Little Lady + Landon

2012-01-26T21:37:00.000-08:00

Even though Valentine's Day is still a few weeks away, I just couldn't resist doing a little photo shoot with these lovely little ladies today! Savanna had a play date with her bestest friend, who coincidently is also named Savannah, so we made some fun and Valentined it up! They both have the cutest personalities and made editing these so much fun. Seriously I pray that I can have a girl one day... then we can dress up and have photo shoots like this all the time!

Also I recently started a photography page on Facebook and I would love love if you could stop on by and 'like' my page! That way you can keep up to date with all the photoshoots I do and if I'm ever in town to shoot for you! Thanks!

2012-01-19T21:29:00.000-08:00

Remember how I would do posts of this? And how my blog had in some way turned into a foodie blog without me even realizing it? I've been craving it since well, since I last took food photos... which was just too long ago. Since we've moved in with family it's not the easiest thing to make a mess in someone else's kitchen and mix my camera gear in with the food that we are just about to eat. But I've been missing it so much I'm going to try to do it more... in a non-messy more organized way for my family's sake. :) So today I treated us with Dutch Babies!! They are oh so tasty, have a pretty darn cute name, and the ingredients are simple! ( I bet you have everything in your kitchen right this instant).

Dutch Babies
// 1 serving
inspired by HonestFare

1 egg
1/4 c. milk
1/4 c. flour
1 1/2 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. salt

1. Take your milk & egg out before to bring to room temperature. Preheat oven to 350° and place small cast iron skillet/ baking dish in your oven to heat.
2. Measure out milk & flour- mix and set aside. Whisk egg in a separate bowl for a few minutes until it is light, fluffy, & foamy. Add flour, milk, salt, vanilla to egg and beat together.
3. Remove skillet from oven and add your butter to it coating the bottom & sides. Add your mixture to it and place in oven immediately after. Bake for about 8 minutes or until golden brown!!

>>lemon juice + powdered sugar are the traditional topping for Dutch babies but syrup, berries, or anything else delicious will complement them just perfect, be creative!

2012-01-18T19:30:00.000-08:00

The weather here in California has been so good to us, it makes me 10x happier/thankful not to be in Idaho. Our days here have been filled with rays of sunshine, lots of cute kids, and tons of bubbles. Nothing better in my opinion.

2012-01-17T23:13:00.000-08:00

Since November I've been on portrait duty x 10. I've been working one after another after another, and I finally finished my last one for the year of 2011!! (even though it's 2012 already, don't worry they didn't need it until this Saturday). Although I love drawing portraits, it feels so good to be done and have a mini break. I celebrated today by playing tennis, deep cleaning the bathroom & our room [everything gets ignored when I have work, which is obvious in the photo], doing laundry, and just getting everything reorganized. Yay!
And if you want to get me back to work a little bit sooner (which I wouldn't mind) you can go to my shop and purchase a custom charcoal portrait there!

2012-01-17T00:41:00.000-08:00

This past Sunday we went on a little drive before church. Since the new year has kicked in, our church got moved back to 1:30pm! This means... after we sleep in, eat a very big breakfast, relax, prepare our lesson for the little 4-year-olds, gather bribes and candies for the little ones, get ready and relax some more we still have an hour before church! We go crazy just waiting and waiting for it to start! So this week we decided to take a little drive with our camera to change things up a bit and to waste some time.

My favorite thing about Landon's outfit is that his suspenders + tie were his grandpa's and his glasses were once his dad's when he was back in high school... Landon just got his prescriptions placed in and walah now (as in five years ago) they are his!

2012-01-12T22:55:00.000-08:00

It's been a slow week for me and I haven't really been outside for over a week... not because I'm lazy, but because I'm still sick! So I decided to take the babes out on a leisurely stroll with a camera in hand wearing baggy sweatpants, totally unprepared for what was ahead of me. After our first street I was feeling overly confident, forgetting that I was still sick and that I'm pushing 20 pounds in very warm weather.
So long story short, I decided to turn our leisurely stroll to a visit at the park, I took the wrong steep, hilly road to the park, back tracked, and found myself slowly climbing up the steepest, slant-iest street sweating, thirsty, out of breath, with rolled up sweats to my thighs. I faced the fact that I looked ridiculous and purposely dodged eye contact with the cars passing me. Thankfully we made it to the park and the kids loved it. Savanna came up to me every 5 minutes, hugged me, and told me how much she loved me; I think she secretly knew how tiring that walk was for me. Tomorrow my other two nephews are coming over to play with us at the park! I love love living with family :)

Multiplying

2012-01-11T15:37:00.000-08:00

30 second sketches charcoal ladies // 1 minute india ink sketches of men

I hope to start posting more of my daily sketches, I think it will motivate me to draw more and accomplish one of my resolutions! I didn't purposely mean to draw completely opposite sets of images in one sitting, but I guess these two sets of drawings might show my subconscious outlook on the difference between ladies & men? Ladies are dramatic, men are not?
I thought that charcoal would forever be my favorite medium to use, but I think india ink is slowly approaching to the tie. I love committing to every line I draw with no thought using charcoal while in contrast to india ink, every line is well thought out and planned.

Complaining Feels Good

2012-01-10T17:10:00.000-08:00

We've got the sick bug over here. 5 straight hours of throwing up and a week of not eating = a sad little me. Thankfully Landon didn't catch the flu and instead we've now caught the cold bug together! Bring on the sickness, again. Boo hoo.

2012-01-04T17:49:00.000-08:00

Be Spiritual: Put time aside daily to read and study the scriptures.
Be Creative: Draw every single day, even if it's only for five minutes. Draw, draw, draw!
Be Healthy: Take care of my body and make myself whole again! I've been putting it off
for 4 years to face the facts of what my body is really going through... just one step at a time.
Be Organized: Keep up on my emails and phone calls... don't wait a week to write people back!
Be Business: Don't procrastinate work and be a better business woman. Be more like Landon :)
Be Patient: Yes, simply just be more patient.
Be Proactive: Find local art shows to participate in and start promoting my work.
Be Musical: Learn Nocturne C# minor on the violin! My mother just got me a violin for
Christmas; its been a dream of mine to play since I was just a little one... thanks momma.
Be Supportive: It's not that I'm already supportive to Landon, but be even more supportive
with his studying and medical school stresses! Get up with him every day, pack his lunches,
and continue to do more of the cute wifey things for him.
Be Martha: Find more healthy recipes for dinner and get creative in the kitchen!
Be Active: Exercise regularly and crack down at tennis so I can beat Landon's butt! :)

I've never physically written out my resolutions, but maybe by doing this I will actually get things done!
Yay for 2012!

2012-01-03T16:33:00.000-08:00

It was my sister's birthday this last Thursday so I decided to do a more personal photoshoot with her and her babies. Living here with her family has made me even more excited to start our own family. I can't wait to have little Landons running around calling us momma and papa.... but until then we treat these two little ones as our own.

