Two Days Until My Dreams Come True

In just two short days, a freestanding Chick-Fil-A will open in the New Orleans area. I cannot believe it, and it really is a dream come true. Don't worry though, I have much bigger and better dreams in addition to this one.

If you weren't aware, I actually worked at Chick-Fil-A all through my senior year of high school. I'm going to shamelessly admit that I had so much fun working there. It was easy and there wasn't much responsibility. During that year I got REALLY good at sweeping and mopping floors.

As I've begun and continued my professional career, there have been many days when I've longed for that life again...carefree and easy! Ah, those were the days. Unfortunately, those days have long since passed, and now I must be a responsible adult.

Maybe I should revert back to high school foolishness and camp out at this Chick-Fil-A to receive free food for a year, what do you think?

Regulators....Mount Up!

I run once or twice a week after work with my good friend Sarah. Not long ago on our way to the park, I mentioned my desire to make an old school mix CD after hearing "Here Comes the Hotstepper" in a recent TV show or movie. As a result, she told me about this new Generation X radio station 103.3. It is a broadcast from Baton Rouge that we're lucky enough to pick up here in New Orleans.

When I turned on the radio this morning, I heard...."regulators, mount up." I hadn't heard this Warren G song since back in high school. Scary, I know, since my music taste has changed so much since then. I have to admit that I still enjoy some rap music every once in awhile, especially those old hits from back when (I'm not advocating for this since there are questionable lyrics). I've been enjoying it, and I think you might too, if you're a generation x'er. You can listen online here.

Lensbaby.

My newest lens is a Lensbaby Composer. It has a sweet spot of focus that can be tilted to almost any angle, and depending upon the aperture, the picture is blurred from the sweet spot to the outer edge of the photo.

Adjusting to shooting with a completely manuel focus was a big challenge, but it also provided a certain level of creativity, which I love. At the beginning, I felt like I couldn't tell what was or was not in focus. Thankfully, the learning curve wasn't too steep, and I managed to get a couple cool shots.

Music!

If you don't know it yet, I'm a big fan of music. Live music is the best, especially when it's free. My friend, Joe, is playing on Friday night from 8 to 9 pm at the Neutral Ground coffee house.

I really enjoy the small, cultured, and cozy atmosphere of this place. I took this picture last month. Hopefully Mr. Alan will be able to play this week. I'm looking forward to hearing an eclectic mix of tunes. I hope you'll come and join me.

Last Saturday

I went out last Saturday with Joe to take some pictures of our friend Keith. We roamed around the Uptown area for a few hours and got some great shots. I'm a pretty extroverted gal but not in quite the same way as Joe. He just walks up to random, interesting people and asks to take their photo. They almost always say, "Yes!" It's kind of amazing; maybe one day I can be like him. :)

Taking on a New Challenge

I've loved taking pictures for as long as I can remember. I had a camera with me all the time, even as a teenager.

Back then I imagined myself as a computer animator, making art for films like Jurassic Park. Crazy, right? Louisiana schools didn't have a program for that type of thing, as far as I was aware. As a result, I made a trip up to Louisiana Tech with some friends to check our their art school. Needless to say, they "had me at hello." In the fall of 1998, I entered Louisiana Tech's Bachelor of Fine Arts program for Graphic Design.

During my time there, I never put down my camera or tired of my photography hobby. I even took a few photography classes and almost switched my major because I enjoyed them so much.

All this to say, I'm still taking pictures and even trying to make a freelance career of it now. I had my first maternity shoot this past weekend, and I loved every second. Check out a couple of my favorite shots.

I Hear Pitter Patter of Little Feet

In case you haven't noticed, being a photographer is a pretty fun gig. I feel so lucky to part of people's lives in this way. I'm able to see some pretty sweet interactions between parents and their children. I also really enjoy most of the crazy and adorable faces that kids make when they're just being themselves. The kids definitely give me a run for my money, but I just take it as a challenge.

