how "mommy-hood" has changed my identity.

when i was twenty-eight weeks pregnant with parker i wrote this post about "keeping my identity" & wondering how becoming a mom might change me.  i was all up in my life as a career woman at the time & wondered if i'd get "dumbed down" by a life of diapers & spit up.  i came across that post last week & now, at twenty-eight weeks pregnant with parker's little brother, i want to write a follow-up to all the questions i asked back then... because now i know.

here's the short answer.  i know more about myself now & who i am than i ever did back then.

these last two years of being a {mostly} stay at home mom really have changed me & honestly?  the only thing i miss about that full-time career woman is the bigger paycheck.  but getting to stay home with parker & watch him grow has made up for that in amounts way more priceless than dollars.

ok, that's the cheesy short answer.  here's some other ways i've changed.

i discovered my love for photography & started a business.  i've always been an obsessive picture-taker & always insisted on taking a million pictures of every occasion.  but when parker was just a couple months old i realized i wanted to take this passion to the next level & we purchased my first dslr.  it started with millions of pictures of parker but now i'm on my second camera & have since shot countless families, seniors, kids & a handful of weddings.  if it wasn't for staying home & photography blogs & a cute little model to learn on, i'm not so sure any of this would have ever happened.  i definitely see a long life as a photographer ahead of me & hope this is just the beginning... i think it's something i am good at & something i strive to be better at.

also?  this might not be true for most moms but i feel like i've discovered a lot about my own personal style & fashion sense since becoming a mom.  when i dress up, i dress with more purpose & my home is decorated much more to my liking than it ever has been {although it's always a work in progress!}. pinterest & fashion blogs & lots of trips to target & the mall probably have something to do with this.

when i was pregnant with parker i think i thought all moms were destined to lives of yoga pants & slippers & although this really is what i wear 75% of the time {it's actually quite glorious}, i still find times to dress up & look nice.  i still clean up well.  i still get to curl my hair & wear heels {if i want} to church on sundays or for my one day in the office on thursdays.  this is plenty for me.  it turns out moms wear yoga pants & flip flops or slippers all the time because it is COMFY.  who knew?

when i was pregnant with parker i worried about losing touch with current events.  becoming a mom-in-a-bubble.  this is something i work on.  i watch the news, i read cnn.com & follow all kinds of newsfeeds on facebook.  i think i have a pretty good idea what is going on in the world around me & i enjoy talking about current events with sam every night.  it would be easy to tune all that out & worry only about the number of dirty diapers parker had that day but this is something that's important to me & i hope it always is.

and lastly?  what i didn't know about myself back then is how much i could love another little human being.  i didn't expect that i would honestly feel like i love my kid more than any one in the whole world could possibly love theirs.  i didn't know that watching sam be a dad would make me fall in love with him over & over again everyday & that being a family kicks the crap out of being a married couple.

basically, all my fears i had back in the day were unnecessary.  mommy-hood is what you make of it.  i think it's important to make time for yourself & put yourself first when it's appropriate because no one should ever feel like they've lost their identity.  of course i have my daily struggle with fitting in all the things i have to do versus what i would like to do but that happens with kids or no kids, right?  you just have to figure out your priorities.

turns out being a mom is a pretty good thing to be.  i highly recommend it.

eleven eleven eleven. tag!

you probably have seen other bloggers doing this little survey making its way around the blogosphere, telling random facts, answering questions & then tagging other bloggers to do the same.  now it's my turn!  i've been tagged by mandy, jess & jessie.  since they each gave me 11 questions to answer, i'm going to answer four questions from each of their surveys.  mmm, k?  here goes.

there are five rules:
1.  post these rules.
2.  post a photo of yourself & 11 random facts about you.
3.  answer the questions given to you in the tagger's post.
4.  create 11 new questions & tag new people to answer them.
5.  go to their blog/twitter & let them know they've been tagged.

randoms you probably don't know about me... here goes!

1.  one of my favorite snacks is sliced pickle eaten with a slice of cheddar cheese.  i particularly like this on sundays.

