Less Skank, please...

My big success this week was I fit in my Derby dress! You know, the Michelle Pfeiffer dress I've been pretty obsessed with for awhile & finally found....and purposely bought a few sizes smaller. The problem?

It's ridiculously short.  I mean seriously, it's freaking short.

I know some girls enjoy dressing like skanks, but I'm not one of them.  Pretty sure I'm not alone in this.

It doesn't help that I'm tall, definitely. The dress I bought honestly didn't look super short, so maybe on someone a little shorter than I am can pull it off beautifully. But I know it's not just tall girl problems..... a LOT of dresses today are made insanely short. Not that I'm looking for a casual summer dress, I need a little dressy dress for the derby, but I get that when it's 100 degrees outside, a dress is a super simple & cooler solution than jeans or something.  But believe it or not, you actually DO have to put something on that has a little bit more material to it if you intend on wearing it, you know...anywhere. And girls of all ages wear it - and I loathe the message it sends to young girls.

I spotted this at H&M when I was shopping there the other day. I usually love some of the designers at their store, but...this was a major fail.

Are you kidding me right now? WHEN DID DRESSES BECOME SO SLUTTY LOOKING?! Newsflash ladies: your ass should not be hanging out of your dress.

Please tell me that's a beach cover up, even though it's being marketed as a dress at another store. Because I have towels bigger than that. 

And don't give me the whole clubbing or party dresses "needing to be short", because guess what?

Carrie, Samantha, Miranda & Charlotte proved you wrong. Call me old fashioned, but I think I'll stick with my classy dresses - that my ass DOESN'T hang out of. 

Home Sweet Home

Today on my way to my sisters house, John Anderson's "Seminole Wind" came on, and made me incredibly homesick. I've been in Nashville for 18 & love it - and probably couldn't ever see me leaving, but I'll always love my FL! 'Seminole Wind' has the line "blow blow from the Okeechobee" that always hits me because I grew up about 60 miles from Lake Okeechobee.

I grew up in a little town called Sebastian, just outside of Vero Beach -- which is where my sister lived, so I spent so much time in both, they each hold a special place in my heart.

 I looove this. It has everything I love about back home. My mom worked at a Grove, so I'm an orange & orange juice snob: Nothing but Indian River Oranges for this girl! 

As a kid on the Atlantic Coast, I spent a lot of my time outside. Riding bikes, going to the beach, reading out by the pool, going down to the rivers to look for Gators - we were constantly outside. I'd say kids today never go outside because of all the technology, but I had mine too -- hello, weren't discmans the greatest things ever?! I could pop in a PL cd & get lost in riding my bike forever! (Maybe getting lost in riding my bike wasn't the greatest idea -- I used to ride my bike barefoot & am still scarred from the memory of running over a snake without knowing it, only to feel it pop up and rub into my foot! I've never pedaled so fast in my life!) 

Sebastian

All this leads to: I've spent much of my Friday night looking up flights for my visits home this year. This once a year, sometimes skipping a year, is going to come to a stop soon. While I certainly don't miss stuff like the hurricanes - I miss the stuff I can't do in Tennessee. I know the beach is the first on everyone's  minds, but I miss those days at the river with my sister trying to spot the Gators -- and once we spotted one, guessing how long we thought it was!

And now that I've played the reminisce game, it's time to book some flights! 

Sunday Social Time...

This has been a super busy weekend, so let's be honest: my plans today involved NOT getting out of bed until almost noon & staying in my pj's all day. I may or may not be watching movies all day too -- I mean, they ARE airing a Dolly Parton marathon because it's her birthday. What else should I be doing besides watching Steel Magnolias & Straight Talk, right!??

Don't judge me.

It's Social Sunday time -- this week it's all about 3's!

1. Top 3 favorite kinds of food 
Italian, Breakfast (I could eat breakfast for every meal every day!)  & Southern - I live in Tennessee, Southern Cooking is totally a "kind". 
  
