December 29, 2007

On Saturday Alex and I celebrated our two year anniversary. 

We had a really fantastic day! We started the morning by exchanging gifts (I got a chocolate fountain!) and then heading downtown to do some wedding band shopping. We didn't find anything we liked, but we decided to walk around and just enjoy the day. Downtown Miami is an interesting place. Let's just say it's absolutely nothing like Kendall and I find it fascinating that two places that are so different exist within the same city. 

Anyway, we took a short stroll and then decided to head to Dolphin Mall to use our free movie passes (woo-hoo!). We watched 'Enchanted.' I have to admit, it's a cute movie. The magical Disney formula worked once again. It had just the right amount of cheese and you can't go wrong with McDreamy.

After the movie we did a bit of shopping (thank you Alex for my hat and scarf!) and wolfed down a yummy crepe. We headed home to get washed up and changed for our dinner reservation at Cielo in Coconut Grove. The restaurant is beautiful and the food was delicious! We were so stuffed after we finished our meal that we decided to just go home and relax for the rest of the night. 

Oh yes, and Alex had a bouquet of my favorite flowers waiting for me when we got to the restaurant. You know me so well. 

It was a really great day and night. 

Thank you, babe...for a wonderful anniversary and for these past two years. It's been amazing having you in my life and I'm excited for all the anniversaries to come. I love you!

Cristine and Patrick

A few weeks ago I did a photo shoot with Cristine and Patrick. 

Cristine is Kat's sister. She must have liked the way Kat and Lenny's engagement photos turned out because she and her boyfriend contracted me right away to do some portraits for them. 

We went down to Matheson-Hammock Park. The day was beautiful. The sun was shining and the wind was blowing. Patrick kept coming up with all these different ideas of photos he wanted to take. It was amusing because usually when I do photos for people they haven't a clue on how they should pose or what the background should be. They were a fun couple to shoot and they are definitely in LOVE. It's a beautiful thing.

So even though it took me a while, I have finally posted some of my favorite photos from the shoot up on Glowing Light in the 'Portraits' album. Take a gander and tell me your thoughts. I have also posted a few photos from our trip to Lake Placid last weekend in the 'Nature' album. Hoorah for new photos! I hope you enjoy them. 

P.S. Tomorrow Alex and I are celebrating two years of exclusivity! Two years ago today I was still a single lady with a crush on cute guitar player...now me and that cute guitar player are months away from marriage. Ain't love grand?

wedding site update...

For those of you who may be interested, I wanted to inform you that we have updated our wedding web site. 

I posted the date for the bridal shower in the details section (and though I didn't say on the web site...it will be a shower with a French twist...I'm very excited!) and I also posted a Christmas album in the 'Our Albums' section. 

So go check it out when you get a chance. 

Merry Christmas

I hope everyone has enjoyed their Christmas thus far.

Mine has been really great with the exception that I'm sick. (bleh!) Last night my voice sounded like I had been smoking for 50 years and today I have the most disgusting runny nose and sinuses that are killing me...but nothing can ruin Christmas for me!

Last night I ran media for the candlelight services at church and after that Alex and I hurried up to Hollywood. We spent Christmas Eve at my sister's new house. There I received the BEST Christmas gift from Alex and my parents...an iPhone! Yay! I can join the club now. ;-) 

And I surprised Alex with three lumps of coal...and a Verbzilla (it's a guitar thing). The look on his face was priceless.

After finishing up at my sister's we headed over to spend time with Alex's mom and her boyfriend. This is where we got another great present, Guitar Hero III for the Wii! Granted, we don't have a Wii yet...but we're working on it. 

Lucky for us, my cousin has a Wii and he brought it over so we could play. All my cousins took a turn on Guitar Hero...even my dad had a go at it.

I hope everyone has been enjoying the company of family and friends. I really appreciated being around family this year. Usually I'm a bit on the antisocial side (surprise, surprise)...but seeing as I'll be moving away in about 6 months, I'm taking time to appreciate them and spend time with them. Family is a precious blessing from God. As cheesy as that may sound...

Lake Placid...here I come!

I'm getting ready to depart to Lake Placid (in Central Florida). 

Anne Marie invited a group of us to go spend the weekend up there and it couldn't have come at a better time! I have been so busy these last few weeks, I'm running on fumes. I actually got pulled over today by a cop for running a red light. The scary part is I didn't even notice! I was totally zoned out and not even paying attention to the road because I was so tired. 

So needless to say, I am ready for a weekend of relaxation and fun with friends. 

I hope everyone is ready for Christmas! I officially finished all my shopping today and couldn't be more excited! Also, today was the holiday breakfast at the school I work at. The kids sang some songs for the parents...it was adorable! I love those rotten kids.

Anyway, hope everyone has a great pre-Christmas weekend! See ya when I get back from Lake Placid!

wedding first dances

I thought these were hilarious...





Hmm...I think I'm getting ideas!... ;-)

Congratulations Tatty-Anna!

