediums in a little friendly challenge. We each get to choose a "topic" it could be a color or a word or just something to get those "creative juices" flowing, & i get to choose the first topic of (drum roll please) ... Summer.

Now i know summer is all most at an end, & possible for the past couple of months it has been our inspiration already but now the seasons are in theory starting to change & we are experiencing a new side to it. In choosing it as my topic i want the artist to be able to take this ending into account, as well as all the things they have experienced the past few months. & i am assuming all those taking part in the challenge are in a part of the world where june, july & august are considered to be the "summer" months.

Summer as defined by the dictionary ...

sum·mer ¹

n.

1. The usually warmest season of the year, occurring between spring and autumn and constituting June, July, and August in the Northern Hemisphere, or, as calculated astronomically, extending from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox.

2. A period of fruition, fulfillment, happiness, or beauty.

3. A year: a girl of 13 summers.

v. sum·mered, sum·mer·ing, sum·mers

v.tr.

To lodge or keep during the summer: summered the herd in the south meadow.

v.intr.

To pass the summer: They summered at a beach resort.

adj.

1. Of, having to do with, occurring in, or appropriate to the season of summer:summer heat; summer attire.

2. Grown during the season of summer: summer crops.

So what's summer to me ... it's about bold colors ... yellow, green & red. It's being outdoors, long lazy days spent with friends & family, vacations, sun, sea, sand & ...! BBQ's, picnics, camping & traveling, big blue skies & glorious sunshine. It's about happiness & smiling, being silly & having fun. When i imagine summer i see sandcastles & children playing, lying by the pool & margaritas in the shade. No school & no work (for some), flowers, dresses & skimpy clothing.

So now i turn it over to you guys ... & anybody else out there who wants to take part in the challenge. You have 7 days to create something that falls under this theme, interpret as you will & i can't wait to see what we all come up with.

the lone blue cupcake ...

yes i know more cupcakes but he's all alone!

Cupcake Thursday

So today was "Cupcake Thursday ... which for those of you don't know about today, Thursday & i made cupcakes. Anyways it all started many many moons ago ... well actually 2 days when this lady contacted me asking if i had any photos of cupcakes. Well i didn't but i was all about getting some & i also had this cupcake recipe i'd been wanting to try so figured i'd spend my day off making cupcakes. & thus "Cupcake Thursday" was born. I'm not going to lie, it won't be a weekly thing or possibly even a yearly thing but it was fun (& messy) & at the end of it i got to eat cupcakes so really who can complain?

Running is like a drug ...

why is it that sweating your ass off makes you feel so good? ok maybe that sounds weird but seriously ... i know endorphins do it but i feel like it's something else. You muscles hurt & you don't want to move but you feel like top of the world. & that moment when you're running & your muscles sore from the last run stretch out, you can feel your body powering forward & even when it hurts there's this small part of you that has to go on.

happy anniversary to us!

Today is my 2 year wedding anniversary ... August 25th 2007 i sold my soul to the devil!! ok ok i married the most amazing guy (just don't tell him because we don't want him getting a big head & thinking i actually like him) & i have never been happier. He is my rock, my everything & well without getting soppy the most amazing thing that ever happened to me. I love him a little more every day. So here are some photos from our life together, our travels & well me & kevin being me & kevin. Enjoy!

352nd AMXS Squadron Christmas Party, 2006 - the night we became "official"

Wedding day - August 25th 2007

The Top of the Eiffel Tower, Paris - July 2008

Night river cruise, Amsterdam - September 2008

Mazatlan, Mexico - November 2008

Las Vegas - December 2008

The day the hubby came home from the sandbox, i had been stood out in the rain a while! - April 2009

Luxembourg City - May 2009

Miss Erica

So today i photographed one of the girls i work with ... she was my willing victim ... uhhhh "client" & it was awesome. Ok i know i should really hold back but WOW did i have a good time. We were going for a more fashion look, something i have really never tried & everything went fantastic.

I was lucky that another photographer, Chett Collier of Reserve Photo acted as my "assitant", & he has agreed to allow me to assist him in the future, teaching me more about the business & in particular lighting. This is something i am incredible excited about & i can't wait to learn everything he has to offer.

So anyways we went into Landstuhl for the shoot, taking photos around the little park & in an alley way a little down the road with Erica looking every bit the superstar she is. Moving through the locations & with Chett's support, plus a very active subject i grew more & more confident. We experimented with lighting, using an umbrella, flash & reflector all new to me, the flash creating some fantastic lighting, very Hollywood.

So now i have something new to add to my portfolio & a whole new world that i both love & can't wait to experiment with more.