As You Wish

La Tua Cantante translated means "your singer" and implies being irresistible and enchanting. This line comes from the book New Moon in the Twilight series. I can honestly say that I have found my singer. His name is Andrew and I can only begin to describe the way I feel about him. Today is our 3 year anniversary.

Dearest Andrew ~

I like bullet points, so I'm going to count the ways I love you with bullets (haha kinda sounds like I want to shoot you):

• You know I'm nutty and love me all the same.
• You make me feel smart (even though we both know I'm a little less than brilliant).
• You laugh with me when I do silly things.
• I think it's super cute that you are happy with your alone time, but you miss me when I'm gone. (Absence makes the heart grow fonder!)
• My parents love you (it wouldn't be a deal breaker if they didn't, but it's definitely a plus... although sometimes I feel they like you more)
• You listen when I want to talk about my blog friends.
• You listen when I want to talk about random nonsense.
• You let me rant about my bad day, bad mood, or anything else less than happy and you hug me and tell me it's going to be alright.
• You don't judge me (too harshly) when you catch me dancing or looking in the mirror when I think I'm alone.
• You're not a liar.
• You always kiss and hug me before you leave.
• I knew you loved me long before you had the words to say it.
• You like to take silly pictures of me.
• I like to pose for the silly pictures you take (most of the time).
• If there is something wrong, you try to make it right.
• If I can't reach something on the top shelf, you gladly get it for me with that adorable smile on your face.
• You watch chick flicks with me.
• You make dinner.
• You go to McDonald's for cheeseburgers and coke if I'm not feeling well.
• You save me from myself on a regular basis.
• You call to make sure I made it to work safely if the weather is bad.
  
• You give me the cookie that looks more appetizing.
• If you know I'm leaving before you, you put my key in front of your key on the hook.
• You help me with the decisions I don't want to make on my own.
• You are adorable in all of your fantastic nerdyness (I just made up that word).
• You think it's funny when I make up new words.
• You love me for me.
  
• You are you!
  

Happy 3 year Anniversary Love! I love you very much and I can't wait to see what our future will bring us.

Side note: Happy Anniversary to my parents! They have been married 19 years today.

This clip is from the movie Young Frankenstein, which apparently is my dad's favorite movie.



One day my mom and I were sitting in the truck waiting for my dad and the song "Puttin' on the Ritz" came on. She started singing it like Frankenstein in the clip. This really doesn't phase me because this is what she does. She then proceeded to tell that the way she was singing was because of the movie and if she sang that part to my dad he would know exactly what she was singing. There was no doubt in her mind that he would get it right away.

Well when my dad returned to the truck I reminded her to sing for my dad. She belted it out in her best impersonation of Frankenstein and my dad looked at her wide eyed and said "did you just say oompa loompa?" I died right then. That was one of the funniest things I have ever witnessed. Keep in mind that I am easily amused. She just knew he would get it and when she crooned "puttin on the riiiiitz" in that special voice of hers he DID NOT get it. I love my parents. They continually fuel my need for laughter.

Hello there! So I must know what you think about this new look? It's kind of frustrating changing things around and realizing things are missing. That being said take a look at my blogroll and let me know if anyone is missing, or if you want to be added let me know, I would be more than happy to add you.

I'm not quite sure how I'm feeling about the changes yet. There might be some more minor tweaks to be made in the coming days and maybe a complete overhaul again. Who knows? Let me know what you think if there is anything I should change (not that I would know how, but I could try).

On Sunday the 7th I was lucky enough to be asked to take the Hammond family pictures. Andrew and I are actually quite good friends with Bryon and Angela. They have pretty awesome personalities and I think we all had a good time with the photo shoot (other than it being super cold outside).

They asked that their pictures be taken on these steps because they just finished building this block wall this past summer and they are very proud of it (which they should be because they did a fantastic job).



All in all this was a pretty fun shoot. Bryon reminds me of Chandler (from Friends) when he and Monica are trying to take engagement photos. If you aren't sure of what I'm talking about watch the clip below and laugh with me because it's pretty funny. Don't worry Bryon has a good sense of humor.