2012-01-03T00:11:00.000-08:00

Another year has come and gone, we're one step closer to gray hair and wrinkles. This past year has been full of things that will forever change our future. We started the year off with our first apartment together, it was a quaint little place right across from the university... and for those who knew Rexburg, Idaho... this meant less time in the harsh cold! I was able to take the semester off to focus on my career path and started up my official business. Never before had I sold my art for money and even though it was a scary proposition, I began my first little online shop. Before I knew it I had 14 portraits to draw and now looking back I've completed 50+ portraits. I still have so much to work on but taking that first step was the biggest thing for me. During that time I also pursued my photography, I had the opportunity to do work for a fashion designer based out of Brooklyn and also got published in my first magazine. Looking back, I know that the only way I accomplished everything was because of the support I had from Landon. He was by my side every step of the way, encouraging and helping me at everything I did.
A few months after all the excitement of my work, we graduated hand in hand with our Bachelors Degrees. And in Landon's words, "The only way to leave Rexburg with a smile is to have a degree and a spouse." A week after our graduation, Landon took the MCAT and had his interview to receive his permanent residency. After receiving good new back from the government that Landon was cleared for American residency we quickly packed our bags and decided to take a month long road trip to Canada. We drove over 4,000 miles and 70+ hours up the west coast, across Canada, and back down through the states; we had a great time with family and friends.
When we were back from traveling and finally settled we found ourselves here in southern California living with family. Waiting to hear back from medical schools was a constant nail biter (even though I don't bite my nails). Eventually we heard from almost all of them inviting Landon for interviews. And before Christmas hit. Landon had attended 2 interviews at his 2 top pick schools and was accepted to both medical schools. The weight was lifted and we now can rest easy knowing that we are going to spend the next 4 years in sunny California. Beyond the best news of the year, we also both got jobs this year. Landon got a job at Nike, even though it doesn't pay well, he enjoys it and we are now Nike advertisements. I also got a job editing for EPLove photography and have found myself countless hours editing beautifully shot weddings... what a dream.
Looking back, 2011 has been so good to us. Amongst all the craziness, we got 2 cute nephews and 1 precious niece for us to spoil rotten! We have felt truly blessed this past year and attribute all our blessings to our Heavenly Father. We look forward to another year together, we know it's going to be face-melting and full of laughs.

Co-written by Landon (I'm sure you can tell which parts)

Mrs. Taylor Roberts

2011-12-31T13:22:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had the opportunity to photograph Mr. & Mrs. Taylor & Taylor Roberts on their wedding day! Yes, they have the same name and I think it's because they were meant for each other that much... so much that they have the same name! I've grown up with them so it was fun meeting up with old friends and acquaintances at their wedding.
Anyways back to these photos, Taylor and I met up last week for a bridal shoot. She was gorgeous... as you can tell... and was even more beautiful yesterday on her special day.
Congrats to the newly wedded!

My Star

2011-12-29T17:11:00.000-08:00

After lots of applications, thousands of dollars, and millions of bad nerves... my dearest Landon got into medical school! So don't mind me, I'm the proud bragging type of wife, and it's only because I love my Landon to the moon and back but anyways back to that bragging... out of the 9 schools he applied to he got 7 interviews, one of those being our top pick... he attended 2 of the interviews, one of those being our top pick... and he got accepted to both of those schools, one of them being our top pick... here in Southern California!!... where the sun shines all year round, where culture surrounds us and where I was born and raised. It's an enormous blessing and we couldn't be happier. I'm so proud of you Landon, future med. school graduate of Western University of Health & Sciences! You make your mamma and poppa proud!

2011-12-27T23:28:00.000-08:00

Houses in order: Katie S., Katie G., Andrew, mine, & Landon's.

Our Christmas Eve is the biggest day of the month for my family. We start off the night with a traditional Norwegian dinner- lefse, Swedish meatballs, and lutefisk... if we're lucky. We then find ourselves playing competitive holiday trivia games, this year was Family Feud Christmas... the girls won this year, woot woot! After lots of laughs we start on our gingerbread houses and two hours later we open up our christmas pajamas. We also added in a new tradition to our Christmas Eve with cheese! Landon is a cheese-aholic so we incorporated his tradition into ours. We end the night with grapes, salami, and lots of cheese and we couldn't be more happy.
This year we didn't realize how late it was and ended out Christmas Eve at 2 in the morning! It was so much fun and really brings the holidays to life. I'm so grateful for my family to live close and can't wait for a white Canadian Christmas next year!

Christmas Date

2011-12-24T17:15:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas date this year consisted of home shopping, sushi, and Christmas light viewing! Across town they have an entire road, plus some, of houses covered in lights. We layered on our coats and took a walk down Christmas lane. It was oh so pretty and I think it made it into our yearly traditions.
Merry Christmas everyone!

Marshmallow Snow

2011-12-17T18:26:00.000-08:00

Yesterday while I babysat my niece and nephew we watched Frosty the Snowman... twice and made this cute little snowman. I thought since we don't have snow outside to actually make a snowman, that we would make one out of paper, close enough right? Well either way we had fun doing it and little Savi did quite a great job cutting everything out herself! I can't wait to have little ones of my own to do little holiday crafts with... until then my niece and nephews will be spoiled! :)

Holly Jolly

2011-12-16T14:58:00.000-08:00

To take a break from all the madness I decided to paint the rest of our Christmas cards. We already sent out half of our cards that we bought at the store, but last night I needed a break from charcoal and Photoshop... so I pulled out my 96¢ watercolors and painted lots and lots of holly. Since we are still in limbo with a home and pretty much everything in life, I decided that next year will be our official Christmas card together. We can't wait to start the next stage in of our life!

Kinfolk

2011-12-15T12:01:00.000-08:00

If you haven't already heard, Kinfolk Volume 2 is out! Order your copy here.

A Very Pink Christmas

2011-12-10T00:23:00.001-08:00

Living with my niece has made this Christmas more pink than usual. My mom stays over every weekend and always brings a craft for little Savi to work on. Last night was decorating her very own PINK christmas tree in her PINK room in her all PINK clothes! It was just too cute to not capture a few photos of. It makes me excited to have little ladies of my own :)
Time has flown by and I can't believe Christmas is just around the corner! It's been the busiest time for me so far, yet the most rewarding. We have been making sweets and chocolates every weekend and each day just keeps getting better and better.

Thanksgiving Day

2011-11-29T20:35:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving Day was amazing as always. Momma's recipes, yummy aromas, and lots of family. My mother is the best comfort cook out there so every gathering tastes great but this one in particular was perfect. We always smoke a turkey and cook one in the oven as well- double the turkey, double the deliciousness I like to think. I worked on the table settings and had cute walnut name holders as well as burlap table mats and runner. We've been having breakfast, lunch, and dinner thanksgivings for the last five days and are now ready to somehow work off those well earned pounds.