2.  i also really like sliced raw potato (peeled) with a dash of salt.  YUM.

3.  i grew up on the green river in the 80's & 90's.  yes back when the "green river killer" was doing his thing.  my childhood house had riverfront property & we would swim in the river as kids.  never met the serial killer face to face though.

4.  i always stay up way too late.  every day i say i'm going to bed early & then i don't.  because those hours that i should be sleeping?  is my time.

5.  i eat the same thing for breakfast every morning... chocolate protein shake with frozen strawberries.  i never get sick of it.

6.  when i was younger i wanted to be a veterinarian.  just like every other little girl.  although i actually majored in pre-vet med for a while in college before i decided it wasn't for me.

7.  sam thinks i'm deaf.  i'm always asking to have the tv turned up & always asking "wait, what'd they say?" when we watch shows.  so... i may actually be a little deaf.

8.  i listen to lots of my favorite music in the car with parker & hope that he'll grow up with an appreciation for good music & be cool like me.

9.  i'm the youngest in my family of four girls.  whenever i tell people that they always say "your poor dad!"  meh, he did just fine.

10.  i was a little too obsessed with the "lord of the rings" movies when they were big.  sam's never even seen them & is totally not into it.  it still creates a little divide in our marriage.

11.  i get ansy & disappointed if i don't get at least three workouts in during my week!

and now, the questions to be answered!

from jessie:

what's your favorite food?
my meal of choice would have to be a really good steak.  made even better with a side of crab legs & ridiculously good mashed potatoes.

dream job?
my dream would be to really be making it in the photography business.  i'd love to have a gorgeous studio where i worked real hours once my kids were in school & have a bunch of awesome equipment.

favorite sandwich?
a post-thanksgiving turkey-leftovers sandwich on potato bread with pickles & mayo.

if i could live anywhere?
sydney, australia.  we visited a few years ago & my heart is still there.  pretty sure.

from jess:

what's the meanest thing you did as a kid?
when i was in 2nd grade me & this boy buried a girl's coat in the sawdust by the monkey bars.  she was pretty traumatized & my mom had to come pick me up from the principal's office.  i think that was the end of my bullying.

what are the best characteristics of your spouse?
sam is a ROCK.  he is so reliable & i can always trust him to do what he says he will.  i immediately fell in love with him when i realized i could count on him to get things done & get them done right without me hovering.

when was the last time you cried?
i cried like a baby watching "being elmo" at the part where the make a wish foundation girl meets elmo.  i mean, that's a dying kid & her last wish was to meet elmo.  can't even imagine being a part of that, on either end.

what chore should i be doing RIGHT NOW?
well, i should always be doing laundry.  but mostly right now i should be taking a shower while sam is giving parker a bath.  yes, showering is a chore.

from mandy:

how would you describe your style?
getting better?  i know what i like when i see it, but translating that into what's actually in my closet is another story. i'm working on really only buying things i love & that will help my style but it's hard not to buy more go-to hoodies & t-shirts.

where do you see yourself & your family in 10 years?
living in the house we want to be in til we retire, i'm doing photography dang-near full-time & training for triathlons on the side, we have two or three kids & sam is working in a job that he loves.

favorite dessert?
HAS to have chocolate.  chocolate ice cream, chocolate cake, whatever.  if there's no chocolate it's not worth the calories.

what is your most valued possession?
easily our computer with all our pictures on it!  we have everything backed up to an external hard drive & even took it with us when we had to leave our house during snowmaggedon.  if we lost our collection of photos i would cry for days & DAYS.  and then more days.  photos are irreplaceable.

whew!  that was fun.  here are my 11 questions for the ladies i tag:

1.  what is one thing your working on to change/better about yourself?
2.  what is your dream car?
3.  if you could have one talent you don't already have, what would it be?
4.  what is your favorite part of the day?
5.  what is your favorite day of the week?
6.  what did you want to be when you were a little kid?
7.  what's your favorite physical feature about yourself?
8.  what would you love your kids/future kids to grow up to be professionally some day?
9.  what is a pet peeve of yours?
10.  what would your husband/significant other/best friend say is their favorite thing about you?
11.  what is your dream vacation?

