Sunday, August 16, 2009
Weight Loss - So I hit a plateau for a couple weeks there. I would fluctuate between 3 pounds, neither going over or under but somewhere in between on each day. I started a exercise routine and wondered if that was it. I was on the verge of being discouraged when I measured and weighed last week and had lost 1 pound for a total of 28 pounds. I measured and went down 7 1/2 inches, which the time before I had gone down 10 pounds and 7 1/2 inches. So I was happy to see that even though the scale wasn't showing a difference my body was. Well I've stayed consistent with my exercise routine and have officially lost 34 pounds and 41 1/2 inches all over as of this morning! :D I feel fantastic! What's more surprising is that 3 years ago when I was a couple pounds lighter then I am now, my measurements were bigger then they are now! So I may weigh more by a couple pounds but I'm smaller physically. It feels great and has made me even more determined to keep going. I understand that plateau's happen and will happen in the future but I'm going to stick them out. The reward is so worth it! Another interesting fact is that the last time I lost this much weight I did it over a span of 10 months. I've currently been working on losing weight since early June! Only two and a half months! :) It makes me feel my next big goal is very attainable! I've reached my first goal which is to lose 32 pounds. My ultimate goal is an additional 50 pounds but my next short term goal is 25 pounds. So I'll keep you posted! Birthday Plans - I'm not sure if these plans are going to happen yet but... I want to have a BBQ on my birthday which is September 4th. I picked Friday because I'm going to BootieLA on Saturday September 5th with a big group of friends and that's always a late night so I figured I'd be too tired to do anything on Sunday September 6th. So we'll see if I can pull this together. Right now the financial side of it is what's concerning me, even if I have everyone bring something. But I haven't had a big party at this place yet. I've had a dinner party of about 20 people but this would probably be bigger then that, at least I hope so. :) Oh and I plan on going to Disneyland the day of my birthday if that works out. I signed up for the free birthday pass but since I already have a season pass I hear they give a gift certificate in its place. Job Search - I've been pretty discouraged about the whole job hunt thing. I've gotten confirmation that doors are staying shut for a reason, just haven't figured out what God's reason is yet. That might seem a little odd but it's true. Things have happened that there is no other explanation then God shut the door. I'm trying to stay positive about that. It's hard to understand when I don't see the bigger picture. But that's what faith is all about, trusting in what you can't see or understand. Unexpected Honesty - Right now I feel so torn between being a good Godly woman and being completely unrestrained in opportunities of the worldly nature. There's a song that fits where my hearts at. Satisfy - Tenth Avenue North
Before the sun has touched the sky
Colors bursting from Your eyes
Before the flood of the morning light
Before the earth has felt Your heat
Before I stand up to my feet
Before I begin to feel this weak
Satisfy me Lord, oh oh
Satisfy me Lord, oh oh
I'm begging You, help me see
You're all I want, You're all I need
Oh, satisfy me Lord
When the day is closing in
Like the stars in the night I am falling
Into the pull of the earth and it's affection
In me, oh lord, can you create
A pure heart cuz I'm afraid
That I just might run back to the things I hate
Satisfy me Lord, oh oh
Satisfy me Lord, oh oh
Yeah, I'm begging You, help me see
You're all I want, You're all I need
Oh, satisfy me Lord
You're beautiful, You're beautiful
You're more than all this world can give
You're beautiful, You're beautiful
You're love is all I need to live
You're beautiful, You're beautiful
You're more than all this world can give
You're beautiful, more beautiful
You're love is all I need to live
Satisfy me Lord, oh oh
Satisfy me Lord, oh oh
I'm begging You, help me see
You're all I want, You're all I need
Oh, satisfy me Lord My relationship with God has become stronger in this time of having to trust His plan for my life but I also feel the draw to do things I've always been against in my personal beliefs or what I have always felt was morally unacceptable. It's been quite a challenge! Especially when the opportunities keep presenting themselves at the most unexpected times! Of course, that's when it's the hardest to prepare yourself to fight against the temptation! Those of you who understand where I'm at, please pray for me to have continued strength. A Chair's Photography - I'm almost afraid of sharing this because I've said it so often. I actually have made steps to moving forward with the business plan. I am happy to say that the signs that God wants me to move forward with starting my photography business are too great to ignore anymore! I have to get it up and running and right now is the best time! So hopefully I'll be sharing updates in regards to this very soon! I woke up at 3:30 this morning to make my way down to Pasadena for another photography group outing. This one was organized by my friend James. James' friend Jon ( 2Factor Photography Smug Mug page) joined us, and I had a great time learning new things about how he started his business and what he uses. Our photography group is planning on getting together every 3rd Saturday of the month with a new photography project or location each time. If anyone is interested in joining let me know! This next month we've decided we wanted to play with nighttime portraits and I'm going to use my friend Andy as my model (he's already agreed)! I wanted a rock star look and he's got it! I'm really looking forward to playing with lighting. Jon has some external lights and Septembers project all started when I asked if I could just go with him when he's shooting a portrait with external lighting. I am really happy about this group. I hope it grows because it’s a great way to gain more knowledge and it's so fun to talk to people who have the same passion as I do about photography. Here is a couple of my favorites         Depeche Mode - I'm going to Depeche Mode Monday night at the Hollywood Bowl! I love Depeche Mode! I'm a little nervous because Dave Gahan has been having voice issues and has had to cancel a couple shows this week per doctors orders! The last email I received said the two shows at Hollywood Bowl would still be happening but I'm still nervous! That would totally suck! Especially since a couple of the people going with me have never seen Depeche Mode live before! It seems crazy when I've been to at least 1 show per tour in the last few tours. :) I love the Hollywood Bowl as a venue so it should be very cool! Labels: A Chair's Photography, Beliefs, Birthday, Disneyland, Inspiration, Parties, Photography, Rambling, Updates, Weigh In
posted by Charity at 8/16/2009 02:48:00 PM
Monday, July 27, 2009