I've been absent from everything because it's busy holiday family photo time! Lots of driving, lots of shooting, and tons of editing. This week is my last call for $120 family photos so send me an email! You can look at my recent work here.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T23:00:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving is a time of love, family, and turkey.... and I think some people give thanks.
Enjoy these photos of nature, something I give thanks for on a daily basis.
The beautiful colours and shapes in each individual leaf reminds me of how each person I know and have come in contact with has their own unique beauty.
Happy Thanksgiving
Dont forget to tell those you love that you are grateful for them

-written by Landon, photos by me

Pigeon Pie

2011-11-22T22:51:00.001-08:00

I'm over at Pigeon Pie today, Emma interviewed me all the way from Australia! She had awesome questions about my art, how I got started, what I'm inspired by, and what I have planned for the future. Go take a look! Emma also has her own great website here showcasing her own work.

Also I just started a Facebook page for my photography. It's a place where I can show my recent work that I've been doing without starting another blog! So go 'like' it and follow my more recent work on Facebook! Thanks!

Happy Birthday my Landon!

2011-11-21T12:12:00.001-08:00

Wasn't Landon just the cutest little boy ever, black eye and everything! Today is his 26th birthday and I just wanted to write a special post just for him.

Landon,
I am so proud of how much you've accomplished within this past year. You've gotten your permanent residency, graduated with high honors in college, applied to medical schools, received and been to med school interviews, got a job, are a seminary teacher, and have been the best husband to me! You are so driven and motivated, you inspire me to be a better person. You've been through so much within these past 5 years and have been the best example to me and so many other people. You strengthen me each day and make me want to be a better person. So many people look up to you and have can see such good in you. You make me laugh, make me cry (in a good way), and are always making me feel so important. Your parents raised you into such an awesome man I'm so blessed to have you in my life. I can't wait until we have little babies who look just like you! I love you babe and am so excited for the life ahead of us. I have so much more to say but will leave that for your card. :)

1 Year Anniversary

2011-11-20T21:20:00.001-08:00

photos by eplove

Today is our 1 year anniversary. This past year has been the best yet. Sleeping in on the weekends, pizza nights on Saturdays, bicycle rides on Sundays, walks through the park, long-very long- road trips, watching America's Next Top Model, laughing- lots and lots of laughing, BBQs in our front yard, sleeping in the back of our truck, pickles, cooking together, chips & salsa, camping, frozen yogurt dates, foot massages, and literally spending every second together possible... I could never ask for more. I love you Landon and am so blessed to have you in my life!

100 Faces

2011-11-18T10:36:00.001-08:00

My recent goal is to draw in my sketchbook every single day... and not to my surprise it lasted for one day so far. I like to think it's not because I'm lazy but because I've been so busy lately. I feel like a business woman, or maybe I'm pretending to be one until I actually get there. This week I had 5 photo shoots, 3 custom charcoal portraits to do, and just started up training with EPLove Photo as their main editor. I pretty much sit there and edit beautifully shot weddings for hours upon a time, what a dream. I've felt so blessed lately.

Anyways back to these faces, I found myself in the car sketching faces for fun and later found myself that night 100 faces in. I think they will make an appearance on my shop and hopefully later to your home. ;)

Grandma Fumiko

2011-11-08T21:50:00.000-08:00

Today my sisters + the babies + my baby (Landon) went over to visit my grandma. She now lives alone so we try to make it a monthly trip out to spend some time with her. Our usual visit consists of pizza, soda, japanese snacks, and the most random gifts ever. Today I got a jewelry box, face lotion, 3 Christmas kitchen towels, rice, lemons from her tree, and spicy rice crackers.
We love her and are already looking forward to next months visit!

Minus the Bear

2011-11-07T10:02:00.000-08:00

Landon's favorite band of all time is Minus the Bear and I've secretly been following Minus the Bear's updates to see when and where they were touring for awhile now. To my surprise they were playing 20 minutes from my house last Thursday. So I secretly bought the tickets for Landon's early birthday present and had the hardest time not telling him... it's really hard for me to keep any secrets, I'm an open book.
So I surprised him the day before and he had no clue! It was a success! They were the best I've ever seen in concert and it happened to be their 10 year anniversary too, which meant they played their 2002 album in its entirety along with some of their most popular songs. It was so good and everything was worth it when I would look over at Landon and see how much he was enjoying it. Happy early Birthday babe!

And sadly I couldn't take in my SLR and I don't own a iPhone like the rest of the world, so I brought my rejected point & shoot camera that I haven't used for years. It surprised me and did the job.

A Good Week

2011-11-06T21:39:00.000-08:00

As of lately, life has been going great for us. After all our work we are finally seeing results. Landon got 2 medical school interviews (so far), a job, and found us some volunteer work to do here locally... I couldn't believe how hard it is to find some community work to do, Landon's been searching for 2 months! I also got a job doing what I love... editing photos! We feel extremely blessed and have been on a high this past week... and this extra hour of sleep sure is adding into the grateful-ness over here. Yipee!

*photos by EPLove

Monster Puppets

2011-11-02T19:18:00.000-07:00

At the Halloween party the kids made monster puppets out of brown paper bags... and I couldn't resist to make one either, mine is the one with the googley-eyes.
Savanna gladly modeled the puppets for me after her nap. Her bed head and big personality fit right in with the little monsters.

Cowboys & Indians

2011-11-01T20:44:00.000-07:00

Our neighbors, who happen to be my brother-in-law's brother + wife, threw a Halloween party last Saturday. We didn't necessarily feel like lots of face paint and hair spray so we grabbed what was in the garage... cowboys & indians! Emily threw such a fun party with mice, bones, and pumpkin whoopie pies! We all enjoyed a delicious lunch, made monster brown paper bag puppets, and watched Charlie Brown the Great Pumpkin. Thanks Emily & Don!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T13:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween! May your night be filled with lots of candy and spooooky dreams!

Franky & I

2011-10-31T00:53:00.000-07:00

David's pumpkin, Landon's pirate ship pumpkin, Katie & Savi's Snow White pumpkin and my mummified mummy pumpkin!

Here's a mix match of all sorts of Halloween happenings. For details about the costumes... Yes that is all my real hair all ratted-sprayed-pinned up to a nicely shaped beehive and yes those blonde pieces are my real hair too and they just happened to be exactly where I needed them to be! Landon, or Franky as I like to call him, is still oh so sexy, big, green and scary!
My niece was Snow White and her dress was made from my talented sister! Once she got her red lipstick on she wouldn't open her mouth because she didn't want to mess it up! And in her words "Princesses don't talk or eat with their lipstick on." So for about thirty minutes she refused dinner and ignored us talking to her, she is such a character. Her little brother was a cute owl and their cousins (my other sister's kids) were out of the Nemo movie! Little Nate was Squirt and Brady was Nemo. Our church throws an annual trunk-or-treat Halloween party that we all got to go to together.
It was a fun filled night with chili, cornbread, games and candy of course!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-28T22:39:00.000-07:00

Here's a little glimpse of what we've been up to... Fine I'll admit it, our true identities came out.

