Jessica Leija

Shame On Me...

2010-01-13T20:26:00.000-08:00

While watching American Idol tonight I was taken aback by Vanessa Wolfe from Vonore, Tennessee. Before her audition they did a little video promo about her and I was laughing at her; what a redneck, etc. Then she talks about how she wants to make something of herself and how she's stuck and I felt so proud of her. And then she sang and I was blown away. Not what anyone expected. Good for her! I want to see her go far!

change.

2009-11-11T07:14:00.000-08:00

We’ve got some exciting new changes for Bella Designs Studio! And the first change is our new website ! Our new website is a hybrid of a blog and website; I am so blessed to be married to such a talented man! So all blog posts will be posted here from now on; as well as old posts (I am migrating them all over)! So be sure to change your blog reader, bookmarks, etc to reflect this exciting new website!

Next, is our new logo! I was very happy with my first logo, but I felt it was time for a change…I wanted something with meaning, better readability, as well as a way to integrate my logo into the watermarking for my images. Now before you ask; why the Fleur-de-Lis? Are you French? Do you love the New Orleans Saints? Let me explain. The Fleur-de-Lis is a symbol for many things; but the interpretation I like the most is the representation of faith, wisdom and chivalry. Without faith, Steven and I would have never taken the first step into starting Bella Designs Studio. If it weren’t for the wisdom that we have from the many years combined of experience we would have nothing to set us a part from our competition. And I like to see the definition of chivalry as honor; it is an absolute honor to be chosen by my client’s to do such an important job for them…capturing glimpses of memories for them to have and to hold forever. So here it is; simple and to the point…

And last, who doesn’t have a Facebook these days?! So become a fan of Bella Designs Studio; I run great Facebook Specials on there so don’t miss out!

Become a fan of Bella Designs Studio on Facebook!

Why I love what I do...

2009-11-05T10:39:00.000-08:00

Back in August I photographed a wedding for a couple named David and Kim. Their wedding was a second marriage situation and were blending their children from previous relationships into their new family. There wedding ceremony was small and intimate and really focused on the central idea of this new family unit; something I could totally relate to. That was so important to Steven and I when we got married.

I only spent a few hours with this family (small ceremony and a dinner reception at a local restaurant) but in those few hours I can say that I was truly blessed to be apart of this special day for them. I met a family that absolutely touched my heart and know that there was a bigger reason that our paths crossed.

Yesterday I received an email from David and Kim. They were going through their snapshots on their camera from the wedding and came across this picture. This photo sums up why I love what I do. In that short amount of time with them, I went from being the 'professional wedding photographer' to being invited to sit and eat with them at their table and requested to be in family photographs. I absolutely love that my clients have that level of comfort with me; and that is why I love what I do. I get to be apart of something so big and important in people's lives. I am able to give them these little glimpses of their amazing day that they can hold on to and cherish for a lifetime. And at the end of the day I can truly say that I have made new friendships...now tell me, what is better then that?!

Kim (the bride), Caroline, and myself

I Found...

2009-09-24T18:56:00.000-07:00

I found Jacey's aka 'Jelly Bean' future car! :-)

Mascot Match-Up : Week Three

2009-09-17T06:52:00.001-07:00

Update: This week was a week of upsets! I went 3-7! yikes!

#14 Georgia Tech Yellowjackets @ #20 Miami Hurricanes

A measly little yellowjacket has no chance against a hurricane; even a storm as weak as a category 1. These pesky flying insects need to call FEMA!

Tennessee Volunteers @ #1 Florida Gators

The only mascots that can beat a Gator are the ones with guns; and unless we have a disgruntled volunteer, I do not see this being a good fight.

#19 Nebraska Cornhuskers @ #13 Virginia Tech Hokies

A proud farmer against a turkey. No brainer-the turkey is dinner.

#18 Utah Utes @ Oregon Ducks

I had to look up what Utah's mascot was, because everytime I hear 'Ute' I think of My Cousin Vinny :-) Utah's mascot is a red-tailed hawk; so we have a match-up between two species of birds...hawk vs duck. Gotta go with the hawk on this one.

Florida State Seminoles @ #7 BYU Cougars

Cougars stalk their prey and once they set their eye on the prize they will wait patiently until the right time to move in for the kill. Never underestimate the power of a cougar.

Texas Tech Red Raiders @ #2 Texas Longhorns

The rules of mascot match-up is to take all logic away and strictly look at the mascots; so obviously the mascot with the gun is going to take down the mascot that is an animal; no way around it. So I sure hope Raider Red eats his Wheaties on Saturday. Beef, it's what's for dinner.

#3 USC Trojans @ Washington Huskies

Armor clad soldiers on horses up against a Husky dog...really? Unless these dogs are some kind of "I am Legend' dogs, I really don't see this going too well. It will be a slaughtering.

Tulsa Golden Hurricane @ #13 Oklahoma Sooners

First off, is the name Golden Hurricane gross to anyone else? I think the Sooners are used to inclement weather being that it IS Oklahoma and all; so I predict that they own an umbrella and this will be like a stroll in the park for them.

Connecticut Huskies @ Baylor Bears

Wow, twice in one week we have Huskies; that doesn't happen to often. Those huskies better be wearing a suit of bear bells and be equipped with bear spray because they really do not stand a chance.

Tie-Break (give the score)
#23 Georgia Bulldogs 17 @ Arkansas Razorbacks 20

Wild hogs are pretty vicious. I did some research and attacks are not often fatal to humans, but may result in severe trauma, dismemberment, or blood loss. This is against a person; not an animal! With that being said, I think the razorbacks are going to fly under the radar and when the time is right they will attack the bulldogs and ultimately win!

Portraiture

2009-09-16T08:44:00.001-07:00

Images I am turning in for critique in class tonight:

Mascot Match-Up : Week Two

2009-09-08T06:49:00.001-07:00

Update: I went 10-0 this week!

For any new readers, I participate in a weekly College Football Pick 'Em Contest each year. For the first season I just picked based off of rankings, players, injuries, etc and did alright. But when it came time to do the NCAA Basketball Brackets later that year I knew nothing, so I decided to just pit the mascot's against each other and see who would win; and surprisingly I finished in 2nd place! So, I decided to carry this logic over to my College Football Pick 'Ems! Some weeks I am the laughing stock, but for the most part my method works! Last week I was only one point away from Champ of the Week!

Check back each week, for my little commentary and predictions. (I update this with the actual results as well is how I did in the contest each week the following week.)

Troy Trojans @ #1 Florida Gators
A gator would eat a trojan in a hot minute; unless that trojan's name is Steve Irwin. But since Steve Irwin passed away, R.I.P, I am going with the Gators.

Arkansas State Red Wolves @ #24 Nebraska Cornhuskers
These crazy-pitchfork-carrying-farmers are very protective of their territory, in fact, I bet they catch wolves with their bare hands for fun! The Cornhuskers have this game, hands down, and when they are finished they have dinner as well.

#20 BYU Cougars @ Tulane Green Wave
Tulane's mascot is a pelican named 'Riptide'; if they were playing against the Benson Bass I wouldn't be in the least bit concerned, but they aren't, they are playing the Cougars. And I don't know about you, but Cougars of all shapes, ages and sizes frighten me.

#23 Notre Dame Fighting Irish @ Michigan Wolverines
That little Leprechaun is quite frightening, he reminds me of a carnie (circus folk); so I am going to root for the wolverines...they are magically delicious.

Vandy Commodores @ #11 LSU Tigers
The Vandy Commodores mascot resembles Colonel Sanders to me, he's just missing that spiffy black tie. Overall he does not evoke much fear, much like their football team. I think when faced by the fierce tigers he will be shaking in his oversized boots.

South Carolina Gamecocks @ #13 Georgia Bulldogs
A gamecock is a rooster with physical and behavioral traits derived from breeding for cockfighting. While that sounds pretty fierce I am pretty sure a bulldog could take care of business; unless that gamecock is wearing those spur things...but I don't imagine that is the case; so I give it to the bulldogs.

Rice Owls @ Texas Tech Red Raiders
Most of my blog readers know me pretty well; so with that being said you know that I would LOVE to be a mascot for a day! I can act completely stupid and no one would even know it's me! BONUS! So, I put Raider Red up on a pedestal and have utmost faith in his gun slingin' abilities to be able to shoot an owl right between the eyes. You got this Raider Red; and if by chance you fall ill...you know who to call! WRECK EM TECH!

Mississippi State Bulldogs @ Auburn Tigers
Tigers can be very unpredictible, anyone remember Roy Horn?! To quote the infinite wisdom of the comedian Chris Rock regarding the circus tiger attacking Roy Horn, "That tiger ain't go crazy; that tiger went tiger! You know when he was really crazy? When he was riding around on a unicycle with a Hitler helmet on!" I think the Tigers will start out timid against the Bulldogs, but then instinct will kick in and they will attack the Bulldogs.

Purdue Boilermakers @ #16 Oregon Ducks
We all know who the obvious winner is here; but the ducks aren't giving me much to work with. So just enjoy this funny photo of a duck attack instead:

Give the Winner and Score:
#4 USC Trojans 27 @ #6 Ohio State Buckeyes 24

If ever there was a college that picked the pansy-est team name/mascot it would be Ohio State. They started with adopting a tree as their team name. So I guess they came to their senses and decided to make their actual a bit more fierce...they put a nut on a dude's head and named him Brutus. Yea, didn't really help much. Given this logic alone you have to give this game to the Trojans. And honestly, if Ohio State were playing the Central Michigan Chippewas, given the information stated above, I would have to go with the courageous Chippewas as well. (sidenote: if you take out the whole mascot part of this pick, this pick makes me nervous, USC has a true freshman QB starting the season, first time in school history...but I have to stay true to my mascot match-up...just had to put it out there though).

Fit To U

2009-08-31T08:26:00.000-07:00

I recently did some promotional photography for a lady who does fitness bootcamps. She just finished her website and it looks great! The photos worked out perfectly! Check it out!

www.fittou.com

Jokes

2009-08-28T06:31:00.000-07:00

This past Monday I lost my grandfather. It is still a little too fresh to talk about in length along with all of the feelings and emotion involved. I will write about that when I am ready.

But, I did want to share an awesome moment during all of this sadness.

We were all sitting around visiting with my grandma, reminiscing about my grandpa and we were all talking about how he loved to tell jokes. He always had a new joke for you when you saw him, and even while in the hospital he would tell jokes to all of the staff and doctors. Grandma then asked if I knew his favorite joke off all; which I didn't, so she proceeded to tell me.

"Did you hear about the two ships that collided? One was carrying red paint and the other one was carrying blue paint. Now both crews are marooned."

