Out and About

I promise you I have the greatest intentions on posting new blogs more often! Truly truly I do!! haha

I had a great weekend! Jamie came up and I spent some time with her and went to her church's special meetings in Portland. Hung out at the mall and got to show her where I live and work now. Lucky her to be the first one!

So, while living down in Vancouver, I'm staying with my cousin and her husband. They are both retired and are graciously offering their home to me and I am indubitably thankful! Indubitably... thats a big word for me! I think I should get one of those stickers that say "Way To Go!" or something! haha But anyway, I really am! They have a place out at one of the lakes NE of Vancouver and Carol (My cousin) drove me out there last week to show me. Im in awe driving out there to start with all the nature and photo opportunities, but then we get to their place and I get out of the van to turn around to 7 deer! Right There!!! They are so used to people feeding them out there that they are pretty much pets. They eat right from your hand. So cute! Seriously! (Deer are not a new thing for me but they are still cute!)

So of course I hurry and get my camera and am so excited! The view from their deck is so gorgeous! It definitely makes up for being so far from the mountains in my back yard and water in the front!

Still working on the pictures and definitely still working on my landscape photography, but heres what I have so far...

This one was the baby!!!

They were hungry lil things...

On our way home from the lake, Carol took a detour to take me to this corn mill. They are still in business too. I cant remember the name at the moment, but I am definitely going back there!!!

Back at the lake... she drove around showing me different places and I had to get out to get this shot!

So things are going really well with the new job and I really am loving it down here! It still hasn't sunk in yet that Im here. For good.

I'm going back to PA this weekend. I get off work at 8pm on Friday and am going to leave straight from there and drive up. I get to see Donella Saturday which Im SO excited about! Driving back Monday in time to work my shift that starts at 4pm... yay! :)

So until next time, go outside and appreciate nature and what God has created! Its Gorgeous out there!

Ker-Splash!

Well internet... Its been over a month and a lot has happened and changed. My procrastination with writing on my blog has significantly increased! But that's not what I mean...

I... am, officially a resident of Vancouver, Wa. My address is no longer the same one Ive had since I was 5. I finally dove off the dock, with the ever so amazing precision that I have, into the deep and very wide ocean that is awaiting to swallow me whole.

This is what I wanted for how long??? I was/am/will be ecSTATic about this!!!

The 'was', because when I got the call that I got the job at the YMCA in Vancouver, after using an insane amount of gas to drive back and forth trying to get the job, I was jumping outa my skin with joy! I did it! I got the job I was waiting for and I was finally able to go through with what I had been talking about for what seems to be forever. I was able to stop being that little boy who cried about that stupid wolf!

The 'am' because, with every bone in my body I am so happy that I have made it to this point.

The 'will be' because... I really hope that I can look back on this and be even happier than I am right now. Because in all honesty... theres more then just bones in my body, and not all of them are happy.

I got what I wanted right?! So whats the problem? Why do I just want to frantically swim towards the surface and claw my way back up to the dock and sit in my little spot that I have been so comfortable with?

Because its comfortable....

I feel almost like I am being way more dramatic than I have the right to be. People leave and move away from home all the time!! Its supposed to be easy! Or well, so I thought. I feel so silly sitting here feeling sorry for myself because I finally got what I wanted.

For the first time in my life, I wrote down another address today. My head is not wrapping around it. Port Angeles is not where I live anymore. My head is not wrapping around it. I didnt get to see and say "see ya later" to my best friend and give her a hug before I had to leave, and my head is just not wrapping around it!! There are so many things my head it trying to wrap around its giving itself seizers and Im not quite sure how to deal with it.

I wondered how long it would take me to realized that I have actually moved away... I mean seriously! Ive only been here not even two full days! I've barely had a chance to realize that I'm in the water! You know that feeling when you jump in the lake and its SO COLD you cant feel it right away because your body goes into shock? Im pretty sure thats me right now. I'm scared to experience what it feels like when that shock goes away.

