Amy's Road

Zumba Obsessed

2012-02-06T21:28:00.001-06:00

Ok, I'll admit it. I talk about Zumba a LOT on Facebook. Probably more than most people I'm friends with care to hear about in one week...or even one day (unless they're Zumba-obsessed like me, of course). But I just can't help it people. It has quickly become a passion in such a short time for me.

I started taking Zumba about 8 months ago or so. I was at Gold's Gym, exercising on the elliptical and one of the Zumba classes was going on in the cardio room. I had seen them in there before but never really watched them. I couldn't help but notice how much fun they all seemed to be having. It sure looked like a lot more fun than doing the stupid elliptical machine that never goes anywhere and only does ONE movement the entire time. But I thought, I'm probably not coordinated enough for it.

I mean, I took dance back in the day. Check out my awesome pic as evidence. I know how to point my toes and hold my hands ballet style, but 1989 was a LONG time ago and well, I was never any good at it. (On a side note: I'm rockin' those poofy 80s bangs!!)

I wasn't sure I was brave enough to try Zumba on my own but I picked up a schedule anyway. When the next class I could make it to came around, I decided to give it one try and see if I could handle it. I figured there were women of all ages in there doing it, surely I could keep up with them. First class was hard but I had SO much fun and wanted to keep trying it. Plus, our instructor was this awesome, enthusiastic woman and she made the class just a ton of fun. (All those who know the amazing Kelly know what I'm talking about after taking one class with her!!). So I kept at it and was going several times a week at Gold's. I wasn't awesome but I wasn't horrible either. When Kelly opened her new Zumba home at Co-Motion a few months later, I followed her over (really, was there a choice? she's just too freaking amazing!) and started going there more and more. That's where this obsession really began!

I'm now a regular at Co-Motion and attend classes sometimes 5-6 times a week! I'd classify that as slightly obsessed. I realize I talk about it a lot and such but it's become such a joy to my days/weeks that I can't help it. It's the best way I've found to relieve any stress I may have in my life. Zumba is the only workout where I don't watch the clock like a crazy person until it's over. If I look at the clock, I keep hoping time will slow down so we can keep dancing! I'd like to say I'm this amazing dancer now, but let's be honest, I'm closer to the Jim Carrey side of this picture. I know I've improved some but let's just say I won't be teaching it any time soon!

I think one of my favorite things about taking Zumba is that I've met so many awesome people through it...enthusiastic, loving-life, happy, fun and friendly people. I don't just go now because I enjoy the workouts (which I do EVERY time) but also because I'm also a part of this great Zumba community. These are fantastic women who are all so different but all so amazing. Some are students, some are young professionals, some are stay-at-home Mom's, and some are even grandmothers. But they're all fabulous women who encourage me, laugh with me and shake it with me every time. I've never found any other workout where I've had this type of community.

Sometimes it still surprises me that I've taken up this obsession. I never would have thought a year ago that I would be so enthusiastic about Zumba. It just goes to show that you should always keep trying new things. I love that I have something that I look forward to after work almost every day. I love that I've brought some of my friends into this obsession as well and they're starting to become regulars at Co-Motion. I love how it makes me feel great about myself after every session I go to.

If you've ever wanted to try Zumba but thought you might not be any good at it, I say NO MORE EXCUSES! Try it once (and if you're in OKC, try it at Co-Motion with me!). I guarantee you'll have a great time!

my sister, my friend

2012-01-20T22:30:00.000-06:00

For some reason tonight, I sat down at my computer and felt compelled to write a blog post about my sister. Perhaps it's because I haven't seen her since Thanksgiving and I miss her a ton! And perhaps she's also on my mind because I'm going to visit her, my bro-in-law and my amazingly adorable nephew in a few weeks. Whatever it is, I'm feeling sentimental so I decided to write it all down and share it.

Growing up I guess you could say we had our differences. She was into dance, I was into sports. She loved to play piano, I loved to draw. She spent hours fixing her hair and makeup perfectly and I, well, I didn't know how to fix my hair very well until I was 18...maybe. And makeup? Forget about it. I don't even think I owned my own container of mascara until college.

We were polar opposites in many ways and we fought like cats and dogs at times. I annoyed the crap out of her and she confused the crap out of me. I remember that one time I sat on the stairs while she had her friends over and I recorded their conversation on a tape recorder. She was royally hacked off (and rightfully so!). But I did little stuff like that to bother her. It's just what little sisters do.

But no matter how much screaming, yelling, hair pulling, or even hitting we ever did, we always found a way to forgive each other and it usually didn't take long. We did the note system most of the time. My goodness, I would love to read all of those notes now! We had so many precious moments growing up together. We did silly stuff like slide down the stairs in our sleeping bags or come up with secret songs with each other. I have no idea why but we came up with a song called Feet To Feet. We'd lie with our backs on the couch, feet together, and sing this song while moving our feet back and forth. Maybe we were bored, I have no idea! I also remember many nights when we'd be lying in bed in our separate rooms and we'd talk to each other across the hall before falling asleep. She always made me say goodnight & I love you to her every time before falling asleep...because you never know what could happen and she wanted that to be the last thing we ever said to each other :)

I've always looked up to my sister (even though physically, I look down at her!). She's more grounded while I am the type that has my head in the clouds quite often. Besides my parents, she's the one I call right away with any big news. When I don't know what to do in a situation, she's my go-to person for advice. She is my lifeline, I suppose you can say. In my idea of a perfect world, we'd live next door to each other. I would come over and play with my awesome nephew every day and she would come over to bake with me or help fix my hair for a hot date! ;) Unfortunately, that's not the case. We haven't even lived in the same state together for years. But that just means that any time we have together is completely 100% cherished. I have learned that I cannot take for granted the time we have with each other anymore. It just goes by too quickly and so I try to savor the moments. I'm thankful I took up photography as a hobby quite a few years ago.

I love to collect great quotes and I came across this one while looking up some about siblings:

"To the outside world we all grow old. But not to brothers & sisters. We know each other as we always were. We know each other's hearts. We share private family jokes. We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys. We live outside the touch of time." - Clara Ortega

This just says it all for me. Outside the touch of time. It's so true. Our lives have taken different paths. We're not always able to be with each other. But I know that she's always a phone call away. And I know that the next time we're together it will feel like no time has passed at all. I can always be myself around her, as ridiculous as that may be. And we can still be silly together, even though we're both "adults" now. Our relationship isn't defined by only being sisters. We're also friends. We're definitely different from one another but it's our differences that makes our relationship so great at times. I learn from her and she learns from me.

I sit here tonight at my computer and I pray a prayer of thanksgiving for my wonderful, beautiful older sister. I am so blessed.

Now grab your box of tissues, Kristie. I know you're crying. ;)

Life with Insight...

2011-12-20T22:38:00.001-06:00

Ok it's been a while since I've written anything legitimately great on here about my life. Lately it's been videos or pictures or product reviews. So tonight I felt compelled to update the old bloggeroo with something noteworthy about ME and where I am right now.

Seven months ago I started working at Insight Creative Group. Have you ever known you were just meant for a certain job? When I found out about Insight several years ago, I remember thinking that I would love to work there. They looked like a fun, creative group of people who knew how to be serious and let loose at the same time, while coming up with some killer awesome work. I kept up with their stuff online and knew that if the opportunity ever arose, I would apply for a job there. Well it definitely came around and I went knocking. And from the first interview, I just felt like it was a good fit. It felt like somewhere I could thrive.

I am happy that my judgment was spot on. I work in an incredibly awesome office with some really amazing people. I love what I do! Love. It. I look forward to going into work every day. I love being surrounded by other talented people and how it pushes and motivates me to think differently and come up with new ideas. I love how our office feels like one big family. We all have our moments, don't get me wrong. And it definitely can get stressful, but overall it's a really great work environment and I feel beyond blessed to be there. I can already see a big improvement in the quality of my work since I've been there. Rock on.

Some of my favorite office-bonding moments have occurred just in the month of December this year. We recently had a Design Team Progressive Dinner Party at the beginning of the month. It. was. epic. I guarantee this event shall take place again next year. Just a few of the highlights below, including some awesome Xbox kinect dancing moves...

Then this past week we had our annual Giving Day. The entire office was broken up into groups of 2 and we traveled to Target & Burlington Coat Factory, where we bought gifts for various children/families for Christmas. We were given an amount to stay in budget and then sent on our merry way to come up with items. After purchasing it all, we came back to the office to wrap it all up. Then a few of us went out to distribute them to the various charities. I am so thankful to be a part of a company that gives back like this! Later that night we also had our company Christmas party. And it was, again, epic. Unfortunately I didn't take pics during the Christmas party, but here are some from Giving Day...

Finally, I leave you with our annual Christmas video. This year we're doing something that not only is creative but also gives back. It's all about 3 words that sum up what Christmas means to you. When you tweet the hashtag #3wordsforgood, Insight will donate $20 to local charities until we reach our $25,000 goal. Check out our website ICGChristmas.com and watch the video below...

i am blessed

2011-11-25T00:13:00.001-06:00

My Xmas Present to Myself

2011-11-20T08:28:00.001-06:00

Warning: nerdy post if you aren't into photography :)

It seems like every year around this time I get some new photo equipment. It's mostly because I do a ton of sessions in October & November before the holidays and I save it all up. This year I was saving for a super wide angle lens. I was all set on getting the Nikon 10-24mm. It's an awesome lens and I loved the range it has. I had looked into the Tokina 11-16mm but, although it gets down to f/2.8, I just felt it didn't have the range I was really wanting. It seems more of a prime lens. After looking online and researching it, I was about to purchase it when I decided to call up one of the local photography stores and see if they had it in stock. When I talked to the guy, he said they didn't but they had a Tamron 10-24mm. I did a lot of research before and several people on websites declared the Tamron a flop. But I had borrowed the Tamron before (as well as the Nikon) and I got some really great results with it last year. If my eye couldn't tell the difference I wondered if most other people really couldn't tell either. The guy also mentioned that Tamron actually makes this lens for Nikon. It's practically the same lens with some differences, of course. The Nikon is definitely more durable, whereas the Tamron is more plasticky. That didn't really surprise me. Oh and the Nikon says "Nikon" on it. Yay.

I love Nikon, don't get me wrong. I think they make the best glass in the industry. But this time around I decided to go with the third party lens. For one, it was almost half the price of the Nikon lens. That alone was enough to seal the deal. And secondly, I won't be using this lens all the time. My Nikon 24-70 will still be my lens of choice, I guarantee it. It's a fantastic lens and usually has the range I'm wanting. But I really wanted a super wide angle for more dramatic shots. I plan on using it for architecture, interiors, and perhaps now & then with people. When I want something different, I'll pull out that lens. So because of that, I felt like getting the Tamron was a good decision.

This Christmas lights picture was taken last year with the Tamron I borrowed.

Move. Learn. Eat.

2011-11-16T09:14:00.001-06:00

One of the most inspiring video series I've seen in a while created by STA Travel Australia. Can I have their jobs please? :)

Slowcooker Turkey Chili

2011-11-15T07:40:00.001-06:00

This recipe is taken from Southern Living. It's sooooo delicious and so easy. I'm pretty sure my crockpot is my best friend and I plan on using it a lot more often for recipes and just freezing meals. I pretty much followed this recipe exactly except I added some white kidney beans and diced green chiles.

Ingredients

1 1/4 pounds lean ground turkey
1 large onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 (28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1 (15-oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (8-oz.) can tomato sauce
1 (1.25-oz.) package chili seasoning mix
1/2 teaspoon salt
Toppings: shredded Colby and Monterey Jack cheese blend, finely chopped red onion

Preparation

1. Cook first 3 ingredients in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until turkey crumbles and is no longer pink; drain. Spoon mixture into a 5 1/2-qt. slow cooker; stir in corn and next 7 ingredients until well blended.
2. Cook at HIGH 4 to 5 hours or at LOW 6 to 8 hours. Serve with desired toppings.

Balsamic Chicken Recipe

2011-11-14T08:39:00.001-06:00

I pre-cooked a bunch of chicken last night for the week. It's the first time I've ever really planned this far in advance for my meals for the week and honestly, it wasn't easy. The chicken turned out SOO good and I've already divided it up into 4 separate meals. It will do well on salads or just by itself. I highly recommend this recipe. It was super easy. I just mixed up the marinade, let it sit overnight and cooked it in the morning. Here's a link to the recipe on All Recipes, one of my favorite recipe sites: Balsamic Marinated Chicken Breasts.

10 Day Healthy Eating Kick-Start

2011-11-13T10:08:00.001-06:00

We're now in home stretch for the holidays. I cannot believe in just a week and a half we'll be sitting down for our Thanksgiving meal. Nothing excites me more than that meal, let me tell you. Turkey, stuffing, green beans, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, crescent rolls and gravy...lots and lots of gravy. Ugh.

I have nothing against small food indulgences in life, but I am having trouble emphasizing the word SMALL in my diet lately. Instead of maybe one weekly small indulgence, I seem to be working on a daily schedule, which has lead to some extra pounds I'm carrying around. I've posted on this blog before about how I'm going to stop doing this and blah, blah, blah. But do you know how HARD it is at my office? We seem to have sweets and such up there ALL THE TIME! They joke about the Insight 5 (or even 10) that every new person gets. I'm definitely sensing I fell into that. Where did my discipline go? Where is that Amy who lost 70 lbs a few years ago? I know she's still around...

I think where I've been coming up short is not having a plan. When I had all that motivation and determination before, I had a really good plan in the works. And I stuck to it. After I reached my goal, I was all about maintaining for a while. But then I let little things creep back into my diet and before I knew it, I'm where I'm at now. I need to drop about 20 lbs. Nowhere near my 70 before, but still a good amount that needs to come off.

I may seem a bit crazy to be starting a 10 Day Diet right before the holidays. But honestly, I can't think of a better time to get a plan in the works BEFORE I'm bombarded with the food temptations coming my way pretty soon. If I gather my discipline now and work up my will-power, I think I'll be set for making it through Christmas without gaining and preferably LOSING some pounds.

What worked really well for me before was the South Beach Diet. I'm not going to sit here and advocate that you do this diet. It worked for me and so I want to go back to it. The first phase is rather strict, as it restricts you from eating fruits and breads for an entire 2 weeks and emphasizes lean proteins and lots of veggies. I'm going to abide by this again, even though I really love fruit and will find it hard to refrain. The reason why I'm doing this for 10 days instead of 2 weeks is that I know it will be really hard to resist a Thanksgiving meal. So I will allow myself that meal (in moderation of course...no stuffing myself), but after Thanksgiving, I'm going to start bringing fruits and whole grains back into my diet. A while back I purchased the Eat Clean Diet book and that will be my new motivation after Thanksgiving....to eat clean.

Another thing I'm doing to help in the process is planning out my meals for an entire week ahead of time. If I have a plan, my discipline is much stronger. I've noticed this about myself in the past. If I don't set a goal, I have nothing I'm aiming towards. It's hard to plan out one-person meals so most of the things I'll cook will be for 2 meals. I plan on writing down my entire weekly plan on my blog for those interested in what I'm making. I might also list some of the recipes I use. Granted, these will be South Beach friendly recipes, so keep that in mind.

As far as exercise goes, I feel pretty solid in my plan already. I have never had a hard time wanting to exercise or keeping up with it. I go to Zumba at least 2-3 days a week and I'm at the gym on other nights. I feel if I just get my diet in gear, I'll start seeing some results on the scale.

So...here's to my 10 Day Healthy Eating Kick-Start! And here's to making it through the holidays without gaining weight!!

Where have I been?

2011-10-27T00:04:00.002-05:00

Yikes, my last post was September 16th. And those were only pictures. Well, sorry to all my 5 disappointed readers. I know you've been eagerly anticipating my next post. Truth is, it's been a very busy month and I've had family in town for a majority of it. PLUS, work has been extra busy, especially this week since we have 2 designers out on vacation. Ok...I'm beginning to sound like a cheating spouse. I better stop there.

I've actually been debating whether or not to maintain this blog anymore. I've liked blogging, don't get me wrong, but I just never do it anymore. On the other hand, I suppose there isn't a specific quota I need to meet, though. Half the time I'm blogging for myself anyway. I guess I'll keep the blog for now and just see how I feel down the road more.

So, considering I don't have anything deep on my mind at the moment, I'm going to borrow from an old post idea and list some of my most recent obsessions.

Zumba

Who would of thought that I'd love dancing in public...with people...without shame? Did I mention in public? I absolutely LOVE Zumba! I started taking it about 6 months ago at Gold's Gym (used to be Aspen Athletic Club). After one class, I was hooked. I feel rather lucky in that my first class was with one of the best instructors around. I started attending her class regularly but when I took the position at Insight, I could only go once a week. Thankfully, she has now opened her own studio, Co-Motion Group Fitness, and I can attend 4 times a week if I want!