We all got a big kick out of that. A few hours later I received a text message from my very thoughtful brother-in-law, Les. He said he was sorry for my loss and had a joke for me to cheer me up; he proceeded to say:

"Did you hear about the two ships that collided? One was carrying...."

How awesome is that! He just told my grandfather's favorite joke, which I had NEVER heard until a few hours ago! I immediately had goosebumps; and when I shared that with the rest of my family they couldn't believe it either! It was like grandpa wanted us to hear that joke one last time!

A New School Year!

2009-08-24T05:59:00.001-07:00

Wow, has it really been 2 months since I last blogged?! I think it is a combination of summer vacation and the fact that all of my followers are also Facebookers...so I get to catch up with them there!

Well, to kick of me blogging again I thought I would share a photo from this morning.Yep, that's our Jacey, headed to her first day of 2nd grade! I know a lot of mom's are thinking, "woohoo! summer's over, house to myself again!" But I am not. I love my time with Jacey and I just count down the time until 3pm when I can go pick her up. Most days I get there a bit early because I want to get her the second she comes out. Jacey is blossoming into such an amazing, thoughtful and responsible young lady. She is so unique and has such a great personality; she is such an incredible blessing to our family!

After we said our prayers last night she informed me that she would not be needing me to walk her in tomorrow; she could handle it on her own. Surprisingly, I wasn't sad about that. I like seeing her have some independence and taking charge of new situations.

Not only did Jacey start school today, but I start as well. My load this semester is much lighter, but I am more excited about my classes then I have ever been in the past. I am taking Digital Imaging II (heavy photoshop class) and Portraiture II (lighting and posing for portraits). I can not wait! The only drawback is that my classes are in the evenings, which cuts in to family time. But, it's only 2 days a week so it's not so bad.

I will update tomorrow on how her first day of 2nd grade went!

New Sign

2009-06-22T13:03:00.001-07:00

My new 'No Soliciting' sign for the front window...you like?

Dog Bed Upgrade...

2009-05-14T20:06:00.000-07:00

Tonight I went upstairs to tuck Jacey into bed. I have her go lay down and get settled and then I come upstairs and we do her prayers and I tuck her in. So tonight I came upstairs and what do I find? Zeus laying in her bed with her! Most people know I am anti-dog when it comes to the beds or furniture in the house. But it was just so cute! But, I had to put my foot down and tell him to get out of her bed. To which Jacey responds: "Mom, he can sleep on my trundle bed!" HAHA! She wanted me to pull it out partway so he could sleep on it. Of course I said no, because I don't want Zeus to develop bad habits...but still it was so darn cute!

InDesign Cover Project

2009-04-30T09:17:00.000-07:00

Just got my grade for this project...A+!

Jacey's 1st Grade Music Program

2009-04-26T20:51:00.000-07:00

Check out photos from Jacey's 1st Grade Music Program last Thursday! She did great!

Jacey's Music Program

Let's Go Mavs!

2009-04-25T21:37:00.001-07:00

Today Steven took me to game 4 of the first round of playoffs for the Mavs. Anyone who knows me knows that I love to watch sports; Cowboys, Stars, Texas Tech, etc....but at the top of my list are the Mavericks...I absolutely love them! We played the San Antonio Spurs, and there is one player on that team that I can not stand, Tim Duncan. He is an absolute whiner / crybaby! So I made a sign and it was a HIT! I was told by at least 50 people that it was the best sign they had seen and several people stopped to take a picture of me with the sign. It was even featured on the Jumbo-tron!

Proud Wifey

2009-04-19T20:35:00.000-07:00

Check this out!

Bella Blog

2009-04-16T16:19:00.000-07:00

Check out the Bella Blog for a great photo session I had yesterday!

Neuro Update!

2009-04-15T14:16:00.000-07:00

I went to my neurologist today to talk about the side effects of the drug I am on. She agreed that the side effects out weigh the results of the drug. So we are going cut the dosage in half and use up the rest of the Amitriptmine and then use the Zomig sprays for any migraines that flare up. Then on May 15th we are going to meet again and she is going to prescribe Topamax for the daily maintenance and Imitrex for any migraine flare ups. Topamax is also used to lower pressures in the spine and brain, and since my pressures were a bit high (from my spinal tap) this may also help with that issue...which could cure the 'whooshing' in the ear! HOORAY! So now I just need to get to May 15th. YAWN!

Finally!

2009-04-14T20:25:00.000-07:00

Remember my blog posting all the way back on January 16th? The one about Jacey's first lose tooth? Well guess what? That sucker finally came out tonight! Only took 3 months! Good grief! Steven took some great photos; check them out:

Jacey loses her first tooth!

What's New?

2009-04-13T19:40:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I have blogged about life around Casa de Leija, and there is a reason why...I have been so BLAH the past few weeks! When I visited the neurologist about a month ago she decided to put me on an anti-seizure medicine (Amitriptyline). It's primary use is for treating depression, but is also an 'unapproved' treatment for migraines. Some of the side effects are drowsiness (it is a sedative), naseua and weight gain as well as altering your mood. Well, as luck would have it, I have all of those side effects. I can't seem to wake up in the morning, I feel sick to my stomach all the time, I have been really hitting the cardio/weight watchers for 3 weeks and have actually gained weight and last but not least...I am not my usual self. I am not perky at all...just very...well, blah. I was trying to let it run it's course to see if once my body gets adjusted it would go away, but the other day I really started to have some strange thoughts that I knew weren't healthy so I called the neurologist immediately and set up an appointment to discuss other options. The migraines, for the most part, have defintely lessened, but I really can not deal with these side effects. So tomorrow I go in and hopefully will have this all worked out...and I can be back to 'usual Jess'.

Never Judge a Book by its Cover!

2009-04-13T14:41:00.000-07:00

All of the videos I have found won't let me embed the video in the blog; so click the link....YOU MUST SEE THIS!

Susan Boyle on Britain's Got Talent!

'Nuff Said...

2009-04-09T11:45:00.000-07:00

How Do I Love Thee?

2009-04-01T21:19:00.000-07:00

Click here to see one of the hundreds of reasons I love Steven.

Earth Hour

2009-03-27T21:41:00.000-07:00

You know me, Jessica aka Recycle Nazi and Granola Girl...I love any opportunity to show my support for the conservation of earth. For one hour tomorrow (Saturday) from 8:30pm - 9:30 pm local time we are all encouraged to turn off all of our power to show our support for energy conservation. Some of the most famous monuments are going to participating including the Empire State Building, The Gateway Arch, The Eiffel Tower, The Great Pyramids along with several others. Also, first the first time ever the Las Vegas Strip and the 'Welcome to Las Vegas' sign will be turned off.

Flick your Switch

Food and Headaches

2009-03-26T13:41:00.001-07:00

One of my graphic design professors is also a migraine sufferer and so we were talking today and she informed me that certain foods can trigger migraines. She printed off the list and I was shocked. A LOT of what I eat on a DAILY basis was on this list!

-Ripened Cheeses: Cheddar, American, Velveeta and Cream Cheese
-Chocolate
-All nuts including peanut butter
-Sourdough bread, breads and crackers containing cheese or chocolate
-Foods containing MSG: soy sauce and seasoned salt
-Figs, raisins, papayas, avocados, red plums-no more then 1/2 cup daily
-Citrus fruits-no more then 1/2 cup daily
-Bananas-no more then 1/2 daily
-Pizza
-Excessive amounts of tea, coffee or cola beverages-no more then 2 cups daily
-Sausage, bologna, pepperoni, salami, hot dogs
-Snow peas, sauerkraut, pickles and olives

Here are some things that I eat daily:
bagel with cream cheese and fresh fruit (either a banana, grapes or an orange)
bologna and cheese sandwich and a pickle
And recently I have been woofing down tagalong girl scout cookies like they are going out of style (peanut butter and chocolate)

She was telling me that to really take control of your migraines it is an entire lifestyle change. And seeing that I don't want to be on this anti-seizure medicine for a long period of time I am willing to try anything.

I just don't know how I am going to give up chocolate and pizza...grr!

It's Spring in Texas...

2009-03-24T06:10:00.001-07:00

...which means ALLERGIES!

Yesterday I went in for my follow up eye appointment and the optometrist couldnt get over how terrible my eyes looked. He said my eye sockets were filled with mucas...gross!

Late last night Jacey came downstairs to sleep on the couch and we heard her sneeze at least 15 times in a row. I got her up to get her ready for school and she said, "Mommy, I feel awful, can I just stay home?" Coming from the kid who LOVES school, I knew that she had to be feeling bad.

I just checked weather.com and we are under a high pollen alert, I have never seen that before...so that must be the guilt culprit.

So we are all doping up on benadryl and zyrtec and filling our pockets with kleenex....ick!

Mondays = Fresh Start

2009-03-23T04:57:00.000-07:00

Today it's back to the daily grind; last week was Spring Break and we had a blast! We took the girls to Medieval Times (click here to see pics) and then I took the girls down to Houston to visit my grandparents, Aunt and Uncle (I will have a link to pics later this week). So in some ways I see today as a fresh start to get back into some good habits and a less hectic routine.

I started this morning by waking up at 5am to go walking. Last week a friend of mine, Lisa, emailed me asking if I would like to be her walking buddy! I was so excited because when we walked together in the past the time just flew because we would chat the whole time. And seeing that Steven is kicking butt at his weight loss I figured it was my turn to get with it as well. So I got up at 5am, left the house at 5:15 to meet her at 5:30 to start walking. We ended up walking 5.15 miles in 1 hour and 15 minutes...it was great! And, I found out she also has a goal to run some marathons (like me), so now I have a workout/accountability partner. Oh, and she is a woman of faith...so I love chatting with her!!!

I am viewing this Monday as a way to start fresh with school as well. I am doing really well so far, but am stressing out about projects, tests, etc. So I am taking a new approach to help keep me organized and on track which will hopefully make things a little less stressful.

Well, it's time to go wake Jacey, she is going to love that I am waking her up with plenty of time to get ready leisurely. (Before Spring Break I was rushing in there to wake her up and whisk her off to school because I kept oversleeping.)

Toodles!

In a Funk...

2009-03-16T21:39:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged lately, just been real 'blah' these past few weeks. I know a lot of it has to do with my migraines...they really take a lot out of me, make me very irritable and very tired. Then there is the wonderful hormonal issues I am having which make me emotiona.l So add that on top of the stress from school and you have Jess-in-a-Funk.

I go to the neurologist tomorrow (Tuesday). I had my spinal tap, blood work and vision testing done and so she is going to review all of those results along with my headache calendar to see what the next course of action is. Interesting side note, since starting this headache calendar 3 1/2 weeks ago I have had headaches almost every single day and 12 of those daily headaches were migraines. Anything over 5 migraines per month is considered chronic, so I will be curious to see what the doctor says. I am honestly praying that something is found so that it can be fixed...I am tired of feeling like this.