But... internet... I have moved! I have a job and now my quest is to get "Kika's Photography" out there and make a name for myself!!! and I AM ecstatic and I CAN do this!!!!

Ker-Splash!

This is my nephew, David Schroeder. A little shout out to him... he's on the reality tv show Axemen on the History channel. He needed some head shots and I was happy to oblige. :)

So until next... please dont hold your breath! That might be a lil scary if I wait another month to post something! :)

Put A Lil' Love In Your Heart!

MERRY belated CHRISTMAS everyone!!!

Ive had a good few days surrounding Christmas. A week or so ago Jamie's mom asked if I would take their family portrait while everyone was together. Wednesday Dec. 23rd was the only night everyone was going to be at the house, so that determined the when.

I absolutely LOVE Jamie's family, almost so much to where they feel like my own, so I was excited to go up and be apart of their Christmas, even if it was just for a picture. I broke out my studio lights for the shoot, beings the best time for them was in the evening... and I literally... broke out my lights. After fiddling around with the stands trying to remember how to put them together, giving away how long it had been since I used them, two bulbs blew after I finally figured it out. These aren't cheap regular bulbs either! Then, while trying to take out one of the burnt bulbs, it broke off inside! Trying to not panic, I tried my last bulb and light socket praying that my last chance wont let me down. After thanking the Lord that it worked, then came the fun part! Getting 16 people to all look at me, smile, and keep their eyes open is quite an interesting challenge.

It's really funny that I became a photographer and want to photograph weddings. I've never really been one to be center of attention. Standing in front of that many people staring at me, trying to get them all to smile made me feel like standing up in front of a classroom full of students looking at me waiting for the punch line to come, aaaand it never comes.

The best part of the night... knowing everyone's name! Having 11 outa 16 names all start with "J" I feel that, that is a huge accomplishment! haha

Thursday night, Christmas Eve, my mom was having a family gathering with tons of food after church. Throughout the day, I asked my mom several times what time church was, and she repeatedly told me 7. For some reason that didn't seem quite right, but I went with it. I get ready and head out, drive the 30min drive, park right by the sign in front of the church that reads "Christmas Eve Service 6 & 8pm" to realize that that not quite right feeling was correct. Having an hour waiting around wouldn't have been a problem if family wasn't coming over when the second service was supposed to start! So, I call my mom making sure she saw the sign and turned around to go back home. This year is the first year I have ever missed a Christmas Eve service! Its definitely one of my favorites with the songs, the Christmas story, candles and seeing the church packed with people you only get to see once or twice a year! It's great! So, believe me I will never let my mom live down getting the time wrong, and never let myself live down that I didn't double checked! Next year, I'm going to triple check, no, quadruple check, so I don't miss it again.

Family came over and we had a good visit with the kids running... yes, running, around! So very entertaining! I am really going to need to work on the not-laughing-at-something-when-its-wrong-and-I-need-to-be-serious part of parenting! haha

Christmas went by without a hitch. Before driving back home the night before, I made sure I knew what time Christmas morning service was. 10:30am. So got up, got ready in the same thing I wore the night before and headed for church again, making it on time. Came home, relaxed in my moms house, ate an early dinner, had my favorite, pumpkin pie, and then watched old Disney classics the rest of the night! It was a good day!

Today is my moms birthday! Happy Birthday Mom!!!

With no money, I didnt do Christmas presents this year. So with no money, I had to come up with SOMETHING that was meaningful and FREE for my moms birthday. So, I grabbed a box I had lying around, took strips of paper, and wrote tons of little messages on them overflowing the little box for my mom. I also took daughter/mother songs and made her a CD. All very time consuming and meaningful with no money attached. The best kind of presents I think!! Full of Love!

Happy Birthday Mom! I Love You!!!

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas full of Love!!!

So until next time... Go love a little! :)

Inspiration...

