inspirtaion
My favorite season is finally upon us. The crisp cool air, pumpkin flavors, cozy sweaters, colorful leaves, all make me feel warm and fuzzy inside. To celebrate the new season I've compiled some of my favorite fall photographs I've taken.
“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.”
I was challenged by Dave and Kleynia McKnight and also Emily Kilgore. In turn, I challenge Joe Brey, Mike Fasulka, Alison Kasper, and my brother Michael. A big thanks to my dad for taking the video on my phone and to my husband Justin for helping me with the bucket of ice water. We will be donating to the MS (Multiple Sclerosis) and ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) foundations. It was important for me to do this in order to raise awareness for all of the neurological diseases there are. My mother was diagnosed with MS back in 1997 and fought a long battle for 16 years until succumbing to the illness and passing away this past December. It was heart breaking for my family to see my mother go through this for 16 years and then for her life to end like that was the hardest experience I've ever been through. So I dedicate this challenge to you mom for the uphill challenges you faced everyday. I love you.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)—also referred to as motor neurone disease (MND), Charcot disease, and, in the United States, Lou Gehrig's disease—is a neurodegenerative disease with various causes. It is characterised by muscle spasticity, rapidly progressive weakness due to muscle atrophy, difficulty in speaking (dysarthria), swallowing (dysphagia), and breathing (dyspnea). ALS is the most common of the five motor neuron diseases. There is no known cure for ALS.
Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is an autoimmune disease that affects the brain and spinal cord. It is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. People with MS say they have unusual sensations such as pins and needles, numbness, itching, burning, stabbing, or tearing pains. Bladder problems, trouble walking, fuzziness when thinking, dizziness, fatigue, muscle spasms, speech trouble, tremors, and vision problems can also occur. The cause of MS is still unknown- scientists believe the disease is triggered by as-yet-unindentified environment facotr(s) in a person who is genetically predisposed to respond. There is no known cure for MS
The doctors said my mother had one of the worst cases of MS they had ever seen. She declined quickly and then platued to a point where she was could not longer walk and eventually lost use of her arms as well. Each year I could see something fading away with her. It was always subtle, but there. She was able to grab a hold of a sipping cup to drink water through a straw, then she could no longer reach over to the cup, then she could no longer hold the cup at all, then she no longer had any control over her arms period. She was completely bed ridden and was only able to get out of bed with the use of a lift, and when she did get into a chair, she could only stay out for an hour or two at the most. She was a fighter though. I've never seen anyone with a stronger will power than her. She wanted to be there on my wedding day 3 years ago and she found an inner strength to make it happen. My family was so incredibly proud of her. If I had half the strength and will power she had then I would be good. For any family suffering with a member who has a neurological disease, I understand and know the difficulties you've gone through and the difficulties that lay ahead. I am happy to see the awareness being raised to these diseases and hope one day a cure is found so no one has to ever live like this. Please take the challenge and donate. Have fun doing the ice bucket and take a moment to understand what this is all for.
The last photo I had taken with my mom in her beloved garden built for her by my dad. She did not like having her photo taken because of how she looked with the MS, but it was important for us to have these memories and I'm so thankful that we do. Even in her weakened state from the MS, she still took care of her family. What an amazing woman.
My mom and me in younger years. Here we were about to go to a relatives wedding. This was my favorite hair style of hers. She's so beautiful and the absolute best mother I could have ever asked for.
Let's be honest, when it comes to clothing style, its the silver screen that we collectively look to for inspiration. I myself have been heavily influenced by the greats revealing their style genius for all of the world to see while glittering upon the movie screen. Both of my prom dresses were influenced by Grace Kelly in two of her three Hitchcock films, "Rear Window" and "To Catch a Thief." I was so inspired by Faye Dunaway's character in "The Thomas Crown Affair," that I started to wear plum eye shadow for a good period of time, including my senior pictures. As a whole, my own style evolved from the screen goddesses of yester-year. Do you own a little black dress in your closet, because if you do, (if not then you absolutely need to go get one!) you can thank Audrey Hepburn in "Breakfast At Tiffany's" for that. For all of you gents out there, how about the ever popular grey suit? That goes to Cary Grant in North By Northwest. Styles and trends were born with the fabulous actors gracing the silver screen and will continue to do so for as long as fashion and movies are around. Below is a list I created of the top stylish movies of all time. Note, not fashion, but style. The two are different beyond measure. Yves Saint Laurent said it best, "fashion fades, style is eternal."
Listed are number 20 all the way through number 1, which is a movie that not only has great style, but also some of the best actors that have ever lived, not to mention the best director. Be inspired and enjoy!