My Sweet Jacey

2009-03-13T06:41:00.000-07:00

I just have to take a moment to brag on my sweet Jacey-Beth!

This week was mid-terms week for me at school which made this week extremely stressful for me...lots of tests and projects due. So all week I worked on my Storyboard project (which I turned in last night) off and on for a total of about 8 hours. It's my turn to present (I was second to last on the list) and I proudly go up there to show my story concept and my scene drawings that tell my story. I feeling pretty confident since I had seen the other student's work and heard the kind of grades they were getting (he announces the grade right after you present, so the entire class hears it). I knew that my board was on par, if not better, then the majority of the people who got B+ and A- grades. So I present, and he announces my grade...C+! I am immediatly in tears. He goes on to explain that he knows I am capable of so much more because he has seen my sketch book and he predicted that somewhere along the line my confidence level in my art skills has been shaken by people who told me I wasn't good or didn't take the time really look at my works of art. He told me that if he gave me an A or B, I wouldn't remember this moment where he challenged me to be more...but by giving me a C+ he was guaranteed that I would step up my work the next time. I understood what he was saying...but it crushed me. AND, considering I am only in this class because the degree plan requires one class in the animation department...it's not like I am going into the industry...I am here to meet my requirement, and with this grade of a C+ it is seriously derailing my goal...to graduate with a 4.0 and be declared Magna Cum Laude! So needless to say I was VERY upset last night after class.

So I pick up Jacey from the babysitters and she asks why I am so grumpy, so I explain to her that I didn't get the grade I was hoping for on my Storyboard, and she says "Well Mommy, I thought your Storyboard was great!" Aww, how sweet. Then as we were getting out of the car to come into the house she asked if I wanted to grab the Storyboard and I said, "Eh, it can sit in here overnight." And she says, "Well I will carry it in for you because I think it's great and I want to put it in my room." Awwww!

So this morning, I am dropping Jacey off to school and then heading to my last mid-term of the week, and as Jacey gets ready to hop out of the car she puts her elephant webkinz (Packy) in my school bag and says...'He will give you good luck mommy! But, you'd do great even without him."

My goodness....isn't Jacey just the sweetest angel! I just love my sweet, sweet Jacey...

Giggles

2009-03-05T07:45:00.000-08:00

I have a quick and cute Jacey story for you...

Yesterday afternoon Steven flew out to Lubbock to photograph the Men's Basketball game, stayed the night and then caught a plane back to DFW this morning. So last night I get home from class and go lay down and relax (that is the problem with a class that runs until 11pm, my mind is still going an hour or two later). I finally start to feel sleepy around 1:30 am and I find a movie from the On Demand features on our TV. I usually have to fall asleep to a little bit of background noise, and when Steven is out of town I have to sleep with the TV on all night. So I turn on Meet the Parents and start to snooze. About an hour later I feel Jacey climbing into bed...which is pretty normal for her when Steven is out of town. And I fall back asleep. About an 30 min later I hear giggling...Jacey is known for talking in her sleep and being quite noisy so I roll over and fall back asleep. Then I hear the giggling again. So I turn over and what do I see....that turkey is sitting up in bed WIDE AWAKE watching Meet the Parents! It was almost 3am!

She was not much fun trying to wake up for school this morning!

Come On Spring Break!

2009-03-05T07:23:00.000-08:00

Spring Break could not get here quick enough...I really think school is trying to kill me. I know, I know, I chose to take 15 hours this semester...should I really expect anything else? Next week is mid-term week and then I have a whole week long break...hallelujah!

Every single one of my classes have very time consuming projects and assignments I am working on. Presently I am designing a magazine, creating a 8 panel fully inked storyboard (my story is so silly, I will have to post it when I am done), have photographic estimates due for my management class as well as 5 mid-terms...all before next Friday.

ARGH!!!!!! So stressed!

Neighborhood Grouch!

2009-03-03T08:58:00.001-08:00

Posted this in our window today... least I said 'Please'! I don't mind the kids in our neighborhood doing fundraisers...but I am so sick of the magazine people! Especially when the last one gave me major attitude when I politely turned her down. That was enough for me. So I am officially the crabby lady in Tuscany!

Spinal Tap

2009-02-27T06:13:00.001-08:00

This morning is my spinal tap...I am pretty darn nervous...I will let you know how it goes...

Hitting the Ground Running

2009-02-24T07:20:00.000-08:00

Jacey and I arrived back in Dallas late Sunday night from an awesome, but too short, weekend trip to St. Louis. It was so great getting to see all of my family...but in the same breath gets me down a bit. We miss out on so much by not living close. I look at my Omi & Opi for example; amazing grandparents...cannot express to you how amazing they are...and when I talk to my Opi and say 'goodbye' to him all I can think of is how I wish our relationship was so much more. So yesterday I was a bit down; just thinking about all of my amazing family and how I wish our relationships could be so much more. So needless to say I wasn't very productive yesterday. Which means I REALLY need to get my butt in gear today to make up for yesterday!

I started the morning off with a nice 2.75 mile walk with Zeus. Last month officially marked the end of his so-called 'puppy phase', and it is incredible to see the difference in him! In the past I dreaded taking him for walks. By the end my right arm felt like it was pulled out of the socket, my hands had rope burn from the leash and my throat was so sore from 'bahhhh-ing' at him. Today though...completely different Zeus. He stayed right by my side and just walked like a normal dog. It is so nice! I also feel so secure when I walk with him...I think you would have to be a complete idiot to approach me when I have Zeus by my side; he is a pretty intimidating dog!

Today I need to work on some client DVD's and get them delivered and do a TON of homework. Speaking of homework/school...I am REALLY enjoying it so far! I had a big test last week in my Photographic Science class and I not only got the highest grade in the class, but also busted the curve (I wasn't too popular after that). She gave us our 5 week grades this far and I am making a 98 in there right now! My other classes are great as well; but they are the more labor intense classes-just a lot of work right now. But, I know it is all worth it! I am on track to graduate May 2010 with my Associate's in Commerical Photography. BUT, I fully intend to take more classes even after I have my Associate's. CCCC offers so many photography classes, and only a portion of them are required for my degree...so I would like to go ahead and take all of the other ones as well (even if they don't count towards anything).

After this semseter I am certainly going to need a break...and that is exactly what I am getting! Steven and I just booked a 5 day/4 night trip to Las Vegas for my Birthday! We are going to be staying at the Bellagio...waterview room! AND, to top it off, UFC 100 is that weekend and GSP is fighting! As soon as tickets go on sale we are going to look into them! It really worked out nicely, I am going to be driving up to St. Louis on June 28th and then I will fly out of St. Louis to Vegas on July 9, and fly back into St. Louis on Monday July 13th; I will meet Steven in Las Vegas (he his flying from DFW). The girls are going to stay with my dad during our mini-vacation. Then a few days later I will drive back to Texas with the girls (hopefully with Megan and Amanda as well). I am really looking forward to this trip. Not only will we do the normal Vegas activities (eat and gamble) , I think we are also wanting to just relax a bit by the pool, maybe do a day spa, and possibly go on the Grand Canyon helicopter tour!

Ok, well I better get off this thing and get going on my day!

Great Story!

2009-02-19T14:49:00.001-08:00

http://highschool.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=914609

Vanillalicious Cafe Freeze

2009-02-18T08:56:00.000-08:00

(Update: I just looked at the Starbucks website, and for the Caffe Vanilla Frappuccino (what is essentially what this is) it has 430 calories and 14g of fat! That is TEN weight watcher points!)

I LOVE coffee in the morning; but I prefer frappaccino's because warm coffee makes me feel like I am having hot flashes. The downside to this is I can't make frappaccino's at home, so I would have to go to Starbucks (or as Steven calls it Fivebucks)...until now!

I was looking through my Hungry Girl cookbook and came across this recipe, so while grocery shopping yesterday I picked up all of the ingredients. With the exception of the vanilla syrup (which was $5, but has 25 oz in it...so it can make 25 drinks) it all cost about $7, that is 2 starbucks drinks! Here is the recipe; oh and the best part...only TWO weight watcher points INCLUDING the whipped cream! This was SO yummy!

5 oz light vanilla soymilk
1 oz sugar-free calorie-free vanilla syrup
1 tablespoon coffee-mate fat free french vanilla powdered creamer, dissolved in 1 oz warm water
1 teaspoon instant coffee
3 no-calorie sweetener packets (sweet-n-low)
5 to 8 ice cubes or 1 cup of crushed ice (I am going to up the ice next time)
2 tablespoons fat free redi whip

Place all ingredients in a blender, except for the redi-whip. Blend on high for 30-45 seconds until thouroughly bleneded. Pour in to tall glass and then finish off with whipped topping.

Brain Neurologist Update

2009-02-17T15:06:00.000-08:00

Today I had my appointment with the Brain Neurologist; Steven accompanied me and I was happy! I think he could sense I was a little nervous about this appointment. I will spare you from all of the boring stuff and just get to it. I am having a spinal tap scheduled to determine the amount of Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF Fluid) in my spine, neck and around my brain and the pressure levels. Second, I am having blood work done to determine if I have any problems stemming from the Empty Sella Syndrome. A few things they are going to check are hormone levels and thyroid levels. Next, I am going to be seeing an eye doctor (which works out great because my contact/glasses prescription expires at the end of this month) to have my periphrial vision field tested. When I get my migraines I get real bad tunnel vision and so she wants to have this tested. And last but not least, I am going to keep a headache calendar to log all of my headaches / migraines between now and my follow up appointment (March 10th). She said that more then likely I will be prescribed Imitrex to keep the headaches under control.

So like I had suspected, not much new to report...should know more after all of these tests and exams. Thank you to everyone that has been keeping me in your prayers...I do appreciate it!

What a Trooper!

2009-02-09T15:55:00.000-08:00

(First off much thanks to Mom and Steven for taking photos today...I hi-jacked them from your blogs..hehe)

We left the house at 6:15am for the hospital for Jacey's tonsil & adenoid surgery. It was raining when we go there so Steven dropped us off at the front door and went to park the car. We went up to the Admissions & Registration desk and got all checked in. I had pre-registered so we were done with everything in about 10 minutes. We only sat in the waiting area a few minutes before they took us back to prep Jacey for surgery.

Once back there Jacey had her choice between the Monkey room or the Fish room...she chose the Monkey room. They had a hospital gown and hairnet waiting for her to change into. We got her all changed up...she looked darling :)

A few minutes later Mom & Aunt Nette arrived; they came all the way from Denton to be there for Jacey this morning! I joked that they were the paparazzi :)
I might look calm in the photo below, but trust me I wasn't!