Hmmm... well, not too many baby steppin people out there. But thanks to those who did respond. It means a lot knowing that there are people who actually read this thing. And to those who are like me, who read and don't respond... Thank you too! :)

I'm really not feeling the whole blogging thing lately. Not sure why. Maybe because I havent taken any pictures recently... or this talking about myself thing is waring off... who knows.

BUT! I did tell you that I would post every Monday for an update. So here I am!

Things are going well. The weekend was great, starting off with friends coming over and making a really delicious dinner and watching a movie. Then... had a GREAT Sunday. After I find out the outcome exactly, I'll give more of an explanation. And then today... I woke up to discover that I've lost.... dun dun dun.... 7lbs already!!! Kinda exciting. Im making myself eat breakfast in the morning, and then a lunch. Rather then going all day without food and then eating dinner. Bad Bad idea.

Ok... boring boring boring, I know. Im sorry! I really would love to that person who is alway inspiring! Someone who you can look to when you are feeling down, uninspired, or just wants to read a good story! I wish I had one for you today.

I have though received my new business cards. After the first of the year, I'm going to go plaster them all over Portland. Anyone reading this down in that area, give me a shout if ya wanna help me out! :) Also going to start seriously looking again for a part time job. I think I've mentioned this before, but I'm not giving up! I guess that can be my inspiration. I really thought I would be somewhere other then sitting here in my tiny little studio writing this by this time. My goal was the first of the year. God had other plans, and I am really grateful for them. But I do not want to give up on my dream! I really believe I can do this and I want to at least try. Then if I fall flat on my face, I could say that I at least tried and it was worth it! Going back to what seems like centuries ago, to my little dock, or well... not so little dock anymore, standing and wondering when it will happen. I refuse though to take my feet off of it, even if I am standing still at the moment. I'm not going backwards! Don't give up on your dreams!!!

The last time I did get my camera out, was a week or two ago. I started playin around with all the settings and fancy things it can do. Very fun by the way! It has a double exposure option and so I tried it out. These are no where NEAR what I was trying to get, and definitely need to work on it... but here are my first tries at double exposure!

Ok... I know... I already said I need to work on it! lol

My personal favorite, because it looks like my Christmas tree in on FIRE! haha oh goodness

This isn't a double exposure, but its the only one I like that I've taken so far this Christmas. The birds are on the inside of the bulb.

So until next time... be inspiring and don't ever give up!

Merry Christmas!

Baby Steps...

Ok, so the last time I posted, I had a great... no, GREAT day.

Right after that, I had a terrible day. Things came crashing down on me that I was trying to ignore and keep high up on the shelf. Life lesson, the higher up on the shelf, the higher they fall and the more they hurt. Lesson learned.

I'm trying a lot harder to listen to what God is saying, and do His will. After my lil break down, I had a good cry and talked with a truly amazing friend making me feel better.

For a while now, my laptop had really taken a beating with all the pictures and programs and files I had on there. I transferred most to my external hard drive to clear up space, performed everything I knew how to do to try and make it run faster... no luck. It kept getting slower and less responsive every day. Can you say Frustration!?!?! I wanted to scream and throw my once beloved computer out of a 23 story building and watch it shatter to pieces as it hit the concrete right before a parade of elephants stomped those little pieces into nothingness. Extreme? Well, trust me, you would have felt the same way if you are trying to finish 4 photo sessions and things kept getting undone after taking 20min to complete one function in your editing program.

Needless to say, I needed a new computer with the non-existent money I had. :)

The next day I made the decision to make changes in my life that I could control. I couldn't control my computer, but I could control how to feel about it, how to react to it, and how to learn what God was teaching me from it.

I also made a conscience decision to really take control of my weight.... Phew, I did it, I said it! This is really hard for me to talk about, but I figured if I talk about it on here, and people read this, then I have to stick to my guns and keep myself accountable.

