Under the Canvas Sky

new blog!

2009-06-24T02:01:00.000-05:00

Hi friends!

Come see my new blog!

www.carolinejoyblog.com

I'm so excited! Head on over!

The big question: Will I still be blogging on this lovely, more personal blog? The answer: Yes...sort of. :) I'm keeping it open, because there are too many happy times chronicled here. I'm going to try to keep updating as well. It may not be very often, but I'll try!

So head on over and bookmark the new blog! :)

Hello March!

2009-03-13T00:03:00.002-05:00

Despite this wet, cold weather on {SPRING BREAK}, today was simply a wonderful day! First of all, I had an appointment at the day spa. We'll just call it the day spa so that you'll be thinking I went and got something fancy like a facial (when I actually went to get my eyebrows waxed...oops!). Then I went up to the coffee shop where my roommate works. You might think that since we're roommates that we see each other all the time. Not the case, my friend, not the case. We are both so busy and on different schedules that this was the first time in a long time that we have just gotten to chill out together. It was so relaxing to be cozy inside with a hot coffee when it's so bitter and cold outside. :) After that, I got to eat lunch with my mom! Yum! Finally, I got to go hang out with one of my clients/friends for a little while. Yay! All in all, a superb day.

P.S. I got this new devotional book called "The 52 Greatest Stories of the Bible." It's so great! Instead of just being a devotional book with random inspirational thoughts, it takes you in depth in a Bible story each week. I love it! Check it out!

Is she still alive? Yes! :)

2009-03-09T02:25:00.002-05:00

Here I sit, typing away at the computer when I should be sleeping. 2:30 AM and I just can't coax myself to go to bed. It is, after all, Spring Break. And why not blog? I haven't blogged in over a month! 2:30 AM is as good a time to catch up as any. :)

Well, a quick update: I've been student teaching this semester and I'm finally finished with my first assignment! YAY! Quite honestly, it has not been the great experience I was expecting. I'm not sure if teaching is what I want to do...at least not right now. Maybe later on down the road. Anyway, it's been a really difficult semester (understatement!), full of unexpected changes and "growing up." I'm so thankful for Spring Break! :) Although, the semester has been not so good, I'm looking forward to my next assignment--Kindergarten! I think it will be fun...in an exhausting sort of way. :)

My heart is really wishing it was summer though, so that I can live the dream--Wedding Photography 09! Come on May! Many, many things will change too, but I'm so ready. I'm even open to moving to a new city. We'll see.

Well, right now I'm enjoying a lovely short trip to Dallas. Tomorow I get to go to Anthropologie! :)

Thanks for bearing with me and my lack of blog posts (and lack of deep or very heartfelt blog posts). Stages of life are interesting and I'm just in a new one, so it's taking some getting used to.

Heart, heart, heart.

2009-01-29T22:26:00.003-06:00

Hi all! Well, I hope you love Valentine's day just as much as I do because I am not ashamed to have a cheesy Valentine's blog background! :) I'm so excited about getting to be in an elementary class during V-Day, because we'll get to do the whole Valentine's Post Office thing! I am most definitely making Valentines for all my kiddos! I simply adore Valentine's Day. I don't know why. It's not that I love the super romantic take-you-on-a-fancy-date-just-to-impress-you kind of thing...I just love all the cute stuff at Target! And apparently I buy lots of it too! :) Leave a comment if you do too! :)

Anyway, I just realized that 2009 begins my THIRD YEAR of blogging! WHOA! I can't believe I've been blogging that long! I remember when I first started! Crazy. Well wahoo!

Brrr...

2009-01-27T22:45:00.002-06:00

Today was freezing AND we had a teensy bit of "precipitation." You know what that means! The whole town shut down! I love living in a town that freaks out about a little cold weather and uses any excuse to pull out fancy titles such as "Ice Storm 2004." So, today I reaped the wonderful benefits of that--school was closed! Which meant I got to sleep in, spend a wonderful morning sitting around in my PJs, and then finally got to catch up on some of my lesson plans in the afternoon. Throw in a little fun with friends at the end of the day and YAY! I needed this oh-so-lovely day! It was like a mini vacation.

Well speaking of mini vacations, sorry I haven't been on the blog-o-sphere for a few weeks! Lots of things have been going on though! The biggest thing is that I started Student Teaching! It's wonderful! My mentor teacher is simply amazing and her teaching style is similar to mine/what I aspire to, so it's very easy to mesh in and work with her class. My only complaint about student teaching is that I hate having to go to bed so early! :) I miss being a night owl.

Weddings on the weekends have been a little draining, and my last one until May is this coming weekend! I'm so glad I made the wise decision of not taking any more weddings until I graduated. I'm not sure if I could have handled it all! But come May, I'm booked with weddings for almost every weekend until the end of August! I'm so thrilled and blessed. It's going to be busy, and I just can't wait!

Let's see what else is new? Well I don't want to bore you to death with in-depth musings. Life is good. I've been re-reading the Christy Miller college series (Cherith, that's for you!) and they are like my little escape after a day full of crazy kiddos. Want some good music? My new favs are Brooke Fraser's album Albertine, Taylor Swift's new CD Fearless, Sufjan Steven's Michigan album, and Coldplay's Viva la Vida!

Well it's bed time for me! G'night!

A slice of Happiness.

2008-12-30T16:52:00.002-06:00

The days after Christmas were just as sweet as the days before! My family took off to Dallas on the 26th to spend time with my brother and sister-in-law. It was such a great time! My parents and I stayed at the Gaylord Texan (Hey guys, let's go Gaylording!) which was so much fun! I get a kick out of staying in fancy hotels! The whole place was decked out for Christmas! I love Christmas. :)

So the whole trip was filled with good times with the fam including Christmas Dinner, Christmas light looking, and shopping (I bought a coat and a swimsuit in one day. Yes, weird.). The last day, I split with the fam to go shoot a wedding in Ft. Worth. It was a crazy fast paced day, but the wedding was beautiful! I've started editing the photos and they are awesome! Have a look on Facebook...I've uploaded some new ones!

This day before New Years eve, I'm at Starbucks, editing all my dear little photos. I've also found a new respect and love for Coldplay. I've never been too much into them, but now I am! Their short album Prospekt's March is rocking my world!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

2008-12-25T23:23:00.000-06:00

What a happy day! I just love Christmas. I hope yours was wonderful.

So today ends the Christmas Countdown! :) I woke up and had a feast of cinnamon rolls (my fam always gets Grandy's cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning) that were delicious. Then we got ready for the "Casey Christmas 2008." Every year, my grandparents have ALLL of us Casey kids, cousins, aunts, uncles, grand kids, great grand kids, and such over for Christmas dinner and a pick-steal Christmas present thing. You know, commonly called Yankee swap, Chinese Christmas, Dirty Christmas...it seems like every person I meet has a different name for it. Where did all these names come from? Anyway...

Last year we had the Casey Christmas at Prime Time, a local family fun center. This year we did the same thing. The exciting thing here is that Prime Time is closed Christmas day, meaning the whole huge Casey side of the family gets the place to ourselves (yes, we have connections). Free games, free bowling, free drinks, free go-karts, free lazer tag, free putt-putt, free pool. Yeah, it's AWESOME! So we got there about lunch time, ate, stole presents from each other (I ended up with a Chick-fil-a gift card--yeah!), and then PLAYED GAMES! Man. So fun. It really brings the family together too. :)

After being gamed out, six or so hours later, we left, smiling, and headed home where I got to spend some time with my lovely best friend, Emily! It was so great to see her! We exchanged Christmas gifts, and then just caught up! Emily is so special to me...we've actually been friends since we were born! Literally, and even though we don't live in the same town anymore, we still keep up and make time to visit! That kind of friendship is priceless to me, and I don't know many people who have a friend like that. I'm so blessed! :)

Merry Christmas Day! :)

The Christmas Eve of Christmas Countdown 2 0 0 8!

2008-12-24T23:50:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas Eve friends!

This day was just all around wonderful! Let me share the ingredients of this wonderful day with you:

1/2 tsp Sleep til Noon

3 tsp Wrap more Christmas presents!

1 cup Hang out with Scott and give him his kick-tush Christmas present (a Sufjan Stevens VINYL record!)

2/3 cup Beltway Christmas Eve Candlelight Service (simply beautiful)

1 gal Open Christmas presents with the fam!!

Keep reading if you want the long version, otherwise Merry Christmas Eve! :)

Yay! It was such a wonderful day! I did sleep til noon, but that was because I stayed up til 4 AM the night before editing photos and re-fabulous-ifying my website! Go look! New logo, new pictures...I'm so proud! Anyway, when I did wake up, I hung out around the house with my mom, wrapping presents, drinking coffee, and enjoying the day. Scott got off work early and so he came over and I gave him his awesome Christmas present-- a Sufjan Stevens Vinyl record! It was awesome and he loved it! :) Then we ran around town and met with huge success as we tried to get his costume for his family Christmas (they all dress up at Christmas for a family picture...different? yeah, but definitely funny!).

Later that night, my parents and I went to Beltway's Christmas Eve candlelight service. It was such a beautiful time, I hardly feel like trying to describe it because I know I just won't do the sweet time justice. Let me just say, the Lord spoke His love over me...and it was such a gift! There are a few song lines that we sang tonight that have just been so powerful to me:

(from Amazing Grace)

Twas grace that taught my heart to fear

And grace my fears relieved

How precious did that grace appear

The hour I first believed.

I really understand those first two lyrics now...I've lived them. As I sang them, the truth of grace was so powerful and undeniable. Grace is a beautiful mystery!

As we left the service and headed home, my family and I were so content and joyful. It was lovely! A little later, my brother and sister-in-law came over and we opened Christmas presents! Oh how fun! I LOVED the gifts that I got everyone this year, and it was so fun to watch them open their presents! I, as well, received so many cool gifts from them, including a vintage camera, an owl lamp, and a necklace from Anthropologie! :)

To top it off, right now I'm listening to Amy Grant's Home For Christmas album (which I grew up listening/dancing to). Hearing those familiar songs and thinking back on the blessed memories attached to the songs just brings joy to my heart. Check out the songs "Emmanuel God with Us" and "O Come All Ye Faithful." They are a couple of my favorites.

Anyway, I'm also glad to say that I totally love my hair now! :) And I'll be posting pictures of it soon, so don't worry! :)

Merry Christmas Eve! God is with us!

Christmas Countdown! The Short Version of 2 Days Away!

2008-12-23T23:18:00.000-06:00

It is SO late...so here's the short version (like my hair now ha!).

Christmas-y things: Tonight my family and I drove around a looked at Christmas lights! Yay! Then we came home and ate a lovely dinner and watched the Polar Express!

Told you it would be short! :)

P.S. The total hair changing process is now finished! Today I went back to get some high and low lights put in. It looks awesome! I'm getting much more used to my short hair, and am liking it!

Merry Christmas!

3 Days Left! Christmas Countdown 2 0 0 8

2008-12-22T13:29:00.000-06:00

I drove home late tonight with the most gorgeous night sky as my companion. It was simply breathtaking with the dark blues contrasting the swiftly moving grey clouds. The moon lit it all up, causing the sky to take on a much more ethereal mood. This lovely sight was relieving to take in; Today was a day of massive change. I don't really feel the need to explain it all in great detail, but a while ago I decided to cut my hair and give it to Locks of Love, and today I actually went through with the plan. Maybe it sounds like no big deal, but it was to me personally.

10 inches. TEN inches. Ten inches. 10.

I cut off ten inches. Going to the beauty shop on this blustery winter day with my mom and sharing the excitement and thrill was an absolute blast! So much fun! I loved the experience and I loved how my hair turned out. But of course, it's going to take some getting used to, and that's been sort of difficult. I keep exclaiming to myself, "I can't believe you cut off all your hair!" Crazy. But I'm glad I did it. It's such a great feeling knowing that my hair will be used to make someone's life a little brighter. :) :) Let's just hope I get used to my short hair quickly!

Anyway, on to the Christmas-y thing of today! I initiated Scott into my Christmas tradition by making him watch "Fay's 12 Days of Christmas" with me! Oh I just knew a guy with his kind of humor would really appreciate that video, and he did! :)

Merry Christmas!

Countdown to Christmas! 4 Days Out...

2008-12-21T23:43:00.002-06:00

The Christmas-y things that I did today were:

(a) enjoyed a lovely Sunday morning where we turned our focus to the sweet, beautiful, sacred truth about Christmas. It all comes down to four words: God is with us. :)

(b) bought my own Christmas wrapping for the first time and wrapped all my Christmas gifts! So fun! I love wrapping paper...no cop-out gift bags for me! :) Usually I just use my parent's wrapping, but this time I wanted to leave my own personal style on my gifts! I'm a nerd, I know :)

Merry Christmas in 4 days!

The Countdown to Christmtas! 5 Days to Go!

2008-12-20T23:26:00.000-06:00

Thursday and Friday I was engulfed in Wedding World shooting the amazing Lauren Yeater and Klint Bratcher's wedding (It was awesome!!). So when I woke up on Saturday morning, I was so shocked when I looked at my phone and it said December 20th! Christmas only 5 days away?! It totally snuck up on me, so I decided I was going to enjoy the pants off this week! Each day I'm going to do something to celebrate/focus on beautiful Christmas and what it means (and you'll get to read about it because I'm going to blog about it!).

So today, I enjoyed this wonderful season with my family. Scott and I met up with my parents, brother, and sister-in-law to watch "It's a Wonderful Life" at the Historic Paramount Theatre! We even dressed up! Even though I've seen that movie many times, I was so into it! What a great movie and message. :) Afterwards, we went to my parent's house to eat homemade apple dumplings and hang out. It was so great to spend time with them!

Merry Christmas!

It's about time for another update...December-style!

2008-12-16T01:27:00.003-06:00

Wearing: New clothes! Exciting story (and huge blessing): I spontaneously drove to Ft. Worth a couple of days ago to shop for student teaching clothes!! I've never gone shopping like that before! My parents blessed my socks off by giving me some money to buy new "professional" clothes for student teaching. Thanks Mum & Dad!! :) :)

Listening to: The Best of Bardot by Brigitte Bardot. "If you are a happy person don't pass up this gem" said an iTunes review. Hm...I'm a happy person...and they were totally right. I love it! Warning: It's French Pop. Yikes, I feel lame for even writing that. But it is very happy music! I find this strange enjoyment from listening to music in other languages :)

Looking at: Our glowing Christmas tree.