So since my last post, life has been filled with non-stop adventures! Gotta love that right? But that means LOTS of pictures (as usual)! So I guess the first announcement might as well be the biggest… Weight Loss – So I’ve lost a total of 27 pounds as of today! Better yet, I’m able to fit into jeans I haven’t been able to wear for over two years! I love it! Oh and I have lost a total of 27 inches all over! Yup, I feel great! I’m so close to my first goal! I’m proud of myself. And I have no desire to falter or cheat. Ok so there are those days but they haven’t happened in a while. I want to lose the weight at a healthy rate. And, I haven’t been working out as consistently as I would like to but I’m still very happy with my success! In my last post I had to run off and didn’t finish explaining the wedding and the busiest day of the month last month. 6.19.09 Terrance & Holly’s Wedding - I can’t share the pictures of the wedding because I haven’t given them to the bride and groom yet. I’m waiting on them for something so I don’t like sharing until they have access to them first. So it should be sometime next week. 6.20.09 Toni Michels Funeral – Well there is nothing good about funerals. I will say it felt like a reunion of the old Aspen Street Crew, though I wish it was under different circumstances. Toni had a big impact on my youth. It’s hard to imagine I won’t see her, on this earth at least. Steve had written his thoughts out because he knew he wouldn’t be able to make it through talking about it. His brother read it for him. The one statement that stood out to me is that every time he goes to bed and wakes up he will feel the sorrow of her loss the most… Wow! How true and real is that? I went to school with Shawn and I got teary a lot during his talk, but it wasn’t until his oldest daughter got up to speak that the tears flowed. She talked about how her Nana always said she loved her more then the universe and broke down in the middle and Shawn had to finish for her. It was so tender... She ended it saying "Nana, I love you more then the universe". Yeah, not a dry eye in the place. She passed away from Breast Cancer so the entire family wore pink of some sort which I thought was fitting. The women wore brown dresses with pink ribbons in the pattern. The guys wore black shirts with pink pin stripes and pink ties with a breast cancer sweat band on their forearm. All the grandkids wore pink of some sort as well. After the service I got a chance to talk to the family and it was an emotional morning. Toni will be missed. 6.20.09 Sasha's Going Away Party - I left there and had to rush to get lunch and head down to Sasha’s going away party in Yucaipa. Here are a couple of my favorite shots. It was a nice time. I didn’t get to hang out with Sasha that much but it’s always so relaxing at the Clements’s home.        6.20.09 and Poet Sky @ Old Towne Pub Pasadena – I made my way out to Pasadena to make sure I would get there in time. The drive was relaxing. I was looking forward to the show and the venue has so much character I was looking forward to taking more pictures there again. I had a great time that night! Poet Sky was on fire! Their last show at this venue was a bit of a disappointment for them but this one I think more then made up for it. And it was a late night!      6.29.09 Laguna – My sister and I had an appointment in Irvine again. And since we were both going down together for once, we decided to spend the afternoon at our favorite beach afterwards. I love Laguna! I found it difficult to just sit and relax. I wanted to be exploring, taking pictures or walking around. Heidi on the other hand enjoyed reading and lying on the beach.     I posted a status update on Facebook and a friend called me and had a recommendation for where we should eat for lunch, Sun Dried Tomato. I was laughing but he took care of everything! Made the reservation and even suggested what we were to eat and where to sit while we were there. And we got there and decided against outdoor seating only because it had gotten chilly and we also decided against his food recommendations because of the day’s specials. It was yummy! All-in-all a great day!    7.1.09 Monthly Worship Concert – My church, The Place, is putting on monthly concerts the first Wednesday of every month. This was our very first one and I am thrilled to say it was a success! We even had a hotdog cookout because it was so close to the 4th of July. We had a great time! I’m looking forward to the next one!                7.4.09 4th of July – I normally don’t get out to the fireworks but was happy to be able to this year. We met up with some family friends and I was impressed with the show.           7.10-12.09 Santa Cruz – My sister was hired to do makeup for a wedding up in Santa Cruz. They paid for the cost of her travel, her hotel room as well as paid for her time. Since I don’t have a lot going on, she asked if I wanted to join her. Of course I said yes! How cool is it to experience a trip up the coast at no cost to me other then food!? So, we decided to take the scenic route which was the 101 to the 1 since we were leaving Friday and had the time. It was such a great time with Heidi and I, we had so much fun being silly and listening to great music.          It was such a beautiful drive! I had a hard time not stopping every few minutes to take pictures!           Saturday was the day of the wedding and while Heidi started work on the bridesmaids I had made arrangements to meet up with my friend James. James and I have been friends for years (10+ easy)! He usually has to come down to Southern California for us to hang out so this time I was actually able to meet him up in his territory! We’d always ended up at Santa Monica Pier when he’d come down and he’d always say it was nothing like Santa Cruz Boardwalk. And sure enough he was right! I loved it there! We had a great time walking around, talking and catching up and of course me taking lots of pictures!      I got back in just enough time to get ready for the wedding that evening. James stuck around so that after the ceremony we went back to the boardwalk and then went to Downtown Santa Cruz and walked around. It was a great day.         Sunday we took the boring route back down the 5 Fwy because we were on a time crunch. My brother’s band, Poet Sky, was playing and we had decided to be the hard core fans and drive 5+ hours to go see their show in Pomona that night. 7.12.09 Poet Sky & AMP in Pomona – Before the show I wasn’t sure I had the energy to make it through but as usual once I start snapping pictures I was energized! The show was originally supposed to be in a bar but there was some confusion and luckily they were able to play out in a courtyard which I thought worked out better!           It was a long crazy weekend but nothing compared to what was coming the following weekend! 