Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you have a fantastic holiday! It's my last one apart from Cent, woo hoo!

Tag, I'm It!

So, because B-Rod tagged the world, here I go.
Rules

• Link to the person who tagged me 
• Mention the rules
• Reveal six quirky yet boring, mundane, banal and pedestrian facts about yourself
• Tag six other bloggers by linking to them
• Go to each of their blogs and leave a message letting them know they’ve been tagged!

Catie like you’ve never seen before:

• The wrong year is printed on my birth certificate. Therefore, I have an amendment.
  
• I hate it when people pronounce the word NUCLEAR as "new-queue-ler" (ie the outgoing moron lame duck)
  
• I learned to read and write in French before English.
  
• I enjoy sarcasm and petty gossip. (Awful, I know)
  
• I have two dachshunds, Frieda and Walter the Farting Dog.
  
• Pinocchio freaks me out because it reminds me of Chucky (also freaks me out)
  

Now, I tag:
Mercy, Jessica,  Michele, Jen, Lydia, and Camille Elise.

Happy Birthday Mom + Goals Revisited

Happy Birthday Mom! I love you! :)

Thanks to two blogging buddies, I've decided to revisit my list to see my progress.

Here it goes:

1. blog everyday for a month (COMPLETE)
   
2. learn how to cook and ease kitchen anxiety
3. learn how to use Digital SLR to its full potential (getting there)
   
4. take better photos (work in progress)
   
5. post photos consistently on Flickr (work in progress)
   
6. go to the gym at least four days a week for a month (trying to keep up with this)
   
7. try a new class at 24Hour Fitness (have tried out 4!)
   
8. search for other job possibilities
9. meet my fiance’s friends
10. learn full potential of Photoshop (as of May 2008)
    
11. move out of parents’ house (July 2009... 9 months to go!)
    
12. organize my bedroom
13. clean out my closet and donate unwanted clothes to Goodwill (Completed, but need to do again)
    
14. purchase new or “previously owned” car (woo hoo completed January 2008!)
    
15. have my friends meet his friends
16. explore major cities – Atlanta, Chicago, Washington DC, Seattle, Denver (found out Denver = not so exciting)
    
17. spend time in New York City
18. practice taking more portrait photos (work in progress, check my flickr)
    
19. crochet a beanie for the fiance
20. learn how to surf, even for a split second
21. go to Vegas as an adult (March 2008, and got engaged!)
    
22. go wine tasting, I do live close enough to Napa & Sonoma!
23. take a cake decorating class
24. design logo for future business (currently being designed, working with graphic designer!)
    
25. take a ballroom dancing class
26. move out to Texas to be with boyfriend (to be with future husband! July 2009)
    
27. schedule annual physicals (going today...)
    
28. remember to have car oil changed (car reminds me now, how fancy!)
    
29. have extended family meet fiance
30. set aside money to donate to charity of choice
31. participate in Habitat for Humanity Project
32. look into the possibilities to PMP my job (Project Management Professional)
33. get engaged, and have legitimate reason to read wedding magazines like Brides, Martha Stewart Weddings, The Knot, etc. (COMPLETE: March 1, 2008!)
    
34. shadow a professional photographer (COMPLETE: October 18, 2008)
    
35. buy a house
36. design personal stationery
37. decorate said house and give it sense of style
38. finish painting room
39. take a cooking class
40. read at least one book a month (been pretty good, have read a good stack!)
    
41. go to the library more often (facilitates my new audio-book obsession)
    
42. go to Hawaii and reclaim summer color (going to honeymoon!)
    
43. document my 101 goals as completed (been bad at this)
    
44. plan fantastic wedding on my terms (IN PROGRESS)
    
45. complete my first quilt project – already bought the fabric!
46. go to the Philippines during Christmastime to visit family
47. cook semi-fancy romantic dinner for self and boyfriend. from scratch, without killing or making us sick
48. build photo portfolio (IN PROGRESS)
    
49. visit the New England during the fall (mostly complete, went to Boston in October)
    
50. buy a new computer and Adobe Design bundle (COMPLETE: October 2008)
    
51. as a complement to completion of #33 and #44, apply to be a Bee
52. go on a cross-country road trip
53. learn more on the fundamentals of photography (Always learning)
    
54. ride my bike around the park
55. go on daily walks when the weather is nice (woo hoo! thanks Nike + iPod kit!)
    
56. lose 20lbs... if they can do it on Biggest Loser, I can too! (work in progress, lost 10 since January, gained back 7 lbs, sad, but working on it!)
    