Just finished eating: A candy cane off of said Christmas tree.

Watching: The Jon and Kate Plus 8 winter episodes! I have gotten shamelessly into that show! But don't judge...it has really spoken to me and refreshed my perspective on life.

Happy about: Living in Texas (random?), feeling cozy in my apartment even when it's freezing outside, and a delightful Christmas break.

Not Happy about: a Dentist appointment in the morning, and knowing that I have no cereal or milk for breakfast in the morning.

Surprising myself: by deciding to cut off my hair! Alright, you've all been warned. Some time within the next two weeks, I'm getting the fateful appointment, cutting my hair, donating it (I'm SO excited about that!! I've never had hair long enough to do that!), and will be short-hair Caroline. Weird.

Ever so excited about: getting my student teaching assignment the other day! Now that I've got the assignment, I'm terribly excited about it! Although it will be hard to ease up on photography for a little bit, I'm excited for the change in focus for a few months.

Okay, that's all for now! Love, love! :)

I've gotten so into this...

2008-12-16T01:10:00.001-06:00

I can't get enough! Yay family! :)

Christmas Decorating Around Our Apartment!

2008-12-10T22:59:00.004-06:00

So despite crazy schedules, Megan and I finally managed to decorate our humble abode. :) It's about time!! Matt and Scott were both able to be around, so we turned up the #1 Christmas jams and just had so much fun! Our decorating this year was not quite as involved as last year (we just managed to get our stockings hung and tree decorated), but we've just been so darn busy! With Meg in grad school and me finishing up my last semester of undergrad...well ya know.

On that note, today I took my last final!! It's so not even real yet that I'm pretty much done at college. I mean, I've got student teaching, but I won't be on campus at all next semester, so it's pretty much the end. :( Five years went realllly fast! I'm so happy though. :) :) I'm looking forward to the rest of my life :)

So high fives for being done with school! Bring on the holidays! I've got a busy break with weddings and such but, of course, I'm excited about that.

Random Deep Moment: I've been realizing just how careful I need to be about not overloading myself next semester during student teaching. This is extremely hard for me, since all I really want to do is keep moving forward full speed ahead with photography. It is the most difficult, frustrating, humbling thing to have to let

awesome opportunities pass me by. But, despite this, I'm feeling really "mature" ;) about making wise decisions. I'm kind of weirdly excited to be absorbed in something other than photography for a little while. Variety in life is good!

Okay, enough from me, let's check out the decorating pictures!

Here's me putting lights on the tree (dad would be so proud) while Scott puts lights on me. :)

Carefully putting the star on top.
All of us high fiving for our tree-putting-up success!

Home sweet home

My head is a Christmas tree?
And as a final visual treat...Megan and Matt gave me an early Christmas present--a vintage camera from the 1940s!! How fabulous is this?! Perfect condition, with the flash and 3 unused flash bulbs!! I'm so excited! Did I mention that I've started collecting vintage cameras!? I have and I love learning all about them. The history of photography is fascinating! :) Cool huh?

Christmas Shopping

2008-12-05T01:22:00.003-06:00

Hi friends! I've been looking for Christmas gifts for my dazzling friends and fam lately, and I just wanted to share a few fun and unique gifts I've found to hopefully help you out as you're shopping! It's almost like the old Top 5 posts (remember those? ha) but...not quite! :)

1. Urban Outfitters was a surprising place where I found tons of cool stuff! I always thought of Urban Outfitters as expensive clothes, but that's not all they are! It seriously may be my one stop shop this year. They have a huge variety of stuff. We are talking not clothing here, but sweeeeet stuff for guys and gals such as: vintage cameras, retro electronics, really fun home accents, jewelry stands, etc. Really great stuff and such affordable prices! I can hardly write enough about how impressed and surprised I was about them! You will be blown away at all the clever stuff :) Go on! Check them out!

2. Although you can't shop online, I was impressed with Pier One's collection of little doo-dads. Again, some fun little vintage toys and such "for the person who has everything." :)

3. The article in the December issue of InStyle has a GREAT gift guide in it! Buy the mag if you want, or just steal a glance while you're waiting in line. I was inspired by their selection of fun gifts for everyone!

4. Shop Anthropologie.com for the girls in your life. I'm sure you can't go wrong. I enjoyed their selection of note cards and jewelry, especially their array of "statement" necklaces!

Well, it's just a little, but I hope it helps!

Happy Holidays

2008-12-01T22:38:00.002-06:00

Happy December 1st! It's so exciting to finally be writing "December" down...it just sounds like cold weather and cozy fires! And the holiday season is officially here! Yay!

Thanksgiving was fabulous, as expected. I just LOVE being around my family, and we were all together! I actually stayed home at my parent's house too which was fun :) We had fun just relaxing, eating, watching football, playing with my brother's dog, and decorating the Christmas tree! Yay!

So, I realize this is a super short post, but I have homework that needs to be done. But, I wanted to share something insignificant! I painted my fingernails today!! Probably the first time ever in my life (except for times I've gotten a french manicure for a wedding or something). Anyway, it's so fun! I cut them short and then painted them this awesome dark, dark, dark shimmery brown color. They are so rockstar-awesome I can hardly stand it! :) Anyway, I was excited.

Just about a week left of school! :)

Happy December!

Hello November!

2008-11-24T21:09:00.004-06:00

Hellooooo friends! Let me see...I haven't blogged since the election and while lots of things have been going on...it seems like I can't remember any of them! :) Ahh, life.

Well, I made it through my week of teaching 2nd graders and it was awe-some. Very great. Gotta love kiddos! :) School is wrapping up supa-fast and I'm so happy! Can't believe this is it for me and college...well the college campus at least. Let's not forget I'll be student teaching all next semester. I'm excited about it, but totally looking forward to the Christmas break and doing NOTHING (yeah right). :D

I just love this time of year!! (Who doesn't?) It's so great! Meg and I are putting up our Christmas decor right after T-giving. Yea! Remember our cool decorations last year? Check out the blog post!

Photog is rockin! I'm finished with big purchases for now, which is nice, but I'm so happy with all my equipment! I bought the 70-200mm telephoto lens last week and it has rocked my wedding photography world! Kick-tush! :) Today, I finally purchased a nice new blog for my photography schtuff. I'm SO EXCITED! The biggest plus is the extra large photos! Can't wait to get it all set up!

I also shot a wedding last weekend in Ft. Worth (awesome) which marks the beginning of my winter wedding season. I'll be a busy girl in December and January. OH! And! Exciting news! I'll be taking part in a bridal fair in February! First one I've ever done! I cannot even tell you how excited I am! You know me with organization and decoration--I love it, so this will simply be a blast! :) :)

Life's good. God's good.

I wrote something about politics. Cool.

2008-11-06T15:44:00.004-06:00

So the election is over. :) The past 2 days I've been trying to be a nice, supportive American, NOT making slanderous comments about Obama or making empty threats to move out of the country. Maybe it's because I've been watching too many movies about buying war bonds in the 50's (?) or something, but I just want to support my country...even though I know there is plenty wrong with it. It's frustrating though that other people haven't wanted to offer the same support to Prez Bush. I know he's made his mistakes, but so has everyone. I suppose the main reason Bush gets the heat for everything is that America is just looking for a scapegoat...someone to blame. We are a society of blame-shifters.

So I was pleasantly surprised when I heard about this article on Fox News. It's not about politics, but it's about character and simply having class. What's more, it was written by a guy who worked with John Kerry on his 2004 presidential campaign. It's short, I promise! Read it!

Okay, so I don't really agree with all of Obama's politics, but I'm going to stay classy nonetheless.

Update: A Special Election Day Edition!

2008-11-04T12:29:00.006-06:00

So it's not an update on the election, but it is an update on election day. :) In case you were wondering, I am...

Wearing: The same thing I wore yesterday. I woke up 14 minutes before I was supposed to be in class today, but I threw on yesterday's outfit and totally made it in time!
Watching: Fox News Election Coverage

Voting For: McCain/Palin.
Eating: Just finished lunch! Cheeto Puffs are delicious :)

Drinking: Free Starbucks coffee! If you show that you voted, you get a free cup of coffee!
Photoshopping: NOTHING! I've finished all my recent sessions. Now I'm all ready to tackle my 2 sessions this weekend.
Loving: You.
Excited About: Seeing my best friend this weekend!
Laughing at: Myself.
Feeling thankful for: Getting a good grade on my Lesson Plans! And actually making it to class this morning!

Go vote! What an exciting day!

A Brownwood Weekend

2008-11-03T18:59:00.003-06:00

Cheers to another great weekend! :) This time, Megan, Scott, and I drove down to Brownwood to visit Matt, Megan's boyfriend, for a day. We had a great time! We explored Matt's house (it's like a fun treehouse), went out to eat, drove all around brownwood, and went to this sweet abandoned hot spring! It was so cool!

Here are a few photos: (1) Me standing on the old pipe supports that brought the water to the hot springs. I fearlessly jumped up there and then was terrified to get down! I was like a scared cat up a tree. Both boys had to help me and it took forever! (2) Megan getting a little help from Matt hopping the fence to get into the old hot springs. (3) Meg and I are friends! (4) A snapshot of all of us.

Great trip you guys! :)

P.S. Don't forget to vote tomorrow!

So much fun...

2008-10-25T16:11:00.004-05:00

I'm so blessed right now to be in the middle of a FABULOUS weekend! So far it has been just so much fun...and with all the school stresses and such recently...well, I needed some fun. :) The rundown is pretty quick and easy: Last night I got together with fellow photographers/friends Erin, Chad, and Tressie and we had a "just for fun" shoot! It was insane! Nighttime, graveyard, awesome models, and lotsa flashes/pocket wizards/umbrellas/equipment! Yep we had a shoot in a graveyard at night. So fun! If there hadn't been alot of us, I probably would have been creeped out! But as it was, we just had a blast and got some killer images! Head to the photog-blog to see some of the photos. My new flash had just come in the mail this week too so it was perfect! What fun!

Next, I left the shoot a little early to head to the opening night of HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3! :) :) Yea! I'm not ashamed...it's so peppy and happy I just can't help but love it. I went with my awesome friend Nicole who loves it too, so we just had a blast! I'm pretty sure I sat next to a 10 year old girl who kept telling me how much she loved my scarf and how cute Zac Effron was. It was pretty funny :) After that, Nicole and I went to get coffee at Starbucks which was delicious and fun. I love hanging out with her! Pumpkin Spice Latte all the way :)

By the time we left Starbucks and I was driving home through a bunch of blinking yellow lights, I realized it had been a long time since I had been out so late...fun! It was refreshing to get to stay up late to have fun and not worry about having to wake up for anything in the morning.

This morning, I woke up to my roommate Megan waking me up telling me she had made eggs and biscuits for breakfast. Amazing!! :) :) And today, I've just gotten to do little things I've needed to do (that have NOTHING to do with homework--yay!) and it's just been relaxing and great. What a joy. I am just so thankful beyond anything right now for this weekend of simple fun! Yay!

October Update!

2008-10-24T09:56:00.002-05:00

Well, life has just gone SILLY with busyness the past couple of weeks! I'm just trying to keep up! Here's a small-ish sort of update on me, in case you are wondering!

1. Today is my mom's birthday! Wahoo! Don't tell her, but I got her this awesome mug from Starbucks...she's gonna love it! ;)
2. Tonight I have a date with my dear friend Nicole. We are going to see HSM3! We've been highly anticipating this movie!
3. School is busy busy busy and this semester it's all lesson plans. My weeks are flying by so fast that I barely notice. I can't believe it's almost November, but I'm enjoying the cold weather. :) Come on graduation!
4. Kids Park at church is still going great. The Lord has been really affirming me in my position there which is awesome!
5. Last weekend I went to Ft Worth to shoot a bridal session. It was great! While I was there, I randomly ran into photographer Fred Egan while grabbing a burrito at FreeBirds! It was so cool to meet him! Check out his work here.

Next week, I have another bridal session, and then a few weeks after that I'll be busy with an engagement and bridal shesh (in one weekend), and then a few weeks after that the weddings start! I'm SO excited! I also got to buy a new flash last week (yay!) and hopefully *crossed fingers* I'll be getting another new lens in the beginning of November. Whew!

Dinner with the Newman's & SING!

2008-10-10T16:40:00.003-05:00

Wednesday, I got to go see my dear friend Cherith and her family! It's always so great to see her and this time was especially exciting because she had a baby girl about a month ago, and this was the first time I'd seen her! And she was totally precious. :) I mean, who doesn't love to hold a baby? It's the most peaceful thing in the world. It was so fun and special to see my middle school/high school friend with her growing family of 4. :D

This weekend is SING! at HSU, which is always a blast. I went last night, and it tugged at my heart a little, knowing this would be my last SING! to enjoy as a student. It also marks a very important beginning in my life--the beginning of my photography career. That's right, my very first (paying) shoot was taking photos at SING! :) My, how time has flown! It's the funniest thought to me that I didn't care one bit about photography 2 years ago, and now I can't imagine life without it. Life is crazy! :D

Honesty

2008-10-07T11:51:00.002-05:00

Today really, truly feels like Fall! It is so gorgeous outside! Clear sky, crisp, cool weather, and that smell of aged leaves in the air. Love it. :) It's funny though, I was getting ready to "peer teach" this morning in one of my classes, and I was walking in and out of doors all morning, but didn't notice the gorgeous weather until after I had finished my teaching. I was just too buried in my thoughts and plans to notice.

Noticing beauty and the Lord's hand in creation is something I want to embrace during the day. I don't want to get too bogged down with my own stuff. Creation is such a powerful reminder that the Lord is in control, working, and with us. How encouraging and strengthening are those thoughts?! :)

These thoughts kind of remind me of my attitude when I first started taking photographs. I was awed by the world around me, so I just was enthusiastic to take photos and capture the most important things in life for people (relationships, times worth celebrating, nature, beauty). Here now, a year later, I'm having difficulty keeping that attitude. I find that I'm driven less by joy and more by pleasing the general public, comparing myself to other photographers, and creating a perfect image of myself through "branding." Selfish gain is a giant temptation.

