DECEMBER 2010:  this was quite a month.  2010 went out with a bang.  chris and i started a new tradition of going out for breakfast together on saturday mornings, i applied for another term at SFTIO, took the final 5 pictures of my 52weeks project, celebrated our Half-Aversary, spent too much money at the Del Red, had a fantastic visit with our friends in Portland, tried some new songs at karaoke, bought some new Mark makeup and love it, watched the sing-off on Hulu, got addicted to playing wordfued on my phone, bought some new music, had to wear my old glasses for a full week without contacts, saw tron in 3D with chris for a date night, cooked a 24lb ham (haminit), decided my word for 2011, thought seriously about changing my hair to red again, ordered boots that didn't fit, made way too many grilled cheese sandwiches, shared my WONDER pages throughout the month, figured out my plan for my 52weeks book,  i was included in an artists post about self-portrait photography (a true honor), thought a lot about this last year and reviewed all my different hair-styles, had a friend over for tea, watched tons of movies with husband, did absolutely no scrapbooking, made some big decisions about the future, didn't do dished for a full week, interpreted at all the meetings and felt my confidence in my signing skills growing, took my in-laws out for a special dinner, wrote poems from the depths of my heart, struggled with rejection and worthiness, bought husband a mandolin, went in service with lisa on monday afternoons and was filled with hope.

what a month.
what a year.

the growth of my dream

2010 was a huge year for the growth of my dream to be a photographer.  i started "doing business" as SHADYlane Photography, and shot some of my favorite pictures this year.  so for another "review" post i wanted to share those favorite pictures.  i love being able to see growth in each session i did.  this year was about learning more about my camera, developing my style as a photographer and growing my confidence behind the camera. 

here is a little taste of that journey....

cam and amanda

my girls rebecca and kelly

my cousin hannah, her husband caleb and their boy aiden

the lovely marta

jason and tracy (and baby nadine!)

darling jamin

our dear friends nani and kaleb

kimi and ryan (and baby ruthie too)

my friend kirsten and her family

sweet baby ruthie (my very first newborn session)

its been a great year through my viewfinder.  im so excited to see where 2011 takes my photography.  hope you'll stay along for the ride.  thank you for all your support through the year.  :)

the hair diaries

i thought it might be fun to do a little "2010 in review" in the way of all my different hair styles throughout the year.  it was fun compiling the pictures and it was a fun way to look back at the year. 

i started the year (and my 52weeks project) with a short A-line cut and bleached my hair for the first time ever.  it was fun while it lasted, but my hair grows so fast it was hard to keep up with my dark roots.  so then i went darker, but kept a blond streak in the front.  and it just kept growing and growing.  and now its almost as long as it was before i cut it at the beginning of last year. 

changing my hair is something i love to do. 

sharing self-portraits

i am excited and honored to share one of my portraits featured today over on Sarah Rhoads's photography blog.  she did a two part post featuring some incredible self-portrait artists.  so much raw ART over there.  im image #57.  see the post HERE.

sarah and her husband chris work together as photographers and i simply adore their work.  take some time to peek around their blog and website while you're there. 

and today is a very special day for another reason too.  i have completed my entire 52weeks project for the year 2010!!  i took my last self-portrait this morning.

the beginning and the end collide in this space
and i find myself fulfilled.
this journey has come full circle.
from a desire to learn 
to a knowledge that there really is no end to learning
from a place of bravery 
to the acceptance of my limitations
but also my talents, and my beauty 
and my worthiness. 
I believe I have accomplished my goal: 
to capture and portray myself
and then it all~ 
preserved in 4x6.

thank you so much to everyone who has supported me throughout this year and throughout this project.  i am now working on finishing up my book that i am planning on self-publishing through Blurb to make it available for purchase.  more info on that once its complete.

today is a good day for the art of self-portraits.:)

thanks for letting me share.

in awe

another word that came to mind when thinking of WONDER for the amazing kit from Scrapbooking from the Inside Out this month was AWE:  -noun: an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, etc., produced by that which is grand, sublime, extremely powerful.  and i immediately wanted to do a page about chris and the love we share.  it is called "in awe of your love" 

it is an honor to be loved by him.  


do you have someone or something you are in AWE of??  come participate with us in our challenges (you've got a few days left in the month!!) or purchase a kit for yourself.  we'd love to see your pages.

our Half-aversary

today is December 22nd.  its the halfway mark on another year of marriage for chris and i.  we like to celebrate it.  we call it our Half-aversary.  i know it might seem silly to some, but we don't have many things we get to celebrate, so we cherish the ones we have.
this year chris surprised me with a gift.  i have been eying the knot necklace design for awhile now and he bought me one!!  i am smitten with it.

sometimes when i stop to think that we've been married for 3 1/2 years it blows me away.  it went by sooo fast, and we have been through soooo much as a couple.  i will be forever grateful that chris came into my life.  he is the man i am supposed to share my days and my life with. 

thank you Husband for the 3 1/2 years we have shared.  i can't wait to see what the future brings by your side. 
i love you to life.

im wondering

there are many side and many facets to this word: WONDER.  many meanings and intentions.  for the next layout i'd like to share with you i focused on WONDER as a question.... this layout is about the questions i feel are filling my life right now.

do you have questions without answers in your life right now??  why not join us and scrapbook about them?  feel free to share what you create with us over at our gallery. 
isn't this a gorgeous kit from Scrapbooking from the Inside Out??  i sure think so. :) 

things i love thursday

today i feel like sharing and it just so happens to be a thursday... so here is another one of my favorite types of posts for you.

to begin with, i have some yummyness from Flickr.  when i clicked on my favorites the first three that popped up were black and white, so i went with that as a theme today.  there is something about the tones that touch my heart.... in all my months of doing these mosaics i've never done an all black and white one.  i really love how it turned out.