7.17.09 Camp Schultz Practice – Andy had asked me if I had time to go take pics of his band while they practiced for their show the next day. It was a short practice and early enough that I was able to stop by for about an hour and take some shots. I was pretty happy with how they turned out.       7.17.09 Club E (a Gothic Event) – My good friends Joe and Erica had put on a big Gothic party for Erica’s birthday. They wanted me to take pictures for it and were generous enough to pay me for my time. I had a great time shooting pictures and enjoying the nostalgia of my old wannabe Goth days just out of high school. It was a bit of a reunion as a lot of the people there were friends from that time.             7.18.09 Pasadena Photo Walk – The only bummer about my late night out was that I had already agreed to be in Pasadena the next morning at 7:30! Yeah I got like 2 hours of sleep, but I don’t often get out there and take artistic shots of random places. But that was the point of the event and I took advantage. Sadly we were all supposed to meet up after a couple of hours but the location they set wasn’t opened for another hour so everyone just kind of went their separate ways. I was looking forward to checking out what other people shot. Anyways, we got done and with the lack of sleep and being out in the hot sun, I was definitely losing it. I needed sleep bad! I got home and took a nap for a few hours and had to get ready for my final shoot of the weekend.      My friend James had been the one to invite me to the event and we stayed close while taking our pictures through Old Town Pasadena. We plan on going back out on our own August 15th and we’re going to invite anyone who wants to go to join us. If you’re interested let me know. 7.18.09 Camp Schultz and others with CJ Ramone – So Andy and Chris were pretty excited about their show with CJ Ramone who was going to be playing all the old Ramones songs. My other friends, Voting with Bullets, were there as well so I knew a lot of people at the show.                At some point in the evening I lost all gumption. I believe it was the lack of sleep catching up with me because I got unreasonably moody. I struggled to even want to be there. I felt like I knew everyone but that there was no one there that I could hang out with. Everyone I knew was in the bands playing so they were too busy. By the time CJ Ramone came on I just wanted to leave. Mike from Camp Schultz convinced me to stay because when was I going to get a chance like this again? I was glad I did stay but I didn’t close out the event, I stayed for about half the set. Job Hunt – So I had a pretty big let down this week. I interviewed for an Admin II position for the Pharmacy at Kaiser in Victorville on Monday. I felt good about the interview and sent out my thank you letter as soon as I got home. I found out Friday that they went with someone with Pharmacy experience, which makes sense but I was pretty down. She told me I did great in the interview and thought the thank you letter was definitely a nice touch (thanks Russ!). I have another job I’m still waiting to hear back from but it’s been dragged out because of some issues beyond their control, so I’m not sure when that one will be confirmed one way or another. So it’s taken me over a week to complete this post! Hopefully it won’t be this long before I can post again. I really need to start writing less or posting more often. Not sure. Labels: A Chair's Photography, Inspiration, Photography, Photoshoots, Pictures, Rambling, Random, Travel, Updates, Weigh In
posted by Charity at 7/27/2009 10:46:00 PM
Saturday, June 27, 2009
I've been doing a lot of reflection. Or I should say I've been avoiding my responsibilities. Being unemployed sucks. I am a person that likes order and schedules. I find it hard to function without them. I've said it lots of times, I thrive on chaos. When I have an open day, or MANY open days, I find it hard to stay motivated to stick to a schedule. I get bored easily. The week before last was almost a little too busy but I'll go into that later. Today I woke up determined. I didn't realize it until I saw that I woke up when my alarm went off, something my body seems to have been rejecting any other day. I accomplished a lot before 10am. I have been finding comfort in coffee for once. I normally have to have fufu coffee but since I'm on a diet and can't have sugar I'm stuck with plain old coffee, cream and sweeteners. With the heat, add some ice and you've got a refreshing drink that feels like a treat. Either way, I got out of the house. For the first time I went and sat down at a coffee shop, did my devotions, wrote in my journal, and read some of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (I want it read again before the movie comes out). It was oddly relaxing. Sure it was hard to block out the sound of people talking, debating how our country could mourn the loss of a pedophile (which I'm inclined to agree, sorry to those readers and friends who are actually mourning the loss... I can't seem to bring myself to feel sad at all). But people came and went through the coffee house and there was plenty of time for quiet. I enjoyed it a lot! I think I will do it on a regular basis. As I sat looking out the window at The Grind (the coffee house), a sudden rush of appreciation filled me for the fact that I live in beautiful Southern California! And that I have no idea where I will be in the future, even the near future. My future is completely unwritten. And I felt for the first time a sense of anticipation rather then dread or fear about what’s going to happen next! I have no idea what God has in store for me. It's totally open! But knowing that even in a few months my life will not be what it is today is no longer scary but exhilarating! As I wrote this, a song came into my mind... What's that song?... Unwritten - by Natasha Bedingfield. Youtube videoI am unwritten,
Can't read my mind
I'm undefined
I'm just beginning
The pen's in my hand
Ending unplanned
Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words
That you could not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten, yeah
Oh, oh
I break tradition
Sometimes my tries
Are outside the lines, oh yeah yeah
We've been conditioned
To not make mistakes
But I can't live that way oh, oh
Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words
That you could not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
the rest still unwritten
(Gospel)
Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words
That you could not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten
The rest is still unwritten