P.S. Chelsie insisted on wearing those legwarmers. She loves them.

...my ass. It's snowing today. When I went out to start my work truck this morning everything was covered in snow.

My original plan was to complain about snow, but because I don't want to be a complete debbie downer I'll give a list of complaints and praises.

I'll start with complaints, so that I'm ending this post on a happy note.

Complaints:

• I don't particularly like the cold, therefore I don't particularly like snow. Right now it's 22 degrees.
  
• People drive like lunatics when the weather changes even the slightest little bit.
• I have to drive on the freeway part of the way to work and this morning the visibility was about 20 feet in front of me. The only thing I could see other than a white sheet of snow were the red lights of the vehicle in front of me.
• I hate how mesmerizing the snow is while you're driving. It's like hey look at me I'm so cool, oops yeah that would be the rumble strip you're driving on.
• I haven't been officially diagnosed by a doctor, but I'm pretty sure I have adult ADD and snow is distracting. I mean really distracting. Stupid snow.
• Probably one of the worst things ever is when someone rubs it in your face or smashes your face into it. That's rude and just plain mean, so don't do it. Alright?
• The roads get so crappy and it's hard to drive like that. I get all sweaty, nervous, white knuckled, and I clench my teeth. Those are not a fun combination in any situation, but especially when it's snowing outside.
• Ice is usually a part of the equation when snow is involved. Not only is it possible for vehicles to slide around, but I'm a big ole klutz and I have to be extra careful not to fall on my face.
• Did I mention that it's cold?
• I hate tracking snow/ water into the house and stepping on it bare foot or in socks.
• Having to drive 45 m.p.h. in a 75 m.p.h. zone stinks.
  

Praises:

• Snowball fights can be fun...if I'm in the mood for it.
• I would love to build a snowman, because I've never built one before.
• I like the crunch sound snow makes when walking in it.

Yeah so there aren't many things I can find to praise snow about, but I'm ok with it. If it could snow and leave the roads alone we could probably be friends, but because it interferes with my driving abilities we are totally not on speaking terms.

Mother nature can do amazing things and be absolutely gorgeous, unfortunately beauty isn't always a pretty princess, she can be a total bitch. I'm just sayin'.

Ok that's all the complaining I will do for now. I hope everyone is having a happy holiday season and don't let my bad mood rub off on you. I'm looking forward to having next week off. I'm not however looking forward to the drive to Montana.

Recently I decided to get involved with a scarf exchange that Sarah Marie P and Talia put on. All that was required was to comment on the "Girl Get You Scarf On" post at either of their blogs and they would pair you with someone to exchange a scarf with.

There was a whopping 89 people who participated in this exchange which is totally amazing. As I write there are tons of scarves wandering around the mail system waiting to arrive at their destinations.


Well guess what? I don't have to wait anymore, I was lucky enough to be paired with Susan and look at the lovely gem I received in the mail yesterday.

Susan ~ I love it and I'm so glad we got to meet through this awesome scarf exchange. Thanks to Sarah and Talia for this awesome idea.

I can hardly believe I'm actually writing this post right now. The following pictures were taken by yours truly at my very first wedding shoot. I think I went through every emotion possible the night of the wedding (yes it was back on October 31st, sorry for the delay), but most of all I was very thankful that Kathy and Les allowed me to capture their special moment. The wedding was a small, intimate event with the bride and groom's close friends and family.

Keep in mind that I am no professional, but I'm open to constructive criticism. I know there are not many pictures, but these are my favorites of the bunch. Let me know what you think I appreciate the feedback. In no particular order (because blogger won't let me rearrange them) here are the photos...

It's the time of year again where as a country we give thanks. Miss Alyssa decided to have a crafty challenge that centers around something thankful for Thanksgiving. I decided to make some Turkey cookies to give out to friends, family, and my co-workers. Don't worry they aren't as gross as they sound. Take a look at the pictures and let me know what you think. In my opinion they are super cute.

