Back to WW

I have decided to re-motivate myself to lose weight. Spring is finally here and I absolutely can NOT wait to be sitting by the pool with a good book as soon as it gets warm enough. I love summer time, but I find that it is the time of year that I am most self-conscious about my looks and my weight. There's not a ton I can do about my pale, PALE skin except look like ghost, but I would like to feel a little more comfortable with my weight. I have been following the Weight Watchers program on and off for about 2 years and even though I have lost 25 pounds since starting the program, I would love to have a little more energy and lose a few more pounds. My current goal is to lose another 13 pounds. Totally doable in my opinion! Here is one of my first steps toward reaching my goal-

I've found that I do pretty well with making good choices for meals, but snack time is my biggest downfall. I saw this idea on Pinterest and it just seemed too easy not to try! I went through our pantry and gathered all of the healthy snacks. Then I made my own individual portions with one serving in each plastic bag and marked them with the amount of WW points. Now when I need a snack, I simply have to reach into my "healthy box" and choose one! I also did the same thing in our refrigerator. So easy and it will make it much easier for me to make better choices!

Things I Never Said Before We Had a Dog

I have noticed lately that I speak to our 1 year old Dachshund as if he can understand exactly what I am saying. I tend to ask a lot of ridiculous questions. I think this is just a sample of what it is going to be like when darling husband and I have kids. I wanted to share a few of my best questions and ridiculous statements from the last few days with you because frankly, I'm crazy and I think it's funny. :)

"Stop eating the toilet paper!"

"Did you steal my sock? Is it under the bed or under the couch? Or the table? Is it under the table?"(spoken while crawling around on my hands and knees in my work uniform)

"You can't have any of my banana because you already had too much cheese today, plus all that grass."

"Did you pee? DID you PEE?! YAYYYYY!!!" (this one was at the top of my lungs after we got back from a very long, annoying walk)

"No thank you! Private time!" (said while in the restroom and Archie was scratching at the door to get in)

And from my lovely husband...
"You're my favorite little poopface, you know that?" 

Lent is here again!

It's that time! Every year I have a difficult time deciding what to give up during the forty days of Lent. Usually I can't decide and end up saying something like "well, I'll just eat more vegetables". I try for about three days and then I completely forget that I am supposed to be doing anything at all.

This year I am going to try doing something different though. This year I have given up... dun dun dun... Facebook! Now, I do have to admit that there are a couple of stipulations for this sacrifice of mine. I uninstalled the Facebook app from my phone, but I kept the messenger. I am also going to allow myself access to my photography page because I have a wedding and a couple of other sessions coming up before Easter and I do not want my clients to be neglected if they need to get a hold of my via Facebook. So there- at least I'm trying!

I am also going to attempt to attend every Holy Day and every Sunday Mass that I can. I have gotten really lazy at making myself go. It's only one hour but for some reason I always come up with a million and one reasons why I should skip Mass instead. Last night I went to Ash Wednesday Mass and I have to admit that I really liked it. I missed the feeling of peace during church and the quiet time that really forces you to focus and be thankful. Plus, I now have a Catholic friend who lives very close to me and we are going to make each other stick to our resolutions. Lent is a time to think about what needs changing in your life and how you can make things better for others. I intend to do just that! :)

Cradled or Carried

Since it is getting colder outside and my photography business is going to be a little slow for the next few weeks, I thought I would take this opurtunity to promote my beautiful sister Julie's new non-profit organization, Cradled or Carried. My sister was diagnosed with brain cancer this past summer and she has started this organization to help other cancer patients find support and to raise funds for the National Cancer Society. Make sure to visit her site and read her story. While you're there, why not make a donation or buy one of her handmade bracelets to support the cause?

                                                                   Cradled or Carried

One of my favorite photos of my sister Julie and her son Zachary. This photo was taken a couple weeks after Julie had emergency surgery to remove a brain tumor last summer. I spent a morning taking photos of her and her three beautiful children and this is one of the images that will always have a special place in my heart.

Merit Clothiers

I recently got the chance to work with a couple of wonderful women who are in the midst of launching an eco-friendly clothing company named Merit Clothiers. Brittany and Brittany will be offering jackets, messenger bags, and badges which can be ironed-on to their other products to celebrate achievements  (Girl Scouts for adults!). I think they have an awesome idea and I was so excited when they asked me to do a promotional photo shoot for them! Here's one of the photos that I have been working on from our shoot last weekend- be on the lookout for more of my work to be featured on their website and Etsy page!

The One I've Been Waiting For...

Today is the day. I am so excited that I can hardly stand it. Today I FINALLY get to take photos of my sister, her husband, and their two awesome kids. For some people this may be a weird thing to be so excited about, but I have been looking forward to this for so long! We have been trying to get family photos for her done for about 6 months now- we have dealt with sickness, rain, cold, and crazy schedules but today we will get those photos taken! I can't wait! I don't normally get very nervous about doing family photos but I want so badly to make sure that these are amazing. Wish me luck and I will post some samples as soon as I can!

It's That Time Again...

Time for me to start looking up recipes and making lots of fall-themed food! Every year when the weather starts to turn cool and the days get a little bit shorter, I like to start looking forward to chilly nights wrapped in blankets and trying new foods. My favorite site to find food inspiration is definitely www.skinnytaste.com. The blogger updates every few days and almost every recipe is something original that I've never tried before. My list of things to attempt making so far:
*pumpkin spice snickerdoodles
*roasted strawberry bread
*creme brulee french toast
*slow cooker pork chops with applesauce
*homemade apple butter
*eggplant boats with spicy sausage
*crab and artichoke dip

And I'm sure the list will keep growing as autumn gets closer! Tonight thought, I'll just have some hot chocolate and listen to my husband curse at the Reds :)

Favorite!