Last Saturday, I went out with Leah, JP, and Jonathan. It was very bright outside, even at 9 in the morning. We had to find some shade, so this little guy wouldn't be so squinty. Thankfully, we got a few great shots. Here are a couple of my favorites.

Seriously?

It seems like more random people have yelled at me this week than ever before. Well, it was really only two, but I still don't like it.

A couple of days ago, I was merging onto the interstate. When I check out my rear view mirror, I noticed that there was a police officer in the lane I was merging into. I had enough room without cutting him off, and I even used my blinker to make my move. He immediately sped up behind me (literally like 2 inches from my bumper), and began yelling at me. Gratefully, I couldn't hear the types of things he was saying as he frantically motioned me to get out of his way. I obliged, but I went into the opposite lane that he was motioning me toward. I guess he felt like I did cut him off-who knows?

This morning, I was going through the toll plaza to make my way to the east bank. For some reason, my toll tag did not work, so I hesitated at the end of the lane. At this point, the toll booth lady yells, "Hey!" Apparently she thinks she could chase me down on foot from her booth. The more likely scenario is her telling the police officer in the next lane to pursue me. Yikes!  I waved my toll tag out the window screaming about how it didn't work. Once again, I'm frustrated because I didn't do anything wrong; it isn't my fault that the dumb equipment didn't work. These people must have to yell at someone each day, and today that someone was ME!

I don't like starting my day off this way; I'm going to pray!

Did I Really Agree to do THIS?

I have a new friend from Jordan. Once Sarah and I realized that he had NEVER been to a Mardi Gras parade, we immediately made plans to stake out the Uptown parade route this past Sunday for Bacchus. We really wanted him to have a great first experience, but in the back of my mind, I kept wondering why I had agreed to do this? Me, the girl who doesn't enjoy the carnival season. However, I had agreed and could not go back on my word.

The day was mixed with frustration and fun. It was fun seeing all the elaborately decorated floats, catching fun throws, hanging out with some good friends, and watching the people around us. Keeping dibs on our spot that we had secured at 8:45 am and fending off drunk/pot smoking folks around us was a different story. People in this city never cease to amaze me with their "anything goes" attitude.

I am so appreciative of everyone who came to hang out and maintain our spot. Also to Maggie, who cooked some delicious Gumbo for all of us. Thanks, guys and gals!

I took a few pictures of all the activities of the day. Here are my favorites.

 

 

 

Visiting Friends

Recently, some really great friends of mine moved away from the city. They've only been gone for a month, but I really miss them already. Last weekend, Maria, Maggie, and I took a road trip to visit them for the day and help celebrate their son's 3rd birthday. We had a blast in small town Alabama. Here are a couple of my favorites from the trip.

Another Year of Mardi Gras

Growing up in New Orleans, I slowly developed a very strong dislike towards Mardi Gras. It's not that I hate when people throw me free junk that has no value, and I actually grew up going to parades every year of my childhood. So I have been thinking and trying to put my finger on why I feel such a strong sense of detest for this holiday (notice how I've been attempting to not use the word hate).

First, I really hate traffic, and there is traffic everywhere during this time of year, before and after each parade. Also, there are multiple parades happening all at the same time.

Second, I am a pretty short gal, and it's no fun being short in a crowd of taller people. Especially, when I've made the effort to fight the traffic and get to the parade; I want to be able to see what's happening. My friends keep telling me that I need one of those ladders like the kids use. It seems weird though because we never even used a ladder when I was a kid.

Then, I've also lived in the third world and have seen extreme poverty during my lifetime. It bothers me to watch people waste so much money on parades; however, I am just as guilty of wasting money, just in different ways. Don't worry, I'm holding myself accountable too!

I think these are some great reasons why I've come to enjoy sitting at home and watching things on tv, if I can make it home in the traffic. :)

Despite all of my strong feelings, I will be braving it for one parade and one parade only this year-Bacchus! I'm even staking out a spot, so one of my friends (who is a first-timer) can really appreciate his first parade EVER! Come out and join me for a whirlwind of sober fun!

