Photography Update

Listen up... you can get 20% off any photo session. All you have to do is become a follower of my Photography blog (NOT this blog). Or go 'like' my Photography Facebook page. 

That's it folks. Easy Peasy!

we had a birthday

Bear's Mom had a birthday and we celebrated in style.

We ate like kings and queens.. lobster and steak! 

It was a great night. filled with friends and family. 

even the doggies got in on the action. How cute is her face? 

Happy, Happy Birthday Susan. 

We were thrilled to (finally) be in Utah to celebrate with you! 

this shall pass

Moving has been hard and exciting all wrapped up into one bundle. It has been a challenge, and has tossed us many hurdles to jump. This move has not gone exactly the way we had hoped for. And at times both Bear and I feel like this decision of moving out West was not in our best interest. Our home is back East, our daily routine and life is still there, and at times, it feels like who we are stayed, while our bodies drifted west.

It’s funny, since moving, things have been such a roller coaster. And recently it has taken the ups and downs more forcefully.  Things were looking good- Bear went in for an interview for a position that he loved, we found the perfect house, and I was in the interview process for a job that seemed appealing. The interviews went great, the house checked out, and we were feeling like things were turning around for the better. And then wham, within days of each other everything feel through. The job that Bear would of loved was given to someone that had fourteen years experience (but he was their second choice), the house was given to the people who turned in their application right before us, and my potential job was not looking good. To say the least, 

I was feeling rather down about our situation, wondering if and when things were going to change.

But then I remembered all the blessings that we do have. We have a roof over our heads, food on the table, wonderful company that has been so gracious about us living with them, our good health, a puppy that loves us dearly, and each other. 

This situation that we are going through shall pass, and we will walk away stronger.

This quote from an unknown source says it all “ if you feel like your life is in turmoil, remember that this too shall pass. No matter how dark it gets- this too shall pass my love. Focus on what you want to create. And take one baby step at a time. Keep moving towards where you want to go.  After darkness… there is always light.”

I think I will create something today- and maybe even write a list of all the wonderful things in our life. 

I will try to remember that when we look back on these memories we will remember the hard times, but also everything that those hard times taught us- and I am sure we will be grateful for these moments. 

our weekend

Our weekend was relaxing. It started out with a late night picnic under the stars with a yummy Wendy's hamburger. Half way through our 'romantic' picnic the sprinklers came on in the park... not once, but twice. The first time we ran fast and didn't get very wet. the second time, we weren't sitting at our blanket (we decided to play some tennis) so I braved up and ran through the sprinklers to save all of our stuff from getting wet, that resulted in me getting soaked. But we continued our tennis game and laughed at the silliness of our midnight soak. 

We attempted to go fishing but the storm beat us, so we rescheduled for the next evening. However, I was able to get some cool pictures of the storm rolling in. The next day we did go back to the river. I read and Bear fished.  It reminded me of spending those hot summer days  at our favorite spot on the river in New Jersey. Those days always seemed perfect. 

The first day

Dear Mr.Brooks,

Today you started your first day of school. But this time it's a little different. You aren't the student. You are the one in charge. The one that stands up in front of the room full of youngins who are ready to learn. Those youngins will call you teacher, or maybe even Professor. You should not be scared or nervous, you are an amazing teacher. And I know that because you teach me everyday. I look forward to when we have kids of our own and you get to teach them. I hope they show as much appreciation of learning as you do. 

I love listening and watching you talk about a subject because your love of knowledge, learning, and passion are so apparent . And although you doubt yourself at times, your accomplishments shine through brightly. You should be proud. I am. Do you remember this day and this day. Look how far you have come! 

And yes, I realize that you think I am a big dork. I had to take your picture on your first day of school. The thing you don't realize is, it was for my benefit. Now I get to stare at your handsome face all day! 

Love you tons,

Your wife.

  

Etsy Shop Updates: Kalovely

It's time for an etsy shop update.

I changed and moved a couple things around with my etsy shop, so please be patient with it as I try to get everything in order. However, with the moving and changing came my brand new shop kalovely! Go check it out here. 

This shop will feature my photography as well as some other fun homemade items. I will be frequently updating and adding new things, so check back often. 

I take custom orders as well, so please feel free to email me if you have something in mind that you would like made. I would be happy to work with you! 

Enjoy the shop. 

Red Geometric Earrings. 

$10.00 

Click here for more info

Circle necklace in neutral colors 

$21.99

Click here for more info

Hello

I have so many new things to share with you. However, I have a great big excuse as to why I have not been posting or sharing all of the fun things on a regular basis. My computer gets the blame. It’s old and slowly dying. And although I still love my small white companion, I had to replace it with a newer one, and today is the day it shall arrive! So that means that my post will be more frequent and will always include pretty pictures. I hope you are as excited as I am. 