___________
As of lately:
We have found a love for tennis! I actually get excited to play a sport!? Yeah, I still don't believe it.
Our baby (iMac) is in at the doctors. We found out we had a bad hard drive! Thank goodness our warranty isn't up yet.
I've been working away at designing business cards and setting up family photoshoots! Book yours today before it's too late!
Lastly, our 1 year anniversary is coming up! Can you believe it's been 1 year already!

Brady Boy

2011-10-23T20:38:00.000-07:00

Because he is just that cute, I had to post these.

Mr. Pumpkin

2011-10-21T00:45:00.000-07:00

Seriously my niece and nephews are so cute that I can't get anything done other than take photos after photos after more photos of them! I'm so obsessed with them that I can't imagine how I'll be with my own kids.

So this is Mr. Nathaniel, the youngest but soon to be the biggest out of all my nephews... literally he is 7 months wearing 13+ months clothes. He was such a little trooper during this photo shoot and obviously the best little model.

And for all you other photographers out there.... no I did not photoshop his eyes, not even one bit!... they are 100% perfect blue.

Sunday Stroll

2011-10-16T23:50:00.000-07:00

I was brave today and brought my camera with me while I was riding my bike. A little secret about me is I can rarely ever take my hands off the handlebars without stressing out or almost crashing into something, and riding on a busy road is a completely different story, ask Landon.
So I was quite proud of myself today and I'm glad that I brought it out because the California sun was looking yellow as ever and my sweet, sweet husband was looking cute as ever, double bonus!

This past week has been a little trip for us, our 27" iMac, not even a year old, crashed and stopped working! ...and ironically it happened right after Steve Jobs died... hmmm I called the Apple store and sure enough they want more money to fix our brand new desktop!! It was a little stressor this week because half of my life and most of my current work is on there! So I went through the hassle of it all and factory reset our little baby, it still isn't working the greatest but now I can at least get some work done.
Let's hope that no more of our Apple products will crash and that I can be more productive this week!

The Art of Carving

2011-10-14T23:45:00.000-07:00

This is one of the many pumpkin carvings that we will be doing... "my husband is a lover of the art of carving, although he may not himself be a carving artist he has a love and passion for the knife and pumpkin" - my husband. For example, last year we bought 25 lbs. of pumpkin to carve. We had every weekend put aside for our dear little pumpkins.
Lately, we have been enjoying our sweet selves. The weather has been in the triple digits and we have found ourselves at the pool almost every day this week. Nothing like finally getting a tan right in time for Christmas.

Baked Donuts

2011-10-12T21:09:00.000-07:00

The start of fall always gets me in the mood to bake, bake, bake, and bake some more. It's a very unhealthy time, yet a very joyous time as well. Being happy beats being healthy right? Umm maybe not, but lets pretend. This week was homemade baked donuts... chocolate glazed & cinnamon sugar to be exact. It was a simple recipe but of course took some time to let the dough rise, so if you're going to attempt this, give yourself a bit of time. I used this recipe for the doughnuts and this recipe for the chocolate glaze. They were a fun little treat to make and eat but to be honest... next time I will definitely have to make them the real way!

Family Photos

2011-10-11T21:40:00.000-07:00

Hey all you Southern Californians!! I'm doing a special on 1-2 hour family photo sessions for $120. At least 45+ edited high resolution photos, ready in time for your holiday card! If you're interested in more information send me over an email at brittanywood0@gmail

*Price may vary depending on traveling distance

At the Orchard

2011-10-10T23:44:00.001-07:00

On the same day we went to that beautiful pumpkin patch... we also went to an apple orchard! We woke up bright and early thinking we would get there before the crowd and the heat... but unfortunately we had the exact same idea as everyone else! The sun was already at a blistering 80 degrees and the crowd was everywhere making everything a bit more complicated. The day quickly got tiring as the kids quickly got more dusty and cranky.
Finally everything was able to settle down once we recouped and got some food in our tummies. We enjoyed a relaxing picnic under the shade and realized that even if we didn't get a bag full of apples, were all sticky from sweating, and had lungs full of dust... it was the perfect day because we got to spend time with family.

My Website!

2011-10-06T00:18:00.000-07:00

My website is up and ready for viewing! I've been wanting to get this done since I graduated, but with month long traveling, millions of photos to edit, and things to be drawn it got put on the back burner. But now I'm finally finished and it feels good!
Go take a look: brittanywood.net

Pumpkin Heaven

2011-10-04T23:09:00.000-07:00

As a family we all went to the pumpkin patch and apples orchards to celebrate the start of fall and festivities! And as you can see... this pumpkin patch in particular was the Martha Stewart of all pumpkin patches. They had every kind of pumpkin you could imagine that was cleaned, organized, and well, just looking pretty as ever. They also had pony rides, petting zoos, corn mazes, balloon slides, dancing monkeys, and everything else amazing. We all enjoyed our time there and secretly I think I want to go back a few more times before Halloween comes up!

Savanna

2011-09-30T13:51:00.000-07:00

I don't know any other 3 year old who has as much personality as this little one here. One minute I hear her singing in the bathtub... opera style... and the next minute I find her dancing like a princess with her eyes closed. When I ask for her to smile she has 5 different smiles all down pat along with hundreds of silly faces that she can't help to do every other minute. I love this little one and already have taken hundreds of photos of her and plan to take lots and lots more.

2011-09-29T11:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a great day because:

Feist's new CD was released, take a listen here
Landon and I spent all day outside of the house... recently we've been too busy to even take a walk outside.
I got to take my little niece to dance class and was a proud auntie, she's a natural ballerina!
I am one day away from finishing my website... so excited to share it with you all
And you're probably wondering why I posted these fish? Well we enjoyed a delicious fish dish last night for dinner- caught fresh by my brother-in-law from his week long camping trip

Chinese Night Market

2011-09-27T21:44:00.000-07:00

The Chinese Night Market is always something to look forward to when we're in Vancouver. Bright lights, delicious food, and interesting yet entertaining performances always make up to a good night.

Mr. Austin

2011-09-22T16:21:00.000-07:00

When I should of been working today... I took photos instead. I had a month of vacationing so one more extra day doesn't hurt right? It's a battle living with these little ones and trying to get work done, they obviously win every time.

Lake Louise

2011-09-19T22:34:00.000-07:00

Over our countless hours of driving we like to stop every now and then to stretch and enjoy beautiful Canada... Lake Louise in particular. I have never been to anywhere that literally looks straight out of a picture perfect postcard. The scenery was so breathtaking and these photos really didn't capture half of the beauty there. Next time we're in Banff I want to at least spend a weekend there!!