Sometimes we get so preoccupied with worry over the unknown that we forget the unknown should be looked at with excitement! Today can change the rest of my life depending on what happens next! I think being unemployed has its advantages. How many people feel like their life is so repetitive? They feel like they are going through the motions with nothing new and exciting to report. The same old job day in and day out. I'm not saying they too couldn't look at their life with anticipation but not even knowing what your next job is going to be, who you will work with, where you will be living, etc. is quite unnerving for some people. Lately, it's been scary to me. I have been filled with dread that I would fail. Not be able to find a job before unemployment runs out and be stuck dealing with horrible finances. Wow... What a depressing picture huh? But today I'm filled with the possibilities of what God can do! I am excited to see His plans unfold and what He plans on bringing next in my life! I want to enjoy this time off as much as I can! Because when I do have a job, there may come a time when I feel stuck. So I am going to try to experience each day with anticipation and excitement for what God has planned. I guess reading this, it seems so obvious. I didn't hate life before, or think every day was horrible, but I did feel dread and fear. I no longer want to feel that way. The idea of not knowing what's coming tomorrow is bringing a smile to my face rather then worry! Ok so I barely survived the busiest week of the month! Lots of emotional ups and downs and the worst day (Saturday, June 20th) was the biggest emotional roller coaster of them all! So at this point I haven't even gone through all the pics so they may or may not be attached to this post. Weight Loss - So I've officially lost 15 pounds! Yay! I feel great and have only experienced a couple days of hardcore cravings. I'm realizing they are more emotional cravings which I knew my problem was emotional eating. I haven't measured in a while. I normally wait till Monday to do that. But my last measurements put me at losing 12 1/2 inches all over! How cool is that!? I went to try on clothes and am practically a whole size down! :D I don't know if it's noticeable to anyone else. My brother said he could tell (which is cool cause he's a guy! lol), but no one else has said anything. I think I need to lose my first goal before people will start noticing. But I'm halfway there. :) I haven't cheated either. Once you get the hang of it, it's not too hard to figure out what you can and can't eat. Jam Bernardino 6/13/09 - So I went down to check out my friend Jimi play. He is quite the talented guitar player! I had never had a chance to see him live. I was able to hang out with him, his new girlfriend and his friends back at one of his friends beautiful mansion! I had a good time. It's funny that I found myself in unfamiliar surroundings and around unfamiliar people (aside from Jimi and Sasha) and I was actually a bit shy! I guess it takes me to be in my own surroundings to be myself. :) But I had a great time. Jimi's friends were cool, down to earth people and I really didn't feel too awkward around them. Disneyland! 6/15-16/09 - So I was able to make it to Disneyland one last time before my block out dates started! It was quite crowded as I'm sure everyone else was attempting the same thing. I went down with Linda, Vicki, Emily and Stephanie. They got a room and asked me to spend the night. I, of course, couldn't pass that up. :) We took our time getting down there the first day. And it was cool because Stephanie hadn't ever been on some of my favorite rides, so it was fun to experience that with a first-timer. I am finding that I like California Adventures more then Disneyland. Probably because I've been to Disneyland so much the rides are classics and California Adventures is all still new. We even got a chance to watch the Electric Parade. After the parade we met Jerret who came down to take Stephanie home since we were all spending the night.       The next day it was REALLY hot and WAY more crowded. I think we went on a ride or two but ended up heading out early. But I had a blast! I was so glad I was able to go with them!     House sitting 6/16-18/09 - So when I got back from Disneyland I had to house sit. I was a little tired but found it relaxing to be at the place I was housesitting. There were a lot of animals with specific instructions but all-in-all it worked out pretty good. But this meant I hadn't spent the night in my own bed from Monday - Thursday! I was thinking it's a good thing I didn't have a job! Rehearsal Dinner 6/18/09 - Holly wanted me to take some pictures of her and her fiancé to be printed up for a frame at the wedding. She was pretty stressed out but I didn't mind. I was down at Edwards Mansion and scoping the place out for the wedding day. Our original goal was to take pictures before the rehearsal but we ended up doing it afterward. I specifically didn't want any landmarks in the pictures because I didn't want the guests to know it was the same location. I picked a pretty green spot and took maybe 100 photos. Here are a couple of my favorites.     Also on the way home the sky was so beautiful I had to snap a couple shots. I had a car pull up next to me checking me out while I blindly shot pics out through and out my window. hehe  Ok so I was going to continue on the rest of my busy week but I have friends bugging me to get to a BBQ... I'm off for now... More to come... Terrance & Holly's Wedding Shoot 6/19/09 and Toni Michels Funeral, Sasha's Going Away Party and Poet Sky @ Old Towne Pub Pasadena 6/20/09Labels: A Chair's Photography, Disneyland, Inspiration, Photography, Photoshoots, Pictures, Rambling, Updates, Video Clip, Weigh In
posted by Charity at 6/27/2009 06:35:00 PM
Thursday, June 11, 2009
How often have I started my blog posts with something like "Life is good"? And even though I have no job, struggling to even find places for me to apply to, I can honestly say life is good! Though I find it difficult to understand why I don't update my blog more now that I don't have a job. The funny thing is, time flies for me now that I'm not working. Before I know it the day is over and I don't have much to show for it. I consider it a productive day when I get at least ONE item on my "To Do" list completed. But I will say this week I've gotten a couple items each day. It feels good to have completed items that have been on my list for the last 3 weeks! There are a lot of changes going to be taking place in the next few months. I know this even without having a clue where my next job is going to be. I had an interview a couple weeks ago and honestly I'm quite hopeful. I was told I should hear something right about now so please keep praying. God is doing a lot in my life right now. I feel closer to His call on my life then I ever have before. Or I should say more able to hear where He is directing me. It's been a long time since I've felt even somewhat close to Him. And I think there is a maturity with it that makes me more aware of even the minutest voice. I love it! I am not saying I'm where I need to be, far from it actually... But it just feels so good to have that closeness again. I'm getting involved in ministry again. The Care Place is an umbrella organization for the church. My dad put it on the back burner for a few years and amazingly the people in the church have come together with their individual ministries which make up the entire mission statement of the original Care Place and some of these people didn't even know about The Care Place. So it's like God is opening the doors to start something big! I'm really excited! We have our first official meeting June 20th. But it looks like we'll be doing a worship once-a-month, hopefully starting a soup kitchen, making blankets for the people in the community, and lots more. But those are the things we feel we can start pretty much right away. June Chaos - This month is going to be quite busy. But as I always say, I thrive on chaos. These are the events I have on my calendar as of right now. June 2nd - Camp Schultz Live shoot Chris and Andy from Poet Sky are in another band called Camp Schultz and I went to take pictures of their show. They are quite good! I was definitely impressed and I'm not a big "punk" music fan. Here's a couple of my favorite pics from the night!      