It has FINALLY happened!

As you already know, the Saints won the Super Bowl.

Does that mean hell is freezing over or that the fat lady has sung? It seems that every possible phrase of this nature has been used to describe what it would be like with the Saints in the Super Bowl. I think it is finally starting to sink in for me. We're finally WINNERS! No longer will there be bags people's heads, the Aints, or cliche phrases for our team. No wonder the city is going nuts after all of these many, many years.

I went out yesterday afternoon to the French Quarter before the game in hopes of documenting some amazing costumes. Unfortunately, there weren't as many as I thought there would be. It was a blast hanging out with Joe, photographing, and just being part of the madness. Everyone knows I'm too responsible to head out into the sea of people after the game was over. ;)

Here are a couple of my favorite pictures of the madness/parade/quarter!

It's That Time of Year

It's carnival season here in New Orleans. Most people are really excited about carnival but more excited about a Saints super bowl this coming Sunday. Crazy!

For someone like me who has grown up here in New Orleans, I never thought it was possible. The Saints in the super bowl. It is so unbelievable that I'm really having trouble wrapping my mind around it. Everything here is currently black and gold; even the king cakes are black and gold. The city is truly going nuts over our great team and what they have accomplished. Who Dat!

My friend, Joe, and I have taken it upon ourselves to document this madness that is New Orleans on super bowl Sunday with our team in the game. We'll be taking photos of all the crazy activities and crazy costumes overtaking the city. See my next post for pictures of the insanity.

Park City Utah - Day One

I arrived in Utah on Wednesday morning to breathtaking views of snow capped mountains from the window of my plane. Sights like these just continue to captivate...some things just can't be put into words.

After driving from Salt Lake City to Park City, we went to the Utah Olympic Park where some of the olympic events like ski jumping from the 2002 Winter Games were held. We were able to see some of the ski jumping athletes practice. They ski down the lift into a bubbling pool of warm water in all of their gear. I guess that's probably a good plan since the weather was about 60 degrees.

Entry Rejected

Last week a friend text me find out if I had any plans for the evening. I did not have any, but I decided to make some. My friend asked me to pick him up at his apartment, which has a gate entrance. Carole and I got in line behind several other cars all waiting to enter this apartment complex. I called our friend, and he informed me that I just needed to tell the guard his apartment number.

As we neared the guard shack, I remembered that my right window was broken. So Carole cracked the door to hand our ID's (yes, ID's were a requirement) to the woman guard. She was pretty impatient as she went away with our drivers licenses. She came back a few minutes later and informed me that we had the wrong number. Okay? So I called my friend back, and he assures me that the number I told her was correct. She comes back over, and I repeat the apartment number. She emphatically tells me that it is the wrong number, so I held out the phone for her to talk to my friend. She refused to take the phone from me. Then she just went back to her guard shack & left us sitting there holding up traffic. Carole sacrificed herself by retrieving our ID's from the scary guard who did not want to return them, and we made a u-turn to wait for him to make his way to the front. I promptly informed him that I would never be going through this ordeal again to attempt a visit to his apartment.

How does this stuff constantly happen to me, even when I'm being extra nice?

I Hate Goodbyes

Have I mentioned that I really hate goodbyes? Awhile back I found a good friend of mine was moving to take a great job in beautiful place. I am genuinely happy for him and his family, but I'm not sure about our office atmosphere without him to spice things up.

At lunch today, we had a goodbye potluck. Each time one of these things happen we all stand in a circle and share what we're going to miss about the person leaving. As you may have guessed, I never end up sharing because I'm always crying. I rarely cry, but for some reason a great person leaving our staff seems to always choke me up. This wouldn't be a big deal except that the rest of my co-workers don't even shed a single tear. How do they do it? How do they share how great the person is and talk about how much they have meant to them without even a quiver in their voice? I can understand that guys can do this flawlessly, but apparently I'm the only woman who can't verbally express myself without losing it.

