Everything:infravermelho

The last couple months before I got married a lot of my focus was on "who" I want to be, or "what" I want to do in life. Especially since everyone was graduation and getting ready for college or choosing a career path. I considered taking online courses this fall but I chose to wait because I wasn't sure what I wanted to study. I didn't want to do the same thing as Matt and go to college [and take out a student loan] and come to realize later it was not what I wanted to study.

I knew a few things about myself, I knew I wanted an awesome marriage and to be an amazing wife to my new husband. To become skilled in things like cooking and managing our finances and anything else that would support our family. I knew I had a passion for helping people in any way.

But since getting married and moving up here to Port Alice, I feel that my self search has become more focused and I am seeing clearly a few things that will permanently "park" themselves in my life. One of those being photography [As I have shared before], and the other being over-all health.

The photography aspect, while I am very passionate about it, will be slow in coming. Mostly because there is nothing to photograph up here! I should say no one, since I like to photography people, just my preference. I would like to start doing some "play" sessions though, especially when I start collecting new lenses. I am shooting one of my friends' senior pictures for her next month. It is a perfect opportunity since her pictures wont be in the yearbook [She goes to Choice, they have no yearbook], they will just be used for sending to family and friends in her graduation announcements. I would like to have more opportunities like this with people I know. Maybe if anyone would like some newborn or family portraits done perhaps?

Another aspect that I am permanently making a part of my life is a healthy well-being. Seeing Matt [Someone who's never really thought about what he eats, etc.] make good choices about food really lets me know that I have an impact on his health. I talk to him a lot about what I learn and he really absorbs it well. The other day when I told him I was hungry he said to me "That's because chips are empty carbs." He meant calories, but that is a big improvement for him! We're not only staying away from the obvious unhealthies [pop, cake, snickers bars], we're focusing on eating foods our bodies need [whole grains, lean protein, fiber], as opposed to what they don't need [sugar, refined carbs, trans/saturated fats].

I want to get more books on the human body and digestive health, and I look forward to making this a part of our lives forever. Luckily we are young and can hopefully stop any diseases rather than try and treat them.

These are just a few things I am learning about myself, fortunately you learn about yourself your entire life, can't wait for whatever's next!

I'm posting these because I just edited them today and they are some of my new favorite pictures.

Life is definitely not fair, but it's only by the people you lose that you really appreciate the one's you have.

miss you, John.

I know I said last week that I wanted the 24-70mm zoom lens for Christmas, but after careful consideration I have changed my mind. Talking with a wedding photographer I greatly admire recently as assured me in my decision to get a 50mm prime lens first. If you don't know, a prime lens has a fixed focal point so it wont zoom in and out, giving you MUCH clearer pictures. This is more in our price range for now, and will come in handy at weddings and for shooting portraits. A better "first" lens I think.

By the way, if anyone is thinking about buying a lens I HIGHLY recommend this website. It is (I think) the same person critiquing the lenses so they compare each lens to each other, eventually leading to the right lens for you. They also show pictures taken with each lens and the best place to by. I have been reading it all week!

crying as I write this, I remember my good friend John Parnham who passed away this morning.

John was an aspiring writer, he started this poem a few years ago. And after we became friends he finished it and said it was for me. It hits my heart harder now more than ever. As the words apply to what he has done.

THE TOKEN.
the beauty of a token.
shiny pebbles pass, not as currency.
a token, fitted and ribbed with fond remembrance.

a picture lacks the singleness of purpose to capture the feeling from a moment.

where it was we were
could only exist as the trees of the fringe
and the gravel underfoot.
so grab a pebble my love.
fit it against your heart
and carry me with it.
one of life's fleeting moments.
guaranteed never to part.

you, the stone, and i.



rest in peace my friend. you are very loved and missed.

I really like these pictures I edited of Makenna and Jacob (and Levi) I know I posted some of these same one's last week, sorry for the repetitiveness.

I'm hoping for this for Christmas... we'll see.



The more time goes on the more and more I am getting set on being a professional photographer. I want to do wedding and people photography mostly. I definitely don't want to start premature, and I know that right now I am so far from being able to do any professional work. But at least I have come to a decision of what I'm passionate about. (Something I was lacking in the last couple months.) Matt is really supportive and wants to get me into some online courses when I am ready. There are some really fairly priced one's offered by professional photographers I have found on different websites.

