A Thought for Thursday...

...Blogs, twitter, social networks, etc. they're all fine and dandy, but sometimes, I find myself reading someone else's thoughts or about what they did that day and I think, "Wow! That's amazing!" or "Wow! That sucks!" or, "Wow! I should try that!" or some variation of that statement (possibly without the "wow").

Essentially, sometimes I feel like I'm reading so much about others' lives, I'm not living my own. I mean, I am, but, reading all of these posts and stories can be an overwhelming flow of information whether truly informative, inspiring or purely interesting.

It's great to be inspired and informed, but should there be a limit as to how much we consume? Of course, this would have to be a self-inflicted restraint, but I wonder, does anyone else ever feel this way, reading blogs, etc?

Or is it something like wedding blog envy? --Yep, I think I just made up a knew psychological term. I should patent this and write a book or something. Ha!-- But seriously, wedding blog envy--like when you're planning your wedding, you know what you want and then you start surfing the net (yeah, I said "surfing the net") and you see this blog and that site and then you, instead, have to have this and that! I mean, HAVE to! Is it like that?

Do we compare our days to what others get done in a day? When someone posts on twitter, "Just got back from an amazing bike ride with @someonewhoealsowentonanamazingbikerideunlikeyourself!" Do you wonder what you were doing while they were on their bike ride and are now finished and found time to tweet this for the world to relish?

Yes, I believe that one should never compare thyself to another for each has his or her own journey in life that is wholly unique unto them, and, this may have been a weird thought for the day, but it ran through my mind, so I wondered what others felt about this. Are reading blogs, microblogs, etc. a waste of valuable time that we, too, could be doing the things about which we're reading?

Who knew there were so many choices?

And by so many, I mean at least four.

So, one day, long, long ago, I was watching tv and what did I see? A commercial for a contraption called the Slanket. And I thought this was the best idea ever, you know since I'm always wrapped in a blanket on the couch, yes with the heat on. Who doesn't like to cozy up watching your favorite show? So anyway, that was that. I knew I just had to have one.

Jumping to further in the future, I ran across an ad for a cheaper version of the Slanket called, the Snuggie. Then I thought, forget the Slanket, I HAVE to have the Snuggie!!

Fast forward to almost present day future, when I decided okay, now it's time to finally get a Snuggie. Mind you, it's probably been close to a year since I first saw the Slanket. Crazy, I know. I'm not sure what happened, I really just never got around to it. Well, there was this one time I was in the store and felt the Snuggie and decided it didn't feel soft enough to merit my $20 at the time, but now, now I'm ready! It's Snuggie time!

But before I make such an important purchase, hehe.. I had to do some research. I was determined to find a softer version of the Snuggie. An off-brand, no-name, generic version of the snuggie, if you will. From my research, what I found was this. Which then cracked me up one, because someone went through all of this trouble to compare these blankets (even though to find this, I obviously did actual research on a Snuggie, so thank you, research people.) and, two, I couldn't believe I had never heard of the Freedom Blanket or the Blankcoat!!

Anyway, if you've made it through this long, drawn out post, thank you. :) And I know you're all dying to know what I decided to purchase after much thought and research?

Ehh, I think I'm going to just stick to my good old regular blanket...for now. :-)

I know it's been a minute...

... more like 1 week to be exact. I apologize for the slow postings, but lately I'm starting to get, dare I say it, a little bored with posting mostly wedding-related things. Don't get me wrong, or anything, I LOVE weddings and photography associated with them, but sometimes I want to do more.

So, given that, anticipate seeing many other topics around here. What kind of topics specifically? I'll still post some of those irresistable wedding finds, but other than that, posts will include anything that comes to mind.

See that description to the left over there?

<-------

Expect more of that "anything else" category--I've been neglecting it.

It will be fun and I hope you all stay with me for the ride. However, if it's not your thing, I understand that too.

Thank you to all of my readers!!

I'm going to give this change a shot. Here we go.

A letter from the editor...