If for some reason I don't post again before Thanksgiving I hope you all have a fabulous Thanksgiving, safe travels, and loads of good food. Take care! xoxo

Ingredients per turkey:
2 cookies
1 chocolate covered cherry
candy corn
chocolate frosting (this is the glue that holds the turkey together)

Do you remember back when I was contemplating cutting my hair off in a short pixie style? Well if you do remember that you might also remember that I decided I'm going to grow my hair out so that I can cut and donate it. Getting to the point...I was looking at my flickr last night and noticed I had an email. When I opened the email this is what I saw...

Ok so I’m sure that most of you have heard of the book/ movie Twilight by now. Can I just say…Love, love, love? Wow yeah my obsession with this book, the movie, and vampires could be considered a little loony, but I’ve resigned myself to that fact and I’m over it as you should be.

I haven’t quite finished the book yet, but I’m close. The movie comes out this Friday and I’m super stoked about seeing it. The only problem is I don’t know if it will play in Winnemucca this weekend. If they disappoint me by not showing it I will have to escape to Reno to watch it. I believe Andrew officially thinks I’m crazier by the minute and he thinks going to Reno just to watch a movie is dumb (and a waste of money). He really has no idea does he?

I believe my obsession with vampires started with Interview with the Vampire. This movie came out in 1994 when I was 10 years old. Is that young? Oh well I’m over it once again.

I loved when Kirsten Dunst’s character Claudia was turned into a vampire and her hair changed into tight spiral curls. I wanted my hair to do that. I was jealous.

Now that I've made my confession here are some pictures courtesy of Google images.

I'm not sure if you know, but I have puppy fever. You know it's kind of like baby fever, but I want a puppy instead of a baby. For many good reasons we just can't have a puppy right now. With that said a while back Andrew told me that if we get a puppy he wants to name him Beef Supreme. Why? He thinks that would be an awesome name for a dog. Also this is the name of a guy in Idiocracy. Have you seen it? No? Go now and watch it. It's one of those movies that's so dumb it's hilarious.

Today I was doing a google search of puppies and I just had to send Andrew an email that went something like this...

Can't you just imagine calling this little guy Beefy?
Isn't he the cutest? Someone talk Andrew into letting me have this sweet little beefy goodness because he obviously isn't listening to me or my super adorable email.

Well hello there! Long time no write. I know I know. I would apologize for my absence, but honestly I'm not sorry. I'm more sad about it than anything. I just haven't been in the blogging mood I guess. Hopefully now I'm out of my blog funk and I will be back in action. Keep your fingers crossed, but don't hold your breath (you know just in case).

As soon as I finish editing the pictures I took at the wedding I shot I will post them. Oh that's right I haven't blogged about that. I got to shoot my first wedding on October 31st. It was a small ceremony, and the bride was so nervous. They had a friend there also taking pictures, so that was interesting, but it all turned out pretty good.

I also shot a volleyball game at my old high school. It was fun, tiring, and I now know I need A LOT of practice doing any sort of action photography. I haven't gone through those photos yet, but if there are any good ones I'll be sure to share them.

I'm so excited about what the future holds for me and photography. I know I'm not going to be amazing overnight, that just doesn't happen, but in the meantime I will share with you my attempts to become better.

I hope all is well with everyone!

I have been seeing some of my fellow bloggers doing what they call a daily me. It's where you take a picture of yourself everyday for a year. Sounds a bit narcissistic right? Well narcissistic or not I'm doing it. It'll be nice in a year to look back and see how I've changed and how incredibly insane I still am. There will be a link to my flickr on the sidebar, so go take a look anytime you like.

Next time won't you sing with me?

I saw this on Sarah’s blog and decided to fill it out myself. Enjoy!