June 4th - Lunch with Rachel and Rashaell for the latter's birthday. We hung out at Rashaell's for most of the afternoon.  June 5th - Dinner and the movies with my friend Jeremy. We went to go see " My Life in Ruins" and I hadn't even seen the previews before he mentioned it. It was a cute movie. June 6th - BootieLA with my friend Andie. Ok so I've had a lot of people ask me "Bootie whah!?". So go to this website, www.bootiela.com. Basically it's a club where the dj's do mashups all night long. The music is awesome! Everyone should experience it at least once! But if you can't make it to the club then download the Best Of mp3's they have on their website. Best of Bootie 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008. I think 2006 is my favorite. Anyways it was so fun dancing and letting loose. It was their 4th anniversary in LA. I missed having Russ there, because he's the one who introduced me to it. But I still had a blast and can't wait to go again! Hopefully Russ can join us next time. ;) Oh and my sister did my hair and makeup. I had fake lashes on and everything. :) You can see the progression of how the hair and makeup held up with all that dancing around and sweating! lol    June 7th - My parents 40th Wedding Anniversary!!! Talk about setting a great example for me. :) They went up to Big Bear for the weekend so I didn't have to do anything for them but it's still a definitive landmark! June 10th - Operation Blankets Some of the ladies from the church put together some of those easy fleece blankets for the needy children in the community. We're going to be getting together once-a-month to make them. For the rest of the month: June 13th - Jam Bernardino to check out my friend Jimi perform a short acoustic set. June 15th - Disneyland!!! I'm sneaking in one last Disneyland trip before my blockout dates start. Linda has asked me to go with them a few times and every time she asks I was busy doing stuff. So this time I'm hopeful it will work out. :) June 18th - Rehearsal Dinner shoot. The couple wants me to come to the rehearsal dinner and take pics of them. They want these pics ready and printed the next day so I'll shoot, go home, play and send them to the bride Holly so she can get pics printed for the wedding. June 19th - Terrance and Holly Wedding Shoot The wedding is in the evening at Edward's Mansion! I've been there one other time for my friends wedding and it's a beautiful place. I'm looking forward to how the pictures are going to turn out. :) June 20th - Busiest Day of the Month! In the morning I have the first official meeting of The Care Place which I'm running for the office of the Secretary. That afternoon at 4pm I am going to Yucaipa for a Going Away Party for my good friend Sasha. It's a bittersweet thing because I'm sad she's going but happy for her achievements and she's following her dreams. I then have to be in Pasadena at 9pm for a Poet Sky show at the Old Towne Pub. It'll be a lot of driving that's for sure. June 26th - Jr and Brandie's Wedding Shoot They are getting married in San Diego in the morning and the place looks very pretty. This is a small wedding. They will be having an intimate beach lunch as their reception. I love the beach and taking pics should be a lot of fun! June 29th - Irvine then Laguna Beach with Heidi. Heidi and I are going down to Irvine for an appointment and we both like to go to the beach afterwards. :) I usually go alone so it'll be nice to spend time with my sis. Toni Michels Funeral - A good friend of mine, Toni Michels, lost her battle with cancer. She passed away on Wednesday. I know she's in a better place and out of pain but it's hit me quite hard how big of an impact she's had on my life. She was such a good listener. And to be quite honest I've been avoiding thinking about her death because I had felt the need to call her for the last couple of weeks. Every time I would think to get my phone and get her number something came up. Right now I regret that more then anything! (sigh) :( They had moved and I lost touch. The funeral is in California sometime in the next week or so. Weight Loss - I've started focusing on weight loss again. I've been walking more regularly but now I'm sticking to a lifestyle change (I hate the word diet). I will admit the first two weeks are more like a jump start but I am determined, nervous and excited about it. I'm ready for the change. I'm ready to start feeling better and having more energy. So hopefully in the next two weeks I'll have significant weight loss. I want to lose 32 pounds as my first initial goal. I know better then to set the big goal. I won't be weighing in again until next Monday. Anyways, I think that's it for now. Labels: A Chair's Photography, Disneyland, Inspiration, Photoshoots, Pictures, Rambling, Random, Updates, Weigh In
posted by Charity at 6/11/2009 09:39:00 PM
Friday, February 16, 2007
I have Monday off (have I mentioned I love working banker hours?). I have been contemplating what I should do with my free day. I was even thinking about taking a photography day. But sadly I need to get my camera cleaned because of the specs I’m seeing on my prints and I called around today and found a place in Pasadena that will clean it there rather then sending it out for 4-6 weeks and I can pick it up the next day! But that means I have to drop it off Monday. I will be camera-less on my day off! But I really don’t mind, if it means getting those silly specs off of my prints! So now I’m not sure what to do with my day. I will already be down in Pasadena. Should I just take my little point and shoot Sony Cybershot and enjoy the day? I think I like that idea. Don’t make any plans and let it just happen. A Chair's Photography - I’m really excited about my photography business. Though I find it funny when I mention that I’m going to start a photography business people seem to assume that means I’ll be a wedding photographer! Not likely… But I was even suggested to be a pet photographer, like an Anne Geddes but instead of babies… pets! Um… no thank you. Hehe So a week or so ago I wrote in my personal journal that I wanted proof that God is in this thing and it’s not just something I want so badly that I have to make it happen. I know all faith requires action. So I wasn’t just going to sit back and do nothing but I was feeling lost and overwhelmed and felt that it should just move forward naturally without too much effort if the timing is right. Soon after that it felt like everywhere I turned I had information given to me and people offering to help in the areas I felt most lost in! It was really quite amazing! I will keep you posted on my progress. I took a couple of my more recent pictures and had them printed as 8x10’s and was really happy with how they turned out! I still need to test the highest scale but that’ll happen soon. Weigh In - 2/10/07
