Inspiration...

This week one of our assignment's in Simplicity's Photography {SLR} Class was to create an inspiration board. The goal of this assignment was to collect images that inspire you. This was a fun project for me. As an aspiring photographer, I'm constanting looking at other photographers work hoping to get ideas and maybe even learn something in the process! What do you think of my inspiration board? I think it turned out pretty neat! And it definitely captures my type of "style" with similar themes in a lot of the photographs.

Speaking of inspiration...some of you may read Megan's blog- In This Wonderful Life! Well, she's hosting a giveaway this week and someone is going to be the lucky winner of one of these "Keep Calm" prints from this adorable ETSY shop. I've seen these prints before and I love them! Someday I hope to have a few hanging on the wall in my future office/photography/blogging room that I dream about! :)

Happy Friday and Happy Fall ya'll!

Have a great weekend!

YouCapture: Flowers

Wordless Wednesday: Wimberley, TX

Teal Toes!

Look who's toes are teal!

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

and the official color is teal!

Click here for more information on ovarian cancer and to help spread the word one teal toe at a time!

This week's theme at Perceptive Perspective is "feet"!

Macro Monday

"I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all."

-Laura Ingalls Wilder

Chances

Some of you may read the ever-so-lovely blog- SummerB...if so, you may have seen her post yesterday called "A Note on Your Nightstand."

She posed this question:

"If you left a note on your nightstand, saying one thing, what would it say?"

I thought this was a really neat post and it really made me think. We all live busy, hectic lives so it's nice to stop and think, what's one thing I need to be reminded of? Because at the end of the day, life is short, and does it really matter if we have a long list of things to do?-{drop off clothes at the cleaners, don't forget to put gas in your car, so & so's birthday is coming up- make sure to pick up a card, etc, etc}. The list could go on and on...but instead of leaving your to-do list on your nightstand, why not leave a little happy reminder?

So after much thinking, I concluded that my note on my nightstand would look something like this...

Okay, okay, so it may be lyrics from one of my favorite songs, however, it's so true!

Here is one of my favorite quotes that relates to chances (yes, as you can see, I'm a sucker for a good quote!):

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because that is what this world needs is people who have come alive."

Sometimes this involves taking chances. How will we ever know if we don't try? Obviously it's easier said than done. It's easy to be scared. Scared of what? The unknown? Scared to fail? Of course. But isn't it failing if you don't even try?

So take a chance...(and in the mean-time, listen to one of my favorite songs!)

What would your note on your nightstand say?

P.S. I can't take credit for this photo. My super, awesome brother took this picture yesterday on his phone and sent it to me! He was waiting at the bus stop on campus and this bus pulled up! How cool is that school?

Puppy Love

Love is when you can't be apart from someone for too long...you're always thinking of them, and when you're with them you never want to say goodbye. Love is far from simple. It's quite complex. It's a mix of about everything. It's sadness, joy, passion, hatred, excitement, it's almost every feeling you can imagine and more. You know love when you find it, it's that person that when they smile it brightens up your day, you can't stop staring at them for fear of losing them, they're always on your mind, you daydream of being with them, even if they're less than 20 feet away...and you can't stand it when they're not with you, the worst feeling you could ever feel is when you know that person you love is not with you...you can't tell when love will happen, you just know when it does, that moment when you first lay eyes on that person, and you never want to look away...that is love. Nothing less.
-Anonymous

This week's photo challenge at Wishful Pictures is "Soul Mates."

Be sure to check out the link for more lovely photos!

9 years ago...

“Now, we have inscribed a new memory alongside those others. It’s a memory of tragedy and shock, of loss and mourning. But not only of loss and mourning. It’s also a memory of bravery and self-sacrifice, and the love that lays down its life for a friend–even a friend whose name it never knew. “
- President George W. Bush

Do me a favor today, will ya?
Hug your loved ones,
smile at a stranger,
forgive and/or find peace.
Do something kind because you really never know what tomorrow holds. {via}

Please take time to remember all the lives lost that day nine years ago and the ones that are still overseas sacrificing on a daily basis.

UNITED we stand.

We will NEVER forget.

Rain brings Rainbows :)

"The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain." -Dolly Parton

"Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk." - Unknown

"The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers." - Unknown

"We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope." -Martin Luther King, Jr.

"May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, and enough hope to bring you joy." - Unknown

"To place faith in something other than one's self requires an element of courage; yet those who have put it in God can testify that even greater courage-along with peace of mind-is to be found in doing so." -Unknown

The BIG reveal: August Photo Hunt!

Well, the day is finally here!

It's time for me to reveal my 20 items for the August 2010 Photo Hunt. Let me tell you...I am exhausted after this hunt! Not only did I carry around this list in my purse for the past 31 days, but everywhere I looked I found myself thinking, "hmmm, would that work for the photo hunt?!" I also discovered a new appreciation for clouds. They are so neat! But it's always best to stare at the sky when you are sitting in the passenger seat...I had to make a rule for myself- No photo hunting while driving! So...without further ado...here are my 20 items...Hope you like them!

1. A flag that represents me

{Well, I hate to start off with an "archive" photo but I didn't get around to snapping a photo of a flag that represents me. I love this picture I took last November in New York City. It was a very windy night so you can see the line of flags flapping in the wind.}

2. Something comfortable

{Three things that bring me great comfort}

3. Something in season

{School is back in session and that means so are the school zones! Be sure to slow down!}

4. Feet

{Gotta love the baby feet and the joy on a sweet baby's face who is just discovering their little toes!}

5. Repetition

{A ferris wheel goes round and round and round}

6. Culture or ethnicity

{Authentic hawaiian leis all the way from Hawaii}

7. Contrast

{White feather, black table}

8. An indulgence

{Blue Bell homemade ice cream...perfect on a hot summer day!}

9. A macro or closeup

{I love the way the sun is shining on this flower}

10. Something masculine

{Electric guitars}

11. Something feminine

{Kentucky Derby hat}

12. Light

{Here is another "archive" photo, but I thought it was too neat not to share! I took this photo last year during a night photography class. We played with long shutter speeds, flashlights and starbursts!}

13. Eco-friendly

{Windmill}

14. Business

{A local barber shop in old downtown}

15. An arrow

16. Something wet

{Aquarium and fish}

17. Something dry

{Clothes dryer}

18. Butterflies

{Butterfly stickers from my stash of scrapbook supplies}

19. Heart-Shaped Clouds

{My heart about jumped out of my chest when I saw this cloud! I only touched up the skies with a little more blue! Thank you God for this beautiful heart-shaped cloud! Clouds are so cool!}

20. Strength

{Cancer fighters and survivors}

So there you have it! The wait is over! Be sure to check out the link for more amazing entries! The judges will pick 5 favorites from each category and then the voting polls will open...so stay tuned! Happy September everyone!

B&W Wednesday: Friends

"Friends are the most important part of your life. Treasure the tears, treasure the laughter, but most importantly, treasure the memories." - Dave Brenner