and i tag:
nicole
olivia
ashley
chelsea
mandy

let me know when you post your questions so i can see your answers :)  do it!

feelin' the passion.

if you clicked on this post in your reader cuz you thought it might contain some steamy juicy details about my home life, you will be sorely disappointed.  no steamy details here folks.  this is all about me & my current love of life.  yup.  sounds super cliche right?  blogger writes about how wonderful life is.  *yawn.*  but sorry, this is me being cliche.  i'm just in a happy place right now i guess.

i am having a BLAST with this photography stuff you guys.  i can feel myself getting better with each session & really finding my style & getting better in my editing.  i've made enough to pay for a lens upgrade & hope to be upgrading my camera soon too.  that?  gives me butterflies.  so what if at the end of the day i made absolutely no profit... right?  ha.  money is overrated.

but seriously, i am addicted to photography at the moment {don't let your eyes fool you... that says pho-tog-raphy}.  i live eat & sleep this new business.  and i can't get enough of it.  i have to force myself to do other things because i don't want to burn out in a week, but if it was up to me?  i'd set up 14 sessions a week, i'd edit pictures 24/7.  i'd email perspective clients all day long,  i'd revamp my pricing sheets & my invoice forms & update the photography facebook page nonstop.  it's like i'm back playing "business" as a kid.  what?  you didn't set up folders with labels & have a briefcase with files in it & arrange inboxes around your room as a kid?  loser.

ok, i know that this is more than just fun & games.  eventually the novelty will wear off & it will feel like what it is.  work.  there may even come a day when i'm not enjoying it & the financial gains aren't panning out & i become another statistic... because the odds are against me.  did you know that 85% of all photographers don't make it into their 3rd year?  true fact.  but the fact of the matter is that right now i'm feeling this.  it's something i am super excited about & when i wake up in the morning it makes me happy.  so i'm sticking with it.

this also brings me to another topic... finding your passion.  why did it take me {almost} thirty years to find something i absolutely love & feel like truly brings out the real me?  and since it did take that long, why is it ok that we're supposed to decide our life's career path at 18-19 years old?  not cool society.  not cool.

but despite the fact that it's taken me this long to take the plunge, i'm glad i did.  and i'm grateful for all the support & good feedback i've gotten by those around me.  sam has been an awesome cheerleader/business manager/advisor/idea-bouncer-offer as well as my friends & family.  and i've had awesome clients that have made the experience awesome so far too.

and then there's this guy.  he makes me happy too.  so there's that.

if you're bored then you're boring.

so who do i talk to about getting more hours in a day?  because i could use a few.  i got a lot going on right now & it's all pretty awesome, not gonna lie.  i am actually really excited about all the things keeping me busy right now & if i had a few more hours?  well, i'd probably just try to cram more things in there.  so i guess it's best to keep it to twenty-four.

i've been talking a lot about all the projects i'm working on.  i think i wrote on facebook there was somewhere around eight home decor projects?  i may have exaggerated, but it's up there somehwere.  i'm sewing up new curtains, working on a quilt, making shelves for parker's book nook, putting up shelves & re-doing my office decor & re-accenting my guest bathroom.  here's a sneak peak at some progress along the way:

and add to those things the time spent being a wife, mom, friend, business-starter, worker-outer, healthy meal maker, pinterest-addict, blogger & part time worker?  my days are pretty full.  but i like it.  and what i've learned from all of this is that i thrive on having a lot on my plate.  so my guess is that as soon as one of these projects gets finished, i'll just find something else to fill it up with.

because i like it that way.

and i like votes.  fer reals.

it only happens once a year.

today i turn 29 & i'm pretty ok with it.  it's a little scary going into the last year of my twenties, knowing that the next birthday will be a whole new decade.  but what's it matter... 30 is the new twenty, right?  isn't that what the kids are saying?  heck yes it is.