 I haven’t really been talking about my weight because there really hasn’t been a lot to share. All of December I was consistently the same weight, which was a good thing considering how many Christmas parties I went to and stuff. It was after Christmas that I fluctuated between my weight and an extra 10 pounds, only to end up plateauing on the heavier side of the 10 pounds. Well I’m glad to say that I have lost that weight and kept it off and am back down to my lowest weigh in. I looked at my driver’s license and was happy to note that I am currently smaller then I was back in December 2003. Well I wrote this throughout the day yesterday so I’m going to post this part for now. Maybe I’ll be able to update more this weekend. Bye for now… Labels: A Chair's Photography, Weigh In
posted by Charity at 2/16/2007 10:12:00 AM
Sunday, December 03, 2006
Weigh In - 12/1/2006
 I have lost another two pounds! Go me. Considering I'm dealing with my monthly bill I was quite surprised to have lost any weight! I guess using that as an excuse for why I hadn’t lost weight that particular week any other month was not a valid excuse. Haha Colorado - I got my ticket to Colorado! I’m always so excited to visit a new place! I can’t wait to hang out with my cousin and my new friend Jason. I am only going to be there for an extended weekend in January but it should be a lot of fun. I love my cousin Joey to death and from what I gather when she and Jason hang out I will be laughing at them going back and forth pretty much the entire time. Good times ahead. Haha Update - this was written Friday and I'm a slacker. I was going to write more but just don't have the time or energy so here you go. :) Labels: Colorado, Weigh In
posted by Charity at 12/03/2006 11:28:00 AM
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! I didn't think I'd have the time for an update. But good news needs to be shared! haha Weigh In - 11/23/06
 I've lost another 2 pounds (for a total of 35 pounds lost)! Which of course I'll probably gain back after all the good food I'll be consuming today! haha But the exciting part about this is that this means my walks that I have been doing in the morning and during my lunch break are helping me get past the plateau I was finding myself in with my weight loss. So not only are the walks helping me mentally they are helping me physically! YAY! Now I just need to make these walks a habit. I originally did them consistently as a test and I can see getting annoyed with waking up early. But once I do it I feel so much better! Inspiration - I am inspired to change my thought process. I mean it's been happening lately but last night and this morning I've watched things that encourage positive thinking! My favorite saying right now will be "I've got a pink kink in my think!" hahaha Ask me if you don't know where that line came from! I watched a special this morning that I recorded the other day. It was very inspirational! I kept it so that I can watch it with my friend Brandie but also so that I can take notes. I mean there are a couple things I don't agree with, but for the most part it's biblical but not put in biblical terms. I feel the need to learn, to strive, to change... There is so much more out there that I can be but I've allowed myself to believe they were not possible because of my fears and insecurities. Anyways, I look forward to sharing as this process takes place. Well I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving! Be sure to express what you are thankful for! Hey, that’s not a bad idea… What I’m thankful for…. My life - For where I’ve come and where I am going My family - Whom I will be spending the day with! My friends - My heart is filled with such joy and gratitude today for my friends! I wish I could just give all of you big bear hugs to express my love for your impact in my life. I feel a natural high because of the amazing reminders I’ve had this morning of how wonderful my friends truly are! I love you guys! My camera - The ability and desire that I have to capture the life I see around me through the lens of that camera. Starbucks! – (I’m feeling the affects of my drink from this morning! Haha) My morning fix and the people that work there that now know me as a friend Gosh, if I had more time this list would just keep going, but I gotta go get ready to head over to my parents. But honestly, the biggest thing that I’m thankful for are my friends, old and new alike, acquaintances and close friends! I love you all! Happy Thanksgiving! Labels: Inspiration, Thanksgiving, Weigh In
posted by Charity at 11/23/2006 10:52:00 AM
Saturday, November 11, 2006
I am doing great! There is so much going on in my life. I'm really excited to see where I am going to go next. :) Yes, there are moments of sadness and frustration, but they are happening less and less and all-in-all life has been really good. Weigh In - 11/10/06 I lost another pound this week for a grand total of 33 pounds! Go me. :) I measured myself for the first time in a few months. I have lost 9 1/2 inches here and there for a grand total of 35 inches lost since I started taking control of my weight! That made my day. Realizing my body has changed that much! No wonder the last few weeks I've seen a drastic change in the shape of my body. I'm more motivated to keep it up. I feel so much better about myself. Voting with Bullets - I have been getting out more lately. It’s been kind of nice. I went to my friend Turtle's show and took pictures of his band playing at the Ponderosa on 10/21/06. Turtle has been an acquaintance since my wannabe Goth days ages ago! Truth be told, he was my first kiss. Hah! Here are a couple shots from the show. Turtle  The rest of the band  My friends Erica and Joe  Walks - Here are a few pictures of what I see on my lunch break walks by my office. Beautiful huh?      