I did weight watchers several years ago and lost over 30lbs and then quit. I started again with the online version when I started working at the Y because I also had access to working out. I quit WW because I couldn't afford it anymore and I knew the points system, so from there I could do it on my own. That didn't last long doing it on my own, but I was still working out twice a day, 5 times a week. I reached a plateau and then my ankle started acting up. One thing after another, and now here I am... Not working at the Y anymore, working from home, sitting most the time, and having a really messed up ankle. Let’s just say I have not exactly LOST any weight.

Thursday I started writing everything down again and calculating points. So far so good! I'm going to weigh myself every Monday and *holding breath* Post weight loss, or gain, here! That’s so scary! But I'm hoping ya'll will help me!! If you have any inspirational quote and/or story, a healthy recipe, or anything, you can post in a comment below. I'm really hoping to get inspired and to help inspire you. Not just in weight loss, but in everyday life! What can you change to make you happier??It doesn't have to be huge... start with baby steps!! Start with waking up, smiling, and saying out loud, "Today is going to be a good day!" And when things don’t go the way you want them to go, what can you take from it and learn?

So, the reason for the post.... Drum roll please....

I got a new computer!!!!!!!!!! This is how God works... Waits to see if you truly trust in Him, and then He blesses us in unbelievable leaps and bounds.

Friday my mom WON a computer. Entered in a $5 raffle, and WON! Not knowing what she was even entering, just knowing that the money was going to help others.

A brand new, HP Pavilion, all-in-one computer, with wireless keyboard and mouse... Knowing I needed a computer and have been trying to get one for a while, she unselfishly gave it to me for my Christmas present!!!! Between her and God, I am so blessed and still can't believe the miracles God can do and how He truly provides for us! Seriously??? I'm still in awe.

So here’s to baby steps! Trust in God and He amazingly provides!

Until next time... what's your baby step!?

Phones and Lenses and Me, Oh My!

Are you all nice and warm and cozy in your home? I am! The Lord is good!

How thankful are you right now that you have HEAT! Oh man its cold outside, I cant even imagine having to be out there for more than 5 minutes and its not even that cold here compared to some places.

I haven't posted in a while, so heres a little update on what I've been up to...

Dec. 5th was a good day. No, it was a GREAT day!

A lot happened on that day. Nothing exciting or ground breaking, nothing that changed the world, and definitely nothing that changed my life, but still... something. Lots of somethings that together made me one very grateful and happy girl.

Why the exact date you ask? Cuz thats the date Ive been waiting for, for a long time! A new phone upgrade!!!! I am so overwhelmed with all of the choices though, I still haven't made a decision. And, well, I am HORRIBLE at making a decision.

For example; I went to breakfast yesterday with several friends and we had, oh, a good 20-30min looking at the menu before we were asked what we wanted. I was the third person in line to order and I was still looking, I got skipped, and when it came back around to me, I still sat there for what seemed like eternity frantically reading the same things I read about 20 times already. (Seriously, I could tell you exactly whats on there even now I read it so much) Pressure, the pressure of 6 people staring at you waiting to see what you are going to get! I almost had an anxiety attack until I finally buckled under the pressure and blurted out the last thing my eyes landed on. Then even after that I spent a good 2 LONG minutes contemplating my decision and wondering if I should change my mind... Nope! Dont do it! Take the menu and walk away! Good thing I liked what I got! haha... So, long story short, I can't make a quick decision to save my life.

Ok, we got a phone grade, WooHoo!!!

Then I got excepted to a pro lab online! See, I told you not very exciting, but to me(!) I find it rather thrilling.

A while ago, a friend gave me some lenses from her SLR film camera when I first got my Nikon D50. Unfortunately they didn't work because of the crop factor. With that result, they sat on my dresser for the longest time. 2ish years actually. Now that I have a new full-framed SLR, suddenly I rediscovered the lenses sitting on my dresser while cleaning and tried them on my D700, and OH MY WORD THEY WORK!!!!!! I was/am so ecstatic! Instantly I became an owner of a 28mm prime lens (WOO!!!) and a 135mm prime (HOO!!!) and I couldn't be more happier! It was like Christmas already. (Thank you Karen!)