Photo credit: IMDB.com
One thing that never gets old in the summer is amusement parks. In my area the family run and owned Knoebels opened its doors on July 4, 1926 and has never looked back. It is currently the largest admission free amusement park in America. The charm of Knoebels lies within its location in a forested area and allowing all age groups to enjoy the festivities without having to pay a fee. For me, the charm of the park comes from its ability to relive my childhood happiness. My mom and dad would always bring my brother Michael and I to the park around dinner time. By then most of the visitors were leaving, the warm summer air was starting to cool off, and the spectacular lights on all of the rides were starting to come on. It was magical. We would arrive and have our dinner over at the baked potato stand and then start our night of pure happiness. Perhaps that is where the key to Knoebels lies, being able to, if only for a few hours out of the day, have those magical memories be brought to life again.
For this journey to Knoebels, my friend Alison and I (our families would often go to Knoebels together) traveled down to the park specifically to capture the beautiful scenery and rides. I never wanted to bring my camera into the park while riding the rides so this proved to be a great opportunity to photograph the experience. We both got great shots and ended up having enough time left over to enjoy some of the rides. We stayed until closing trying to cram in as much fun as we could. All in all it was a great day beautifully captured.
One of the biggest complaints I hear when dealing with photography is there is nothing to shoot. Not so! Simply go outside into the backyard or nearby area to capture the scenery around you. The simpleness of a single flower can make a huge impact in a photo. People just walk by them everyday and do not realize the beauty they possess or how intriguing they can be. All of these photos were recently captured around my property. The photo of the lake at sunset was taken about 15 minutes from my house. An easier step to remember when shooting flowers is to try and get the background blurred out for that quality impact shot. Basically, you want to keep the aperture wide open and depending on your lens, that could be at a 1.8 to a 5.6. Then zoom in on the flower, pick a focus point, and voila, you're on your way to capturing all the beauty around you. On a side note, the rhododendron blooms were taken just after it had rained outside. The tiny water droplets really add depth to the image. Some people like to take a water spritzer with them to add water into the photograph and while I've never done this myself, it without question will give the photo that something extra special. All in all, open your eyes to see the world around you. Anything from a dandelion, flower, bird feeder, leaf, insect, bumblebee, bird, rocks, or a new perspective or angle can widen your horizons when photographing.
This series of Modern Muses celebrates the lovely ladies of today. While my retro ravens of the past inspire me to live as elegantly as I can, these modern beauties have a flair for the by gone era, while still being contemporary chic.
My first beauty is none other than Lauren Conrad. She simply inspires me to live beautifully and to possess a charming femininity in all aspects of life. Probably half of my closest is filled with her LC Lauren Conrad line from Kohls. The clothes are modern, but have a vintage feel to them. She not only inspires me, but woman all over the world. Her website, laurenconrad.com, has daily updates of all things lovely, including fashion, decorating, dining, and primping. Lauren is by no means an "old-fashioned" girl, yet she has a ladylike charm that stems from the enchanting women of the past. Her passionate work ethic comes through in all of her endevours including her fashion lines Paper Crown and LC Lauren Conrad, her eco line XO Eco, being an author, and finally the co founder of The Little Market. I admire her greatly for her ambition in wanting to leave the world in a better condition with eco chic items and the free trade agreement, while also styling ladies with her great fashion sense. In conclusion, Lauren motivates me to be the best version of myself possible. There is no other person that could be my first modern muse.
“I love anything really feminine. I love any sort of girly detail - anything with a bow or a heart on it, I’m immediately in love with.”
“Blogging is a great way to show your talents and interests to prospective employers, while adding an edge to your resume. If you blog consistently it shows your dedication, passions and creativity - all of which are key attributes employers look for in job candidates.”
“As a designer, you are flattered to see anyone in one of your designs, whether it’s on a red carpet or passing by you in the market. It’s this wonderful little high every time.
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“If you’re putting your name on something, it’s really important to be a part of it, or else people will just do whatever they want with it. And then it’s not really you, and it won’t be true.”
Photos: laurenconrad.com, ilovefashionnews.nl, justjared.com
Happy Thursday everyone! This being my first blog post, I felt it would be appropriate to make it an inspirational one. My mother always said to never give up no matter what obstacles come your way. These past few months have been difficult after losing her, but her advice has stuck with me through it all. Life certainly threw my mother some curve balls, but she always took the high road and never let them get her down. She was the definition of strength, beauty, and courage rolled into one.
I find it only fitting that this first post be dedicated to her. She inspires me each day to follow my dreams and she always gave me encouragement to be the best I can be. She lived a good and happy life, and even after her diagnoses, she still continued to stay positive and find the beauty in all life has to give. In part, because of her uplifting words, I decided to create this site and continue to follow my starry eyed dreams. I'm extremely thrilled to be able to do this and share my creativity.