New Coworkers - Here are a few pictures of my new coworkers. Keith  Cathy  Stephanie  Sandeep, Eric and Hector  Sandeep's last day, he just moved to Fresno  Disneyland - My sister and I had a blast! We met a lot of cool people. I have never had so much fun talking to complete strangers! We even made a couple new buddies who hung out with us for the first half of the day, a young guy named Dillon who goes to UCLA and his little brother, Jordan who came out for a visit. We met a couple other ladies who were totally awesome and of course I took pictures all along the way. A cool worker on the Tower of Terror Ride  Jordan and Dillon  Jordan, Dillon and Heidi  Proof I was there haha  Heidi, Hannah and I can't remember her moms name :(  Friendship - It's strange how friends can come and go during different chapters of your life. I’ve been more cognizant of it in the last couple of days. I have made a wonderful new friend named Jason, someone that challenges me to be a better person, someone that I can trust with my feelings, someone that I can have a good old fashioned wholesome conversation with (the sad part is aside from my long-time friends I have found this to be rare!). I am grateful that God brought him into my life… with the help of my cousin. ;) Dating - Well I have gotten back out into the dating scene. It’s been an interesting experience. All my relationships have started with friendship and then blossomed from there. But for the first time in my life, I have multiple guys interested at the same time. I’m not sure how I feel about it all. Most don’t share my faith so that stops things from going any further. I figure at this point I’m not ready for anything serious so I’m enjoying it while it lasts. I have never been one that *had* to be in a relationship. So I’m just going with the flow. My Hair - I went to my sisters place today and she cut and colored my hair. I absolutely love it! The after picture has my hair curled and I rarely curl my hair. But I can't wait to see what it's like when I style it tomorrow. Anyways, it's awesome that I can now go to her to do my hair. :) She did an awesome job! I know she was nervous but I'm soo proud of her. Here are the before and after shots. Before - 11/10/06  After - 11/11/06  Well I know there is plenty more I could share. But for now I think this is enough scrolling... :) Hope you enjoyed the pictures. I have tons more from these events that I will upload to my album eventually. hehe Labels: Pictures, Weigh In
posted by Charity at 11/11/2006 09:00:00 PM
Saturday, October 21, 2006
I’ve been home since Tuesday and I haven’t even fully unpacked yet! I just started a couple loads of laundry while I got ready this morning. My room is a disaster! It’s been a busy week back home. I plan to spend the day doing laundry, cleaning and getting the pictures of my trip ready to upload. Tonight my friend Turtle’s band “Voting with Bullets” is playing late and I am gong to try to get out there to see him. Tomorrow we’re having a family birthday dinner for my dad. It’ll be the first time I’ve seen him or my sister and her kids since I’ve been back! Weigh In - 10/21/06Well I haven't been focusing as well as I should but I am glad I've done as well as I have under the circumstances! I've lost 32 pounds! woohoo!
 My trip to North Carolina – Well you pretty much have an idea of what the typical day was like for me out there if you’ve read a few of my prior blog entries. The kids were perfect! I had absolutely NO issues and enjoyed spoiling them on Saturday before their parents came back home! It seems that the little one (Gabriel) considered me a threat once his mom got home because he threw a couple attitudes towards me and I wasn’t quite sure where they came from. But all-in-all a GREAT trip! Moving to North Carolina – That got your attention didn’t it? Well I went to North Carolina with no idea of moving there. It wasn’t until I was there a couple days and had worked with the people at my brothers company that I started to think about it. There was one girl, Crystal, who I had been working with the most on the website project. She flat out asked me to move out there and said I would be a great addition to the team. I kind of laughed it off but my mind was never able to let it go. I continued my trip not letting anyone know that I was even thinking about it. I decided to keep an open mind and keep praying for God’s guidance and confirmation of whether or not I was supposed to move. Things kept coming into my mind. Currently I have no ties to California. My life has been uprooted over the last few months and I’ve always wondered why. This would make sense. A semi-temporary move to North Carolina might be just what I was supposed to do. The thought of moving out of California scares me, but I’ve been praying about it. I still don’t know. By the end of the week I told my brother and a few people and asked them to pray for me. Shawn told me he would not put *any* pressure on me because my parents would kill him but he would love it if I moved out there. I had ran into an old classmates dad at my brothers church and as I mentioned why I was out there I also joked that people wanted me to move there. He said that some people are given options. That there isn’t just one path they can take, that they will still be in God’s will for their lives. When I was on the plane coming home I wrote in my journal of all the thoughts going through my head. One of them was, is this just a wake up call? Is it that I’m not supposed to move but just realize that I need to push myself for something better? I really have endless possibilities for what my future can be. This has caused me to reevaluate a lot of areas of my life. It’s possible that is all it was intended to do and it’s also possible I need to push myself outside of this comfort box I’ve built around myself or even d.) all of the above. So I’ve decided not to make any immediate decisions and I’m letting the flow of life determine what steps I take. I think the most impacting moment was when my mom picked me up from the airport late Monday night, I opened up about my thoughts on moving and she was calm and said that if that’s what God wanted she would not hold me back but that it would be really hard on her. I really didn’t expect that positive of a response. I had prayed and asked that God would reveal it to my parents so that I could have confirmation. The fact that my mom wasn’t completely against it shocked me. I have asked for them to keep praying about it. And I am asking my friends to keep praying for me as well. The longer I’m home the more I feel I’m settling back into my comfort box. But time will tell… Some pictures of my trip – Below are some of my favorites from my trip. My friend Ludek recommended a batch resizing program and I was quite surprised I hadn’t thought of it before! I downloaded a couple and noted a big difference in the quality of downsizing and purchased the one that I was more impressed with. I was in shock! I had been going through and resizing my images one by one! What was I thinking!?! Haha I have all the pictures resized and am organizing them in my album and will upload them tonight. My brother Brian is into the new Battlefield 2142 and he plays online and uploading will not work while he’s playing. Click on the image to enlarge
Me
 Me just outside blockbuster
 Family Pictures
Gabriel the first night I got there
 Amber before church
 Amber and Jackson in the car after church
 Gabriel waiting for Sierrah to get out of school  Sierrah and Jaylen just out of school
 Jackson playing "Cars" on the xbox
 Amber
 Jackson and Gabriel
 Jackson looking adorable
 All the kids - Sierrah, Amber, Gabriel and Jackson
 A great picture of my brother Shawn
 Shawn, Brenda and Gabriel
 Shawn
 Brenda
 Sierrah
 Brenda and the kids
 Shawn, Brenda and the kids
 Shawn, me and Brenda
 The Evelys
 Scenic Pictures
A crazy huge bee!