Ps. We are back in the states and we will be home tomorrow!! So far we've driven 3,500 miles and have an additional 10 hours to go. Hooray!!

Meat & Bread

2011-09-16T23:18:00.000-07:00

Meat & Bread is a sandwich shop in downtown Vancouver. Everything in the shop was so well thought out, that it made it almost too easy to photograph. They menu was simple, the decor was perfect and the maple bacon ice cream sandwiches made a very good first impression. I was craving 5 more of them by the time we were leaving the place. If you're ever in Vancouver it's a definite must go!

2011-09-16T15:37:00.000-07:00

Photos taken by my sister-in-law Julianne.
I am slowly trying to catch up with everything we did in Vancouver... we did so many things and I took too many photos... which means I have endless editing ahead of me and too many posts for this blog to handle.

Anyways, one of our many adventures in Vancouver was jet skiing!! Mckay got us each a jet ski to ride out in the ocean amongst the seals, giant whales, and huge ships! And to tell you the truth, I was peeing-my-pants (or in this case wetsuit) nervous to drive the jet ski out of the wharf. Even though I've had experience on a jet ski, I've never had experience steering it out/in of a wharf;which, may I include was surrounded by million dollar yachts squeezed in side by side all waiting for me to crash right into them! Well miraculously, I didn't crash into anything but on my way into parking it I was very close to doing so...

But on a more positive note, jet skiing was such a blast! It was so awesome looking back and seeing all of Vancouver's cityscape and then looking straight ahead to endless open water. Since I was riding next to Mckay & Landon, I had to keep up and ride a little faster than I normally would, but it made it that much more fun. It was such a fun adventure, thanks again Mckay!

Georgia the Giraffe

2011-09-15T23:38:00.000-07:00

I'd like to introduce you to our newest, cutest niece lil miss Georgia Olive. I love her and she loves me. We are best friends and I know that she misses me terribly... probably not as much as I miss her though. She's a little angel baby and rarely peeped a sound and fell asleep in seconds. She filled my baby cravings within the first day of meeting her but now only makes me want my own little one even more!!

Deep Cove

2011-09-15T23:11:00.000-07:00

We just got done with a lovely 11 hour drive, and we are now in Alberta!! We are enjoying time with family and friends and sooner than we know we will be back in the states.
These photos were from our time at Deep Cove with Landon's Uncle's cabin. He picked us up on his boat and drove us out to his own little oasis cabin. We hiked, enjoyed the sun, and caught CRABS!!! This was our first time catching crabs and we were so anxious when we were pulling up the trap... hoping that there was at least one crab... and we caught four! It made our day and we enjoyed a nice crab lunch the next day.

Zip Lining in Whistler

2011-09-09T22:00:00.000-07:00

A few days ago we went zip lining up in Whistler! This was such an awesome experience and we had lots of fun up in the beautiful trees. We are so grateful for Mckay and his extreme spoiling to us. We are treated like kings & queens up here, thanks Mckay and Julianne!

House of Dosas

2011-09-09T12:28:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things about Vancouver is all of the culture that is here. Last time we were down Mckay, Landon's brother, took us to all of his favorite restaurants which in turn now have become all of my favorite places to eat, this place in particular. House of Dosas is Southern Indian cuisine that I crave all the time! They're known for their dosas which are similar to crepes but made of rice flour. They fill them with various stuffings that are so flavorful. I've always been interested in the Indian culture and eating this food makes me want to go to India even more!

A Little Bit of Whimsy

2011-09-06T02:22:00.000-07:00

Now that I've given these two little ladies away, I thought I'd share with you all what I worked on before our trip up to Canada. Landon's brother's family had a new baby girl and we also have good friends that will be having their first girl at the end of this year. I was super excited to go shopping in all the cute baby stores and Landon had to end up refraining me from buying everything there... seriously all those cute stylish baby clothes melt my heart! We ended up with an outfit for each girl and I still felt like I needed to add in something a little more special. So two nights before we left my crafty sister suggested some ideas and I decided to sew these dolls up! I had so much fun making them and they kept me busy until the very last second we left. I became a bit attached and secretly named them Vera & Candy. Vera is the green armed gal and Candy is the pretty one in pink.

Farmers Market

2011-09-03T21:06:00.000-07:00

Simply said, Canada has the best produce.

Beach Time in Van

2011-09-02T20:36:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun at the beach in Vancouver. We met up with the boys and enjoyed some time in the sun. Surprisingly this was the first time at the beach for Landon & I this year because of our overly busy summer we've had. We spent it well building sandcastles, tanning in the sun and playing with cutie baby Georgia of course, isn't she a doll?

Morning Stories

2011-08-27T22:00:00.000-07:00

It feels good to be in Canada! Landon hasn't seen his family in almost a year due to America's amazing immigration system. He is so happy here and I love seeing him like this. We are soaking up cute baby Georgia and trying to keep up with Mr. Banyan. One morning Banyan politely asked us if he could come in our room. When we told him yes he came in and cuddled right in between us with a book in hand. We gladly read him the book + another 4 and it was a fun way to spend our morning. Landon and Banyan were just so cute together I couldn't resist in taking a few photos.

Seattle

2011-08-27T13:00:00.000-07:00

Okay so we've been in Vancouver, B.C for a few days now and I'm ready to post some cute cute photos of our sweet nephew and niece but I have to finish off our road trip so here is Seattle in a day. We went to Steamers for Fish n Chips, visited the infamous gum wall, and enjoyed a stroll through Pikes Market.

Voo Doo Donuts

2011-08-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

Our good friends Jon & Jennelle just barely moved to Portland so it was perfect for us to stop by and visit! They were such great hosts and it felt like heaven to finally shower and sleep under a roof. We spent all Sunday night with them and enjoyed Voo Doo Donuts Monday morning. Voo Doo Donuts has been all over Food Network and they were such a treat! They had such funky flavors there that it was fun to choose a few donuts to try. My favorite was the Memphis Mania, a banana fritter topped with chocolate, peanut butter, and chocolate chips. We were completely sugared out by the end of it and tried to balance it out with fresh fruit from the farmers market just around the corner. Thanks so much Jon & Jennelle, Portland was so awesome and we will definitely be back for another visit!!

Oregon Coast

2011-08-25T21:00:00.000-07:00

This was the first time I've ever been in Oregon and to my surprise the highways reminded me a lot of Canada. After driving for a few hours we decided to get out and stretch our legs. We ran down to the empty, fogged over coast and chased each other in the sand. It was honestly one of the funnest times of the trip so far. I felt like a child again, so free.

Avenue of the Giants

2011-08-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

Yikes I've been a blogging maniac! But I'll share a little secret... I had a night of resting through all this road tripping and wanted to catch up before I'm too overwhelmed so I edited all these photos in one night and pre-scheduled all these posts! This is my journal and I want to make sure I get everything documented!!