1. People grow up too fast these days., 2. Untitled, 3. IMG_1449, 4. Untitled, 5. ~waiting, 6. Her morning elegance.

a favorite feature that i've discovered since switching to google reader is the ability to "star" posts and come back to them later.  i've got some gems that i've starred and i think you'll like them.

• this super cute story about a first date at 16 years old.  one of those "awe!!" moments. 
• this photoshoot which makes me miss fall soooo bad and wish i had taken more pictures in the leaves.
• i have developed a recent love of design blogs and interiors photography.  this post and photographer are a favorite of mine.
• these amazing photo lampshades.  a must-try when we finally do have a house to decorate.
• a terrific layers scrapbooking tutorial.  i wish i was better at this...

i am also super interested in this class Ali Edwards is doing next year all about One Little Word.  i've always been intrigued by the concept of focusing on one work for a year and seeing how it can mold, inspire and motivate you.  i have yet to ever pick one little word of my own.  maybe this is the year....  this class looks amazing!!

and if i was super rich i would buy one of these for myself and all my friends.  the oh-so-classy kate spade book clutch.  how amazing is this idea?? and there are other titles too, so go take a peek!! 

and something else so pretty to peek at??  these amazing underwater sculptures.  i wasted a good chunk of time looking at all of these. 

please enjoy your thursday friends.
we're going out tonight to sing karaoke, and i've got new songs to try!!  :D

seeing red

so once again im getting the urge to change my hair.  i think its a bit of an addiction perhaps.  but this time im thinking RED!!  i was red for a short time in 2009 for our friend's wedding.  it didn't last long in my hair, but i totally loved it. 

ok, how cute is chris in a tux?? :D

and then the other day i saw this image via le wedding party via ban.do and thought... "oh yes, i think this color is in my future!!"

so any thoughts??  any suggestions for hair products that will help me keep my red vibrant??  i'd love some tips. :) 

gotta love a good quote

in searching for themes for my WONDER pages for this month, i came across this thought-provoking quote from e.e.cummings and i just knew it was going to be a page.  i had fun playing with the Liquid Pearls on this page too.  they come with the kit. 

we'd love to have you join us this month and explore the things that make you WONDER.  we've got challenges up early this month too.  hope to see you THERE!! 

quote of the day

"The great stumbling block of the creative mind is the awareness of self from the perspective of others. Self awareness isn’t the enemy... but rather the overemphasis regarding what others think of us. When we think too much about the opinions of others, we are letting them edit a book God has written." -Donald Miller

*source

I think this might be my biggest hurdle.  the thing holding me back from success, from achieving my goals....depending on the opinions of others to give me self-worth.  i have thought many times about my limiting fear of failure... but perhaps i have an even more debilitating fear of success. 

just some thoughts from the day...

music lover

I find myself completely and unabashedly inspired by music.  im always humming something, or have a song stuck in my head.  music seeps into my pictures and my words.  and lately i've been on the hunt for new or "re"newed music.  here are some of my favorites.

first of all is the amazingly talented and delicately sweet Amy Seeley.  her voice is like smooth caramel and lace.  i adore her.  i have been a fan of hers for awhile now, and am soooo excited to really submerge myself into her new album:  Plum Coulee.  find all the details about it HERE.
but i want to share a video of her singing.  i would love to hear her live one day...


next i was to share a dilectible duo called First Aid Kit.  they are two girls from Sweeden whose voices melt together like magic.  i wish i could find someone to sing with like this.  i've been a fan of theirs for about a year, but just saw this video of theirs that was posted a couple months ago.  visually stunning and unique.  its called: Ghost Town.



and now that i have shared my music inspiration the sun is shining through the fog outside my window.  though i cannot feel the warmth, it is touching my heart. 

my gypsy heart

its monday again, and that means i have another page from the gorgeous WONDER kit from Scrapbooking from the Inside Out.  in doing my searching on this theme i thought about the difference between the word "wonder" and "wander" and was intrigued by home my life embraced both concepts.  and that thought process turned into this page. 

my journaling says:  this gypsy heart of mine yearns to wander...yearns to wonder at the world around me.  i am constantly seeking, always learning and ever on this journey of self-discovery.  

i simply adored the combination of colors in this kit.  the purple and peacock blue together made me swoon.  and flowers and snowflakes together??  who would of thought!!  but this kit works so well together. 

eager to get your hands on it too??  find and purchase your own kit HERE. 
and we have lots of fun things happening over at Scrapbooking from the Inside Out this month, including the announcement of next term's design team.  come join us and take a peek at the new designers. 

WONDER revealed

can you believe its December 1st today??  i sure can't.  i was not nearly through taking pictures in the leaves... oh well.  the month has passed and here we are.
the first means kit reveal time from Scrapbooking from the Inside Out.  this month's theme:  WONDER.  this kit is full of old Hollywood, delicate snowflakes, the perfect teal color and unique bling.  its going to be a fun month sharing what i've created with this gorgeously lush kit.

 here is my first page of the month:  "wonder years"

my journaling says:  i am young.  i am newly married.  i don't have kids yet. i am discovering who i am. i am embracing my creative side.  someday all these things will be drastically changed.  so i will cherish these days while they are here.  making memories.

is this month your turn to purchase and create with one the stunning kits from Scrapbooking from the Inside Out??  head on over to our site to check out all the details.  and join our heart-centered community.  we'd love to have you!