57. start cooking own meals to make good on goal #56
58. visit best friend in Italy while still stationed there (don't know if this will happen, sad)
    
59. return to Lyon for Fete des Lumieres
60. write a journal entry everyday for a month
61. keep a food journal consistently also in efforts to make good on #56 (did this in January-March, then totally slacked off)
    
62. make a pair of earrings (or more)
63. clean out wallet and purse... rogue receipts be gone! (Constant work in progress)
    
64. spend the holidays with fiance’s family (next year!)
    
65. send out Christmas cards with photos of us

22 out of the listed 65?! Not too freakin bad! To me, this is truly testament to having your goals written out. I didn't think I accomplished this much, but wow! I'm super happy with 22 complete.

Nike + iPod!

I decided that to make better on my goals to get my butt moving in the next 8 1/2 months before the wedding, I would invest in this cool little gadget. I bought the Nike shoes a while ago with the intentions of getting the little device. Well, months later I finally got around to it and it's awesome! So far, I've only completed two workouts, with a time goal, but I'm looking forward to knocking out goals down the road. Check out my little widget. When you plug the iPod into the computer, it uploads all the stored workout data to Nike.com. Easy peasey. I'm kicking it up a notch as we get closer to the wedding!

9 months to go...

...til the wedding!

So it frustrates me to think that almost a whole year has passed and I have slipped back into my slacker tendencies. I started the year out great, working out and eating right. Then sometime around May-June, it all started to slip. I had made some great progress, and then I guess I took it for granted because here I am, ten months since the start, back to where I was in January.

And I know there's no one to blame but myself and lack of self control. It's laziness, I'll admit it. I was on a freakin roll in January, eating salads and lean meats and GOOD for you food. Potatoes are evil. Deliciously evil. And also are my downfall. It's all about self-control and free will, and while I'm big on snarky remarks...I need to get big on not putting food in my face.

With nine months to go till the wedding, I need to pick up the slack. The dress I ordered will forgive me only so much and I have about 3 inchese leeway. With that said, I have to pick up my lardbutt and stop being lazy. Step one: going to the gym on Saturdays. Fridays and Sundays are my days off right now, but I'm thinking that I need to do something everyday, even if it's just walking in the neighborhood. And I need to eat better. Period. I had this free test thing (who knows how legit), but basically it could tell that I don't get enough veggies, which I'm totally guilty of. Potatoes are not vegetables. Damn.

On a separate note, as part of my 101 in 1001 list I've been making some great strides. I have, however, been a slacker about posting my accomplishments. I'll be working on that too. In the last month, I've completed #34 and #50. Woo hoo! As a part of my portfolio building process for my future freedom from the evil clutches of corporate America gig, I have a blog dedicated to JUST my photography stuff. If you know anyone looking to have some photos taken for the holidays, engagement, portraits, wedding, anything really, let me know!

Vote

Come on people. It's that time of year again. REGISTER to vote. Regardless of who you are or what you believe, if you want to make a difference, you'll need to get off your butt and vote. So register. I found this video from a photographer who posted it to her blog.

Thank you Tina Fey!

Quality Comedy. Sadly so close to real.

10 months to go!

So it's the 18th. That means ten more months til the big day. And yet, how is it that we are already half way through September? I though Labor Day was last week...

Mission Meet the Parents: Success!

We just got back from a whirlwind weekend in Dallas. It went off without a hitch! (Is that the expression? hah). We ate A LOT, always a good sign of a great time. I'll be needing to workout in super SERIOUS mode, however, but it made for good laughs and a great weekend.

Big Weekend!

It's the big meeting weekend! Our parents will be meeting each other for the first time. I have no doubt that it will go just fine, but I can't help but thinking of Meet the Fockers. Let's just hope the weather behaves itself!

I <3 Splash Mountain

I found this photo and I just had to blog it. This was from our trip to Disneyland, our one mini-vacation this year. I love this picture because it shows the whole family having fun. We were too cheap to buy the $12.95 (seriously, what 5x7 Kodak photo-printer print is worth that?) but I did manage to catch it on the TV screens. My mom's expression is too funny.



Good times!

It's done. Well, almost.

It's official, I've made appointments at two bridal salons for this Thursday. I'm excited and yet a little...what's the word? Weirded out? I don't know exactly how to pinpoint it, but I think going bridal gown shopping just makes it that much more real. I mean, the wedding dress is pretty much the icon of a wedding. You think, "Oh she's getting hitched." Without it, (plus rings, husband, and license) it's just a big party.