Anyways, these photos were from our drive through The Avenue of the Giants along the 101 Highway. The roads were surrounded by the biggest redwoods and it was just the prettiest drive I've ever been on. Every 2 miles we would get out, take photos, and jump back in for more cruising. Some of the trees were so close to the road that I felt like I could literally touch them with my fingertips while we were driving. Landon and I decided that we would definitely visit back on his motorcycle next time!

Camping

2011-08-24T09:00:00.000-07:00

After our time in San Fran, we really had no other plans until Portland. We made up our route as we went and were hoping that each night we would find somewhere to sleep. Our first night we barely found a camping site in time before it was dark. It was in the middle of the Redwoods and the only thing to buy for our dinner was frozen pizza pockets. We covered them in foil and threw them in the fire. We were feeling especially lucky that night.... and our pizza pockets burned, yes black and hard as rocks. We had no other choice but to eat them.

So you would think we learned from the night before... it was starting to get dark, we were worn out and tired from driving for 6 hours and we had no clue where we were sleeping. Every camping site we stopped at was full and the word on the street was that they all were. As we started to lose all hope, the last camping site we found had some openings. We were still out in the middle of no where and had no food but leftovers from lunch.

So needless to say, camping was an adventure and looking back at it, I would of had it no other way. We had so much fun with no food, being stinky from old clothes, and not knowing where we were sleeping or for that matter where we were going each night. These photos we took were from our first night camping. We went out the next morning for a hike and we came across heart shaped rocks, wild billy bops (the infamous wedding flower, including my own), and being silly.

Ps. Landon was purposely posing like that in the black & white photo and the last tree shown is 1800 years old!!

China Town

2011-08-23T22:39:00.000-07:00

The second day we were in San Fran I wanted to go to the Chinese market. I was looking forward to buying Chinese fruits and sweets BUT we sadly ran out of time, we had thirty minutes to find something to eat and then run 15 blocks... yes 15 BLOCKS for our Alcatraz Tour. By the time we got dropped off by our bus we were running through China town in search for a restaurant. We thankfully found a delicious Vietnamese restaurant, got our food to go, and ran ran ran. I snapped these photos while running (& sweating) and sadly didn't get to stop by the local Chinese markets.

Bay Cruise

2011-08-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

The first day we arrived in San Francisco we enjoyed a bay cruise and went along side the Alcatraz Island and went underneath the Golden Gate Bridge. It was a very very windy, cold little trip but such a fun experience!

San Francisco

2011-08-22T16:30:00.000-07:00

We came and went through San Fran, spent a few days camping, we just got through Portland, and are here in Seattle for a few days! It's raining and perfect weather to relax and BLOG!

San Francisco was oh so fun and I have lots of photos to share, these photos show all the pretty architecture that I fell in love with while I was there. The Victorian houses are so dreamy and I wouldn't mind living there one bit.

Chowder

2011-08-18T22:39:00.000-07:00

We are in San Francisco today! This week we are slowly making our way up to Canada and decided to make the road trip fun and drive up the west coast. Landon's brother is in the tourism business and he always treats us extra special while we are in Canada and to my surprise he even treated us while here in San Fran without even being here! He worked his magic and we went on a bus tour around the city as well as a boat ride through San Francisco Bay. We have a full day tomorrow and I'm so excited to eat more delicious chowder and seafood tomorrow. Clam chowder and bread bowls are one of my most favorite things and having it fresh from the pier was such a little treat today.

2011-08-17T22:41:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday my brother, his wife, Landon and I went down to Laguna Beach for The Pageant of the Masters. It happens every year and is only open for less than a month. It is a show involving well-known famous paintings using REAL PEOPLE. It's really hard to explain but if you've never heard of it you should google it, definitely something everyone should see. Before the show we walked downtown and ate dinner with an ocean view and then finished it off with the best ice cream in town. My brother and his wife bought us these tickets for graduation and we just wanted to say a big thank you to them! We weren't allowed to take photos inside the art displays or during the show or else I would have lots more! :)

2011-08-16T03:17:00.001-07:00

Today, or since it is technically 3AM, yesterday August 15th was my birthday. I turned the BIG 22! Landon and I spent the day at a spa resort basking in the sun, soaking in mud baths, and swimming until our toes were prunes (complimentary of my sweet sister Katie.) I had a lot of time to reflect on this past year and how good it has been to me. I feel so completely blessed and that's why I am taking this quiet time (in the wee morning) to record it all.

Within this past year I have:

Gotten engaged
Gotten married
Started up my own business
Graduated with my bachelors degree
Been published in a magazine

I feel so blessed to be where I am today and feel exceptionally blessed to of found Landon. Each day just keeps getting better and I wonder how I got so lucky to of found him. And an extra special person in my life is my mother, everything that I am is because of her. She has shaped and supported me into who I am today, and I just wanted to give a very special thanks to her.

21 was so good to me but I have a feeling 22 will be even better!

2011-08-13T11:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I took senior high school photos at Redlands University. I had never been there and didn't know how much beauty and character was there! We had a very fun time and it was a perfect place to take photos. I will definitely keep Redlands in mind when it comes to photo shoots again! Thanks Stephanie and Chelsea!

2011-08-11T10:37:00.000-07:00

My family started a garden at my mother's house and while I was last down in June all of the plants were just baby sprouts. Now we are getting tons and tons of fresh vegetables. While we were there Sunday we gathered all of these tomatoes and my sister said she just got another 19 yesterday! I have in mind tasty paninis, homemade salsa, and the infamous tomato sandwich... YUM!

2011-08-11T10:00:00.000-07:00

Half of our time in Boise was spent eating food, Japanese food to be exact. We ate Japanese food everyday and our tummies were happy all the time. This specific place was Kyoto Steak House that cooked our lunch in front of us. The extra plus to Kyoto was the huge Indian/Nepal market next door. After lunch, we walked around the market and bought the most delicious mango drink that I crave everyday, along with a variety of sweets. They were very tasty and got me all excited to go traveling!

2011-08-10T10:00:00.000-07:00

I've always wanted a greenhouse full of beautiful butterflies and dragonflies. I'm not sure if that will ever happen but I like to dream. And until then, every little beauty I see flying outside makes my day a better one.

2011-08-09T13:00:00.000-07:00

While we were in Boise, Landon and I spent a day of walking around town and enjoying the summer sun. We came across the cutest cafe that once used to be a church. With stained glass windows, velvet couches, and paintings all over, I could of spent every weekend there.

2011-08-08T21:32:00.000-07:00

What summer is all about.

2011-08-05T08:10:00.000-07:00

I have several more posts to do of our time in Boise but until then we will be driving down to California. I will be driving our monster truck packed high to the sky and Landon will be driving down his motorcycle... 14 hours worth. I don't understand how Landon will be able to ride for that long but I guess that's where his passion for bikes come in. It will be a lonely drive for the both of us, we're so used to being in one car together, but it will be very worth it once we see our cute baby niece and nephews!

