welcome back/hello again/where did i go?

HELLO!!!

the last time i updated my blog was 9 months ago. [no pregnancy or baby was had]

i was extremely busy with work and wanted nothing to do with my computer when i was done for the day.

hence my blog got sorely neglected.

i was doing my editing job from home [working in your pj's is awesome, btw] but sitting at my computer for 10 hours a day = not so fun.

spending those 10 hours in Photoshop making people look completely different also was not so fun.

i never had the opportunity to do my own photography and if i did i didn't always enjoy it like i use to because of the time i had to spend editing for my job.

i sound like a downright complainer. sorry.

mr. barlow told me, "your job is sucking your soul out."

so with mr. barlow's encouragement and support i quit at the end of 2012.

HALLELUJAH!

at the beginning of 2013 i was unemployed and that lasted for about a week! 

[we are SO lucky that mr. barlow still has an awesome job with Imagine Learning!]

my aunt is a kindergarten teacher and has 29 kindergartners. 

they approved her for another Instructional Aide - THAT'S ME!

i work 2 hours a day in her classroom and help the ESL kids with their reading and writing. 

it really is awesome. i love to see them understand and finally get it.

now i have time to do my own photography and editing, it is so refreshing!

i have time to help teach kids.

i have time to blog, catch up with friends, have lunch dates with mr. barlow.

i have time to run. [well, once the snow goes away.]

i am one lucky lady.

[mr. barlow gets a huge thank you for his support of my crazy working hours to quitting to being unemployed and now being a really part time worker.] 

  

cheers to more adventures and more blogging to come!

2011 = something REALLY worthwhile!

its the middle of january and i am happy to say i did not make any new years resolutions. 

so i dont feel guilty drinking DC or not going to the gym tomorrow at 7am or being a bad blogger.

i feel no guilt because i know i wouldnt last a day without a DC, tomorrow is a holiday, and work is keeping me busy in front of my monitor anyways.

but i did want to give 2011 some attention and share with you/my future posterity some pretty notable moments.

enjoy!

mr. barlow and i started 2011 off right!

in love.

we continued our long distance romance between idaho and california.

thank goodness allegiant airlines had such awesome deals. 

february brought melcat to a lot of ysa dances.

we grooved to the beat on many occasion one would say.

february also brought valentines and new romances.

oh hey peycat!

AND the start of a disneyland annual pass!

march meant a lot of celebrations!
my year mark home from the WMM.
of course i celebrated with some in n out.

mr. barlow moved home to california in march so we could date everyday.
it was quite exciting.
we celebrated me turning 26 with a sushi party!

mr. barlow turned 26 just 2 weeks later in march and we celebrated that with a Laker party!

we also started dressing alike.
habit from dating everyday maybe?

come april we were all ready for RAGNAR!

maybe not trained all the way but ready nonetheless.

mr. barlow even surprised me by not only coming to support my Ragnar running but he even ran my last 2 miles with me!

true love.

Ragnar was a definite highlight of 2011.

an experience that i would like to happen again and again.

i am kinda hooked still. 

may brought me a really special surprise ..

cody turning into a statue???

not quite ..

a marriage proposal from mr. barlow himself!

one of the best moments of my life.

the LA Temple is one of the most sacred places to me.

and of course cat was in on it.

thank you for your paparazzi skills! 

he asked and i of course said yes.

and the next day brought us another 2011 special ..

Disneyland Club 33

amazing.

see? pure amazing.

june brought me to utah to be with these sweet kids for a little bit.

they love me, culvers and wisconsin.

we started spending every week at the happiest place on earth!

arizona is really hot in june but we still went before this sister popped!

of course july meant what we had all been waiting for ..

HARRY POTTER!

oh and of course my sweet nephew Easton to be born!

august, sweet august.
the former sister pluim and i adventured back to the great wisco for a wedding and much needed time in the midwest!

august brought engagement photos and more dedicated wedding planning.

come september we were back in the AZ, soaking in the sun and Easton!

so grateful to be there for his sweet baby blessing.

also glad the sun cooled off a bit.

he told me i was his favorite aunt then too!

 i upgraded to eating my own pickle in the month of september.
huge accomplishment!

the fun didnt stop when mary jane and cat threw me a bridal shower!

also across the world in florida some love & devotion was going on.

my big sister got a ring on her finger!

soon to be mrs. wann.

the end of september brought a hard goodbye.

i left my job at belle n beau photography so i could finish planning the warner/barlow wedding.

also to pack our lives up for a move to UTAH!

sure do miss you ray!

come october the soon to be mr. and mrs. became more real!

october meant not only birthday surprises for cat but also marriage proposal surprises as well!

what can we say, we love love!

warners and barlows flooded into LA from all over the USA in october!

barlowpalooza began.

best day of my life.

becoming mrs. barlow.

i love october 29, 2011.

honeymoon at disneyland?

yes please!

after our honeymoon we lived with the barlows for a couple weeks while jacob trained his replacement in LA.

i received a huge blessing.

my friend emily, who i went to college with, helped me get a job with a photographer she worked for in LA.

i am now a digital retoucher for Lori Dorman Photography and i love it.

she is based in LA and i work from home for her in utah.

blessings!

the drive to utah seemed to last forever!

but we finally made it, right after thanksgiving and both our cars filled to the brim with our essentials.

december brought us a visit from the hatchs'!

which meant i got to snuggle with my little peanut.

no snow, more cold, a beard, SLC Temple lights and christmas carols is what december was all about!

christmas eve was the last of the beard. 

two months of no shaving had ended.

a pretty amazing and quiet christmas was had by us.

just together and one we will remember.

mostly because of that rhyme there.

and i must say, i am pretty sure we rung in 2012 in style.