Who is with me? Do you cry when you say goodbye?

Animal or Accessory?

Some of you may have seen my Facebook status update about two weeks ago. It said, "I just saw a woman pushing her dog in a stroller at the mall, what is the world coming to?" I immediately had to text a friend because I couldn't believe it.

Seriously! Since when did dogs become something other than a fun-lovin', loyal pet that plays fetch and lives in the backyard? I miss those days. Dogs have become accessories in our society today thanks to people like Paris Hilton. It is a big stretch for me to even see someone carrying their dog with them everywhere they go, so you can imagine how my jaw dropped when I saw this lady pushing her dog like a child in a stroller. Everytime I think about it, I am still amazed at how our society has evolved.

Does Privilege Hinder My Faith?

If you know me, you know that I've travel to several countries in the last ten years of my life. I continue to go because God continues to lead me. One thing that I've learned through my many excursions is that I can never stop going. If I stop, I'm afraid I'll lose the perspective that I've gained from my time in these other cultures. I have learned something significant from each of the cultures I've experienced, and this knowledge has made me very aware.

Now, I am very aware that I lead a life of privilege. I have a job, my own office, air conditioning everywhere I go, my own car, a stove, a floor in my home, a washing machine, and countless other things that I have grown up believing were "needs." These things are not needs but privileges. I'm aware that the amount of money I've paid for my car (just a saturn) could be enough to pay an overseas salary in certain places for decades. I'm aware there are many places without running water or people with enough to eat. All of this awareness drives me to my knees in prayer, because I realize how selfish I am. Even with everything I know, I still complain about the most trivial things in my life.

Don't get me wrong, I love my country, but sometimes we have to recognize that we don't have it all figured out. My society tells me to look out for number one, to do what makes me happy, and to make sure I get what I want out of my life. These are not necessarily bad things, but I meet a lot of unsatisfied and unhappy people here.

Thankfully, each of the countries I've visited abroad have taught me the complete opposite. They have shown me that family and friends are more important than my schedule, to put other people and their feelings before myself, and hospitality in the face of poverty. These things continue to profoundly affect my life and my thinking; I'm glad I've had the opportunity to meet such great people (of course there are great people here too).

Privileges are not bad, but I know a lot of joyful people with dirt floors and no cars. I want to know in my heart that if my stuff suddenly went away, I would still have joy.

I've been thinking...

I've been thinking lately. Usually that is not a good thing because it means I'm worrying about something. Thankfully, I've been thinking about what it means to "be" the church in our world and in my city.

Many circumstances and conversations continue to drive me back to this topic. I still don't have any definite answers, but I'm beginning to see what it is not. It is not selfish, convenient or easy, and it does not come naturally. I heard a great statement recently from a pastor in Florida. He said, "Church is not something to be evaluated for personal benefit." Wow! This just really drives it home for me, and it is a great reminder that worship is NOT ABOUT ME.

All I know is that I must continue to saturate my life with God's word and stay on my knees in prayer. I can never become comfortable with where I am and think that I have it all together. Those are just a few of the things that I think will assist me in figuring out how to boldly live out my faith each day.

What does being the church look like for you?

Bored?

Have you ever been bored at work? I hate to admit it, but I have been really bored so far this week. It is only Wednesday, and I'm already loathing what is left of this work week. I'm living for the weekend. I actually read a whole design magazine today, imagine that. I can't remember the last time I've read one cover to cover in one sitting. Why am I unable to enjoy this down time in my work schedule? Do other people have this problem? Do other people actually wish that they had more work to do? I do!

I know that pretty soon I'm going to regret that statement. Design projects will consume my days, and I'll wish that I had a moment to take a breath. Until then, I guess I'll try to appreciate this time that God has given me.