Sunflower Farmers Market & Whole Foods

I'm lumping these two together. Sunflower opened a couple months ago. Their motto: Serious Food, Silly Prices. They are an organic grocery store with lower prices than most in their market. They offer some really great deals on produce, meats, etc each week. Not everything is priced great but overall, they definitely offer some great deals. Whole Foods opened this month. Holy cow that place is awesome. They truly know how to make a store look and feel beautiful. I found myself wanting to buy more and more and more and had to tell myself to stop. Even if you KNOW they do this to you through their pretty little store setup, it's hard to resist its charm. I mean, they even make sausages behind a meat counter look pretty. I loved the freshly ground peanut butter. SO AMAZING. Also I'm going to love their cheese selections and fresh baked breads. Bought a little of both tonight and I was not disappointed. Neither one of these grocery stores will be my regular store to shop at but I will say they offer a lot of things that other grocery stores do not.

Out with the OLD in with the NEW...TV shows

I've given up on a show I've watched for years: Biggest Loser. I never thought I would give up on this show but I'm just fed up with it. For one, Jillian left and she really was part of the glue that held the show together with Bob. It just doesn't really work without the two of them working together. Secondly, I cannot stand how they push advertisements at you in that show...and I WORK in advertising! I just don't like their method of pushing it at you DURING THE SHOW. Like we cannot tell they're ACTING when Bob comes up to a contestant and is like "Hey, I have a great way you can stop craving sugary snacks. Try chewing on some Extra sugar free gum." Seriously. And thirdly, I'm not happy with some of the trainers methods for helping contestants lose weight. It just doesn't seem practical because when they get home, it will be so much more challenging to lose it and keep it off. I like the concept of the show but it's time to move on.

New show obsessions: Revenge and Pan Am. ABC has the market on creative dramas, let me tell you. I go to NBC for Comedy and ABC for drama. Anyway, back to these 2 shows. I don't want to ruin anything so I'll just let you check out their pages on ABC. Revenge is rather dark and twisted. Pan Am is mostly drama with a twist of suspense. Both make for great TV.

3 Things...

2011-09-16T00:19:00.003-05:00

Three things to know, in the best way I can communicate.

Built to last...

2011-09-13T00:09:00.003-05:00

I posted this picture on my facebook page tonight but felt it would make a great topic on my blog.

I love this lone tree in a field. It's all by itself out there but obviously flourishing. It isn't daunted by its status; it has strong roots and is placed in a healthy ecosystem. Sure, it probably faces more wind and more of the elements with no other trees around it. It may have been through some really rough times, barely able to hang on some days. As you can see, it's not perfect. It shows scars from its battles. A few of the limbs have fallen or are broken and hanging to the ground. This tree could use some attention. However, despite all these hardships, it's made it through and happens to be one of the largest trees around.

If this tree had the chance, do you think it would have chosen where it was planted? I do. Even if it has to face harder elements out there. Just think, its roots don't have to compete with other trees around it. It has all that space in the soil to spread it's roots far and wide. And no other trees around it steal the sunlight from it's leaves. When you look at it from this perspective, the tree is better off than its companions in the wooded areas surrounding it.

I think, being single, I can relate to this lone tree. I'm kinda on my own out there. Yes, I have my friends and family around me, but, like this tree, there's kind of a gap between us. I don't quite fit into this couples-driven society. If I were to be honest, I'd say I want to be in the "woods". This alone thing isn't always easy. It can be downright frustrating and hard. But I also see that I'm a pretty strong person on my own, like this tree. I've planted myself in good soil by planting myself in a relationship with God. In Him, I'm allowing my roots to grow deep and strong. I'm not saying that you can't do this if you're married. I'm just saying, like the tree, when you're single, you have more opportunities to focus on God because you have less people biding for your time.

I guess there are positives and negatives to both sides. I think the most important lesson I get from this tree is grow where you're planted, even if you're on your own. You may just find out you're built to last.

Should I stay or should I go?

2011-09-06T23:04:00.000-05:00

Have you asked yourself these questions before?

Should I stay in this job or should I look for something new? Should I stay in this city or is it time to head on out? Should I stay with this person or is it time to move on?

Such difficult questions. Choosing one course over the other can impact your entire life AND can potentially impact others' as well. Weighs on you a little, doesn't it? Want to hear my brilliant advice?

MAKE A DECISION.

There. You heard me right. CHOOSE. But don't just half-heartedly choose. When you decide to go one route, go at it with all your might, for this is the path you have chosen and you should blaze its trail.

Ok, backing it up a little...I think what I'm trying to say here is you really have to trust your heart. You need to be in tune to what it's saying to you. If you get a weird feeling or a huge excitement over something, don't ignore it. Pray about it. Talk to someone about it. Sometimes God give us those little feelings for a reason. He's TELLING YOU SOMETHING. It ain't gonna always come in bright neon lights! I can think of many instances where I've had these "nagging" feelings in my own life. Some that stand out to me the most:

One: Taking my first Photoshop class in college and knowing I was meant to be a designer for a living.
Two: Hearing someone talk about the HIM (Helpers in Missions) Program at church and knowing I had to do it after college.
Three: Knowing it was time to move on from my job and start looking for a new one.

Do you see the trend with these things? In all of them, I KNEW something right away. It was almost instantaneous in all of them, actually. But, it's not enough to know you need to do something. You actually have to DO it once that feeling starts growing inside of you. I can't say that enough. Most of these nagging feelings I knew pretty quickly what I needed to do. But some of them I did not act on very quickly. The nagging only got worse. Take my job situation. I knew for a long time it was time for me to move on, but I never put in the effort to search for something new. So I stayed at my job and just brooded over the thought that I should do something. Then one night I had a "moment" at my Connections church group. I decided it was time to stop brooding and start acting. I got online that night and found the job listing for my current job I hold at Insight Creative Group.

I encourage you to ACT, people! You might not always make the right decision. And your heart could possibly be in the wrong place every now and then. BUT, if you sit by and let your life pass you by without acting upon your gut feelings, are you really being true to yourself? I think it's definitely important to weigh your decisions still. I'm not telling you to act without thought. (You did NOT hear that from me). Choose to be a decision maker in your life. Don't let life just pass you by and at the end you're left with only a bunch of "what if's".

Random Ramblings

2011-09-04T15:52:00.000-05:00

Random stuff that has crossed my mind the past several days:

Why do you have to pay for air at certain gas stations? Seriously. It's air. Shouldn't it always be free? I refuse to pay when I need to air up my tires. Thankfully 711 and a few other stations provide it for free. Conoco, get with the picture.

I am addicted to Starbucks Coffee Light Frappucino's. Two days in a row I drove out of the way to a Starbucks to get one. Today I ended up with a Venti. Why in the world did I get a Venti? I mean, it's massive. Of course, I drank it all anyway. I'm pretty sure this obsession is soon to be replaced by Pumpkin Spiced Latte's. Oh how I love fall!

Speaking of fall...it's like 82 outside right now. I. AM. SO. EXCITED. Sooooooo excited! I literally debated grabbing a long sleeve cardigan for church this morning. But, I didn't want to look ridiculous. It's in the 80s still...not 55. But it feels so amazing outside! Why am I inside blogging right now??

I've started taking Body Pump twice a week at Gold's Gym. Besides Zumba, this is my favorite group class at Gold's. It's basically a group weight training class. You have the big bar with the weights you load on the side and the instructor leads you through all sorts of exercises (lunges, squats, bicep curls, triceps, etc) in an hour long class. Let me tell you, IT IS HARD! My first week, I was literally about to die afterwards. Muscles shaking, twitching, and SORE. I was sore for almost the rest of the week, probably because I hadn't done any weight training for 3 months. After starting my new job, I was no longer able to take my weekly group class with my amazing personal trainer friend Elizabeth. I'm glad to have found this other class as an alternative though. Now if I can just get my diet on track, things would be great :)

I got flipped off twice last week. TWICE!...by the same woman. I was on my way to church and pulled up to a stop light behind another car. I wasn't thinking and ended up blocking the entrance to a gas station. I usually am pretty nice about remembering so that people can pull in but I was kind of in an early morning daze. Anyway, this lady was trying to pull in and apparently it just ruined her entire day that I blocked the entrance, so she VERY BLATANTLY flipped me off. She proceeded to turn into the entrance BEHIND me that wasn't blocked and pulled up the pump right next to where I was still stopped at the light. She looked at me and once again, very aggressively, flipped me off! I actually just started laughing at this point, which I'm know she saw and it probably pissed her off more. I literally couldn't believe her reaction. I kinda felt bad for her actually. She obviously has some serious issues if she's getting all upset over something like that.

I got some blonde highlights in my hair last week but I'm kinda disappointed. They're not as blonde as I would have liked. I mean it looks nice, just not what I had pictured. Next time I go back, I'll have to make sure she picks a brighter blonde. This is more amber than I wanted.

I've decided I will no longer work at a job if I don't love doing it anymore. I think with this new job, I've finally realized how awesome it can be to totally be doing something you love. And I can't go back. Nope. If I don't love doing it, then it's time to move on. Life is way to short to stay stuck in a place that you only view as punching a clock in order to get paid. Even if what I'm doing doesn't pay a ton, it far outweighs doing something you hate.

That's all I got folks. Time to go Zumba. Thanks for sitting through my ramblings.

I am blessed...

2011-08-29T22:30:00.001-05:00

Do you ever have moments where you realize just how blessed you've been in life? I know I've had many of those over the years. Most have occurred during times I've been overseas in different lands and have seen firsthand the poverty and despair around me. Other times it's been in quiet moments when I reflect on how much God has protected me from the evils of the world. But tonight, it came in the form of a phone call from my Grandma. She called to thank me for a photo book I put together of our family reunion we had recently for her 80th birthday. Such a simple thing, I know, but it was her words that touched my heart and made me once again give praise to God for the blessings I've had in life of a loving family. We're by no means perfect. And we're all VERY different from one another. Different beliefs, different lifestyles. But every time we come together, there are so many laughs and good times that it's hard not to sit back and realize that this is rare. Not every family can boast of such loving, cordial relationships. Every day on the news you hear of many stories of families in turmoil. I find it unbelievable that the very people who swear to love each other end up tearing each other apart. Fortunately, I've been blessed to be a part of a loving, caring family. In tough times, we've been there for one another. In celebration, we've shared those moments together. Over the years, I've learned that not every family has these same blessings and I've grown more thankful for my family.

As I've grown older, I've learned that I need to cherish each and every moment I have with my family. You just never know when it could be the last. When I was out in California last month, I sat around my family and soaked it all in. I didn't just take pictures with my camera, but I took mental "snaps" of every great moment. I don't want to forget that weekend and the wonderful times we had together. Times spent around a campfire, laughing and roasting marshmallows. Times spent playing games with hula hoops. Times spent taking walks, talking about our lives and just being around one another. These are the moments in life we all remember the most. They're the ones worth more than all the gold and silver in the world. I hope if you're reading this you can also boast of a great, loving family in your own life. If you have it, be thankful for it. But if you come from a family background that has been ripped apart by hatred or grief or indifference, I pray that in the future you can find peace and come to a point of reconciliation with your family.

I don't know if God will ever bless me with a family of my own. I pray that it will happen one day. I pray for a husband and children I don't even know exist. I pray for these things because I realize the value of family and how beautiful it all is. God created us to be a part of families from the beginning. First, we're a part of His family. He is our loving Father, we are his children. Second, we are a part of our families here on earth. These are sacred bonds and I pray that I may discover the joy of creating my own earthly family one day. But until that day comes, if it does come, I will still give my praise to God for letting me grow up in a loving family. It's definitely been a blessing.

Summer creations...

2011-08-25T22:42:00.001-05:00

You would think after an entire day or week of designing at my job, I would grow sick of it. I guess you know you're doing something you love when you really don't get tired of it. However, normally I do like to get out and enjoy my evenings after working all day on a computer. But this summer, with our insane heat wave that has just continued for months on end, I've found myself back on my computer at night. There's not much on TV anyway.

I haven't just been killing time, though. Most nights I actually do beneficial things. I've done a few projects here and there for The Consortium over the summer, which is the artist's group I'm a part of. Most of it has been book cover designs. I've also worked on editing pictures that I've taken for photo sessions. I've been averaging 2-3 sessions per month, which isn't much but considering I do this as a hobby, and not my profession, it's enough for me! But some evenings, when I have no extra work to do for anyone else, I sit down and go through a photoshop tutorial. Maybe it's something I want to learn to do better or maybe it's just playing around with settings for hours and seeing what I can create. There are a lot of resources online that you can use to help you learn how to design better. I've used a few but one of my favorites is PSD Tuts. There are some killer designs on there and it's helped me figure things out I never knew you could do in Photoshop. Anyway, here are some of my Summer creations. The first two are the book cover designs I did and the others are just me playing around in Photoshop.

Portfolio Website Makeover

2011-08-21T11:04:00.000-05:00

It isn't exactly how I want it but it's definitely an improvement. I've revamped my portfolio website once again. Every time I do this, I seem to make it even more simplistic than the last time. I guess my design style has sort of gone towards that route. I just use iWeb on my Mac to create my site for now...because it's simple and less time consuming for me at the moment. I plan on designing a much more interactive site some time down the road but I just never seem to find the time! Anyway, I'm happy with this for now. Check it out :)

amynickersondesign.com

Strawberry Banana Flaxseed Smoothie

2011-08-06T12:56:00.005-05:00

My favorite smoothie is a Strawberry Banana Flaxseed mix. I make this at least 2-3 times a week for breakfast.

Ingredients:
1 Banana
4 Large Strawberries
2 Tbs Flaxseed
2 Tbs Plain Greek Yogurt
6-8 oz Almond Milk

I also add blueberries or raspberries sometimes. The flaxseed and almond milk give it a slightly nutty flavor that I LOVE. Try it sometime!!

Updated List!

2011-07-21T23:14:00.001-05:00

I updated my "30 Before 30" list, so check it out on the link above. I mean, if you want to. I won't force you to, but you should, because I plan on doing some really cool stuff. You know, because I'm cool. Or something like that...

I realized my last list was not a great reflection of attainable goals that could be reached within a year. If I had started that list when I was 25, I would already be done by now and celebrating my awesomeness. But I started it at 29 and I didn't want to get to my 30th birthday next year and be sobbing over my massive cake, which is all to myself, for not even getting half of my list accomplished. (However, the sobbing might help with putting out the massive flames coming from 30 stinkin' candles.)

Who says you can't rework your goals or aspirations anyway? I think they constantly evolve with us because we're constantly progressing (or at least I HOPE I'm constantly progressing). My new list is a better reflection of where I'm at right now and also keeps in mind my schedule and my income (important!!). The last list was more of a "bucket list". Anyway, I promise I won't be making any changes to the list from now on. It's set! I didn't get rid of everything from the old list. There were about 12-13 on there that I kept. And some of them I'd already accomplished so you betcha I wasn't leaving them off! Let me know what you think of the new 30 Before 30!!!

I've come a long way...

2011-07-10T13:58:00.000-05:00

I need to remember that sometimes. When I got all frustrated the other day with my little bit of weight gain that I've put on over the past 6-7 months or so, I kind of freaked out for a second. I had visions of me going back to where I was about 4-5 years ago, before I lost all the weight. I panicked that I was on track to gain it all back. In fact, I felt like I HAD gained it all back, when actually I hadn't even put on 1/3 of what I lost. I guess the greatest fear for someone who has lost a lot of weight is gaining it all back.

Perhaps I needed that little bit of reality check. I needed to be reminded how important it is to eat healthy because it can be so easy to reverse it all. But in that moment, I forgot about how far I had come. I forgot that I'm not the Amy of the past, even if my diet hasn't been the greatest in several months. I have a different sense of purpose in my life and just because I went back a few steps, it doesn't mean that I can't move forward again. I decided to do something I never like to do. I looked through old photos, specifically the ones of me at my heaviest several years ago. And I was blown away again. I don't even know that girl anymore. And I sure don't look like her now, even with my few extra pounds.

Here's some reference pictures. These photos are taken almost 4 years apart to the day...I know this because they were taken either on or near my birthday. I weighed my heaviest ever in 2007. The picture in April 2011 is about what I weigh now. And although I'm not at my thinnest, I know I still feel and look happier than what I used to.

I'm eating clean...I mean it this time!

2011-07-07T23:09:00.005-05:00

I picked up the Eat Clean Diet book a while back and I believe I even blogged about how I was going to start eating this way. Hm, that didn't happen back then. Well, I've decided it's time to actually follow through on my word. I wouldn't call the Eat Clean Diet an actual "diet", though. It's more of a lifestyle, which is good because I absolutely hate the concept of dieting. To put it in a nutshell, eating clean means you're basically shopping on the outer edges of your grocery store. That removes a lot of the junk in the middle, which includes all the processed foods. Eating clean is all about choosing lean proteins, complex carbs, healthy fats, and lots of green! It's eating the way nature intended us to eat. What do I like about it most? You don't count carbs or points or fat grams, you don't have to starve yourself, you don't have to buy any pre-packaged food and you don't have to take any pills or whatnot. It's really just healthy eating. Which sounds so simple but yet it's so hard for Americans, myself included. We're given too many food choices and so much of that is artificial junk, where we can't even pronounce half of the ingredients in the "food" we're eating.