the 20's have been good to me.  i met the love of my life, i got married, i graduated college, i worked four good years as a full-time career woman, & i birthed the best little boy i could have ever hoped for.  i have one full year left in the 20's & i plan to make it a good one.  i'm working on a 30 by 30 list & hope to have it posted soon.

but today?  today will be spent with friends & family, bbq-ing & eating chocolate cake.  that's pretty much my standing appointment on this day each year.  and also?  i make sure that every year on my birthday everything i eat has no calories.  so there's always that.

it works for you too, so eat a slice of cake on me!

how about a happy birthday vote?

ask me anything - w. 8

if you "like" my facebook page you may have already seen that i'm picking the "ask me anything" posts back up.  i still have a list of questions that are unanswered & it's fun to do something a little different every now & then.  so if you have something you've always been wondering, or even if you just make something up right now, feel free to ask me anything via comments, facebook, twitter or email.  mmmm k?

1.  today's first question comes from malanda via facebook.  she asked,

oooh, i love this question & not just because you called my baby adorable!  ok maybe that.  but also because this is a question that's been on our minds a lot lately.

before parker was born we always thought we wanted our babies about two years apart.  that meant getting pregnant, ummmm... this month.  but now that it's here, we're not really feeling ready quite yet.  we're just enjoying our time alone with parker way too much!  but we're not that far off.  i guess where i'll leave this question at, is that my ideal age difference now is about 2.5 years.  however, it's no secret that it took me a while to get pregnant so we don't want to wait too long, either.  i get really excited at the thought of hopefully being pregnant in the coming year!  but super scared too.  so i go back & forth between being impatient to get pregnant, & hesitant.

with all that said, hopefully look for some exciting pregnancy news sometime in the next year, ok?  cross your fingers!

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2.  the second question comes from my sister-in-law laura.  she asked,

not even once!  i love love LOVE the name parker & i often wonder how we'll ever be able to pick out another name for the next baby that i will love as much.  the name suits him so well & i love that it's unique but not too trendy.

other names we had in mind were caleb, palmer, elliot, & taylor {all with middle name "ray" after my grandpa}. what's your favorite runner up?

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and last but not least, random.org helped me pick a winner for last week's alexandra rose giveaway!  today's lucky winner gets a $20 credit toward anything in her super cute shop.  lucky duck.

here's parker, snuggling with his very own alexandra rose taggie blanket to help me announce the winner.

KRISTIN!

congrats kristin!  i'll be sure to get you two in touch pronto.  bummed you didn't win?  don't forget to use your code "GOODLIFE" to get 10% off anything in her shop.  that'll make you feel like a winner, right?

and that's it for today.  happy august everyone!  maybe this is the month where summer will start in the pnw?  let's hope.

your votes always give me hope.  not sure for what, but they do.

ask me anything - w. 7

if you "like" my facebook page you may have already seen that i'm picking the "ask me anything" posts back up.  i still have a list of questions that are unanswered & it's fun to do something a little different every now & then.  so if you have something you've always been wondering, or even if you just make something up right now, feel free to ask me anything via comments, facebook, twitter or email.  mmmm k?

today's question comes from shannon via facebook.  she asked, "what's in your purse?"

i only carry a purse when i go into the office one day a week.  the six other days?  i proudly rock the diaper bag.  here she is:

this beauty has been our bag since the day parker was born.  it was given to me as as shower gift & i have never wanted any other one.  sam isn't afraid to carry it & it has a place for everrryything.  seriously, you can pack a week's worth of crap in here.  not that you'd want to.

here's what it looks like when i dump it out:

on any given day some of the items might be a bit different.  there might be the occasional change of parker clothes or i might be feeling especially girly & throw in some makeup.  but these are the basics.

let's break it down.

whenever we're out & about it's inevitable that parker will probably get restless at some point.  i always have a go-to stash of toys that he can hold onto while in the stroller or carseat.  cars, books, & a well loved sophie were stuffed in there today.

