I've been pretty busy building my photography business and I haven't had much time for blogging. I have kept up on my photography blog, though - so if you want to see some of my recent work, click here. Lots of pretty babies and families that I had the privilege of shooting this fall.
And big news - I'm now taking wedding clients!
But I do miss lifestyle blogging.
I hope to get back to recipes, the occasional outfit post, and my musings on random things soon. Just don't give up on me. I'm right here in Photoshop. :)
I had the opportunity to photograph this wonderful couple last weekend. They have such amazing natural chemistry, they were a joy to photograph! To see more of their shoot, visit my blog at Flyover Photography!
Fragrance and I haven't always had the best track record. Perfume tends to fade very quickly on my skin, and seldom does it last all day. Except...when it's bad. For example, that time in junior high when I spritzed myself down with Charlie. All day long, kids were sniffing the air in my immediate vicinity and saying,"Eww! What's that smell?" Or the time I accidentally made myself smell like marijuana with Suave strawberry shampoo. Don't ask. I don't even know.
So yeah. I have no idea what is up with the pH of my skin. But these are the fragrances I love, and they even love me back. So much better than emptying the room!
Clockwise from top:
Burberry Weekend - this is my go-to fall fragrance. It evokes horseback rides over the moors, rainy London streets, trench coats, and all around preppy goodness.
Gucci Guilty - my wedding day fragrance, and the one I reach for when I get dressed up. Soft notes of vanilla, apricot, and musk. All Gucci fragrances are to die for.
Clean Warm Cotton - imagine burying your nose in a basket of towels fresh from the dryer, and you'll smell just like that! This is a newer discovery, and I wear it to work, because it smells good without being overpowering. My friend Kayla cannot stop sniffing me when I wear it.
As I mentioned in my prior post, food and I haven't always had the healthiest relationship. I've turned to unhealthy eating habits in times of stress, happy times - basically at any point in my life with emotional extremes. I never really looked at food as medicine. I didn't, until recently, realize just how much the food I was eating was affecting my health.
I've been a migraine sufferer since my teens. I started getting them with my first menstrual cycle, and they run in my family - my mom would hole herself up for hours in a dark room with a washcloth over her eyes, and plead for us to be quiet. I had to do the same thing with my own daughter - taking handfuls of ibuprofen, and alternating coffee and water to try to lessen my suffering. I got bad headaches at least twice a month in a good month, and they were increasing in frequency as I entered my late thirties. If you are a migraine sufferer yourself, you know how horrible these headaches are.
One day, a client of ours at the salon knew that I was a migraneur, and suggested that I try a gluten-free lifestyle. She claimed that her headaches had lessened significantly after dropping wheat from her diet. I was pretty desperate at this point in time - my headaches were increasing to once a week, and I had no quality time on the weekends. I was ready to do anything to be pain free.
So, after Christmas, I gave it up. It was hard at first - I'm a carb fiend. I bought cookbooks, started pinning recipes to Pinterest like a madwoman, and cleaned out my pantry. I tackled the confusing world of gluten-free flours, started getting more creative with making vegetables in new ways, and just generally cleaning up my diet. I discovered the simple deliciousness of eating healthy foods, without preservatives and chemicals.
And guys - it worked.
At first, I thought it was just a placebo effect when my period came and went, migraine-free. I thought that maybe I was imagining it. But months went by. No headaches! I was sleeping better, I was less depressed and stressed out, and my energy levels soared. The scary neurological symptoms I was beginning to have - numbness and tingling, blurred vision, tremors and brain fog, disappeared. I felt like a new person.
I decided to test out eating gluten about 4 months into my diet. I indulged in a slice of regular cake, and had pizza the next afternoon for dinner. The day after, I was met with a crushing headache and my gut was tied in knots. It was horrible.
Since then, I've tested out my tolerance on a couple more occasions - most recently this weekend. After enjoying a delectable cinnamon roll made with wheat flour on Saturday morning, I spent Sunday and Monday in excruciating abdominal pain, and with the worst migraine of my life. I.am.done.
I have a strong suspicion that I may be one of the thousands of people in the U.S. who have celiac disease. Autoimmune and endocrinological disorders run in my family, so it wouldn't surprise me. I'd have to go back to eating gluten for long enough to get the testing done to confirm my intolerance. I honestly don't think I can endure that, especially since what I'm doing with my diet is the only known treatment anyway.
Our food supplies have changed drastically in the last 100 years or so - causing wheat allergies and gluten intolerance to spike significantly. The wheat that we are eating now isn't the same wheat that our ancestors ate. It's almost impossible to find wheat or other grains that haven't been genetically tampered with.
So, for me - I'm gluten-free for life. Sure, sometimes I miss carrot cake, and doughnuts, and other goodies that I can no longer have. But it's worth it. Gluten-free isn't right for everyone, but for those of us who may be on the autoimmune disease spectrum, it can be beneficial. Talk to your doctor or nutritionist if you suspect yourself or a family member of having celiac disease, and listen to your body. Be your own advocate for your health, and your body will reward you with a long and healthy life.
It's been a long time since I've done an outfit post. I've kind of shifted gears a bit in life lately, and as my 40th birthday approaches, I've been really contemplative. There are changes I'm making in my life - trying to create healthier habits for myself and my family, and thinking about our future.
I love fashion. I may not always be on-trend, and I may have my own take on style, but I do love getting dressed in the morning. I enjoy reading fashion blogs, and seeing style posts from other bloggers inspires me to be more creative. That is a good thing. But, with that being said, my own style blogging was making me something else: materialistic and covetous.