Anyway, I'm not trying to sell the Eat Clean method on any of you. I just think it's something that everyone can benefit from. Yes, eating this way will be challenging. It means rethinking how and WHY you eat certain foods. And it means resisting a lot of tempting things that you know will be no good for you in the long run. Today I already had to resist donuts at the office (again). 4 huge boxes of donuts with all sorts of sugary deliciousness. But I thought, if I eat one, it will taste good for the moment, but later on, I'll be a lot more hungry again and I'll have a sugar crash and want more to eat. And then maybe I'll give in and have another one, since they're still around. One donut can turn into 2 so easily and that's maybe 600 calories (or more) that are totally unhealthy for me and give me no nutritional benefits. So, I didn't have one. It was easier to come to that conclusion once I thought it through.

Instead, I plan on bringing these to the office next week. I'm curious to try them and would love having a healthy snack item around instead of those evil donuts! :)

Sweet Potato Oat Bars
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
5 Sweet Potatoes (washed and trimmed of fibers)
4 cups of Oats (the 3-5 minute kind)
3/4 cup Skim Milk soured with 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1/4 cup Finely Ground Flaxseed
1/2 cup Maple Syrup
2 Tbsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
2 Tbsp Coconut Butter
1/2 cup Dried Fruits (raisins, dates, cherries and/or blueberries) chopped
1/2 cup Raw Unsalted Nuts (almonts, walnuts and/or pecans) chopped
Pinch of Sea Salt

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare a 9"x13" (1" deep) baking dish by coating lightly with olive oil.
Prick sweet potatoes all over. Place in oven and bake until tender. (Depending on the size of the potatoes, this can take 30 minutes to an hour). Remove from oven and let cool. When cool enough to handle, remove potato peels and place flesh in large mixing bowl. Leave oven on and set heat to 400. (Tip: or microwave the heck out of them and save some time. Also consider cooking the potatoes the day before so that you don't have to wait for them to cool.)
Add all remaining ingredients to sweet potato mixture. Mix well.
Press into prepared baking dish. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden on top.
Remove from heat and let cool. Cut into squares.

Update 7/10: Made these this weekend and they're FABULOUS! I highly recommend them. Only things I did differently: I couldn't find coconut butter, so I used Smart Balance butter. But I found out that coconut butter and coconut oil are the same thing so if you have that, you can use it. Also, I had some agave nectar syrup with maple flavoring that I used instead of just pure maple syrup. But I can't see that making such a huge difference in the overall taste. I used raisins and blueberry craisins for the dried fruit and toasted pecans for the unsalted nuts. These are very hearty and tasty snacks. I love them and will be making them again and again, I'm sure.

taking control...

2011-07-06T22:31:00.002-05:00

I've become lazy with my diet again and sadly, my scale is showing it. So, this week I've cleaned out the shelves, tossed all the junk and I'm back on track! I'm trying to shed some pounds I've slowly put on the over past year or so. It's crazy how that can happen. It's not like I have been constantly eating bad. But I'd slip here and there and let it spiral on to another week and another week. I'm not sure many people have recognized that I've put on a few extra pounds (I think my height helps with that) but I can tell. My clothes are a bit tighter and getting uncomfortable and I hate it. And it's crazy, because while I've had a bad diet, I haven't stopped exercising regularly. I go to the gym at least 4 times a week. It just goes to show how important your diet really is.

Instead of freaking out, I'm taking charge. That's what weight loss is all about...taking charge. So, I've slipped up. So, I've fallen victim to the power of food. Well, all that is stopping because I'm taking back control! I've researched some new healthy things I can add to my diet that I'm pretty excited about and I thought I'd share them on my blog for those interested.

Flaxseed: the most powerful plant food on the planet. Or so WebMD says. Why is flaxseed so great? Well it's high in fiber, low in carbs and rich in Omega-3's. Flaxseed's need to be ground in order to benefit from the nutrients, otherwise it just passes through your system. You can add flaxseed to a number of things, which is why it's so great. Put it in your yogurt, smoothie, cereal, salad, eggs. Add it to baked goods such as muffins, pizza, brownies, breads. Or even add it to casseroles, meatloaf, meatballs, etc. It's so versatile and has so many health benefits. I purchase the Bob's Red Mill Whole Ground Flaxseed Meal. It comes already ground, which I like. You just have to make sure you keep it in the fridge and use it regularly because it can go bad. Keep track of the expiration date.

Coconut Milk: 50% more calcium than dairy milk. I purchase the Silk Pure Coconut Milk, original flavor. It also comes in Vanilla, but I don't want the added sugar. Coconut milk is great for those who are lactose intolerant, too. And it honestly tastes amazing. The coconut flavor is subtle, for those who are not big coconut fans, but still very tasty like milk. One downfall is the price. It's definitely more expensive than cow's milk. But they do offer a coupon on their website, if you just want to try it out.

Green Tea: high in antioxidants & boosts metabolism. I haven't given up my coffee this time around but I have reduced it and in it's place I'm putting in green tea. I've known for a while the benefits from drinking green tea regularly, but I have a hard time during the summer wanting to drink hot tea. Funny, I've never felt that way about coffee :). Anyway, I'm hoping to consume at least 2 cups of green tea a day to help suppress my appetite and keep me feeling fuller for a longer period of time. I like the Yogi brand of tea, but I'm pretty sure there are a ton of great green tea varieties out there.

I'll keep you posted with my journey to get these pounds off. I honestly am not worried about whether or not I can do it this time around. After losing 70 lbs in the past, getting this little bit of weight off doesn't seem quite as daunting. Plus, I know I have the determination to do it!

dubstep

2011-07-02T15:15:00.000-05:00

Here's a little known fact about me that perhaps some of you don't know. I love techno music. I know, you're probably laughing. Whatever. I love it. Dance, electronic, house, trance, industrial...you name it, I love it. It all started in Germany, where I would say they're the kings of techno. I'd compare it to Country music in the south, that's what techno is to Europe. At first, I was really anti-techno, but when it surrounds you everywhere you go for 2 straight years, it starts rubbing off on you. Now, techno and me are like BFF's.

I've recently been consumed by a newer form of electronic music called Dubstep, which originates from the UK Garage style of electronic dance music that started in the mid-90s. Dubstep is known for it's massive bass drops, rewinds, and drum beats. There's also a definite rhythm to all these songs and you can usually bet they'll be in a certain tempo range. I listen to this genre of music a LOT while designing but also when I work out. I like to keep the beat as I walk or run and the rhythm keeps me going and pumps me up.

Some of my favorite dubstep artists: Feed Me, Spor, Skrillex, Flux Pavilion, & Noisia. But one little known artist just came on my radar. His name is Butch Clancy, but you won't find his music on i-Tunes...yet. I did find some of his songs available for download on Soundcloud though. He also has a You-Tube site, where this AWESOME video was uploaded. It takes one of my favorite scenes from Inception and puts his song called Russian Lullaby to it. Ugh, it's fabulous! I'm not able to embed the video, but here's a link: Inception Dubstep

Two months down...

2011-06-27T00:52:00.000-05:00

...10 more to go. Until what?

Oh my 30th birthday. Ugh.

But, this post is not to weep and cry about the fact that I'm already less than a year away from 30. It's to kick myself in the rear because I've been doing NOTHING to work towards my 30 before 30 list. Two whole months have gone by and I've only checked off a few. Not good. I was looking over the list again and I started thinking. Why did I put half of what's on there? Seriously. I have no idea why I put "learn how to make my own sushi". The whole appeal of sushi is going to a swank little restaurant and getting fresh sushi served on some cute white platter dishes and using chopsticks and whatnot. Plus, I'm not a chef. I do not have the time nor the energy to make swank meals.

And while hot air ballooning sounds fabulous and it's definitely on my "to do before I die" list, it's also expensive. So...putting that one off for the time being. And let's face it, if I don't have time to make swank meals, I definitely don't have time to start a photography website/blog with other photographers. I barely update this blog. Who was I kidding??!!

I know the whole point of the list is to just strive to do some different/exciting things before 30. It's not about making sure each one is checked off. But I feel I kinda went overboard with some grand ideas of what I would LIKE to do and maybe forgot the reality of it all. I have a pretty busy life/schedule and honestly, I need a new list with that mindset. One that doesn't set myself up for failure and disappointment all around :) But the ones I've done will already count. That's all I'm sayin'.

So, I'm working on a new, realistic 30 before 30 list. For some reason, this whole post feels like a weird conversation/thought process in my head and less like a great blog update. I apologize for my boring post. At least I'm posting something though, right??

In other news, the new job is going very well. I love it and I'm thrilled to be working there :) Maybe I should have blogged about that instead...

Ok fine...

2011-05-18T22:55:00.000-05:00

...I've become an awful blogger! There, I said it. Ugh, seriously. What happened to me?

Oh ya....life!

Here's where I apologize to my 5 consistent readers and tell you how sorry I am to keep you waiting in suspense about my insanely boring life. I know you've been disappointed. But I do have good excuses!

1. I went on vacation. Ok, maybe my lack of writing started before that. Whatever. I still went on a vacation. And when I leave town, I do not keep up with blogger world or the internet at all. It's safe to say I disappear. I guess I've just stayed in that mode for a while.

2. I've been working a lot. And when I wasn't working, I was working on getting a new job, which I got and will be working at soon. That's a lot of work! But seriously, starting Monday, May 23rd, I'll have a new job. Insight Creative Group in OKC has hired me as a production designer on their design team. I'm excited about this new direction and I know it will be challenging and fun at the same time.

3. The OKC Thunder. I'm addicted to basketball right now! OKC has come alive with the NBA Finals and our Thunder has made it to the Western Conference Finals! WOOT! I've watched every Thunder game in the playoffs so far. I gotta get my daily dosage of Nick Collison! Unfortunately he's married. Dangit. Anyway, so proud to be an Okie and have a great team like the Thunder to cheer on! This is like the coolest thing that's happened here since the Land Run.

Those are all good excuses, right? Life has been busy but also great. I feel very fortunate for this time in my life and I know God has lead me to this point right here, right now. It's a combination of a lot of prayers and has reassured me that He's always working in our lives. Sometimes I have a hard time feeling his presence and knowing He cares for me. But when I slow down and take a step back, I can see where He's working.

Happy 1st Birthday Brayden!!

2011-05-09T20:58:00.001-05:00

A little video I put together for my nephew's first birthday. He's such a little cutie and I can't wait to head down there next week for his birthday party!! Love this little guy!! :)

santa cruz boardwalk...

2011-04-24T12:18:00.001-05:00

I'll post more on my trip to California but for now, I wanted to wet your appetite with this panorama pic I put together. I took about 18 pictures in a row of the Santa Cruz boardwalk. Then I just opened them all in Adobe Bridge, clicked Photomerge and Photoshop did the rest of the hard work. It was so easy! I really love the results. This is exactly how it looks when you're standing on the dock looking out at the boardwalk. Click on the pic to view it larger.

shooting into the sun...

2011-04-13T21:31:00.000-05:00

I love shooting into the sun. Technically having flare or sun streaks in your photo is incorrect, but heck, I never went to photography school so why should I start getting technical now?! However "incorrect" it may be, shooting into the sun can create some killer effects. But it's not easy to learn. Who would have thought that trying to break the rules could be so hard? As a photographer, it's my goal to always strive to create something new and different. Shooting into the sun can really add a unique effect to a photo. It sets a specific mood.

There are several articles I've read that have helped me get better at this process, though I'm still learning. Instead of rambling on with my ideas, read from the pros themselves. And next time you're outside with your camera, grab your kid or your friend or your significant other and put them in front of the sun. Then start trying it out for yourself.

5 Killer Ways to Shoot Into the Sun and Get Beautiful Flare

Shooting Into the Sun

Behind the Image: Flare

Samsung Mobile 500

2011-04-12T13:26:00.001-05:00

I can now say I've experienced NASCAR.

I wasn't really looking to experience it. It sort of came to me. My fellow photography friend Melissa Osborn regularly takes photos for the Outwest Outlaws roller derby team here in Oklahoma City. The Outlaws were invited to come down to the Texas Motor Speedway for the Samsung Mobile 500 and set up their track during the No Limits Garage Party before the NASCAR race. They asked Melissa to come with them and gave her tickets for 2 people. So, she invited me to come along and snap some photos with her. I couldn't resist the appeal of a new cultural experience. And it did not disappoint.

NASCAR spans the spectrum of social classes. You'll see the typical "rednecks" you come to expect when you think of NASCAR but there's also a TON of money in this sport. I was amazed with some of the trailers we saw parked in the Pit area. Those things were pimped out! Of course mixed in were some trashy ones, too...which makes it so interesting how broad of a fan base NASCAR has.

The race was everything I expected it to be...LOUD and fast. I'm glad I brought ear plugs. I got a kick out of watching people during the race, too. It was hilarious to see all these heads turning, following the cars around. I can't say I'll be watching NASCAR every weekend and become a die-hard fan, but I will say that I enjoyed it and have a better understanding of it now. It was fun to be at a race, with hundreds of thousands of other people, and experience it live. I would say I can check that off my bucket list, but it was never on it. haha! :)

my ipad 2 review...

2011-03-28T21:18:00.000-05:00

Ok, I admit it. I'm one of those people who bought a tech device the day it came out. I guess there's a first time for everything. I'm usually the person who knows about all the new & upcoming gadgets but can never afford to purchase them when they first arrive on the market. I wasn't able to get my hands on the first generation iPad. I really never saw a need for one and didn't think I'd ever really want one. But about 8 months into the life of the iPad, I was starting to notice how functional this device could actually be. It's bigger than a cell phone but smaller than a laptop...so it's easily portable but more visually captivating than your phone. How handy! You can download thousands of apps, read books, play games, check your email, organize your calendar, listen to music, watch movies, etc. It's seriously a VERY smart device. And it looks pretty nifty, too. I started viewing it as a business tool, more than a luxury item. And I guess that's when I made my decision to save up for one. But then I started hearing the rumors: "iPad 2". In the modern world, tech devices have such a short life-span. I'm sure in 6-7 months or so, rumors of the next iPad will start surfacing. At any rate, I figured it would be best to wait around for the next one to come out. Thankfully that was only a few months down the road.

I've only had it for a few days but I'm already loving how easy it is to carry around. It's not very heavy and it fits easily in my purse. I've loaded a bunch of free apps and even purchased a few to showcase my photography a bit more on the device. I'm really pleased with the screen quality...it makes my stuff look even better! All in all, I feel it was a great purchase and I don't feel bad for buying into the hype. With Apple, I feel the hype is usually rather true. They make a great product that is very desirable.

If you're looking into getting one, don't hesitate. You won't regret it.

the blessing of great friendships...

2011-03-22T23:13:00.003-05:00

I can't remember the last time I laughed as hard as did this past Saturday night. I met up with my good friends Elizabeth & Elaina for dinner and a night on the town. We were trying to think back to how long it had been since we all 3 had hung out and honestly, none of us could remember. That means it was WAY too long ago. Definitely sad, considering how much fun we all have together.

I've known Elaina since the 6th grade....it was the first day of school and we were both new students. Our teacher didn't want us to sit alone at lunch so she paired us up. Coincidence, I think not. Both of us were major tom boys and I always felt encouraged to have another kindred spirit as a friend during those years. I knew I could be real with her and it never mattered if I wasn't a girly girl. We sat for hours on the floors of our bedrooms trading baseball cards. We played handball with a tennis ball on Elaina's garage door. We set up my mini-trampoline near my basketball goal and lowered it so we could dunk on it. I was Shaq (since I was beastly tall even in 6th grade) and Elaina was Mugsy. We played on softball and basketball teams together. I have so many great memories with Elaina and we've been friends for such a long time...even with me moving away for a few years in middle school/high school. And even now, if we've been away from each other for a while, we always seem to pick right back up with our friendship as if no time has passed. I value Elaina's friendship so much and feel so blessed to have had it for so long!

In our freshman year of college at OC, Elaina and I were roommates. That's when we met Elizabeth. She was in a room across the hall from us and you can't live near Elizabeth and not know her :). She's probably the most friendly person I've ever met. And probably the funniest. I could go into details of the silly things we got ourselves into over the course of that year living in the dorms together, but I shall resist! Some stories are better left between friends :). When it comes to Elizabeth, I've always felt like she's a person who is completely real to herself and everyone she's around. There's no pretending with her...what you see is who she really is. And that's a beautiful person both inside and out. She's such a huge motivator in her daily life as a personal trainer and as a Christian. I know that when I set out on my journey to lose weight, she was always eager to give me advice and help me along the way. She still kicks my butt on a weekly basis in her group training class that I take with her on Tuesday nights. Trust me, she's good at what she does and I have the soreness each week to prove it!

I have truly been blessed with some amazing friends in my life. I can't thank God enough for that. I look back over the years and see where I've come from and the people who have shaped my life. These girls have definitely played a huge part in my journey and I pray that we'll continue to be blessed through our friendship with each other.

Riz

2011-03-12T22:10:00.000-06:00

Latest in my "mock" bridal sessions, the fabulous Angie...

I'm glad I have pretty friends...

2011-03-07T20:08:00.002-06:00

Thanks to my good friend Elizabeth for posing for me this weekend! She rocked it up. I had to share some photos on my blog, for those who may not have seen them on Facebook. Don't forget to "like" Red Trike Photography and stay tuned for our website that will hopefully be coming soon!!!

Red Trike Photography...