A - Age: Twenty four getting a little too close to a quarter of a century (picture me nervously biting my fingernails)

B - Band listening to right now: I’m listening to my itunes playlist which includes – Colbie Caillat, Fergie, Celtic Woman, Natasha Bedinglfield, Nicole Scherzinger, Rihanna, Six Pence None the Richer, Taylor Swift, The Dan Band, Christina Aguilera, Chris Daughtry, Cascada, Carrie Underwood, Annie Lennox, David Cook, T.I., M.I.A., Leona Lewis, Katy Perry, and A Fine Frenzy – I like to listen to a mix of things and this playlist keeps me guessing.

C - Career future: In the future I would like to be a well-known self-employed photographer. Is that too much to ask for?

D - Dad’s name: Robert (Bob) Lee Flowers

E - Easiest person to talk to: myself duh! Just kidding Andrew is pretty easy to talk to. He always has the best advice, even though I may not always want to take it.

F - Favorite type of shoe: high heels. They kill my feet, but I still keep coming back for more.

G – Grapes or Grapefruit: Grapes

H – Hometown: Winnemucca, NV woot woot for the Mucc

I – Instrumental talent: haha that’s funny. In fifth grade I played the saxophone for about 5 minutes if that counts.

J – Juice of choice: Apple juice.

K – Koala Bear or Panda Bear: Panda Bears all the way. I’m kind of obsessed.

L - Longest car ride ever: Summer of 2007 Andrew and I drove from Winnemucca to Great Falls, MT to Bozeman, MT to Yellowstone to Butte, MT to Missoula, MT to Kalispell, MT to Glacier National Park, MT to Browning, MT to Great Falls, MT to Winnemucca. It was about 2,604 miles.

M – Middle name: Rose

N - Number of jobs you’ve had: 10
Cashier, Shoes, Jewelry, Clothing at Wal-Mart (the evil empire)
Soda server at Street Vibrations
Office assistant during Christmas break 2002 and 2003
Laborer for a mine during the summers of 2003 and 2004
Athletics customer service at Copeland’s Sports
Receptionist for mining exploration office
Receptionist for a car dealership
Parts runner for a mine
Office manager for a contractor
Admin. Assistant for a mine

O- OCD traits: always wash my hands after using the restroom and I hate to touch the inside of a public restroom door, checking my email and twitter (I don’t think these are bad, but others might… ahem Andrew)

P - Phobia[s]: spiders (I kill several a day at work), not living my life as fully as I would like to, losing those who are close to me

Q - Quote: "I would rather go through this life like a complete and utter retard than have to accept somebody else's miserable reality." - Duets

R - Reason to smile: Andrew, family, friends, life, love, jokes

S - Song you sang last: Probably “You are so beautiful to me…” in the tone of Alfalfa in Little Rascals

T - Time you wake up: On Monday through Thursday I’m usually out of bed by 4:30 a.m. and on Friday through Sunday if we don’t have any plans it's usually between 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

U - Unknown fact about me: Sometimes I can smell the taste of things or vice versa. Does that even make sense?

V - Vegetable you hate: I went through a stage where I didn’t really like mushrooms or broccoli, but I like them now. I don’t like the veins in celery, but I don’t mind celery. I also don’t like the after taste of onions, but I don’t mind them if they are caramelized. Basically I guess I can’t think of any particular veggie I don’t like at the moment.

W - Worst habit: Procrastination, being late and picking at my fingernails (drives Andrew nuts).

X - X-rays you’ve had: teeth, wrist, chest.

Y - Yummiest food my belly likes: Cake, Mexican food, pizza, dessert

Z - Zodiac sign: Aries

Ok now it’s your turn.

*My friend and neighbor Annie had her baby. She actually had her baby girl back in July, but I'm a little slow to post about it. Annie told me that if her baby was cute she would definitely let me take her picture. Well I'll let you be the judge, but in my opinion she is a beautiful little girl.




*My geology class is going well. I know I was being such a nerd about it, but it's actually really interesting and I'm learning quite a bit. I definitely don't want to be a geologist (not that there is anything wrong with that field), but I'm happy I'm still in the class. So far I've been doing pretty well on the assignments and I got a B on the first test. Today is the second test and I need to STUDY. We are going on a field trip on Saturday to one of the local mines and a geologist is going to give us a tour. I'm taking my camera, so I'll post some pictures when we get back.


