Guatemala

I know this is way over due, but it is about time that I give a brief update on our 2 week trip to Guatemala.

As most of you already know we were robbed at gunpoint within our first hour of being there. A nice little welcome present. Because we were carrying everything we had on us at the time our camera was also stolen. So the following pictures will primarily be from flickr and other peoples blogs.
After our little "incident" we went straight to Antigua which is filled with great architecture, good shopping, and lots of tourists.


Some of the highlights of our trip included hiking the volcano. It was really amazing and really hot. The volcano is active so we were able to stick our walking sticks in the flowing lava.

A lot of our time was spent traveling in chicken buses. It is always amazing to play the game of how many people you can fit into a moving vehicle.

Lake Attitlan (gorgeous lake - if not a little on the dirty side - nestled between two volcanoes)

The following pictures are from Tikal - the Mayan ruins. Probably the coolest thing Ive ever seen in my life. Luckily our friends let us borrow their camera for the day so we do have some pics.



It was some kind of religious day for the Guatemalians of this area. As we were on the temple a large group came to do sacrifices in front of it. It was amazing to watch. The people made circles around the fire as they shouted at it and threw alcohol in it. Later that day everyone gathered in the main area for dance. Here is a pic of them behind us on the ground.

This is Tyson climbing back down the temple - about 10 stories up and extremely steep.
All in all we had a fantastic time. I think we both agree that we would go back again. Next time I would be a little more cautious for sure. Also, I would spend some time there learning Spanish in one of the homestays. I think the biggest thing that we missed out on was being able to just talk to people and make friends with those who were local. But we still had many cultural and very memorable experiences.

white skirt done

after a busy photo weekend and catching up on my project runway episodes i felt inspired to dive into my pile of half finished sewing projects. first on the list was this white linen skirt that i was supposed to have made for my sister-in-laws wedding in july. obviously that didnt happen. the skirt of loosely designed around the following jcrew skirt. i wanted something cool for summer that i could dress up for church or dress down with flip flops for shopping. now that the summer is on its way out i have finished it. oh well.

jcrew version:



my version:




i used this pattern for the main pieces and made the following changes:
added pockets
lowered waistline to hips
added waistband
added band at the bottom

next on the list: ruffle jacket and messenger bag

Neopolitan Manthigh

So I went rafting in California last weekend on the American River with a number of my coworkers. It was my first time rafting -- an absolute blast. We had around 10 Class 4 rapids and dozens of class 3s. Loved it.

Just before setting off I made a quick decision not to wear my boy scout pants as I'd planned, and I forgot to put sunscreen on my exposed white manthigh. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, a manthigh is the less attractive, slightly less well-formed, hairier counterpart to the woman thigh.



In the picture you can clearly see three distinct sections. My brown knees had a nice tan from my cycling shorts, the strawberry red section is the exposed, sunburnt portion of the manthigh. Finally (sorry about this) we have the yet unexposed white portion of the manthigh.

Watch Kelli Run the Red

For the past few weeks Kelli has been ribbing me cause I have a penchant for squeezing through yellow lights. I must admit I love the feeling of barely, yet safely, making it through. Gliding through and coming out on the other side feels so much better than having to jam the brakes and then sit for a while.

So the other night I came home to a Chicago dept of Revenue ticket that actually has pictures of Kelli running a red. Those of you in Chicago are aware of all the cameras that have been set up to catch people in the act. They actually video-tape it so you can watch the irrefutable evidence in the privacy of your own home. Even though it's a $100 dollar fine, I feel like it has given me about $40 worth of vindication -- so to me it's like a $60 dollar ticket . . . not quite as bad.

Don't worry, you can watch my lovely wife the run the red too!! Go to the link below and use the following:

Link -- https://www.photonotice.com/login.asp?citycode=chi

Citation Number: 7001271067
License Plate Number: X563536

Ticket for running a red: $100. Publicly humiliating my wife (in good fun): priceless

Enjoy.

potato sack dress

yesterday tyson and my cousin mark spent all day biking a century (100 miles).  so kat (mark's wife) and i had our own marathon day of sewing.  kat's been wanted to learn more sewing skills so we decided to make this dress together.  kat did the original dress in blue and i did a variation on the neckline in a brown linen.  overall it was really easy.  i think mine only took about 3 hours.  here is a picture of us after church with our matching dresses.  tyson says mine resembles a potato sack and i must agree, but i like it anyway.

pillows

i decided to take a break from sewing my messenger bag which is taking forever and make the couch pillows that i have meaning to make for a few months. i wanted to make something similar to these pillows from cb2. i was really happy with the way they turned out. i meant to make more although after the two i felt like they were already getting pretty bold and busy in our simplistic room so i stopped. i may add a few plain ones in the future, but for now i am done. it just feels good to finish a project.