if toys don't tame the monster, then chances are some snacks will do the trick.  goldfish keep his hands busy when given to him one at a time, or for more serious hunger issues i go for the squeezy pouch.  aka:  "the best thing ever invented for babies on the go."

you can usually find a clif bar or two since they're my own go-to snack & lately parker's been digging them as well.  two birds, one bar.

this is a given.  dipes & wipes.  we prefer target's up & up brand for diapers, & costco brand wipes.  they haven't failed us yet... fourteen months & counting.

then there's the stuff for me.  i have to carry my own pens since i refuse to write with regular old ballpoint.  it's true, i'm a pen snob.  keys, wallet & sunnies are stuffed in an easily accessible shallow zipper pocket at the top.  it's all about convenience when you're juggling a kid & the such as.

and there you have it.  my bag & its typical contents.

and since it's real hard for me to have a post without a dose of p-ray, here's what he may or may not have been doing while i was exploring the diaper bag...

no accidents took place during the making of this post.

thanks for your votes guys, we're moving right on up.

bloggy girls gone wild.

so as you've probably heard me mention once or twice, i had a pretty sweet weekend.  i got to attend bloggy boot camp seattle with some of my favorite blogger friends & follow that up by a girls night out with even more of us.  it was my first time away all by myself since parker's been alive & was a total success.  you know, besides that whole parker-and-sam-got-in-a-car-totaling-accident part.  but they are still doing great & we're chalking the weekend up to a success.

but for reals?  this post has a lot of photos.

me, mandy, stephanie, lauren - taken with my iPhone

the weekend started off by meeting up with these ladies for dinner.  out of the four of us, mandy & i were the only ones who had met before... so you'd think this could be awkward.  it wasn't.  how could it be when we've spent hours reading about each other's lives on the internet?  and yes, that's totally normal.

after some shopping & some froyo we headed back to our hotel to get ready for our big day.  one room for all four of us.  if you think dinner could be awkward then you'd for sure think that sharing a bed with someone you just met could be awkward too.  but that wasn't either.  lauren totally forgave me for snoring and wiggling all night.  truth bomb:  i'm a serious snorer.

the conference was pretty sweet.  although we had stayed up til three am the night before talking about who even knows what {actually, i remember it all... but what happens at the doubletree stays at the doubletree} so we were exhausted.  but we got to hear some pretty good speakers & learn all about networking & monetizing & finding your voice & budgeting your time & it was good.

oh & there was some swag too {yeah i'm talking about you bh&g ice cream scoop, measuring cup, & spatula!}  also good.

after the conference we headed to a different hotel downtown bellevue where we pulled the curtains & jumped in bed so our heads could stop spinning from the boot camp information overload.  but not before we took some sweet pics.  i believe there was some bed jumping involved too?  maybe those will surface someday.

then the rest of the group showed up & we traded our flats for wedges & hit the town.

{linking up with harper's happenings for steppin' out saturday.  yay!}

we got some dinner & decided we were down for froyo round two.  seriously... all healthy diet rules seem to go out the window when i'm in a different zip code.  what's up with that?  i've heard there's no calories in frozen yogurt though.  so that's good.

on the way we may or may not have had a little downtown photoshoot.  we are bloggers afterall.

{from left to right: chelsey, amanda, melissa, mandy, fiona, me, lauren, stephanie, mandy - not pictured: jill}

then the party continued for round two when we hit up yet another restaurant.  yes, more appetizers, more drinks, & way way way more laughter was so necessary.

by midnight we all had tears in our eyes & sore cheeks from laughing so hard.  who knew childbirth, pregnancy, & baby-rearing could be so freaking funny?  it totally is.

sunday morning came early & we headed back home at a decent hour.  i was kinda in a hurry to get back home to this:

and don't worry, i gave him a pretty good squeeze.  i kinda missed him.  but only lots & lots.

click twice to vote?  i love you for it.  times infinity.

playing tag & a party planning sneak peak.