*I decided not to cut my hair. I know I really wanted to, but I decided I'm going to grow it out and donate it once it's long enough. I figure that's a win win decision; someone in need of a wig will get one made from the hair I donate and I'll get to have short hair.

*I'm not as gangsta as I originally thought I was. Sad face. For several reasons I'm not taking the hip hop class anymore. I'm sad, but I know it's for the best in the long run. I could go into more details, but that's boring and I'm sure you don't want to hear about it.

*My boss told me I can order business cards. I'm not quite sure why, but I'm so stoked about it. Maybe it's the thought that it means I'm official or something. Or maybe I like the thought of being able to say "here's my card." I know that's cheesy, but I love it.

I guess that's it for now. I hope everyone is doing well and keeping warm as the weather is skipping right over fall and crashing face first into winter. xoxo

My lovely friend, Miranda, over at Keeper of the Cheerios has given me an award. Let me just say I AM SO EXCITED!! Thank you so much for thinking that I/my blog deserve such an honor. I had resigned myself to the fact that I wasn't ever going to receive an award and I was ok with that. As long as I can continue to write and people stop by and say hi I'm down with that.

Let me start off by saying yes I know what a dork I am and how completely out of my mind I am. Now that we have that covered... Ashley gave us a challenge to post a video (vlog) and at random she will pick a winner and give out some sort of amazing prize. Well this is my attempt at a video blog. I don't know how many more of these I will be doing because 1) I'm a gigantic dork 2) I don't think I can handle it 3) I got nervous; really nervous (don't ask I have no idea why) 4) For some dumb reason I'm really breathy and I blink A LOT 5) Apparently I also laugh at my dumbness.

So anyway...here is my entry in the contest. I hope you enjoy how special I truly am. Oh and don't you love the screen capture viddler chose for me?

mmmkay?

This past weekend was pretty fantastic, so I am going to share with you what went down.


Friday - We joined some friends of ours for breakfast and had a great time chatting and catching up.


Saturday - Andrew decided he wanted to take a break from the deck and make a trip to Reno. I'm always up for anything that gets us away from Winnemucca for a couple of days. When we got to town we went to the new Scheels that was just opened last weekend. It was amazing. That store is huge. It has two gigantic fish tanks that you can walk under, they were handing out free hats, it's two levels, it has a running ferris wheel in the center and an airplane hanging from the ceiling. That isn't even the beginning, but I think you get the point. Here is a picture Andrew took of me while trying on one of the hats. What a goober!

After Scheels we made our way over to the Atlantis buffet to meet up with my parents and grandparents. It was an awesome lunch and I love buffets. I feel like everyone walks away happy, because you can get whatever you want. I won't go into details about what I ate because now that I think about it I'm a little ashamed at the amount of food I consumed.

As an added bonus to our stay in Reno Andrew told me that we would get dressed and go dancing at Bubinga which has a pretty strict dress code for getting in. No street clothes, sneakers, etc. I was pretty excited. I love to dance.

When we were ready to go we made our way downtown and ate some dinner. We ordered some pizza and enjoyed a few alcoholic beverages. I had a strawberry daquiri and Andrew had a couple Dos Equis. Upon finishing dinner Andrew pointed out that there was a little something extra in my purse. When I investigated I saw that there were two pieces of paper folded together. You know what they were? Tickets to So You Think You Can Dance! OMG! That is one of my most favorite shows ever. When tickets were first on sale I decided I wasn't going to buy them this year because I should save my money. Being the sweetheart that he is Andrew took it upon himself to surprise me with tickets. I love him!

We didn't end up going to Bubinga, but that was ok. I was happy watching others dance even if I didn't get to.

This was one of my favorite routines between Kherington and Twitch. I heart Mia Michaels and her ability to choreograph.