It was the size of my thumb down to its nuckle!  The neighborhood as I saw it at 7am walking Sierrah to school
 The trees and I liked the clouds
 Shawn and Brenda's house,
no matter how I tried to take the picture
it just didn't capture the size!
 Artistic view
 The houses in the neighborhood
 Yes, that is a cement block :)
 And have I said how much I love lines?
 Lawn ornament
 Trees
 Random Observations – As was getting ready this morning I was listening to a random selection in my iTunes and was struck by the lyrics of some of the songs, and not in a positive way. There are a lot of people out there that sing about settling for someone who doesn’t want them. It made me want to put in Alanis Morrisette or something to balance it! Haha I guess that’s a little too bitter for my taste at the moment! Ha! But I found it strange that these are songs I like and never really paid a lot of attention to what they represented. Well if you got all the way down then YAY for you! Congratulations! I know it's a lot of pictures and I have a ton more coming. But I think I'm gonna have to say goodbye for now. Labels: North Carolina, Pictures, Weigh In
posted by Charity at 10/21/2006 11:36:00 AM
Friday, September 29, 2006
Weigh In - 9/29/06
 It's been a month since I've weighed in. But I'm still really proud of this 1 pound! :) Actually I lost two pounds this week. I had gained a pound this month and to me that was a good thing for not paying too close attention to my diet. Labels: Weigh In
posted by Charity at 9/29/2006 10:23:00 AM
Friday, August 25, 2006
Weigh In - 8/25/06
 So I’ve finally gotten back on track with my diet… I’ve lost 2 pounds for a total of 28 pounds lost since the beginning of this diet. I’ve been fluctuating between my last weigh-in and three pounds above for the last couple of months. Last week I finally got back down to my last weigh-in and stayed there. This week I went down two more pounds. I have not been able to get back into working out as of yet. But the last couple of weeks I’ve been really sticking to my diet. This week has been an emotional rollercoaster. I’m tired of constantly battling my emotions and keeping my attitude positive, but it’s the life that I have right now. I found out Monday that I don’t have all the required units to start the Bachelor’s program at Azusa Pacific this time around. That’s a bit disappointing. So I have to figure out how to get the classes I need and get them done this year and try to get into the program next year. I had two interviews Wednesday and the first one for San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools in Apple Valley was the one I really wanted and I didn’t feel the interview went that well. So the other one down in Colton for the Rialto School District went a lot better but again, none of my references got a call yesterday so I’m guessing I didn’t get that one either. It’s very discouraging to go through all these interviews and not get anything. I keep questioning what I’m doing wrong. In the end I have to realize there is more to it then just having a good interview and so I’ve just got to trust in God. I know He has a plan for me. So my goal today is to get the kitchen straightened up. I have two card tables of knickknacks that I need to put away since I’ve pretty much figured out what is going where and those are just leftovers. Tomorrow I’m going over to my friend Rachel’s to see the new place all set up. I’m looking forward to it. *Updated* I am almost done with my knickknacks in the kitchen. I pretty much have the house ready enough for my birthday BBQ planned for next weekend. My dining room has nothing on the walls but otherwise is done. I have one wall in the living room that’s quite bare but nothing that I currently have seems to work there so I will leave it bare. I was called today for two more interviews. One for Aflac (yes the one with the funny duck commercials), apparently they saw my resume online and want me to come in for an informational interview. I’m not exactly sure what that means, I kind of feel like its going to be a sales pitch or something. But then again they are opening an office in Victorville and it may very well be something I would be interested in. So we’ll see Monday. Then just a few moments ago I got another call from the Rialto School District for another interview for the District Office. Monday is going to be a busy day. I have the interview down the hill for Rialto at 11:00 am and then the interview for Aflac at 1:30 pm in Victorville, and then at 2:30 I get to go to my sister’s school and see her work and take some pictures for her. Being busy is probably going to be the only thing that will help me get out of my funk. I’ve been pretty down the last couple of days, pretty much since the interviews on Wednesday. I’ve been trying to fight the discouragement but it’s hard. I could use some prayer that I will fight the lies of the enemy. The feeling of worthlessness is affecting every aspect of my life. I’m trying to fight it, but it can be so overwhelming that it knocks me down. Pretty much this morning it knocked me down and it took a while to get back up from that. I am doing so much better. My mom prayed for me and I had encouragement from Sam. Shortly after I gave it up I got the calls for the interviews, ironic how that always seems to be the case. Anyways, that’s all for now. Labels: Weigh In
posted by Charity at 8/25/2006 04:17:00 PM
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