It’s been just over a year since I started this little ole blog of mine. It’s kind of hard to believe it… I still had one more year of school, still had no idea what I was doing with my camera, and was just barely beginning to grasp what I wanted for the rest of my life. But it’s amazing what one year can do. I’m done with school and I’ve married my best friend, I’ve learned more about my camera than I thought possible (it’s kind of become an extension of my arm), and I have no doubt in my mind about all the amazing things I hope to accomplish in this lifetime. I look back at some of those first posts, like the one about sand volleyball, and I laugh. Because I was nervous and had no idea what I was doing and didn’t know the difference between the aperture and the ISO on my camera. I look back at some of the more personal ones, like the one where my mom sent me pumpkin bread, and I cry. Because I remember the feelings I had when I was writing that post and the memories of being in school and away from Jake and my family. And then I look at some of the more recent ones, like the one with Sarah and Jacob, and I smile. Because I am working on making my dream a reality and I feel like I’m getting there. I’m making progress. And I love what I do.

So for today, while they aren’t the most glamorous shots in the world, I decided it would be fun to do a little now and then. A look back at where I was last year, and where I am this year. How, you ask? Well last year I took pictures of the kids I nanny during the summer. (Which would be the “then” part.) So I decided to do it again this year. And yes, ok, for those of you who are super observant, this did span over the course of two days, so they are wearing two different outfits. I mean, my photography isn’t the only thing that changed over the year… these kids got like ten times more energy I swear! It’s not easy to catch them sitting down. Gotta love ‘em! But anyways, enjoy the now :)

A rare quiet moment watching Tv…

Chase man.

Jessi.

Brayden’s belly button. Haha.

But the TV didn’t last long… they LOVE jumping on the trampoline :)

Brayden the acrobat lol.

I had to put this next series in because Brayden’s face is hilarious.

Hahaha.

Haha ohhh Chase.

And of course these guys love our dogs :)

Then they wanted to make a lemonade stand! But I had a better idea…

Of course we had to break for lunch first. Yes, that is 2 boxes of Mac n’ Cheese… growing kids!

We love noodles.

But back to our stand.

That’s right. We made Arnold Palmers baby!!! And what’s an Arnold Palmer stand without some art rocks?

I’ll end with these two. In the first one, Chase is yelling “Arnold Palmers!” Haha.

And then I got Chase to smile, but Brayden decided to make a grumpy face… lol. I just love these guys.

Have a great Wednesday!

Not too much to say today. Sometimes I just like to soak in the beauty God has created around us. And Lake Powell is the perfect place for that.

Beautiful, isn’t it?

Life is busy.

I know I’ve said it before, and I’ll probably say it again. If it’s not the laundry to be done and the dishwasher to be unloaded, it’s the emails to be answered and the shoot to be edited. Sometimes I feel as though I can never win, that I’m always one step behind in my continuous list of things to be done. Which, by the way, said list lays around the house in the form of post-it notes containing chicken scratch and boxes with check marks. Because that’s how I roll. And I know I’m not alone in this. (Ok, maybe I’m alone in the whole post-it note chicken scratch thing.) But I know I’m not alone in the feeling of being buried under chores and work and responsibilities.

This morning, I woke up with full intentions of getting one shoot edited and starting another, getting the laundry done, going to the DMV (because yes, I still haven’t gotten my new license), and myriad of other things. Then Jake suggested we should go on a hike and get Chipotle. For the first five seconds all I thought was Nooo way, I have SO much to do today! I’ll never get it done if we hike. And then it hit me. What am I thinking?? Jake is the most important thing in my life, and here I am stressing about the laundry and editing. Of COURSE I’ll go on a hike. (Chipotle never killed anyone either… Ha.) So we went. And I’m soooo glad we did. We had an awesome hike and I had a killer burrito.

And when we got back, I was still able to finish editing and get most of the laundry done. I even found a few minutes to make this semi-quick blog post :) I guess my point is this. Yes, there will always be things to do. When one thing gets finished, another will soon take it’s place. But don’t forget the things that really matter in life. Don’t let the list become so overwhelming that it consumes you. There is always tomorrow. In the words of my wonderful husband…

Take it one thing at a time. Just breathe.

This may come as a surprise to some of you, but…

I’m indecisive.

I mean, really indecisive. The where-do-you-want-to-go-to-dinner-I-don’t-know-where-do-you-want-to-go-and-what-will-I-wear type of indecisive, times ten. Worse than the lady on the McDonald’s radio ad about adding Coke for a dollar. (Side note- raise your hand if you think that commercial should be banned from the radio.) It makes things difficult for Jake at times. Like when I ask for his opinion and then second guess whatever answer he gives me. Which color shirt looks better? What piece of equipment should I invest in next? What movie should we watch? And most importantly, should I cut my hair?