My beautiful and wonderful friend (and lovely bridesmaid), Tati, graduated today from FIU!
I wish I could have been there in person to see it happen, but at least I get to enjoy the photos!
I'm proud of her for working so hard and accomplishing this goal. 

You're a beautiful and intelligent girl, Tatty-Anna. Congrats on your graduation! 

Part of me is a little sad that I didn't get to have a graduation ceremony. I suppose it must be exciting to put on that silly cardboard hat and unflattering long robe. And maybe I should have just walked in December even if it was months after my "real" graduation. But oh well, what's done is done. I'll be sure not to skip out on the ceremony of my master's graduation. 

Don't forget to give Tati a ring or shoot her an e-mail congratulating her!

my addiction...

74%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

Looking for payday loan?

I bet Anne Marie is even MORE addicted. ;-)

long week

It's been a long week. And it's not over yet. Not even close! 

But despite being a bit tired, I'm content. I have another photo shoot today. This time with Kat's sister and her boyfriend. Glowing Light Studios is growing! It's very exciting...and humbling! Sometimes I can't believe people actually want to pay me to take their photos! 

This past week I finally had the chance to do a shoot with Tati and Raul. We just went to the lake by their house and had a good time. They're using the photos for their Christmas cards. So watch out for that! I posted some of my favorites on Glowing Light. But I'll post a few for you on here as well.

Tonight is the Christmas Gala at Miami Baptist Church. I'm not gonna lie, it's gonna take a lot to pull this one off. But I know a lot of people have put in a lot of work into this Christmas program. (Thanks to everyone who has been practicing and rehearsing and dedicating their time and talents to this event) So I'm thinking it'll be okay. We just have to do our best and trust in the Lord for the rest. 

Aggravated!

I came home from work today ready to do some things I've been wanting to get done. I wanted to wrap Christmas presents, burn a couple photo CD's for Kat and Lenny (from their BEAUTIFUL engagement party), download photos I took of Tati and Raul yesterday and work on them a little...

I have done nothing! I have spent the last few hours just trying to get Tati and Raul's photos from my camera to my iPhoto library. Why? Because I have NO space on my computer. I managed to get most of the photos on there, but still have a few to go. 

I decided to give up on that for a while and concentrate on burning the CD's for Kat and Lenny. No can do! There isn't enough space on my hard drive to do that! This was my moment to begin freaking out. 

Lucky for me, Alex called me at that exact moment and he helped me create some space on my computer. So I am now finally burning the CD's. 

But STILL! I feel like I've wasted a whole afternoon on something that shouldn't have taken me more than a few minutes to accomplish. Needless to say, I'm a bit aggravated right now. More so because I know the problem is only temporarily fixed. I need some more space on my hard drive! Or maybe a new computer??? Maybe I should write a letter to Santa...

Heroes

Before you get excited, this is NOT a post about NBC's Heroes. Although I do love that show and the finale this past Monday was out of this world!

Having said that, last night I caught a piece of this awards ceremony on CNN. The whole point of the show was to honor ordinary people who have done extraordinary things. You'd be amazed to know the incredible things people are doing out there. 

There was this young girl who invented a teaching tool for people with autism. She used music (mainly a piano) to help her autistic cousin learn to communicate. Since then her teaching methods have been used with many different autistic people. And this is a girl under the age of 18. 

There was another man who went on a mission in Kenya with his wife (after his son died). After going on that mission they decided to stay in Kenya. The man figured many children in Kenya were not attending school on a regular basis because of a lack of food. He set up feeding and computer centers all over Kenya as an incentive for children to attend school. 

These are just two of the many stories that really touched me. It makes me look at my own life and wonder, what can I do with it? I know God has me (and everyone else) here for a purpose. I want to make sure I fulfill that purpose. I also want to make sure I don't run away from anything God might have for me out of fear of failure. Or fear that I just can't do it. It sounds cheesy and corny, but seeing how all these "ordinary" people have done some pretty amazing things was an encouragement. I haven't yet figured out what I will do to serve this world and make it better, but I will try to be sensitive to anything God is telling me. 

Even if it's going to Kenya...

(for more info on the CNN Heroes Honorees click here)

update...

I am so tired this week. It's not that I'm doing so much more, I think I just haven't been sleeping well. In any case, I'm counting down the days to Christmas vacation!

Sorry I haven't been updating...just don't have much to say right now. But I did want to inform you all that I finally posted some photos on Glowing Light from Kat and Lenny's engagement shoot. So go check 'em out and let me know what you think. We're doing another shoot soon, so I can't wait for that. 

I hope everyone is having a great December so far. I know many of you are working on finals and all that jazz. When you're all done we should hang out. :-)

Kat & Lenny Engaged!

Yesterday I had the privilege of shooting one of the most dynamic couples I know.

Kat and Lenny got engaged in October and I've been dying to shoot engagement pictures for them. Lucky for me, they entrusted me with this task. (hoorah!)