2. First 3 things you do in the morning 
Put contacts in, check email/FB/all my other networks, and usually put on music - I can't get ready without music playing.
  
3. Last 3 things you do at night 
Check email/FB/etc, verify three times my alarm is set (apparently I'm paranoid?!), and watch one of my shows on Netflix
  
4. 3 TV shows you NEVER miss 
Shows on now: Once Upon a Time, Scandal & Dallas - seriously, I'm ridiculously obsessed with these shows. They are all three on a winter hiatus right now and it's driving me crazy!
  
5. 3 places you want to visit 
If I'm going with places I've never actually been before...
Grand Canal - Venice, Italy - I mean, LOOK how gorgeous this is. I want to be there. 

Vancouver, BC....we're going this fall, I can't wait!

Paris

6. 3 people you can always count on 
My bestie, twin cousin & my sister!

Ouch!

Sigh. Today wasn't the day I wanted it to be.  How did I spend my afternoon?

Getting another injection, thats how. My knee and I are officially no longer friends. Also, could these shots be any bigger? (Don't answer that) Injections in the knee are no freaking joke, my friends. 

The good news is I got the shot to help with pain & inflammation. The bad news is my knee is flaring up because of the training I've been doing for my marathon. (I guess I should have started out more with brisk walking or jogging and not quite so fiercely running!)  I can't actually complain - the whole reason my knee is injured to begin with is because of my clumsiness. It turns out you actually SHOULD NOT stand on a tall chair with wheels to hang up a photo canvas on the wall. When you come crashing down and land knee first into a hardwood floor, it's not going to end well.

If I continue to have flare-ups, we will be looking at surgery later in the year. And let's not lie- the thought of knee surgery totally freaks me out & I will do whatever it takes to stay away from it! Which might mean NOT running in the Disney Princess 1/2 Marathon. We'll see. I will be so incredibly disappointed. Sigh.

However, when I came home, this gem was waiting on the front porch for me!

Kelly Moore made this a seriously quick exchange - I shipped back the other bag at the end of last week & I had my new Mimi before even a week went by. Review coming soon for my photographer nerds, but I'm going to say - this bag really DOES function well as an every day bag with or without the camera gear!  I carried my B-Hobo for a year - hope Mimi lasts that long too!

Now it's wine time - after the day I've had, I think I've earned it!

Short Stuff is 12!

In important news of the day: 

This headline made my day. I really wasn't going to watch the Grammy's this year, but I guess that's changed! 

So yesterday, I had a sweet post typed up for Short Stuff's 12th Birthday, and of course instead of hitting "save" while drafting it, I hit discard. I was so annoyed I didn't attempt to type it up again. So with that - yesterday was Short Stuff's 12th Birthday! I don’t know where the time has gone. It seems like just yesterday I was standing in the delivery room, crying with my sister! 12 years later, it’s the running joke in our family that he really belongs to me. Every little quirk he has, my sister is quick to use the ‘You get THAT from your Aunt Nicole!’, yes, yes Kadin you do. It’s okay, I turned out pretty awesome. And while he may be a picky eater like his Aunt Nicole, but he also has my smarts & brings home report cards just like I used to bring home, and definitely got my creative gene. My little love bug is going to go places! 

And of course, with the birthday comes party time! We celebrated his birthday over the weekend with some family & friends and some of his friends from school. His friends were so adorable – and so polite!  "May I", "Would it be okay if", "Thank you" were used so often, it restored my faith a little bit in kids today! 

His obsession with wrestling was his theme -- and boy was it the theme of his presents! The number of figurines he got was crazy -- which shocked me because he has SO MANY right now, you wouldn't think it's even possible to have anymore! He had such a good time with everyone, so it was a successful party. He didn't want to be sung to in front of his friends - but was still a good sport and let me put the candles in the cupcakes for at least a photo op!