The World We Live In

My name is Tyson -- I'm married to Kelli.

No, I don't have any cool pictures to post except for this one I stole from the BBC website. I found a pretty interesting article there today.

Apparently, a Canadian man sued Culligan Water Co for psychological damages after he found a dead fly in a bottle of water. He was awarded $341,000 until the Supreme Court overturned the lower court's ruling.

Click here to read on.

San Francisco

I was in San Francisco this weekend for my freshman roomate, Jenny's, wedding.  And  I have to admit that I was extremely impressed.  Those of you who know me well are probably familiar with the fact that I am not much of a California girl.  In fact there was a time when Tyson and I were dating that it looked like we would be living in Orange County.  I would go visit Tyson and although the weather was awesome I always felt like I was on vacation, never like I was at home.  I just never seemed to fit in very well amongst the hollywood style gorgeous blonds with fake boobs and perfect teeth (I know I'm stereotyping and probably offending right now).  But  San Francisco has changed my entire feelings of California.  Not only do they have gorgeous beaches and perfect weather, but the residents seem much more down to earth, the architecture is interesting (not everything is made out of stucco), and the steep and windy roads make you feel like you are at an amusement park everyday.

Not only was it great to go to San Francisco, but it was also great to catch up with old roomates.  Here are the four (out of six) of us freshman roomates who made it for the wedding.

abc news

yesterday i photo assisted the mcarthurs on a shoot for ebert & roper at the abc studios.  we watched them do a show, doing some candids, and then did some more promotional stuff on a gray sweep.  during their show they went on and on about the this new sarah marshal film.  i think ive decided that i dont trust their opinions anymore.  when we had a break john photographed ben and i pretending to be the newcasters at the studio.  i put on my best barbara walters face.

children's miracle network

i recently returned from my second year of photographing the children's miracle network champions across america week in orlando and washington d.c. once again i return humbled from the opportunity i had to be a part of such an amazing experience. every year children's hospitals around the country nominate one child from their state to represent them and all of the children who suffer from/overcome illnesses, deformities, and accidents at their hopitals. each of the children chosen are amazing examples of how life can't be taken for granted, and what strength truly is while facing challenges and sometimes death.
each of these children travel with their families for a week of relaxation, fun, meeting other children they can relate to, and telling their story to inspire others to give, so more children can have the opportunites for recovery that they had.
we began the week in orlando where we went to disney world, met celebrities such as marie osmond, glen beck, miss america, and mark wills. we also had our celebration where each child crosses the stage and receives a medal for their bravery. after that delta chartered a flight for us to washington d.c. where we met president bush, went to museums, did tv/radio interviews, and had a finale party at the espn zone. it was busy, fun, and emotional.
there arn't too many things that i get a chance to do in my profession where i feel like i am actually making a difference, or giving back. this is one of those opportunities that i really look forward to for that reason.

it was my job to simply take candids of the 50 kids throughout the week. here are a few of my favorite photos. one of our computers is down and it has all of my florida photos on it, so these are only the washington d.c. ones.












i love this shot of colby with country singer mark wills. they were on a radio show and colby was singing his song "i kicked cancer in the butt"


grant totally stole this kiss from miss america during a television spot

messenger bag

ive definatly had the sewing bug lately and so im starting a new project. a messenger bag. im really excited about it. im using the following pattern by amy butler. im making mine a little more masculine with solid fabrics. i think it will be great to use for the temple. here is the fabric that i picked out for it - a chocolate brown for the outside and a lime green inside. i will post again when its either done or half way inbetween when i am really frustrated with it.

celebrity look-alike

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celebrity

a day in the life

on friday i was photo assisting for the mcarthurs on a shoot for ulta. during the day we did a little time lapse where the camera was programmed to take a photograph every 5 minutes for about 8 hours. it was a cool shoot because we had model melissa keller in from new york who is dating adrian grenier. so there is my bit of pathetic star gossip. so anyways, enjoy a day in my life as a photo assistant.

