Driving: personal

I’ve always had a great love for being in the car.

When I was younger my family used to drive from California to South Dakota twice a year, every year. We’d spend 2 days in the car each way. There was never a dull moment. In high school I worked for my former youth pastor and he used to take me with him to run errands. As we drove around town he would ask me the most thought provoking questions [which I absolutely *hated* of course] and he would teach me life lessons about family, friendship, loving God, and even my future marriage. I’m not going to lie, sometimes I took notes. ;] When I got my license my car was always a place to get away, if I needed to get out of the house I had the freedom to just leave. I also finally had the freedom to pick friends up, go places, and blast Disney mix CDs that Danielle would always pick.

More recently I think of nights like once when Candice and Cassandra were over and we decided to get Golden Spoon, Starbucks or *something* and them, Susanna, and I drove around with the windows down and Punk Rawk Show or See You Again [we're not ashamed LOL] blaring as loud as it would go. And laughing. I love laughing. And there was one time when the four of us drove all the way to Solvang and back in one afternoon. If I was making a list of my favorite days that day would be so close to the top. Or, before Brenna got her drivers license I would pick her up alllllll the time. We recently decided we miss those pre-license days because now we never get to spend an hour in the car just talking [or singing along to Paramore... same thing right?].

Last week my friend Brian was home from UCSB on Spring Break. One of the days I saw him I asked when he was going to head back to school and his response was, "Whenever I can find a ride." I, being the great friend that I am ;], immediately volunteered Zoran to drive him back and invited myself to come along. I was 90% kidding but 10% praying a mini road trip would actually take place. On Saturday when I got a text asking if I could ride up to Santa Barbara with them on Sunday I was ecstatic. Sunday morning I could not stop smiling and by the time church was over it was taking *everything* in me not to jump up and down saying, “Are we leaving yet? Are we leaving yet? Are we leaving yet?!” I’m like a child sometimes.

I don’t know what it is about long car rides, but they feel like home.







Annie was supposed to be writing a paper... she took a nap instead ♥


















Yeeeeeep. Zoran had N'Sync in his car. He swears it isn't his. We tried to listen to it... but it didn't play anymore.


On this trip I learned that the Carpool Lane is like a relationship. At first when you get in you have the option to get out, but once the double yellow lines come you better be ready for a commitment because theres a wall on one side and a ticket on the other. :D










I love this picture, even in all its blurryness.


This was one of the best days I've had in a long time. ♥

Danielle, Katelynn, & Robyn: just for fun

Danielle is becoming quite a regular face on my blog ;] I never imagined when I took pictures of her and Alan last year that we would rekindle a friendship that had faded since high school. Since September Danielle has kept me company at PitP, dropped of Christmas gifties ♥, randomly stopped at my house during bike rides, watched the entire season of Glee with me in one day, faithfully attended Buried Life Mondays, and become a familiar face at my house every Sunday after church. [why do I always start to cry writing blog posts?! gah! darn you emotions!] I love this girl, and am beyond grateful for the friendship we have. I hope you know that Danielle Nicole. ♥

These pictures are coming up a little late. In addtion to my car battery dying my new laptop decided to stop charging so it was away getting fixed most of last week and I just could not bring myself to blog from the desktop computer. It's *not* the same. ;] Danielle, Katelynn, and Robyn, it was great spending the evening with you! I hope these pictures make you smile and remember your friendship for years to come.

Happy Monday everyone!

Photo Swap: photography

Ok. First, I'm a horrible blogger. I only posted ONCE in between Photo Swaps. What's up with that? Second, I am about to die right now. An hour ago I left the gym and was so tired I sat on the parking lot ground before I got in my car to go home. Forgive me if I'm a bit delirious. HAHA!

Here is our second round of Photo Swapping. As much as it stresses me out having a deadline to get pictures to each other and to have a blog post up [which I clearly failed at doing today as it is after midnight] I really enjoy the challenge. :] this rounds theme was Water and People brought to you by the fabulous Elisabeth Carol.

Elisabeth Carol
[shhhh don't tell anyone but her picture was my favorite this week ;]]



Lizzie Kimball



Heather Mulholland



And mine :]

What a Week: personal

What a week it has been.