But friends, I'm not going to give in.

I can't do it of my own will though...because I've been trying that. I'll let you in on a secret--it hasn't worked. :) The only way I know to combat this, is to put it all into the hands of the Lord by freshly realizing each morning that He is the giver and sustainer of life (and business :) ) and knowing that He is in control, and I'm not. The Lord has gifted me with the gift of encouragement. I know I'm supposed to be using that gift all the time. Why hold back encouragement because I want to seem better than someone else? Seriously, why? It's the old battle of pride.

I feel like, at least for a while, this will be a rebirth process every morning. That's fine. Pray for me as I continue to fight against this.

Just so you know, I want to be a stand out light of encouragement, honesty, and love in a market driven by the perfect image and a get-your-own mentality. I'm so thankful for my photographer friends that I've made so far. You guys are invaluable and I so respect the way you share in this fight too! :)

Thanks for letting me get all that out! Whew! :D

Things that make Autumn good

2008-09-26T15:32:00.004-05:00

Warmly scented candles

Looking forward to fireplace fires in winter

Leggings & boots

Thanksgiving food & family!

Crisp, gorgeous weather

Pumpkin Spice Lattes

Colors like deep plum, golden orange, and chocolate brown

Cozying up with blankets and quilts

Watching You've Got Mail

The trees changing color

Anticipating Christmas :)

The Office Season 5!

A change

Pumpkins on the front porch

Candy corn

14 days later...An update!

2008-09-22T04:56:00.001-05:00

1. School: School is school. I'm trying to enjoy it since it's my last semester and all, but with photography going nuts (see more on that below) it's very hard to focus on school.

2. Photography: Okay, let me just say, I've been so blessed! I've been consistently booking weddings every week since school started! Simply wonderful :) What does the future hold? Exciting things! :) :) I've also gotten to make some exciting purchases! I bought the Canon 5d, two new lenses, a Shootsac, and a few new accessories! Posting photos soon...

3. Church: I'm so excited because I've started helping out in the 1st grade Sunday school class at Beltway! It's so great to finally have a spot to serve. I'm so glad I finally just took the plunge and got involved. :)

4. Friendships: Yay for friends! I feel like I've had some of the best times with wonderful friends this semester AND I've gotten to see lots of friends that I don't usually get to see. Friday nights are designated "hang out nights" where Megan and I have people over--it's so great! Last friday, a group of us played "Spin the Bottle" except with those fake kids tattoos! If you spun the bottle, you got to pick the tattoo for the other person AND got to tell them where to put it! We had them all over our faces and everything...probably the most fun ever.

Rain...

2008-09-08T18:23:00.005-05:00

Hello, hello all!

It's a beautiful rainy Monday and I just love it! I don't really have much to say or update on, but just wanted to make a quick blog post. School is rockin' along, the photography ball is rolling faster every single day, and in my spare time (what's that?) Meg and I have had plenty of friends over to watch The Office season FOUR!! I'm also getting ready to make some exciting photography purchases...can't wait!

Something cool happened today though! Although it probably won't be a big deal to anyone else, I freaked out today when I saw, driving in front of me, my old beloved Camry, Waldo!! Can you believe it? Who ever sells their car (it was a very broken car at that) and then sees it again in their same town....or on their same college campus for that matter! I figured the guy we sold it to was going to junk it and try to get money for the parts. But it was Waldo alright, just driving like always. Same license plate, same ding on the trunk, same everything! :) I was just so excited! I get kinda sentimental about cars, and since Waldo was my first car...well ya know. :) Here's a photo of the little guy, back this summer, along side my new ride-- 4runner Simon! I know I'm a nerd.

Happy Monday!

Back to School Good Times!

2008-09-01T15:05:00.002-05:00

Just a few photos from the beginning of school...Here are some of my lovely friends playing Catan at our house!

Here's a tribute to something that's about to be on DVD and then soon after will be on TV for the 5th season!! Can't wait!

Our last girl's Bible study...you can tell we take things seriously :) We made it through the whole Beth Moore Daniel study!! Yea!

Still Kickin' Bum at School

2008-08-27T17:44:00.002-05:00

So it's the third day of school...and it's still going well! :) My MW classes will kick bum (in a good way) and my TTh classes will be, well, alright. My favorite thing about classes this semester is my Geography class! Yep...5th year senior...taking general geography. I put it off okay? (Kinda like how I put off getting my chapel credits til this year too...I'll be the 5th year-er in Chapel too...yeah.) But I'm so glad I'm taking Geography it this particular semester! It's nice to get a breath of air that's not about the TEKS or Phonemic Awareness. Not that I don't love my major. But this eye-opening class is going to be so refreshing this semester! Who doesn't love studying other places and cultures? It's like vicariously traveling! There's only so much you can learn in one place. :)

See ya!

The Best First Day Yet!

2008-08-25T21:55:00.003-05:00

Today was my very last "first day of school" EVER! Well...that's kind of a lie...since I'm an education major, I'm sure I'll have a lot more "first days." :) But it was definitely my last first day as a student!! I think that knowledge made me just enjoy today like nothing else! It was such a good day! Knowing this is my last time around just made me let go of all the bad attitudes that come with school starting. And remember that professor I mentioned who I was not excited about having? She didn't seem so bad today either! :) It also rained some today and we've been having the most gorgeous sunsets here. You know what I'm talking about it you're from around here. I was driving home this evening and the entire sky was orangey pink...it was breathtaking!

Anyway, it was a good first day of school. I hope yours was fabulous if you are doing the school thing!

Also, you might want to check out the photog-blog. I had a session Saturday and LOVED the photos from it! Here's a peek!

Summer Sum Up!

2008-08-20T15:53:00.000-05:00

Here comes school! Five days and counting! I'm actually not that sad to see summer go like I usually am. I think that's because I'm graduating this year, and I'm just ready! Besides I can't wait for the crisp fall weather! (All seven days of it we get in Texas, sandwiched between summer and winter.)

Anyway, my friend Lilly wrote a summer sum up on her blog and I just liked the idea, so here goes!

1. Joined a gym. (Yesss! Long term goal--done!)

2. Booked several weddings! Yay!

3. Went on lots of road trips, all in Texas, but still a blast!

4. Took a summer school course...

5. Saw dear friends get married: Emily&Josh, Hailey&Adam, Kassie&Chase.

6. Launched my website and got biz cards.

7. Helped lead a Bible study for some girls I know who are about to start college.

8. Got addicted to coffee :)

9. Worked...alot...a whole lot.

10. Got to lead worship all summer for the small group Beth Moore study I was in.

Yay! There's a great summer right there! Even though it was CRAZY busy and I was frustrated at that fact, it was a very good summer. I'm thankful for each of those things.

I want to cultivate a thankful heart as school is starting. I found myself complaining already about a professor I have...no need for that, especially when school hasn't even started! Last night, during our last Beth Moore sesh, she said something that I think will stick with me forever, "If you want to be set apart in this world as we are called to be, just stop complaining! Stop grumbling about your job, your spouse, your dinner, etc. The world will notice VERY quickly that something is different!"

Cool.

Wedding Weekend!

2008-08-18T17:15:00.003-05:00

This weekend, my dearest friends Chase and Kassie got married! It was wonderful! I got to shoot their wedding, so head to the photog-blog to see it all! Here are a couple of my favorites.

I really owe a lot to Chase and Kassie. During one of the hardest months of my life, they really shined as friends and helped me keep my joy. When I was first beginning in photography, Chase helped me find opportunities that became the base of my business. Kassie has always been an amazing friend, and my favorite thing about her is her honesty. They are just wonderful and I'm so glad they're married! After something like four years of dating, it's about time! :)

Caroline, why are you driving an orange box?

2008-08-14T09:33:00.006-05:00

My dearest darling-est 4runner, Simon, is back in the shop. Something's wrong with the transmission...again.

So since they had to keep him in the shop overnight, my dad took me to pick up my "loaner" car for the next few days from the dealership. Guess what they gave me? Scroll down a bit if you're prepared to see the hideousness.

Are you kidding me!?

So I'm zipping around town in this little piece of work. Yikes! It's like someone at the dealership wanted to pull a joke on me! So if you see me driving around in it (and trust me, it's not that hard to miss) honk or something. :)

P.S. Okay, it is a Scion and it's really fun to drive. But still...hideous!! I can't wait to get my baby 4runner back!

**UPDATE**

Just a few minutes ago, a man walked into the store (where I work) and announced, "That little orange car out front is just about the ugliest looking thing I've ever seen!"

Haha, yes...thank you. I'm aware of that.

My friend, Jamie.

2008-08-13T09:06:00.004-05:00

Before reading: This is a seriously personal account that might only be significant to me, but I still wanted to write it. Sorry if I bore you or if this seems like too much information :)

This summer, I found such joy in being a part of a Beth Moore Bible study with some old and new friends. My friend Jamie, who led it, has been my friend since my Freshman year of college. I totally remember the night at Sonic when she introduced me to Brian Regan and his "Carolyn/Caroline" joke. I laughed so hard :) Anyway, Jamie and I had a rough time when we tried living in the same house our Junior year with 4 other friends (so that's six girls total in one house...yikes!!). After only lasting 6 months in that situation, I moved out, things calmed down, and we kinda went our separate ways. Then our Senior year, Jamie bravely announced she felt the Lord was calling her to leave and finish school at Wheaton and I didn't see her for a year. But she's been back this summer! And it's amazing how the Lord has restored our relationship and she's the biggest blessing to me! I don't know another person who has the ability to make things happen like Jamie does. She's the type of person who is bold and passionate enough to actually jump right into an intimidating problem to help fix it. The most exciting thing is that her boldness and passions are all for the Lord!

Anyway, I've been blessed, and I marvel when I look back and see how the Lord has refined us and brought us to the place where we are now as friends. Pretty cool.

On a funny note, last night our Bible study group got together to watch the weekly Beth Moore DVD, but we couldn't find the remote to the DVD player. Without it, you pretty much can't get the player to work...so after a time of worship and discussion, we gave up on finding the remote and watched the Women's Gymnastics on the Olympics! :) It was funny...I suppose you would've had to been there. :)

How do I write the rest of this? It's hard to communicate this without sounding trite or self-centered.

I'm so encouraged in my spiritual gifts though, after this Bible study. I've always loved to lead worship for small girls Bible studies that I've been a part of. The last time I got to do that was probably about a year ago. But people here recently have just been affirming that fact that I am gifted in that area, and that I should be using that gift to honor the Lord. It's exciting...

It's also unbelievably evident to my own eyes that this is a GIFT from the Lord. The fact that the Lord uses me and that people are encouraged is ONLY because of the Lord. I know this because the Lord has used me, to spur people to His heart, when my own heart has been struggling with sincerity in my faith. I am overjoyed to serve a God who raises up people who are not perfect, people who struggle with things, people who mess up...He specifically uses us to advance His kingdom. What an undeserved honor! It humbles me!

Swift Joy.

Olympics, Photography, Yoga, and Grandpa's Birthday (All rolled into one post!)

2008-08-11T15:23:00.005-05:00

Who's in love with the Olympics?! I AM!! I'm watching them every chance I get! If you ever want to come over some night and watch with me, I'll cook for you!! :) When I watch the Olympics, I'm always reminded of the '96 Olympics when Kerri Strug took the U S of A to gold! Man, good times! I was so freaking out when that happened.

Anyway, it's always been a big dream of mine to go to the Olympics...just to watch, you know. :) Now that I have my cameras, I REALLY wish I could go. Just look at some of the cool photos (remember, I did NOT take these):

And also, on the note of photography, you might want to zip over to my photography blog. I posted a few sessions that I'm proud of :)

Next, you might wonder how my yoga class is going since I made such a big to-do about it...it's going GREAT! I adore it while I'm there and miss it when I don't get to go! I've been going three times a week which has been incredible. I can already tell a difference in my overall health and feel-good-ness. If you ever wanna come with me, I can bring guests. ALSO, I just bought a new yoga mat while my mom and I were in San Antonio. Isn't that fun?! I got a little too excited about it :) It's purple with a sweet damask design on it.

Important Side Note: I've always wanted to know the name for this design, because it's so popular, and I found out: it's called damask. I know you've seen it before. Just type "damask" into Google Images, and you'll soon be saying, "Ohhh, THAT'S what that is called!" (Unless of course you already knew it...then you would just be cool).

Finally, my grandpa's birthday was this past weekend! The whole family got together to celebrate, and it was wonderful. Here's a photo of him opening his birthday present from all of us...an Ice Cream Maker. He loved it! My grandparents are so inspiring...they are just as active, spry, God-loving, and sharp as can be...at 80+ years! I want to be like that!

Home!

2008-08-11T10:50:00.013-05:00

Hi friends! I just returned from another wonderful weekend in San Antonio...this time with my mom! We had a girl trip, and it was so fun! First of all, we stayed in Boerne, this sweet little town just a few miles out of San Antonio, at this lovely mix between a Bed&Breakfast and a hotel. It was so authentic and WAY better than staying in a hotel. It was almost like staying with a relative in their home. Definitely a nice place to come back to at the end of a long day at Sea World or shopping! Yes, my mom and I went to Sea World! :) But first, have a look at the "Ye Kendall Inn" where we stayed.Some of the old school artwork found in our room...This is a picture of the lady whom our hotel room was named after, Laverne McQuinn (the hotel rooms didn't have numbers, just names).They had a "Texas sized" hot tub! We hung out there after the day at Sea World and it was glorious!Seeing this sign made me very happy :)The first night we ate at Papasitos--I'd never been there before and I give it an A+! The salsa was the best part!! This photo represents us getting our "gangsta" on in SA! We are ridiculous. :)And here we are at Sea World!Here I am petting a Clydesdale at Sea World!! It was GIGANTIC and BEAUTIFUL!We also got Baskin-Robbins ice cream! I haven't been to a Baskin-Robbins in probably something like 10 years!
What a great trip!