Ward's Biggest Loser

The first month of Ward's biggest loser has been a great success. Congratulations to Jeff for being the first monthly winner!

The March competition is already underway. Look for the chart at the bottom of our blog for daily updates.

tyson's scarf

one of my goals since i moved to chicago was to learn how to knit. i am really loving it. its creative, warm, practical and somehow romantic in a vintage- connecting with my ancestors - kinda way. i just figure i love homemade gifts, and i love giving homemade gifts, so im excited to finally be learning this artform (if only i hadnt found it to be so boring and suppressive when i was in young women's i may have already learned how to do it).

so here it is, my second scarf - finished. thank goodness tyson is patient and willing to wait until it is almost spring to receive his gift.

for any who are interested it is the ribbed scarf pattern found in this book.

tax deductable soup

so i have a new goal - photographing something for myself at least once per week. now that i said it, and said it on my blog, i stand accountable.
i find that between photo assisting and running my own small wedding photography business i am around photography almost constantly, but a very small percentage of that time is spent actually behind the camera. i want to change that. i want to make sure i am photographing more of that time - no excuses. without the plethera of equiptment that was once at my disposal at school (and the fact that it is freakin' freezing outside) i have found many excuses. but i recently worked for a photographer that does all of the catalog work for mark shale. to my suprise it was done in all natural light. so i am going to be creative.
so today i was looking at the beautiful photography of tina rupp and i decided to photograph my dinner - butternut squash soup. the photographs are definatly nothing to brag about or put in my portfolio, but it was a learning experience and it caused me to create a more beautiful meal for myself.
so here they are. the last one is a pic of the photoshoot in my bedroom. i thought it was a little funny.

crafty

work has been a little slow this week so i decided to do some sewing. i found this pattern on sale at joannes for a dollar and i thought it looked like it had some anthropologie type of potential so i gave it a try. im really happy with the way it turned out. it only took me half a day, cost me five bucks, and i think its pretty cute. it does make me look a little pregnant, but thats in style these days right? so anyways, just wanted to share. if anyone wants to know its simplicity 3887 with a couple of alterations. (does it look like i have a lazy eye in this pic?)

paul adams

one of my former photography professors just launched his website so i wanted to let all of you know so that you can take a look at his work. paul was a really important mentor to me while i was in school. he pushed me to work hard and succeed and i really appreciate that. as a result all of my best work came while in his class.
those of you who have been in our home may recognize the following photo of paul's which hangs in our living room. its one of my favorite things in my home.

here is his website:
www.pauladamsphotography.com

papa rane

last night tyson and i drove to the o'hare airport to catch dinner with my dad who had a 3 hour layover here in chicago. he is on his way to india to photograph tigers while riding around on the backs of elephants for 2 weeks.
on the way home i just kept thinking about how cool it is that my dad does this. if you just met my dad randomly you would find him to be a non-assuming, down to earth, audiologist from alabama (of all places). you would never suspect that he has an amazing talent for photographing wildlife and loves to travel. also he is the president of a nonprofit called america helps which does a medical mission to africa once a year. he has traveled to africa probably a dozen times over the past 8 years.
i really think that my dad's decisions to not take the normal road and travel, and the fact that he has taken us kids along with him, have really changed who i am. i don't think that i would have ever had the courage to do some of the traveling i have done if my father hadn't first introduced me to it. i am so thankful for that and inspired by his desire to serve and to create. the life experiences i have had while following him to remote areas of the world have been powerful in my life.

here is one of my favorite images that my dad has taken. his website should be going live within a week or so and i will post about it then so that you can see more of his work.

Small World

TYSON -- I flew home from Connecticut yesterday. My office was overdue for a cleaning so I started pulling everything out of the room to give it a sweep. My dad called and said he'd be coming through O'hare later that day, but wouldn't have enough time to come out. I asked him where he was coming in from.

"Hartford, Connecticut," He said.