We made plans to shoot yesterday at 4 in the afternoon...however due to some unforeseen circumstances we didn't really get to start shooting until a bit after 5. And we all know the days are shorter in the winter time. So by 6 o'clock the light was gone!

It was a bit frustrating (especially because my camera was acting up a bit), however we managed to get some good shots. We went to shoot at a lake and it was pretty with the sun going down. The one thing that bummed me out were the buoys. I wish they weren't there! Oh well. It was really the best we could do with the limited amount of time we had. 

Anyway, the shoot was still fun! They actually jumped in the lake with all their clothes on, which made for some great shots. And well, I'm pretty happy with the outcome.

We're going to be doing another shoot in the near future with more time (and more light). So you'll have to come back for those.

In the meanwhile I just wanted to share this hilarious unplanned shot:

Check Glowing Light Studios for more in the next few days. I'll try to post their photos by tomorrow (Monday).

The Pizza Cafe

I failed to mention to you all a truly momentous occasion in my photography life. :-)

Alex and I completed our very first Glowing Light Studios project. There is a restaurant called The Pizza Cafe located at The Falls (8888 SW 136 Street) across from Bebe. The owners have a flatscreen TV inside the restaurant and wanted to display different photos of the food on their menu in a slideshow format. 

  

WELL, I shot the photos and Alex made the slideshow and voila! Our work is now displayed in a public location where hundreds of people go through everyday. It was exciting to make the invoice and it'll be even more exciting when the check is in my hands. ;-)

When my mom was in town we stopped by the restaurant and she was impressed with our work. Granted, she's my mother, she HAS to like my work. But I'm not gonna lie, the pictures came out great. I was really happy with the way they turned out.

If you wanna see it, stop by The Pizza Cafe next time you're shopping at The Falls...the food is great and the menu displayed on the TV is even better! ;-)

Beth & Casper

Last Saturday my friends, Beth and Casper, got married!

It was a beautiful beach wedding that captured their personalities perfectly. The feel was very relaxed and laid-back. I was honored to be one of their "photographers." It was my first taste at photographing a wedding. Which, by the way, isn't as easy as it looks. It was a great learning experience. I had such a wonderful time. 

I am posting some of the photos I took on the Glowing Light myspace. I also posted some on my deviantArt. Drop by at either site and let me know what you think. I would REALLY like some feedback...it's the only way I'll improve. 

And to Beth and Casper:  Congratulations on your marriage! You guys will be truly blessed all the rest of your days. And have fun in NY when you guys move out there. 

turkey dinners

I know it's a bit late...but I HAD to post about my Thanksgiving meals...all three of them.

This was the first time I did the house hopping thing...
We started out with lunch at the home of Manny's parents (my sister's fiance). His dad is a MASTER chef...I am not even exaggerating. He prepared a feast. Lamb, carne asada (Argentinian style), pork, chicken, salmon, pasta, veggies, and the most amazing roasted potatoes you'll ever eat. Oh, and a turkey too, but I decided to skip on that and enjoy everything else.


From there we headed straight over to Alex's grandmother's house. More great food awaited us. His aunt makes these potatoes with bacon and some kind of white sauce. I don't know what's in there, but I love it. And the peas...oh man, best peas ever, even if you don't like peas.


We were able to take a little break after that before having dinner at my house. All the usual goodies. The turkey was the BEST. Every year my parents' friends make it and every year it's juicy and delicious. And of course, my grandma's famous stuffing. And the mashed squash, my personal favorite.


I hope you all had lovely meals with your families and were able to have a relaxing Thanksgiving weekend.

elf

Let's get in that holiday spirit! Click the picture!

Free Rice

I saw this link on Anne Marie's blog and thought it was a great idea. So go to freerice.com and start playing! This Thanksgiving instead of just feeding yourself, help feed hungry people around the world.

Blessings! And Happy Thanksgiving to all.

'tis the season

Today I made my first attempt at Christmas shopping. What a waste...
I suppose I wasn't adequately prepared. Usually I make a list of people I am buying presents for and an idea of what I should get them. However I have made no such list. I decided I would just wing it and that somehow everything would just be magically ready for me at the mall.
WRONG!

I guess Christmas shopping is something you can't rush. There should be some thought behind the different gifts you're going to buy for your loved ones. I always feel a bit bummed around Christmas time though, because I can't get something for everyone. If I could I would get amazing gifts for everyone I know...but I just don't have the money...especially not this year. I'm really trying to save and not overspend. But I'll do what I can.

Just know that I love you guys... :-) And Jesus does too...we shouldn't forget about Him during this crazy and hectic time.

On a side note, ALL was not wasted. I managed to get Beth's bridal shower gift...yay! All these weddings have me excited.

home

We're back. We arrived last night after a grueling 12+ hours on the road. I don't want to drive ANYWHERE for a good while now.

The rest of the trip was fantastic. Monday we visited NC State. Beautiful campus. Our tour guide was...interesting... For some reason she found the strangest things to be funny. We didn't understand what she was laughing about, but it was rather amusing.
That evening we met up with one of the students from Southeastern. She's studying for her Master's in Divinity with a focus on Biblical Counseling. It was really great to meet her and ask her questions about the school. It was especially great because she's a woman. And we all know women can be a minority at seminary.