2011-02-28T12:50:00.000-06:00

The wedding world better get ready because it's about to be ROCKED! I'm teaming up with my awesome photographer friend Melissa Osborn of Osborn Photography to bring you Red Trike Photography. We're not your mama's wedding photographers. Melissa's talent behind the lens is exceptional and her use of artificial light creates such a distinct mood to her images. I'm challenged to take my photography up a notch when I work with her. While our perspectives are unique from one another, I believe we blend our styles together very nicely as we work side by side. I'm excited to see where this adventure takes us.

If you're getting married soon or know of anyone who is looking for a wedding photographer, please email us at redtrikephotography@gmail.com and we'll send you a pricing list. We're also available for events, should you need to hire a photographer for your next big shindig. Our website will be coming soon, but for now you can find us on Facebook.

sometimes you don't need a smile...

2011-02-20T18:40:00.002-06:00

If you've ever tried doing a photo session with a baby, you've probably encountered the challenge of getting them to smile. Normally you'll have the parents around you making all sorts of ridiculous noises and using toys and such to get the child to pop a smile. Being quick and having a fast shutter speed are a MUST in child portraits. But sometimes, the photos I end up loving the most are not the ones that have the perfect smile or the perfect pose. They're the more candid moments.

When I first started editing these photos of my nephew a few weeks ago, I skipped over this photo entirely. I had so many smiling photos to choose from (he's a pretty happy baby) so I really didn't look at this one up close. But then when I scrolled through them again this week, this photo just hit me. His interaction with the camera draws the viewer into the shot and makes them a part of the moment. I love his serious expression and the light captured in his eyes. It makes me wonder what he's thinking. I love that I can see my sister in him more and more.

Not every portrait has to have a smile. Sometimes it's refreshing to see other sides of a child/person that you normally wouldn't seek to capture. That's why I love candid shots. It gives us life in the moment, not life scripted. I urge you to review your pictures again and find ones that perhaps you overlooked the first time. You might find an unsmiling hidden gem.

my new favorite things...

2011-02-14T13:44:00.002-06:00

Sorry for the major lack of posting lately. Life has been very busy and on top of that, we had 2 major snowstorms hit Oklahoma City. The first one, I was trapped down in San Antonio for 3 extra days because our flights kept getting cancelled. But considering it meantmore time with my nephew and sister, I was willing to make that sacrifice!

I haven’t done a list of my favorite things in a while, so I thought it was time to throw one together again. I’ve done several lists like these over the years but I’m really excited this time about my new list! Lots of cool discoveries recently…

Extra Dessert Delights Sugarfree Gum – Key Lime Pie

This gum is FANTASTIC! It really tastes like you're chewing on a slice of Key Lime Pie! There are 2 other new flavors, Mint Chocolate Chip & Strawberry Shortcake but they're not as great as the Key Lime Pie. Pick up a pack today and you'll thank me later.

Pinterest.com

This website is AWESOME! Think of it as an online catalog or bulletin board. You can "pin" collections of things you love and follow other people's collections. It's such a great place for inspiration! Right now they're in the beta stage so when you sign up, you have to wait for them to email you a confirmation to become a member. It takes a few days, but it's worth it. I guarantee you'll quickly become addicted to it!

Grapefruit

How have I lived so long without realizing how amazing this fruit is? The other day I went to get oranges at the store and they were like $6.99 for a bag of 8 or so. No way, that was too much. But I noticed grapefruit were only 3 for $1, so I got 3 just to see if I liked them. Now I'm on this major grapefruit kick. I've been going through them like water. I really love this fruit!

White Sunglasses

I never saw myself loving white sunglasses but I picked up a pair this weekend, tried them on and fell in love. I couldn't find ones exactly like the ones I purchased (I got a cheap, $12 pair at Francesca's) but they're similar to these. Mine have cute little rhinestones on the sides, though :) I think these will be great for the spring/summer but I'm wearing them now anyway.

NoiseTrade.com

Noisetrade is a site that offers fair trade music. What is that, you probably ask? Well think of it as a site that allows new artists to connect to fans. They exchange a little music and you exchange your email. This allows artists to send out their newsletters to all their fans and create a bigger following. And the fans get some free music. It's a pretty ingenious idea and there are some awesome artists on the site.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

I just started reading this book and I'm already loving it. It's a seriously well-written crime novel. Here's a brief synopsis I found online...a financial journalist agrees to investigate a 40-year-old kidnapping case in exchange for help with his legal woes. The journalist teams up with a rebellious but savvy young computer hacker and together the unlikely duo unravel the horrifying, shocking truth at the heart of the case. I'm hoping that the book delivers throughout the entire novel as much as it already has in the beginning. I'm mostly through the character development stage and getting into the real plot of the novel now. It's been intriguing, no doubt.

Winter Photo Contest | Winners

2011-01-26T12:33:00.010-06:00

Thanks to everyone who entered my Winter Photo Contest over the past week! You all did not make it easy for me to decide a winner. I am very impressed with the talent across the board and because of that, I'm giving away 2 extra prizes! The 3rd & 2nd place winners will receive a 4x6 of the Lime Splash photo. All of the winners, please contact me at amynickerson21@hotmail.com with your address and I'll send you your prize in the mail! Now on to the winners...

3rd Place: Winter Wonderland by Dez Newcomb

I loved this photo instantly. What stands out to me is how the path leads you directly into the center of the photo. It just makes you wonder what's around that bend. The fresh snow on the trees is beautiful!

2nd Place: Cold Hands, Warm Heart by Cindy Dietz

Such an awesome macro shot! I love the colors and detail and I can't believe how the snow formed a perfect little heart!

And now the 1st Place Winner!

Winter in the Country by Maureen Nichols

I've never met Maureen before so she could have no idea how much I love red barns! I've done a series red barn paintings in the past (and hope to continue it soon) and this shot reminds me so much of one of my paintings. It's hard to decide what my favorite thing about this photo is because there are so many reasons why I love it. First, the tree branches reaching into the shot...she could have easily walked a bit further up and kept that out but I'm so glad she didn't. It really adds this whole other dimension to the photo. I love how it reaches in towards the barn. Then there's the red barn itself and how much its color stands out amongst the white and brown tones. It's fantastic! And finally the texturing...sooo perfect for the photo. It's not over the top but adds some roughness to it. Maureen, great job and congrats on winning the contest!

I really loved looking through all of your entries and I hope you all will keep in touch with my blog and Facebook page. There will definitely be more photo contests in the near future!!

i heart faces | innocent wonder

2011-01-24T20:38:00.006-06:00

Here's my entry for this week's iheartfaces challenge. I had a hard time deciding with this theme because I love getting natural shots of babies/children and their innocent wonder shows through quite often. I had to go with this one of AriJo in the end. She was just too precious in that dress and I loved her peacefulness.

Stay tuned for the winner of my photo contest...to be announced Wednesday. There's still time to enter, if you haven't put your link up yet. Thanks to everyone who has already participated. It's been awesome viewing all your great shots and will make my decision very hard!

Winter Photo Contest & Giveaway!

2011-01-19T12:22:00.007-06:00

Christmas may be over, but I'm still feeling in the giving spirit. Be excited everyone! In honor of my faithful readers, and even those of you who may not be as faithful (you know who you are), I'm giving away a free 8"x10" print of one of my recent Splash photos (as seen to the left)! It's printed on metallic paper and it's way cool, trust me. I'm going to have to frame one of these for myself as well.

Anyway, on to the contest...

As the title shows, this is a Winter Photo Contest. I want to see your BEST winter photo. It doesn't have to be from this year and it doesn't have to be snow, but it should have a winter feel to it. I'm the only judge in this contest, so if you know me you may want to appeal to my tastes :). I'm willing to ship this photo but only within the US...sorry to all my international friends.

The contest will start today (1/19) and end next Wednesday (1/26) at noon. Please load the link to your photo below. If you post a link to a pic from Facebook, make sure it's visible to everyone or some of us may not be able to see it. Also, the only thing I ask in return...help me promote Amy Nickerson Design on Facebook! Suggest my page to your friends. I'll be very thankful if you do!!

Good luck everyone! I can't wait to see your photos!

living without all the answers...

2011-01-17T09:53:00.006-06:00

As a goal for 2011, I'm attempting to read the entire Bible in chronological order following The Blue Letter Bible's daily plan. It begins with Genesis, of course, but after chapter 11, the book of Job is thrown in there. I had no clue that, according to most scholars, Job's story takes place at the time of Abraham. There are differing opinions on its exact place in history, of course, but I'm not going to get into that debate on my blog. I really just want to share the things I've learned in the past few weeks by reading Job again.

As I started reading the book, I wasn't blown away by it at first. I've read Job before and I remembered the story: the suffering Job endured, the speeches of reproach from his friends, Job's rebuttal of his innocence and his desire to seek an explanation from God. Throughout the trials he faced, he never waivers in his faith by cursing God. But something I had forgotten, I guess, was God's response to Job after all his questioning. God basically challenges him by saying (and this is completely my paraphrase), "Um, where were you, Job, when I did all this creation stuff?". God doesn't have to give an answer for the actions that He takes. He doesn't need anyone's approval to run the show. He's God and He is free to do as He pleases with His creation.

In Job 40:2 (NLT), God says "Do you still want to argue with the Almighty? You are God's critic, but do you have all the answers?" This question stabbed me right in the heart when I read it. How many times have I criticized God for not acting how and when I wanted Him to? I complain and question God much more than I'd like to admit. Truth is, God doesn't have to give me an answer and that's something really hard to swallow. I can't see His big picture and honestly, that can be really frustrating. How do I learn to live in peace without all the answers?

I believe it has everything to do with living by faith, putting my trust in God and following in the footsteps of Jesus. Easier said than done, right? It's a good thing God gives out a lot of grace. I came across this interesting story. A traveler in ancient Greece had lost his way, and, seeking to find it, asked directions of a man by the roadside who turned out to be Socrates. "How can I reach Mt. Olympus?" asked the traveler. To this Socrates is said to have gravely replied, "Just make every step you take go in that direction."

Step by step I walk in His path, without all the answers, and I'm learning to be okay with that.

i heart faces | smile

2011-01-10T08:42:00.002-06:00

I know what some of you might be thinking...enough with the nephew photos! I can't help it though. He's just too darn cute and so my entry for this week's I Heart Faces challenge of smile has to be a photo of Brayden. Only 3 more weeks and I'll get to hold and kiss this cute little guy again :)

Going out with a bang...

2011-01-06T15:59:00.006-06:00

In April I'll turn 29. The last of my 20s...gosh that's so weird. I remember when I thought 30 year olds were so OLD and mature. Ha, ya right. I'm not dreading 30 anymore, in fact I welcome a new decade. But I want to go out of my 20s with a bang. I want 29 to be a freakin' awesome year of my life...one to remember. I came up with my 30 Before 30 list...basically 30things I want to accomplish in the next year before my 30th birthday (see the link to the page above). I don't know if I'll be able to do all these awesome things, but I'm sure going togive it my best. To start everything off, I decided I want to be somewhere cool on my 29th birthday. Basically not in Oklahoma. I've never been on a vacation for my actual birthday so I want this year to be the year. And Bloggerworld, my tickets are now booked. I'm officially going to be somewhere awesome on my birthday. Here's where I'll be on April 21st:

I plan on doing all the touristy stuff like this:

And I plan on eating at some great restaurants. And you better believe I plan on taking a million photos. My camera will get an extensive workout. This will be my first time as an adult to step foot in San Francisco. I went as a kid but don't remember anything. So, my question to you, Bloggerworld, is have you been to San Francisco before? And if so, where would you recommend going? I'm one of those people who likes to travel off the beaten path, so all suggestions are welcome. I'm pretty much a solid for going to the SFMOMA. I can't pass up a good art museum. And I definitely have to hit up the Golden Gate Bridge, Chinatown, Fisherman's Wharf & Ghirardelli Square. I don't think I'll do Alcatraz...time will be limited and honestly, I have no desire to visit a former prison. But any other ideas, Bloggerworld??

i heart faces | best face photo of 2010

2011-01-03T09:45:00.006-06:00

It's funny how my favorite face photo ends up being from some of the last photos I took of the year. Here's my little nephew in what I'd consider a pure state of joy. I wish life were always this simple. I'm definitely one proud aunt...Brayden's such a cutie pie! :) I can't wait to be down in San Antonio again in January & February!

conversations with traveling strangers...

2010-12-29T22:12:00.010-06:00

A few months have passed since my travels to Rwanda, but I was reminded tonight of a conversation I had as I was leaving Kigali back in October. I'm not sure why this conversation came back to me, it wasn't profound or life-changing, but somehow it flooded my memory this evening.

I had already checked my bags & gone through security (twice) at the Kigali airport, when I was finally able to sit down before my flight heading back to the US, via Belgium. The small, densely lit waiting area was packed and seating was sparse. There were few options for available seats and most would have caused me to weave in and out of aisles with my rolling suitcase. I was content to just sit on the floor, but at the last second I saw an open seat by an old African man. I hurried to it before it was taken. I honestly didn't expect any conversation to start between the two of us. I mean, I had no idea if he even spoke any English. There was a football (aka soccer) game on TV and I sat there with the intention of watching it until we were called for our flight. I'm not sure what was the beginning of our conversation, the game or the amount of people waiting or the intense heat inside the waiting area, but all of a sudden I found myself talking to this old man from Nigeria. He had traveled to Rwanda for business, only for a few short days. He was a well-educated man, living most of his life in Europe and teaching business courses at universities all around the world. This is why I love traveling. You meet the most interesting people with the most interesting stories.

In the 30 minutes or so that we talked, we covered a great deal of topics: his travels to China & my 2 years spent in Germany, his job at the University & my job as a designer & photographer, different political & economical situations around the world, sports & even our religions. I love the whole give and take of meeting someone from a completely different world for the first time. It's like revealing the layers of someone's soul little by little. I felt connected to this old man in a way that only people who travel frequently can understand. We both had two very different purposes for being in Rwanda but here we were, sitting in the Kigali airport, talking about our vastly unique lives before we went our separate ways.

As I mentioned, nothing profound was discussed. Thirty minutes was hardly enough time to brush past the basics, even with our jam-packed conversation. When our flight was called, we both stood up and got "in line" (whatever a line really means in Rwanda) and between all the people and all the bags and the somewhat chaotic nature of boarding a flight in Kigali, we lost each other in the crowd. Our seats were not near each other on the flight, though I saw him get on and get off the plane since his seat was ahead of mine. Although I'll never probably meet this man again in my life, I have the memory of a conversation that not only helped pass the time but also helped me understand his culture a little better. I wished I had had more time to talk to him.

As I sat there on the flight, I remember thinking how much greater our world would be if we'd just strike up conversations with strangers. It's in conversation that we learn from each other, when we come without prejudice or pretense. It's in conversation where we can lift the veil that obscures our vision and reveal our true nature as human beings. It's in conversation where two people evolve from strangers to companions. When I arrived in Belgium, I never ran into the old man again, but I found plenty of entertainment as I watched the world walk by me in the airport (people watching can be fascinating!) during my 6 hour layover. I saw people of all different races, heading to destinations all over the world. I wondered how many of them would strike up a conversation with a stranger and learn something new like I had. As I saw this melting pot before me, I came to the conclusion that we're all not so different as we appear. Like travelers on a journey, we're all aiming to get somewhere in life. Our goals just vary.

I'm curious if anyone else has had conversations like mine. Have you ever talked to a traveling stranger and ended the conversation with a completely new perspective of the world?

*The photo above was taken in the Brussels airport VERY early in the morning, hence the lack of people!

i have the cutest nephew ever...

2010-12-29T12:53:00.002-06:00

downtown in december...

2010-12-14T09:25:00.010-06:00

A friend of mine from college is the organizer for Downtown in December in Oklahoma City and hired me this year to take pictures of the various events and attractions going on downtown during the holiday season. This was a no-brainer decision for me. Not only are the events fun to go to, but I'm getting paid to do what I love. I'd be taking pictures at the events anyway! It's been a fun challenge for me, too, as I'm learning different aspects of photography and what works in certain situations. For instance, night-time photography is such a stark contrast from action shots taken during a 5K race. With a race, I'm taking tons of photos as runners go by, using a quick shutter speed and moving around a lot to capture the action. But with night shots, I set up a tri-pod, frame my shot, put on the timer, leave the shutter speed open for a longer time, hit the remote and wait for the shot (like 3 seconds but still it's "waiting" in photography time). It requires thinking ahead of time and planning your shot out. I shoot less than half the amount of shots I would take during a race. I enjoy both aspects of photography, as they allow me to use my creativity in different ways, but I'm very happy with the night shots I recently took down at Automobile Alley. I borrowed a friend's super wide angle lens and it really allowed for some interesting architectural shots. This has been an incredible opportunity for me to grow as a photographer and it encourages me to keep on learning. I hope you're having a great holiday season and enjoying lots of festive activities! Merry Christmas everyone!

i heart faces | pets

2010-12-13T12:47:00.003-06:00

Chase, our office dog. He looks real thrilled to be wearing these reindeer ears.

i heart faces | self portrait

2010-12-06T11:39:00.013-06:00

i heart faces | scenic b&w

2010-11-29T09:54:00.006-06:00

i heart faces | fix it friday

2010-11-19T13:19:00.008-06:00

Original

My Fix

All this photography stuff...