I've kind of been putting it off. Every time I talk to a friend who hears of the engagement news immediately jumps on the "Have you gone dress shopping yet?" train. Which is fine, it's a normal question, but my response has been "no". It's not because I don't want to, it's because I haven't had the time. And from what I hear, and if it's at all similar to trying on regular clothes, it takes some motivation, time, and effort. I'm making time now.

Well, Thursday is the day. We'll see what it brings.

Free to Succeed Tour!

So I'm exhausted, but bursting at the seams with excitement and newly absorbed knowledge. I just got back from the Free to Succeed Tour in San Francisco hosted by the awesome David Jay and fantastic Jasmine Star. I totally feel like I got to rub elbows with celebrities. So starstruck!

Here's the bus:

What can I say?! Tonight was so awesome and enlightening and inspiring. Jasmine Star's story totally resonated down to my bones. She reminds me so much of friends from college and I loved her message of "Keepin' it Real". I'm all about that. She's just as real and genuine in person, as she is on her website and blog. I loved the insight into a manageable workflow, word of mouth marketing, and the super cool ShowItWeb and ShowItSites. It's also humbling to learn how DJ started - at $1,000 a wedding and is now at $15k. As an aspiring photographer and a bride-to-be I got to experience both perspectives, and I have so much more appreciation and realize the value of my photographer's work.
I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and approached them both after the seminar. Normally, I don't think I would have done that. I consider myself to be a shy person, but I was like, "When then heck will I be in the same room as DJ and Jasmine Star?!" So I did it. I stood in line, as if to get an autograph, and said my thank you's (THANKS to YOU BOTH!), and got a photo op.

Check it:

It's 1am, but I wanted to get this out while it was fresh!

Back in California

I'm back from my 12 days of travel, and I think I know what time zone I'm in. The statistics conference was about as exciting as it could be, although it was great to meet my East Coast editors. They were great! I couldn't ask for better, considering I had no choice in the matter. They are true professionals with a sense of humor.

Spending time with Cent was even better. With three months of not seeing each other, it was getting kind of old. But as always, when we reunite, it's as if we hadn't been apart at all. It's great. We watched movies, ate some authentic Texan BBQ, and just hung out. That's what we do. We did go to the mall and decided that we want to get a Lovesac when we get a house. :)

My pulled pork sandwich

Why does my head look so much bigger?

Free to Succeed Tour

I'm so excited to attend the Free to Succeed Tour! It's a photography seminar hosted by David Jay and Jasmine Star. David Jay was named one of the top 15 wedding photographers in the world and Jasmine Star is one of the rising stars in the industry, having only started shooting weddings in October 2006. From what I've heard from the other stops on the tour, it's going to be awesome! I'm so excited! Did I mention that? I even had a dream about it.

Mind you, I've only spoken to a handful of photographers, and all of that was only on a client-vendor basis. I'm looking forward to meet local photographers.

I'm determined.

Denver...

I'm in Denver working my real job schmoozing with Statistics profs, I know you're jealous. However, I did have some downtime and wandered around the downtown area and got some decent shots of the city. Denver is definitely a pedestrian-friendly city and there is even a free hybrid bus that runs up and down 16th Street the main promenade of downtown. Before I head back to Dallas tomorrow morning, I'm going to venture over to the capitol building and stand a mile high above sea level.

 

  

  

  

  

  

 

I also discovered that there at 17 Starbucks locations in Downtown Denver. I'm not even exaggerating. I counted them down in the visitor's guide. I wonder if they will be shutting down some of the locations around here. Seriously, you can walk about 100ft and run into another Starbucks location. There's one right at the entrance to my hotel. 2 blocks down there is another. Crazy.

Travel Shots

I really enjoy traveling. I was going through my photos as I sit in a hotel in Denver, and I thought, why not a post about some of my travels last year. I got to meet up with my good friends in San Diego, our old stomping grounds. I went to Savannah to meet my soon-to-be in-laws. I took my then-boyfriend, now-fiance to San Francisco and caught some junk on camera. I went to New York for the fourth of July with my cousins. And I watched as the sun melted 1 year ago from today on August 4, 2007.