We stayed at the Manor House (free courtesy of Southeastern Seminary) and it was so CUTE. There are no other words to describe it. I wish we could have stayed there for our entire trip. It was way better than any fancy hotel. It was like being at home. You really have to stay there to see what I mean. Anne Marie understands.

Tuesday we toured Southeastern. I fell in love. :) It's just exactly what I need. The campus is so lovely and very family-oriented. We attended their chapel service in the morning. The man who preached gave such a great sermon. The focus was on missions and this man knew what he was talking about. He's been all over the globe preaching about Christ. It was amazing to hear his story and very inspiring. We also had the opportunity to sit in on a class called "Christian Faith and the Arts." The professor was a character. Let's just say he was wearing a bow tie...nothing is better than a professor wearing a bow tie. In this particular class they were discussing the use of drama in a church service and whether or not it is truly necessary or if it is a distraction. Very interesting...and very relevant to what I'm doing right now in ministry. Alex was really into the class as well. I've never seen him pay attention to someone speaking for so long. And that's a fact.

It really was a blessing to be on the campus of Southeastern Seminary. I think it really confirmed in me my desire to go to seminary and my desire to go to that particular one. I have my application and have begun filling it out. Hopefully within a few months I will know if I have been accepted or not. It's all very exciting.

That night Alex and I went to the David Crowder Band concert in Raleigh. It was a great end to a great trip. The Myriad were a good opening band. I had never heard their music before but I really enjoyed their live show. I had never heard of Phil Wickham either, but he played a good set. And of course, DCB, they were amazing.

So that's it. That was our trip to NC. It was a blessing. I'm glad to be home...I missed everyone. But it will be hard to keep my head focused on the here and now.

By the way, I lost my phone in NC. Boo... I was able to get a replacement phone (until someone buys me an iPhone that is...). So if you could e-mail me your numbers that would be great. Thanks. :-)

church

Seeing as today is Sunday we decided to explore some of the different churches Raleigh has to offer. In the morning we attended First Baptist Church of Raleigh. This church was built in the 1800s and it is absolutely beautiful. The building's architecture is amazing. The stained glass windows are gorgeous. The service was very traditional. It actually reminded me of a Catholic mass. They had the organ and hand bells and the old men in suits and everything. The pastor gave a really good message about stewardship. You could tell he was very knowledgeable. Everyone there was very nice. But I'm not gonna lie, I felt almost out of place being one of the very few college-age people there. It was an interesting experience nonetheless.

In the evening we attended a church in downtown called Vintage 21. Very contemporary. The polar opposite of the church we went to in the morning. This was a very young crowd (and "hip" too). They have some really good stuff going on over there. The band writes their own songs, which I think is pretty impressive. And they also did some good renditions of older songs. Their design and look is really clean and modern. Again, everyone was very nice and it was a good experience. The sermon was basically about men being manly men and what it means to imitate the gospel. Good message. The pastor seemed a bit rushed, but I got the gist of what he was saying.

It was really great to see two different churches today and experience the way they worship. It's great to see something traditional and something contemporary all in the same day. And I'm sure God loves to see all of that too.

"loose the noose"

We're just wrapping up day two of our North Carolina trip and so far it's been a good time.

Yesterday we arrived in Durham at around 6 in the morning. We checked into our hotel room, showered, and met the shuttle bus outside to take us to Duke. Needless to say we were TIRED...but Duke is such a beautiful school and it was great to check it out. They have some really exciting things happening at their Divinity School. I know Lenny fell in love immediately. You can see that they have a real sincere heart for Christ and his people. After lunch time they had a panel with two of their professors. One of them was an older woman who came from a small village in Africa. She was amazing. She is a psychologist and a theologian, which I think is great. She explained how the two fields are much more related than people recognize. I couldn't agree with her more. She was just amazing to listen to. The truth and wisdom that poured out of her mouth was a real blessing and privilege to hear.

At the end of the tour we attended a chapel service. Allow me to inform you now that Lenny signed up for a tour that was specifically directed to "blacks and minorities." So this chapel service was very different from anything I have ever experienced. I don't want to seem stereotypical...but if you've ever seen one of those black churches from a movie, this was very similar. The preacher started off slow but as he kept preaching he really got into the message and so did everyone in the congregation. People would stand up from the excitement of hearing God's Word, shouting their "Amen's," and the preacher broke out into song twice. Duke Divinity School has many different denominations and it was so interesting to see everyone worshiping in different ways. It was really one of the best 'church' experiences I've had. Oh, and message was all about how we have to "loose the noose." I'll tell you about it later. :)

We had plans to eat dinner at this real Southern BBQ place that the shuttle bus driver suggested to us, but when we got back to the hotel we all knocked out! So we missed out on that one.

