Blegh.

What a terrible horrible awful day.

Oh my lanta.

I suppose a few pictures from this weekend might help

This Weekend Continued

Saturday Sunset

Shots From Yesterday

My best friend Lindsay, as I'm sure you've heard me mention her before...she's the one with the killer Bruschetta Pasta Salad Recipe, well she invited us yesterday to go play at her house for a bit. And Aunty Lindsay's house has the BEST in-ground pool. Except yesterday mother nature decided to laugh in our faces and provide us with one hell of a thunderstorm.

After a couple hours of waiting she must have felt our severe depression emanating from the house so she decided to throw us a break and give us a few hours of sun.

The pool was gorgeous and warm and just what we needed.

Aunty Lindsay's house ALSO has some seriously amazing french doors to the outside which shed some ridiculously awesome light...so naturally I had my camera one me to take a couple ton of pictures.

More to come :)

The Power of Editing

It's honestly amazing how much a little editing can change ANY picture.

So just as an example this is a picture I took long ago on a trip to Aruba (my most favoritest place in the whole universe, Disney World aside). Now this picture was not taken with my DSLR, it was taken with a little run of the mill digital camera about 7 years ago.

This was the picture I took:

I used to think this picture was unbelievable ....Now...7 years later take a little editing to it and Voila:

The colors are richer and far more vibrant.

Now this would be a standard edit for me. I like to make things look spectacular, but not so spectacular they look like they aren't believable or realistic.

Say for example this picture that boyfriend took on the way to work:

Now this picture as nice as it is needs some serious editing. First off, I couldn't stand the street lights and I wanted to boost that color, but this time I wanted to do so in an out-of-this-world fantastic way. Well THIS is the product I got from my cropping and editing:

Wham Bam Thank You Ma'am. Now is this picture realistic? Well maybe not...but look at those COLORS.

This is a picture I took last night of the sun setting because it was this gorgeous red color. Thank heavens for boyfriend because I'm not even sure I would have even noticed it. Here is the original:

This is after a little editing because I was 1. pissed off the picture didn't accurately display truly amazing the colors were and 2. because I edit almost every single picture even if it's just the tiniest bit.

Honestly I'm still not happy with the results but there is definitely a significant difference between the first and second picture.

Here is one of the recent pictures I took of bug Before:

And after:

I always love bringing extra attention to her eyes and smoothing out her skin just a bit and the editing program I use has a filter that has changed my life forever it just adds this dreamy, wonderfully tranquil, soft, perfect-for-babies look. Ugh.

SO that's just a little about what I do, share with me your favorite methods of editing :)

And So It Begins

Passed out asleep beside me this tiny bug has stolen my little black heart.

With each passing day there is something new and I feel like it's happening all so fast.

I swear it felt like it was just last week that we were all trying our hardest to make her smile and now we can't get her to stop. She JUST started laughing all the time (which is probably one of the most amazing things I've ever heard in my life). She's now sitting up (assisted) but sitting up nonetheless. Her little coos and gurgles have turned into full blown baby chatter (and mother of god...she is a talker).

But the last few days or so have been rough for bug. She's been crying way more often then usual and we have been sitting here studying her like a rare artifact.

And we've finally decided we think she is in the very very beginning stages of teething.

Poor bug.

It makes me sad to think there's only so much I can do, and until we know 100% what's causing her to be such a cranky pants I don't want to give her any medicine.

So for now I will hold her close and squish her way too tight and give her all the ice cold tethers she can handle.

But my lanta how quickly all this has happened.

I swear one day I'm just gunna turn around and she's gunna to be walking. Like...totally skip crawling altogether and just start straight up walking.

I know everyone said it would happen FAST but let me be clear, nobody mentioned it happens all at once.

Oy vey, does it happen all out once. But I'm loving every single millisecond of it.

Just a Rainy Saturday

A New Passion

I'm so fucking obsessed with this baby, I can't even contain myself. Do you see those eyes? Ugh...be still my heart.

And what I'm loving almost as much right now? Photography.

It's been like my drug. I'm like one of those crazy-ass tourist losers running around with their giant camera around their neck.

Yep. That's me. Total full-blown loser.

So I've decided once I get a bit more equipment and props I'd really like to start doing it for others. Starting out super cheap if not free and work my way to doing it semi-pro (if you will).

However, this mama needs practice. So practice I will.

But I sincerely haven't found a love, or passion, or drive to pursue something like this my whole life, it's a wonderful feeling to have a hobby I love, let me tell you. Expensive...but wonderful nonetheless.

Just A Bit More

Fourth of July Shenanigans

The Fourth was such a surreal day because the Fourth of July has more than one connotation for me. A year from that day was the the day I discovered I was having a baby.

I was terrified... I was nervous... I was completely overwhelmed.

I thought I was going puke. It was only because of the support of boyfriend and his sisters that I even managed to not lose my sanity completely. I remember saying over and over to myself "holy shit, this time next year I'll have a baby in my arms."

And now here I am a year later even more in love with my best friend and feeling so lucky that we have the most wonderful and beautiful baby girl.... And I wouldn't change a thing.

It was wonderful this Fourth of July with my little family and of course it wouldn't be me if I didn't have 3 billion pictures to document the day but here are a select few :)