ok, it's super late & i should be in bed.  i've been getting stuff together all day for p-ray's party because i refuse to be panicked at the last minute & unable to do all the fun things i have in my head that i want to do for it.  so, we're at 11 days & counting til party time & so far i'm on schedule.  am i on budget?  ummm, i'll have to crunch some numbers.

anywho, i was tagged by nicole to answer this favorite things post.  yup, two "about me" posts in a row.  this is my blog, after all.  here goes:

food:  anything sam bbq's, though nothing beats his bbq steak.
color:  right now?  anything bright & cheery.  these grey days got me down.
animal:  dog.  i'm totally a dog person.
dessert:  it's gotta be chocolate.  preferably with chocolate on top & chocolate chunks inside.
artist:  my mom.  she's pretty good.
pair of shoes:  flip flops, with a pedicure.
outfit:  i'm a jeans & t-shirt kinda girl.  i mix it up with accessories, but those are my staples.
skinny jeans:  yup.
brand:  i love how mandy answered this... "anything target sells."
perfume:  ummm... nope.
accessory:  my baby on my hip.
city:  portland.
hobby:  working out, blogging.
beauty product:  mascara.  i can't leave home without it {or you wouldn't recognize me}.
holiday:  christmas.  duh.
snack:  cashews.  clif bars.  smoothies.
movie:  anything that is super funny.
song:  "wake up" by arcade fire.
guilty pleasure:  staying up late & blogging silly posts like this.

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and one more thing.  i probably won't be posting too much of p-ray's party planning things on here just because i want to post all the pics at once after the party.  but i'm too excited about how my DIY cupcake toppers turned out to wait another 11 days to share them.  so here they are.

keep in mind i took these pics late tonight with my phone, so the quality is kinda lacking.  but the cupcake toppers?  they're top notch muh friends.  i kinda love them.

we're going with a robot theme.  random?  yes.  and don't judge me by the finger smudges on the glass desk in that last pic, mmmk?

who has two thumbs & is super excited for a one year old's birthday party?  this girl!

and if you're loving late night random posts with low quality cell phone pics?  please click twice to vote! thanks.

"get to know me monday." - w.6

so i have quite a few questions that were left unanswered from my "ask my anything" post way back before our hawaiian vacay.  i've been meaning to answer them because they were all really good ones, so i'm gonna pick a few & answer them each monday for the next few weeks.

nicole asked a few questions.  here they are one by one:

1)  "how are your photos so clean & clear?  do you use photoshop?"

first & foremost, i don't claim to be any sort of photography expert & am still learning new things every day.  and a lot of times, i just get lucky with a shot.  so.... that was the disclaimer.

the most important thing to taking a good picture is good light.  if you have bad lighting, it's gonna be hard to produce a crisp, clear shot.  outdoor natural light is ideal.

i do use photoshop & honestly, that can make a significant difference.  to see some before & after shots, check out my photo blog & you'll see that my straight-outta-the-camera shots don't look quite the same way they look on this blog.  yup, i'ma cheater.

BUT, photoshop doesn't take a crappy picture & make it amazing.  i mean, there are some things you can do to salvage a shot {vintage tints, textures, black & white conversions, etc.} but if you're looking for something you can blow up & have look as good {or better than} life, ya gotta have a good shot out of the camera.  period.

2)  "are you using manual on your camera?"

yup.  and i am stilllll learning.  i swore to myself that if we spent the dinero on a decent dslr, i wasn't gonna use it as a point & shoot.  so i dove right in & attempted to learn manual & haven't looked back.  if you have a dslr & are intimidated by your manual settings, don't be.  i still switch things around & experiment & i often take bad shots because of the settings.  but i am learning.

are you brand new to digital photography too?  the tutorial i often swear by when learning your camera is the "31 days to a better photo" series at life with my three boybarians.  somewhere around her day ten tutorial a light bulb went off & it all made sense for me.  well, enough sense for me to start intelligently experimenting.  so check it out, yo.