Today we left Durham and drove down to Raleigh. We spent the day exploring downtown Raleigh. I'm not gonna lie, there's not a lot going on. But we did find a few interesting little places. The best was this little place called Tony's Coffee & Wine. It was very relaxing and the decor was great. This duo came in and did an acoustic set. It was actually good. They played a lot of classic songs. One of my personal favorites, "Landslide." They were nice people. It's really one of my favorite things to do. Sit on a comfy couch, sipping hot chocolate, listening to some good live music. :) So great!

The only bummer of the trip is that I lost my cellphone. Ugh! After years of being responsible and never losing or breaking a single cellphone, I lost my beautiful razr. Maybe you guys can pool your money together and buy me an iPhone...Christmas is coming! ;-)

I'll keep you posted on our trip. There's still much more to come.

almost gone

I'm leaving on a trip to North Carolina tomorrow with Alex and Lenny. I'm really excited about this trip...but I'm frazzled with everything I need to get done before we actually leave. I'm tired and I have a headache and the last thing I want to do is...anything!

We'll be leaving tomorrow evening and driving ALL NIGHT LONG until we reach our destination. We have to be at the hotel at 7:30 in the morning on Friday to catch a shuttle to Duke University for Lenny's campus tour. It's going to be...interesting...but I just know this trip is going to be great. We're checking out three different schools and making a whole lot of final decisions about our move to NC once we get married. We also have tickets to see David Crowder on Tuesday night in Raleigh...yay! They're one of my favorites to see live.

I'm really praying for this to be a good trip and that Alex and I can be a little more clear on what it is God actually wants us to do. Keep us in your thoughts!
(and a big shout out to Rey, Lauren, and everyone else taking over for me on Sunday morning...you guys rock)

ZEAL Festivus Promo

ZEAL Festivus Promo

Add to My Profile | More Videos

Another MuteMath Show Under My Belt

Last night was uh-mazing. :-)

I traveled up to Ft. Lauderdale with friends to see my FAVORITE band...MuteMath! I believe it might've been my eighth or ninth time seeing them live. Yes. And I'm still not bored with them. They really are the most incredible live band I've ever seen. They're just full of energy and they're constantly interacting with the crowd. Plus, they write great songs. There's just something about seeing your favorite band and singing along to every lyric in a room full of people doing the same thing. It's an experience.

I was also thinking that this could be the last time I see them play in Miami/Ft. Lauderdale. In less than a year Alex and I will be in North Carolina. Where ever we are, nothing will stop us from seeing them play! I just know the experience will be different. Every time we go to a MuteMath show here in So.Fla. we see all the same people we see at every show. Friends that we haven't seen in some time, they'll show up to the MuteMath show. It's really great. I'm going to miss that.

Well, here are a few photos from the show. [click to enlarge] I have many more...along with some videos. Alex posted them (or will soon post them) on his Mac iDisk thingie...I'm not quite sure how it works. But if you're interested in viewing and downloading the INCREDIBLE footage that I got, leave a comment and I'll help you out. :-)

catalog shopping

I have a problem.
I'm what's known as an "impulsive shopper."
I try to stay away from malls and stores because I'll inevitably find something cute that I just HAVE TO HAVE and I'll buy it.
There was a time in my life that I had very little money in my bank account because of this problem. Especially when I turned 18 and got my very first credit card! Lucky for me, I have learned how to keep this problem under control. CATALOGS!
I get them all. Delia's, J.Crew, Alloy, Swell... you name it I'll take a gander at it. I love looking at all the pretty outfits. My favorite part is taking a permanent marker and circling everything I would like to purchase. As if I'm planning on going back later to order it. Sometimes I'll leave it lying around, hoping someone will come across it, see all those little circles and take pity on me.
It hasn't happened yet...but you never know.
Anyway...I have found that this method has been very successful for me in keeping my spending in check. I feel a sense of satisfaction circling everything I want, even if I don't really buy it.
That and staying as far away from clothing stores as possible!

If you don't like the clutter of catalogs you could try looking at clothes on-line. My favorite is urbanoutfitters.com. It's glorious. And hopefully you'll be able to enjoy the clothes without spending all your money.


Have fun pretend shopping!

What's Cookin' Blog Dinner Party!

I'm at Anne Marie's House...preparing for the Blog Dinner Party.
It's gonna be good. Anne Marie is cooking all sorts of goodies and at 7PM all will be revealed.
Check out her blog all day long and win prizes (for real this time...*wink*) and hopefully you can stop on by tonight to enjoy all the delicious food.

Pet Peeve #57

I really...REALLY...dislike it when people bite their nails and/or cuticles.

I find it really disgusting. When I catch someone doing it I have to turn away.

Please don't do that to your beautiful hands. Please.

something

So you guys don't think I do "nothing" all the time...here are a few things I've been doing lately...

I baked a cake! Yeah, so I used a mix, but Anne Marie says even the best cooks use mixes. It tasted delicious.


I went costume shopping.


I finally found a good one. I think it'll be a real hit.

