Reasons I'm the luckiest girl:

1. When I have a rough afternoon, I have a tall, loving, 

handsome boy happy to sweep me up and make me forget I had ANY reason to be sad.

2.  ... I don't think I actually need a number 2.

I know it's rather prejudice, but I think he's the best in the world. 

Certainly the best in the world for me. 

I was having a conversation with a dear friend the other day, and we got to talking about soul mates. I would never have described Gid as a soulmate of mine; we've far too many differences. For example- he likes to enrich his life with meaningful study chalk full of purpose, and I-- I just really like Jackie Chan movies. (HOR-rible plots, but fan-taasss-tic fight scenes. You don't watch a jackie chan movie for the stunning cinematography or the phenomenal acting...) 

In so many ways, Gid and I are night and day. Perhaps I'm the night. But maybe he's the twinkling glimmer of a north star. He completes the picture. Thank heavens I didn't marry a fellow night. I might not have such lovely stars. 

I'm really tired right now friends, and I'm sure this makes no sense whatsoever; I'll probably wake up in the morning and delete it all when I see all of the bad grammar and random metaphors.

My point is- I love my guy.

ps- Kala, you can puke all you want. I seriously do not care.

Have a Happy Monday, friends.

Dear Boots,

I've had the strangest obsession with you lately. 

Why? I haven't the foggiest. 

Is it the fact that (even though this awful heat is trying to hide it from me), I know that fall must be just around the corner? Is it because I like to wear tall socks, or jump in puddles? Is it because my clothing taste is changing like a maturing taste bud? Who knows, boots? I bought an adorable pair of cowboy boots less than a week after we moved to the Salt Lake area.

They were (I thought) very reasonably priced. 

But for the last few weeks, I've had my eyes on these babies:

I see jeans, striped top, belt and head band for school. 

No! I see flowy skirt, cute tank top and jean jacket for a saturday afternoon... 

No- I see gingham shirt, jeans, and a bandana in my hair while camping.... 

The possibilities are endless.

(sigh) Oh, boots- I don't know what kind of spell you've put on me.

 All I know, is that I want you. All of you.

Dance Log 22

Found my leotards: check.

Breakout of pimples due to stress: check.

Day One of Grad School: check.

It's starting to feel real, friends. 

I love it so much already.

Have a happy Monday.

create.

Hi, friends! Super grateful to the lovely hannah for suggesting I write a little bit about something I'm already very passionate about: ever since I was a kid I've always loved using the creative side of my brain. I remember having backyard experiments and adventures, but it wasn't until I was an adult that I realized I really have a passion for creativity.

My favorite way to use creativity is easily found through the arts; I'm an avid photographer, and enjoy trying to find unique ways to capture lovely moments and sweet personalities. There's something special about being able to stop time for just a moment and document it. Take this photo:

I photographed this shot at a wedding. At the moment I snapped this, this sweet little girl was admiring her obvious crush (the groom), as he adored his new bride. A few seconds after I caught that shot, I heard the little girl say to her father, "someday I'm going to make a boy love me that much." I just about melted, and when I discovered the photograph, it became one of my favorites.

Another way I love to use creativity is through music. 

Not a lot of people know that I play a few instruments and love to write music. Even fewer people know that I actually won a state competition for composing and singing a piano song (...ok, it was in elementary school, but it COUNTS people, ok?) Right now I'm going through a ukulele obsession thanks to Zee Avi. Ukulele is a little less intimidating than guitar to me (with two less strings to worry about), and I love the light hearted tone that escapes the strings. I've learned a few of her songs, a few ingrid michaelson classics, and I've even written one or two.

Isn't Zee friggin' cute?! Check her out if you like to be happy.

Right now amidst crazy moving, I'm super excited about creating a homey feeling in our TINY apartment that we're moving into in a week. I love using elements of creativity along with design techniques to make a home that is cute, comfy, and enjoyable to be in.

Ever found an old junky end table? Before you chuck it in the dumpster, consider throwing on a coat of fresh paint, some new artsy knobs, and a vase with some fresh flowers in it on top of it. Add a punch of color, some old and new, and before you know it, you've got "shabby chic" meets "country fresh", meets "I'm an artsy creator of adorableness".