Jacey had called Gigi earlier in the week asking if she could do 'Gigi Braids' when she came to hospital (aka French Braids). So mom got her hair all braided up. Next they came in and gave Jacey what I like to call 'the loopy juice'. It was a cocktail of tylenol and something else to make her eased and relaxed. It didn't take long for it to kick in! In this photo she is modeling her Gigi Braids about 5 minutes into the Loopy Juice:

They were then ready to wheel her off to the OR (Operating Room). We all said our goodbyes as we watched them her away....and this is when I lost it. I just hated not being in control anymore and knowing she was in someone else's hands now. Ultimately she was in God's hands which was comforting...but that mommy instinct kicks in as well. I was so very thankful to have Mom & Lynette there...they did a great job distracting me and keeping the mood light. Here we are waiting for some news on Jacey:

The surgeon, Dr. McDuffie, came out about 15 minutes later and reported that she did wonderfully! He said that her tonsils were even bigger then he expected...not only were they inflamed (the photo I posted a few days ago) but they extended back down into her throat another 2.5"-3"! And her adenoids took up about 50% of her air passage! WOW! Next, the anethesiologist came in and said that the procedure was text book...she did perfect! A few minutes later the nurse came and got me, they were bringing Jacey into the Recovery Room. I got in there right as she was waking up. That was real tough for me. Watching her struggle to come to and then the pain and confusion that followed was heartbreaking...I wanted to trade places with her so badly! I asked her if she wanted her Daddy and she said, "I don't want him to see me cry." I went ahead and grabbed him and she was happy to see him. They started to give her some Morphene, and when she wasn't reacting to that she gave her some Demerol. Once her pain was under control and an orange popsicle in her we took some photos:

She is such a Daddy's girl...which somewhat ok with me...I birthed her gosh dangit! :)

They removed her IV and gave us all of the discharge information and we were released from the hospital.
Once home Jacey fell right asleep on the couch; she slept for an hour or two and has been up every since!

She has eaten some Jell-o & Pudding (thanks Aunt Nette) along with some mashed potatoes and a yougurt smoothie! She informed us that she was just fine as long as she was eating! :) That's my girl!

I am so proud of our Jacey-Beth...so brave and tough as nails! Thank you to all of you who prayed for her and kept her in her thoughts today...everything went well! I will update soon!

Tonsils

2009-02-03T20:05:00.001-08:00

Thought I would post a picture of Jacey's insanely huge tonsils! No wonder the dr. took one look at those and told us they needed to come out! Her surgery is scheduled for Monday; we should be finding out the time of surgery in the next day or two. We went to the store today and she picked out the ice cream, jello and yogurt she wanted...and of course her favorite thing...mashed potatoes! She is actually looking forward to them being removed just because they are bothering her so much. The only hard part so far has been when she asks me to tell her how they remove the tonsils. My answer, "I am not sure, let me get back to you on that one." Any suggestions?

Better IH Resource

2009-02-02T18:39:00.001-08:00

Just found a much better resource about IH; click the link and then click on 'What is IH'...
http://www.ihrfoundation.org/

If you click this link it describes the relation between IH and Empty Sella Syndrome:
http://www.ihrfoundation.org/intracranial/hypertension/info/C71

ESS & IIH

2009-02-02T16:05:00.000-08:00

The results of the MRI are in and the doctor just gave me a call. He actually had the MRI's since Wednesday but has been looking them over and doing his research for the past few days trying to diagnose exactly what he saw. So here we go...

There are two things he discovered, and the second one is a result of the first one.

First, he found that I have Empty Sella Syndrome, also known as ESS. Here is a link that explains ESS:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000349.htm

So the second thing he found is Idiopathic Intracranial Hyptertension, or IIH. This link explains it pretty well and in lamens terms:
http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec16/ch216/ch216c.html

So the next step is going to see a brain neurologist where they will more than likely do a lumbar puncture (spinal tap) to see what the next course of action is.

I am not going to lie, I am uneasy about all of this because it involves my brain...but in another way I am glad the doctors found something so I can hopefully be treated. So many things I have been experiencing over the past year make sense now. I remember I blogged earlier in the year about being tired all the time and being naseous in the mornings and even thinking I was pregnant because of the symptoms. Then there are the daily headaches that I just figured were caffeine related. And then of course the ear problem. So in a way it's good to know I am not going crazy or just a wimp.

I also read that conditions associated with this IIH are anemia and ventricular heart problems...two things I have been diagnosed with and am on medication for...very interesting.

I will keep you posted.

Still No Word...

2009-01-31T21:02:00.001-08:00

We still haven't received the MRI results from Wednesday's tests...very frustrating. They did extensive scans of my brain and neck and even hooked me up to an IV that injected dye into my bloodstream to watch the flow. Waiting is annoying but it makes it worse when the inner ear problems are getting increasingly worse. Tonight the noise is so loud...I am going nuts. The noise resembles when you stick a sea shell up to your ear or the sounds from a baby ultrasound...this is very frustrating. I just want to know what the heck is up so they can fix it!

Check Out This Blog!

2009-01-30T10:30:00.000-08:00

A lady who lives here in Frisco contacted me about doing a portrait session and she just so happens to own a business as well. Check out her blog, her stuff is ADORABLE! I will be using her for LOTS of props and accessories!

http://squishytushydiapercakes.blogspot.com/

25 Random Facts About Me

2009-01-29T12:49:00.000-08:00

I did this on Facebook and since it took me FOREVER to come up with the list I thought I would also post to my blog :)

1. I met my husband off of Match.com and knew I was going to marry him the first night we met.
2. I never learned how to write in cursive due to moving from Nebraska to Colorado in the third grade (the curriculum didnt match up)
3. I truly believe I can change the world and love missions work and would love to devote more of my time to outreach and volunteer work.
4. I collect Wizard of Oz memorabilia and would like to display it all in our guest bedroom/2nd office.
5. I am an entrepreneur at heart and love every aspect of running a business ( marketing, office management, pricing, etc)
6. I am the QUEEN of useless trivia; the joke around our house is that I can tell you the year and album a classic rock song came out on but can't remember to pick up dry cleaning.
7. I am a list maker and get so excited when I mark a task off the list.
8. I am a sports jock...I love Texas Tech football, Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Stars and UFC Fights but I LOVE the MAVS the most!
9. My two favorite genres of music are Classic Rock and Rap...two VERY different types of music! It's not uncommon to hear some Def Leppard or Led Zeppelin in my car and then hear some Ludacris come on.
10. I am not much of a TV/Movie watcher (feel it is a waste of time), but the shows and movies I do watch...I love!
11. I can not STAND the cheesy romantic parts of movies, for example in Transformers when the survival of the world and man kind is contingent on Sam rescuing the cube Megan Fox has to stop and say "Sam, I am glad I got in the car with you." SHUT UP! There is time for that later, get that darn cube to the roof top!
12. I love to run; it is such a great release for me and a huge feeling of accomplishment after a good run. Unfortunately I got out of it for a while and it is tough to build back up your endurance. I made a goal that I will run the Tour de Fleurs in September, a 10k.
13. I HATE HATE HATE cotton balls! There is noise and feeling they make when you squish them that makes my skin crawl and my teeth hurt! Just thinking about it now is bugging me!
14. I have a very small group of friends that are very close to me, I believe in quality not quantity.
15. My biggest pet peeve is people who interrupt others...I think it communicates a total lack of respect for the person speaking; it's as if they are saying, "What you are saying is not worth my time." How selfish and disrespectful.
16. I use the word 'actually' and the phrase 'the funny thing is' all the time and am trying so hard to break this habit!
17. My favorite food is cake icing...buttercream & cream cheese to be exact! I will take a slice of cake over a nice big steak any day!
18. My all time favorite movie is The Departed; and they say f*ck 228 times...I've counted.
19. I can't just sit still and relax; I feel like I must always be doing something or accomplishing something...if not I feel like I am wasting my time.
20. I love reading about conspiracy theories...I get so wrapped up in them! (JFK, Area 51, 9/11, etc)
21. I love treasure hunting...antique stores, flea markets, garage sales etc. I love finding neat trinkets and treasures for a bargain. This go hand in hand with my love for Ross, Tuesday Morning and the Dollar Store :)
21. I love gardening; my Mother's Day gift last year was a landscaping project in our front yard and I am now hooked. I look forward to having a backyard paradise!
22. I love being outdoors, which is shocking to most people since I used to HATE camping. Now as an adult I can't get enough of it. I look forward to having our backyard landscaped so I can work outside all day on the patio on my laptop.
23. I love the idea of scrapbooking but never get around to doing it! I have accumulated a large amount of supplies with good intentions but just don't have the time. I am now exploring Digital Scrapbooking.
24. I LOVE being a mother and wife, I feel it is the most fulfilling job that one can have.
25. This list took me FOREVER to create; I am not that interesting! LOL!

Ears & Throats

2009-01-27T11:47:00.000-08:00

Today Jacey and I both had an appointment with an ENT (Ear, Nose & Throat Specialist). Jacey's tonsils are still inflamed and so I made an appointment to get a specialists opinion. He took one look at her tonsils and said, "Wow those are very enlarged and look very angry!" He advised us that we need to have them removed after listening to her breath. He was concerned with sleep apnea. We are waiting on the person from the office that schedules surgeries to give us a call so we can get it all scheduled. The doctor said he is hoping we can do it as outpatient surgery and she will need about one week of recovery time; which includes no school. Surprisingly Jacey was pretty calm about it all. I think we are going to see about this upcoming Monday for the surgery.

I made an appointment for myself as well because of some issues I am having with my right ear. About a year ago I started having a 'whooshing sound' in my right ear so I went to our family doctor and she said it was allergy related. She suspected the tube in my ear had a 'kink' in it due to pressure from my sinus' and as a result there was fluid blocked behind the kink. So I was put on some nosesprays and allergy meds. After about 6 months of this it was still there and getting worse. It had gotton to the point where bedtime was something I dreaded. The whooshing is not as noticeable during the day when there are all sorts of sounds and noises...but at night in the dead silence the whooshing is deafening. I had finally just told myself I was just going to have to deal with it. Well Steven was telling a co-worker and he recommended the doctor we saw today (when I made my appointment I went ahead and scheduled Jacey at the same time).

So today they administered some hearing tests on me and had found that I have about a 50% hearing loss in my right ear. Now this may be due to the whooshing and once the problem is solved it may come back...or it may not. The specific tones I can not hear are lower tones. The specialist looked in my ear and saw what he believes is a vascular tumor behind my ear drum. He then was pushing all over my throat and my jugular vein to see if that made the sounds go away. And believe it or not, when he pushed really hard the whoosing stopped. Long story short, he believes I may have a Glomus Tumor (click the link to read more) which can start in the ear and then make it's way to your jugular vein. Interestingly enough, the thinks this all may be linked with the migraine issues I have been experiencing lately. I have a MRI scheduled for tomorrow at 10am and we will go from there to see what it is the guilty culprit.

