acting my wage | life

remember this post?

it took 10 months just as i thought it would. i was blessed with a good job; and in this economy people are actually hiring and i took another job. i hated getting back into debt, but i did for a used car. and every month i paid on that car i was more and more motivated to get rid of that debt. i'm acting my wage, as dave would say.

shouldn't we all? i'm not a finance major or a millionaire. but i do know my life is better and less stressful without debt and when i tell my money what to do.

next step, 6 month emergency fun. yes, 6 months of money in the bank for the rainy day(s) that will happen.

"debt is normal; don't be normal."

questions?

turning | life

it's officially fall when my air conditioning doesn't kick on. windows are open and cool breezes enter. the only thing missing is maybe some soup or a pie or maybe a candle that smells like pie.

i've got some fun weekends ahead. chicago. a baby shower. atlanta. a wedding. chicago. nashville. two weddings. then halloween and hopefully some photo fun. thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. gosh, i can't believe i'm already thinking about thanksgiving. oh well, here's a little fall. it's from last year, but it counts.

i remember...

9 years ago, i was in my dorm room watching 'the today show' and i heard them break in with the news

i sent an instant message to my dad, 'did you see what happened?'

i'm watching as the second one hits

and i say to my dad 'that's not an accident'

the rest of the day was glued to the news and wondering if my sister and i should get out of atlanta


9 years ago, i remember the day and the uncertainty

i remember the images

i remember the fallen

i remember the brave


never forget 9.11.2001

a premonition (?) and why i love concrete

well, today has been interesting.

thanks to my risk control & insurance background, i know just how easy fire spreads in frame buildings. thus when looking for a place to live, my conditions were a sprinklered concrete building.

5am this morning the fire alarm goes off. thinking it was a false alarm (as we've had multiple times in the past), i get up and poke my head out the door into the hallway where i am greeted by smoke and screaming neighbors. doing what you're not supposed to do, i went back and grabbed mean kitty, my purse, my camera and hard drive (my digital photo album) and race down the 6 flights of stairs to the street where i turn around and see flames lighting up the dark sky.

as murphy would have it, the only wood part of the building (the rooftop deck) was not protected by the sprinkler system. police arrive early and move all the residents across the street where all we could do was watch the flames & flying embers. though the closest fire department is literally 3 blocks away, it took 18 minutes for the first fire truck to arrive and more than 10 minutes later to get water onto the roof. (apparently there was another fire being fought at the same time and the trucks weren't ready to respond to ours).

30+ minutes burning. a wood building would be long gone.


photo by John Spink, AJC

i haven't gotten very personal here, but it's probably time. i just spent the weekend at a retreat my church had in florida. it was amazing. i spent time with the ladies in my small group and heard some truth-filled messages from perry noble (google him. apparently, he's controversial.) my volleyball team won 4th place (a come from behind finish - and i remember how much i love volleyball). i learned about the movement about to happen in chicago via soul city church, and i'm going to be involved. for the first time i felt the urge to go on a mission trip. i saw my friend and 20 other people get baptized at dusk in the gulf of mexico and it bought me back to my baptism 5 years ago on that same beach. i felt the presence of God there in his creation and it was powerful. i have no clue why i did this, but on the 6 hour drive back yesterday, i prayed a prayer of indifference to material things. i told God i would follow him wherever he leads even if he takes all my stuff away. it would free me up to do what he wants me to do with this life. i remembered this as we all stood around watching the fire unfold, helpless (except to check iphones), and clinging tightly to our animals (i forgot to bring down mean kitty's carrier). today, i was supposed to start my new job (oh yeah, i got a new job!). providentially, i had all my important documents (passport, etc) ready in my purse to fill out paperwork on the first day. in my mind, everything else is replaceable. computer, clothes, furniture. it's meaningless.

dad picked me up around 7am and brought me back to his condo to try to get mean kitty to calm down and me to get some rest. i called my work and it almost sounded a bit like 'my dog ate my homework': 'um, i can't start work today because i'm still in my PJs because my house caught on fire and they won't let us get in the building....' they were totally cool with; really good, actually. and my new boss' boss sent me an email asking what he can do - not sure what, since he's in the midwest - but that's awesome to have that kind of support. and i sent an email to friends, old colleagues, and family, just to give a quick recap of what was happening. i literally have offers of couches and spare bedrooms in a dozen homes here in atlanta. texts from friends in other states and emails of genuine gratefulness for my safety (and mean kitty ;) i have some truly great people in my life. if i don't tell you enough, i'm deeply sorry. i really mean it and sometimes it takes a close call to see it clearly.