Shamu!

2008-08-11T10:42:00.000-05:00

Here's a quick video I took of Shamu while we were at Sea World! I seriously marvel at how they train those animals! I can't imagine how amazing it would be to work with a giant whale like that on a daily basis.

See ya!

2008-08-05T16:50:00.002-05:00

I'm jettin' out of town for the rest of the week to spend a fun few days with my mom on a girl trip! See ya next week!

One last time around...

2008-08-05T09:19:00.003-05:00

Summer is going to be over before I know it! I'm planning on making the most of the "lazy" days that are left by swimming plenty, taking a little road trip, and eating at least three sno-cones (I haven't even had one this summer yet!). Secretly though, I've been really excited about the coming of Autumn! The cooler nights, the crisp air, the fashions, the change in everyone's attitude...I'm in love with it! Autumn also brings me back to my college campus. I'm looking forward to the normalcy that school brings to my schedule and life...but this is going to be the last time I experience a Back-to-College Autumn since I'll be graduating in May. I got a little nostalgic last night realizing that next August, I won't be heading back to the dear old college campus.

But even still, I've been nothing but excited about graduating and moving forward in life, especially since most of my friends graduated a couple months ago, and are moving away, getting jobs, and starting families. I'm so excited about what the future holds! I don't really know what I'll be doing yet, or where I'll be living, but I'm not too worried about it yet. Things will fall into place.

I do know one thing though. Whatever happens, I desire to live with the deep purpose of serving my Father in heaven. (Get ready for a big run-on sentence!) Daily life is good, and I do a lot of things on a daily basis, but I've been realizing, the older I get, that I do things just to get them done...which is good...but I want to get things done with my eyes on the hand of my Father. Watching for Him to move. Listening for Him to speak. Knowing that this world is not my home-- I have a heavenly home which I will soon see! That is what gives even the most mundane, daily tasks deep "purpose." I LOVE that the Lord didn't just put us on the earth to get things done. I love that we have gifts and callings and a joyous reason for living, found ONLY in seeking Him.

Nothing Brings People Together Like A Wedding!

2008-08-03T17:15:00.002-05:00

Another one of my dear friends got married-- what a special time I'm living in! :) Hailey and Adam's wedding was last night and I have to say, the word to describe this wedding was precious. It just filled me with so much happiness. They were both so radiant and overwhelmed with the other all night! It was beautiful and I'm so glad I got to be a part of it. I've known both Hailey and Adam since Middle School! I'm so thankful for their friendship. They are both the most loyal friends and just have such a spirit of peace and contentment about them. I love it!

Hailey's eyes were just shining all night!
Hanging out with all my married/engaged friends...crazy!!
My favorite thing about their wedding was that it was like a reunion of all my dearest high school friends! I hadn't seen most of these people in years, so it was great! Most people want to forget high school, but I was totally blessed by my friends in HS. We were all in choir together and loved it! :) This is a group picture of all of us...4 years later! I have so many memories with these special people.

Shhhhh...Secret Preview of My Biz Card!

2008-08-01T14:06:00.005-05:00

Okay, I'm so super stoked out of my mind because of this sweet little biz card design that Scott did for me. He KILLED on this design!! I couldn't be a single bit happier with it! I ordered them yesterday and I was going to try really, REALLY hard to wait to show you until I had the actual card...but I can't! So scroll down to the bottom of the post to see a preview!! It's perfect! I just smile every time I see it.

And you may be thinking, "What, no picture on a photographer's business card?" But it's a pretty daunting task to try and choose ONE photo to represent your entire photography career to the general public. So instead, I opted to go with a fresh, fun, and funky design that will hopefully convey my enthusiastic love for life and photography, AND make people stop and stare at it! :) ALSO, this is only the front side. The back (which is also yummy delicious) has all my info artfully stated on it. Cool!

P.S. It may be about to rain right now! I sure hope so! :)

P.S.S. Happy August!

Life Can Spring Again

2008-07-31T15:04:00.003-05:00

I get a devotional eMailed to me every morning and today's words were powerful...I just wanted to share them. It grows terribly burdensome when you just "don't look" at your sin so that you don't have to deal with it. But there is sweet freedom that comes in just saying "It's my fault." The first sentence really speaks to me. Take a minute to read:

"When we call sin what it really is, we can embrace truth, sin can die at the cross, and life can spring again through Christ's resurrection. Confession makes us real. It stops us from creating a web of lies to cover up our sin, and allows us to acknowledge our shortcomings to ourselves and those around us. This humbles us, but living in humility is living in honesty. Trying to hide our fallen-ness only makes us think more highly of ourselves than we ought...Jesus is so good to forgive us though. When no one would cast a stone at the woman caught in adultery, Jesus' words brought shock and relief: "Neither do I condemn you." How sweet these words must have fallen on her ears. Jesus had just saved her life! Then Jesus added, "go, and sin no more" (Jn 8:11)."

Life can spring again...I just can't get that beautiful phrase out of my head! Thank you Jesus!

Mmmmm...

2008-07-29T12:06:00.004-05:00

Can I just say that I am so proud of this photo!? Is that strange? I mean, I know it's a stack of cookies, but I am in love with it! The lighting, textures, colors...everything is perfect! Doing this cookie shoot yesterday for Jerita (the owner of local cookie biz, One Smart Cookie) kinda made me want to go work for Martha Stewart Living and take pretty pictures of food all day long :)

Enjoying the Blog

2008-07-28T10:35:00.005-05:00

First of all, I feel like I should apologize for the profuse amount of blogging that I've done since I've re-opened this blog. I never realized how much I missed it! I blog for many reasons, but one big reason is so that I remember (and focus on) the good things in my life. It seems like if we don't record the things that go on in our lives we easily forget them...and for some reason we tend to forget the good things first! Maybe I'm just in a strange stage or something, but since I've started blogging here again, it is SO MUCH easier to be thankful, content, and joyful! I love it :)

Anyway, I came across this post from Jessica Claire's blog the other day, and really appreciated it. So I though I'd share it with you!

Saturday Happiness!

2008-07-27T18:04:00.006-05:00

On any given morning, as soon as I'm awake enough to roll out of bed, my tired feet walk my tired body over to the window for some sunshine. It's deliciously rejuvenating and refreshing! Saturday morning, that sunshine was especially appreciated.

I was up and at 'em super early, getting ready for a photoshoot and a long (but happy) day. My dear friend Cherith had scheduled a shoot with me for her beautiful growing family. The day before, when I was getting all my inspiration together for the shoot, I was just becoming more and more excited! Family shoots (especially with little kiddos) have got to be one of my favorite things to do! There's just so much love and happiness that come through in the photos. Life gets hard and stressful, as we all know, but the thing I love about a photo, is that it can absolutely remind you of the good. Looking back though my family's photo albums, I remember we had hard times, but the photos show all the good. And there was so much good! We need to be reminded of that sometimes, I think. Anyway, here are just a couple of my favorites.

After the shoot, Cherith invited me to come over for breakfast. It was so great to spend some time with her!! We've been friends since middle school, and I love it that we still keep up :) Good times. Anyway, I had to be back in town by 11 for my *yoga* class and it was great! After being thoroughly stretched and strengthened ;) I jumped on over to Starbucks to edit, edit, edit. I had the most productive time up there, getting ALL my recent photo sessions completely and totally edited and finished. Man, it feels good! Once finished with that, I went home and had a lovely afternoon nap (which I NEVER get anymore). Afternoon naps are indescribably wonderful :) To finish off this great day, Scott and I went to see The Dark Knight at 9:45! IT WAS SO GOOD! If you haven't seen it, you must go!

So Saturday was just an all around good day. Don't you just love good days? :)

Megan's Birthday!

2008-07-25T16:59:00.004-05:00

Megan's birthday was on Thursday, so on Friday a few of us girls took her to the Homeplace for dinner! We had the most delightful home cooked meal! This place is just so West Texas, and I love it :) After dinner, we explored a little bit, and then sat on the porch and had wonderful conversations about where we are in our stage of life. Yay for girl talk! Here are a few photos!

Roomies!

I love these girls!!

Yoga-licious!

2008-07-25T12:01:00.003-05:00

So on Wednesday, I joined a gym! Oh boy! This is a gigantic step for me. I'm not afraid to admit it: I'm one of those "my-volleyball-career-ended-on-the-7th-grade-C team-in-shame-and-embarrassment" girls...a.k.a NOT athletic! If I saw an organized sports game going on, I would energetically run the opposite direction. :)

But, there's hope! In high school I discovered dancing, gymnastics, swimming, and *sigh* yoga. Now those were my sports! I was on a swim team for a while, a gymnastics team for a couple of years, and in dance classes for a few more years. So I did get the whole "athletics" experience...somewhat. :) But once I graduated, there were no more teams to be on. What to do? YOGA CLASS!

It only took me 4 years, but I finally joined and am taking a yoga-licious class! (technically "Body Flow") Oh. Man. I. Love it. Yesterday was my first class and, yeah, I'm pumped. I'm so excited about getting my bum whipped into shape!

All this fitness talk has got me thinking about the Olympics. Can't wait! Beijing '08! Are there any (cough)nerds(cough) out there who want to come over and watch 'em with me?

:) Hope you enjoy today!

Decor*Eight!

2008-07-24T10:29:00.006-05:00

I'm loving my room right now! I got it all cleaned and organized a few weeks ago, and I put the finishing touches on it yesterday! This first photo is of my inspiration board and chandelier--my two favorite things in my room!

Next up are the new bookends that I got for my dresser! I've been wanting cute bookends for a while and, well I finally found some! And they are BIRDS! Can it get much better? No. I finally broke down and got some "office supply" things for my "home office." Not to mention, how cute are they?

And finally! I've been wanting new knobs for my dresser for YEARS and YEARS. I walked into Hobby Lobby the other day and they were marked way down!
Here's my hand-me-down, normal dresser BEFORE the knob transformation...

And here's my custom designed, classy dresser AFTER the knob transformation!!

Lovely!

I also finally got another curtain for my window. For the longest time I had just one curtain. It worked alright, but now I have a nicely framed up window because of the TWO chocolate brown curtains!

San Antonio Trip :: Part 2!

2008-07-23T11:34:00.005-05:00

After a lovely lunch at McAllister's Deli and a spur of the moment shopping trip to this sweet modern furniture/decor store "Motif Studio," Scott and I jumped in the truck and headed homeward.

On the way home from San Antonio, we most definitely made a stop in Fredericksburg to do a little walkin' and shoppin'...not that we could actually buy anything...or at least not anything I wanted! :) I fell in love with this little antique side table/mini dresser, but check out the price. It was also pretty much the least expensive item in the store, so just imagine the price of the other lovely things.
We also stepped into this anthropologie-like store called "Root." It was so inspiring and fun (and girly...Scott was a good sport), but alas, expensive.Then we got photo happy and started snapping away. I personally love this one. You can see in the lower right hand corner the date the building was built. 1889. Cool!I wanted to do a little photo collection, but couldn't figure out what to do...until we had passed store after store with adorable "Open" signs! So here you have it, a sampling of the "Open" collection. So as not to wear you out with too many photos, I've hand selected my favorites. :)

When people say they "hand selected" something, you know it's going to be good. :)

This trip was just what I needed. Fun and relaxing, with the most awesome family ever!

Have a lovely day!

San Antonio Trip!

2008-07-23T09:43:00.008-05:00

Hi friends! Last Thursday I headed out of town with Scott to visit his oldest brother's family+his twin brother in San Antonio. What fun we had!! We spent Thursday swimming with all the family at the neighborhood "Rec Center" (It was gigantic! Even had a lazy river...and we took full advantage of that!). Since Scott's oldest brother has 2 kiddos, we played pool games that I haven't played in years! Diving for sticks, the color-dunking game, handstand contests, Marco Polo, racing, tag, and general horseplay :) It was a bbbblast! Swimming has got to be one of my favorite activities ever! We loved it so much that we actually all went to the pool every day of our visit!! Anyway, after being thoroughly waterlogged, we headed back to their lovely house and cooked out for dinner.

I had my two cameras with me, so Scott and I each had our fill of photo-taking...thus the extravagantly long photo post :) Here we are just lounging around at the house.

This is Scott's nephew, Heston, playing Playstation!

Here's Noah, Scott's other nephew.

Friday, we all went to the Alamo and Riverwalk (and we got to do the fun boat tour!). Check out how cool the Alamo is!!

Kidding! :) Here's a real one...

We wanted a cool jumping picture, but it took a few tries.

We finally got one!

This is Scott's twin brother and his wife. I got a little hungry on the Riverwalk... Noah was contemplating. That green grass was just so inviting! How could anyone say no?!

Saturday night, Scott and I went to the Riverwalk again, but this time it was just the two of us. It's such a different experience at night! Gorgeous! All the lights reflecting off the water were mesmerizing. We found a sweet little table at a deck restaurant upstairs (so there weren't tons of people walking around) and enjoyed the night talking, laughing, and taking photos. I was amazed at how well my camera did in such poor lighting conditions! My favorite story of the night though, was how we got shivved at this one restaurant. We put our name on the list, waited and waited, watched people walk up and get tables, and finally left, moving on to a restaurant where they really care about people.

By the way, "shivved" as defined by the urban dictionary means "to be stabbed with a piercing instrument, like a screwdriver." :) What an amazing word.

We wandered into this hotel lobby with the COOLEST furniture around!
What a great night!! But wait! There's more. Watch for Part two, coming just as soon as I can get the photos loaded :)

Things that make a Life good...

2008-07-22T15:29:00.003-05:00

Things that make a Summer good...

1. Fourth of July plans: Plan a little trip to float a river with friends the weekend before. The day of, head to the pool and then cook out on the back porch. Have a contest to see who can jump into the pool the craziest or who can get the most dive sticks. Take pictures!

2. A concert: Buy tickets in advance to someone you're dying to see. Bring snacks and a camera.

3. Potted plants: Have at least one potted plant to take care of and to make your porch happy.

4. Re-arranged bedroom: Freshen up your bedroom by re-arranging! New is good!

5. New Movies: Plan on going to see all the big summer blockbusters.

6. Weddings: Take advantage of the opportunity to dress up, dance, and see old friends!

7. Walking at dusk: It's the best part of a summer day, so make sure you are not to be found indoors! Go walk through ACU. Who knows? You might even find a sprinkler or two to run through.