I've always had the tendency to commit the sin of gluttony over all others. It's something that has caused me to struggle with my weight; it's something that has caused me to collect too many shoes, hair products, cosmetics. Maybe because I didn't have much as a child, the long-won opportunity of disposable income drew me to shop somewhat obsessively at times. But, as I started to survey the heaving racks of clothes in my closet, I began to feel really terrible. Not because I spent a lot of money on any one item, but because it was just embarrassing and kind of gross. I started realizing that I was a glutton. Again.
That was about six months ago, and I forced myself to go on a shopping ban for Lent. After Easter passed, I continued for a few more months. It felt good. I was able to beef up my savings, give to charity, and start thinking about trips and experiences I wanted to have with my family - the things that will really last. A few weeks ago, I went on my first shopping trip in months, gave myself a firm allowance, and chose a few new updates to my wardrobe. It satisfied the urge, without making me feel like I had slipped off the wagon.
I will always love clothes. I'm a thrifty shopper for the most part, but quantity was the problem. This isn't a judgement on fashion blogging or on shopping - both are fun, and I will still enjoy them...in moderation. I'll still do style posts from time to time, but they will be thoughtful, not just an excuse to show off my latest purchases.
It really was raining in these photos. And goodness do we need it. It has been dry as a desert in Missouri. I'm trying to be thankful for the simple things.
This post is a model call in celebration of the MC1R gene. I am looking for men, women, and children of all ages in the Springfield, MO area who would be willing to model for me for an art project in late September celebrating that most wonderful of recessive traits - the freckle. If you, or your children, would be willing to participate, contact me at flyoverphoto(at)gmail.com
We are making our way through South Dakota, and will be enjoying our last day of discovering this beautiful land tomorrow. There aren't many words to describe the experiences we've had here. Pictures will hopefully tell the story instead.
Sarah has a deep soul. An old soul. She is passionate about the environment, about safe and humane farming and food sourcing, and about helping people. I met her a few years ago, and she impressed me very much with her depth, her beauty, and her spirit.
Sarah is home working as an intern this summer, helping to campaign against the Right To Farm amendment here in Missouri. This deceptively-worded document does anything but help farmers and consumers, and has everything to do with money and big business. If you live in Missouri, please vote NO and help raise awareness in your constituency.
I think these pictures sum up how I see Sarah - grounded, majestic, yet ethereally beautiful. The final photo is my first attempt at a stitched vertical panorama using the Brenizer method. It is composed of 9 separate images, and took me four hours total to edit in Photoshop, but I was so excited by the results. I cannot wait to use this technique again. This overpass is one of the most beautiful I have seen - with its length and symmetry, it almost reminds me of the movie "Inception."
So, I'm really putting myself out here with this one...
Two years ago, when I picked up my husband's little Canon Rebel XS and started taking pictures of cats and flowers, I was completely clueless about photography. Most of my pictures were just okay at best - blurry around the edges, too dark, horizons all over the place. I never, ever thought anyone would want me to take their picture. Much less offer to pay me.
This photography thing has taught me a whole lot about the world. About people, about their stories, about what is most important in life. I never expected to fall in love with portraiture. I'm a classic introvert - and people, while I love them, scare me just a little. Did I ever think I would be anything but an amateur photographer? No, and I even wrote a blog post about that just a couple months ago. I was never going to be a professional photographer. No way. Not for me.
But, here's the thing:
Sometimes your plan, and God's plan, are two different things.
People started emailing me and texting me, asking me if I would take their pictures. I made excuses, saying I'm not good enough, that I just do photography for fun. I took a few friends' pictures for free, just because I love them. Everybody else, I referred on, and kept taking pictures of cats and flowers.
But, the truth is - I had caught a bug for taking pictures of people, for seeing their soul through the lens of my camera. And then one of my pictures was picked up by a local magazine (you'll see that next month) and I figured out that Serendipity was calling my name. And why not? Serendipity led me to my day job, which I'm still passionately in love with, and have no plans of quitting.(Rest easy, hair clientele!)
I have several shoots in the next few weeks which will really test my chops. I still have a lot to learn. I expect I will be learning the rest of my life.
I'm not going to try to change the world or get famous for my photography. I'm not doing weddings, and I'm not doing this every day. But I am now "semi" pro. And as terrifying as that is to say, all signs say go.
If you'd like to check out my new photography site, I'd be flattered. You can find it here.
Recently, Cameron - the husband of mesothelioma survivor Heather Von St. James, reached out to myself and a few other bloggers to create a post to raise mesothelioma awareness. Their family's story is very inspiring, and if you would like to read more about Heather, Cameron, and their sweet daughter Lily, you can do so here.
Photo: Cameron, Heather, and Lily Von St. James
Cameron asked me to relay statistics and facts about this rare, but entirely preventable cancer, which is diagnosed in about 3,000 people annually.
Exposure to asbestos is the leading cause of mesothelioma. (Important information for those of us who love to live in and explore old houses.) Asbestos was used as an insulator, ceiling texture product, and siding material up until the 1960s. Asbestos must be remediated professionally. If you suspect your home contains asbestos, call a professional abatement company such as Sunbelt Environmental.
Smoking can exacerbate the symptoms and increase the risk factor for mesothelioma, but is not a direct cause. That said, smoking greatly increases the chances of developing any form of cancer.
Veterans are considered a particularly high-risk group for mesothelioma, due to the fact that they were often exposed to asbestos during their service. Navy vets are particularly at risk, because asbestos was used in the shipbuilding process.
Some symptoms of mesothelioma are chest pain, bowel obstructions, nausea, and anemia. Imaging scans and biopsies are the most common methods for diagnosis.
Educating yourself and others on asbestos exposure, early detection if symptoms occur, and prompt medical treatment are the best ways to increase your survival factor for mesothelioma. For more information, go to www.mesothelioma.com
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