I got him a card that wouldn't open, the inside of the card was actually on the back of a card and it completely blew his mind, his reaction was hilarious. He was so thrown off! 

We didn't tell him his big sister Amy was coming to the party, so she was a surprise.....as soon as she walked in and said "Hey Buddy!", he rushed over to hug her. So freaking cute. 

I somehow forgot to take a pic on my actual camera of this, damn it. This birthday poster was huge and hung up in pieces - we thought it would make a cool photo backdrop (sigh, and then the photographer forgot to actually take photos at it. My bad. At least I took pics on my phone!) -- he was so excited about it. 

Happy Mid-week, y'all! Here's hoping the rest of the week flies by.....because another Holiday weekend sounds good to me! 

It's that time of year again....

Being the movie/TV nerd I am, I loooove Golden Globes time! So yes, we DID have a mini-party at my place last night to watch the show. (We may have just used the Golden Globes as an excuse to get together and drink wine, though.) I was striking out left and right  – NONE of my people were winning! My only prediction that won was Best Drama – 12 Years a Slave. I cannot even begin to stress how great this movie was. There were some scenes in the movie that were difficult to watch, but so overwhelmingly powerful --- it deserved its win.

A few ramblings from the show:

1. Because of what a powerful, moving film 12 Years a Slave was - I was SHOCKED to see Chiwetel Ejiofor & Lupita Nyong’o  weren’t the winners in their categories. American Hustle was a good movie, but it definitely wasn’t on the level as 12 Years.  I know I cry easy at movies, but….when grown men start sobbing in the theater, you KNOW it’s a good movie.

2. Seriously? Kerry Washington ignored again? Have you voters WATCHED SCANDAL!?

3. I would marry Johnny Depp at 4:00 tomorrow…..if he washes that blonde out of his hair.  What the fresh hell is this? I know it’s for a film, but….no Johnny Depp. No.

 

 4. Cate Blanchett’s Armani dress was to die for. I wasn’t overly crazy about the back of it, but the head to toe lace was absolutely gorgeous.

 

5. Chris Pine. Sigh. He gets hotter every day.

6. The greatest part of the night is summed up in two words: Emma Thompson. There are few people who can get away with A) Walking out barefoot with Louboutins in one hand & a Martini in the other. B)Tossing said Louboutins behind her back C) Shutting you up when you applaud her entrance. Emma Thompson is one of those people.

7. And finally, even without presenting, Meryl Streep is STILL the Queen. 

5 on Friday...

This felt like the longest week ever. Maybe because I had 9 days away & this was my first week back at the office? I've been convinced Friday was never going to get here!

I haven't done the 5 on Friday randoms link up in awhile...

one. downton abbey 
I am such a freaking TV junkie -- the whole winter hiatus ABC has on Once Upon a Time & Scandal is driving me crazy!  Thank goodness the ever fabulous Downton Abbey is back! This show is seriously amazing - and Maggie Smith is absolutely brilliant! If you're not watching it - you should be.

two. books, books, books! 
I may have went slightly crazy & ordered a slew of new books on Amazon last week (how would I live without Amazon?) - so says my debit card & packages that keep arriving in my mailbox. I may be one the biggest tech nerds around, and I sure can't live without my iPhone & iPad--- but I can never ever give up my love for books!

In the ones I just ordered, I just finished yesterday reading Bless Your Heart Tramp: And Other Southern Endearments by Celia Rivenbark. The southern girl in me LOOOVED it. (And I love most of Celia's books!) And because I keep adding to my intensely large Vintage Country Music library, I finally picked up Vivian Cash's bio, I Walked the Line: My Life with Johnny, which I'm currently reading -- and can't put down! (If you've watched "Walk the Line", you reeeeally need to read this book to truly have both sides of the story)

three. i miss who i was with you

You can go through Patty's catalogue and you'll find a song for every.single.moment in your life, I swear. Seriously no exaggeration. It's part of what makes her awesome, she doesn't cut BS songs.