 

San Diego

  

Savannah

  

San Francisco

  

 New York

  

Dallas 

I've decided I'm going to use my blog to showcase more of my photos. I went out this evening, it's been a lovely, balmy 80 degrees, and I shot the Millennium Bridge, LoDo (lower downtown), and Larimer Square. I should have those up tomorrow. Have to find something entertaining to do when you're in a city for a statistics conference. I'm going to go to the State Capitol, and stand 1-mile above sea level on the 13th step. Work travel has its perks.

Impromptu Photo Shoot

I wanted to make the most of the day at Halfmoon Bay so I took my camera with me. On the upside, there were two adorable kiddie there.

I like kids, especially when they are intrigued by the camera and allow the paparazzi to shoot continuously!

Responsibilities

So, I'm convinced that having a lot of responsibilities is overrated. To me, having to ensure sales and revenue is not something I want to be held accountable for. After sitting in several meetings, listening to others ruminate about making sales goals and meeting the magical Q4 number, I realized that I don't want that to ever be my problem. Yes, I'm held accountable for the projects that I manage, and yes, I know that's a form of responsibility, but making sales numbers, not my problem.

On top of that, those that do have those responsibilities, spend half their lives in meetings. The other half is spent trying to carry out the so-called "marching orders". Seems a little too military-ish if you ask me. "Carry out these orders, or you're toast." Too much. Let's just say that I wasn't ever cut out to be in high-pressure sales, or any type of sales, really. I know that the industry that I work in has a very different sales model, not based on pressuring someone to do something, but still. For me, the whole idea of "sales" is icky. Because what do you do if you don't make your number? In British vernacular - you become redundant.

Don't get me wrong, I'm handling my added responsibilities on the media front. I've had to do a ton of clean up after the boat load of "legacy" projects were left to wade through. I think I'm finally finding my bearings. I'm bound and determined to rock this job. There's just so many office politics that I'd rather not get mixed up in the mess. I guess that I feel that I know my place and role, which I cannot definitively say the same for some others around here. Alas, that's the way the corporate cookie crumbles. I'm hoping that having a new team (although removed on the other side of the country) will shed some new light and breathe some fresh air into my world.

I'm tired of the petty and clueless.

365 to go!

Yes, I know that a full year is still a long time, but I'm sure it will fly by! Yay!



July 18, 2009. :)

Published!

Check it out! Random and by chance, one of my photos was published on the BART website.

You can see my pic here. My photo is the first on the left of the lady pushing the stroller. Woo hoo!

Original is this:

After a little magic get this:

Thanks BART!

A Published Winner!

Well, almost. In the last two days, I won a $10 iTunes card through comment contest on Southern Weddings and  I was asked permission to publish one of my photos on BART's  redesigned website. They are still currently working on the redesign, but my photo may be published there (someday)! Woo hoo! Who knew that snapping a shot of a lady walking through the Oakland Airport would amount to anything?!

I was really excited about winning the $10 iTunes card, because I just entered the comment on a whim. I didn't think I would win, but I think my secret Southern vibe tapped into the judges. Well, my mom is a Georgia Peach and Cent is from the South. I've never won anything online before. Very exciting.

In addition to the aforementioned, I also won free lunch at Kabul's, an Afghan restaurant in San Carlos. Business cards are good for something after all.

New to my WANT list

So Nikon just announced their new full-frame sensor DSLR. It's more compact than the ultra pro D3, but has all the functionality of the pro DSLR. I think they are calling this their compact professional DSLR. I'm really excited about this release because I really like Nikon products. After reading about professional photographers and finding out that a lot of them prefer the Canon 5D in terms of a compact professional DSLR, I wondered if I should do the switch eventually. However, I tried my friend's Canon and in terms of the ergonomic and comfort quality of the camera body, it didn't compare to Nikon. My Nikon D80 is much more comfortable to hold than her Canon XTi. What can I say, I'm a fan of Nikon.

I'm excited about this release and hope that eventually I get my hands on one and continue to pursue my dream!

[photo from dpreview.com]

TravisHoehne.com in Full Effect!

Our awesome and totally rad photographer has launched his new website: travishoehne.com!

Congrats Travis!

Fun Project #1: Save the Dates!

As I keep finding more and more ideas for what to do with my Save the Dates, I'm almost overwhelmed. I have a general idea of what I want and I want to stay focused on the vision that I have. It's hard to feel unique when you see your idea translated and created by another bride. I'm so thankful, though, for all the of the wonderful resources online that brides have been sharing since the blog boom.