4pm i get to go back to the building and check out my unit. there is smoke and water damage to the halls floors below but no actual fire damage. i entered my unit to see nothing changed. smelled a little smokey, but nothing damaging. I thank the Lord my God, seriously, for concrete buildings. this could have been bad.

later this morning, i saw this blog entry i wrote a while back...

freak.y.

the middle

so apparently, being a middle child DOES have 1 perk.

august 12: national middle child's day

i'm a middle child, and while i don't like to admit it, i do resonate with a lot of what the article said. like we're quiet and introverted. i can remember being a kid and literally not speaking for days. i would just enter a room and be unnoticed. do my homework, practice piano, shy away from the camera while my older and younger sisters with their loud mouths jumped in front of the camera clamoring for attention!

i also distinctly remember the day i wanted to change. it was when i graduated college and got a job. they sent me up to train in chicago with 20+ other recent grads from all around the country. i remember thinking 'these people don't know me from anyone. they don't know if i'm outgoing or talkative or not.' so i just decided to be different and talk more and get to know everyone and always be up for anything. and that fed back into my life in atlanta.

i still can't compete with my older & younger sister though. they are still reeeeally loud (if you're reading this, you know it's true!!). but i can hold my own.

my little niece is the 2nd kid and will most likely be a middle child (i'm hoping because my sister & her husband make really dang cute kids). we can have that in common. i don't think she will be shy though if her big brother has anything to do with it! and she certainly won't have a problem with the camera since rere (that's my nickname) will be documenting her life forever more!

just some random thoughts for this random thursday.

kids & cookouts | summertime in georgia

so what's more awesome than getting a bunch family together for a cookout in the summer? not much. but maybe add some cute puppies and some sangria. yeah, now that sounds better. :)

a bunch of cousins, aunts & uncles, my sister & kids all got together for a random cookout at my uncle's house (been in our family for 3 generations!) you may recognize the house from my sister's wedding. i think 85% of the couples in our family have married here. it's an old house full of awesome history, ghosts, and indian artifacts. my aunt michelle hosts events there; you can check out her blog and contact her if you're interested!

here's the good stuff:

ethan in the grass

puppies getting some food

lilly sees a ball

gabi is NOT happy!

but lilly is :P

and so we meet again | chicago

i recently got to test my decision to move back south last fall. for work we went to our home office in chicago for a 3 day conference. weeks building up to the trip, i was thinking about spring in chicago: the lake and boats, the tulips and running in the park, concerts, cookouts, saturday brunch, cubs games.

memories flooded my brain and i started wondering if i moved too soon?

i arranged to get up there a day before the conference and stay the weekend after with some friends. monday was *the perfect day*. blue skies, mild temps, sun shining. i checked into the hotel, snapped a shot from the window,


had dinner with some colleagues, and just wandered around the loop till after dark.


a replica of the winged victory

a passing cta bus

a new group of shops on randolph

it felt so familiar and like i never left when i walked the streets. for a split second, i doubted my decision to move.

then, the temperature dropped. to the 40s. and breezy. in MAY! i had to borrow a coat from a friend, went through multiple packs of kleenex, and ended the weekend with a sore throat. i also had lunch with my old boss and she said i made the right decision, that my new department has a lot of positive energy and support from all levels in the company. and then i missed the fact that i hadn't squeezed my little niece in almost a week.

that inkling of doubt was squashed completely.

chicago is one of my all-time favorite places... to visit. and that's where it will stay.

pan & burst | week 2

according to aforementioned post, i've been pretty busy. after the wedding two weekends ago, i was packing and doing a lot of work at the real job (side note: my nephew always asks why i work, i say 'to make money', he says 'to buy me toys?!').