I just uploaded a bunch of photos of my friend's daughter to my photo blog, but I wanted to re-post one of my favorites here. This photo turned out better than I imagined and little Britney looks so beautiful! I am happy to say that one day when this little girl gets married, I can picture this photo of her with her mother's wedding bouquet being displayed at a shower or party for her :)

BFFs

I was so happy to get to take pictures of my best friend's family last weekend. I have been friends with Maribeth since we were kids and I was honored to be asked to do her family photos. We went back to the gazebo in Germantown where she and Kenny were married a little over 5 years ago and we had so much fun! The whole family was awesome, even though we ran into a few snags during our session. Despite having to avoid another photo shoot taking place in the same area, a wedding reception being set up, and one of my prop ideas deciding to float away into a tree, we still got some good pictures! I hope they love their photos and I get to see them again SOON! Make sure to check out my official photography blog for more photos at www.furlongphotography.blogspot.com

Family Photo Editing

I am working hard to get the photos edited from my family session yesterday morning. I wanted to share one of my favorites. Also make sure to check out my photography blog at www.furlongphotography.blogspot.com!

If You're In Need of a Few Chuckles

Sometimes I start to look back at my own personal photography and I feel like I could have done so much better. I don't like how I edited something, I should have used different lighting, etc. When I start to get down on myself then I usually need something to make me feel like although I'm not where I want to be yet, I am still a good photographer. Thus, this little gem- www.youarenotaphotographer.com

This site is amazing. It showcases some of the absolute worst editing and photography skills that I have ever seen and it makes me feel like I'm Ansel Adams! I had to share, just in case anyone out there was in need of some comic relief. Enjoy!

Stress Relief

This past week has been so crazy. My sister Julie is doing better than we expected but she definitely has a long road ahead of her with chemo, radiation, and raising three little ones. I want to help as much as I possibly can, but I also realize that there is only so much that I can do. So instead of stressing out about all the things I feel like I SHOULD be doing- I'm editing photos :) Yesterday I spent most of the morning taking some pictures of Julie with her latest addition, Zadie Madison. I don't have much experience photographing one-month-old babies, but I have to admit I like having so many pictures of this adorable baby!

Whirlwind

The past few days have been a little crazy. On Thursday morning I got a phone call from my parents saying that they were on their way home from their vacation in Maine because my older sister was in the hospital. I had a hard time understanding what they were saying so I immediately called my little sister Lauren after hanging up with them. Laure confirmed that Julie was in the hospital and we learned soon after that she would be having surgery to remove a large tumor from the left side of her brain. Needless to say, all of us Grahams decided to head towards Columbus so we could be together and help take care of the little Z's. Friday morning Julie had her surgery and we were informed that they removed the entire tumor- which turned out to be the size of a man's fist! The doctor told us that although they were very happy with the results of the surgery, they felt like this might be the "first of many battles". All we can do now is wait for the pathology reports to come back so we can all figure out what the next few steps will be. For now we are all praying and doing all we can to take care of the Lovegroves. Please keep our family in your prayers as we go through this journey!

New Blog!

I have decided to move my main page for my photography business. I will continue to use my former page www.elisabethphotography.webs.com for a little while (until I use up all my business cards!!) and then I will be moving all of my content to my new page www.furlongphotography.blogspot.com

In the meantime, please continue to check both pages for updates and new photos! :)

Success!

After many weeks of getting ready and looking up photo inspiration and making a billion lists I can finally say that I have shot my first solo wedding and it was a success! I was so happy that I got to be a part of this special couple's big day. They were so great to work with and I really had a great time. This weekend I am parked in front of the computer editing their photos, so here is a sample.  (And no, I didn't mess up while editing these photos- her dress was pink!!)   :)

                                                      

Back To Real Life

It's always difficult to get back to an everyday routine after spending a whole week away. I love going on vacations and getting to spend time with my family! Ethan and I spent the week in Florida with my in-laws and it was amazing. We walked on the beach, explored some adorable little shops and ate a TON of seafood. I loved it. I already miss it :)

But every vacation must come to an end and eventually we have to return to normal life. I have so many things to look forward to in the next month! I have just been hired for my first solo wedding, I will be featuring some if my photos at an arts fair in Columbus on June 28th and I will also be doing the artwork for a company that is redoing its decor! Wonderful things are starting to happen for my career. I hope to continue booking more family sessions in the next few weeks and really start building my client base. More updates soon as I continue to expand my portfolio.

Getting Crafty

I was supposed to have a family photo shoot in the park this afternoon, but the cloudy/rainy weather and the fact that the little girl has a black eye forced us to postpone. I had some pent-up creative energy so I decided to make something to put on our front door! I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out... we'll just have to see what my husband says when he gets home :)

I may end up doing some tweaking to it- I kind of want to add some kind of background behind the lettering. But for now- this is hanging on our door and we're ready for summer!

Uhhhhh... Hi!

So, it's been a little while since I updated! I've been busy though so that's a good thing. Here's some of what I've been working on-

My Other Site

To view more samples of my work or to book a photo session with me, hop on over to my other website at www.elisabethphotography.webs.com

I am trying to constantly add and change this site so check back often!

                               "You know you want to see more of this face!"

Too Cute Not To Share

I spent a good chunk of today taking and editing pictures just to get some practice. Luckily for me I had a willing model waiting in my living room! The amount of pictures I have of this puppy is borderline ridiculous :)