Things that make an Autumn good...

1. Office Marathon: Host a party on a business casual Friday to watch the new season of the Office, out on DVD.

2. The Balloon Fest: Head over to Rose Park and enjoy the sounds, sights, and eats.

3. A Photo Day Trip: Travel a little bit to get photos of the gorgeous trees changing colors.

4. School/Church activities: Everything is back in session, so take advantage of them!

5. Local Music: All the locals are back so keep your eyes out for their upcoming shows.

Things that make a Tuesday morning good...

2008-07-22T12:46:00.003-05:00

...a starbucks date at 8:09 AM. :) Happy Tuesday!

P.S. Some of you may know that my car (new 4runner, named Simon!) was acting funny for a little bit. Well, I dropped him off at "Car Camp" on last wednesday...aka the Toyota Repair Shop, and he got a brand new transmission. What!? Yes, you read that right. Three month old car...brand new transmission. So weird! But it was under warranty and all, so I didn't have to pay for it. Anyway, he's doing fine now!

P.S.S. I have a trip to San Antonio to blog next! Lots of photos! Be excited! :)

Can't Leave It Behind!

2008-07-21T16:30:00.003-05:00

Well, hi friends! Long story short: I tried to ditch this blog to move on to bigger and better (and more professional) things, but I'm back! I've missed having a personal blog...so here it is again! Now that I have friends moving off and doing great things in the world, I want to keep up with them, and let them keep up with me! I'll still have my photography blog but this will be my personal, friends & family only blog! :)

**So since I've been gone for sooo long, I figured I'd do a little update for ya:**

Wearing: My navy "boat shoes"
Listening to: This new song by Fridge that I put on my blog. I love it!
Eating: A Jolly Rancher...haven't had one of these since 4th grade.
Photoshopping: Abigail's shoot
Loving: The summer sun.
Excited About: Going to Hobby Lobby in an hour.
Reading: my eMail :)
Feeling: Happy that I started my personal blog up again (Nerd? Yes.)
New Hot Spot: Um...does San Antonio count? I was there Thursday-Sunday and just really want to go back.
Laughing at: www.stuffwhitepeoplelike.com Go there and be amazed at the satirical wit :)
Feeling thankful for: The Lord putting amazing friends and family in my life. Seriously, these friends of mine...incredible people.

Update your bookmarks...I've got a new blog! www.carolinejoyphoto.blogspot.com

2008-05-06T01:57:00.006-05:00

Man, well, wow...several big things have been happening in my life!

First of all, I am officially finished with school this semester! YAY! Well, until Summer school starts that is. :)

Second of all, my car engine blew up on Thursday...not pleasant, but my lil car had seen it's day. Want to know some Caroline trivia? I've had that car since a few days after I turned 16. I just loved it! Wanna know more? I named it Waldo so that I could go out into a parking lot and say, "Where's Waldo?!" Cheesy, I know. Come on, I was in High School :)

So, as unexpected and stressful as the car blow-up was the day it happened (last Thursday), I've been excited because I've been getting ready to get another vehicle. And actually...I BOUGHT IT TODAY! But I can't tell you what it is yet because I have to surprise some particular friends and family members in person. But I'm EXCITED! Once everyone knows, I'll let you know!

And here's the final bit of exciting news (as the post title suggests)! It is just like the last bit of news--a lot of excitement, but with a bit of loss too. I am proud to announce the launch of my NEW BLOG! I'll miss this blog dearly, but this NEW blog is my official CarolineJoy Photography blog! Oh boy! Now, honestly, I'm not finalized on the design yet, so let me know what you think. I may be changing the look around a bit in the next few days so leave me comments to let me know which one you like best! And update your bookmarks! :)

www.carolinejoyphoto.blogspot.com

So here's to the last post on this dear wonderful blog. I've loved every minute of it! Cheers!

Secondhand Style

2008-04-24T13:06:00.008-05:00

I had a bit of free time yesterday and, as a vintage junkie, I couldn't resist doing a little thrift store shopping. I found a retro-licious 4 dollar lamp that had tons of potential! It just needed a little love. Check out it's poor condition before...

The word "hideous" comes to mind. :)
But look at it now! Chic, Posh, Elegant. All it needed was a little white spray paint lovin'!

Ahhh-mazing! :)

Guess who didn't post a Top 5 for April?

2008-04-15T00:47:00.004-05:00

That's right...it was me. Laaaame! And I hate to be the one to tell you this, but this isn't going to be much of a Top 5 post either. If you'd like to see my Inspirations of late, pick up the April edition of Domino Magazine. Did you know that Wal-Mart started carrying Domino?! Anyway, it is a gorgeous one this month.

Speaking of gorgeous...

Saturday morning dawned the most beautiful sunrise over the beach. I felt so awake and invigorated as I stepped out onto my hotel room's balcony (morning hair and all). The sights, smells, and sounds of the ocean greeted me and, well, who could ask for a better wake up call? The working day went well (if it's on the beach, I'll never complain) and the wedding was simply stunning. I would promise photos soon, but here I sit with my memory-completely-full mac. No room in the Inn. So the photos are stashed away in a safe place for now, until I can get my mac to make friends with a cute external hard drive. :) This single (unedited) photo from the weekend made it onto my computer somehow. Lovely!

Well, here's one little item that caught my eye.

I love small purses. I've been carrying a "wristlet" (the name makes me giggle) as my main purse for a couple of years now. You've got your cell phone, keys, lip balm, and cards all at your fingertips. None of that digging in your black hole of a purse anymore. This leather wristlet from American Eagle has caught my eye. It's so classy! White leather for summer (though it comes in brown and silver too), sassy tassel on the side, fun yellow print interior, and a built in spot for all your cards! Try the wristlet. You'll be hooked.

Hope your days are lovely!

So glad I have internet service here!

2008-04-12T01:00:00.002-05:00

Hello, hello!!

It is so hard to put into words how insanely excited I get when I get close to the ocean...but just so you know...I'M LOOKING AT THE OCEAN!!

Erin and I pulled in town just a few minutes ago, got checked into our hotel, and I'm pretty sure I've already decided I'm sleeping on the balcony.

Not really. But it is gorgeous. Even though it's one in the morning and it's super dark out. You can still hear the ocean and you can see the waves breaking! Not to mention the sky is partially cloudy which means bright stars with a smattering of cloud silhouettes. Apparently the ocean brings out the poet in me as well. :)

Well, we are here to work (shoot a wedding...which I'm insanely excited about...wedding's on the beach!) but already, I've felt so rejuvenated in my heart. I so needed to get away from school and all. School's been kicking my bum like nothing else recently. But anyway, it's been wonderful to have this opportunity.

Erin and I really got to know each other on the way down here (with an 8 hour drive, that's no surprise) and that was a blessing. Not to mention, I got some alone time on the balcony a few minutes ago, just me and the Lord...so sweet. I keep marveling with thoughts like, "God, you TOLD the waves where to stop! You put the stars in the sky!" Really, the thoughts are so big that I can't help but laugh at how I can't comprehend it. Amazing.

Well, it's time for bed. Got a long day tomorrow. But it will be beautiful!

Much love!

Photos from Spring Break! And a bit of where I've been. And a lame post title :)

2008-04-06T15:23:00.010-05:00

Hello! Here are a few of the photos from Spring Break! Honestly, we took more videos than photos, so there weren't that many to choose from. If you want to see the big ol' video that we compiled, edited, and set to swingin' music, come ask me some time! It's well worth a watch. At least Megan and I think so :)

So...wondering about my blogging absence recently?

Well, as soon as I got back from the wonderful Spring Break, I got sick. After a week of fun with that, I had what the education majors refer to as "Hell Week" (where we are teaching a class in a local elementary school every day, finishing our observing hours at a different school, completing our tutoring projects, and taking our 2/3 exams--all in ONE WEEK).

On top of all that, my grandmother passed away on Tuesday morning.

Needless to say, last week was one of the longest, roughest week of my life. And even though I don't have deep spiritual things to write, I know the Lord is good. I'm in a quiet place, I'm in a confusing place, I'm in a stressful place...but I know the Lord is good. Not because of some awesome experience, but just because His word says so...and I trust that. Especially in a time of confusion. Hopefully I'll have more clarity on it all soon and can write wonderful and inspiring blog entries. :) But in the meantime...yep.

Love you all! Promise I'll be blogging more soon. And don't forget to be watching for the two surprises.

These call for a 2nd post today...Inspirations!

2008-03-21T14:36:00.005-05:00

Guess what?! I have neat things for you to see! So, how about an Inspiration post? This one is devoted to cool backgrounds and photo ops!

Check out how artist Mariko Jesse used drawings as backdrops for these stellar bridal photos! This spread was featured in Martha Stewart Weddings. I personally love this magazine. Great for sweet inspirations.And here we have a photo straight out of Real Living magazine. Has anyone seen this magazine available in the US of A? Anyway, I just love this idea...cute, cute.Last but not least...I just have throw some fashion in the mix! Can't help myself from these gorgeous 70's inspired threads from Target! Jovovich-Hawk designs for GO International.

Honey, I'm home!

2008-03-21T10:23:00.001-05:00

I'm back from Spring Break '08 and it was...GREAT! The secret destination location was Rockport, Texas! Meg and I left on Saturday, drove all day, and then arrived on the beach! It was such a fun week filled with fun on the beach (like laying in the sun, playing in the waves, and flying kites!), shopping trips, ferry rides, renting a new movie every night, DELICIOUS food (including my favorite restaurant: Charlotte Plummers!) and the Texas State Aquarium! Wahoo! I needed a week like that. :)

Pictures/Videos will be coming soon!

Now it's back to reality, and I'm really not complaining. I feel more focused after having a week of total fun and relaxation. I'm a little nervous about how much homework I have to do before Monday...and the week after that, teaching every day...but I'll get it done!

Right now I have photography fever! My creative juices are flowing, and I want to make some stellar shots! I've got a few engagement sessions coming up the next few weeks, and I'm SO excited about them! I keep getting lens/equipment lust though! The 24-70mm is a'callin' my name. ...Caroline... But don't forget about my exciting news from my last post. Still a "secret" but I'm sure if you run into me somewhere, I'll spill the beans. :)

I really can't explain how refreshed and refocused I feel after this week. Simply wonderful. :)

One night, after hanging out on the beach all day, I ran across this verse: "Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment...when I fixed limits for it when I said, 'This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt'?" Job 38:8-11

The next day, that's all I could think about while watching the ocean waves roll in and out. God, my God determines exactly where those waves stop. Wow. Our God is so powerful and so in control! And He is good. In the deepest sense of the word, He is good. I got to experience some of His goodness to me this week. Beautiful.

Make sure to watch out for some photos from the week in a day or two!

Spring Break is upon us!

2008-03-13T09:46:00.004-05:00

My blog post average per month is going down fast. Looks like we have a critical situation on our hands. I have a really good reason though...but it's top secret. So...sorry. I can't share it. But I'll give hints.

Hint #1: There are two reasons.

Hint #2: One is .net

Hint #3: One is blu.

Hint #4: You'll see both of them very soon.

I bet half of you can make an accurate guess now. :)

Well, in other news, Spring Break is coming up! That's so exciting. I can already tell you it's going to be a good one-- full of wholesome, non-alcoholic fun. :) And hey, my birthday is coming up too! I won't be blogging in honor of Spring Break this coming week...

But don't lose hope in the dear ol' blog...exciting things are in the future.

In the meantime, here's an simple, classy outfit that you'll LOVE for Spring Break!

The Dress that is WAY comfy, on sale for $15, and even cuter than it looks in the photo.
The Jean Jacket that provides for the cool nights and everyone needs one anyway.
Lastly, the Shoes that make the outfit!

The top 5 for March! a.k.a The Longest Post in the World!

2008-03-01T10:26:00.011-06:00

Sub title for this post: Oh no, I'm a blog slacker!

Instead of blogging this month, I've been taking advantage of the purely lovely warm weather, basking in the sun, taking long drives to the lake, dancing around the house, and staying up too late. Oh yes, and doing school work of course. :) But to make up for my absence, I have some of the coolest things to bring you in this month's edition of le premier cinq. AKA the Top Five! (Can you keep a secret? This is more or less an inspiration post than a Top 5 post...but shhh, don't tell.)

1. Wanting some new tunes for your iPod? Welcome Rue Royale into your life with a big hug and a few high fives! I can't even describe them, you'll just have to listen and be delightfully surprised (if you have music taste that's anything like my own). They have a new album out on iTunes that was just released the day before Valentine's Day! Where have I been!?
2. Yay for gorgeous! Check out the photos for New York Magazine's new airy Spring line. Click on the slideshow.

3. Hello J. Crew with your inspiring photography and wonderful argyle sweaters made just for Spring. I personally don't have $128 to drop on one, but maybe you do. :)
4. Lines and Shapes connect us. Cool design and I just like this website's line of thought. No pun intended.
...Okay, the pun was intended. I like corny jokes :)

5. Whoever invented the alphabet had no idea what kind of artform they were providing the world with. Make your own or find some inspiration searching "typography" on Etsy! (We all love Etsy!!)

***And just in case you were wondering what I'm up to these days***

Wearing: No make-up. I woke up late for work this morning :)

Listening to: Of course I'm listening to Rue Royale's new stuff!

Eating: A Hershey kiss...wish I could find more around here.

Photoshopping: Pictures for my dad's business website.

Loving: The fact that I got to dress up and go to a ballet last night!

Excited About: A family photo shoot tomorow...first in a while it seems!

Reading: Up on who I should vote for as Prez'08.

Feeling: Like making dumb abbreviations (as made obvious by that "Prez'08" up there).

New Hot Spot: Don't make fun, but the campus library. If I take my mac with me, I can listen to other student's shared music while I study. Not illegal!