3) "how do you get the photos on your page so big?"

if your photos are still loading small in blogger, there might be an easy fix.  go to your settings tab in your dashboard then scroll down to the very bottom where it says "global settings" & hit the "updated editor" option.  now, when you upload a picture it will let you choose whether it's small, medium, large, or extra large.  mine are all extra large.

hope that helps!

and that's it for today.  are y'all still liking the ask me anything posts?  if so, keep the questions coming & see your answers in a couple weeks.  ask away in the comments, tweet me, facebook me, or shoot me an email, mmmmk?

and don't forget to vote!  don't ever, ever forget to vote.  please?

"get to know me monday." - w.5

so i have quite a few questions that were left unanswered from my "ask my anything" post way back before our hawaiian vacay.  i've been meaning to answer them because they were all really good ones, so i'm gonna pick a few & answer them each monday for the next few weeks.

melissa asked:

"what is your inspiration with your style?  what gets you motivated to get dressed up?  as a mom of a 13 month old, i definitely live in my sweatpants.  any advice for us mamas?"

alright, i'm gonna be real honest here.  most days i am hanging out in pj's or workout clothes a good portion of the day.  every now & then i'll get dressed up for a playdate, but usually the only time i get fully made up is for the occasional outing on the weekend & then always for church on sunday. this is a habit i'm trying to break too.  it's a work in progress.

but you know what has really inspired my style?  blogging.  in a couple ways. first, when i know that i am gonna put pictures up of myself in front of the interwebz, i try to look decent.  read:  no sweatpants {most the time}.  taking pictures of yourself & putting them somewhere where they are subject to comment can do a lot to motivate you to look your best.  a lot of the credit for this has been the "steppin' out saturday" posts, & i invite all of you to link up with mandy at harper's happenings & give it a try.  it really is fun to dress up a little more than usual & document the occasion.  so do it.

the other way blogging has influenced my style is by seeing what other "real" girls are wearing.  i have found so many bloggers out there who have an incredible sense of style & it makes me wanna copy be like them.  flipping through a magazine is one thing but finding a "real life" person who doesn't have a full line-up of makeup artists & stylists is inspiring to me.  so i get ideas from them.

some of my favorites bloggers for their style:  rockstar diaries, the daybook, rose ala mode, dear baby, & kendi everyday.  check 'em out.

and what are some things i've found work for me?  well, i honestly just find things i like, & then copy them. you will find that you are attracted to certain things & will find your sense of style developing.  keep an "inspiration" folder somewhere on your computer & save pictures of things you like in it.

also, some of the best advice i've ever read was from jessica, who said, "don't even own anything that you don't absolutely love!  if you only have pretty things in your closet, you have no choice but to wear a pretty outfit." {quote via}  i have thought of her advice so many times when i'm talking myself into buying something.  i just stand back, say, "wait, do i really really love this?"  if the answer is no, i move on.

the same goes for clothes you already own.  purge your closet of old drab things that are bringing your wardrobe down.  i just recently rid my closet of things i hadn't worn in the last year & it's so refreshing to walk in to my closet & only see things i would actually wear.  i can't stress this one enough.

and lastly, don't be afraid to try new things.  so what if you put on an outfit, leave the house, & then decide you hate it.  that has happened to me countless times.  just give yourself some points for trying something new.  and whatever you're wearing, wear it with confidence & a smile.  seriously, if you look like you feel good in your skin, you'll look good in your clothes.  i promise.

so there you have it.  my take on style.  i don't claim to be any kind of expert... i'm just a wannabe.  and so can you.

{click to enlarge}

ok, that was a long one so i'm leaving it at that.  you guys.  i need more questions!  ask away in the comments, tweet me, facebook me, or shoot me an email, mmmmk?

and don't forget to vote!  don't ever, ever forget to vote.  please?