Farewell to you all...

2009-01-26T17:34:00.000-08:00

....I am boarding the next plane to Mexico. I know it may seem sudden and unplanned but an urgent matter needs my attention. The following link will explain everything...

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gZiPLJZnWyBPZE6Y7AamkPJFr7DQD95UDTN03

Hurry! Hurry!

2009-01-26T12:29:00.000-08:00

They just put Collin County under an Ice Storm Warning...everyone run and get canned corn and bottled water by the cart loads...hurry hurry! (that was sarcasm for anyone who was wondering)

Goosebumps

2009-01-23T21:47:00.000-08:00

Today I had an in-home newborn portrait session and when going through the shots I saw this one and fell in love with it. It was a candid moment, the mother is absolutely stunning and the lighting was the exact effect I was going for...gave me goosebumps...

School

2009-01-23T08:54:00.001-08:00

I just finished up my first week back to school and I can already tell you it is going to be a great semester...but a tough one! In the past, the first class meeting or two is spent covering the syllabus, meeting the students/professors, etc...not this time. In every class we jumped right in, and I already have homework, projects and a even a test for the next meeting time for each class.

The Weight Training class is going to be a fun one for me, and although it is not tough, it is just sticking with the commitment.

My Photographic Science class is going to be a tough one for me; it is very heavy on Math and Science...the two subjects that were very challenging for me in high school. This is the class I already have a test in on Monday...wonderful.

The Photographic Studio Management class is going to be a great class; I really like the professor, he has over 30 years of photography industry experience and he developed this class and got it accredited with the college board because he felt this was essential for photographers. In this class I already have 3 homework assignments that we will discuss during our next meeting time.

My Digital Publishing - In Design class is going to be a blast; I love my professor, I had her last semester. She is laid back, but very knowledgeable. In this class we will be creating our own magazine complete with logo, cover art work, articles, etc. Should be a lot of fun! A LOT of outside class time is going to be required for this class. Oh, but on a side note, the grade range for an A in her class is 94-100; going to have to step up and work extra hard to maintain my 4.0!

My last class, in all honesty, is the class I am most dreading. It is a storyboard class; which is geared for the animation and video production students. The only reason I am taking this class is because the degree plan for Commercial Photography wants us to dabble in the areas of video, animation and web so that we at least have an understanding of these other aspects in the design industry. My homework for this class is insane! I am have to create 10 'dvd' drawings. Basically I find a movie, hit pause, and draw everything I see on the screen. I am to spend no less than 15 minutes and no more than 1 hour on each drawing. Oh, and the professor is a bit extreme. He told us that hardly anyone makes an A in his class. Great.

So that is my first week in a nutshell. Time to get focused and have a good semester. My goal is to graduate with honors, so I can't lose sight of that.

Brainstorming...

2009-01-20T17:36:00.000-08:00

So I have been brainstorming today (maybe that's where the migraine came from huh Jenn, hehe). I want to offer 4 seasonal mini-sessions this year to get more exposure. I am thinking the mini-sessions will be specially priced at $49 and will include 1 5x7 & 8 wallets. The sessions will be short, 15 minutes, and the client will have between 5-10 images to choose from on the online viewing gallery.

Here are the 4 themes I am thinking about, but would love to hear you ideas!

Spring-Easter theme with either baby ducks or baby bunnies...but the logistics of this is a little tough. I don't want to keep the baby ducks or bunnies, just borrow them. And...we have a dog, enough said. Anyone have any other cute easter ideas?

Summer-Watermelon patch theme; I am hoping that our back corner in our yard will be landscaped this Spring so we can utilize it this summer. I am envisioning a big bunch of watermelons for the kiddos to sit amongst and get some cute shots, and then get a few shots of them eating pieces of watermelon. Any other thoughts?

Fall-Pumpkin Patch theme outside (bales of hay, pumpkins, scarecrow, etc) or do a big pile of leaves in the backyard and have the kids playing and jumping in the leaves, etc. Cute? Or something better?

Winter-I was thinking either the traditional Christmas tree theme or do Christmas Jammies and either have the kids in front of a Christmas Tree OR somehow do a bed and have the kids snug in the bed with their Christmas jammies (stockings hanging near by, possibly a Christmas tree in the room, etc). Thoughts?

Big Jacey News!

2009-01-16T11:25:00.000-08:00

She FINALLY has her first loose tooth! :) She is the ONLY student in the first grade who hasn't lost a tooth and has been really bummed about it. Just a minute ago she came running into the office upstairs and said, "Mommy! Mommy! Can you check...I think I have a loose tooth!!!" So I checked, and sure enough it was loose! She then said, "I feel so grown up now!" :) So hopefully in a few weeks we can post a picture of Jacey with her first tooth she lost.

School

2009-01-15T09:26:00.000-08:00

I just finished registering for the Spring semester at school and I am really excited! I am taking several classes where the information I will be learning I can immediately apply to Bella!

Here is my schedule:

Monday:
8:00am-8:50am Weight Training
1:00pm-2:15pm Photographic Science

Wednesday:
8:00am-8:50am Weight Training
1:00pm-2:15pm Photographic Science
6:00pm-11:00pm Photographic Studio Management

Thursday:
9:00am-2:50pm Digital Publishing - In-Design
7:00pm-9:50pm Storyboard

Friday:
8:00am-8:50am Weight Training

The Digital Publishing class is being taught by one of my favorite professors, so that will be a great class! I will be learning how to produce layouts which I can use for album layouts, poster layouts, marketing pieces, etc.

The Photographic Studio Management class covers management, pricing, market analysis, promotion, networking, job acquisition, and photographic equipment analysis.

In the Storyboard class I will be learning how to organize project content and arrange in a visual format. I am guessing this will kind of go hand in hand with the Digital Publishing class.

The one class I am kinda 'eh' about is the Photographic Science class...here is the description:
An examination of the principles and theories governing photography. Emphasis on analysis of problems involving optics, light, chemistry, and math as they pertain to field practices. Tools and methods will utilize the view camera and zone system. Can we say 'yawn'!

I had talked to Steven about me taking the Weight Training class and he was all for it! The one thing I am real uncomfortable at when it comes to the gym is the weights. I have no clue how to use the machines, how many reps to do, how much weight to use, when to work out each muscle group, etc. The cost of personal trainers is ridiculous; so when I spotted this class at the college I was pumped! I will get 2.5 hrs a week of gym time with the coach (who was my running coach a couple of semesters ago) and get instruction, along with 12 other people, on how to create a work out plan just for me. And the cost $81! I did the math...this is 46 class session, each 50 minutes long....that works out to under $2 a session! Now that is some cheap personal training!

So on paper this is 12 credit hours, but actual class time is 20 hours a week...let the chaos begin!

Equinox

2009-01-10T06:45:00.000-08:00

Had to take the Equinox in for what we thought was minor service/repairs and ended up getting a pretty hefty list of things needing to be fixed. We talked it over and decided it was the best idea to go ahead and get the items repaired.

Well once the mechanics starting doing the work they encountered some issues. Apparently the previous owners of our car came from either up north or by the coast because there was rusting issues in the drive shaft (where a lot of these major repairs were being done). I found this odd since the car is a 2006 and we purchased it in 2007 with very low miles. Anyway, they couldn't do the work because of the rust and delivered us the bad news. They were going to have to replace the entire drive shaft. At this point, the total price was so high that would make sense for us to have just sold the car! But, because they had performed all of the other work and repairs and were just waiting to do this one last piece it wasn't like we could back out. So we were stuck with a tough decision. Take the car as is, after sinking in all of the money from the original quote, and try to sell it and take a loss...or go ahead and get the entire drive shaft repaired and hope that this car has a lot of miles left on it! The mechanics, who were very nice, told Steven they would take the car to a machine shop that specializes in trying to get the rusted pin out (saving us LOTS of money).

A day went by and I was real nervous and so I stopped everything I was doing and I prayed and immediately felt at ease...I just knew it was all going to work out. So yesterday Steven gets the phone call, the machine shop was able to get the rusted pin out and so we were just back to the original quoted price! God is good!

Just picked the car up and it drives wonderfully! I love how whenever I start to question if God is in control He loves to prove me wrong...which is just fine by me :)

2009

2009-01-03T14:12:00.000-08:00

Here are my 3 goals for 2009:

1) Health: Instead of the usual goal of 'lose weight' I am setting the goal to get healthier. I want to break the habit of soda and drink more water...I did this a few months ago and could not believe the difference it made in my life! Unfortunately the only way I survived this holiday season with the work load was off of caffeine :( So I am ready to cut it back out. I also want to get better about my diet and follow the food guide pyramid a bit better. That one is tough for me...I love sweets! And last I want to get back into running. I LOVE to run. And to help me achieve that goal I am going to select one 5k per month to participate in (starting in February) and also am going to run the Tour de Fleurs, a 10k, in September. I figure if I work on getting healthier, the weight lose will happen automatically.

2) Organization: There is a lot that goes into running a business behind the scenes and my plan is to get a system down to help with this process. I am going to either build an Access database or find some software that is made for running a photography business. I need a place to not only enter all of my clients info (name, address, etc) but also need to enter their sales history, referral program cards and redemption, anniversaries, birthdays, etc. The core of my business is personalization; and no matter how large we get...that will remain the core. Handwritten thank you notes, birthday cards, etc and to do this I need to have a database to help keep me organized. The other part of this organization plan is all of the physical supplies that go into running the business (camera equipment, props, booking forms, frame corners, mat samples, framing supplies, packaging supplies, etc). I want a system for all of this as well. I think I am going to start setting aside Fridays as my 'work day' to keep everything running smoothly.

3) Me Time: I thoroughly enjoy photographing, drawing and reading. This past year I found that if I wasn't photographing in the studio...I wasn't photographing at all. I want to be sure that on days I am not photographing clients that I am out working on my own personal photography. I think this is vital for personal development. It is also a great way for me to just get away and relax for a bit. There is something about wandering country roads on the hunt for neat and unexplored areas just begging to be photographed. If I can squeeze some drawing and reading in there that would be great...but not counting on that happening, lol.

shower tunes

2008-12-28T21:27:00.000-08:00

One of the things I love about my Jacey: she loves to sing in the shower. This morning she was showering upstairs with the door closed and I was downstairs in our master bathroom and I could hear her singing her heart out. And what was on today's line up? "Hallelujah" and "Proud to be an American"...boy do I love my Jacey!

Frisco High School Promo Posters

2008-12-21T21:18:00.000-08:00

These are the posters I photographed & designed for the Frisco High School basketball teams; they will be hung up all at local Frisco businesses (about 100 of them)! (click to enlarge)

I suggested to the booster mom's that if the ladies make it to state again this year we should make 'wanted posters' of each of the players with so clever text (Wanted: Jazmyn for Shooting & Stealing). They loved the idea!