That’s right, this post is about cutting my hair. Because I can’t decide if I should. Remember? I’m indecisive. Which is why I need your help, internet. Yes, the few of you out there that actually follow my humble blog (you guys are the best!) and the random readers who will happen to stumble across this post, I’d love to get your feedback. What in the world should I do with my hair?

A) Just get a trim

B) Cut off 4 or 5 inches

C) Chop LOTS off

D) Buzz it (kidding)

These pictures were taken by Emily. Yes, she took some that day too.

I’m not a fan of posting pictures of myself, but I figured I needed to show what it looks like now.

Who knows, maybe I’ll even post an after picture ;)

Alright, let’s hear it. To cut, or not to cut???

They’re 50 pounds now. 5 months old and they’re 50 pounds. And growing. Sometimes I wish it would slow down. But then I think about when they chewed up my pair of $70 shoes and shredded the bag of sand across the driveway and tore open the trash and spewed it all over the kitchen. Then I’m ready for them to grow up.

So they’re still puppies for now. But I have a feeling Zuka thinks he’ll stay a puppy forever. You see, he thinks he’s a lapdog. Yes, all 50 awkward pounds of the guy tries to climb into my lap as I’m watching TV or folding laundry. Sure, he used to be lapdog material. I have proof. Not anymore. But he doesn’t know that. He even tries to sleep in Frisky’s bed. Jake and I got them nice, big, soft pads to sleep on, but he tries to curl himself up in Frisky’s little bed. Haha. I can’t figure out why. Kiva is more than happy with the big pads we bought them.

And Frisky, well, he’s happy just sleeping on the floor.

But for some reason Zuka just has to sleep in his bed. He still kinda fits now. Not for long though…

Have a wonderful day!

Sooo it’s Monday. Ohhh Monday. Monday, August 2nd, 2010. The start of a new day, a new week, a new month. It’s also a day that I realized I made a huge mistake. Ugh. This morning I became aware that I had passed on a major opportunity. Like, MAJOR. One that would have encouraged and inspired my photography. One that would have boosted my business. And one that would have bettered myself not only as a photographer, but also as a person. Probably life changing. Actually no, definitely life changing. It made me feel a little sick to my stomach. Or a lot. I’ll admit, when it first registered in my brain what I had done, I sat here and pouted. Yes, for about 15 minutes I full on pouted with the puckered lip and everything to the beat of Frisky snoring on the floor beside me.

But then, after nothing had changed in 15 minutes except for my screensaver, I realized that pouting was going to get me absolutely nowhere. Because honestly, all that I have inside of me wants be the best photographer I can possibly be. I want to be successful and make those I love proud. I want to be able to give people pictures that put a smile on their face every time they look at them. I’d even go as far to say that I want to have to turn people down because I have so many weddings I can hardly handle them all. I want that so bad it hurts sometimes. I know I have the potential. I just have to make it happen. No one can get me to that point except myself. And pouting is no way to get there.

So here I am, struggling to get my feet off the ground, but that’s ok. It’s ok because it’s part of the journey. After all, if it was handed to me on a silver platter, I wouldn’t appreciate it. And no matter how long it takes, I’m going to keep working on getting there. Because you don’t give up on your dreams. Ever. Whether it takes a year, 2 years, 5 years, whatever it takes, I hope I can look back on this post, and remember the struggle so that I will never take anything for granted.

I got knocked down today. So what? Time to get back up and try again.

On a slightly lighter note, here is the song for today. (I wasn’t exactly planning on spilling my guts along with the song, but what can you do.) It’s a bit of an older song, but it’s making quite the come back, and for a good reason! You’ve probably heard it before. If you have, enjoy the music video. If you haven’t, well, you’re welcome.

As for the picture, why a waffle, you ask?

I think a better question is:

why NOT a waffle?

Happy Monday :)

Before I say anything else, first let me say that I’m not trying to boast.

BUT, Jake and I just bought our first car. A CAR. Our first major purchase as a married couple!! And let me tell you, I about peed my pants as we were signing the contract because, let’s face it, I’m not used to seeing large sums of money disappear before my eyes. Kinda like magic. Guess this means I’m really an adult now. Anyways, like I said, I’m not trying to brag. So why am I blogging about our new car? Because it lead to this:

You see, after buying a car, we did what any sensible person would do… we took that baby for a drive!! We headed up up up to Mirror Lake.

I’m slightly ashamed to admit it, considering I’ve lived in Utah basically my entire life, but this was my first visit to the beautiful Mirror Lake. Jake figured it was about time.

But wait, it gets better: we packed a picnic. Complete with some celebratory champagne! I know right?! So great!! A romantic picnic just like you see in the movies!!