Laughing at: Everything Obama is doing for me, like commenting on my blog and folding an origami crane for me. Do yourself a favor and go here. Relax, I don't know who I'm voting for yet. But it's still just funny. Keep refreshing the page to get more of what Obama is doing for you :)

Feeling Special because: My birthday is in March! Oh boy!

Love you all,

CarolineJoy

Homer Hiccolm & The Rocketboys

2008-02-22T10:06:00.005-06:00

Here are the photos! The Homer Hiccolm Show on Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-15T12:18:00.004-06:00

Well friends, I hope you all had a simply delightful Valentine's Day. As #5 on the last Top 5 post mentioned, I love Valentine's Day! And February 14, 2008 did not disappoint. Let me tell you all about it. :)

First of all, I got to sleep in which equals "YAY!" But I mean, really, what's new? I get to sleep in alot. :) I took the holiday as an excuse to look really cute, which meant I got to wear my new heels all day...wahoo! (Check out the link...if you're looking for ultra classy black heels, look no further than Payless!) Classes were fun and laid back, and around 5 o'clock I headed to Chase and Kassie's where they had prepared a delicious dinner for all of us singles, dating, or whatever your status may be! We started the night off right with some Communion, celebrating the Lord's love above all, and then enjoyed our "love feast." :) I love my friends!

After dinner it was off to the Homer Hiccolm & The Rocketboys concert!! YAY! It was incredible. If you've never heard them, go here and listen! The best part, however, was the fact that I got to be that girl who was smuggling pro camera gear in to the show. :) I had a blast meeting up with other photographers, swapping sick lenses, and walking past all those velvet ropes and "Balcony Closed" signs like they meant nothing. I got some sweet shots! I'd be posting them, but they are not on my computer yet. Kyle Trafton (who helped me SO MUCH as I started in photography) is the BEST for walking up to me and handing me his new $1500 lens. I had so much fun playing with it! So much fun, in fact, that I got kicked out of the balcony. :) I love it!!

Getting to try those new lenses gave me a renewed passion and excitement about photography! Using the same lens for...ever gets a little boring. Great! Now I have another really expensive something to add to my list of "To buy." :)

To top it off, I got to have a stellar phone conversation with my friend Shyla after the concert, AND I came home to a rose and iTunes gift card from my dad! Aw...I love my dad! :)

Much love to you all!

February's Top 5!

2008-02-12T13:34:00.001-06:00

It's finally here!!

1. Not to be trendy, but this girl, Yael Naim, is pretty much amazing. Paris-born and Israel-raised, her music is a beautiful mixture of intimate pop and folk. I'm in love with her style! Of course, she's also the new cool girl in town because her song, "New Soul" is used in the ads for Apple's new MacBook Air (which is pretty dang sweet). Check it out here.

2. Simplicity and Springtime. Celebrate the budding beauty by buying fresh flowers. It doesn't take much!

3. It's no secret I love Loeffler Randall. Now I have even more reason to love it! Meet the Mazzy sandal in all it's effortlessly-chic glory. Unfortunately, these were not made for Target. Instead they are priced somewhere between $230 and $340 (depending on whether or not you find them on sale). But if you must have them, try eBay.

4. Designer Romona Keveza makes a statement in the wedding fashion world with her unique lengths and sweet gowns.

5. And finally...Valentine's Day. If you're one of those people who just hates V-day, has Singles-Awareness-Day parties, and think it was just invented just for greeting card companies...I'm sorry, but you, my friend, are missing out. I know, I know. Valentine's Day just has that cheesy ring to it, but think deeper about it. It's a day to celebrate love! LOVE! And not just romantic love either. Open your eyes and be grateful!

And one more: "Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his LOVE from me!" Psalm 66:20

Let's hear it for SUMMER!

2008-02-09T00:36:00.000-06:00

Hello all. Yes, recovery is going well :) Today, get this, today I SAT UP almost all day. Let's give a hand clap! And although I can't eat delicious-yet-terrible-for-my-health food like pizza (ha!), I did get to eat pretty normal food today. Let's have another round of hand claps!

Get your hands ready for the biggest hand clap yet: I got the call today, and I am OFFICIALLY WORKING AT PINE COVE THIS SUMMER! Can't even tell ya how excited I am!

On that note, life is good. And being bedridden and stuck inside for something like 7 days makes a person want to sing sonnets and quote Wordsworth as soon as they get a breath of beautiful, natural, outside air. The sky never looked more blue than today and the sun never felt so fresh. Let's all go grab a chic blanket, our most stylish sundress, and (of course) our Gucci handbags and make like the girl in the inspiration photo of the day!

...Well, I'll be joining you guys in a couple of days. :) Still a little sick here. Until then...enjoy today!

I'm still alive...barely.

2008-02-06T17:30:00.000-06:00

Yes, it's true. I got the mystery illness that's ten times worse than the flu. This is the first moment in the past 4 days that I've felt like constructing a complete sentence. I'm still in bed though, attached to my 7-up, kleenex box, and Pride and Prejudice.

Anyway, my brain is growing foggy already, so I'm going to spare you, but I'll be blogging again soon. We've got a Top 5 coming up, a trip to New Mexico that needs to be blogged, and more exciting things like that on the horizon.

Oh and more exciting news: I have an engagement session coming up! The Lord keeps providing. :)

Much love to you all. Think of me and my bedridden self if you drink a 7-up anytime soon.

A Poet Soul

2008-01-29T14:29:00.001-06:00

Here's a shot from my 2nd Senior Session last weekend! It was a blast to work with this girl. I didn't feel like posting all the photos, so here's a link to the full album. Anyway, on with the post...get in a calm, reflective mood before you read it :)

There's nothing like a good poem.

Today, just a few minutes ago actually, my professor let our class out early. I had absolutely nothing to do for the next 45 minutes until my next class started and really, wasn't very excited about that. I aimlessly wandered down the long hallway, but stopped suddenly when I passed an open door. The voice coming from the room carried passion as he read the poem I recognized as Gerald Manley Hopkins' "Spring." I smiled as I stood in the hallway, eavesdropping; this was Dr. Brunner, the most inspiring professor I've ever had. Listening to him read the poem was beautifully refreshing to my soul.

It was three and a half years earlier that I had sat in that class, listening to Dr. Brunner teach us how to appreciate poetry and the beauty encapsulated in it's clear words. And today, I'm grateful I caught a bit of it again. Listening in for those 10 minutes changed my entire attitude. And now I leave you with my few favorite lines from the poem.

"Nothing is so beautiful as Spring--

when weeds in wheels, shoot long and lovely and lush...

What is all this juice and all this joy?

A strain of the earth's sweet being in the beginning, in Eden garden."

There's nothing like a good poem. :)

P.S. By the way, here's a happy thought. I slept late today and when I finally woke up, Meg and I went to United in our pajamas to buy waffles. Then we went back home and made 'em! No better way to start the day!

A Very Vogue Valentine's Day

2008-01-27T01:41:00.001-06:00

Okay girls (since we all know there are NO guys that read this blog), that V-day is approaching. I don't know what your "status" will be come February 14th, but no matter if you're single or married-- we can always use this day as an excuse to get pretty! Here's my own little personal fashion favs to try:

1. A pearl ring: I've seen these pop up all over the place recently.

2. New heels: who doesn't need an excuse to get new heels? Go for something completely impractical.

3. A cute clutch: like this Loeffler Randall rose clutch from Target!

4. Very sweet accessories: check out what American Eagle sells. They have some of the daintiest, girliest, prettiest jewelry I've ever seen.

The class of 2008 is great!

2008-01-26T09:35:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, I had my first senior session of 2008...it was amazing! Meet Elizabeth...not only is she gorgeous, she's also a ballerina! Oh, if that I had been a ballerina. :) Here are my favorites. Enjoy!

I have another senior session today so be on the lookout for sweet photos!

A bit on the nippy side out, eh Steve?

2008-01-22T16:51:00.000-06:00

No one told me it was going to be FREEZING today! Thus, I left the house in typical Texas weather clothes- flats, no socks, a long sleeve shirt. At least I was wearing a scarf. This post is going to be fun and random, so, to quote that guy who always had a cigarrette in his mouth on Jurassic Park, "hold onto your butts."

My upstairs neighbors are being awfully loud. I don't like loud upstairs neighbors, but it's more something to laugh at than a real annoyance. Megan and I always pretend we're going to throw things at the ceiling and yell at them. We have fun with it. :)

Just in case anyone wants to know, there is no women's restroom on the third floor of A-Hall at HSU. I found that out the awkwardly embarrassing way today. I was walking around in a happy bubble and missed the sign that was blaring "MEN." But...as soon as I walked in, I knew something was wrong. This was my thought line that all took place in about 2 seconds: Whoa, they redid the floors in here, when did that happen? Hey they moved the mirror too. It smells funny in here. (Then as I realized...) Oh...my...gosh. Am I in the men's restroom?! Quick! Look for urinals...AHH! (And I was out of there!)

At least no one saw me.

I never realized how huge a part coffee played in my life. Since going to the dentist and having my revelation about not drinking sugar filled Starbucks, I've been asked to coffee dozens of times. Seriously. Want to go study? Starbucks. Want to get together to catch up? Starbucks. Want to go for a drive? Inevitably we end up at...Starbucks. But be proud, I've only gotten a drink a couple of times. I'm taking good care of my teeth!

Speaking of coffee, I went to Starbucks the other day (and didn't drink any coffee!) and saw my friend Cherith who just had her first child about 6 months ago. She and her hubby are pregnant again! :) :) I'm excited!

Today was my interview for Pine Cove! Oh, it was so good! If nothing else, it was really fun to sit down with a complete stranger and get to talk about what I believe and what the Lord has been teaching me.

Geez, the upstairs neighbors are being really loud! I want to ask them what in the heck they are doing up there.

Anyway, something interesting happened though, at my interview. I was asked what one of my biggest weaknesses was and I immediately responded, "Pride." As soon as it came out of my mouth I was thinking, Where did that come from? Sure, everyone struggles with pride, but if I had taken a moment to think, I would have said something like, "Oh, my biggest weakness is worrying too much about what others think of me and letting that define me." Which is a big weakness of mine. But instead, pride came out. Fascinating. It's like my insides knew it, but my mind didn't. So I've been chewing on that all day. And I've realized it's very true.

What a long post! I haven't had a post this long in a long while! And I also haven't had a post this random in a while. Did you catch the reference to Homestarrunner.com in the post title? Anyone?

Life is art, and Art is life.

2008-01-19T12:01:00.000-06:00

Hi Hi Everyone! Wellp, I've got the first week of school down, and I feel really good about it! I also happen to LOVE the fact that Monday is a holiday. Holidays already, oh boy! The weekend started off good. Megan and I went to Target and found some sweet leg warmers on sale for $3! So we obviously each bought a pair to wear over our skinny leg jeans...yes, I am wearing mine right now. :) Another minor detail of happiness: I had the best night of sleep ever last night!

So, the Lord continues to bless my desires and dreams, and it is all at the same time humbling and encouraging. I wasn't planning on pursuing anything business-wise with photography this year; I was just going to take some time to be in the background, learn, and refine. Already though, people have come to me and I've booked several shoots! How is that even possible? I'm amazed.

On that note, I've been gearing up for some cool senior shoots and my main inspirations have been from incredible fashion and musician photography! I just wanted to share some of them with you. (1.) from the Loeffler Randall website (2.) 1995 British Vogue photo by Nick Knight (3.) Fotografie, Tim Walker (4.) Matchbox Twenty's new CD cover

Hittin' the books.

2008-01-17T22:11:00.000-06:00

Another semester has begun at HSU and I am on my way to having one less semester standing between me and graduation. Exciting! It's good to be back though. I love our pretty campus: the trees, architecture, and red-bricked buildings.

I'm in one week deep and can already tell you this is going to be a good semester. I'm only taking 12 hours (which translates into only 3 classes because one of them is a six hour class), my first class every day starts at 1 PM and so I'm getting plenty of morning time to do things I love like photography, running, reading, and playing the piano. I'm not just going to sleep and get lazy! I also rejoined HSU Chorale! Today was my first day back in there and it felt SO GOOD to do the classic warm ups and such. I was raised on choir, so it's been strange to be without it the past three years. My Pine Cove interview is coming up this next week too, so I'm looking forward to that.

The Lord is so good. I'm so thankful for such a great schedule that allows me lots of time to do things I love, things the Lord has called me to.

Back to college with spring fever already! (and no coffee!!)

2008-01-12T10:14:00.000-06:00

I'm back in college mode again! Meg came back yesterday afternoon and we had a grand day of moving back in the ol' APT and organizing! I must admit, I'm super-duper excited about my stellar-ly decorated new room. I mentioned that Meg and I switched bedrooms, right? The only downfall of my new (big) room is that it's freaking freezing! Our sweet lil' heater just isn't strong enough to reach my bedroom or something...cold...anyway.

Last night , since everyone is getting back in town, we had a bunch of dear wonderful friends over and watched "Once" because Meg and I were the only ones who had seen it. Man, it was good to see friends! After the movie, we took a quick trip to Wal-Mart and I finally made it to bed at 3 AM. I might need a shot of caffeine :)

Actually on that note, I've had a revelation! I had to go to the dentist the other day and he was telling me how insanely bad coffee is for your teeth! All that sugar is just asking for cavities. So now, I'm not having a problem saying no to coffee. Amazing! I want my teeth to be healthy and happy, so it's worth it.

Anyway, it's fun seeing friends again, but school hasn't even started yet and I already feel like I have spring fever! Weird. Check out these shoes that sum up my "just-can't-wait-for-warm-weather" mood.

How freaking cute are they?! Check them out at Swell. I'm already daydreaming of sunny skies on the sand! :)

In the Meantime

2008-01-11T09:57:00.000-06:00

Happy 100 posts! That's right, Under the Canvas sky rocks 100 posts as of today! Let's go intercontinental to celebrate: a photo from Spain. Sweet.