Hello all,

Lately, I've run across a few postings out there in the ether about the emphasis couples place on their wedding photography in hopes to have one those picture-perfect, magazine style, editorial wedding photos by which to remember their special day. And I have to ask, "What's wrong with that?"

I believe the friendly argument is that couples may be spending too much time (and money) trying to get the perfect pictures and wedding details, while forgetting, the wedding day is just one day and it's really about the marriage and the rest of your lives together with this person you absolutely love and adore. And, I get that, I do, but what's wrong with wanting and ediorial style shoot? If that's what you want (and can afford--please don't go broke for ANY wedding details), then go for it!

Love and romance and charm and elegance and fun and classic beauty can be found in all types of photographic styless from editorial to journalistic to the Polaroid taken by your grandmother. It's all beautiful, but each style of photography represents the couple's personal style and that, in itself, is beautiful.

So, no matter what the blogs are saying or posting (CR included) or what the wedding magazines are displaying, whatever you decide to do as a couple, as a family, is your choice and your choice alone. And whatever you decide will be beautiful.

Editorially, Journalistically, Polaroidly yours,
CR

P.S. Feel free to chime in with your views. I'm interested to hear them.

Why wait until Thanksgiving?

In honor of this week of thanks, I want to say a big "THANK YOU" to all of my Lovely Readers out there! I appreciate you stopping by and feeding your addictions here at little ol' CR. :-)

Do this, this weekend.

C'mon, you know you wanna try it. :-)
Diandra Ann Photography

Just for fun.

Found here...

*Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.

*I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

*Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

*Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what was going on when I first saw it.

*I think everyone has a movie that they love so much; it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really, really gets it.

*I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

*Was learning cursive really necessary?

*Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.

*How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

*MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

*If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible.

*Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from; this shouldn't be a problem....

*You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

*There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to fall after leaning your chair back a little too far.

*I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

*"Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.

*I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?'

*I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

*When I meet a new girl/boy, I'm terrified of mentioning something she hasn't already told me but that I have learned from some light internet stalking.

*I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

*As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

*Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

*I wonder if cops ever get pi$$ed off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.

Mega Post of Random Inspiration #2

It's back! Mega Post of Random Inspiration...#2! That's kinda catchy, right?! LOL Yeah, right. But, you can check out #1 here .

Anyway, just like last time, over time, I have saved photos as inspiration for various things, but didn't take note of the source. This post is a dedication to those inspiring photos. I hope they can inspire someone else out there. However, like before, if you recognize a photo as yours (I really believe some might be this time ;-) and would like for it to be removed, can send me the information to source it, or you want to send in more to showcase your event, please email me and I will do so immediately. Thanks and enjoy!

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Yes.

things i am learning...
Wednesday, May 27, 2009 at 23:42



things i am learning... give compliments, say thank you, life is what you make of it, if inspiration does not come, go and find it, anxiety is overrated , comparison is a killer, envy is a waste of time look into the mirror and pour kindness into what you see, be attracted towards, intrigued by and enamoured with... make soup from scratch, none of us make it out of here alive, you are only as happy as you choose to be, live intentionally, live inquisitively , break out of routine, contradiction happens, walk, don't drive, remember that you don't know what someone else is going thru, when they cut you off in traffic, cut in front of you in line, or give a bad first impression. actively engage in relationship... be that person that someone can call for a ride, a favor, a need. stop blaming everyone else, take responsibility, open your heart, for more points of view than just yours. be generous, just cuz. apologize, its ok to say "i need", tell someone how you're really doing, being angry just isn't worth it, say "i love you"

By Brooke Fitts

Emarie does good

Any Project Runway fans out there?! If so, let me say that I'm one week behind, but the week before (*SPOILER ALERT* if you're also behind) one of my favorite models from the show was booted off. Emarie Wiltz!


