for the love of models

I admit it, I slacked off this summer when it same to shooting portraits. However - as it was bound to happen - I eventually got sick of shooting inanimate objects (and cats). It was time to move on to people. Thanks Hannah, Kristin, and Eliza for being inspiring (and posing)!

t.g.i.f...because then tomorrow's Saturday

This morning, I was in a wickedly bad mood.

I swiped red polish off my toes two days ago and yet they still look bloody. 

I never made my bed today. If I had, I could have 

(according to some university study) 

been less stressed today. Hmm.

My cat has taken to following me around. And sometimes crying.

I'm leaving for a min-cation tomorrow. 

First we head over the border 

(into TN, not Mexico)

for my niece's baptism, 

before coming right back to NC and driving to Durham.

I made homemade pizza and watched old episodes of Friends. 

Not the most epic way to spend a TGIF, but certainly not the worst. 

Chocolate, anyone?

when it rains, i pretend to be Martha Stewart

Today I donned my frilly red apron (not really) and spent some quality time in the kitchen. Living in a 1900's something Victorian means that a. I don't have AC and b. it gets really really (no REALLY) hot around here. In my case, a + b = c. I try not to use the oven if I can help it.

The sky darkened, the heavens opened up, and for a few hours, I basked in the hypnotic, peaceful sound of rain falling. It was bliss. It's much easier to stay inside when the day is dark and it's wet out (Cat in the Hat, anyone?). Plus I've got a great view out my kitchen window. Sometimes it's easy to forget that I live in a neighborhood where house butts up to house, since my yellow house happens to sit next to a large green space full of color. 

Since the rain brought deliciously cool weather in its wake, I decided to cook. Which means I ate like a queen today. For lunch, I pulled out an old favorite recipe, tomato, peach, & basil salad. The dressing alone is amazing - make a batch, pour into a Mason jar and shake (shaking makes the difference - the ingredients combine so much more nicely than if you stir), and refrigerate for later. I improvised by starting with a bed of spinach, adding the tomato, peach, basil, and dressing, than topping all that goodness with grilled chicken. I was in the middle of watching Bones later in the evening when I decided banana muffins were in order (yes, I'm strange. But when the fancy strikes, go with it!). I found a recipe that called for chocolate chips. Heck, yes! My muffins just came out of the oven, so I haven't tried one, but if the dough is any indication, these guys will be dee-licious.

geek of the week

I swiped a shirt from my sister's closet yesterday. I should specify...it came from my fourteen-year-old sister's closet. Is that just plain sad? Or is it, in fact, awesome? This means that a) I fit in her clothes but b) I'm AM wearing a fourteen-year-old's clothing.

So the shirt is this intense shade of green that may just blind passersby. There's a large picture of Woodstock on the front and in big black letters at the top, "geek of the week." Now I don't have a huge attachment - any attachment, really - to the Peanuts crowd and I'm not sure if I consider myself a geek. Actually, probably not. But the t-shirt fits me nicely and I happen to love crazy printed tees. I threw on a blue jersey skirt and green Chacos with the Woodstock tee, then stood in front of the mirror, face scrunched.

"Is this too much?" I asked my semi-sleeping husband. "I look pretty ridiculous, don't I?"

"Nope, you look like a geek," the hubs said sleepily.

with this ring

The rings from a wedding I helped shoot at the end of June.

Humongous rock or what?!

This one's mine. I was so worried about the ring. I even suggested that hubby propose with a cracker jack ring, that way I could help pick out the real thing. But no, he was bound and determined to do it himself and to do it right. The jeweler didn't have the ring ready for the proposal {I insisted that this warranted a discount} so on July 4th, I received a box with clear lid. Inside, a winking diamond rolled around. A few days later, the setting was finished, the winking diamond was in...and my jaw fell to my brightly painted toe nails. 

Hubs had designed it himself and yeah, I was impressed.

we all know practice makes perfect...

I'm tiiiiired. And yet I really can't complain since the reason for the lack of sleep was a wonderful night of red wine and some excellent conversation with a dear friend. But I digress...I'm home from my writers' meeting and the high I 'm feeling, coupled with this blog post --> Perishable Skills - has got my creative juices bubbling. I wanted to share it with ya so that yours will be sure to bubble too!

the rabbit hole

I have had ridiculous amounts of free time these past few weeks and yet, I still have the hardest time convincing myself to sit in front of the computer and write. I think I may have caught some sort of anti-writing plague. I'll sit around and check Facebook. No problems there, since we all know that Facebook is the best sucker of time there is. I'll catch up on blogs. I'll read emails. I may pull up Excel and check up on the 'ol budget. But opening a Word document and working on my writing project (shhh, it's a novel, but don't tell anyone) - nah, seems to much like homework.

Now don't get me wrong, I love to write. Once I start, it's like I've fallen through the rabbit hole - I don't want to come back out. But man, is it difficult to get started. So today, I instituted the one sentence rule. I am going to write one sentence a day.

The idea - don't tell my brain this - is that I'll get swept away by my one, brilliant sentence and a mad typing frenzie will ensue.

Anyone else have this problem?

the proposal

July 4^th, 2008

Gravel crunches loudly under our feet as we cross the sunlit parking lot. Ahead, stairs beckon into the dim forest. A wooden sign announces that this is the way up to Looking Glass Rock. Ducking into the woods, our eyes slowly adjust from the piercing sunlight to a world of shadows. Occasional rays of light penetrate the gloom.

Drew and I have become Frodo and Sam, walking the ethereal wood of a different land. The trail is narrow, so we take turns leading. A small stream gurgles happily somewhere below and to the right of us. We are familiar with this trail, having hiked it many times. First, it’s a walk through the woods, followed by a long series of switchbacks that culminate with the ridge.

We reach a massive slab of rock on the ridge and throw ourselves down. Trees edge along the rock like an eager audience. The sun beats down on our bare arms. Drew rifles through the small backpack, searching for a band aid. Several years ago, he carved a message for me on this rock and took a picture of it. It was the first time he told me he loved me. Still searching for his band aid, he suggests I look for the message. I walk across the rock and there it is, facing the heavens: “Andrew loves Viktorija.” 

But there’s more. 

“Will you marry me? 7/4/08.”

I slowly turn, a smile spreading across my face, knowing that Drew will be there. Coming towards me with a sweet smile on his face, he drops to one knee, one hand grasping a small red box. He repeats the question, asking me to be his family. A tear is slowly sliding down my cheek.

“Yes, yes, YES!”

...and how would you like your coffee?

Coffee dates with a girlfriend really are the bomb.

It's an excuse to wear something slightly nicer (after all, I'll be out in the world. It's not just me and the cats anymore, so I should look semi-nice).

I get to order an iced chai. I'd been craving one for days.

I'm socializing. Yay for me! While my boredom/loneliness has ebbed away over the past few weeks, I'm still alone most of the time. So socializing is a definite plus.

Girl talk is priceless, it really is. And the tangents our conversation took - motorcycles, money, maternity shoots - ya gotta love it. And no, we really didn't just stick to the letter m.

Plus, it's Friday. And we all know that stuff is just plain better on Friday.