This year coming up is one of those years where so many exciting things will be going on. When people ask me how I'm doing, I find myself answering with a list of the exciting things that are going to be coming up. I just find that interesting. I don't think it's a bad thing to be that excited about things on the horizon, but there's always this Jim Elliot quote that surfaces in my thoughts every now and again: "Wherever you are, be all there." I've never quite had a year where I'm so excited about the opportunities coming up like this...but in the meantime, I don't want to lose focus on the small, seemingly mundane events. I've been so incredibly blessed by these passions the Lord has placed deep within me. It's so exciting to watch Him prepare to bring these deep desires to the light and give them a place to bless others! But the small things are still here, too. Pray for me, if you think about it, as I try to balance the big with the small. There is value to be found in it all.

Jesus...don't let me get caught up in dreams for myself. Let me be swept away in Your grand plan to further You're name! You've done so much; keep my focus on you, let me give you all the glory. These things you've done are for YOUR NAME...not mine. Lord keep me looking for people to serve in small ways. Help my attitude, countenance, everything Lord, help it reflect You. Such a gift to have "an unveiled face" to reflect your glory!

Two posts for January 9th...and this time I need your help!

2008-01-09T16:23:00.000-06:00

If you've ever been on a cruise before, or know someone who has, I NEED TO TALK TO YOU! :) As a non-traveling person, I don't know the first thing about it! And I'm interested! Which lines are good? What destinations are awesome? Is it worth it to get a room with a view? What were your favorite things about cruising?

Leave me some feedback! Thanks so much!

100th POST!

2008-01-09T13:37:00.002-06:00

Happy 100 Posts Everyone! To celebrate...free Starbucks for everyone!

I wish. I seriously tried to find an online coupon or something to post here so you could all get a free drink. But alas, I could not. But we're still going to celebrate! :)

First up: Top 10 one-liners from the past 100 posts!

10. If you don't know what propagated means, you should look it up before you ever try to use it as a synonym for "advocated." :)

9. My brother is in Canada...Why, oh why can't I go to Canada? Eh?

8. Home is the place where you get better!

7. During this crazy time of the semester, I need to pick up an extra job to support my coffee habits. Yes, it's that bad.

6. You know how sometimes Thanksgivings are kind of a let down because you just sit around all day and watch your older brothers play video games? Well, this year was definitely NOT like that! It rocked!

5. Christmas is my favorite. Break out the Elf DVDs!

4. Maybe instead of blogging, I should be cleaning the kitchen...wait...nope.

5. PS I ate dinner at 3:00 AM last night. Wow.

2. It just hit me that I am so freakin' blessed to have had the Lord throw this photography opportunity at me. Seriously, it feels like he threw it at me. In my face. :)

1. I'm definitely feeling the holy fear in me just thinking about it.

2. Then Meg and I stayed up til 3 being dorks again.

3. Someday when I get a laptop, I'll be able to blog during boring classes *evil snicker* Just kidding...who does that? I take my education seriously! :)

4. How can you go from 11 years old and wearing socks that don't match on purpose, to being 30, flirty, and thriving (with a killer sweet loft) in one day? I don't know...and I'm neither 11 nor 30. So...alright.

5. I just loved it and wanted to show my 21 year old enthusiasm towards this movie made for 9 year olds. :)

6. (AH!!! World famous photographer on the phone with me!!!!! :))

7. Today my dad is 55! My awesome grandparents with an awesome sense of humor came by the shop today and brought us McDonald's "Senior Cokes" - for only 32 cents - claiming he could get them now since he was a senior! Isn't that just great?

8. Sounds like broken nose fun! And it was! No one broke their nose, but we had several elbowings and lots of tackling.

9. I'm really curious about what's making this clatter under my desk. It's only every few minutes and it sounds like someone is shaking a tin can with a button in it. Where did that analogy come from? The 1800's?

10. Besides who wants to watch the outside of someone's house for 15 hours? What a party.

11. I need to get a laptop if I'm going to blog. It's much more exciting and romantic to blog in a coffee shop or out on the porch or anywhere else but my room.

12. I know I'm weird, but when houses flood, I always get excited.

13. There is a rubber duck on my desk...not sure how it got there.

So, okay the numbering got a little messed up, but you get the picture! :)

Who doesn't love Anthropologie?

2008-01-09T11:42:00.000-06:00

...And it's cold here again. Man, I was loving that little taste of springtime weather we were enjoying. I confess, I've fallen prey to the marketer's schemes of "promote the next season 4 months before it actually starts." Swimsuits, sandals, and airy decor already? Bring it. I'm excited about Spring! I love the colors, the warmth, the life. Getting outside on that first day when you can smell that it's really Spring...nothing beats it!

I think I'm also super excited about the season's change because so many good things will be happening this summer: Emily&Josh's wedding, Amanda&Kyle's wedding, Trips and such with friends and family, Photography second shoots and jobs, and Pine Cove just to name a few. Usually summers come and I "relax." No more of that! I'm ready to go. :)

Oh! And I have found my new favorite musician (until next week, when I find another ha!). It's One Cell in the Sea by A Fine Frenzy. This girl is delightful! Self taught pianist, sweet soprano vocals, and extremely chill/beautiful/artistic songs.

And here are the "Of-the-day"-s. :)

Quote of the Day: (by my dad) "It's as easy as falling off a log." :) gotta love it!

Funny Thing of the Day: I looked and looked and couldn't find a picture, but Chick-fil-a's new breakfast advertising cracks me up! As a self-proclaimed cereal addict, I just couldn't stop laughing at their fake cereals like "Frosted Monotony" and "Stale O's." Phrases like, "Free block of wood inside!" and "Mmm...Cardboard." and "Now with HALF the flavor!" and "Explosion of Tastelessness!" made me almost fall out of my chair laughing.

Pretty Picture of the Day: Some Pottery Barn green to happify your wintry house, perhaps?

Hope you all have a lovely day!

Cool Phrases to bring to America!

2008-01-08T12:02:00.000-06:00

I watched the movie "Once" last night, and really enjoyed it! Notwithstanding the fact that they drop the f-bomb about 400 times (mostly at the very beginning), it was a refreshing change of pace in a movie. Un-Hollywood style. And I like it. Be warned though, I'm not exaggerating about the language. Be ready to tune it out.

The most valuable lesson learned, however, was all the cool Irish/England phrases. :) Let's all get together on this and bring these phrases over to free-town USA! Phrases include: "That's brilliant," "Cheers," "Delightful," putting "Yeah" at the end of every sentence, and unfortunately that's all I can remember.

In other exciting news, I bought Photoshop CS3 & Lightroom!! Finally! I can't wait to start playing around with it! I already use Lightroom and love it, but I'm so excited to see what Photoshop can do. Man, it's an extensive program...

A much smaller purchase, but still exciting: I got the Norah Jones piano sheet music book! I'm so glad to be playing the piano again!

School starts soon. Oh boy.

Free Rice

2008-01-07T12:08:00.000-06:00

Short post, I know, but you need to check out this website! FreeRice.com is a place where you can learn new vocabulary words (which I am always up for) and play their little vocab game. Here's the deal: for each game round you win, they donate 20 grains of rice through the United Nations to help end world hunger! How sweet a deal is that? Play free games AND get smarter AND help end world hunger! I love it. The grains of rice really add up. Go play!!

January's Top 5!

2008-01-05T01:29:00.000-06:00

Enjoy the lineup!

1. Have you been introduced to Etsy? "Your place to buy and sell all things handmade." Don't let the "handmade" part make you think "frumpy"...no, no this is where you can find some of the coolest and trendiest art , decor, and even clothing! Shop around a bit. It's cool to know you are getting something handmade, original, and one-of-a-kind. Great for gifts!

2. Redecorating! January is so fun because everything is on sale and the new stuff is rolling in! I've been secretly redecorating my bedroom at the flat. The coolest thing is that I hardly spend any money! I more or less just rearranged and brought in a few old movables. Although I did get a new mini chandelier from IKEA! I'll post some pics of the room soon!

3. Spring clothing lines are already peeking out! My personal favorite right now is at American Eagle. Sweet warm-weather sweaters, delightfully floral tanks and tees, Bermuda shorts, and cute flats! Shop now.

4. Buffalo Exchange is the coolest store I've ever seen! I went for the first time ever this past weekend and it was awesome! Full of vintage and second hand fashion, it is the place to find completely unique looks! Not to mention crazy expensive brand names for cheeeap! Next time you're in Dallas or Austin, you should stop by! Check 'em out here!

5. Art by yumiyumi. She's an artist I found on Etsy and she's actually the one who created the art on the Under the Canvas Sky banner! She's also having a New Year's sale right now! Check her out here on Etsy!

I'm back!

2008-01-04T22:51:00.000-06:00

For the last 3 days I've been in Dallas visiting my brother and his wife! I love going to visit them! It was such a delightful trip and just getting out of town for a little while was refreshing. It always is. And in case you were getting ready to rile me about not running the past 3 days...well that's why. But I did do a large amount of walking around, shopping and such, with my mom Daniel, and Cassidi. :)

Get ready for January's Top 5 coming up.

Get used to writing 2008!

2008-01-01T00:36:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone! Happy New Year! I've been reflecting tonight, thinking over this past year. SO MUCH has happened and changed. Attitudes, relationships, career decisions...I can't even begin to get that personal on this blog (ha!). But trust me, the Lord has done some miraculous, as well as quiet, acts in my life since 2007 started.

Isn't it amazing to look back and see the Lord's hand carrying you and leading you, even during times when you felt as if He'd left you? I love that, as years pass, we can gain a bigger perspective on our lives. We can truly see the hand of God at work. It's like we are writing our own story, and we can look back on it and be encouraged.

Looking back is great, but looking forward is another thing. The uncertainty of the future can be burdensome. I just want to encourage you, with whatever you are facing come 2008, you may not know exactly what is going to happen next, but if you're a believer in Jesus, you know where your story will reach it's climactic scene: before the throne of God in heaven where you will hear the sweet voice of our Savior saying, "Well done." God has given us this great climactic scene for our stories...and we take that scene and we get to be creative with the journey on the way to that scene. We live our lives in light of the climactic scene.

So...two verses that sum this up:

1. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Phil 3:14)

2. Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. (Phil 1:27)

Hope you all have a delightful January 1, 2008!

Promised Photo Post! Luallin Wedding.

2007-12-30T16:12:00.000-06:00

Alrighty! Here are some promised photos. These are from Doug and Meagan Luallin's wedding! I got to second shoot this wedding with Laci Adkins! I had a seriously hard time picking out favorites, so I just put them all in a link to the entire album. None of the photos are edited so they might not be as snazzy as they could be. That's okay, I just like the overall feel of them. I also just didn't feel like editing today :) Check it out...here.

Also, as a form of accountability, I'm starting to post how many miles I run each day over on the little twitter widget to the left. So if you see that I missed a day...give me a hard time! :)

Word Nonsense

2007-12-30T01:10:00.000-06:00

Get ready for exciting news! I ran five miles today and got to go to Starbucks to read and journal for a couple of hours!! Ahh...the joys of Christmas break. I'd like to shake the hand of the man who advocated a month long vacation from college because of Christmas. Genius guy, really.

So, on the topic of geniuses, I feel that I must admit something. I was trying to come up with the word "advocated" to use in that last paragraph, but couldn't think of it, and the word "propagated" hit my brain first. I figured it meant what I wanted it to mean, but decided to look it up on Merriam-Webster just in case. Good thing, haha. If you don't know what propagated means, you should look it up before you ever try to use it as a synonym for "advocated." :)

Today at Starbucks, I got to read my Donald Miller book Searching for God knows What and he apparently likes to throw in big words sometimes. I've dedicated a page of my journal to the big words Don uses (Yes, in case you were wondering, we are on first name basis here), and it's been so much fun to learn new words like pariah and anonymity. I always feel so much smarter when I'm learning new words or reading poetry or classic literature.

Wedding photos to come...

Song of the day: 1963 by Rachel Yamagata

Inspirations! Cecilia Carlstedt, The Cake Girls, Zara, and Loeffler Randall

2007-12-28T12:30:00.000-06:00

Wow, do I ever have the coolest things to share with all you lucky blog readers today! I haven't blogged in a few days and things have piled up. So get ready for a lot of artistic inspirations to ring in the new year! First up, check out Cecilia Carlstedt's work...Finding these sweet artists always just makes my day! You really do need to grab a cup of coffee, sit down, and go through her portfolio. Amazing texture and color. I love how imagery is subtly incorporated into the overall composition. Be warned that it is really artistic.

Are you in the market for a new purse? How 'bout a cake? Yep, those aren't purses...they're cakes! Check out The Cake Girls for some inspiration (especially if you're a bride...they bake such sweet, simply designed cakes). Yummm!

Do you need a new place to find some fashion inspiration, lounge-o-licious music, and a bit of the Spanish language thrown in? I thought you did. Try Zara!Finally, I'm in love with the new accessory line from designer Loeffler Randall. His website has some seriously cool ideas for fashion photography (which is what I love most). Best part? The line is available at Target! Go!

P.S I realize that these posts may seem really small and materialistic. Hopefully, if you know me, or if you've been reading for a while, you know my life does not revolve around fashion and trends. But I do find a lot of creative inspiration from these "petty" pretty things. The things of this world are merely a poor reflection of His glory...but when kept in an eternal perspective the reflection can spur us on to rejoice in what is to come.

"Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create." Isaiah 65:17-18

New Design v. 3.0! And the goings on over the Christmas week!

2007-12-27T15:00:00.000-06:00

And how do we all like the new blog look? I LOVED the Christmas-time look, but alas, Christmas is already over! Sad day. But I really get into New Years! I love fresh beginnings! I have some serious goals for January/the rest of 2008. I have a blog post from a while back about all my goals, and here are the ones I'm working on right now:

#17 Train to run a marathon. (iPod Shuffle + new Asics = Caroline running several miles a day!!) #11 Finish all of Don Miller's Books (Reading Searching for God knows What at the moment)
#19 Work at a summer camp. (Pine Cove, here I come!)
#18 Play music at a local venue regularly. (Getting my jazz piano skills up to par...it may happen in the Spring)
#14 & 2 Photography. (Purchasing CS3 soon, got a mac, getting second shoot gigs, but I'm reconsidering the website idea. hmm...)

Christmas was so good this year. It all comes down to four words: God is with us!

