If the fortune cookie says it....

It must be true.

Creative juices..

So recently I have been brainstorming more and more ideas for my room.... Let me back it up a little bit. Jenna and I are redoing our room. All new paint, furniture and wall decor. I will take before and after pictures so you can see the dramatic transformation. I bought a bunch of canvases and gesso today so stay tuned! This was a part of my AHA! moment the other day.....

I haven't felt really "artsy" (use that term loosely) since college. It was like I graduated and all my creative juices left. No more daily trips to westby, no sitting around bullshitting about art, music, and life to be inspired. I just really felt like I lost myself. I thought being in Utah would help, which for a while it did while we were finding furniture and going to thrift town and the d.i. every other day. Then I just got in a rut and I haven't dug out. I'm still not fully out of the rut just yet. I have so many ideas but I dont know how to execute them. I dont have the money, time or resources to do everything I want just yet. I am going to start off working slow. I found an old list from college of ideas I had been jotting down when they popped in my head. I have a pad and pen in my purse, car and next to my bed so just in case I think of something awesome (not all too often) I can jot it down.

I also started to write again. In high school I would always be writing poems and songs. I thought they were good and my english teacher thought so too. I guess I had a lot more emotions back then? I know that sounds awful, but high school is a crazy emotional time in a girls life, and writing is how I sorted through those emotions. College was just plain awesome. Life now is starting to get crazy emotional again now that I'm living at home, working like crazy and trying to stay afloat financially.

Here is a little line I found from high school. It kind of lets you in my pea brain.....

"The mirror is an enemy fighting to be known.
The fight has gone on for far too long,
and my love for loosing has grown."

Since work has been kind of slow recently, I put an ad on craigslist for some models, bands blah blah that want a photo shoot. I got a few respnses, and I went on a shoot with Ellie in Madison last week. Tomorrow I have a shoot with a band, Villian Fox. The drummer lives around the corner from me! The world really is tiny. So I figured I'd post a few shots from when I had a photo shoot with Missy in Utah. I love and miss that girl, as well as the city.







She borrowed her sisters wedding dress which made for an awesome photo shoot. We went to the botanical gardens first and then ventured out route 80 about 20 minutes. There is an abandoned building and train car which is super popular with couples, models and photographers around the city. Anybody who is anybody has had a photo shoot there. So of course I had to go there! Sooner or later I'll post some pics of the other things I have been doing lately.

--Stephanie <3

Just live...

The saying is you only live once, right? So then why are the majority of people living a life they don't love? Most people get up dreading work, sitting in traffic, worry about financial issues, fight with their loved ones because they are so stressed and complain about needing a vacation.

I want to challenge all that. Unfortunately, I am one of those people that worry about finances because of my damn student loans, but I want to be able to look back on life and say I lived the life I chose and loved every second of it.

Today I had an AHA! moment. It was about integrating my love for art and decorating with my love for travel. I dont want to give away too many details because it was just an idea and it needs to marinate, but know that big things are coming in 2012. I am currently working as the lead photographer for a portrait company and I love it, but its not what I love doing..... make sense?

My horoscope for the year also had this in it:
"If you can dream it, you can become it! Let your dreams and your imagination be your guide. No longer can you get away with putting off doing what you love without a huge sack of guilt hanging over your head. You may be more drawn to music, film, fashion and photography than ever before."

Drake said it best y.o.l.o -- you only live once. So from here on out I will be living each day with a few goals: Love it, take it all in, find the positive, and smile. I dont want one day to pass where I go to bed angry or have any grudges. Time spent in a bad mood is time wasted in my opinion. Corny? Maybe. But hey, we all have to start somewhere.

I'm Back!!

So as you can see, I have been pretty late on blogging. I apologize, but I'll update you on my life really quickly: I moved back to New Jersey on May 17th, had no luck finding a job so I worked odd jobs doing promotions here and there. I finally got a job in Toms River at the Ruby Tuesdays, and Im still in the process of training, hopefully I'll make some money soon. I'm staying with my grandmother in Toms River but lets just say I'm "commuting" back and forth to Union when I have the time. Chris is leaving Utah today and driving back (lucky!) so he will be in NJ soon enough. Predictions for going back to Utah? Who knows. Everything always works out in the end, right? I guess I'll figure it out along the way. Goals to accomplish this summer:

1) See the wild horses run at Assateague State Park
2) Go to Gettysburg (again) for the civil war re-enactment
3) Go swimming at the watering hole!
4) Visit the Northeast (only ever been there during the winter!)
5) Hike parts of the Appalachian Trail
6) Go to Georgia for some peaches!
7) Visit family in Virginia!
8) Get down to Tennessee for a country music concert!
9) Ride on an airboat/fanboat in the swamps down south!
10) Sturgis?!?!?! (huge maybe)
11) Do the boot scoot boogie at a Honky Tonk!
12) Go horseback riding

I'm sure I'll add to that list, and as I accomplish different things Ill be sure to come back and check them off. There is more to life than staying in the 9 square mile town you were raised in, and I plan on seeing all I can! Speaking of which, while still in Utah Chris and I saw a mountain goat up in Big Cottonwood Canyon! I didn't have my telephoto lens, but the new lens I bought was better quality, so the pictures aren't too noisy.





They aren't the best photos, but we were so excited!! Next I'll post the Hogle Zoo!