We have a new phone upgrade, an acceptance to a Pro lab, and TWO "new" lenses, what more could happen you ask? Well... Im not sure if you have read/heard/saw this, but I have recently upgraded my website. I love it! I have the ability to have password protected proof galleries for my clients, who can also order straight from my site. And, get this, I accept Credit Cards now through PayPal! This just makes me jump up and down with joy!

Its still a work in progress, but I have all of my galleries up now and the only thing really that I need to get up is the "Kika" section. Talking about myself, ha! This is going to sound like a HUGE hypocritical statement, but I am really horrible at talking about myself. Hard to believe I know, looking at how LONG this blog is so far (Oh mylanta why'd you let me write this much?!?)

ok, so, anywho, I have to write the about me section, but for the most part its done. Just like this Blog!! haha

So, until next time... Check out my website!

OH!!! AND! I made a new business card... I will share with you! :)

What do ya think??

Favorite Things

...Snow flakes that stay on my nose and eye lashes, silver white winters that melt into springs, these are a few of my favorite things...

I have been feeling very stressed and overwhelmed lately, well... the last few months I guess you could say. But now with no news on any jobs down in Portland, money very quickly dwindling away, computer going slow as snot, not responding and shutting down and undoing all my editing, and a whole lot of other things I wont bore you with by listing, I feel like just giving up....

...No... I wont, dont worry!! I will just sit here singing my favorite songs about my favorites things! I dont know if thats just me being stubborn, knowing God has a plan for me, or me just being completely ignorant of real life... or all three... but I am actually happy!

Today was a good day :) The littlest things can amuse and entertain me, I'm simple. A certain song, listening to the rain outside, a character in a Pixar movie, watching the laughter and joy come from two friends, busting out in song randomly about your favorite things with the Von Trapp children while dancing in a field on a hill... or wait, no, thats the Sound of Music. But still!

Michael Buble's new song "Haven't Met You Yet" is one that I can just sit and listen to over and over again. It has stopped raining for the moment, but I love listening to the sound "Drip Drip Drop lil November showers!" (I swear I live in my own little personal musical!) and Wall-E!!! I absolutely love him! Bowling with the youth group today and just sitting back enjoying how spirit filled and amazingly goofy they are and that I can be myself in all my goofy glory right along with them! Yes, today was a good day.

The simple things in life. I am so incredibly blessed that I have a place to live, food to eat, clothes on my back, amazing friends and people all around me, then on top of that all those things listed above. Those are the extras in life that we all take for granted. No matter what situation you are in, where you are in your life, what you do or dont have, there is something to be grateful for and to put a smile on your face. If nothing material or earthly comes to mind, then what about the love of Jesus Christ? Thats all you really need to be happy because thats all you need to get into His kingdom. Not the best clothes, the biggest and most stylish home, and not even food to eat and Lord knows I can go a day or two without food. You need HIM. He gave His life for you so you can spend eternity in paradise, so what are you going to do about that? I ask myself that all the time and I am always humbled by the love He gives. So in return, no matter whats going on in my life, I can be happy and truly mean it thanks to Him!

So one of my favorite things most definitely has to be Jesus and His love!!! It puts a smile on my face :) How more simple can ya get? So...

When the dog barks, when the bee stings, when I'm feeling sad... I simply remember my favorite things, and then I don't feeeeeeeel, sooooooo baaaaaaaaaad!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Last Saturday I took pictures for my church's pre-school bazaar. We had a live nativity scene.

This is my pastor and friend Roger with his lil boy Ryan and the "mooooo" cow. hehe

I say this all the time, but I can't get over how adorable he is!!! Definitely one of my favorite families :)

So until next time, I urge you to think of your favorite (non-material) things!

ready, set,

GO!