then friday i moved into my new place downtown. literally, right down the street from turner field and the state capitol (which is a beautiful gold domed building that i shall photograph soon). my sister, her husband, and their new little bitty 3 lb puppy came for easter. we walked down the street to 6 ft under (i LOVE being able to walk to things again!) and sat on the rooftop having margaritas and tacos.

we woke up early and went to the 9am service at buckhead church. it was more than the typical easter service and really an incredible message. andy stanley definitely has a gift for making it all make sense. if you do or don't know buckhead church, you can check out their messages online.

sunday brunch at einstein's and an afternoon full of easter egg hunts, chasing kids, playing softball, celebrating laura's birthday a little early with a scrumptious chocolate cake with rasberries. i love my niece and nephew and was so grateful to get to spend the day with them. some things are worth moving for.

back to the original reason of the post. week 2 assignment for photography class!


panning


and zoom bursts

use sparingly. ;)

here, there, everywhere!

within this last week i will have been in 5 states, put over 1000 miles on my car, and been in a plane.

some stuff is cool: trying on bridesmaids dresses for my friend, sarah, in charlotte NC and trying to find random irish bars to meet up with dad's girlfriend's daughter's cousin (oh yeah, i'm in the south ;). or going to my friend's wedding in houston and meeting up with my college friends from all over the world!

some stuff is less than cool: detour on i-65N on the way to huntsville, AL because of a giant 30 foot sinkhole and getting lost in some backwoods and no cell service. then finally make it to huntsville only to literally almost run out of gas and have to get out of my car at a stop sign and ask the guy behind me in a truck if he knew where the nearest gas station was because i'm from out of town and i don't have enough gas to drive around looking for a gas station. ... .....

but back to cool: seeing my sister and her new little puppy and AWESOME barbeque at mert's in charlotte!

coming soon: week 2 & 3 assignments for photography class, the rest of the g. family photos, some more of my favorite photobloggers and my first interiors shoot!

(and i'm moving on april 2nd to a sweet downtown condo with some amazing views of atlanta!)

walking in piedmont park | midtown

my old city, chicago, was filled with miles of parks stretching along the shores of lake michigan. literally, i could walk out my door, head north and still be running five miles later through the park. that is definitely one thing i miss about chicago.

however, it was about may before i could actually enjoy chicago's parks. yet, i went for a walk this february in midtown atlanta's largest park, piedmont park.

this park has ties to the world's fair of 1895 and frederick law olmstead, designer of many famous parks including central park in new york city and the grounds for the chicago columbian exposition of 1893. it's also apparently the birthplace of the u[sic]ga and georgia tech baseball rivalry!

now they have a farmers market on saturdays, movie screenings on thursdays, concerts, and on any given day hundreds of cyclists and runners, kids and dogs, people playing volleyball or softaball all enjoying nice weather. a lot of people fill the outside seating at park tavern during any day with a drop of sunshine, drinking whilst watching other people exercise ;)

don't be normal | life

getting up on my soapbox

as you may remember, i was really freaking excited on D-F day back in 2008. there's a saying "debt is normal; don't be normal." well i have again fallen into the "normal" category. i tried not to, but i did need a car in atlanta and i couldn't find a clunker (worthy of holding up on i285). so i bought a used car. and i'm going to run sven (um, that's his name) into the ground.

my goal is to pay of my 5 year loan by or before the end of 2010. to help me out, i'm taking baby steps and budgeting. soon i'll be like one of these people :D and can start investing more.

i'm not a financial guru, but i really like the "no debt" lifestyle. it's very refreshing!

to buy or not to buy | question?

so after owning my own place for almost 5 years (including the almost 2 years i was in chicago), i sold it. 2 weeks later, i got a job offer back in atlanta. so i moved in with dear ol' mom til i figure out what to do.

she lives far away. from everything.

i either have to wake up and leave for work before the sunrises or 6:30am, whichever comes first because you have traffic and you're driving east. or i have to live out of a suitcase at sis or dad's houses which are closer to work.

i've done this for 2 months now and the question arises: how much longer can i do this? for my sanity? social life? gas expenses?

so i've asked my sister, the real estate agent, to start looking at properties for me. condos, again? i don't know. that was not a short term investment. townhomes? bungalow? inside the perimeter? OTP? should i get into this again??