I know I have a lot to learn!

Matt and I have been having a great time up here in Port Alice. The last month has been really crazy for us, we went down to Victoria (about a 7 hour drive) for two weekends (once for a bachelor party and once for the wedding of Matt's brother), my parents came up to visit, and we went down to the states to visit. So we are going to try and stay home for a couple months and get into the swing of things, traveling is expensive! The next time we come to Shelton will probably be around Makenna's birthday (October 28, she will be 3!)

The weather up here has been extremely nice! Which is rare, I hear it usually gets pretty rainy in September. Matt and I have been going on a lot of walks, I do love living in a small town. When Matt works sometimes I walk to the store, only about ten minutes from our house, to pick up stuff. And when he's home we walk down to his mom's exercise class, FastFit. We have been doing that all week. It is basically the same thing as Curves, only it's privately owned. It feels so good to work out again, I really love it. I have been on a health kick lately.

I have definitely been getting more and more into cooking and baking. Baking is great just because it's easy. Matt's mom bought him a BBQ for his birthday so the last couple weeks we have been enjoying steaks, burgers, and grilled chicken. My mom bought me a cook book and I get lost reading in it sometimes. The more confident I get in my cooking the more recipes I am likely to try, I really like gaining more skills in the kitchen.

Probably my favorite thing about living in Port Alice is how much simpler life seems to be. There is only one restaurant in town, it is an amazing steakhouse owned by a Greek chef. We go there for special occasions, but there really isn't any casual dining places, and definitely no fast food! I really love it. Before we got married I was so often just to "lazy" to make food and would go out to eat just because. I like not having that option to fall back on, it makes me make healthier food for us at home, and only spend money on groceries. When we go down island though we like to splurge.

Also, we don't have cable, which has been another nice thing. I admit it would be nice to turn on the news at night, but I know if we had TV I would just veg in front of it during the day. I like that I have to be creative to find things to do while Matt's at work, like scrapbooking or reading. When Matt's off work we usually watch a DVD or VHS at night. But I really don't miss having TV. Internet is fine for me, so I know what's going on in the world!

So that is an update on the first two months of our marriage and new life! Oh yah, and our two year anniversary is coming up next week, how exciting!

I now have a flickr account. Since I have moved out of my parents house I have nothing to edit my pictures with, which has been painful! Thankfully you can edit your photos on flickr, it's a pretty good program too!

Anyways, check it out, and if you have an account, add me!

Matt and I took a long vacation this last week. On Saturday we went to his Jason + Lisa's wedding [my brother-in-law and new sister!]

[at this part of this post I ran to the bathroom and threw up all in a split second. DONT take muti-vitamins on an empty stomach. my mother warned me, but I forgot. apparently you PUKE if you do.]

the wedding was beautiful, I'll put pictures up later. It was outdoors like ours, in the gorgeous Victoria Wedding Gardens. Matt and I danced all night at the reception, it was really fun.

On Sunday we took the ferry from Victoria to Port Angeles. We really hate that ferry, it rocked so hard you could hardly stand up without falling over. Once you ride the BC ferries Washington ones look like the ghetto.

It was actually a really good trip home for me. I haven't been back since the wedding, and I didn't realize how much I missed Shelton, my family, and friends. Everyone knows though after you move out of your parents house you get a long way better, and actually miss them. I had a really good time.

Matt turned 25 on Monday! So we bought him a vacuum, just kidding, but we did really need one! We spent the rest of the week hanging out with friends and playing with our [much missed] Makenna. On Wednesday we drove up to Everett and hung out with Levi, Jody, and Jacob. Jacob is walking now! And is talking more than ever [not any REAL words, of course] But he is getting really good at saying bye-bye.

Thursday and yesterday we finished the long haul home. It was a really good trip for us. I realized how much Shelton and my parents house was my home, even though I hated it sometimes. Matt is asleep right now as I write this, he is working 4 night shifts in a row starting last night. And I have developed somewhat of a cold [haven't had one of these in ages]. Totally un-related to the puking, I think.

But regardless I will put up pictures!