I love the idea of magnets, so your guests will have a constant reminder on their fridge of the upcoming nuptials. I also like the idea of including stickers for guests to mark in their other calendars. This may seem like overkill at times, but I think that if you send a Save the Date to someone and then an invitation, they have absolutely no excuse not to know when your wedding is. I would hope that this would cut out the "Oh I didn't knows" or "You should have told me sooner" or "I wish I knew ahead of time". That's the whole point of a Save the Date, right, to SAVE THE DATE.

Here's some inspiration from Melissa Jill, a Scottsdale-based photographer, who has a new line of Save the Date Cards:



Here is what I have come up with. I'm planning on maybe using these as the magnets and including another insert with information for our out of town guests. It's so hard to decide on just one idea, that I want to include everything! These are preliminary designs, with some others on the way.




Awesome engagement photos by our rad-tastic photographer, Travis Hoehne!

Mini-Vacation Here I Come

I luckily get to miss marketing planning, also known as "hours and hours of boring stuff". Very intellectual, I know.

I'm going down to San Diego to hang out with my cousins from Montana as well as the local San Diegans.

Thoughts on the future

I was reading archives from a wedding photographer's blog over the weekend, and her words just spoke to me so clearly. I was humbled to learn that she had the same fears and worries as I currently do about getting into the business. It's been a dream of mine for the past few years and the thought of working for myself has been very tempting. But it's hard to take that leap of faith and JUST DO IT. I don't think I'm quite at that point yet, but I'm getting there.

Speaking of a leap of faith, I decided to e-mail said photographer as an informational interview type thing. The worst that could happen is that she never responds. But my gut tells me that she probably will, because she seems like that type of person. I'm excited that I decided to just do it. The last time that I emailed a photographer was probably a year or so ago and I asked about how she started out, and she replied back, happy to be of help.

I still need to work on composition and lighting a lot. I've got a good hang on retouching and processing in Photoshop thanks to my class. I would definitely start out with this being a hobby/job on the side until I was able to take it on as a full time endeavor. I'm starting to looks a some lenses and thanks to borrowlenses.com can try some out before I buy. And they are located in San Mateo!

Jet Fuel is ruining my life.

If it wasn't bad enough that gas prices jump every single day (it's not even easing into this whole $4 thing), plane tickets are even more expensive thanks to uber-expensive jet fuel. What used to be $220 on a good day to fly to Dallas on American is now between $350-$400 if you're lucky. It would be fine if all these prices went up, and my salary went up with it in proportion. Unfortunately it doesn't work that way.

Hmmm, I feel the beginnings of an even wider poverty gap. Rich getting richer, poor getting poorer. I hope this economy starts to turn around come November.

I'm still for celebrity socialism. Those who spend $30,000 a month on gas can help.

June is almost here!

And that means ridiculous amounts of wedding related shows on cable TV. That includes the obnoxious Bridezillas, obscene Platinum Weddings, and other silly shows. It's about the only entertaining thing on TV this time of year since network channels have equally lame series.

I saw Sex and the City yesterday afternoon and it was a great kick off to summer fluff. The only thing I was kind of bitter about was that we had to pay for our own concessions. However, I think that was a better choice than having to sit through the movie with a higher up sitting next to me. Now that would have been uncomfortable...

Engaged!

My favorites from the Engagement Photo session by the awesome Travis Hoehne. Thanks Travis!!

I love this action shot. I look bored. or mad...


Love this one!


My first and last time as a model...


Cent should get hired! Check that smile :)


Fun one!


Oh Mario Kart! I'm the defending champion... for now!


This one makes me laugh.


Awww.


Stopping some Texas Traffic...


I don't know how I'm going to wait another 365+ days!

Engagement post coming soon!

Coming to a blog near you...Just got word from Travis that our engagement photos are ready! Woo hoo!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there, especially my super awesome mom. If you've ever met her, you'd be able to see where I come from. My mannerisms, facial expressions, and sense of humor. My mom can suck just about anyone into a conversation and is well-versed in all worldly things. I love my mom and she's the best!

We have a venue!

I'm very excited to say that we have a reception venue! After a lot of consideration of options and debating between this place and that, a decision has been made. We'll be partying and celebrating our nuptials at the Castlewood Country Club in Pleasanton. The sound of "country club" actually made me worry that it meant extra zeros would be attached to every price tag, but actually it's very comparable to other venues in the area. Without further ado, some photos:

The front entrance


The Lobby - so pretty!


The Terrace - great for hors d'oeuvres and hanging out


The Ballroom - lots of space!


The Bar - drinks and mingling