Is it just me, does anyone else feel they should make the designers switch models every now and again. I'm all for loyalty, but this loyalty stuff doesn't make for great tv, lol. Especially on their new sister show, Models of the Runway. Not that we need more craziness on tv, but switching models would really make for a fun competition. For those of you who don't watch the show, let me explain how this works:


Each week the designers get to choose their models. The winning designer chooses first and then everyone else is in random order. The last designer has to choose between the last two models and the model left standing next to Heidi gets her classic German send-off, "auf Wiedersehen."

Why this means anything to the models is that this is a competition for them as well as they have their own prizes and exposure to fight for. However, after the first couple of episodes, the designers usually stick with the same model out of loyalty. Blah, blah, blah...I'm all for loyalty, but as the reality tv-junkie that I am, I need a little suspense and drama. They need to shake things up a bit. Again, especially for the sake of Models of the Runway.

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EDIT: I hope I'm not ruining this for anyone who hasn't seen it, yet, but let's say that I JUST caught up with this week's episode and happiness ensues. :-) And just to clarify, not necessarily because of the outcome, but just because it was more interesting.
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But I digress...back to why I originally started this post. Since the show, taped last year, Emarie has been off to do good for the world. She started a clothing line to bring attention the issues around the world called, Global Recess.

The mission, "To spread global responsibility through fashion." Check it out and grab a few items if you can or just spread the word. I love when people take their popularity and use it for good. A portion of each sales' proceeds go to an organization that fight human trafficking, the military use of children, and poverty among other things. Check out a few of the designs below:








Have a great weeked, everyone! And be inspired to do something good. :-)

Mega post of random inspiration!!

Over time, I have saved photos as inspiration for various things, but didn't take note of the source. This post is going to a be a dedication to those inspiring photos. I hope they can inspire someone else out there. However, if you recognize a photo as yours and would like for it to be removed or can send me the information to source it, please email me and I will do so immediately. Thanks and enjoy!

Wedding...















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Lifestyle...

I need to know...

...does anyone remember this?!

This is no where related to weddings, lifestyles, etc., but I just had to ask. I've never heard of this song, but it was recently brought to my attention. Apparently, it was pretty popular back in the day, I completely missed it and now I'm completely fascinated. And because I had to research this further... :-)

From Wiki:

Jordy is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the youngest singer ever to have a #1 charted single. He achieved this feat at the tender age of four-and-a-half with the song "Dur dur d'être bébé!" ("It's Tough to Be a Baby"). "Dur dur d'être bébé" was #1 for 15 weeks in France and was a dance hit across Europe, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia and Japan. It landed at #58 on the US charts.

However, in 1994, the French government banned six-year-old Jordy from television and radio, out of concern that he was being exploited by his parents. ...

The video...



And the performance...check Whitney Houston, Kenny G and others in the audience...

Mmmm...

Have some Fruit Loops and get ready for the weekend! You know you love Fruit Loops. :-) Now, if only the prize inside the box was a diamond ring...


Angelica Glass

Fun weekend idea for you and your sweetie...

Evoke Photography

Wishing you a restful weekend...

Source: Home Sweet Home

Well said.

"To trend or not to trend," --Self imposed pressure to out trend another wedding that we've come across on countless blogs (Chocolate Rose included as I can't help myself as I come across a fun detail) is real. If it wasn't, deciding on what details we want to incorporate into a wedding wouldn't be so time consuming and sometimes, unfortunately, stressful. Like I always, say, in the end do what makes you happy and represents your couple love. No matter what, it will be originally beautiful and perfect.

Check out this posting over at Grey Likes Weddings. When I read this posting, "well said," was all I could really say. She summed it up perfectly!

It's Monday...

So be fierce!


Source: Studio Castillero via Rock N Roll Bride

Take time for family-

Even at a photoshoot.

Source: Bobbi and Mike

The weekend...

Yay!

Time out...

...step a way from the details. Put the linen choices aside, THE dress will wait, forget deciding on chicken or fish and, by all means, you, yes you...please, step away from the glue gun and the DIY projects and just relax with your significant other this weekend.

The wedding is fun to plan, but a lifetime of love and marriage is really what this is all about. Nourish it. ;-)