2010-11-18T21:14:00.005-06:00

My blog has been slowly turning into a photography blog. I promise you that I do have a life more than photography & design. Well, sort of. But really, I didn't see this coming. It's like as soon as I got back from Rwanda, my little freelancing side job in photography exploded. I've had 6 sessions the past 3 Saturdays and I have 2 more booked for this weekend. It's probably mostly due to the holiday season approaching rapidly. I'm not complaining by any means...I love it! However, my apartment has suffered a bit from my busyness. I have yet to do a really good cleaning/vacuuming/dusting session in a few weeks and it's irritating the crap out of me. I honestly have no excuse. I live in a small one bedroom apartment. How hard is it to keep it clean? Maybe I'm lazier than I'd like to admit. Or I just work an 8-5 job, go workout, come home, eat dinner, edit pics and go to bed. That's kind of been my life the past month. All you mothers can now laugh at me and call me lazy. I know.

This sudden boom in photo sessions has me thinking a lot lately. How do I want to proceed with this side business? I seriously enjoy it. It's challenging, no doubt, and pushes me to work hard in areas I haven't necessarily had to before. Photography helps me connect to people more than I ever imagined. I get to kind of position myself into someone's life for a short time and hopefully capture some special moments that will be cherished forever. I love trying new things with my camera and experimenting with different shots. So much of photography is an unexplored island to me. I have yet to discover all its secrets.

I love finding candid moments. Yes, I do pose people or set up a scene, but I like it when I catch people in their natural state. It's just so much more real to me. It's sort of the "in" thing in photography now anyway. What's funny is I've always preferred that look over the typical studio-type shots. When I worked for Lifetouch briefly (anyone remember those days?), I just recall how unnatural it felt. Granted I worked for the church portrait division, but the folks in small-town Oklahoma took those sessions VERY seriously. I never felt great about my photography when I worked for them. It was always rushed and impersonal. No wonder I only stayed with them for 5 months (which was probably 5 months too long!).

So back to how I'm going to proceed...I guess you could say I'm sort of seeing where God leads me with this photography stuff. It's been a natural progression since I bought my first DSLR about 5 years ago in Germany. I started out with little knowledge but a decent eye. I feel like I'm just now getting somewhere with it, which is exciting. I don't know what my future in it will bring. All I know right now is that I love it. I love learning more about it, reading up on the latest gadgets & techniques, and following (aka stalking) other photographers online. It's all fascinating to me. I know I have a LONG way to go before I get to where I'd like to be with it. I see some of these amazing photographers and wonder if I'll ever get to their level. But it pushes me to do better.

Sometimes I wish I had picked a much cheaper hobby :)

i heart faces | silhouette

2010-11-15T08:37:00.003-06:00

For this week's silhouette challenge on I Heart Faces, I chose a photo that I took in April from the Wichita Mountains. We had a perfect sunset on the top of Mt. Scott and I caught this picture of a friend standing on the rocks, soaking it all in. Rarely have I had the opportunity to view a sunset from on top of a mountain (even if that "mountain" is one in Oklahoma and really not much of a mountain at all!). It was a breathtaking experience and I am glad I had my Nikon along with me.

i heart faces | orange

2010-11-08T12:42:00.004-06:00

I had a lot of photos to choose from for this week's I Heart Faces photo challenge. Orange seems to show up in a lot of my fall photos and I did an entire session with a family wearing orange in the spring. But for some reason I was drawn to my photos from Honduras a few years ago. I hadn't looked through them in a while and I ran across this one of a girl in an orange shirt. We were building a latrine at a church building in her community and she came with about 10 other children to just watch us. I pulled out my camera at one point and kept snapping photos of all the kids. I remember she was very shy about it but after all the other kids had theirs taken, she wanted one.

I am always stunned by how real people in Honduras seem to be when they have their photo taken. You don't get a lot of cheesy smiles like we're trained to do in America. They just act natural in front of the camera. And I love it. It's so honest. When I look at this girl's photo, I see a lot of things but I mostly recognize that there is joy even amongst hardships in life. She lives in a remote, mountainous region of Honduras. It's not any easy life by any means. Yet there is joy and love and laughter in her community. There is hope of a better future and there are people working to make that happen. I pray that this young girl will always have a reason to smile.

Gettin' Flashy...

2010-11-04T21:02:00.006-05:00

I received a new toy in the mail today! I purchased a Nikon SB-600 AF Speedlight this week. For those who are confused, it's a big, honkin' flash unit for my camera. And it rocks. I've been wanting one for a while now but have had other camera purchase priorities. Since I've had a few photo shoots in the past couple of weeks, I saved up for one and made the purchase. I've felt like I've been missing a lot of opportunities indoors and in low lighting without having a speedlight. Over the past few years, I've learned quite a bit about photography but have mostly stayed away from my little flash on the top of my camera. Honestly, it intimidated me and my lack of knowledge about how to use artificial lighting correctly kept me away from it. Every time I tried using it, I wasn't pleased with the results. I knew that if I really wanted to learn how to use artificial lighting in my photographs, I needed to pick up a speedlight and start messing with it some more. I'm the type of person that needs hands-on experience to understand how it works.

The thing I love about the SB-600 is that I don't have to have it on top of my camera to use it. It can be commanded through my camera's built in flash. AND (a big AND here), I can use MORE than ONE at a time! If I purchase a couple more of these down the road, I can command them all with my camera at the same time. I could have my own little studio set-up. Watch out! So tonight I started playing around with it, just seeing what it's capable of doing. I set up my own little studio and here's an example of using the flash unit off the camera.

The photo on the left is just using the built in flash on my camera. Notice how it has a VERY harsh shadow casting on the background. This is why I hated using a flash and always tried avoiding it. The light is just too direct and doesn't allow the entire background to show. However, check out the next photo. I took the speedlight and placed it to the left of the giraffe. My built in flash acted as the trigger for the speedlight, allowing it to fire at the same time. And magically, the shadow disappears behind the giraffe and allows the background to show up. See why I'm in love? I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Fall is here!

2010-10-29T10:24:00.002-05:00

This is my entry for Mandy's Photo Friday contest this week. I haven't taken pictures of the season this year so far, since it's just starting to get fall-like in OKC. So, this is a picture from last year's fall. I love maple leaves :) The sun was setting when I took this shot and the light just fell on this red-orange maple leaf perfectly. This is by far my favorite time of year!

Short Term Missions - From Catacamas to Kigali

2010-10-23T16:40:00.000-05:00

Rwanda Trip...

2010-10-19T09:26:00.001-05:00

I’m back from Rwanda safe and sound, with much to share and many pictures to edit! I am eager to tell some of the incredible experiences I had and give my friends and family a small idea of what life in Rwanda is like. I’ll be writing about my trip on my Rwanda blog over the next few weeks, so stay tuned to the updates! Thanks to everyone who helped me get there. It was life-changing.

This & That

2010-09-21T19:52:00.006-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posting lately. Life has been busy as I prepare for Rwanda and has taken some unexpected turns. Doesn't it always happen that way? Last weekend I was all geared up to go wine tasting at a few vineyards around eastern Oklahoma. I was pumped about getting to enjoy a fun day away from the big city. On my way to meet up at my parents house, my car started having this funny metallic smell coming from the engine. I had noticed a weird noise a few days before and had planned on having my dad take a look at it. When I arrived, we opened the hood and it was smoking. Not good. We drove it over to Firestone to have them inspect it and basically, from what I understood, the bearing that rotates on the AC unit was broken and the whole unit would need to be replaced. I probably have some of that wrong but I'm a girl, so I'm forgiven. And you couldn't just drive with the AC off because it constantly rotates whether you have the AC on or not. Trust me, I asked about that. Anyway...it was going to cost nearly $1500 to replace it. Considering my car was 15 years old with hail damage to boot, it wasn't worth the cost of the repairs. So, I drove the old Lexus back to my parents house, where we officially broke up after a 4 year relationship. It was good while it lasted. Thankfully I was still able to enjoy the rest of the day at the 3 vineyards we visited near Stroud. I did my best not to think of the woes of being carless for a while.

The following week was a bit stressful as I balanced sharing a car, working every day and car shopping at night. I did a lot of online looking and thankfully my Dad was awesome in the whole process and went to a lot of dealerships before I even saw the cars. I ended up getting a 2008 Silver PT Cruiser with only 26,900 miles and I am already loving it! I named her Sylvia and we're getting along quite nicely, I must say. She's a smooth little ride and I love her "classic remake" look. I'm so glad it only took a week to find a car. It was not the best week of my life and I really don't like used car salesmen, but the dealership I bought my car from was pretty nice and not extremely high pressure. Overall, I had a pleasant experience there.

Now with that stress off my shoulders, the days are ticking away until my departure! In 10 more days I'll be making the long journey to Rwanda. It's an adventure I've been looking forward to for a long time. Years even. I prayed about going to Rwanda ever since I started going to Quail Springs Church of Christ about 3.5 years ago. I prayed God would bring about a way for me to go there. And here I am, all this time later, about to make my way there. God's timing is better than mine yet again. I'm posting about my adventures on my other blog I started for this trip: Amy to Kigali. You can read about my adventures there. I may not be able to post much while I'm in Rwanda, but I'll be journaling every day and will write excerpts about my experiences after. Plus I'll post my pictures there. Thanks to everyone who helped me in my fundraising efforts. I appreciate your generosity!!

Cutting Back on TV...

2010-09-06T22:37:00.003-05:00

How much time do you spend in front of the TV? Be honest here. Add up the time you have it on before work, after work, on the weekends...does it shock you? I've mindlessly watched too much TV for the past few years. It's funny, though, because in college and for 2 years after while I lived in Germany, TV wasn't a huge part of my life. I had a few shows I watched, but nothing regularly. It just never felt like a priority or something I couldn't miss. But it was almost as soon as I got back to the US and started a typical 8-5 job, that TV started sucking me in. It's just so much more of a part of our culture, it seems. Friends and coworkers are constantly talking about the latest episode of such and such show and you almost feel left out if you're not participating. And don't even get me started on Hulu. That website is both awesome and horrible at the same time.

It's not that I've recently had an epiphany or something and I am now banning all TV whatsoever. But something rather great happened to me lately, even though at first I thought it sucked. I guess to begin the story I have to confess that for the past year my apartment felt I needed free cable. I know, I know. I'm a horrible person for not piping up about the fact that when I moved in, the cable wasn't turned off even though I wasn't paying for it. I figured they'd realize their mistake and turn it off in a week or so. Well, that week turned into a year and a few months. I know it wasn't exactly high on the morality scale for letting it slide, but I sort of just forgot about the fact that I wasn't paying for it. Anyway, it went off about 3 weeks ago. I came home one day, turned on the TV and it was all gray fuzz. My time was up.

At first I was super annoyed. I freaked out about how in the world was I going to get to see all my favorite shows on cable TV??...Chopped, Cupcake Wars, Dirty Jobs, ESPN, Lifetime movies, TMC movies! It was all too much to give up! (I could still get the basic stations, minus NBC because my TV wouldn't pick up that broadcast.) So, I checked out various cable options but quickly became appalled by how much cable costs! It's just ridiculous. I decided I couldn't afford the extra expense at the moment and realized it was time to say goodbye to cable TV. The past few weeks I've lived without it. I did buy an antenna to pick up NBC at least. So now I'm living with NBC, ABC, CBS & Fox. That's it. And you know what, I'm already fine with it. Instead of sitting around channel surfing mindlessly at night, I can read or find other productive things to do with my time. And I've decided I can no longer start trying to watch new shows on Hulu. As much as I appreciate that website for when I miss a show that I do watch regularly, I noticed that I can be sucked into it and allow it to become just as bad of an addiction as my TV.

The same could be said for internet time, which I know I'm really bad about wasting a ton of time with that as well. I think it's all about healthy balance. If you feel that the internet or TV or something is sucking your life away or that you find yourself spending more time with technology than with actual people, perhaps it's time to cut the cord for a while. We can become so disconnected in relationships with all these time wasters.

I feel I could write a book about this subject. Seriously, let me hear your thoughts on all of my ramblings. Do you feel like you're in a similar boat ever??

i heart faces - Photojournalism Photo Challenge

2010-08-30T14:21:00.008-05:00

The photo challenge this week on iheartfaces.com is a photojournalism challenge. This is one area of photography that I truly desire to significantly improve my skills. I love capturing moments where time stands still, where you see life being lived right before your eyes. There's just something raw and real about it.

The photo I'm entering is one I took in Honduras this past spring. We were sitting around with some of the local families in the mountains and trying to communicate with each other with what little Spanish some of us in our group knew. Robb, one of the guys in our group, was somewhat of a magician and we sat there for almost an hour while watching him perform his little tricks. At one point I snapped this photo in between his tricks. I felt this great sense of warmth sitting there with everyone. It was like all of our differences faded away and we found something incommon by laughing with one another and simply enjoying each other's company. It was my favorite day in Honduras.

Good deals make me happy :)

2010-08-12T20:16:00.003-05:00

I'm all about good deals. Seriously. I don't buy any clothing item unless it's on sale or I'm in a store where the prices are already marked significantly down. I just refuse to pay full price for things anymore because it's ridiculous how expensive it can be. Call me frugal if you'd like...I'd just say I'm thrifty. I'm the same way when it comes to larger purchases, like cameras or software. I have been in the market for both these items recently and I found an AMAZING deal on the Adobe Creative Suite 5 online. I love getting things on sale, but when I find them for OVER half-off, well that's just freakin' awesome!

Any designer would tell you how much they love Adobe programs with a fierce passion. But these programs do not come cheap. Don't they know that starving artists are using them?! Come on! So, in my recent quest to update my new computer with the latest software, I searched online for the cheapest prices. The retail value of what I was looking for was $1800. YIKES! That's just a bit more than I'd really like to pay and is more expensive than my freakin' computer! Not acceptable. So, after a few hours on Google, I came across Discount Mountain Software. Before you freak out and say "Whoa, that sounds like a scam of a company", let me tell you how impressed I was with their services. Not only are their prices awesome, but their customer service is way above normal in my book. I had entered the wrong billing address for my order and once I realized it, I called their 1-800 number and immediately spoke with a PERSON. No automated messages, no dialing in numbers until I finally spoke with a representative in India. They're out of Denver and are the most friendly people ever since they live in the mountains. My issue was cleared up immediately and I checked the status of it online and it already showed the changes. Also, the package came in the mail very speedily and in perfect condition. CS5 and I are already forming a beautiful friendship.

I'm not usually one to plug a company to this extent but I was just really happy with getting software for less than half the retail price and having a great customer service experience. Everything about it is legit...it's not illegal software in any sort. I even checked with the Better Business Bureau and they have an A- rating. In a world where businesses seem so out of touch with the consumers, this was a refreshing change of pace. I highly recommend them if you're in the market for any software.

Favorite Shot of the Summer

2010-08-06T13:31:00.004-05:00

Here's my entry for Mandy Stansberry's Photography Friday contest. The theme is our favorite shot of the summer. This is hard because my nephew was born in May and I saw a ton of my Germany friends this summer, so all of that led to some great photo ops. In the end, the nephew trumps all. He's just too darn cute! Of course, the next dilemma is which picture to choose. I have so many of him already that I love! I had to go with this fishy face one. I love this picture so much! But if I put that one, I have to also put his reaction after because he loved it! He would just smile up every time my mom squished his face :). I love this kiddo already!

Inception: A++

2010-08-05T22:36:00.002-05:00

Inception is easily one of the best movies I've seen in over a year. It beats any major blockbuster out there, hands down. I can't even begin to describe the plot and sequence of events, nor do I want to spoil the movie for anyone who hasn't seen it, yet. All I can say is you have to go see it for yourself. It's a rather long movie (2.5 hours) and I suggest not drinking anything an hour before it begins so that you don't have to get up during it. With so much going on, you really have to pay attention. If you want a few honest reviews, read this article or read this article. They both give a good synopsis without giving away too much of the plot. Overall, it's a fairly clean movie. There is a lot of violence, but, without saying too much, most of that occurs in the dream worlds. I am totally sold on this movie. I haven't bought a new DVD in almost a year, but I guarantee that when this one hits the shelves, I'll be adding it to my collection.

Amy's Top 10 YouTube Videos

2010-08-03T13:59:00.007-05:00

If you ever get bored, YouTube is the place to go. Seriously, you could waste hours on there. (I might be speaking from experience). A few days ago, I was hanging out with some friends and we entertained ourselves for a few hours watching YouTube classics. AMAZING. I laughed so hard! I highly recommend doing this sometime with your friends. Have a YouTube party. SO MUCH FUN! They showed me videos I had never seen before and we had a blast! Here are some of my all-time favorites. Some might be old but trust me, you want to watch them all. (If there are a few cuss words or something, forgive me. Most of them are pretty clean)

10. Numa Numa (a total classic!)

9. Charlie Bit Me

8. Funny Japanese Prank

7. The Best Wedding Entrance Ever

6. Evolution of Dance

5. Improv-Everywhere - Grocery Store Musical

4. In the 80's - Music Video

3. Pachelbel Rant

2. Auto-Tune the News: Bed Intruder Song

1. Total Eclipse of the Heart: Literal Video Version

lil squirmy wormy

2010-07-28T21:35:00.004-05:00

I got to love on this little guy for 4 days. My sister came to Oklahoma to surprise my Grandma, who came from California a few days before to visit my mom after she had her hip replacement. My Grandma had no clue Kristie & Brayden were coming to visit as well and we did a great job of keeping it secret from her. It was a classic moment when we all walked in the door to surprise her. She didn't know how to react!