For now, I will leave you with some phone pictures from our fishing adventure we had the other day. We went to the lake for Shento to swim. Bear thought it would be fun to bring a fishing pole and try his hand at lake fishing (he usually fly fishes).  About a minute after he cast his fishing line into the water a fish bites. We released it and continued to fish. Catching eight fish by the end of our day.

my morning walk

sick day

I woke up this morning with a sore throat and body aches and have been in bed ever since. At least I was able to be entertained by Oprah for most of the day, thanks to her new network! I have also been enthralled with the book Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Wall. She is one of my favorite authors, and once I start reading her books I can't put the book down until I am finished.

Sometimes being stuck in bed is not all bad. I actually can say that today has been pretty lovely and I think that my body purposely didn't feel good for a reason, because as I have been lying here I have been thinking about life. And although times right now seem so stressful and as if there is not an end in site, I feel so blessed. it hit me like a ton of bricks that everything is going to be alright. Bear and I should feel so grateful that Bear got the opportunity to teach 2 classes at the local University. He starts this month and I am so excited for him. he has such a passion for teaching, and even though I have never sat in on one of his classes (maybe this semester I will) I know from seeing how his past students reacted to him that he is an amazing teacher and mentor. he has worked very hard and I am very proud!

I know that everyday as we slowly start figuring out life here in Utah things get better. Our relationship is growing, we have been able to enjoy the family that we missed out on for the past three years, and we have been fortunate enough to take our time to find a place to live. Eventually we will find 'our' perfect place and we will make it home. I have already been collecting design ideas and my father-in-law and bear designed and built a coffee table.  those little things get me excited about the future. I know that together Bear and I can do anything and the stress and un-known just makes us stronger.

While today was not the most productive day, it made me feel happy. I hope that tomorrow I feel better because a walk with Bear and Shento sounds perfect. But for now, I am off to bed!

the music weekend

we spent our weekend going to two amazing concerts. Friday night we cuddled under the stars and listened to  Joshua James. have you ever heard this man sing live? His voice is incredible and listening to him really hits you deep into the soul. the concert venue was great. held on top of a parking deck that looked out over the valley made for a beautiful setting! after the concert, bear and i decided that shakes were in order, and headed over to the famous malt shop for some delicious ice cream shakes and order of fries (i just could not resist).  Saturday we spent a good portion of our day up on the hill side of the Canyons Resort awaiting the musical bunch The Infamous String Dusters. this band has been a favorite for awhile. when we first moved to New Jersey Bear's aunt and uncle gave use tickets to go see them perform at a small venue. it was our first real outing (traveling to a different city) while still getting settled. Now in Utah, still getting settled into life here we went and saw them perform. they are going to become our welcome to a new state (and home) band! One of my favorite things about going and seeing a band is watching them up close, and we were sure able to do that Saturday night. We danced right up in front listening to them perform and watching their amazing talent. Both nights were great and full of wonderful music, perfect weather, and good food!

 

 

 

 

rocks have an inspiration factor

i love to craft. and one of my favorite feelings is when something inspires me and gets my creative juices flowing. yesterday i woke up feeling quite inspired. i new that a trip to the local craft store was in need. to be honest, i was inspired by our camping trip and the collection of the rocks that I acquired while my hubby fished.  the texture, shape, color , and feel all had me fascinated.

i have always been a collector of rocks. every time Bear and i would go down to the Jersey shore i would collect the most sleek looking white rocks and the occasional black rock. i had a collection of the Jersey rocks placed in our living room. for some reason rocks have always caught my attention. and now i am using them as an inspiration to my creativity.

i enjoyed my craft store outing and started right away on working on my creations. i think i will be adding some new things to my etsy shop very soon. stay tuned.

Taco Date Night

hello August! I can't believe that you are already here. 

the summer has gone by so quick that I feel like we haven't even had a summer. I guess the stress of moving has taken up a lot of our time. 

we were able to enjoy a little family camping trip this past weekend. Bear got to go fishing, 

we roasted  marshmallows, 

and really enjoyed being around family. 

and last week, Bear took me on a taco date night. the tacos were amazing 

and the company of my hubby was even better. 

Things in Utah have been good. 

There are times when the thought of New Jersey comes into mind 

and I start missing friends, our routine, our favorite restaurants, and local spots.

 However, we still think this move was a good choice. 

and once we get our life squared away, I know we  will enjoy being here even more.