I painted! With Alex. We took two blank canvases and just went crazy with it. Neither one of us knew what we were doing. The end result was...interesting. We still don't know what it is exactly.






We each kept one part of the painting and when we get married we'll join them together in our new home. Awww.

Tomorrow I'm going shooting again! Hopefully the weather will cooperate.
Friday I have a LOT of wedding stuff to take care of with my mom and sister. We're trying on bridesmaid dresses, interviewing a photographer (www.bigfatknot.com), and meeting with the florist. I'm excited.

nothing

One of my favorites things to do is...nothing.

Just sit...stare out of a window...either in silence or music playing softly in the background...and think. I do a whole lot of thinking, sometimes too much.

I just really love doing nothing. Especially after going through a crazy week where you didn't get much time to yourself. I'm very much the kind of person that needs ALONE time. As much as I love hanging out with my friends, I need that time when I can just be alone and not have to talk to anyone. It can be very draining to have to make conversation with people. At least for me it can be. Call me anti-social, but that's just the way I am.

I think if it were up to me I would spend the majority of my time alone. But I am always grateful for the time I get to spend with people. Sometimes all I want to do is be at home...but for some reason or another I'll end up out with a group of people...and I'm always glad I was there.

And I'm especially grateful for when people (*ahem* Alex) force me to do something when really all I want to do is nothing. While I value my "stare out of a window and think" time, I think it's great when Alex forces me to paint or go take photos at the beach. Or when Anne Marie decides that I'm going to learn how to cook a new dish. Or Pr. Dave encourages me to make a new video for ZEAL. Or my sister tells me to do some wedding research. Or whatever.

The point is I've had a nice day of doing stuff and now I'm going to go ahead and do NOTHING. :-) Yay.

nostalgia

I was looking for something in my garage the other day and came across a bin with my name on it. I couldn't remember what I had packed away in it so I opened it up and oh the wonders I found! There was a shoe box filled with old pictures. I had some from as far back as fifth grade and as recent as the trip the college group took to Nashville, TN back in 2004 (2005? I don't remember). Memories came flooding back, the good and the bad. Things I hadn't thought about in ages. It's just crazy how time flies and how much things change. There's pictures of people I've lost touch with and I wonder where they are and how they're doing. There's pictures of events I had so much fun at...concerts, games, water balloon fights, weddings, pageants, parties. I see myself changing throughout the years...the many pairs of glasses I've owned and haircuts I've gotten.

It makes me wonder what the future holds. At this point in my life I'm doing a lot of remembering and a lot of looking forward. I'm trying to remember how I got to where I am now. How did I get to this point in my life...graduated from college...getting ready to marry the love of my life...planning a move to North Carolina. How did this all happen? All the events of my life have lead up to this moment. All the laughter and tears and joy and anger and struggle and blessings. And now what? What's going to happen after all the struggles and blessings I'm experiencing now? Where will I be ten years from now?

Thank God for photography. I'm glad I have all these pictures to look at and remember where I came from and everything I've experienced. I'm excited to see all the many MANY more pictures that will be produced from my life.

Oh, and if you wanna see a really funny photo of Pr. Dave dressed as an elf with a REALLY short skirt, just ask. I have it. :-)

back into the swing of things

I've been so busy lately between working at the school and working at church and planning a wedding and trying to maintain a social life, that I haven't been taking many photographs lately. So I was relieved and excited to go out on a photo shoot last Thursday with my lovely friend, Steph. It was also great because we have not hung out much lately and I missed my old friend.
We went out to 127th avenue and 112 street. There's a grassy field there that I absolutely love. Last time I went to take photos there they had cut the grass, but this time it was nice and tall. Perfect. I also wanted to use a mask that Steph got while she was in Italy. There's something so mysterious and beautiful about masks.
I had a great time taking photos. I posted some of them up on my deviant art page. Hopefully I'll get some time to update the Glowing Light myspace and web site.
And I promise, when I get time, I would LOVE to take your picture. :-)

Change of Date!

In today's wedding news:
Alex and I have changed our wedding date to May 31st.
We had issues with the place we were going to have our reception...but we found a new really beautiful place to hold our reception. It's called the Women's Club of Coco Plum. (www.cocoplumparty.com) It's only available on May 31st...so we called up the church, and thank God they were also available on that date as well. So it's official...MAY 31, 2008.
Save that date.

Blessings to all.

P.S. We're working on a website... http://alexandkristel.info
Check it out if you wish.

wedding stress

When Alex and I got engaged I vowed that I would not be one of those CRAZY bridezillas. I would be calm and sweet and easy going.
However, this is proving to be a difficult task!
Most women get into the mentality that this day is "all about me." And if that were true, things would be so much easier. I'm the kind of girl who makes up my mind quickly. I know what I like and I know what I don't like. I could plan this entire wedding in a matter of months. However, there's this other pesky person who keeps getting in my way...his name is Alex. And he actually has opinions and desires and expectations for this wedding! How dare he! Everyone knows that I should make all the decisions and he is just along for the ride. He's lucky I allowed him to take on the task of finding music for the reception. He had his job...he should have just stuck to it and left everything else up to me. After all, it is MY wedding.

