Canon 5D MarkIII

Guuuyyyssss, I finally have it!

Yesterday, I was totally blessed with the opportunity to purchase a Canon 5D Mark III. It's a camera SO far ahead of the 60D I've been shooting with, & it just makes my little photographer self want to dance around all day long.

Looking at this gorgeous piece of equipment next to me is still surreal. I've wanted this for a long time, & now, here it is on my coffee table.

I'm excited, y'all.

#sheddingsixtyeight // Second Month

Alright, guys. Transparency is key with this kind of thing, right?

Shooooot.

This past month has been a complete fail fest. I haven't been to the gym once, I think I've gone swimming twice, & I didn't track anything. Obviously, I didn't lose four pounds, but on a somewhat bright side, I'm still going strong with my "only water" decision.

Not to make excuses (because excuses are for losers, & although I was a loser this month, I'm determined not to be a loser again. Loser, loser, loser.), but this month has been stressful. & stressful days = comfort food. Ugh, how am I even saying that.

I'm re-motivated to start fresh. It's super ridiculous that this has happened only my second month in, but I'm not going to let it stop me now.

I (highly) considered just not blogging this month & doing better for next month. That way, I could say, "My second month stunk, but I did great on my third!". Then, I thought - what's the point of this blogging thing if I'm not going to share my successes & my failures. What's the point of accountability if no one knows I struggled.

So, here I am. I lost one pound (probably because of the stress), I didn't exercise, I didn't track my food. But I'm not giving up. Two months in, that's exactly what I'd normally do, but not this time.

This month!

Goals:

1) Keep up with only water! Last month, I drank a couple cups of coffee here & there plus a few glasses of milk. I haven't had any soda or tea since I started this journey & I'm proud of myself for that.

2) EXERCISE! I do still want to work on finding a strength training/cardio routine, but I really just need to get my butt back in the gym. I'm aiming for both this month!

3) Limited fast food. Every morning, I go to Suffolk to pick up the kids I nanny. I've gotten into such a habit of just running through Chickfila on the way home & grabbing a chicken biscuit & hash browns. So unhealthy. So expensive. I'm not going to say no fast food, because I'll definitely end up binge eating eventually, but I'm going to say once a week. If that's what's for dinner (sometimes, you just have those kind of days) & that's what everybody is eating, that's what I'll eat, too. Or if we're going out with friends, I'm not going to sit in the corner and starve ("starve"), but as a general rule, I'm only going to eat fast food once a week, or not at all. Knowing I can have it makes me okay with not having it. And when I say "fast food", I really just mean Chickfila. I don't really go anywhere else. Haha

4) Track my food - for real.

5) Run five miles. Not at the same time, not in the same week. But over the course of the month, I want to run five miles. It doesn't sound like a lot, but I don't run, sooo...

6) Lose four pounds - again, for real this time!

This is a super pathetic post, but I felt like the only reason I started this #sheddingsixtyeight thing was to share this journey with whoever wanted in on it. The good days, weeks, months - the bad days, weeks, months.

Ikea

Last Saturday, my mom, Lydia, & I went to Northern Virginia for the day. My boss takes part in a big consignment sale in Sterling, VA each year & she said it's just the bombdotcom. Since the boys are growing out of their clothes & Rosie will be here soon, we thought it'd be fun to take a day trip to the sale & then head over to Ikea.

Our original plan was to leave around 9, but then I scheduled a photo session at 10 & we didn't pull out of the driveway until 1. Ugh. The GPS we used hasn't been updated with the new roads & bypasses from the past seventy-four years, so it took us the absolute longest way there. We got to the consignment sale at 5:30, & it closed at 6. Whew! We got in just in time to grab some stuff & go.

Ikea was forty-five minutes from the sportsplex where they held the sale, so when we finished, we started to head there. {We used the phone GPS because we wanted to actually get there before they closed at 9. ;)} My mom had never been & that's just totally unacceptable.

We walked, sat on the most comfortable & uncomfortable couches, spent too much time picking up & putting down kid's stuff, bought the "necessities" (because really, necessities?), & hit the road.

It was after 9 at that point & we were all hungry, so we drove around for a little bit & decided on Cracker Barrel. There, my mom found a hair in her food & we spent the rest of the time laughing & trying not to barf. The hair wasn't just in her food, it was in her mouth -- & without going into anymore detail, yuck. The manager came out & my mom told him, "I'm a big woman with a big appetite, but I can't eat another thing or I'll be sick.". Aaaand that's when I lost it.

I'd been driving all day, but when I started to fall asleep (oops), we pulled off at a Steak 'n Shake for a bathroom break & a driver switch. While we were there, my mom & Lydia got milkshakes that took twenty minutes to make. TWENTY! If they were busy or something, it would have been fine, but they were just standing around talking to each other. It was just horrible. I asked the manager for a refund right around that twenty minute mark & he said ours were coming up next. Then I said something snobby that I prooobably shouldn't have said, & watched closely to make sure there wasn't any spitting action on their part, haha.

Over all, we had a good time. It was a fun adventure & we got lots of good deals, too. My poor mom kept having her legs go out on her because of her fibromyalgia, but I'm so thankful she was able to come. We're planning on another Ikea trip in October, because well, you can't really go to Ikea too often.

In other news, it's officially fall. I'm currently sitting on the couch in a sweater & under two blankets & beside Sebastian Michael Brown. It's starting off pretty swell.

Photography & Babies

Today, I've been working on Hannah Grace Photography stuff. & that's exciting. It's been a year since I made my little Facebook & started taking pictures of people other than my family. I love seeing how much I've grown & how much I've learned. I know I still have so much to learn, & I'll never know all there is to know, but starting this next year, I have goals. Goals that I can't wait to accomplish.

I'm so thankful for the people who gave me a shot when I was the newbiest newbie. Who spent their time & donated generously to help make my dream a reality. Who posed in front of my camera & told me how much they LOVED the pictures when they got them back. If it wasn't for these people, I may have given up. If Maddie (below), who is a photographer herself, told me how horrible the lighting & composition of that photo was, I probably would have just quit while I was ahead. But instead, she & so many others were so encouraging & helped get me where I am now. So, thank you. 

The family I nanny for went out of town, so today & tomorrow are days full of a whole lot of nothing. I had four sessions between the two days, but three of them have to reschedule, & that's okay. I need this time to sit down & work, work, work on the technical stuff. It's getting done & I'm so excited.

Saturday, we'll be going to a consignment sale in Sterling, VA that is suppose to be huge. All things baby, toddler, & kids. Strollers, car seats, exersaucers, bouncers, toys, & a whole lot more. Plus, plenty of maternity stuff that'll be helpful for Lydia. Then, we're trekking back to Ikea to splurge a little more.

Sunday is National Go to Church Day, so if you haven't been to church in awhile (or even ever), it's a great Sunday to give it a go. Our service starts at 11:00 at 2500 North Military Highway, & you're invited. :)

Since Stacey started working again, we've enjoyed having Carson two promised days a week. Some of those days (like today), we get Ryder, too, & they have loads of fun together. They're just the cutest set of friends. Aunthood is so underrated.

I hope you're having the best week! It's almost Friday, y'all. You can make it. :)