Photoshop Magic

2008-12-20T09:13:00.000-08:00

We were selected as the official photographers for Frisco High School basketball this year. For the program cover shot we went out to the Michael Johnson Performance Center and photographed all of the players. The ladies did an awesome job setting up the shot, but the one thing we could not change was the background...so that's when some photoshopping came into play.

So here is the before; notice the fire alarms, the big beam and the doors to the right?

(click to enlarge)

Here is the final product, 3 hours later:

(click to enlarge)

Oh My Goodness!!!! HILARIOUS!

2008-12-19T08:57:00.000-08:00

New Bella Ad

2008-12-19T08:19:00.001-08:00

This is the full page, full color ad we are placing in the Frisco High School Basketball program:

Grades

2008-12-15T13:12:00.000-08:00

I survived this past semester and grades were just posted...

4.0 for the semester with a cumulative gpa of 3.667

I'll take that!

Sick Meatball...

2008-12-15T07:35:00.000-08:00

UPDATE: Talked to Jacey's primary doctor and she said that with acute strep throat it is quite normal for it to get worse before it gets better. We need to keep an eye on it and if we see no improvement by Wednesday then they need to see her and talk about the next action.

Thank you all SO much for all of the phone calls and text messages asking how she is doing...you all are the greatest!

Our meatball is sick :( Sunday morning she woke up and told me her head hurt and her throat was sore so I ran and picked up some cold/ sore throat medicine from the grocery store and gave her some motrin and that was that. Around 3pm she told me it was still hurting so I looked at her throat and was shocked! Both of her tonsils were so inflammed; I had never seen something like that before! I had Steven look at it and he said immediatly, "You need to take her to a Primacare!" (or as I call it...Doc-in-a-box) So I throw her in the car and we go to Primacare...after 2 1/2 hrs of waiting we finally see the doctor.

They swab her throat and give us the results. The doctor told he she was "one tough cookie" because she had acute strep throat. The crazy thing is, you would never had known she was feeling sick, and definatly not that sick, by her demeanor. She wasn't complaining or whining, she was still happy-go-lucky meatball! They gave her some meds and said if we don't see improvement in 6 doses to call; due to the severity of the strep throat she may have to have her tonsils removed. He also told us that due to great amount of swelling that if breathing becomes an issue we need to take her immediatly to the ER.

By the time we got home we checked her throat again and this time her right tonsil was so swollen that her right side of the throat was completely shut and the swelling on the left had her throat 3/4 shut! We got some meds in her and really observed her. She fell asleep on the couch and thats when I started to get concerned. She was sucking in air, weezing, it just didn't sound right. Of course I am prone to overreacting so Steven kept me calm. We just kept a real watchful eye on her, and had her sleep in our room last night.

This morning she woke up, and once again, Happy-Go-Lucky-Jacey, so I figured when I checked her throat we would see a great amount of improvement....wrong. Her normal doctor gets in at 10am and I plan to call and get her recommendation. It just seems that this swelling is very severe and has me very concerned.

I will keep you posted!

Ornament Catch Up!

2008-12-11T07:57:00.000-08:00

Whew...I see the light at the end of the tunnel; I am almost completely caught up on the Christmas rush for Bella. My goal is to be in a good place by Friday night so that I can do some Christmas shopping and wrapping on Saturday and Sunday and finish decorating the house.

So, to catch up on my ornament blogging...here we go!

December 5th:

Mom got me this ornament the year we moved to Trinidad, Colorado. It was making some comedy out of my situation. I was in the 3rd grade when my dad was transferred to Trinidad from Lincoln, Nebraska. Trinidad was a very small town on the border of Colorado and New Mexico and was a predominantly hispanic community. And let's just say it was a terrible place to live...I was made fun of relentlessly. So mom got this ornament that year for me :) (Side note: If you would ever like to hear about this crazy little town, ask me some time...that was an experience!)

December 6th:

This ornament is from 1986 (I believe, I am going off of memory and don't feel like climbing into the attic to check the box) and is from my dear Omi and Opi; if I had to describe them in one word it would be A-MAZING! This ornament reminds me of them and puts the biggest smile on my face!

December 7th:

This ornament is an emotional one for me. This is from Jacey's 2nd Christmas, she was 16 months old in this photograph. It was just her and I and I did the best I could do. I really think there is a reason that kids don't remember anything before they were 3--for people like me to feel a little better. I worked a job that required her to be a daycare kid from the second they opened until the second they closed. I look back on this period in her life and could see how unhappy of a child she was...depressed would be the word I would use; and that breaks my heart. (whew told you this was an emotional one...I am all choked up right now) I can't take all of the blame, her life was very unstable with the her biological father in her life every other weekend. Anyway, part of me never wants to hang this ornament on the tree...but the other part of me likes to look at that ornament and see how we made it through and how much better our lives are now with Steven in our lives.

December 8th:Here is another one of my Wizard of Oz ornaments! This one is from 2002 and is called "Horse of a Different Color". It captures a moment from the movie when Dorothy and her friends reach Emerald City and take an unusual carriage ride. The horse changes color continuously and the lamps on the carriage glow. When you press the button you can hear the carriage driver say, “Cabby, Cabby - Just what you’re lookin’ for. Take you any place in the city, we does. He’s the horse of a different color you’ve heard tell about.”

December 9th:

This ornament is from the year 2006 when we built our first home! This was a very exciting Christmas for us! This is the same Christmas I went overboard and bought a 12' tree...we had the room height wise for it but I kind of forgot about the width on a tree that size. The scene was much like the scene out of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation :)

December 10th:

I will be honest, I don't really know much about this ornament other then I have had it for FOREVER! I know my mom and older sister have one as well so it's just neat knowing we all have ours on the tree each year. (Mom, who gave us these? Any interesting info on this ornament?)

Wonder Woman

2008-12-07T19:29:00.000-08:00

It's finals week for me which means I am freaking out and stressed; no joke...today I had a mini-meltdown (tears and all) when our Epson photo printer decided to be a spawn of satan!

So for my final photography project we had to do a documentary piece on anything we would like. I decided to make some comedy out of my current state of craziness and document me doing everything I do in a day...but with a Wonder Woman cape on! It puts a comical spin on things but also sends a message about how we are the queens of multi-tasking! Here is how it came out; I turn it in tomorrow for final critique...so we shall see if I get an A!

December 4th

2008-12-04T12:22:00.001-08:00

Here is another one of my favorite ornaments. One year (199?) for Christmas my Aunt Pam made us kids this bag and filled it with chocolates as a gift! When we were finished with the chocolates my mom turned them into Christmas ornaments for us kids! I love this ornament because it reminds me of my favorite thing about Christmas....family! Every year, since as far back I as can remember, our family has come into town after Christmas and has got to be one of the highlights of the holidays for me!

Christmas Lights at Casa de Leija

2008-12-04T12:05:00.000-08:00

This year I added more lights to our display. Last year I just did the lights around the perimeter of the yard and this year I added the lights in all of the bushes and the lights on my two swirly juniper trees. I have everything wired to one box with a timer on it; I was pretty proud of myself to be able to figure all of that out!

I plan to just add a little each year. I would like to pick up the window candles for each window on the front of the house (10) after Christmas this year. The candles themselves aren't very expensive, but I want to pick up timers for them all so I don't have to go around and manually plug/un-plug them all each night. So hopefully the timers will go half off too :)

December 3rd

2008-12-02T21:11:00.001-08:00

Growing up, we had a Christmas tradition of the pickle ornament. The pickle ornament is a blown glass ornament in the shape of a pickle and after all the gifts are opened on Christmas morning mom and dad would hide the pickle ornament on the tree and the kid who found it first would get a special gift, usually chocolate covered cherries or cashews...yum!

In our family we not only do the pickle ornament, but do the jalapeno ornament too...that way both girls get a special gift ;) But, in addition to these two traditions we also hang blown glass mushroom ornaments. Traditionally, mushrooms are a German symbol of luck and hanging one on the tree is a symbol of good fortune in the new year. So each of us have a glass mushroom that we hang and we remind the girls what they mean as they are hanging them.

December 2nd

2008-12-02T20:50:00.000-08:00

Interesting fact about Jess: I am a Wizard of Oz collector! The Wizard of Oz is my all-time favorite movie and I love collecting the memorabilia. My goal is to one day have it all displayed in the guest bedroom / second office. So, what does one get when you combine my love for Christmas and my love for the Wizard of Oz? Wizard of Oz Christmas ornaments! Each year Hallmark puts out two Wizard of Oz ornaments; a regular ornament and then an animated scene. I have a few of these from over the years. I checked ebay recently to see how much the ones that I don't have from the past are now...and lets just say they have definitely kept their value...and then some!

This ornament is from the year 2006 and is titled "Dorothy and the Munchkins". This one is extra special because Steven bought it for me :) When you press the button the yellow brick road lights up. When Dorothy begins to speak she turns towards the Munckins and they hide behind the flowers. They appear again as she turns away.

December 1st

2008-12-02T20:34:00.001-08:00

In case you missed my previous blog, as we were decorating the Christmas tree Steven had a great suggestion. I should blog an ornament each day until Christmas and tell why it's a favorite of mine.

For my first entry I chose my I <3 New York ornament. For those of you who do not know our story, Steven proposed to me on a carriage ride in Central Park on September 10, 2004. We picked up this ornament in a shop off of Times Square to hang on our Christmas tree as a memory of this joyous time in our lives. It is definitely one of my favorite ornaments as it symbolizes so many things for me. Our love and commitment to each other and the start of our lives together.

I am second...

2008-12-02T20:19:00.000-08:00

www.iamsecond.com

I came across this website via a Facebook group and was hooked instantly. I encourage you to check it out and see what it is all about.

Also, you need to watch the piece of Greg Ellis. Greg Ellis is a Dallas Cowboy linebacker who is a very classy athlete and has overcome a lot in his football career. He has been a favorite of mine, and after watching this I am even more impressed.

Greg Ellis

Jacey-ism

2008-12-02T07:06:00.000-08:00

This morning on the way to school Jacey was pondering a moment from Thanksgiving. We went to our friends, Jeff and Lisa, house and they had all of their family in town. Before we ate Jeff did the big family prayer and at the end he said "Amen", but pronounced it "Ah-men". So we get in the car and Jacey goes...why does Uncle Jeff say "Ahhh-Man" after he prays, is it because he is hungry? LOL!