Today I was driving home from the beach with my amazing friend Alexis, and her 3 children. We're literally around the corner from her house. .87 miles. 2 minutes. [yes, I mapquested it.] when my car completely shuts down. At first I was like OMYGOSH I'm out of gas! Because, well, I was basically out of gas. I had planned to stop to get some after dropping Alexis and the kids off. But clearly that plan wasn't going to work out now. I try to restart my car, did I mention it was about 5pm? and there was traffic? I get my car to turn on long enough to pull into the parking lot of a bowling alley, which is right next to a gas station. But of course it won't stay on long enough to make it through the parking lot to the gas station. So I get out of the car and start pushing, with the help of Noah, my 11-year-old hero. [He would probably die if I said that to his face] We make it to the gas station fairly drama free, and with the help of 2 extremely nice guys who were also getting gas.

At this point I'm like, alright, that was nothing. Pssssssh. Noah and I totally handled it. ;] [Noah, who by the way now wishes he had a List so he could have put "push a car" on it and then he would be able to cross it off HAHAHA!] I fill up my gas tank trying not to notice the $3.19 I'm paying per gallon when down the street by my house I know it's only $2.90-something. Get back in the car and you know, expect it to start. That would have been toooooooo easy.

An hour later my car still isn't running, the gas station owner guy has yelled at my dad and me because we're blocking a gas pump. Sorry. And AAA is on the way to tow me away because a jump didn't do annnnything. AAA comes, sparks fly from my battery as they try to jump my car... more than once. I'm glad I can laugh about this now, I couldn't earlier. In the end my car needed a new battery because mine was beyond dead. Who needs the sample albums I was going to order tomorrow? Clearly not me because my car decided to steal that money out from under me. Thanks. Thanks a lot. ;]

Like I said at the beginning of this post, it has been quite the week. So, I'll end with a few shout outs to the people who helped me get through it with no grace whatsoever. I'll admit it I've been a complete wreck. :D

Alexis, who invited me to sit on her couch and watch Ellen with her for hours. Who gave me advice and support and prayer when I desperately needed it and who stayed at the gas station with me today when she didn't have to.

Brenna, who kept me company very late at night when she had to wake up very early in the morning, who could read right though my fake “fine” and be ok with the fact that I wasn’t, and who doesn't judge me even though she knows what I want to be when I grow up ;]

Steven, who did not have a seizure and die in front of his children today when he tried to jump start my car, who sent me texts that made me laugh out loud, and who doesn't find it weird that I ended up at his house probably every day this week.

Cassandra, who wants my bad romance, who can easily make me laugh and cry in the same text, and who wanted to come party at the gas station just so I wasn't sad.

Zoran, who legitimately cares about me and what's going on in my life. And who spent an hour donating blood with me and hopefully realized that was the best hour of my day.

I can’t wait for next week. It can seriously only go up from here. LOL.

I’ll leave you with some photographs I took a few weeks ago of some of the most amazing people in my life. I love these girls.





Danielle is also working on a 101 Things List and #6 on her list was go barefoot for a day.


I told them to laugh on command... and to think of CoverGirl ads. We couldn't remember "Easy Breezy Beautiful CoverGirl" for anything so everytime I said CoverGirl Cassandra said "Maybe she's born with it" How do you not laugh at that?

Photo Swap: photography

Last night I imagined that I would be writing an eloquent blog post from the comfort of my couch early this morning sipping coffee and enjoying the quiet before everyone woke up. This morning I realized I’ve never written anything eloquent in my life and that me actually getting out of bed with enough time to write a blog post before the sounds of my family distracted me was *not* going to happen. Instead I am, not yet, but *almost* frantically typing this from the break room at work trying to get something worth reading up here on this dear blog of mine before Friday slips away. So far, I’m probably failing. ;]

A few weeks ago I was chatting with my good friend Heather, I had just returned from the last PhotogShootout and I was sorting through my images and I randomly sent her one I was proud of. We continued chatting and then she sent the image back fully edited. I joked that I should just hire her to do all my editing and then genius struck. We talked about how much fun it would be for us to swap images with a few photographer friends and edit each others pictures to see how our styles vary. “Photo Swap” was born. Somehow I was chosen to pick the first theme… something about getting me out of my comfort zone, personally, I think it was just mean ;]

I’m so blessed to have met great photographer friends online over the past year and am grateful especially for these girls who I have so much fun chatting with and emailing. I can’t wait to meet in person [hopefully this summer!] So, here is our fabulous Photo Swap group, Heather Mulholland, Elisabeth Carol, and Lizzie Kimball.

Our first theme is *drumroll* ;]



Coffee!


Photography by Heather Mulholland


Photography by Lizzie Kimball


Photography by Elisabeth Carol


Photography by Stacee Lianna