It was wonderful to have my family around for four whole days. The entire Casey side of the family got Prime Time (a "family fun center") all to ourselves because my aunt pretty much runs the place. We had a blast playing laser tag, bowling, playing Dance Dance Revolution :) and racing in the go-karts. The best part though was being together. To quote from my brother's blog, "As typical as all these things are of Christmas’s I have celebrated in the past, it is still just as special."

Two days after Christmas, I got to shoot my first wedding by myself! It was so fun! Beautiful wedding and couple. Pictures to come soon!

Okay, I realize a while back I mentioned something about blogging a huge road trip...well...it didn't work out. I was going to go to Nashville with a couple friends, and it would have been awesome, but it didn't happen. That's okay though! It's been a great break!

A formal letter from Caroline that has more impact if you use a british accent while reading

2007-12-22T23:41:00.000-06:00

Dearest Readers,

I do not know what kind of computer you are using to access this page; however, I feel it is necessary for me to inform you all that I am writing this blog post from my new Mac. If you are utilizing an Apple Macintosh computer at this moment, by all means leave a comment. Cheers.

Sincerely,

Caroline Casey

The shortest post ever about reading

2007-12-20T23:00:00.001-06:00

Still waiting on the delivery of my mac...oh the building excitement!

I love to read. And do you want to know something exciting? I've gotten to just sit and read the past two nights. Christmas break, at home, with the parents, with not much to do = wonderful time to feel legit about spending two evenings reading. And do you want to know something else exciting? I got a new book tonight! Only one chapter in and I can already recommend it to you. Yes, it is that good. Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller. I am super stoked about reading it!

And I started/finished all my Christmas shopping today. Deuce.

The Rundown of My Weekend! Get excited!

2007-12-18T12:09:00.000-06:00

Here are the words that come to mind when I think about this weekend:

Wow.
What.
A.
Great.
Weekend.

Man, it was good and busy and whirlwind-ish and full of life! That's exciting! Would you like the rundown? Because I'd like to tell you the rundown! We'll start on Saturday because that's when all the excitement happened. I'm in a listing mood, so we'll go with the list format+top 5 format :)

Saturday:
1. First of all, I was off work. That equals "sleep in" which equals "YAY!"
2. I got to second shoot a wedding!! It was a blastin' blast!
3. HSU graduation was Saturday. I didn't get to go but...
4. I got to go to all the after-celebrations!
5. The best was by far getting to hot tub it up with my best friends!

Sunday:
1. I helped my brother lead worship at church and it was a beautiful experience.
2. I took some quick family portraits of Chase's family (and they turned out radtastic!)
3. I had another family portrait shoot! It was beautiful. This family loved each other so much that every picture is oozing with happiness and joy! :) It was so fun (plus there was a baby!).
4. Went to dinner with dear friends. I set my camera on the table and everyone freaked out taking pictures. Try that the next time you go out to eat with friends. You'll get some interesting pictures!
5. All kinds of friends came to the apartment that night and we watched Seinfeld, drank hot chocolate, and played with Ellie (Tino's puppy!). The best part was that the apartment was so messy that it actually felt cozy. How weird is that?

Monday:
1. I was off work AGAIN so I got to sleep in...YAY!
2. Had a dentist appointment...who cares.
3. Ate lunch with Megan at our favorite locale...Chick-fil-a. Yes, it's true!
4. Then we headed back to the apartment and decided to HARDCORE clean it. In the middle of cleaning, Megan said, "Hey Caroline, what if we swapped rooms?" And so we did. Until one in the morning. You might not think moving furniture and cleaning is much fun, but we make it a party!
5. Mr. Davey Davis came to help us too and it was nice to see him since he graduated and is leaving for Dallas soon. Graduating friends are weird. Not the people of course, the fact they are graduating and leaving. :)

Tuesday:
1. So far the greatest moment of today has been ORDERING MY MAC!! Excitement!!

Needless to say, I have quite a few sweet photos to post, but I'll be waiting til my Mac gets here. I'm in the mood travel. My brother is in Canada...Why, oh why can't I go to Canada? Eh?

Song of the day: All My Loving by The Beatles. Video of the day: FREE HUGS!

12 days til Christmas...

2007-12-13T21:25:00.000-06:00

...and I haven't done any shopping yet! :) That's just the way it happens for me though. After finals is when I get serious about Christmas shopping. And...oh yeah...I'M DONE WITH FINALS! 18 hour semester: FINISHED! Man, it feels good. Actually, as I'm writing this, I have the worst headache in the world. Earlier today I was whining to Megan wondering why I felt so terrible and her reply was, "Well it probably has something to do with the fact that you're sleep deprived, malnourished, overloaded on coffee, dehydrated..." It just struck me as funny. Isn't it funny how we forget about our physical state when we're concerned with...school.

Okay, no. Not funny. :)

But sweet home here I come! Home is the place where you get better! A mom to feed you, a dad to make you laugh, and too much free time to sleep. Mmmhmmm.

And now for the main reason for this post...

So I wanted to share with all you blog readers out there (and thanks for reading by the way, my blog stats are pretty high for a personal blog and it makes me stinkin' happy!) the music that got me through these weeks. Music is vital to me and I've been blessed to find some AWESOME music recently! Here goes:

*And as a side note, I chose to put links to each artist so you can hear them right now! It always stinks when people recommend music and you read it and forget it. Now you have no excuse- you can hear it and get hooked with no effort on your part! It's all right here!

1. Paramore: Riot! I mentioned them before so you know they are good if they get two blog mentions! A bit punk, with the awesome hardcore girl front singer. Misery Business and When it Rains are my fav songs!

2. Sara Bareilles: Little Voice. Man, what do I say? She's just awesome! Love the piano leads in most of her songs. Every song is sweeeeeet! Vegas, Love Song, One Sweet Love, and Many the Miles are my favs!

3. Hillsong United: All of the Above. Such good worship! This is my favorite album Hillsong has put out because it's a studio album (I don't really enjoy the 2 minutes of clapping where the band plays the same note forever at the end of all the songs on their live albums). :) My two favorite songs are Hosanna and Lead me to the Cross.

4. The Once Soundtrack. Alright, this one took a little time for me to appreciate, but it is very good! I'd call it "weird music." The movie is one of those independent, artistic films and the soundtrack echos that. If you don't feel like getting into all of it, just buy Fallen from the Sky. It's weirdly cool and uses old school keyboards. Whoo!

5. The August Rush Soundtrack. It's got an awesome variety of songs on it and I just love the whole mixture of orchestra music with underground rock.

Done with THIS class...Done with THAT class!

2007-12-12T18:17:00.000-06:00

I'm so close! I've taken FOUR finals this week and have TWO more to go! Christmas break is getting so close! I love that feeling when you are repacking your backpack for the next study session, and you get out the book from the final you just took, and you realize, "HEY! I never have to look at that book again!"

Mmmhmm...so liberating.

And the pictures? Megan and I put off studying for a few hours to (what else?) take pics of ourselves jumping on my bed. We have close to 100 pictures. :) That's what finals do to you.

Song of the day: Our Song by Taylor Swift

Holiday Shoes!

2007-12-10T15:04:00.000-06:00

Here's a tribute to your feet this season-- my favorite shoes of Winter!

1. Wellies! Keep your feet dry and look britishly happy in some crazy colorful rain boots! Wear 'em with your favorite long wool coat. Grab a pair at Target or J.Crew.

2. Chunky leg warmers will keep your feet warm when you wear flats! Try them over some straight leg denim or tights with your favorite ballet flats.
3. Satin Heels. Perfect to add a little shine to your party outfits. Don't know why, but I'm in love with these shoes. I want some so bad! It's a shame they are really expensive (J.Crew, you know). If you find some good knock-offs, let me know!
4. Furry snow boots! These are my shoe of choice this winter. Foot warm-ness always comes first to me :) Suede or sweater material, they are always wonderfully warm! Go for the real-deal Uggs, or find knock-offs anywhere!5. Knee-high tube socks. Take it back to the old school and look like a cool girl soccer player from the 80s! Knee socks are great for warmth when you don't want anyone to see because you can hide 'em under your jeans...but you know how cool you look. Or you could be hardcore about it and actually pull the athletic shoes, tube socks, soccer shorts, and sweatshirt combo. GOAL!!

December's Top 5!

2007-12-08T12:08:00.000-06:00

Okay, I'm a little late on the Top Five for December...but I have good excuses! :) Here goes!

1. Oh man, go see this movie!! August Rush! Saw it last night and just loved it! It is so dreamy and NOT realistic AT ALL, but who cares?! It's fun to watch and there is some RADTASTIC music in it! I just got the soundtrack and am loving it. That's the only problem with this movie: if you spend $7 on a movie ticket, you will inadvertently be spending another $15 for the soundtrack within 24 hours. :)

2. Don't forget! Get the Mars Hill Church Podcast on iTunes! They are doing all those wonderful Advent sermons AND Don Miller gave a great sermon there the other week! Hear it all by subscribing to the podcast.

3. I've been learning that things are a lot more simple than they seem. God is in control. And He is good.

4. Another great Christmas Album! The James Taylor at Christmas Album! Everybody loves James Taylor!!

5. And finally, have fun with friends and go hot tubbin' in the snow! This is on my to-do list this winter! Apartment complexes make great hot tub destinations if you don't have one...just pretend you live there. :)

*by the way, the photo on #3 was taken by my dear friend Emily Spurlock!

Humor Me

2007-12-04T15:03:00.000-06:00

Hello friends. You probably won't find this blog post even remotely interesting or funny, but I still just wanted to post it. If nothing else, I can look back and have a good laugh at myself. I love laughing at myself. You should too.

First of all, today while I was standing outside talking to Jen Jackson (it's a BEAUTIFUL day outside!), about 13 ladybugs landed all over me. It was a very strange feeling to have so many bugs on me. Thirteen really is a lot of ladybugs. They were climbing around on my sweatshirt, getting in my shoes, and flying into my hair...very strange. Assault by ladybugs. Good thing those little guys are friendly!

Next up, my equilibrium must be confused. I've been running into walls and doors all freaking day long. But it's hilarious because I can just imagine how stupid I look. And these are hardcore run-ins; not like I almost ran into a wall, no, but like I plowed into a wall. Several times. Awesome.

I had lots of coffee yesterday which is always fun. New fav at Tuscany's: Irish Dream Frappe. Mmmm. I think I'm going to get another one today. During this crazy time of the semester, I need to pick up an extra job to support my coffee habits. Yes, it's that bad.

To finish out this pointless post: a corny joke. What do you call an illegally parked frog?
Toad.

Things that are comin' up...

2007-12-03T17:07:00.001-06:00

Good gracious. I have been a blog-slacker this past week! I apologize for my huge absence recently. School has been kicking my bum...and it will probably continue to until December 13th. I can't wait til it's all over! It's really strange though; this is the first semester where I have close friends graduating or moving. I guess it's hitting that time of life. Hm. I love life though...this semester has been very hard but the good most definitely outweighs the difficult. It's been a semester of making friends. I almost hang out with ACU people now more than HSU people. :) I like to laugh about that irony.

This post will be scrappy, I won't lie. But after December 13th I will have many amazing and wonderful things to post! Here's a few things to watch for:

*My very first bridal session and wedding as a photographer!! Can't wait! They will be sweeeet!

*A second-shot wedding (I'm helping Laci Adkins out)

*A super fun road trip to a surprise location that's AWESOME! I'll be blogging every day to chronicle the event...get ready for your own vicarious adventure. :)

*Oh and most definitely CHRISTMAS and a cool, cool countdown with tons of fun ideas to celebrate the best season of the freakin' year!

Maybe a few other surprises will be thrown in along the way too :) For now, I'll leave you with the band that's getting me through finals. PARAMORE!! They are amazing! A little on the punk side with the hardcore front girl singer, every song on their CD Riot is so good! My favs: Misery Business, When it Rains, We are Broken, and Hallelujah. The other super-cool thing about this band is that they are all Christians and their lyrics are profoundly spiritual, but they are a secular band and all over MTV. Yay for Christians putting superb music out there to reach the lost!

Hope you guys all survive finals too. :)

Honorable Mention in Jessica Claire's contest!! Wahoo!

2007-11-23T21:42:00.001-06:00

Guess what? The beautiful and talented Jessica Claire held a photo contest yesterday on her blog and we were supposed to capture the thing we were most thankful for this year. I didn't win...but I got an honorable mention!!! How exciting is that? Jessica Claire is probably my favorite photographer. She is so inspiring and I respect her so much. Check it out here! My photo is the first on the left in the Family section! Yay! Here's the photo: it's my brother and his wife (married just a few days over a year!) in the super stellar snow that fell yesterday!

Thanksgiving/First Snowfall of the Year 2007!!

2007-11-23T16:30:00.000-06:00

This Thanksgiving was the best Thanksgiving ever! You know how sometimes Thanksgivings are kind of a let down because you just sit around all day and watch your older brothers play video games? Well, this year was definitely NOT like that! It rocked!

First of all, I woke up early to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (which I really get into :)). Then it started freaking SNOWING!! It didn't stop until way later that night too! We probably got about 4 inches! Just so you know, this kind of thing NEVER happens in Texas. So it was a blast. Then my brother and his wife came over and we had a blast taking pictures with our amazing cameras. Snow makes for really fun pictures. We also had a yum-a-licious Thanksgiving dinner consisting of Fajitas! It's an old family tradition that is a lot of fun :) And finally, we all went to go see Enchanted at the theatres! So cute...definitely go see it! Way later, my dad built a fire in the fireplace and my parents and I watched White Christmas...such a classic.

It was just a happy day and I love my family and my life. So much to be thankful for. As cheesy as it is, I love that we have a day set aside to be grateful. How often do we take these wonderful things for granted? I'm okay with a day to renew my spirit of thankfulness. :)

Hope you all had wonderful days!

Happy New Blog-Look Day and Thanksgiving!

2007-11-21T22:45:00.000-06:00

Looky! Things are different around the blog! I spiced it up a bit for Christmas time--my favorite time of the year! A few small changes were made to: the banner at the bottom of the page, my friend's blog list, my About Me, and maybe a few other things. Obviously the big top banner is new...yay!

Hope you all have absolutely wonderful Thanksgivings!