Ok… maybe not quite, considering our humble meal consisted of some tuna sandwiches, yogurt, and carrots. (We’re not complicated people.) Also, sitting on a blanket on rocky terrain is not as romantic as they make it out to be. (I may or may not have a bruise on my knee.)

(FYI: had there been a spider on the web, this picture would be non-existent.)

That being said, it was still a lovely celebration. Good enough for me anyways :) And I hope to make it back up to the beautiful Mirror Lake reeeeal soon. Preferably with a happy couple ;)

Aaaaand ok, ridiculously cheesy I know, but I couldn’t help myself…

Happy Thursday!

Last week I cooked my first meal. Ever. Ok, maybe not ever. I mean I can rustle up some mean Pasta Roni. And scrambled eggs. Not to mention pizza. After all, when you have a mother who is a ridiculously good cook, you don’t necessarily do a lot of cooking yourself. But last week I made my first legitimate, full course meal (if you can call some chicken and two sides a full course, that is). I knew that getting married would mean acquiring some wifely duties, one of them being cooking. However, between Jake’s mom being here for a week, my mom inviting us over for dinner, eating out, and being out of town, things have been slightly sporadic and I haven’t really had to cook much. So when the opportunity presented itself last week, I jumped on the chance to be the next Betty Crocker. Or Martha Stewart. Whichever you prefer. I was going to cook a masterpiece. Anyways, as you can see, my vision for an extravagant, delectable dinner turned into some mango chicken, cheesy broccoli, and mashed potatoes. Not the most exciting thing ever. BUT, this humble dinner was made entirely by moi, AND Jake liked it! That’s right, he asked for the leftovers in his lunch the next day. (Round of applause, please.) So, while it might not have been worthy of the cover of Good Food Magazine, I’d like to think it was a good start :)

P.S. Any yummy recipes would be highly appreciated :)

I’ll keep this one short and sweet, because tonight at midnight I’m flying to Pennsylvania to shoot a wedding this weekend and I still haven’t packed. Haha. I really had good intentions of settling down, getting more organized, and being a super wife after the wedding. Thus far, I’ve failed on all accounts. Things are still sooo busy!!! Maybe it’s time for me to stop expecting things to slow down… Anyways, last week I was hired to do something a little different than I’m used to: an architectural shoot for a realtor. I learned all about product and architectural photography in school, and while it’s not something I plan on actively pursuing, it was fun to do something a little different. A little out of the box. Plus it helps when it’s a beautiful home…

Have a great weekend!!

So, I’m back from the honeymoon. That’s right folks. I’m a married woman now. Just call me Mrs. Uribe! Cuhrazyyyy. It doesn’t feel real yet. Like I’m just playing house and having sleepovers haha. It’s barely even been 2 weeks, but I’m loving it! Jake introduced me as his wife to someone for the first time yesterday, and my heart skipped a beat. Being his wife is all I’ve ever wanted… Now I just have to learn how to be a good wife. The other morning I tried to make him oatmeal for breakfast, and I messed up. Yes, I messed up. How do you mess up oatmeal, you might ask? Well, I’m not exactly sure. But I managed to do it. I guess it’s a learning process. Ha.

One of my favorite things about being married, though, is hiking. We both loooove hiking. And now that we’re married, we can hike whenever we want :) No more busy planning, or homework, or appointments, or flying to Indiana for school… Nope, we are free to hike with our puppies whenever we feel like it! And oh yeah, remember our puppies? The ones I said I was going to photograph every week as they grow? Well, I failed miserably at that. So this is the most recent puppy update, 5 weeks later. Plus a few hiking pictures. An evening hike with my family. Enjoy!

Zuka getting ready for the big hike.

The puppies are so excited!

Off we go!

Blazing the trail.

Here’s the thing about Akiva. She may be a brat, but she’s a sweet brat (oxymoron I know), because she doesn’t like leaving anyone behind. It’s quite precious. She turns back to make sure you’re still coming :)

Beautiful views.

Jake’s sister Dani and his mom Jacki and their dogs came along too. Dani lead the way with the pups hot on her trail!

Zuka doesn’t like to wait. I’m lucky I got any pictures of him at all!

Think they’re related? Lol.

That’s my husband :)

Beautiful nature.

Ok, yes, I was slightly obsessed with the pretty blue flowers.

This pictures crack me up. Zuka likes to sing. (Notice Jake in the top left corner lol.)

Kiva waiting for me :)

Then they raced up the hill. I think Dani won.

My whole world in one picture. Minus Frisky. Haha.

Miss Dani and the pups.

Ah yes, they are still getting used to their leashes. Haha.

The perfect end to a perfect evening :)

Life is good.

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