And that's just a part of the bedroom- don't even get me started on the living room, bathroom, and kitchen. There are so many ways to invite cheerfulness into the place you live! I just love decorating my home. (... or I will when I finally get to move into it.) Ok. Moving on.

I'm also a huge fan of dancing, especially using choreography techniques to create pieces of art. For me, creating movement is especially unique because the art form that emerges is a living, breathing, four dimensional canvas. Dance requires the most courage of the art forms from me. Its so much more than skill and effort; emotion is so valuable, but too much of it can take away from the intent of the piece. Really- I believe any kind of choreography is ambitious; dancing is a delicate and difficult art form to learn, let alone to attempt to create.

Inspired words on creativity: "Everyone can create. You don't need money, position, or influence in order to create something of substance or beauty.... The bounds of creativity extend far beyond the limits of a canvas or a sheet of paper and do not require a brush, a pen or the keys of a piano. Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before-- colorful gardens, harmonious homes, family memories, flowing laughter."

 I love these words, because they confirm what I've always known about creativity: it's not always things you'd win a talent show with; it can be literally anything. I've had a lot of friends say things like, "I'm not a creative person. I don't have an artsy bone in my body." Creativity has little to do with artsiness. In fact, you can't help but be creative. One way or another.

You can choose to use your actions to create happiness, or misery. It starts as little as that. You can choose to create a positive feeling in someone by giving a sincere compliment; by supporting and loving a friend, or you can create negativity, and pessimism by convincing yourself that you're not good enough. Everything we do is a creation; one way or another. Small creations like feelings can develop into greater and greater masterpieces that we have brought into existence. We've been given so much potential by the divine creator, and it is entirely up to us how we use the gift of creation that He has given us.

Long story short: anyone can create anything. 

Long story shorter: this life is so very beautiful.

Thanks again, Hannah.
You're so truly lovely.

Pet Peeves.

I just gotta get them out. Forgive me.

In No Particular Order:

-animals dressed as humans (I guess it freaks me out more than anything...)
-Bad drivers. Like really bad. Like multiple violations in a day and they don't notice it, bad.
-When people put their luggage on the seat next to them trying to discourage others from sitting next to them.
-racists.
-indifferent ignorance.
-people who victimize themselves. (ex: "My life sucks, because this happened to me." "...actually you did that to yourself. Stop complaining and do something about it.")
-UGG boots with mini skirts. 
-Lack of manners: ignoring questions/ mumbling/ not saying your pleases and thank yous. Rude people drive me nuts.
-Needy girls who can't be independent.
-Yappy dogs.
-pictures of people that they took themselves. In the mirror... (we all do it, but don't POST it. Or heaven forbid, FRAME it.)
-Tantrums (especially by adults. especially by female adults) I try not to, but I think I'm harder on girls than boys.
-Mean people.  
-Being two (or three or four or five) faced. Fakeness = Not cool, man.
-When people misspell things on purpose. (ex. "kewl")
- When people buy a digital camera, have zero training and declare themselves "professional", and start charging people! Take a class, or better yet teach yourself something before you begin charging. (Cringe)
-When people don't use the right "their, they're, or there's". Elementary school, people.
- Skanks.
-over sharing via facebook status. It's like a diary for some people! (more like diarrhea...)
- adult cartoons. (family guy, simpsons, south park... I like my cartoons to be free of nudity, and profanity please.) 
-Perfume by crappy celebrities. (Don't encourage them, people.)



ok. I feel better now. sorry if that got ugly for a second.

I might need a machete.

I don't get it. Do you need to pass some sort of jerk test to get a utah drivers license? It's like all of the crap drivers of the world migrate to the Salt Lake Valley so they can all be together in some sort of crazy maniac festival. I've heard people talk badly about Utah drivers for years, but I always assumed it wasn't the drivers in Utah that they hated; it was just Utah/Utahans in general.

At first I thought it was fine- but I've changed my mind.  In the past week I've seen a whole lotta craziness:

- high speed police pursuit- check.