"get to know me monday." - w.4

so i have quite a few questions that were left unanswered from my "ask my anything" post way back before our hawaiian vacay.  i've been meaning to answer them because they were all really good ones, so i'm gonna pick a few & answer them each monday for the next few weeks.

amy r. asked {via email}:

"is there anything about your pregnancy that you regret doing or not doing?"

so there's really not much i would change.  i feel like i worked out a ton, i didn't go crazy with eating crap but still indulged plenty, i kept going to work until the day i delivered, & i tried to enjoy every moment.  i took belly pictures every week & blogged about my pregnancy, too.

when i think about my next pregnancy & what i might do differently, i plan on eating healthier because i've heard your body doesn't recover quite as quickly with your second pregnancy.  i want to do weekly belly pictures & updates again & i don't think i'll be in as big of a hurry for it to fly by.  this time i know how much work the baby is once he's outside of the belly!

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emily asked:

"how did you & sam meet, & how long did you date before getting engaged + how long were you engaged before you got married?"

oh man, this should really be a series of posts in itself {which i really wanna do some day}, so i'll keep this short & sweet.  sam & i met while going to washington state university.  we lived in the same apartment complex & had some of the same friends.  i would notice him walking by my apartment everyday on his way to get the mail & i found ways & reasons to "bump into him."  now i would say i merely strategically placed myself in places where i could strike up conversations with him.  but, i have friends who use words like "stalker", "creeper", "psycho"... whatever, it worked.  he eventually asked for my number, we started hanging out, that led to dating, which led to marriage, baby, & the rest is history!

we dated about a year and a half before getting engaged.  but ya know what?  i was ready to marry this guy after the first date.  not joking.

we got engaged october 2005 & were married december 2005.  yup, two month engagement!  i'm living proof you don't need months & months to plan a wedding.  ha!

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amanda asked {via email}:

"how do you organize your photos?  do you have a system?"

i don't have a system, i have iPhoto!  having an iMac makes it easy peasy.  all my pics get dumped into iPhoto & then are grouped as events.  it's pretty sweet.  but when i take one & edit it for the blog, i save it in a "blog pictures" folder which is subcategorized by date so i can go back & find the picture later according to date of post it was in.  make sense?  it works... until i can think of a better way to do it.  haha.

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ok, that's it for now!  i'll answer more questions next monday.  if you have questions, go ahead & ask 'em in the comments or send me an email & i will try to answer them in the order they've been asked.  i'll just keep on doing these posts on mondays as long as i have questions to answer!

thanks friends.

click twice to make my day.  that is seriously all. it. takes.

flashback friday - {when i was a kid.}

i remember a few things about being a kid...

• picking up snails & snakes but being terrified of slugs.
• crouching down on the bathroom floor wrapped up in a towel after my bath because i didn't want to leave the warm bathroom & get cold.
• sitting in the back of our old station wagon facing backwards looking at cars behind us.
• making up plays & performing them for my stuffed animals.
• freaking out about a new cabbage patch kid.
• wearing stirrup leggings.
• drinking grape juice out of teeny old olive jars & pretending it was fancy like on movies {obviously now i realize those were shots}.
• riding my scooter that was basically a skateboard with handle bars & flipping over frontwards, scratching up my forehead & nose.
• our old miniature poodle "chewie," who growled & snarled at me when i tried to pick him up.
• wearing one pink & one purple converse high top like punky brewster.
• pressing a washcloth up against my eyes in the bath so soap wouldn't get in them when my mom rinsed the shampoo out of my hair.
• "my little pony" was the coolest thing ever.  ever.  ever.
• eating white bread by rolling it into a smooshed up ball.
• calling bread crusts "bones."
• getting sugar cereal on christmas morning from santa.
• cutting my bangs before picture day so they would "look good."
• tucking my sweatshirts into my jeans.  yeah... i dunno.
• thinking spotlights in the sky were ghosts.
• wanting to eat steak every day of the week.
• being terrified of aliens.

ok, i'm still terrified of aliens & i still want to eat steak every day of the week.  and i still look forward to sugar cereal on christmas morning.  but at least i don't tuck my sweatshirts into my jeans anymore, right?

how about a vote to start off your weekend? yay!