This song has always been one of my faves of hers, but holy hell did it hit me like a ton of bricks this week --- I needed this song this week. Every single line of it. 

(Everyone should listen to it....and then purchase the record it's on, because it's better than anything you've heard on radio today. Before P released the Holy Grail that is Mountain Soul, this was my favorite record of hers!) 

four. hello dolly! Our Dolly Parton tickets came today! I'm excited to see her again - I haven't seen her since Chris & I went to Chicago to see her a few years ago (which was also the show we went backstage, my first time getting to meet Dolly!) This time the bestie is going & she's never seen a full Dolly show!  

five. vacations!

I already booked our Thanksgiving Disney World trip, so yesterday I sat down to start working on the rest of this years plans....besides hitting FL for Disney, it's also on the list earlier in the year so I can go home and visit family. Also on the list this year is Baltimore, Ohio, our girls weekend in Gulf Shores, and Canada in the fall. And that's just what's on the list thus far- and doesn't include our concert travel OR the fact that we're going to the Kentucky Derby this year! What would I do if I had to sit at home all the time??

 

Happy Friday y'all!

The woes of a female photographer....

Why is purse shopping so ridiculously hard? This was no big deal before I became a photographer. I had a purse addiction, they filled my closet, and I was certain they were the reason of my happiness.

And then I went a little deeper into photography world and thought "Hey, I can't be without my camera EVER!", and carried my handy dandy DSLR everywhere I went.  I've been known to slam on the brakes & pull over to take a picture -- I've gotta have more than just my iPhone on me! And when I entered the whole "adult world" and had to start paying for all my own stuff, reality hit real quick that carrying in my purse wasn't the greatest idea.

Enter the world of camera purses. I did so much research on them and was so incredibly specific on what I wanted. There are SO many out there that are massive, and those come in handy for shooting weddings. But I needed something that fit and protected one camera body (with a lens attached), one small additional lens - and one flash. I don't always carry a flash, but I wanted the space for it -- and then my every day stuff -- wallet, sunglasses & case, compact, lip gloss, keys, etc. This way I could carry my camera every day, and I could even take it to a portrait session without having to swap bags. All this, and I needed it to be super cute.

My first was the Lola from Epiphanie Bags:

Gorgeous, and I loved it at first - but the angle of the top made it slightly difficult to get the camera out. I overlooked this, until the purse started showing a lot of wear and tear -- not even a year after purchase. (The same problem I had with what I bought after it, from Jo Totes. Cute bags, but my Jo Tote started coming apart less than 4 months after purchase.)

I sold it and eventually moved onto the world of Kelly Moore - who is AMAZING. I love love love her bags! My first KM was the B-Hobo. I LOVE my B-Hobo.  It's a great feel, fits how I need to stuff to -- and after TWO years of use, it's just now starting to show some wear! 

Anyway, I decided I wanted something different & ordered the Posey 2 from Kelly Moore this week. It arrived today, and....I wasn't as in love as I thought I'd be! I was able to fit in the basics using two dividers (as shown in this crappy photo below --- too much effort to dig out my 2nd body for one quick pic!):

That fit one body with a 50mm attached, an SB 600 & in the middle I was able to put in a medium size lens & my sunglasses. I was able to fit my coin purse, lip gloss, phone, hand sanitizer in an outer pocket. But pulling the body with the 50mm attached was difficult, and I didn't like the way it fell when I had the strap attached to the sides. I was contemplating keeping the bag and using it for super light days, when I don't need my flash -- but I REALLY want that space to take my flash if I need it....so I emailed Kelly Moore tonight to exchange for the Mimi.

I've secretly been in love with the Mimi for awhile, but was concerned she was too big for every day use -- she's a little wider than the B-Hobo and the Posey 2. But after 2.5 hours of review reading -- I think this one will work perfect. Fingers crossed she's my perfect bag!

