I have finally started serious work on getting my photography career on a roll! This past weekend my family celebrated my younger sister's birthday in Columbus and she also graciously allowed me to pretend she was a high school senior and follow her around with my camera. I am so happy with how the pics turned out!

My new goal is to get as much practice as I possibly can between now and this coming August (when I should be starting work with a wedding photography company). I want to be completely comfortable and come up with some more interesting and fun poses. I already have had a great response to my work and I really think I'm going to be pretty good at this once I have a little more experience :)

I created a Facebook page for my independent photography which you can access here:
Furlong Photography on Facebook

Or you can visit my personal website here:
Elisabeth Furlong Photography

Thanks for the support!

The Little Things

My work schedule has been kind of wacky lately, with my boss scheduling me to close five days last week and then doing a complete 360 and only scheduling me three shifts TOTAL this week. It's frustrating but it has given me a chance to get a lot done. I've been practicing with my new camera and working on some projects around the house so at least this free time has not been a total waste.

I've been making a lot of plans for Ethan and I in the coming weeks- I'm tired of being a hermit and we've decided that we really need to take advantage of where we live this spring. We're SO CLOSE to so many things but we usually end up watching movies we get from Netflix because we're too lazy to get out of the house after work. Not anymore though! I've been making a list of all the things I want to do and it's my goal to get at least 75% of them done by the time the summer is over. Here's a sample of my list:
* visit my little sister in her new town once she gets moved in
* go to a Cincinnati Reds game
* visit the zoo
* have my niece and nephew (M & K) come to stay with us for an overnight (I'm not sure if I'm quite ready for the other younger set to come stay with us yet, so we'll see how it goes with the older kids first)
* participate in a 5k walk for charity (we usually do one every year in the fall, so this might not be one of our top priorities)

I have some other ideas but I'll have to narrow them down to a final list. Part of my inspiration to get out and do more things comes from a blog I've been reading about a little girl who suffers from SMA. Her parents have created this blog as a "bucket list" of things they want to accomplish before their little girl is forced to leave them and it is just awe-inspiring. The blog is titled "Avery's Bucket List" and I encourage everyone to read it- it will really inspire you to do the things you want before it's too late. Warning: this blog makes me teary-eyed on a regular basis.

Woah!!

I can not believe that I didn't post anything for the entire month of March! I guess that just goes to show how busy we have been lately. I'll just put a few highlights for now, but will DEFINITELY start updating more often.

*I have finally purchased my first "professional" camera. Ethan and I have been discussing it forever and since we had a little surplus money these past few weeks we decided that we should just go ahead and buy it. I've been having fun playing around with it and taking pictures of ridiculous things, but I'm ready to start practicing on people now. I have some "photo shoots" set up with some of my friends and family so I just need to get going!
*I am still working on my weight-loss goals. I'm holding steady at 18 pounds gone and I have renewed my motivation this week to get to that 30 pound goal! I have begun working out again and I have to say it really helps me to re-focus and work toward my healthier me.
*This weekend Ethan and I are heading to the Keeneland horse races in Kentucky. I have never been to a horse race before and I am really looking forward to it. We are taking a bus down with a bunch of E's friends and then going out to dinner afterward so it should be an amazing day! I just need to remember to get some pictures while Ethan and I are dressed up :)

That's all I can think of for right now so until next time!

Setting Goals

I have reached the halfway mark! My original weight-loss goal when I started on January 1st was to lose a total of thirty pounds by our first wedding anniversary (June 4th). I am very proud of my progress so far and I find myself wondering why I always thought it was so hard to eat healthier and make myself exercise? It's really just an issue of commitment- I no longer have any excuses as to why I can't be healthy. I have time each day to get up and move and I buy almost all of the groceries that come into our house.

I have an appointment for a routine physical in a few weeks and I am going to be asking the doctor what I should realistically be setting as my ultimate weight loss goal. Thirty pounds is a lot of weight and will definitely be a huge step in making me a healthier, happier person but I will still be technically "overweight" for my height. I want to be the best version of myself that I can so I may be re-setting my goal soon. For now though, I am thrilled with my progress and pretty darn proud that my formerly "skinny day" jeans now require a belt to stay up! :)

Great Expectations

In addition to being the book that I am currently reading (as part of my New Year's Resolution), this phrase has really started to describe my life recently. I am actively pursuing a few different endeavors and so far my most successful one is working to lose 30 pounds by my first wedding anniversary. I am ecstatic about my progress so far (I'm less than a pound away from losing 5% of my starting weight!) and this experience is really proving to me that I CAN accomplish my goals if I really put forth the effort. I have a bunch of little projects going on right now and I am so optimistic about my ability to get them all done!

My current projects:
-Finish organizing and turning our spare bedroom into a home office/guest room
-Finish my wedding scrapbook (that I have been working on since waaaay before we even got married!)
-Work on my reading list
-Buy a camera and secure an internship so I can finally quit waitressing
-Complete my Daily Challenge each day

I have a lot more going on, but these are my goals that actually have a tangible result :) I'm going to keep working on these and all other projects that come my way so I can be as proud of my progress as I am of my weight loss!

In Search of a Healthier Donut

I love that I am finally losing weight. I love the energy that I have and the fact that my clothes are already starting to fit better.

However....
I still find myself craving those things that I used to eat on an almost daily basis. Cheetos, buffalo wings, candy, macaroni and cheese, the list could go on and on! I've done pretty well keeping my cravings at bay with some substitutions. But this week there has been one thing on my mind and I don't think it's going to go away until I have satisfied the urge to indulge.

I want a donut.  I want one so bad that I feel the need to drive 30 miles north of my house and find the Tim Horton's that I know is hiding from me. But I will not let this happen! I will not risk my gaining weight just so I can have 30 seconds of indulgence! (It would literally take me that much time to devour a cruller right now). So instead of buying those bazillion calorie treats at the bakery, I have decided that I am going to make a skinny version at home that will make me feel better while still getting my craving conquered! Some of my options right now:

Low Fat Baked Donuts with Cinnamon and Sugar
Lemon Blueberry Donuts
Chocolate Chip Donuts

I'll update after I've made some for myself and let you know how they turned out!

In Memory

This past week has been very emotional for me. The world lost a wonderful teacher and mentor this past Sunday and her loss is being felt by everyone I grew up with in my hometown. She was the choir teacher at the high school for 20+ years and she was one of the most beautiful people that I have ever met.

This weekend her students will come together one last time to pay tribute to and say goodbye to this woman who taught all of us how to love music, how to try new things, and that even though we're all different we can come together to make something beautiful. I will never be able to express how much this teacher meant to me. Without her influence I would not have some of the life-long friends that I made when I was a teenager. I would not love music the way I do today. I would not have the confidence in myself that she repeatedly encouraged me to have. She was so loved by everyone that knew her and I truly believe that her death is a reminder from God that we need to cherish life while we're here. This weekend I will be traveling to my hometown to say goodbye and share some time with people that loved her as much as I did and I know that she will be smiling and watching over al of us from above. 

We will miss you Mrs G but you will always have a place in the hearts of all of "your kids"

                            

                                                    Me, Mrs G, and my sister Lauren after a show