Picture time before leaving the hotel:

These are Andrew's shoes. I love these shoes.

Sunday - We did some shopping and made our way home.

Thank you Andrew for such a fabulous weekend. You're the best!

If you are interested in reading about our trip to see the show last year click here.

This is a guest post written by Andrew. Continue on with an open mind and willingness to learn something new. This post is completely non-partisan.



America,

It’s that time again when politics and political hearsay are running wild. It’s my personal opinion that this election is very critical for the future of the USA. I consider myself a skeptical person by nature (especially when it comes to political statements, rumors, and rhetoric) and I truly despise the fact that “wedge” politics are used so often nowadays to decide political outcomes instead of facts about the issues.

While I will never claim to have all the answers nor will I ever try to push my opinions on anyone else; I would like to ask of you the following: Try not to get caught up in the political “spin” and do NOT believe everything you hear from the left wing or right wing media; and be very skeptical about any emails you receive or TV adds you see.

Collectively we, as a people, owe it to ourselves and this great nation not to be tricked or coerced into believing anything. We should be free thinkers, who pay attention to truly important issues and aren’t distracted by fear mongering or other political ploys that may distract us. We must check the facts that are presented to us, and then weigh our personal beliefs, morals, and life experiences against those actual facts to come to our own independent conclusions.

If we fail to base our decisions on facts and fall victim to the lies, then we perpetuate the stereo type of uninformed voters who can be easily manipulated. Unfortunately this is all too common and many elections are won on false pretenses. This rampant onslaught of misinformation that bombards the American people is astonishing and truly does us all a huge disservice.

We are all very busy in this day and age, and are constantly inundated with stories and opinions from every direction. It’s easy to become overwhelmed, throw up your hands, and follow the rest of the flock. I urge you not fall into the perils of becoming one of these sheep who repeats rumors and rhetoric as absolute fact.

I’ve found a couple of non-partisan Fact Checking web sites that are straight forward, quick, and easy to use. They serve to declutter the fog of misleading information and/or lies that surround much of the world today.

http://www.factcheck.org/
http://www.snopes.com/


Here are a few examples of the untruths circulating out there:

1) Obama claimed McCain’s plan for Social Security would have senior’s money at risk in the stock market.
-FALSE – under Bush’s plan supported by McCain, seniors would have the option to put some of their money in the stock market. (link)

2) Claims that McCain said he was a war criminal and had bombed innocent women and children.
-FALSE – twisted account of McCain retelling a story about the document he was forced to sign while being tortured during an interrogation session while he was a POW. (link)

3) Obama is un-American and despises “Old Glory” as proof by removing the flag from his campaign jet, not covering his heart during the National Anthem, and refusal to wear a lapel pin of the flag.
-FALSE – the plane was repainted (as all campaign planes are) and the North American Airlines trademarked stylized depiction of the flag was removed, but there is still a traditional depiction on the aircraft. (link) Technically the popularized photo is true, but over emphasized as other photos show he does cover his heart during the anthem and sings along, and has led Congress in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. (link) He has worn the lapel pin and still does on occasion just like the rest of Congress and the Senate. (link)

4) Multiple statements about Palin including cutting funds for special needs education, demanding that books are banned from the library, was part of an association to get Alaska to succeed from the union, and she pushed for teaching creationism in schools.
-FALSE – these statements are all either misleading or completely false. (link)

5) Multiple statements about Obama including that he is Muslim, was sworn in to Congress using a Quran, and has relations with radical Muslims.
-FALSE – all of these statements are false and are twisted interpretations of some of his past or just made up all together. (link)

The lovely and talented ladies over at Sarah Said and Sensibly Sassy decided they wanted to make fall wreaths and invited all who wanted to participate to make their own and post the finished products on October 1st. Well here I am with my wreath and let me tell you it was fun and pretty cheap to do. I got my supplies at Michael's and it only cost me about $13. That's not bad considering pretty much everything was on sale.

So here is my craftiness in pictures.