So until then, I have more cleaning, packing, and uh stressing to do.

2011-08-04T00:36:00.000-07:00

We are back from Boise and things went great! Landon is one step closer to being a permanent resident of the United States. For those of you that asked, Landon is still keeping his Canadian citizenship too, his heart will always be with Canada... and with me for that matter!

Anyways, before we left for our 4.5 hour road trip we stopped by the community garden at school... and by community garden I mean school garden for agriculture students where the delicious fruits grow, get ripe, and then fall on the ground and are gone to waste. Maybe we aren't really supposed to be up here eating all of these but as Landon likes to say, "we are fulfilling the raspberries destiny," eating and enjoying them in our happy tummies. We got a nice bowl full as you can see and it was perfect for the long drive of endless sitting.

2011-07-31T01:43:00.000-07:00

This was one of our last days here in Rexburg. Started out at the new water park here, then went to have a campfire to enjoy the most delicious tin foil dinners ever... seriously I'm craving 5 of them right now, and we then finished the day off with lots and lots of smores... my favorite.

Tomorrow we are off to Boise to make Landon a US citizen! It's pretty much just like the movie The Proposal, we have stacks of evidence [pictures, bills, certificates] to prove that we are really in love and married. Should be interesting...

2011-07-29T02:06:00.000-07:00

This is how I feel right now.

This is what I did all night + charcoal portraits... till 3:30AM

This is what our house looked like yesterday

And this is what it looks like now.

Although it's not spotless, I'm quite proud of myself tonight. The walls are bare and the holes are patched. My clutter is somewhat organized in tubs and I'm tired yet wide awake... how does that work? Oh yeah maybe it's because Landon is gone for the night and I'd much rather stay up all night than go to sleep alone.

He is taking the MCAT bright and early tomorrow in a neighboring town an hour+ away. To give me company and to keep me sane I skyped with my family for about 2 hours today and 3.5 hours tonight. Yeah sounds pretty ridiculous, but I have to sit on my butt for hours drawing anyways, so why can't I talk to these cutie babies while I'm doing it!

Nathaniel fresh out of the bath.

Yes, very crazy horrible quality, but I feel like you can still see and feel his abundance of cuteness through all the grain & blurriness.

And only because I'm utterly obsessed with these two cuties I had to post this photo. After sharing a bag of M&Ms, Savi and Brady wanted to go to sleep with grammy. They fell asleep opposite sides of the bed and an hour later my sister found them like this. Sleeping very close, arms wide open, with chocolate mustaches. This makes me want to be a kid all over again.

2011-07-27T09:04:00.000-07:00

I took a little breather in between finals week and took some photos of Alexa. She was my very first roommate of college. We would listen to music, oil paint sitting on our floor, and sweat. Sweat you ask? Yes we were in Freshman Academy, July-August, the dead heat of summer in Rexburg. Every night when we were laying in bed we always felt like our room was unusually hotter than the rest of the house, but we would carry on each day and night sweating profusely all the time. So to make the story short, school ended, Alexa already left town and I had one more night left in my hot sweaty room. My other roommate decided to keep me company and laid across Alexa's bed and felt the HEATER ON! We looked at the thermostat and sure enough, we had been living in a 85°-90° room all summer long. I was going to share an old photo or two but realized I was shiny and sweaty in every photo so that quickly was out of the question.

It was nice to catch up with Alexa one last time before Landon & I leave Rexburg forever. I found out that she now teaches at Paul Mitchell Academy!! ... which explains her awesome hair.

Thanks Alexa! Hope all goes well with life!

2011-07-24T15:51:00.000-07:00

My mother, brother and his wife all came up to celebrate our graduation with us.

We enjoyed good food and company all weekend and especially enjoyed graduating from college!

I graduated with a degree in Integrated Studio Arts and minored in Photography & Psychology... if I wasn't into art I would of most definitely went into the Psychology field with hopes of working in a mental institution doing interesting things of that sort.

And can I brag for a quick moment? Landon graduated in the Top 5% of our 1,466 class of graduates!! YIKES! He majored in Biology with a Chemistry minor... uh just standing back and comparing our degrees... I should of graduated in the Top 5% being an Art major!! Just kidding, he is full of brains, drive, and hard work, all things that I may or may not be lacking. But I am extremely proud of him and he deserves the world. Sadly enough, graduation wasn't as much of a celebration for him. He will be taking the MCAT the end of this week so it's more studying for him and lots of lonely hours for me!

**Props to my brother for being the photographer of that day. It was the first time he got to use my big ole camera and I'd say he did pretty darn well! Thanks Andrew!

2011-07-22T22:35:00.000-07:00

Hip Hip Hooray! Today was the day, we graduated side by side! I'll be packing up some things tonight and saying farewell to my family tomorrow. We have 2 more weeks here in Idaho and then we're off!

2011-07-20T18:47:00.000-07:00

>>>>>These are scans of my Holga film from this shoot I did awhile ago with Karena.

Holgas are perfect for double or triple exposures and I obviously had some fun with it.

2011-07-19T18:40:00.000-07:00

>>>I usually don't post photos like this BUT because it's finals week and I finish school FOREVER tomorrow I'm allowing myself to. These are two photos that make my heart happy and distract me from my 3 projects I have to do tonight.

The first photo is my baby nephew, Austin. My sister is going to the Bahamas this Saturday and that lucky baby boy gets to join along, hence his passport photo. It makes me laugh everytime I look at it, he is such a little man with his serious face and striped polo. Who knew that babies that young had to get passports?

And secondly, the monkey evolution photo is from Landon's presentation he is giving in his evolution class tomorrow. He is funny and I enjoy encouraging him, so I spiced up the photo a bit. The photo of him was taken after his 3 months of backpacking in Southeast Asia, he grew the biggest beard and took that silly photo in the process of cutting it. I think his evolution class will enjoy the nice surprise during the monotonous biology presentations.

As I said above, the rest of the night is dedicated to projects:

1. Create & Design art movement timeline + descriptions of each, then print it.

2. Create website for my English class.

3. Create an ancient art presentation for my Anthropology class.

Then I'm done forever and am a full-time employee to myself creating more art! Yay!

2011-07-18T09:49:00.000-07:00

Here's a full version of the art party that was in the KINFOLK magazine. I'd like to call it Charcoal & Cheese, charcoal being one of my favorite things in this world and cheese being one of Landon's favorite things, two happy campers = one awesome party. We first started out with cheese, thinly sliced meats [my absolute fav.], garlic-y baguettes, salty olives and two types of rich grape juices.

After our stomachs were happy, we got our hands on the charcoal. I had planned themes for each series we drew so that we all weren't just sitting there staring blank at each other saying, "what should I draw?" Some of the series that we drew were: our own version of a tree, the progression of a cat catching a fish and then eating the fish, and portraits of each other without lifting up our piece of charcoal [the technical term being Contour Drawing.]