100's of floating lanterns in the sky!

thank you 2011.

welcome 2012.

i know you will be as exciting and worthwhile.

a little summer snap shot!

for those of you who dont already know this fun fact .. i work at a photography studio!

a cute little place right on First Ave in Arcadia.

Belle n' Beau Photography is the place.

[ps if you geocache try looking in arcadia on First. i know where one is! that is my hint.]

i do lots of things as the studio manager.

i make appts.

i help people order their portraits.

i retouch.

i fb. for the company that is!

i do graphics.

i get photographed.

just to name a few daily activities.

why do i bring this up you ask?

well ..

i made this >>> look down!

there is a huge parade on our street tomorrow for the 4th of July and we thought it would be a great opportunity to get new clients to come in! and cool off of course.

here is a little taste of the photo love you'll get at Bn'B! 

meet the warner girls!

side note: there is a 20x30 portrait of me and my sisters hanging in the studio right above my desk when i do orders and it makes me giggle every time i see them look up and then look at me and look up again!

so come! update your family portraits! or start having one! 

thats what the warners did anyways!

here is the big vinyl poster in the front of our studio.

i like!

happy summer!

i love the celebration of life!

certain days mark big events in each one of our lives.

the photographer i work for lost his wife to cancer 3 years ago today.

each day he misses his wife but especially today he was reminded of it.

i love the celebration of life and so does ray and his marianne!

i was not there 3 years ago but ray and i talked today about the services for marianne and it was a celebration of her life, music, and love!

my marmie started a tradition with us girls of sending a balloon up to our dad with messages on it.

i love doing this and wanted to share that love with ray!

today was a celebration of the beautiful life of marianne elgin!

i also believe the sun shone all day just for him!

monday. monday. monday. i LOVE monday.

i seriously LOVE monday.

every monday.

it is my day off from the studio.

my day to sleep in.

my laundry day.

thrift shopping day.

get all my errands done day.

g7 bonding day.

art project day.

clean my room & home day.

sometimes skype with jacob day.

[at least last semester!]

adventures with MelCat day.

[when she conveniently doesnt have to work!]

write letters day.

pay my bills day.

monday is my PDAY!

my preparation day. 

reminds me of the wmm.

which of course i love even more.

i love monday!

framing skills.

i use this nail gun at least 2 - 3 times a week.

its for framing. 

[yes i am a professional framer at my place of work, thank you ray.] 

[ok, i lie, ray IS the professional.]

every time i use it i am surprised i do not have a nail through my finger.

seriously.

fun fact. i am a pretty UNcoordinated warner.

BUT at least i am not #1 for this .. H is the most UNcoordinated warner!

 so i get a little nervous when i need to frame for this fact.

actually last week i was framing and talking to ray at the same time.

the nail gun got stuck or something and i pulled it away from the frame and a nail shot into the air.

good thing i didnt look at it or point it at ray.

that would have been bad.

basically i am ever more cautious of my nail gun usage now.
and well xacto knife usage too.
and using a step ladder.
and well i guess i should even be cautious of using the packing tape contraption. 

remember. in all things.

safety first.

lovin on my 9a-6p ..

i am the office manager for Belle n' Beau Photography ..

and i love it.

really.

i do all sorts of office work.

i design wedding albums.

i critique rays photos and editing.

i help clients make their final and important decision on which image should be there 30x40 over their fireplace.

its a big deal.

i smile as i get to know families.

see how much their babies grow every 3, 6, 9, 12 months they come in!

talk with high school seniors about college.

that takes me to this fine eve ..

Belle n' Beau Photography is contracted to Alverno High School.

it is a private Catholic all girls school in Sierra Madre.

Ray photographs the seniors, sporting events, masses & their dances.

Winter Formal 2010

"Merry Masquerade"

this was the theme we had to work with.

Ray put me in charge of the backdrop.

here it is.

i really love it. 

i even sewed the burgundy fabric backdrop.

i need some major sewing lessons btw.

needless to say it was a fun week in the office.

stress of making these masks.

putting together holiday orders that every client wants right now!

ordering. ordering. ordering.

also there was lizard in my office today!

i put it under a cup and left a note for Ray to deal with it when he got back.

tonight turned out awesome.

i loved that the seniors came up to me just to say hello and chat.

it was a good time all around.

i love my job.

AND ..

on a completely unrelated sidenote ..

 cat and i were discussing fb.

yes. yes. yes.

you all know cat and i love our little fb banter 

BUT ..

this is on my mind and just has to be said.

cat said it first and i was oh so glad.

we exchanged some texts about it.

here is my rant.

disagree with me. hate me. or like me.

like me is the best option.

anyways this is just my opinion.

and my blog.

HOW ARE FB PROFILE PICTURES HELPING FIGHT CHILD ABUSE?!!!

1. its fb.

2. if you really want to do something go help out at a womans shelter. or volunteer as a guardian ad litem. dont just change your fb profile pic.

3. when this fb photo changes the status reads something as follows .. "Change your facebook profile picture to a cartoon character from your childhood, to raise awareness for ending violence against children. Until Monday, Dec 6th of 2010, there should be no human faces onfacebook, but an invasion of memories! *JOIN THE FIGHT AGAINST VIOLENCEON CHILDREN!*" the part that gets me is this is against child abuse. children who are abused usually DO NOT have any good childhood memories. just think about that for a moment. and then tell me WHY you would put up a childhood cartoon to help fight child abuse.

so that is my rant. 

there may be more but we will stick to those 3 points.

if we really want to do something more to evoke change we must get of fb and actually  DO something about it.

the end.