Unfortunately, I had to work 2 days while this little guy was here, which meant less cuddle time. Which, by cuddle, I mean holding on for dear life at times because he's a little squirmy wormy. The kid likes to kick and all I have to say is my sister will have her hands full! He's really a great baby, though...easy temperament and not overly fussy. One thing I really love about him is his fascination with the outdoors already. If he's getting cranky or something, just take him outside for a stroll and he calms down immediately. He loves looking at the sky and at the trees and listening to the birds. He gets really still and focused. It's amazing! I think he's going to love nature as much as his Auntie Amy :) He's getting used to my constant photo taking...or he better get used to it, I should say! I had a few photo sessions with him and he does really well with it. Let's hope it stays that way because it's just the beginning!

I've been tagged :)

2010-07-22T08:40:00.002-05:00

1. How often do you go over the speed limit? I usually will only go 5 over if I'm in a hurry. Sometimes on the highway, though, I've been known to go 10 over. But typically, I try to stick to the limit.
2. Do you dance like crazy when no one is looking? hehehe, yes definitely!
3. If you were going to be stuck on a desert island which book, movie, and which CD would you take with you? Bible, Jane Austen novels, LOTR movies and some Jack Johnson CD's
4. What did you get in trouble for as a kid? lying, fighting with my sister, talking back to my parents
5. What really gives you the creeps? spiders, snakes, bugs landing on me in general
6. What was your favorite toy when you were a kid? micro machines, maple town toys
7. You run into a friend while shopping. Where were you? Target or Wal-Mart
8. When you fall asleep are you usually on your side, stomach, or back? stomach or side
9. If fat or calorie intake were not an issue, what food would you consume the most? ice cream, donuts
10. If you could hire one of the following, which would it be: Driver, chef, maid, or stylist? stylist
11. What movie have you watched the most? You've Got Mail, Pride & Prejudice, the Bourne series

12. What perfume do you wear? Dancing Waters by Bath & Body Works

13. What was your favorite sitcom growing up? Saved by the Bell, Full House, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Home Improvement
14. What were you doing the last time you had a really good laugh? Probably yesterday! I laugh a lot!
15. What was the very first concert I ever attended? Steven Curtis Chapman
16. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list? an unknown number
17. How long does it take you to get ready in the mornings? I'm slow in the mornings. I take about an hour to get ready, but if I'm in a hurry I can get ready in 30 min.
18. When is the last time you went to the mall and what did you buy? About a month ago. I bought some shirts at Forever 21

19. Ever go to camp? Quartz Mt. Christian Camp!, Cage Camp, and Soul Quest
20. Do you collect anything? Bottle caps, vintage posters

Thanks Brew for the tag! I'm passing it along to Lindsy, Ann and Courtney. Have fun!

Emailing Etiquette...

2010-07-21T16:06:00.002-05:00

There’s something about emailing that give people boldness. Albeit, ridiculous boldness on occasion. Every so often, I receive emails of a rather rude temperament at my work. Most of the time, it’s a customer unhappy with a design layout or something of that nature. And instead of saying something polite like, “I’m not entirely happy with the direction of this design. Can we work up something different? Here's my ideas…”, I get responses like “Hmmm. No. I don't like that.” Period. End of discussion.

Now, I’m not saying that everyone always has to like everything I design. I am aware that people have different tastes. But when people sound rude over email about something I’ve worked on for them, I have a hard time keeping my respect towards them after. The fact is people are so quick to respond and aren’t always thinking how they sound. In the day and age of Blackberry’s and iPhone’s, it’s easy to send a short email without thinking it over. I am very cautious of what I send over email, especially at work. It’s easy to get emotional about things and come across the wrong way. If I get a rather short email that sounds rude, I have learned that it's best to talk about it with a coworker, who can calm me down before I send something rude back. But trust me, I've wanted to give them a little taste of their own medicine before. I found a good article that suggests helpful advice for rude emailers. The website also has multiple sources for proper email etiquette. Makes you think before you press send.

I'm also not a fan of emails with horrible grammar, ALL CAPS or inappropriate punctuation, i.e. multiple uses of the question mark or exclamation point. But that's another topic for another day...

Solid Food...

2010-07-19T09:46:00.003-05:00

I'm back to eating solid foods again! If you ever do a detox, your first real meal of solid food is like a little taste of heaven. Though I will advise, it's important to gradually wean yourself back into eating solids. I didn't do that extremely well. I might have had a few things that were a bit too heavy, too soon. But, I did notice how much my stomach shrunk over the course of just 5 days. I can't eat as much as I used to and I feel really full a lot faster. I'm thinking that's a good thing.

This transition back to solid food reminds me of the passage in Hebrews 5 that warns Christians about falling away. "Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." (vs. 13-14). Did you catch that line? Constant use. Feeding on the Word constantly allows us to mature, allows us gain wisdom so that we're not plagued by our naivety. God doesn't want Christians to stay in infancy. What good can we do if we never mature? How can you positively influence anyone? God desires us to grow. And how do you grow? You seek wisdom in His Word. You feed upon it. You pray for it. I may not be saying anything new, but it's just something I'm reminded of at the moment.

Detox Day 5

2010-07-15T21:00:00.003-05:00

Well, perhaps in anticipation that this was my last day, my stomach decided that it needed to feel hungry ALL day. I mean from morning til night, it just wasn't satisfied. I went about my normal routine as the previous days, but it just didn't feel right. Maybe it had to do with going to bed feeling REALLY hungry last night that started everything off. I was lying in bed, dreaming of the granola bars only a few feet away in my kitchen. I kept thinking, "just go ahead and eat one!", but I resisted. I finally fell asleep after about 30 minutes of contemplating ending this juice detox even one more day earlier.

I'm proud of myself for lasting 5 days on this juice detox. I had hoped for 7, but I'm content with just 5. It was a challenge for sure, but one I made it through. And I feel better because of it. I can't say I ever LOVED the taste of the green juices. I could tolerate them, and I suppose that was enough to last 5 days, but I never found a combination that I really liked. I hope that this journey can lead me towards an overall healthier lifestyle. I feel the benefits of a clean, nutritious diet and I want to continue down that path...with more solid foods, of course :).

For those of you who have followed along with me the past 5 days, thanks for your encouragement! It helped get me through the tough hours where I dreamed of bread and, well, anything that I could chew instead of swallow! Now moving on to breaking the fast...just don't want to overdo it in that department. I don't want to end up feeling sick from introducing too much food too soon. Hope I can resist the urge!

Coconut Water & News Flash

2010-07-14T19:59:00.009-05:00

Ok, so first the coconut water I've been raving about on here. Meet Vita Coco, my new favorite drink. It's absolutely amazing stuff. Now, if you've never had coconut water, you may be surprised by it's taste. It's not super sweet and it's not the same as coconut milk. Coconut water comes from young coconuts, before they have time to mature and turn into the milk that more of us are familiar with. What's great about this stuff is that it's fat-free and very low in calories and carbs. The Vita Coco brand has 11.2oz in it and contains 60 calories and 15g of carbs. But what also makes this stuff awesome is that it has 680mg of potassium, which is more than 2 bananas worth. This little container has more electrolytes than the leading sports drinks on the shelves. And it's all natural. I'm sold. I'll just say I look forward to having this stuff every day. It's my dessert :) If you live near an Akin's Natural Foods store, you can purchase Vita Coco there. I haven't seen it anywhere else in the OKC area.

Now on to the news flash. I've decided to decrease this to a 5 day juice detox. I know, I know...just say it. I'm a quitting early, I'm weak. But I have some good reasoning behind it so let me explain. I am running out of produce so quickly! It's really not cheap and I've already been to the store twice this week. You wouldn't believe how quickly you go through the produce on this detox. Those leafy greens don't produce much liquid.

I also think there's a reason that the Reboot plan has the "just juice" portion only for 5 days. Most sane people can only handle it that long! I'm already at a stage where I feel really great on this detox. I don't plan on just blowing it or whatever when I start eating again because I feel the benefits of having a cleaner diet. I thought I'd be more ambitious than the Reboot plan by adding 2 days, but really, I'm fine with not being ambitious! So, tomorrow will be my last day of the detox. If you're disappointed with me, well I dare you to try it and then you can chastise me! :)

Detox Day 4

2010-07-14T09:58:00.005-05:00

Woke up a bit sluggish again this morning but quickly felt better after about 30-40 minutes. My energy level feels about normal today, though I'm still dealing with this hungry feeling constantly. If you're wondering what my juice plan looks like throughout the day, here's how I've broken it down:

6:30 - Wake-up, drink 16oz water first thing, followed by hot water with lemon

7:15 - First juice (all fruit)

16oz H2O

10:30 - 2nd juice

16oz H2O

1:00 - 3rd juice

16oz H2O

3:00 - Detox tea

4:00- 4th juice

Coconut water (after workout)

7:30- 5th juice

8:30- Herbal tea

That's basically my whole day, every day this week. All my juices are about 16oz each. So that's 80oz of juice per day. The Reboot plan recommends at least 64oz. I only had 4 juices the first day and I was really a lot more hungry than I am now. I think 5 is a good amount. It's key to drink a lot of H2O with this detox, as the juice really isn't enough to keep you hydrated. Tonight I'll talk more about the coconut water. I'm a huge fan of this stuff now! I think Day 4 is shaping up to be pretty good.

Detox Day 3

2010-07-13T09:39:00.003-05:00

I felt a bit zapped this morning when I woke up. It's not that I didn't get enough sleep, because I had a full 8 hours. I'm just feeling really sluggish and low on energy, probably because I'm not getting as much carbs and protein. Oh how I miss protein! I really could have used some eggs this morning. I absolutely LOVE eggs and have them for breakfast at least 4-5 days a week. I know I'm only just getting into my 3rd day, but seriously, this is not easy. I also noticed that I was a bit dehydrated this morning. I drank a full glass of water and had the hot water with lemon and I felt better after that. But it just felt like it took me a lot more time to get going this morning. At least I have no headaches still. My stomach kinda feels like it's in this constant state of "what is going on?!". When I drink the juices, it fills up pretty quickly but doesn't stay feeling full very long. I'm also getting used to peeing ALL THE TIME! At least I only had to get up once in the middle of the night last night. I'm trying not to have much liquid right before I go to bed.

I'm a bit nervous about tonight's workout. I take a group class with my friend & personal trainer Elizabeth. She works us over every week and I hope I can keep up without feeling like I'm gonna die tonight! I'll let you know...

Update at 10:30pm: Feeling great now! I made it through the workout without a problem. I mean it was tough, don't get me wrong, but I felt like I had enough energy during it. I noticed today that the feeling of not being full wasn't as irritating. It was there most of the time, but it didn't bother me as much. Cravings have been mostly low, though I will say I turn the channel when any food commercials come on the TV! It's hard to watch that when you're only having liquids. All in all, day 3 wasn't so bad. I'm hoping that tomorrow morning I won't wake up feeling as blah as I did today. Almost to the halfway point on this...I think I can make it until Saturday!

Detox Day 2

2010-07-12T11:15:00.007-05:00

Woke up feeling pretty good this morning, despite having gone to bed a bit hungry. I slept through the night without getting up to use the bathroom, which is good when you're on an all liquid diet! I know I'm taking in enough H2O on top of all these juices I'm drinking and I feel really well hydrated. Every morning I'm following the same routine: 16oz water first, then hot water with lemon, then wait 30min before my morning fruit juice. This is supposed to aid in digestion and so far things have been good in that department. I also bought a detox tea at Akin's that has dandelion leaves (as well as other herbs), which is also supposed to help digestion.

I haven't experienced any headaches, yet. I have noticed a slight amount of dizziness, but only when I first stand up. My hunger pains aren't strong, just this feeling of not being completely full but it's kind of getting normal now. So far I'm not craving anything. I kind of miss chewing my food, though. There's a reason we have teeth. I pre-made 3 juices today to take to the office. You should have seen my coworkers faces! Classic. I had one of the juices already and it tasted better. Not sure if I did a better combination or if I'm just getting used to it. I'll update later tonight after my workout and let you know how I'm feeling...

Update at 9:15pm: Workout was hard. I definitely did not have the same amount of energy as normal. I felt like I just couldn't get up to speed and had to back off. Still made it through my spin class, but I just felt out of steam so quickly. I drank a lot of water during my workout, as I noticed I was getting side cramps but they went away the more I drank. Came home and had my coconut water and the last juice of the day. Maybe I'm getting used to it, but they're tasting a bit better. Or perhaps I'm finding better combinations. Overall, Day 2 was not bad. When I get in my routine at work, it's easy not to be fixated on food that I wish I could be eating. Distractions definitely help. And so does the herbal detox tea I bought. That really helps me stay full and let's just say the digestion is still going well :)

Detox Day 1

2010-07-11T12:54:00.012-05:00

My fridge looks really different this week. I don't think I've ever seen this many fruits and veggies in it at one time! It's very colorful. Today is Day 1 of the juice detox. I'm a bit nervous jumping into this, just not knowing how my body will react to it. But there's only one way I'll find out.

Honestly, the fruit juice in the morning is a breeze. It's not an issue at all to get that down as it tastes really great. I juice 2 apples, 1 pear and add a tiny bit of ginger root. I had my first "green juice" after church this morning and I'm struggling to get it all down as I write this. I used 2 kale leaves, 3 celery stalks, 1/2 cucumber, 2 handfuls of spinach, 1 green apple and 1/2 lemon. It's not that it tastes bad, it's just very potent. I've never really eaten kale before either, and I'm not sure I'm a huge fan of it's flavor. But it's in a LOT of these juice recipes. So, I'm going to have to find interesting combinations or something.

The one thing I am excited about trying is the VitaCoco, which is 100% pure coconut water. You're supposed to drink it after working out, as it carries more electrolytes than any sports drink on the market. I'm hoping my workouts will not be insanely challenging while on this diet, but I expect my energy level to be a bit lower over the next week. We'll see! I'll keep you updated every day on how the detox is moving along. I might not go into HUGE detail on some things, but I'll try to be as honest as possible. Here's to a whole week of juicing! Bottoms up!

Update at 10pm: I've had 3 green juices now. I'm not sure that Kale and I are going to get along in these juices. I'll finish what I bought but I doubt I'll buy any more midweek. One day down and I kind of miss chewing food already! I know this is just a week. I can do anything for a week, right? I wish the color of these juices weren't so scary, too. Like, I mixed carrots in with some of the greens and it's a nasty brown color. Looks like drinking mud. I am such a visual person, so this has been hard already.

I haven't had too many hunger pains. Just slight hunger but for the most part I'm doing okay in that area. One thing I LOVED was the coconut water! Sooooo good! I'm buying those more often. It's really good stuff! I didn't workout today, so tomorrow night's spin class will be my first test. Six more days to go. I'm still hoping I don't wimp out. I'm already dreaming of bread.

Cutting out coffee...

2010-07-05T09:37:00.003-05:00

To start off my juice detox on the right foot next week, I decided it's probably best if I cut out coffee. So, this week I'm weening myself off the blessed, glorious bean. I've done this before and I know it will take me several days before I'm over the clouded, foggy feeling of being without caffeine. I'm allowing green tea as a substitute for a small dosage of caffeine the next few mornings. Green tea has about 25mg of caffeine compared to 145mg in a 8oz. cup of coffee. So, it's still significantly lower than what I'm used to. I usually have 2 cups of coffee per day, sometimes more, so I'm REALLY cutting back just by drinking one cup of green tea only. I'm expecting a few headaches the next couple of days and I have my Aleve close by. I'm also significantly increasing my water intake. The more hydrated I am, I think the better I'll feel without caffeine.

I'm not sure what to expect from this juice detox. I don't know how my body is going to react and I'm kind of nervous about it, really. But I want to see how I feel after it all, so I'm motivated enough to give it a try. I'm just hoping I don't wimp out after 2-3 days.

Juice Detox...

2010-07-01T09:58:00.007-05:00

I recently saw the documentary film Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead at the DeadCenter Film Festival in OKC. It was a really well made film and if you get the opportunity to see it, I highly recommend it. Here's the summary, as written on the website:

Overweight, on steroids and suffering from a debilitating autoimmune disease, Joe Cross is at the end of his rope. With doctors unable to help long-term, Joe turns to the only option left, the body’s ability to heal itself. He trades in the junk food and hits the road with juicer and generator in tow, vowing only to drink fresh fruit and vegetable juice for the next 60 days. Across 3,000 miles Joe has one goal in mind: To get off his pills and achieve a balanced lifestyle.

At a truck stop in Arizona, Joe meets Phil, a morbidly obese truck driver who suffers from the same rare condition. As Joe is recovering his health, Phil begins his own epic journey to get well. What emerges is nothing short of amazing – an inspiring tale of healing and human connection.