We all had our own styles and it was fun and funny to see what each other came up with. I practically laughed the whole time watching Landon and his intense drawing face. I could literally see the wheels turning in that head of his... I loved it and definitely want to do this again! I even have some of Landon's charcoals framed and hung up on our wall, yay for art parties!

2011-07-15T12:30:00.000-07:00

>>> I received the prettiest little package a few days ago... the infamous KINFOLK magazine printed to perfection. I am beyond impressed with the final product and feel so grateful to be a part of something so great. Today the first issue of KINFOLK was released with an online version of the magazine but I would highly recommend ordering a printed copy here. The whole magazine is a piece of art itself and continually keep flipping through it.

Go here to look through the magazine.

Thanks Nathan and everyone else involved!

2011-07-14T14:26:00.000-07:00

Currently, our house is an art gallery. I didn't realize how everything has just seemed to accumulate within this week. We've been having people interested in our place that have stopped by to take a quick tour, and the first thing they say is... who's the art major? We have stacks of photos on our floor, portraits laid out ready to be sprayed & shipped off, and pots strategically placed, almost as a puzzle, to fit on our table... I don't even want to imagine if our house was to catch fire...

As Landon & I are figuring out how we're going to fit our couch + bed + bookshelves + everything else in our truck, I'm just more worried and kind of curious how we're going to get all these delicate pieces down to CA? With 4 years of art projects that can't be crinkled and 50+ of Landon's fragile pots that are so dear to my heart... I'm a little stressed.

And half tempted to just buy another car just for art. ;)

2011-07-13T16:54:00.000-07:00

Oh hey, it's really happening. ~~I'm~~ We're graduating. Together. Hand in hand. Husband and Wife. Best friends.
For some reason I always felt like I would graduate and not be married, move to New York, live my dream and somehow find my prince charming. But this whole marriage thing that jumped out at me, is more than I could ask for. I feel blessed that Landon and I found each other here and that we can graduate together and start
our life after college together.
But to be honest, it doesn't really feel real yet, it still hasn't hit me that in 8.5 days I will be done with school. Done as in done FOREVER! No more early mornings, no more tests, no more busy work, no more homework, no more school! It's gone by so fast and I always imagined myself being all old and adult-like, but instead I'm still this little happy child watching life pass by me oh so quickly.

2011-07-12T08:50:00.000-07:00

Today is my drawing day. I slept in through my first & only class [I'm graduating in 10 days, so it's alright] and now I plan to do the 5 charcoal

portraits I should of had done months ago. It's been so hard to find the time with school, graduating, med. school, immigration papers,

etc etc etc. But today I'm determined to get them done! And I thought I'd share why I'm so determined... because of this playlist I made

this morning. When I'm getting ready to be in the same chair all day long in front of the computer with charcoal in my hands, good

music is what keeps me going.

2011-07-11T09:20:00.000-07:00

Austin - He's the older babe, two month to be exact, always smiling

Nathaniel- He's the chubbier one, the future wrestler in my opinion- heavy weight.

Savanna- She's the girly-girl, big bows and curly hair... my kind of girl.

Brady- Always has the little boy part in his hair, which I love and can't wait to do to my own boys!

We are back to the California pictures! I took these my last day home, well because I always have to take photos of my babies! They take up

half of my heart while Landon takes the other. Although they are oh so precious, it was a challenge taking these. 4 children under the age

of 3 in 90 degree heat. I was sweating and the kids were rolling like little caterpillars all over the place. In less than a month we will be moved

and living in CA with these babies. They are lucky and so am I!

2011-07-10T13:01:00.000-07:00

We were feeling exceptionally Idahoan this past Friday. All we needed were some cowboy hats + boots and we would of been set! We drove out to Mountain River Ranch where one of Landon's school buddies and a friend from church were performing. First they started out with a mini-play with guns, cowboys, and pretty girls in prairie dresses. After that, horses pulling carriages came to pick everyone up to take us out to the Meadow Muffin barn. There we were fed steak, chicken, potatoes, corn + some huckleberry ice-cream to finish us off. After we were done eating we were entertained by live Western Country and Bluegrass music. It was a perfect farewell for one of our last weekends here in Idaho. Yee-Haw!

2011-07-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

In my opinion, I'm one lucky little lady. I've got Landon and I consider myself lucky for the rest of my life... or just blessed. Yesterday I came

home for lunch and found this set-up with a candle lit. Oh was it my birthday? Nope. Oh it was our anniversary? Nope. Landon is just the best

and surprised me with a handmade cake stand that I've been wanting oh so badly. Best part about it was that he made it himself. And he

kindly got my favorite color card + flowers to jazz it up a bit. Now I'm going to have to bake a nice pretty cake for this pretty piece.

I've now commissioned him a few more cake stands... they will just have to wait until we buy our own wheel and kiln! Yikes, I want this year

to fast forward to next year, so we can settle down in our own little home and get started on our 'life' together.

2011-07-08T08:00:00.001-07:00

So I've been meaning to post this for awhile now but I'm so happy to have the opportunity to contribute to this new project starting up!!

Maybe most of you have already heard about this on LA Weekly or The Scout or probably more likely on Hearblack's site.

This new project is called KINFOLK, a guide for small gatherings. Nathan of Hearblack asked me a few some months ago if I would

contribute and I was beyond thrilled to work on a project with him + some of the most amazing artists out there.

Take a look at the new Promo Video here and count down the days until July 15th! [ 7 more days!]

PS- Go 'like' Kinfolk on Facebook and get all the updates!

2011-07-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

All I really have to say is this lady right here belongs in a magazine... or every fashion magazine in that matter. This is Taylor and has

become my new favorite person to photograph... if only I had more time to take photos!! For my next assignment in advanced film

is darkroom manipulations, like doing photoshop manually-by hand-in the darkroom. I took a few rolls of her and have been working

on them in the darkroom all this week and love them!

Thanks Taylor for modeling and workin' it in front of the camera every time!

2011-07-06T08:40:00.000-07:00

Our July 4th consisted of: riding down to Idaho Falls on the motorcycle helmet and all, buying spicy Mexican roasted corn,

watching Landon inhale the Mexican corn, watching Landon finish off my Mexican corn... uh can you tell that Landon loves

Mexican corn? We sat on goose benches, walked downtown and sweat off everything we ate, had a taste of teriyaki bowls,

laid in the grass, had ants crawl all over our bodies, splurged on a funnel cake, watched little kids eat cotton candy, bought

a cotton candy bigger than our head, tried eating the cotton candy, got sugared out, and then shared our cotton candy with

friends.

We drove home before the fireworks because well, we wanted to. I guess we weren't the most patriotic this year but we

have reason not to be... Landon isn't an official American citizen yet. We got our Immigration interview for August so

maybe next year we will wear more red, white, & blue and spend the night watching fireworks.