we are going to tour some places this weekend, so i'll keep the blog posted. wish me luck and low prices!

happy | new year

first post of the new year. not going to do resolutions (except that i want to be nicer to people, run another half marathon, do a 365 project, and pay off my car!);

instead, here's what's coming up:
- more of my favorite photobloggers
- images from my first wedding (wait, no, not mine, the first one i photographed)
- engagement shoot in houston (and possibly charlotte)
- some many-days-after shoot for my sister in alabama
- probably some more pics of the kiddos
- georgia tech at the orange bowl!

stay tuned!

posts are better with pictures. here's what i was doing a year ago....

atlanta | a hello

the last two weeks have been quite crazy. i wrapped up work on thursday, had a happy hour with colleagues and friends and topped off the night at the midnight showing of 'new moon'. no, i don't think i'm that big of a dork! i just had friends who wanted to see it with me and that was my last night in town. okay, i secretely really wanted to see it.

next morning, pick up the rental car (2010 suburban, yeehaw!), and spend about 3 hours putting my life in the car leaving just enough room for mean kitty and my friend jill. hit the road before traffic builds, wave goodbye to the city and the lake, lake shore drive, lincoln park, my favorite skyline....

ok, indiana is a long, boring state. enough said.

arrive in nashville close to midnight and crash at my good friend janna's house. breakfast at j.christopher's (an atlanta establishment that has stepped foot into tennesee) and fill up on coffee. on the road again towards atl.

for anyone making the trip from nashville to atlanta, you'll like this. for about 45 miles outside of chattanooga, we start seeing signs "SEE ROCK CITY" and "VISIT RUBY FALLS". after about 40 miles of this curiousity got the best of me, and i asked jill it she wants to take a break at see it. up, up, and up the winding (tiny) mountain roads and we get to lookout mountain where supposedly you can see seven states from the top. folks, take my word for it, you can miss it. ;)

we make it down to my mom's place just as the sun is setting. we rest a bit, unload the car, and frankly all we want is food and sleep. i promised jill a night on the town complete with a tour of the city, georgia tech, a steak dinner, and maybe dancing at loca luna. yeah right. we go to a local bbq joint, have a cold beer and a pork plate and call it a night.

jill heads back to texas and i start a new chapter.

p.s. i've also been car shopping all over atlanta (not fun), thanksgiving day gobble jog, dinner with lots of relatives, my cousin had his first kid, margaret celebrated her 21st birthday, a really disappointing georgia tech vs. u[sic]ga game, and day 1 on the new job.

p.p.s. coming up, my little sister's wedding, mom's birthday, then christmas, new year's, a trip to houston for a friend's engagement shoot, and the ING half marathon in march!

happy holidays, y'all!

chicago | a farewell

this is an odd post to write.

since summer 2004, all i wanted, dreamed and eagerly anticipated was to live in chicago. a lot of feelings and experiences went into fueling that desire, too many to explain now. in spring 2008, i finally got what i wanted, 4 years in the making!

and now, a mere one and a half years later, i'm leaving chicago. did i build it up? i don't know. i still love the city, the lake, the architecture and history. i'll miss it, in fact. it is an absolutely beautiful city.

other things didn't turn out as i expected. i thought i would find x, y, or z, but instead i found confidence, knowledge, relationship, a new definition of 'cold', and a passion. those weren't reasons i came to chicago, but i leave with them.

so i am moving this friday. in 2 days. i'll start a new adventure in atlanta as it won't be the same as when i left it.

i am glad.

2-9 | birthday

i'm in london! so... a bit more exciting than last year.

albeit, i'm in a windowless room... with underwriters... and actuaries...