After watching this film I've decided to do my own juice detox, following the Reboot plan that was linked to the movie website. I'm aiming for 7 days for my first one. I plan on starting it on July 11th and ending it on July 17th. I also plan on documenting every day of it on my blog here, if you're interested in following along. My reason for doing this is not to really lose weight (though I wouldn't mind shedding a few more pounds) but mainly to jump start healthy, clean eating habits. I am aiming to revamp my ideas about food and how easily we become addicted to certain things like sugars, starches, etc. It should be an interesting journey. I've never drank all my meals for an entire week. We'll see how I do :)

Fresh Corn on the Cob...mmmmm

2010-06-26T11:40:00.001-05:00

The theme this week on Mandy's Photography Blog is Food! Who doesn't love food, especially state fair food?! I mean it's insanely unhealthy...Indian Tacos, Fried Oreos, Corndogs, Funnel Cakes, Cinnamon Rolls, etc, etc. All stuff I shouldn't eat! The only healthy item I've ever seen is the fresh corn on the cob. Oh boy I love this stuff! This picture of Tiffany feasting on some corn was taken a few years ago the Oklahoma State Fair. I haven't gone the past 2 years, but maybe I need to make an appearance this year again. It's always good for some people watching, too :)

Fun!

2010-06-21T09:51:00.004-05:00

This is my entry for Mandy Stansberry's Photo Friday contest. The theme this week is Fun! I don't think it gets any more fun than this. This is the look of pure joy. Oh to be a child again!

Fresh Salsa Recipe...

2010-06-19T22:50:00.007-05:00

I'm in love with salsa. Seriously...this stuff is hands-down one of my favorite things to eat. The only thing that tops it are pancakes with peanut butter and maple-syrup. Next is definitely salsa. How can you not love such a colorful display of yummy goodness?! Everything you put in it is healthy...now if only the chips were just as healthy to eat with it! Thankfully salsa goes with other things besides chips, omelets & fajitas being a few of my favorites. If you have ever invited me over for a Mexican night, you know that I'm the one who volunteers to bring the salsa. I just can't help but find a reason to make it! I've basically stuck with the same "recipe" since I started making it in Germany (I know that sounds weird, but when you're without Mexican restaurants on every corner like in Edmond, you learn to make your own Mexican food). I've never written down the recipe. I just throw most of the same ingredients together, sometimes adding one thing or leaving out another. You know, you really can't go too wrong with it if you keep the few basic essentials. But I've decided to put down some of what I throw together for others who may be interested in making their own fresh salsa. If you have a food processor, it's incredibly easy. If not, just be prepared to do a lot of chopping.

Fresh Salsa (a view of some of the ingredients I use is above)

5-6 Med-Lg Tomatoes (I buy the "tomatoes on the vine" b/c they taste the best, in my opinion)

1 Med White or Yellow Onion

Cilantro

1 Lime

1 Can Diced Green Chilies or Fresh Jalapenos (depends on the level of heat you want)

Salt

Cayenne Pepper (optional)

A few dashes of Hot Sauce (optional)

I don't have exact measurements with all of this...it's really trial and error for me. I go for looks and taste. So bear with my directions. Chop up the tomatoes in the food processor until you only have small little chunks. Don't let it get too puréed though, or it will be runny. I usually use the pulse button, so it doesn't go too long. Throw all that into a big bowl. Then chop up the onion in the food processor. Now, you might not use all of the onion in the salsa...sometimes that can be a bit too overpowering. A good ratio I go for is 2 parts tomato, 1 part onion. You definitely want more red than white in there. Try to add about half to 3/4 and leave the rest to the side. You can always add more in later if you think it needs it. Then chop up some cilantro (I just grab the top of the bunch and pull off 2 handfuls) in the food processor. Some people like more cilantro than others. I like a modest amount, which basically makes it looks spotty in the tomato/onion mix. Next, throw in the can of green chilies or throw in some chopped jalapeno, depending on the level of heat you can handle. (Note: if you chop up fresh jalapenos, you might want to use gloves so you don't get the juice on your hands. It burns if you get it on your skin or, heaven forbid, you rub it in your eyes!). I'm more of a medium salsa fan, so I usually go for the green chilies. Next, juice the lime into the mix. I usually use the whole lime, but if you feel that it's too much juice, just add half at first and then pour in the remaining if it needs it later. Next, shake some salt in there. I really can't tell you an exact amount but maybe a 1-2 teaspoons? You be the judge of that. But I will say that the salt really makes all the tastes come together, so don't put too little in there...and also don't get carried away. Sometimes I add some cayenne pepper or hot sauce into it after all of this, to give it a bit more of a kick. You can add those in if you like, but they are not necessary to have good, fresh salsa. You'll just have a more mild salsa.

Now, taste it. You might need something more of one of the above. I can't really tell you! It's really all about what you prefer. I usually find myself adding either more salt or onion or hot sauce. That's just me. But here's what I usually try to get my salsa to look like:

Summer Sunset on a field of yellow

2010-06-18T07:00:00.011-05:00

I am LOVING how long the light lasts outside right now! I came home around 8:20 last night and noticed the field across from where I live is covered in little yellow flowers. The sun was setting perfectly on it and I quickly ran in my apartment, grabbed my camera and drove back out here to catch the light on the field before it faded. I wish I had a subject for some of these photos besides the field itself. If I had thought more about it, I'd had grabbed my tripod and timing device and would have taken some self-portraits. Maybe I'll head out there again tomorrow....if anyone's interested in being model, let me know.

Exuding Joy?

2010-06-15T22:31:00.005-05:00

Have you ever come across someone who exudes joy in their life? Like one of those people you never see in a bad mood, who are constantly upbeat about life and always have something positive to say. You know, sometimes I honestly want to punch those people cause I'm definitely not one of them...at least not all the time. I mean, I'm no Debbie Downer, but EXUDING joy ALL the time...well, just don't catch me at 5:30 in a Wal-Mart trying to check out in one of the only 3 lanes open (out of 40 lanes or whatever). It ain't pretty, trust me. And I won't even get started with my driving...

Can we really learn to be joyful even when we're faced with adversity and tough situations? I'm sure thousands of books have been written on joy but I'm not going to quote any. All I know is that I get so caught up in my little world that it starts affecting my attitude. I get frustrated because someone was rude to me on the phone and I let it control the rest of my day. Or I go to my mailbox and all I have are bills, bills, bills. Do they ever stop?! I allow these negative things coming at me to change my behavior. And then I seek approval of my feelings from others. Because shoot, I deserve to complain about my crappy situation! And when I get my behavior justified from others, it's okay to wallow in it some more.

This is not exactly the definition of exuding joy.

What if we just let it all go? What if, when faced with frustration, we turned it around and allowed ourselves to find JOY in those moments? I always find it amazing when I hear inspiring stories of people who have been faced with serious adversity and still have the most positive outlook on life. I find myself thinking "would I have that same attitude?". I'd like to say yes, but when you've never been there in your life, it's very easy to think you'd be the same way. Joy in adversity is not a common thing to see, but it can be possible.

The Bible tells us to "always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again -- rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do." (Philippians 4:4 NLT) These little one-liners in the Bible get me all the time. They come out so easily from your mouth but to actually do what this verse says...gosh it's hard! It might be one of the hardest ones in the book. It's along the lines of loving one another and praying without ceasing. And so on and so forth...

I want to exude joy more in my life. Not because I want others to see me as a joyous person, but because I think I'd live my life differently if I did. I think I'd be a happier person, which is probably why God tells us to be full of joy. I think I'd let problems roll off me more instead of allowing them to consume me. My first thought, though, is "how in the world do you just get more joy?". I mean there's no bottle I can just purchase at the store that will give me instant joy. (And if you find one, I'm guessing it's not real...just FYI).

The best place to start is always with prayer, in my opinion. I don't think I've ever prayed for joy before. I've prayed for patience or understanding or wisdom, but I can't ever recall praying for joy. I think it's time I start. And who knows, maybe the next time I'm standing in that long Wal-Mart check-out line, I'll find positive thoughts rolling through my head :)

The results are in!

2010-06-07T15:33:00.010-05:00

Saturday I completed my first sprint triathlon! The event took place in El Reno, so I was up fairly early for the 7:30am starting time. At least it meant beating the heat since it ended up being in the 100s that day! Overall I felt really calm going into it, though I could have slept a bit better the night before. I guess it was just nerves. I chose to do the last swim wave, since it was my first time to do a triathlon and I didn't know what to expect. I'm not disappointed in that decision but I see now that I would handle the women's wave just fine. I ended up passing half a dozen or so from the wave before me. My swim time was 12:37, which was what I was anticipating it would be around. I had aimed to do a 45 minute bike since I knew it was a fairly flat route, but the wind got kind of strong out there at times. There's just nothing to stop it in western Oklahoma!! I ended up with a 51:04 bike and I was really tired at that point! So, my run just didn't turn out how I'd have liked it to. I had to walk here and there because I just ran out of steam! I came in at 36:05 with the run (my goal was a 30:00 run). Overall my time was 1:44:01, which includes my transition times. I had a 2:24 transition from the swim to bike and a 1:48 from the bike to run. Those I know I can improve next time! But for my first time, I'm really happy with how it turned out.

This was such a great experience. The atmosphere is fun and exciting, everyone cheering you on and encouraging you to keep going. It's still very competitive but there are all sorts of people out there just doing their race, just trying to finish as best as they can. I'm really glad I've gotten into this sport. It's so physically challenging!! It's encouraged me to keep training and to keep improving. It's amazing what the human body can do when you put your mind and heart into something.

The Single Life..

2010-06-03T13:06:00.014-05:00

There I was, 26 years old, single & remotely happy. Things were going well for me and honestly I couldn't complain about much in my life. But I guess it's in those moments where all is okay with the world that we can sometimes feel restless. I can't really determine why, but I started feeling that way. Most of my uneasiness was coming from my singleness. Friends kept getting engaged. Married couples were having babies. Life was moving on for everyone. And there I was...alone. I wasn't finding anyone in my own circle of friends that I felt like dating, so I thought it was time to branch out. So, I, Amy Nickerson, ventured into the fun-filled world of online dating. Oh the joy! I never saw myself doing this. In fact, I semi-joked about those single people who did online dating. I thought they were just a bunch of desperate, ugly people. Ok, that's just mean, I know, but I'm being honest here. And you can't deny that there's a certain stigma about online dating, even though it's more common these days.

So, I tried one site, which will remain nameless, for about 3 months. I talked to a handful of guys, met one. To make a long (and semi-embarrassing) story short, he turned out to be a major flop. Let's just say that New Year's Eve 2009 was one of the worst dating experiences in my life. I didn't sign back up for that site after that...it was a bit too legalistic and not too many guys fit my type. I took about a 5 month hiatus from online dating after this ordeal.

When enough time had passed and I still found myself in a state of singleness, I started feeling it was time to try another site. Maybe my bad experiences were only from choosing the wrong site to meet someone. I decided Match.com looked okay. At least it wasn't the most expensive or the most time consuming of them all. And it seemed like a lot of people were on the site, so I had a greater chance of finding someone. I met one or two guys, talked to them a bit, met for coffee and then realized once we met in person it wasn't going to work. No harm done, we just weren't compatible. Then I met one guy who was really great. We went on several dates and I really liked him...even saw some bf potential. But in the end there were too many differences between us to really make it work and I realized I had just been overlooking those things from the beginning because I really wanted to make it work. I had to be true to myself in the end, so I broke things off. Not such a bad experience, but hard nonetheless. After that, I was just going to let my membership expire and not renew it. Online dating was a LOT of work upfront for something that I felt could be easier had I met the guy in person first.

But oh how life can be funny! I ended up meeting one more person before my membership expired. I had my doubts, but somehow I ended up agreeing to go on a date. There was just one issue, though. I really wasn't attracted to him. I should have never gone on the date. It was HORRIBLE! Not because he was unattractive to me but for other reasons. Maybe someday I'll write about it on here, but for now, all I can say is that I've never been more ready to end a date! This was WAY worse than the New Year's Eve date, if that could be possible.

Flash forward to today. I'm 28 now, still single and you'd think after these experiences, I'd want to quit dating altogether. Not exactly, but I sympathize with articles like this that basically sum up how I feel about online dating at the moment. If you're married, be happy you're not out there anymore. And also don't judge those of us singles who are trying online dating. It's hard finding people these days. Basically it seems like the time when people set you up are over. Whatever happened to that? I guess all my friends got married and only hang out with other married friends (besides me of course!).

For the most part, I'm a happy single woman and I keep a pretty active social life. I'm not one of those cat-ladies cooped up in my apartment with a carton of Ben & Jerry's watching sappy romantic comedies and sobbing at the TV. But I will say that it's not easy being single in my late 20s. It's not easy to see friend after friend get engaged...get married...get pregnant. I want those things for myself some day, just with the right person. And that person hasn't come along yet. So here I am.

Single.

Sometimes it just seems like people don't know where to place single people. More often than not, we are considered to be in a "waiting period" or a time of "transition". It's like our life isn't really moving anywhere...we're just waiting for it to come along and it finally will once we get married. I don't buy it at all. Look at all the unhappy marriages out there...the ones that end in divorce. Do I really want to wait around for THAT? Being single doesn't have to be as bad as people make it out to be. If I hadn't felt so much pressure to find someone, would I have ever ventured into online dating? Probably not. I'm not desperate by any means and I don't want to settle. But I wouldn't mind someone else helping me pay the bills :)

I wish things in our society were different, but I have to live in these times. I want to be more positive about where I am in life right now. I don't want to consider it just a "phase" I'm stuck in. I hate that thought. This is MY life. Take me for who I am. I'm tired of hearing "you'll meet that guy some day". Maybe I will. Maybe I won't. I have no idea what God has in store for me. But I doubt he desires that I live a half-life in my singleness.

I have no great way of ending this post. Just felt the need to get that all out. Comments are welcome...

The event draws nigh...

2010-06-01T14:42:00.007-05:00

Hello Blog-Readers. Are you still out there? Just checking. Sometimes I think I'm sending these posts out into cyberspace with no hope of anyone ever really reading them. That's probably because I'm not the most exciting blogger out there. I'm probably borderline boring. Oh well, I'll get over it.

I'm writing to update my fellow devoted readers on the Sprint Tri that is quickly approaching! I wrote last time about how I've been fearing the open water swim after my tough initiation a few weeks ago. Well, there has been improvement since that dreadful toe-stubbing day. I tested my skills once again at Lake Arcadia last weekend and with the increase in water temperature, I did pretty well. My muscles didn't tense up. I wasn't as freaked out by the murky water. I never felt like I was going to drown, in fact I felt really calm about it. I think I approached it much differently since there wasn't a crowd of swimmers. I just thought, "ok I'm going for a nice, long swim out in the lake", instead of "ok I gotta swim fast and not be the last one in the water". I think if I keep this new approach for race day, I'll do pretty well in the open water. And I'm glad I signed up for that last wave in the swim, so I'm not trampled by other swimmers as much! We also biked 10 miles and ran 3 miles Saturday after our swim. Whew, it's gonna be challenging come race day to do it all and try to transition quickly between each event! But my goal is just to complete it and enjoy it...not win it.

Next post will be the results from the event!!! Wish me luck!

Overcoming some fears...

2010-05-25T10:41:00.002-05:00

Last week I participated in the first Splash & Dash event for the summer with the OKC Triathlon Club at Arcadia Lake. 500 meter swim, 2 mile run. I thought it would be a good way to test my training and see how I do with open water swimming. Up until then, I'd only been training in a pool...with the little black line to follow and nice clear, warm water. And my swimming was going well in pool training. I felt strong and secure with it. If only swimming in lakes were as easy as swimming in pools. I honestly had a really hard time. I jumped right in the freezing water, which took my breath away a bit since I was swimming without a wetsuit, and felt a bit of panic rush over me. I couldn't get my stroke down. I couldn't get my breathing right. Waves were forming from other swimmers making it difficult to see. The water was definitely not clear and putting my head down in it made me feel uneasy. I felt like I was going to drown once or twice. It was such a struggle that I had to do the breast stroke a bit and then flip over on my back a couple of times to calm myself down. I'd never experienced anything like this before. I finished the first 250 meters (we had to get out on the beach and walk around to the starting point again and then do the same swim for the full 500 meters) and then stubbed my toe MAJORLY on a rock, which partially took off my toenail on my second toe. Needless to say, I did not do the other 250m, but tended to my bleeding toe. This was not a good way to start out. I did end up running the 2 miles when my toe stopped bleeding, though.

I'm realizing that I now have some fears of open water swimming to overcome. I know how I can react out there if I let that panic take over me. I'm just glad I tested this out before the Route 66 Sprint Tri in 2 weeks so I didn't panic during it. I'm not the type to give up, though, just because I had this bad experience. I plan on taking it head on. It's going to take some strength of mind to let these feelings pass without letting them overwhelm me. It's new territory for sure. I just have to be confident that I know how to swim and focus on my stroke or on my breathing while I'm out there, not on other things like the swimmers around me or the waves hitting me or the water temperature. I trust that I'll make it through the swim alright. But a little prayer or two from my readers would be fine with me, too :)

Meet Brayden!