We had both stayed in Hartford Tuesday night and didn't even know it! What a shame. But it gets better. A few questions later we learned that we had stayed in the same hotel! We had both arrived around 5 or 6 and spent the whole night in our rooms watching Mitt Romney lose Florida by a few percentage points to John McCain. It makes you wonder how many close calls you have with other friends and family without even knowing it -- I bet it happens all the time.

Natural Selection

TYSON - Had I lived 3-4 thousands year ago, I'm pretty sure I would have been a likely candidate for natural selection. Here's why--> I was to fly out of Midway to Manchester, NH tonight. At the Clark/Lake transfer I got on the wrong train and didn't realize until I was halfway to Indiana on the green line. I realized it, jump off and caught an inbound train back to the loop. I figured I still had just enough time to make my flight. I got back to Roosevelt where there's another transfer from the green to orange line. I jump off the green line and, luckily, there was an outbound train right across the platform. I ran with my bags and jumped on.

The doors closed. I looked up at the train map -- I HAD GOTTEN BACK ON THE GREEN LINE. Explitives raced through my mind. There was almost no way I could make my flight.

20 minutes later I was on an outbound orange line train to Midway. After checking the schedule I learned that I would have 20 minutes from the time my train arrived to the time the doors closed at my gate. I still had a chance. In fact, I was pretty sure I could make it. I decided to get all my things in order so I could make a quick dash through security and make it to my flight. I opened my computer bag AND MY LICENSE WAS MISSING!!!!!

This time, no explitives came to mind. I decided, instead, that the flight was cursed and fate was simply trying to keep me from dying in a plane crash.

Surely, such a careless, accident-prone creature wouldn't last very long in a less forgiving time.

immunity and juno

saturday morning we woke up and walked into the kitchen to find the remains of the fun night we had before - lots of nasty chili/scone dishes from having some friends over for dinner the night before. i got to run out for a birthday breakfast for my friend kim and when i got back tyson had done all of the dishes. so i granted him imunity for the day. (if you are not a project runway fan this means that you are safe from getting eliminated the next round - we interpreted this as meaning he couldnt get in trouble and is my favorite person all day).
we were already in the burbs from going to the temple so we thought we would catch a movie. even though tyson had immunity and really wanted to see cloverfield - he still let me choose juno which i have been longing to see for quite awhile. i must reccomend this movie. it definatly is adult subjectmatter and therefore not for the young eyes, and i must warn that there is some crudeness. but i was so impressed by the acting, the writing, and the tenderness/comedy of a young girl growing up amidst such a difficult, and embarassing situation. so take it or leave it - but i loved it. plan on crying as well (tyson even cried).

one day you're in and the next day you're out!

i love project runway. every wednesday night i go over to my friend kims house and we watch it. it stirred up some desires to start sewing again myself. i havnt done any serious sewing since my wedding dress over a year ago, but have decided its time again. so i pulled out my textbooks from my sewing and patterning classes and decided the start a dress. here is the beginning of the patterning process. i figure it will be fun to update the blog with my dress's progress over the next few weeks and then hopefully with the final dress (if its wearable). so far ive only finished the pattern for the front right. i still need to do the back, the sleeve, and the bottom part of the dress. wish me luck.

we can finally relax

for those of you who have visited our home you know that we have waited quite awhile to furnish our house. i think the reasons are a- tyson is a minimalist and b- i have expensive/picky taste. so for christmas this year we decided to get a couch. i had my heart set on an expensive, and not so durable, room and board couch. but we decided we just couldnt justify it. luckily we came upon this wonderful couch from macy's on closeout and i quickly fell in love.
also, over christmas, my oh so talented dad helped tyson and i build a gorgeous coffetable which has a very familiar resemblance to the very expensive room and board nelson bench. im loving the way our home is finally coming together - simple, with a blend between modern and natural. i love that i can mix modern clean lines, with my africa photography and souvenirs. its starting to feel like home.
here are some photographs i took this morning to give you a feel for our new furniture.

welcome to our lives. . .

hello family and friends. so we finally jumped on the bandwagon and decided to start a family blog. now that we have moved far away from most of our family and friends to chicago, i have really felt a need to keep in touch. i hope this will help. . . . enjoy.