Decorating the Tree

2008-12-01T15:26:00.001-08:00

This past Tuesday night we put up the Christmas Tree. We have a few traditions when we decorate the tree. The girls, Steven and Zeus get a Christmas ornament to add to their collection and we eat german cookies, a tradition that mom started years ago. This year the girls also go their jammies early (great idea Jenn!). As we were decorating the tree Steven had an idea; each day in December up until Christmas I should blog about one of my favorite ornaments. I will try to get December 1st's ornament posted this evening, but if I don't check back in the morning :)

I cant get over how grown up the girls look in this picture!

Busy Bee!

2008-12-01T12:01:00.000-08:00

I will hopefully update the blog later today or tomorrow...but check out why I have been so busy!

The Bella Blog

Oh...by the way, photos from the Hopkins-Deal wedding were posted this past Friday...if you need info on how to access them let me know! :)

Just Breathe!

2008-11-24T07:42:00.000-08:00

Wow, talk about being blessed! Bella is keeping me very busy these days! With 2 weddings, 2 basketball games and 4 sessions to process along with 5 sessions in the next 5 days and 2 more football games...lets just say I am going, going, going! And, on top of all of this we were selected by Frisco High School basketball to be their photographer so I have been doing headshots, group shots, themed shots, etc. And I am also designing their big posters that go out to all of their sponsors...and did I mention those need to be done by Friday as well!? I need to clone myself...I need a 'Mommy-Jess', 'Wifey-Jess', and 'Work-Jess'!

Yesterday the weather was nice so I spent about an hour working on putting the Christmas lights out in the front yard. Living in Texas the weather can change on a dime so I thought I would take advantage of the great weather and start working on them. Tuesday afernoon we get get Gabby for a quick visit. This past weekend was our weekend, but we opted to let her stay home so she could rest up from her hospital stay earlier in the week. So, we are getting Gabby Tuesday night and then taking her back Thursday morning. So I am hoping to get the tree up on Wednesday so we can get it all decorated while she is here. We are also planning on doing our family portrait on Wednesday for our Christmas cards. I am hoping to include Zeus...but we will see how that goes! lol

Well gotta go. I need to pack the gear for a noon shoot out at the Michale Johnson Performance Center for athletes. They sponsored the cover of the basketball program for Frisco High School so we are doing a nice big group shot out there for the cover and then I am taking the Varsity boys down to the Cavanaugh Flight Museum for their themed portraits (Soaring to Excellence. As soon as I get the posters designed I will post them on here for all to see :)

Wow...just wow!

2008-11-21T11:57:00.001-08:00

These girls, The Cactus Cuties, recently sang The National Anthem at a Texas Tech Basketball game. I have to say that this is the best I have ever heard the anthem sung...brought tears to my eyes. To two girls on the right are six, the two in the middle are seven and the one on the left is eight. I am guessing we will be hearing a lot more from these girls...

UPDATE: I just checked and they are going to be performing at the Texas Tech vs Baylor football game on November 29th! I am going to have Steven get some good shots for me!

Is It Possible...

2008-11-17T21:51:00.000-08:00

Is it possible to watch the last 30 minutes of a movie and not only love it, but think it is one of the best movies you have ever seen? Tonight I caught the last 30 minutes of August Rush and am hooked...absolutely hooked! I look forward to watching the movie in its entirety soon!

Breakfast & Book Fair

2008-11-14T07:18:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week the PTA sent home these invitations for the kids to give to their parents inviting them to Breakfast and Book Fair this morning. So Jacey invited Steven....and only Steven :( I have started to resign myself to the fact that she is becoming more of a Daddy's Girl the older she gets. Steven asked me if that bothered me and I replied, "I birthed that head! Of course it bothers me!" Of course I was joking...kinda. So as Friday approached Jacey took pity on me and said I could come too. So I tagged along, but only to take pictures of their special morning.

Ready to dig in!

Jacey and Daddy before they eat breakfast!

Shopping for books!

All finished shopping...Steven is quite a softy when it comes to the girls...
maybe that is why Jacey invited him instead of me ;)

Clifford came out to the Book Fair!

Brownies for Daddy

2008-11-14T07:13:00.000-08:00

Steven made a special request this week; No Pudge Brownies. I have blogged about these before...Fat Free Brownies, and they actually taste pretty darn good! Jacey really wanted to help last night, and when we were finished I realized why....

Negative Ghostwriter!

2008-11-13T09:59:00.000-08:00

For the past two weeks I have been feeling...different; I guess that is the best way to describe it. Just not feeling myself. A few weeks ago I started waking up in the morning nauseous and by the end of the day I was completely exhausted. Then last week I started cramping and spotting just a bit. (This is unusual for me-I do not have a period due to being on Mirena). So, I started wondering to myself, 'am I pregnant?'

I figured this would only be fitting considering I have just gotten to a place my life where I think I am just fine with our little family of four. If we had another one-great...but if not, that was great too! I had been having baby fever for the past two years, and finally I am at peace...so of course now I would be pregnant! lol

Two days later (the day before my sister's wedding) I had a dream that I found out I was pregnant but couldn't share it with anyone because I didn't want to steal the thunder from Laura's wedding weekend or from Jennifer since she just found out she was pregnant.

So wedding weekend comes and goes and I am still having these symptoms, so I go to the store today and get a pregnancy test. I come home and say a prayer asking God that although I do not think this is the best timing that he would give me a positive attitude and soften my heart if I were pregnant.

So I take the test...and in the fastest recorded time in the history of pregnancy tests it says..

NO!

It wasn't even like a make-you-wait-on-pins-and-needles result...nope...it practically shouted at me...NO! lol

So now it's the great mystery of what the heck is going on with my body!

special visit

2008-11-06T06:48:00.000-08:00

We were blessed with a special visit this past weekend. My grandparents and Aunt Janet and Uncle Scott came in town. They were coming back from a 100th birthday celebration for a family member in Missouri and stopped off in Frisco on their way to Houston. They came in Saturday morning and we spent the day visiting, watching college football and eating at Babe's. The last time Grandma & Grandpa came up Steven and I took them to Babe's and they just went on and on about how great it was. They just opened a Babe's Frisco and were very happy when I suggested going there for dinner! Then on Sunday Aunt Janet and Uncle Scott had tickets to the NASCAR races. While they were at the races Grandma, Grandpa, Jacey and myself visited some more and went out to eat at Olive Garden. I had such a great weekend with them, I was so glad they stopped by Frisco!!They got a kick out of Jacey's gameday get-up!

Myself and Grandma

Grandpa, Aunt Janet & Jacey at Babe's

Uncle Scott & Grandma

The Crew at Babe's after a great meal!

bike riding...

2008-11-05T13:43:00.000-08:00

There are certain milestones children hit that just make us parents so proud...learning how to ride a bike is one of them. Check out Jacey!

history made...

2008-11-04T20:25:00.000-08:00

Whether you are a Republican or Democrat...what happened tonight made history...look how far our Country has come.

school portraits

2008-11-04T12:34:00.000-08:00

Although Jacey is the daughter of two photographers I still purchased the smallest portrait package they offered for her school portraits. Here is how her picture came out; such a beautiful young lady, inside and out!

bad timing

2008-11-01T21:48:00.000-07:00

Ever hate when something bad happens and it is the absolute wrong timing? That was me today. I was photographing a child session out at the park and stepped wrong the on a piece of landscaping edging and twisted my ankle. I heard popping and crackling when it happened and immediately was in a great amount of pain. I pushed through the session but once I was done and go to my car I just burst into tears...it hurt so bad! I got home and cleaned up my foot (I scraped it up when I rolled it) and saw that it was already turning black & blue and swelling up. It hurts like the dicksons when I hyper extend my foot in either direction and when I move my foot to the left or right it pops and cracks real bad and just throbs. I have been icing it all night in hopes of a speedy recovery. This self inflicted injury could not come at a worse time! The next 2 weeks are filled with sessions as well as 2 weddings. At this time I am limping real bad and even considering pulling out the crutches in the garage. So please pray for a very speedy recovery; I am really hoping that once the swelling and bruising goes down it won't be as bad as I originally thought. Being a clutz stinks!

Trick-or-Treat!

2008-10-31T19:12:00.000-07:00

We just came back from trick-or-treating and Jacey's costume was a HIT! We were told numerous times that it was the best costume they had seen all night! Good job Jacey!
A dear friend of mine that I met at school last semester and her son, Hunter, joined Jacey and I tonight...we had so much fun!

I'm in Love With an Animal!

2008-10-31T10:24:00.000-07:00

Three days ago I was vacuuming the house and our old vacuum cleaner was doing more harm then good. It wasn't picking up anything, was blowing all of the dirt and dander into the air and I had it! So, I went to the garage and got our DeWalt car vacuum cleaner and proceeded to vacuum our house on my hands and knees with the tiny little attachment that came with it. See image below:Yes! I vacuumed our entire house with that! I had been wanting a Dyson vacuum cleaner for over a year now, and so out of frustration I told Steven that night, "I want it so bad, just make it my Christmas gift!" So, yesterday I went out and got my Dyson animal and that thing ROCKS! I had just vacuumed three days ago (on my hands and knees with the DeWalt) and I was disgusted to see what all was sucked up! No wonder Jacey and I have the allergy problems we have! So meet the newest member of our family; I haven't named him yet:

Pumpkin Carving

2008-10-30T19:41:00.000-07:00

This evening Jacey and I carved pumpkins while Steven and Tio Vinnie went to the Mavs game! This was the first year Jacey had carved a pumpkin. She did one this past weekend while she stayed at her Gigi's and loved it so much! We did Pumpkin Master's patterns and Jacey did everything herself. Check out her work below...I am so proud of her! (we used the tripod and good ol self timer to take our pictures tonight):

Before the mess!

Jacey cutting off the top!

Scooping the guts...ewww!

I posted this photo just for Steven, figured it would scare him to see me with that huge knife! lol

Tracing our patterns with push-pins

The final product...didn't Jacey do great!?

We are so proud of our masterpieces!

garfield...kinda

2008-10-28T08:56:00.000-07:00

In one of my graphic design classes we are learning how to illustrate cartoons...here is my sad attempt at creating a Garfield comic. And yes, he is naked (he has no stripes) :)

Show & Tell Friday!

2008-10-23T21:16:00.000-07:00

My mom does these every Friday and I just love reading them! My mom is not a materialistic person, so if she is blogging about a possession you know it's gotta be something special to her. My items are not nearly as fascinating as hers, but I will sure try!

For my first Show & Tell I decided to share an item that means the world to me. It is a card that my daughter Gabriella gave to me out-of-the-blue about a year ago; and everytime I see it-it brings tears to my eyes and a big smile to my face.

To most people who do not know our family dynamics, this may just seem like a sweet card from a daughter; but to me it is so much more. For those readers who do not know, Steven and I were a pre-made family when we met. Both of us had a daughter from a previous relationship.