Unfortunately, it's not my wedding...it is OUR wedding. And according to my mother, Alex is a good man and we should consider his wants. (Pfft...imagine that, my own mother turning against me)

The lesson here is, don't forget your fiance when planning the wedding of your dreams. He might actually have some ideas worth listening to...and both of you should be happy. This is a day to celebrate your love for each other...and a big part of love (and marriage) is compromise. And if you can't start compromising now, your marriage is pretty much doomed.

cabin fever

It's been raining all day. And it rained most of last week too.
I've never minded the rain before. It's the best when you're curled up in bed taking a nap.
BUT it's the absolute worst when you have to be stuck in a classroom with 28 little kids ALL day long. They get restless. All their energy builds up and it's not easy to wear them out. Last week we didn't get to go outside to the playground either due to the horrible weather. I'm starting to experience cabin fever. I can't stand being in that classroom for much longer. I'm afraid I might turn on the children soon.
Tomorrow the weather forecast calls for more rain...but Wednesday looks sunny. Don't let me down weather widget! Let's hope for sunny days soon!

homemaker's degree

Some time ago I read on my friend's blog about how Southwestern Seminary in Ft. Worth, TX was introducing a homemaker's degree.
At first it seemed harmless enough. I have respect for homemaker's...I can't do HALF of the things they do so well...and if a woman chooses to be a homemaker, more power to her.

However, as I kept doing more research on this topic I grew to dislike the whole idea.
This is what it says in the school's course guide, "Preparing women to model the characteristics of a Godly woman as outlined in Scripture." Umm...I don't know but, is it necessary for a woman to drop between $40 and $60K to find out how to be a godly woman??? If I don't know how to cook or sew does that mean I'm not a godly woman? Aren't these things women could learn from their grandmothers or mentors or older women in their church? Is it necessary to spend SO much money to learn these "home" skills? Can't you read a few self-help books or something? And again, if I'm not a homemaker am I ungodly? I just don't and CAN'T believe that the biblical role of a woman is to be a homemaker. God equips us all with different gifts...and I'm sorry, no matter HOW much I try I am NOT gifted in the area of "homemaking." I really have no desire to be a homemaker. Again, I'm not taking away the importance or the skill of being a house wife. It is very important and it is a great skill...but it's just not for me.

Also, I can't help but think that Southwestern is making a not so subtle statement on where a woman "belongs." Does anyone recall the whole Sherri Klouda situation? If you don't know the story click here to get the gist of it. I was more than shocked to hear that this woman was no longer welcome as a professor at Southwestern....why? Because she would have men in her classes??? Give me a break!



Allow me to clarify, I do believe that a woman should have homemaking skills (and men should too, for that matter!), but why shouldn't she have other skills? What if, God forbid, her husband dies and she's left all alone with three kids and a homemaking degree? If you're going to spend $40K and four years earning a degree, why not earn a degree that could prove to useful in just such an unfortunate situation?

And another thing, what about stay at home dads? I've read many interesting articles about dads who are choosing to stay at home with the kids while the wife goes off to work. Sometimes it just makes more sense for their family situation. Maybe the woman has a job that makes more money, but they still want someone to stay at home with the baby...why shouldn't she keep her job while dad stays at home? Maybe he WANTS to stay at home...what's the big deal? Yet, this degree is ONLY for women. I don't see why men should be excluded if they wish to learn how to maintain a home as well.

Does anyone "out there" have any opinions on the matter? I'd love to hear what you all think...maybe you could shed some light for me if you disagree.

bleh...

It seems I have the whole day to myself today.
Last night I was feeling nauseous beyond words...I tried going to bed early so I could just sleep off the sickness...but my body said, "I don't think so!!!" Finally I had to run to the bathroom and say hello to the empanada I had earlier.
Unfortunately, the nauseous feeling didn't go away all night. I kept waking up every hour or so wanting to release whatever was inside of me...but there was just nothing left to release.
I called in sick to work and now I'm home feeling a little better...but still in no condition to do anything. Every time I try to walk around I feel like I'm gonna fall over right then and there.

So that's it...just thought I'd update you all (whoever reads this) on my status...If you have some time, pray for this sickness to GO AWAY...I realize it's a bit trivial, but I just really hate feeling this way.

across the universe

On Friday night I went to the movies to watch "Across The Universe."

I am a huge Beatles fan and I was excited to see a movie full of the songs I love most. Especially after the awful day I'd had.

Well, it seems to me that they decided to make a Beatles musical just for the sake of listening to some good tunes.
The actual plot was kind of dumb and pointless. They introduced characters with no real purpose except they had prominent names, like Prudence. Oh and yes, the main character's name was Jude and the girl he falls in love with is Lucy.

After a while the movie started getting really trippy. Bono with an American accent had to take the cake. When they reached the grassy field with the random circus in the middle I decided that I loved the movie! No, it didn't make any sense, but it was amazing. They made a fan out of me. What can I say? I love the Beatles.