--Stephanie

Men: The Superior Race

As the weather is changing here in the valley to spring (yay!), the mountains are still getting some snow. So Chris and his friend Jon wanted to set up this wall ride thingy up in Little Cotton Wood Canyon. Chris was there two days before with another friend setting it up but then it snowed another foot or so, so they left it for another day. We didn't think there was going to be much work, BUT there was a skier there that had totally ruined what Chris had previously set up. Fortunately, they left within 5 mins of us getting there. The skiers friend was filming and kept saying... "Dude, that was stupid, it just looks stupid." So once they left we got to work... well Jon and Chris did, I didn't have a shovel. But when one of them needed a break I helped out. Eventually they had it set up again and off they went!!











The weather was being bipolar all day. It was really nice when we got there, then it turned to overcast, then it was snowing and really windy, and then it was beautiful again. That's just Salt Lake for you. Sadly, none of us had sun tan lotion on... Jon did have a hat so he was probably ok, but Chris and I were really sunburnt. I guess I'll start working on my color early!! (Oh, and about the title of this post.. I forget what the heck we were all talking about but Jon said that little gem and it was genius.)

We also saw a mountain goat up in Big Cottonwood Canyon not too long ago. I still have to go through and edit those pics, but they will be up soon! Also just did a photo shoot with my friend Missy, plan on going to the Hogle Zoo soon, and possibly Antelope Island.

--Stephanie

Color or Black & White?

As a photographer you are trained to look at the world a little differently than most. After a while, its sticks and you cant not think, "oh that would make a nice picture." Any photographer would agree that it's second nature. Well, one night while Chris and I were driving to get some dinner, we passed this lonesome little gas pump with one light. At first sight I knew I had to photograph it. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me. This has become an unfortunate pattern for me. Whenever there is something I would like to photograph, I don't have my camera. I think it's my own personal fear that it will get stolen or broken. Thankfully, unlike daily situations that I can't go back to capture, this gas pump wasn't going anywhere. So last night we went back and I took a few shots. I shot in color, but after an aha! moment, I converted to black and white. I was first trained in black and white film photography, so I have a bias towards it. I still have a hard time finding color photos to be "art" but that's a discussion for another time. So tell me what you think.. color or black and white??




--Stephanie

Mormon for a Day...

Before moving out to Utah we had a lot of expectations about those "Mormon Folk." They push their religion onto every one, they don't drink or gamble, they are super judgmental of non mormons, and they practice polygamy. Well, upon living here and meeting plenty of Mormons, I'd say only half are true. The first one we found out that wasn't true was the polygamy. There is a whole other religion that split off from the Mormons, or Latter Day Saints (LDS). They are known as the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints, FLDS, not to be confused with LDS. The other false perception was that they push their religion onto every one. Yes, they go on missions to spread the word and convert others to their religion, but I was thinking about it. Back in the early days of Christianity there were Christian missionaries that went places to convert people to Christianity. Look at how they tried to convert the Native Americans in America. Since the LDS church was founded in the 1800's, they are really only doing what other Christians did, they are just doing it in a less accepting day and age. Personally, I don't agree with missions, but hey, let's agree to disagree.

Some of the truths are that yes, they do not drink. In fact, the way I understand it, they don't really engage or use anything that is addictive. (Coffee, soda, cigarettes, alcohol, drugs etc) The gambling thing I'm still not sure on. Gambling IS illegal in Utah, but an hour and a half over the border in Nevada is a nice little town called Wendover which you can find plenty of Mormons gambling there. One thing I have found to be true is the judgmental part. Now I'm not saying that ALL Mormons are, but some of the younger girls I worked with were pretty judgmental about living a "non LDS" lifestyle. That's totally fine with me, because what they don't know they can't miss. Ignorance IS bliss, right?

Anyway, the reason for this post is because my friend Allie invited me to the General LDS Conference. It happens twice a year in April and October. The major people in the LDS religion, the Prophet, Quorum of the Apostles, and the Quorom of the Seventies all come to Salt Lake City. (No I didn't make that word up!) There are several speakers that concentrate on different aspects of life that you should work on. A lot of the messages had to do with church and sacrament, but most of the messages could apply to all Christians, not just LDS members. Here are just some of the messages:

-Learn from Children. They are the first to love and the first to forgive.
-Women are great! Wives are equal to their husbands. Even if they aren't in the working world, they have equal responsibilities at home.
-Following Christ requires strength.
-We all have spiritual pain, but all souls can be healed.
-Christ helps those in need.

Those were just a few things from the session I went to. There were 3 other sessions that talked about different things. This is a major weekend in the Mormon religion, and they all take it very seriously, it's even televised around the world! I may not agree with every thing the LDS religion believes, but I do believe in being a good person!!


Waterfall at the Conference Center. (It's directly above the pulpit.)

The Temple.

Front view of Temple.

Some people that didn't have tickets were standing around with signs asking f0r them. (they were free!)

These people came all the way from Arizona with out tickets!

Satan just watching over the protesters.

Another definition of LDS. (Just kidding, of course)

Bare feet on State Street? I think not.

Yes!! I love when people show their love for America!!

Of course there were protesters. Unfortunately, there weren't as many as I would have liked. (is that wrong of me?) As much as I love controversy, I don't understand what makes the protesters think that they can change peoples minds, or why they go out of their way to try. Either way, it was a good day. I got to see Temple Square, the inside of the conference center, a couple thousand Mormons, and a couple protesters along the way.

Don't worry Mom, I'm not converting any time soon. I still think it's a bit kooky.

--Stephanie