;)

getting creative | saturday

i just got home from atlanta where i couldn't stop kissing my adorable niece, gabrielle. this has come to bite me in the rear as she was sick and now i am sick.

left work early on friday, had a dinner of 4 cups of hot cocoa (ran out of tea), stayed up til 4am watching on demand since sudafed has a way of keeping one wide awake.

so here i am, saturday. didn't feel like t.v. didn't feel like reading or going outside. so i collected a bunch of random stuff and held a photo shoot.


regular ole wine glasses


flowers & jewels


lovely jewels


my grandma's vase and some flowers my friend erin gave me years ago and i can't seem to let them go!

countdown...

to the first time my 3 sisters and i will be in the same city all together in almost 2 years.

oh how much has changed since then; it was my nephew's 3rd birthday party in atlanta. now he is 4 and there is a new kid in the family. lea lives in brooklyn, meme is a junior in college, and i'm in chicago.

we all thought it would be a grand idea to recreate our summer vacations to the beach when our parents and a bunch of adults would rent a big house and bring all the kids and food and UNO, except this time we are the adults. a beach trip wouldn't be right if it wasn't on the white sand beaches of the panhandle of florida; our location of choice is the grayton beach area.

see! wouldn't you want to vacation here?


we plan to cook-out, build sandcastles, make margaritas, and of course take lots of pictures!

t-minus 7 days...

a dinner party

first, i am not a cook. or a chef. or a wanna be. sometimes i bake, but only at christmastime. second, i saw that movie julie & julia with my friend elaine, but i was only inspired to eat.

i think elaine was inspired by seeing the movie because she invited me over for a small dinner party on sunday. i agreed (who turns down free food?) and used the opportunity to get some food-type photos and practice manual mode on my d80.

first we (and by we, i mean me) had some wine while elaine prepared the dessert - fresh nectarines.


then for the main course, a bed of sliced zucchini, a filet of delicious cod, topped with sauteed red peppers, snap peas, and some kind of buttery sauce.

(p.s. if you see the movie julie & julia, you'll discover the secret to a great recipe is butter...and more butter.) she also served some warm penne pasta complete with my favorite garnish: capers.

i thought the food was delicious; the pictures hardly do the meal justice. but we had fun; might try sushi next dinner party which should make for some tasty photos!

the third coast

on a foggy day from my office or home, lake michigan actually looks like an ocean, spanning far til it meets the sky.

it is one of the 5 great lakes, the only lake fully in the U.S., and chicago is at the southwestern tip. the word michigan is actually derived from an ojibwa indian word mishigami, meaning "great water."

the lake has a surface area of 22,400 square miles which makes it the largest lake (by surface area) entirely in one country and it is the 5th largest lake in the world. it is also affectionately known as the "third coast" (after the atlantic and pacific) considering all the miles of sandy beaches that make the lake a vacation spot for millions.

the sand has a high quartz content, so it squeaks when you walk across it; people call it "singing sand." the water is quite chilly, getting in the low-mid 70s even in the height of summer (and trust me, i got in last august, and it was cooold).

lake michigan also hosts one of my favorite sports: sailing. currently the lake is covered with ice and occasionally mounds of snow; but come april, the beautiful boats start filling in the harbors dotting the lakefront with white. every wednesday, thursday, saturday, and sunday, races are held locally with hundreds of boats participating. my favorite view is of all of them headed downwind with their colorful spinnakers flying!

the highlight of the summer is the race to mackinac island, michigan. it is one of the longest fresh-water races in the world at 333 miles and celebrated it's 100th anniversary in 2008. hundreds of boats enter and spend anywhere from 33 - 69 hours sailing to the finish line. the fastest finish time was in 1998, when stars and stripes, captained by steve fossett, finished in 18 hours and 50 minutes. roy disney also set the monohull record in 2002 with a time of 23 hours and 30 minutes.

i stumbled across the beginning of this race one weekend in 2006 when i came to chicago with my sister for a visit. there was so much energy along the lakefront! hundreds of boats and thousands of people, sun shining and cool breezes blowing (you know they say "it's always cooler by the lake"). i'd eventually like to sail this race if i can find a good crew of people i'd like to spend up to 2 solid days with in cramped quarters!

the destination alone might be worth it though. mackinac island is a time capsule. a unique ordinances prohibits motor vehicles, so people get around by horse & carriage, bicycles, or foot. there is the beautiful grand hotel, built in the 19th century and boasts the largest wrap around porch. there's state park, haunted ghost tours, and an historic downtown. and an ice cream shoppe!

the lake also is home to a lot of small towns on the michigan and wisconsin shores. i'm not sure i'd like to actually go anywhere in michigan or wisconsin, other than mackinac, so i'm not going to do the research. i think there might be a winery in michigan. when do they have time to grow the grapes?