For my daughter, Jacey, the transition was fairly easy due to her very young age. She doesn't remember a time without Steven. Gabby on the other hand is two years older then Jacey, and she did remember a time without myself and Jacey. I really think that out of the four of us she truly had it the worst. For years it had been just her and Steven, and then comes along a girlfriend with a child. Obviously Jacey and I took some of Steven's attention...attention that used to only belong to Gabby. Then came the time when Jacey started to call Steven 'Daddy'...I can only imagine how tough that had to be for her...that was her Daddy!

All along the way I have never pushed her to call me 'Mom' and certainly not 'Mommy' (she has a Mommy and I do not want to take the place of her)...I was just fine with her calling me Jessica; but deep inside it did sting a bit. I love Gabby just as I love Jacey...they are equal in my eyes. They are treated exactly the same. The same rules apply, the same discipline applies, etc. So, it was a little tough at times to hear her call me 'Jessica'.

Well, one weekend when we had her I was working up in the office and she quietly comes in, hands me this card, and walks out. I read it...and immediatly I was flooded with emotions...she called me 'Mom'; and the words she said were amazing "I will like you forever, I will love you forever. You are a great mom." I felt in that moment she had finally accepted me.

So, I chose this item for my first Show & Tell because it is simply a priceless possession of mine...and it means the world to me.

Juicy Thoughts : Kiosk Nazi's

2008-10-22T19:37:00.000-07:00

Last night we went for our usual mall walk after dinner. We enjoy doing this because it helps let our food settle, lets us walk indoors (because with daylight savings rapidly approaching its getting darker earlier) and on a weeknight it is generally not too crowded. Now, don't get any crazy ideas...we aren't the fanny-pack-wielding-speed-walkers or anything...we just casually stroll the mall.

In our neighborhood mall their is an entire section of those insanely pushy kiosk salespeople! You know the ones! Fake accents, trying to hand you crap or ask you questions. It is SO irritating! NO, I dont want you to pull the inner molecules of hydration out of my nails with her 'magical' nailfile! NO, I don't want to exfoliate my skin with your salt from the dead sea! NO, I don't want you to clean my ring for free! NO, I don't want you to clip that hunk of fake hair to my head!

The reason these kiosks bug me so much is when I go to the mall I am choosing which store to go into. They don't have their sales people at the doors doing pushing me to come in or buy their products. I walk in and then they greet me. It is my choice. It has gotten to the point to when I walk down 'kiosk alley' I either a) don't make eye contact b) say in a very firm voice 'no thank you' when they start to approach me c) appear to be engaged in a very deep conversation. With Christmas season approaching the number of kiosks seem to double...and I am dreading it!

(On a side note, maybe the real reason these kiosks bug me is because I have been suckered in to buying from them before....that magic nail file; but I will admit, it is pretty cool! )

Noteworthy Quote : Mental Slavery

2008-10-22T09:37:00.000-07:00

"Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our mind." -Bob Marley

I saw this quote on the back of a car up at the college I take classes at today and immediately it spoke to me.

So many people say that society, economic status, race, etc is what imprisons them from their dreams, goals and aspirations...but in reality the only thing that keeps us back from achieving our dreams is our mind.

I look at my husband, Steven. He had so many things going against him growing up. A minority from a low economic status; on paper he was set for mediocrity. But he had dreams and goals; he was going to make something of himself. He put his mind to it. He sacrificed knowing that his rewards would come later down the road. And now he is an extremely successful software consultant who has a remarkable reputation in the industry. He makes me so proud to be his wifey.

Juicy Thoughts : Lazy Shoppers

2008-10-21T17:54:00.001-07:00

This is more of a pet peeve than a Juicy Thought; but oh well. One of my biggest pet peeves is lazy shoppers who do not put their carts up in the cart corral. Seriously, is it really that far of a walk to put it where it belongs? Especially when you just walked all over the Wal-Mart Supercenter?!

Palin Rocks!

2008-10-19T18:30:00.001-07:00

Juicy Thoughts : Smart Hemi

2008-10-19T14:25:00.001-07:00

I really think I need to start a new blog topic for all of my random thoughts I have that I find funny and am going to name them 'Juicy Thoughts'....what do you think? (And for those of you who don't know, 'Juicy' is a nickname of mine from my older sis, Jenn)

So my Juicy Thought I had today was:

I want to get a Smartcar and put that sticker on the back that says, "Yeah, It's Got a Hemi". Wouldn't that be great?! I even created a visual aid in photoshop to support this idea:

I think I need a nap...this is what lack of sleep will do you to you.

biokleen

2008-10-18T19:13:00.000-07:00

I just have to blog about this awesome Dishwashing Powder I found! As most of you know I am a bit of a 'green girl'. I have been nicknamed the recycling nazi, I use the canvas shopping bags and try to be conscious about our earths resources. So last week I went grocery shopping at Walmart and forgot to write dishwashing soap on my list, and if it's not on the list I do not buy it...I rely on that list because my memory is horrible! So, after Walmart I hit Sprouts, ( a farmer's market type store with fresh produce and organic items), and remember that I need dishwashing soap. So I venture over to their cleaning products section to see what they have and come across this biokleen line of products. I decided to give it a try. It was a bit more expensive than Electrosol, $6.99, but you get approximately 50 loads out of it...so if that holds true it is actually cheaper! So, I have been using this product for a week and am SO impressed! My glasses are coming out spot free (previously I had problems with this, even with Jet Dry in our dishwasher) and the dishes are coming out spotless! It is by far the best dishwashing product I have used...and it's safe for the earth! Hooray!

Lou's Bridal Shower

2008-10-18T17:08:00.000-07:00

Just got home from Lou's Bridal Shower. I think it was a wonderful shower with a great turnout!

sleep is overrated!

2008-10-18T05:40:00.000-07:00

Things are so busy around our house these days that I have come to the conclusion that sleep is overrated. Lately, at the end of the day, I find myself just wishing I had 3 or 4 more hours to get tasks done. And since I do not foresee 27 hours in a day happening anytime soon I find myself dipping into my sleep time to get these tasks accomplished.

Just yesterday for example, I got Jacey off to school and then I headed straight to the Spring Creek campus (10 miles away, but 35 minute drive...gotta love Dallas!) for a 3 hour studio lighting learning session with a classmate. Then I came home and worked for 2.5 hours on Bella sessions that needed to be processed and then headed to get Jacey from school. We came home and loaded up the car with all of the items for Laura's Bridal Shower (serving pieces, non parishable food items, etc) so we can drop it off at Lynette's house (where the shower will be today) on my way to picking up Gabby in Decatur.

The drive to Decatur usually takes me about 1.5 hours....but not yesterday. They had highway 380 (a two laned highway) down to one lane for road construction. So we had to sit and wait while each side took turns to go through the 5 mile long construction zone. We sat for 35 minutes waiting for our turn and when we finally got through the construction zone, the line was 9 miles long on the other end. I was thinking to myself, there is NO way am going to sit through that coming back! I pulled out the trusty map and decided to head towards Fort Worth and then cut over at Hwy 114, and then head back north from there. It took me an hour and 15 minutes to drive what usually takes 30 minutes! Grr! Maybe I shouldve just gone the way that had construction and I could've put the car in park and caught up on some of the precious sleep I have been cutting into! So needless to say, after spending 4 hours in the car yesterday...I was not very pleased!

So we dropped everything off at Lynette's house and then headed home. We were home at around 9pm and then I had some last minute bridal shower items to work on (finishing up party favors, Laura's gift, making the Chicken Salad, etc). I finally hit the sack at 1am, and was asleep by 1:30. I think Steven was so beat that he forgot to turn off the alarm, so that went off at 7am. I laid there and tried to go back to sleep, but when that wasnt happening I figured I was wasting time that I could be doing something productive (like blogging).

So here I am blogging and working on a big project that is due during my Monday night class. I know how crazy this weekend is going to be so I decided to work on it when I can. We have the Bridal Shower today, and then Steven is photographing the SMU game so I will need to process those photos and have the galleries ready to publish my Sunday evening, I have a family session tomorrow, and I have two sessions from last week that I need to get posted for client viewing. Oh, and our house...wow, it is a mess! It really is bothering me!

I will not be catching the football game today (Texas Tech vs ATM) so I am hoping Steven will text me the score updates and be Tivo'ing it for me. BUT, I do have every intention to watch the Mizzou vs Texas game tonight! I am cheering for Mizzou for two reasons! First, its Mizzou and I am from Missouri...second, them beating Texas will help Texas Tech out in the rankings!

I will be taking photos at Laura's bridal shower, so check back (hopefully tomorrow) and I will have them up for viewing!

Have a great weekend!

so beautiful!

2008-10-17T12:35:00.001-07:00

I just have to show you this client slideshow I created! I was searching for the Kleenex as I was watching it all back...

Chloe Elizabeth Newborn Portraits

Gameday at Casa de Leija

2008-10-11T16:28:00.000-07:00

Bella Blog

2008-10-10T20:55:00.000-07:00

You have to go and check out the Bella Blog for some of the SWEETEST newborn baby pictures! By far the best session to date!

Hug AND a Kiss

2008-10-09T12:06:00.000-07:00

Today I decided to surprise Jacey and eat lunch with her at school. When I walked into the school they were just finishing up their restroom break before heading to the cafeteria. When Jacey saw me come around the corner so said, "WHOA!" And then she told all of her classmates "That's MY mommy!" Then all of her classmates all said, "Hi Jacey's Mommy!" So we proceeded to the lunchroom and everyone wanted to sit with Jacey and I. In the end her bestest friend Gracie, and her other friends Lauren B. (or 'the nice Lauren' as Jacey calls her; the other Lauren is mean), Logan and Lilly. All very sweet girls! So after Jacey and I ate our gourmet meal of Sonic grilled cheese with pickles I decided to take a few pictures. All of the girls just loved that! When it was time to leave I told Jacey, "I know it's 'uncool' to give your mom a hug and a kiss at school, so just give me the 'I Love You sign' (sign language sign for I love you)." And Jacey says back, "No Mommy...you get a hug AND a big kiss! You're the bestest!" So how do I react? Tears! Of course!

As I was leaving the parking lot I was reminded just how blessed I was. I have an amazing husband who has given me this opportunity to have moments like this with Jacey. These moments are so special to me and I cherish them, and I wouldn't have these opportunities if I were still a 'career mom'. So, even though I called you and told you already today...I am going to tell you again: Thank you so much Steven for giving me these moments; I am truly blessed!

My Jacey with her 'tator tot' from Sonic (she LOVES these things!)
She is so lovely!Jacey with her 'bestest' friend Gracie...a very sweet girl!

Jacey with 'the nice one' Lauren B.

Jacey and Lilly, a very talkative little girl :)

Jacey with Logan. Logan is a very sweet and special girl, she is an amazing big sister to her 1 year old brother, Dylan, who has Down Syndrome