In all seriousness, their version of "Let it Be" was really great. I'm pretty sure Alex shed a tear or two.
:-)




P.S. I wrote this post from an iPhone! Woo! It took WAY too long...

another one bites the dust

I think I'm just gonna go ahead and say it...I'm probably the worst driver out there. Yup. it's true.
I don't know anyone else who has been involved in quite so many vehicle collisions.

I was leaving work today and on my way home...bam...there I went, right into the back of a huge Mitsubishi Montero. My car looks pretty nasty. The hood is just...all messed up. The other lady's car had some damage to the rear bumper and her right tail light...but nothing compared to my car. After much debating and going back and forth, we agreed to settle it amongst ourselves. I paid her off $750 (well...really, my mom did...I guess mommies are good for bailing you out of trouble...yeah, I feel like a loser). And we went our separate ways.

So basically I need to get my car fixed. I'm lucky if it's less than $2000. Maybe I can take it out of my wedding fund?

Yeah...

engagement party

I wasn't going to blog about our engagement party. But I had a request from Anne Marie and decided to comply.

Basically our families came over to my house, along with the members of the bridal party, and we just had a great time together. As people walked in they signed this big photo matte that Alex's mom got for us. It had an 8x10 of Alex proposing to me. I can't wait to hang it up in our new home. We all talked and took pictures until it came time to view the slideshow my mom prepared. She is TOO cute. She made a slideshow all about our lives, growing up and then dating. It was really beautiful. Lia cried. Of course.
Then we gathered around the dinner table and my dad gave a toast. I love my dad. Alex's mom, Patty, also gave a really beautiful toast. Our grandmothers each said a prayer to bless the food and our marriage and we ATE. The food was delicious. Both of our families prepared different types of food from Nicaragua and Colombia. A nice blend.
Dessert was a cake prepared by Alex's grandma and a typical Nicaraguan dessert prepared by my grandmother (it's called pio quinto). We also had a surprise birthday cake from Coldstone for my mom. She turned the big 5-0, and we thought it would be nice to sing her happy birthday and recognize her special day. She has been really great throughout this whole process of planning TWO weddings at the same time. If I were her, I would've gone crazy by now.

So that's basically it. It was a really fun night and I'm very grateful to everyone who came and helped make the party happen. I can't wait for alllll the other festivies to come...including the BIG day...06.14.08. :-)



(I posted some pictures of the party on myspace...of course...so if you're curious, you can check them out there)

It's Here!

My degree came in! FIU can't hold me back anymore...I'm free of their clutches...able to pursue bigger and better things.
:-)
Here are a couple photos I took with my lovely piece of paper. Thanks to Lauren for letting me borrow her cap and gown.

A Day At The Races!

Calder Race Course was a blast! If you've never experienced a horse race, you should certainly give it a shot. You won't regret it.
Alex and I made the trip with a couple friends of our's, Shawn and Katelyn. When we got there we were in awe at the amount of people there...mostly senior citizens. We bought a little track magazine to check out the names of the horses in all the different races. We decided to wait until the third race to place any bets...so we could get a feel for it. We found an interesting looking man standing alone and decided to ask him for tips. This was a man that knew what he was doing...he had that shifty look about him. He gave us come complicated explanations about odds and blah blah blah...but in the end he said, "Just bet on the names...if you like a name, go for it...bet your hunches...people that know all about horses are broke!"
And so we did as we were told.

The tellers (is that what they're called??? you know, the people that take your money, haha) were the best people in the whole place. We kept going back to the same two. An old man who kept scolding us for knowing nothing about races and a sweet older woman who would laugh at everything we said. At one point, Shawn pulled out his wallet to hand the man some cash, to which the man said, "NEVER pull out your wallet here! Just carry some cash in your pocket!!" Yeah...

When the third race was approaching we headed over to place our bets. I still wasn't comfortable with the whole betting deal...but Alex, at the last minute, decided to put two whooole dollars on Max Alone. And guess what? He won! Wooo!!! It was very exciting. We made sure to get right next to the track so we could see all the action up close. I think we won something like $8.50. Big money!

At this point we decided to see what else Calder Race Course had to offer. We went out back and they had the greatest BBQ for $1 I've ever seen. Chicken, corn, watermelon...all for $1! They also had some lady making wax hands for free. Katelyn had one made. Basically you stick your hand in some ice so that it can go numb (this is the painful part of the procedure) you then stick your hand in a vat of boiling wax... The result is a pretty cool (and creepy) wax hand. Ta-Da!

We bet on one more race before leaving. Alex and I lost (boo) but Shawn and Katelyn won (yay). So everybody went home a winner that day...

Basically it's the best way I've ever spent Labor Day in my entire life.

OH! And after we left Alex finally took me to Arbetter's! Yayyy! I hadn't been there in so long I almost forgot what the marvelous, greasy, cheese fries tasted like. Thanks, babe!


(click on the image above to make it larger and see it in all its glory)