2010-05-17T20:42:00.005-05:00

Here's the little man that came a few weeks early! Brayden Kody Speer was born on May 15, 2010 at 6:09am, weighing in at 7lbs. 13oz. and 19 5/8" long. My sister had 15 hours of labor and was a real trooper through it all according to my brother-in-law. Unfortunately she's had a major spinal headache since the birth, which was caused by the epidural, and is suffering from that mostly when she has to stand up. We're hoping in the next few days it will get better. Brayden is perfect in every way and has already melted many hearts! They're coming home from the hospital tonight. I've posted pictures to my Flickr account, but here's one of my favorites!

2010-05-09T07:35:00.002-05:00

In less than a month, I'm participating in the Route 66 Sprint Triathlon in El Reno. 500m swim, 13 mile bike, 5k run. I was actually serious when I said I'd do it! I realize that 6 weeks isn't probably the longest amount of time to start training for one of these, but I felt like I had a good base going into it. I take a spin class 2-3 times a week and bike way over the amount that I have to for this race. I'm also able to run longer than the race requires. But swimming, well that will be my weakest link so I'm really trying to work on that. Oh and the fact that I'm doing all these activities back to back! HA! Well, I hope to get a few trial runs in because I need to practice. Also, swimming in open water is going to be very different than swimming laps in the pool. Somehow I doubt they have the black lines at the bottom of the lake to follow. I borrowed a road bike to start training outdoors more, too. It's taking some getting used to but I feel comfortable on the bike at least. I hope that by June 5th I'm confident that I can at least make it through the race! My goal is to take it easy and just enjoy it. I'm not out to prove anything other than the fact that I can do it. Wish me luck! I'll let you know how I do...

Wichita Mountains...

2010-05-03T06:51:00.007-05:00

Oklahoma can surprise you sometimes. This weekend I traveled to the Wichita Mountains near Lawton with a group of my friends to camp, hike, and just enjoy the spring weather. I've never seen Oklahoma so green before! It really was a sight to see, especially that far south in Oklahoma. We were rained on a bit Saturday morning, but the remainder of the day allowed for some great hiking, boulder hopping, rock scaling, and pond diving (more like fell in the pond on accident, and it wasn't me this time!). We also made a point to eat at Meers Restaurant, which is this little hole-in-the-wall place that serves THE BEST hamburgers you'll ever eat. It's 97% lean grass fed Longhorn beef and it's VERY tastyf! If you go there, make sure you get a cobbler for dessert, but definitely split it because it's HUGE! At the end of the day, we drove up Mt. Scott to watch the sunset. It was the best way to end a fabulous day outdoors. I will definitely be heading down to the Wichita's again in the future.

My life in a month...

2010-04-30T13:00:00.010-05:00

I'm pretty sure tomorrow is May, right? Wow, where the heck did the month of April go? My life has seriously been too busy lately that I haven't had time to think. Or relax. Or enjoy the spring weather enough. It's all been great stuff, so I can't complain too much. But I'm kind of looking forward to sticking around Edmond the next month or so. Here's a look into my life in April:

First, Honduras. Yes, I realize I never gave a recap of the trip on here like I said I would. See the paragraph above for that explanation. I might feel compelled to share more at a later point but for now, I'm just posting another picture on here. This sweet little sleeping angel below is Mia. She's the daughter of one of the employees at Predisan. I love that she fell asleep with her little baby doll right on her stomach. So precious!

This picture gets me excited about the next. Like I mentioned before, my sister is due in a month! I went to her shower the second weekend in April in San Antonio. How cute is this diaper cake?? LOVE it. And love that I'm about to have a nephew. Brayden is gonna be totally spoiled rotten by his aunt. That's all I'm sayin'.

The following weekend I went on an area-wide Single's Retreat. Here's the part where I tell you I met a tall, dark & handsome, Christian single man who swept me off my feet and who likes sports, the outdoors, Mac's and working out as much as I do. Ok, so perhaps I'm lying. But I did have a good time meeting new people and I did not go on the retreat with the intention of finding anyone. It actually turned out to be a bummer of a weekend, weather wise, b/c it rained the ENTIRE time we were out there. And it's just not fun to be camping (even when you're in cabins) in the rain. Talk about claustrophobia: 125 people stuck inside a small meeting hall. Not cool. Needless to say, we headed home a bit early. And I took a total of ZERO pictures because I was not dragging my camera out there in the rain. Sorry, I value my Nikon more than I value you seeing me sitting inside a cabin all weekend.

Now I'm supposed to mention that the week after this retreat was my birthday, but really...28 is nothing special and honestly I want to vomit when I think about the fact that I'm approaching 30 in 2 years. Apparently I thought I was already 28 a few times before I was actually that age, because for about 2-3 months before I had told people that was my age. What the heck was I thinking?! Always go younger!! I have a lot to learn.

This past weekend, I hung out with "the girls". This is my group of friends that I've known since puberty when everything is awkward. So the fact that we're all still tight and didn't kill each other in our youth must mean that we have a pretty close bond. I love each of these girls. They are amazing human beings and never judge me when I go off on my soapbox about something. Each month we gather at someone's house for dinner and a night of what will always consist of lots of laughing and food. And if we're lucky, cake leftovers from Katie. I love these times. I realized I need to start taking more pics of us together. The picture below is from Christmas, though we've gotten together every month since then and NONE of us have snapped a picture. And Jessica wasn't even here for this picture. I need to start using my camera more!

The next day I got up and ran a 10k leg in the OKC Memorial Marathon as part of a relay team. All of us are members of the Quail Singles group. I had a blast down there again this year and I'm totally inspired to do the half-marathon next year. And it's encouraged me to sign up for the Route 66 Sprint triathlon in June. 1/2 mile swim, 13 mile bike, 5k run. I'm training as I type.

Below is our group photo and another picture with Lindsy, my awesome friend who ran the half marathon. She rocks.

That about does it for the month of April. If you think I'm starting to slow down this weekend, think again. I'm going camping (in a tent this time) in the Wichita Mts with a group of friends. And I will be taking pictures if it doesn't rain. Enjoy the spring everyone!!

I Heart Faces - Smiles

2010-04-26T12:24:00.006-05:00

Here's my photo entry for this week's photo challenge "Smiles" at I Heart Faces. This little boy melted my heart last month while I was in Honduras. :) His fun-loving personality shines through this photo in so many ways. There are just some kids who leave impressions on you and his zeal for life will always stick with me.

Coming Soon...

2010-04-15T09:27:00.006-05:00

In 6 weeks (or less or more...who knows!), my nephew Brayden Kody Speer will make his debut appearance in this world! I'm super excited to have a nephew and can't wait to meet the little guy. I was fortunate enough to get to fly down to San Antonio last weekend to be there for Kristie's baby shower and to take maternity pictures. I also am helping decorate Brayden's nursery, so I got a better idea of what I'll be designing. We had a lot of fun taking pictures (Kody too, I think!) even though we got booted from the McNay Art Museum grounds because you had to pay $20 to take pictures there! Who knew?! That's kinda silly, in my opinion. We did get a few shots off before we "got caught" and then we headed to a nearby park for a few more. Oh well, they still turned out great! Baby bumps have always been super cute to me but is it possible they're even more cute when it's someone you know well? I couldn't get over how adorable her belly was! I kept wanting to see if I could feel Brayden kick or get the hiccups. Kristie just looked radiant in her pregnancy and I couldn't be more happier for them! Here are a few of the best shots I got. I'm looking forward to going down in June and having my first photo session with Brayden! He better get used to it :)

B&W Photos from Honduras

2010-04-06T11:38:00.002-05:00

Here's a little slideshow of some of my favorite photos from Honduras...

Created with flickr slideshow.

Back from Honduras...

2010-04-04T07:22:00.003-05:00

I'll post an actual account of the trip later, but first I wanted to show just one picture from Honduras last week. It's hard to decide on just one picture to post, but I absolutely loved this picture of this kid! He had such an amazing amount of energy and life! He kept wanting me to take his photo and was doing all sorts of silly things in front of the camera. Kids are kids in any culture...

Hungry for change...

2010-03-20T21:09:00.004-05:00

With a tagline like "You'll never look at dinner the same way", I knew I had to eventually watch the documentary Food, Inc. I've been going back and forth with starting a more "clean diet" lifestyle, but this just pushed me over the edge. If you've heard anything about this movie, you'll know it dives into the whole food industry and the MANY problems plaguing what we eat these days. What exactly is in our food? What pesticides were used on our vegetables? What hormones were given to the meat we eat? What do all those ingredients on our food labels mean? And are we really informed of everything going on behind the scenes?

Food, Inc. tackles all these questions and more. It's SHOCKING. Seriously shocking. I can't even begin to describe everything I learned from this movie so my main advice would be to watch it. You have a right to know the truth about the food you're eating, even though there are plenty of people in the food industry who'd rather you stay in the dark. You have the right to know how the animals are being treated before they're being slaughtered. It's inhumane and depressing. And you have the right to stand up against these deep wallet companies on all our grocery shelves by shopping local and organic.

I know organic can be more expensive. I'm struggling with that as well right now. But is it really worth your health to keep eating these products that are making us sick on all sorts of levels? How many more recalls of food do we have to have before we realize how big of a problem we've created? And all these mysterious ingredients in products...what are they anyway? And what are the long term effects they'll have on our bodies? No one really knows because they haven't been around long enough to do the testing. We're all part of a big experiment...but why give in to it?

What can we do to change anything? Well for starters, try finding a farmer's market or join a food co-op. There's a great website that can help you find these called the Eat Well Guide. What about eating out? Well that's a bit harder, I know. I like to go out to eat with friends, but why not start making meals at home more and inviting friends over? I've started doing this with one group of friends each month and it's so much more enjoyable! We don't feel rushed to get out of the restaurant and our conversation lasts much longer.

I think to eat healthier and organic, you have to do a lot more planning ahead. I know in our fast pace lives, it can seem like a huge inconvenience, but in the long run, I think it will be a LOT more beneficial for your life. I've picked up the book "The Eat Clean Diet", which is more of a lifestyle than a diet. I've found this book very helpful as a resource for new healthy recipes and advice on how to plan ahead for maintaining a healthier eating lifestyle.

There are ways to beat "The Man"...you just have to look for them and stay informed...

Meet Mactastic...

2010-03-14T15:06:00.004-05:00

Say hello to Mactastic, the fantastic new addition to my little electronic family. He's definitely living up to his name already. I've waited a long time to bring him into this cozy family (too long really) but let's just say Mactastic is getting along VERY nicely with everyone so far! Well, with the exception of one...that would be my feeble Dell, who is currently hiding somewhere in my closet, afraid to come out and meet his intimidating new companion. I'd be pretty scared of Mactastic, too, with his sleek style and lightning speed. He could wipe out Dell in any race. I just hope Dell finds the closet space comfortable, because he'll be enjoying it for quite some time.

Mactastic and I have enjoyed spending some quality time together this weekend...loading music, pictures, programs, etc. We're just having a blast! Pretty soon he'll become so familiar that we'll all wonder how we ever lived without him!

Go get a Mac...now...you'll thank me later.

Wish You Were Here...

2010-02-26T13:14:00.007-06:00

Here's my entry for Mandy's Photography Friday contest. The theme this week is "Wish You Were Here." I took this photo in 2008 while hiking in Colorado's Rocky Mt. National Park for a week. We spent 2 days during that week in the backcountry, where we saw no other living soul in that time frame...well, besides some wildlife. It was so peaceful and absolutely gorgeous! I loved getting off the beaten path. I used an old postcard image that I found on Flickr on top of this photo and made the colors sort of faded/washed out so it would look old. Gotta love Photoshop!

the last leaf standing...

2010-02-20T15:38:00.007-06:00

Back in September, I wrote a post about the widespread epidemic around the botanical sections of my cozy little apartment. One by one, my cacti, jade and aloe plants slowly shriveled up to a sad little existence of their former selves and wound up in a big heap in my trash can. It was an unfair arrangement for us all. I had a few of these plants for 4 or 5 years and once they stepped foot in this little apartment, they all met their doom. It was tragic.

I'm usually one to have plants around me, just because they bring more life to a place, but I decided I wasn't going to waste money on buying plants that would hardly see the light of day and survive maybe a month, if they were lucky. My apartment just doesn't have enough windows and the ones I do have, I can't leave the blinds open during the day for my plants. I don't want to invite thieves for the sake of keeping my plants alive. So, I gave up all hope of ever having plants in this apartment, for however long I end up living here.

But around October/November, I passed the house plant section at Wal-mart and there they were...all those cute little plants in their bright and shiny pots with their perky little leaves and pretty blossoms. They called out "Buy me Amy! I'll survive in your place!" They had me fooled. I thought I was being smart, though, by picking only one. And I thought I was even MORE smart for picking the one that specifically had "Low Light" written on it. Perhaps I'd found the magical plant to survive in this apartment!

A few weeks went by and the plant still looked perky and happy sitting on my window sill. I watered it, made sure the soil was clean and opened the blinds up when I could to let some light in. But funny thing, the light gets less and less during the winter! Go figure. And I was around my apartment less and less. The plant never had a chance. Around December, I had to "pluck" it, so to speak. A few of the blades were drooping over the sides with no chance for a revival. However, after removing the dead blades and fixing it up, it looked pretty great again.

Oh how that was short lived! The past few weeks I've been looking at this:

I know what you're thinking. Why haven't you thrown it away!!?? Pathetic, perhaps, but I just couldn't bring myself to walk over to it and see it barely hanging on for dear life. It was just too sad, so I kept putting it off. Well, today I decided was the day to face the facts. This plant is, literally, on it's last leaf. After fixing it up for one more time, I have it looking like this now:

I know it looks like there's more than one blade there, but it's all connected together below, so I'm considering it just one. After cleaning it up, my little Blumenmaedchen joined with me to partake the Last Leaf Ceremony, whereby we prayed on it's behalf that it would survive this beastly epidemic and live on to release more H2O into my apartment. I'm not sure it has a fighting chance, but by golly, we're gonna do what we can to help this little fella live on!

one of those "life wake-up calls"...

2010-02-17T13:21:00.003-06:00

I Will Rise - Chris Tomlin

I was saddened to find out that a friend of mine from college, Rose Langham, passed away very unexpectedly from a brain aneurysm a few days ago. Rose was such a sweet, sweet person. I remember her laugh...it was so infectious and I can still remember how it sounds to this day. She was involved in many activities on campus, was friends with a lot of people, and even directed Spring Sing, an annual event at Oklahoma Christian, our Senior year. Every one who knew her, loved her. I didn't keep in touch with Rose after college, but hearing about her sudden death still affects me. She's my age and just seems too full of life to be taken so young.

After reading through this blog entry about Rose, my heart just broke. These words just confirm how special she was and how devastating her loss will be to so many people. It reminds me so very, very much how I need to be thankful for EVERY day I have with my family and friends. I know we hear the saying "life is short" quite often, but it's never more poignant than when a death occurs. I praise God for Rose's life and that she lived it knowing Him, serving His kingdom and is now with Him in heaven. I hope that those thoughts can comfort her grieving husband and family during this very difficult time right now.

There's a song I've been listening to today while writing up these words. It's called "I Will Rise" by Chris Tomlin. This song sums it all up for me.

There's a peace I've come to know
Though my heart and flesh may fail
There's an anchor for my soul
I can say "It is well"

Jesus has overcome
And the grave is overwhelmed
The victory is won
He is risen from the dead

[Chorus:]
And I will rise when He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain
I will rise on eagles' wings
Before my God fall on my knees
And rise
I will rise

There's a day that's drawing near
When this darkness breaks to light
And the shadows disappear
And my faith shall be my eyes

Jesus has overcome
And the grave is overwhelmed
The victory is won
He is risen from the dead

[Chorus:]
And I will rise when He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain
I will rise on eagles' wings
Before my God fall on my knees
And rise
I will rise

And I hear the voice of many angels sing,
"Worthy is the Lamb"
And I hear the cry of every longing heart,
"Worthy is the Lamb"
[x2]

[Chorus:]
And I will rise when He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain
I will rise on eagles' wings
Before my God fall on my knees
And rise
I will rise

dog photographer extraordinaire...

2010-02-15T16:15:00.006-06:00

Ok, I ran across the cutest photography site ever today. Look at this awesome site by Dog Photographer Erin Vey. How cute are her photos??!! So simple and so adorable. Each image truly captures the dog's personality. I love it. LOVE LOVE LOVE it. I mean, what a great niche to break into! So many people have dogs and treat them like part of the family...so why not photograph them like we do the rest of our family members? They deserve a great place up on our wall of photos.

I'm sure you have to have a lot of patience when photographing dogs...almost like children, except they move around even more (well some of them do!) At least with dogs, you can always bribe them with treats to get their attention.

A year or so ago, I did take some photos of our office guard dog, Chase. My boss brings him to work 3-4 days a week. He even has his own profile on our website. Anyway, I really enjoyed that and perhaps I need to try it again. So if you're interested in having a little photo shoot with your K9, let me know!

NEW BLOG...

2010-02-12T14:03:00.004-06:00

Some of you may know already, but plans are in the works for me to head to Rwanda this summer to take promotional photos for the Rwanda Outreach & Community (ROC) Foundation. I've started a new blog for the specific purpose of spreading the word and fundraising for my trip. Please check it out. There will be a Paypal option soon, if you choose to help donate. I'll also give details on where to mail in checks, if you'd prefer that option. Anyway, head on over to it and take a look...more details to come!

Amy to Kigali 2010