- zooming semis almost killing me- check check.

- had some loser cut the crap off me- check check check.

- seen like 3 or 4 cars in a row run a red light (do they not see it, or is there a grace period seven seconds after the light has illuminated red? - check.

Here's the thing: 
A- I can't really be like, "man, all utah drivers are total losers"- because it's only a matter of time before I'm officially one of them. (Actually, I think technically, I am one of them.)


B- about 40% of my best friends live here... and I know they're good drivers (at least most of them).


C- I'm kinda stressed out with classes starting soon and waiting for our apartment to open up, so I could kinda see myself over reacting to someone not using his blinker.


.... Hopefully I'm just a little testy right now. Sorry I was talking about using a machete in the title. Over reactor much?

(ahem) Good things about utah transportation so far:

-the trax seem pretty sweet I guess.


-bikers seem to be pretty respected (except that one guy I saw today who almost got ran over about 3 times in 20 seconds.) I'd say Boise is better for bikers than Utah, but Utah is way better for bikers than Texas.




-.... mmm, I'll think of some more later.





ps- doesn't this traffic jam look like fun?

Part II. (Wedding Photo Overload Warning)

Ok. So lets talk about wedding photography. Its awesome, its beautiful, and its the most important day for two people who are being photographed (and usually their mothers). 

It's lovely. It's also THE most stressful thing ever. Any fellow photographers agree? 

I don't think I've ever woke up on the day of a wedding job, and thought, "I have absolutely nothing to be worried about." Because I am worried. 

Have you heard wedding photography nightmare stories? I have. 

 Witness #1 - my photographer sucked. Bad.

 Witness #2 -my photographer let her niece hold the camera for a second and all of my pictures got deleted accidentally. 

Witness #3- My photographer didn't have an external hard drive, and after her computer crashed, all of my photos were lost.

Witness #4- (my favorite) my photographer just disappeared after the wedding. After I paid. Phone number is disabled; no way to contact her, and no photos from the most important day of my life. 

I've had real people tell me all of these things, and each time I hear a nightmare like these I'm worried its going to jinx me into being one of those photographers (obviously not the last one. ...maybe.). 

So I feel like its a natural reaction that weddings stress me out. I'm always feeling sick before them, during them, and after them. Including my own. And I didn't even have to shoot that one.

"So why do you keep photographing them then, Alyssa?? Why do you put yourself through it?" 

This is why:

Pure gorgeousness, people. The wedding day may stress me out, but the aftermath is so fun. I love editing photos from a good shoot.

 Love me some cute girls eating some lunch.

I was literally teary eyed as I photographed the mother of the bride read a poem she wrote about her daughter's courtship to the groom and the proposal story.

Love groomsman who have personality. (To say the least)

And little girls who were literally either screaming their heads off, or being too cute for words at any given moment during the day.

I had to wipe a few crumbs off my lens after this...

 ...and can you believe this slip? 

Love tender candids.

And funny family faces.

...and sooner than later, it all begins again.

Doesn't this remind you of harry potter? 

If you would have asked me the day of the wedding if I was in a hurry to do another wedding shoot, I might have rolled my eyes....

...but right now I'm thinking they're kind of fun.

...only a wedding this magical could do that to me so quickly.

Dear August,

You stress me out. Now that I think about it though, I think I say that to all of your monthly sisters. But you are especially stressful. You include the beginning of graduate school, editing photos from a magnificent wedding, and a big move into a new (and very tiny) apartment. We're a little homeless right now August- living with family and friends until our apartment finally opens up for us. It's nice. But stressful.

There are different ways to handle stress. Mine- the most unhealthy- has very much to do with shopping. I've bought the most adorable pair of boots, August. I can't wait to wear them when the leaves start to turn. The other day, Gideon and I were driving, and he looked over to see me smiling in a sort of trance. He asked me what I was thinking about, and startled, I responded, "my new boots." I love them. There's something about you, august. Something that makes me want to go school shopping. So I guess I love you after all, even though you stress me out.

ps- I had no idea how friggin hot Salt Lake City is, August! Is there any way you could turn the thermostat down? I'm dyin' here.