Are there any other bag designers worth checking out, photogs? I don't know that I'll carry anything other than Kelly now -- but I'm all about looking for new bags!

Practically Perfect in Every Way...

I hope everyone is staying warm -- I know I whine about it all the time, but holy hell do I loathe winter. 18 years in Tennessee, and I still whine when it's 40 degrees, so I'm sure in for a shock when it's 10 degrees on Monday :/

A few weekend musings....

The title of this entry may be one of my very favorite lines in Mary Poppins - and it's beyond fitting for this entry. Larry, Christian & I went to see Saving Mr.Banks last night. What an incredible movie! Easily one of the best movies I've seen in the past year. The story behind "Mary Poppins" & how the film was made, Tom Hanks completely exceeded my expectations as Walt Disney (who totally hung the moon, y'all, not even kidding!) - and Emma Thompson was brilliant as PL Travers.

Mary Poppins was way before my time - the movie was 19 years old by the time I was born. But naturally, Disney movies are timeless (says the 30 year old with an intense Disney collection) - I saw the movie as a small child & the book nerd in me added it to my collection in middle school. I was actually really surprised at the # of adults in our theater who had never actually seen or read it! However, even not having seen it -- I was NOT the only one who cried during the film. I do think you'd enjoy the movie more if you've seen/read/have an appreciation for Mary Poppins.

A few things I loved: the in depth look at PL Travers background - and trying to show she wasn't just trying to be a hard ass - she had a personal, genuine attachment to Mary Poppins that was so incredibly deep. A touching moment in the movie I thought was Disney admitting he understood her attachment, and he felt the same way about Mickey Mouse. The story behind her personal life & her fathers struggles were heartbreaking. The only remotely "negative" thing I could say was they made it seem as though Travers loved the outcome of the movie, when it was so well known that she was not happy & refused to work with Disney again.

An incredible touch in the credits is listening to some of the original recordings from the writers room between Disney writers & PL Travers,  so if you go see it, stay for the credits - a great party of history folks haven't heard before, it was fascinating!

"Adults are only grown-up kids, anyway" - Walt Disney

Movies (we also saw the latest Madea movie today! Not nearly as funny as the other Madea movies, what a bummer!) & Shopping were the extent of the weekend, really. And -- to probably everyone's surprise - I bought NOTHING at Opry Mills. How I didn't find a new pair of shoes is beyond me - and this is probably the first time I left H&M empty handed. What I need is for them to bring my damn bookstore back....

Today is also P's birthday! I was searching twitter earlier and found these two tweets from folks - greatest tweets ever:

Patty Loveless has a voice straight from Jesus.
Tomorrow is Patty Loveless' birthday.  I'm so thankful she was born.

Happy Birthday to one of my favorite people in the world! Girl has serious talent and outshines everyone else. (Also, she's all kinds of humble. She never plays the "I'm way more awesome than you" card  -- even though she totally could!)

1996 & 2011

Have a great rest of the weekend!

Happy 2014!

Ringing in the New Year this year was almost identical to last years celebration. We of course, all spent it in Kentucky at Dolphie's! It was busy, but not too busy this year, which meant we had a lot of singing time..

Celebrating with the bestie!

So glad I rang in the past few New Years with these folks!

Metcalf even sang "The Cowboy Rides Away" for us! 

I keep seeing everyone posting about resolutions, and I so hate making a resolution. Mainly because I usually know I won't keep up with it. I suppose my resolution actually this year could be continuing training for my marathon....because I have no choice but to train for it! 

The bestie & I DID, however, make a concert list for this year - artists we want to see - some we've seen 1091202121 times, some we've never seen, so my goal is to make this year even bigger on the concert front than last year. That's a hard feat - we sure hit a lot of great concerts & saw some serious legends. At the top of our list this year:

George Strait - which happens in March!

PL -duh!

Charley Pride

Alan Jackson

Ronnie Milsap

Loretta 

Merle  - which will most likely happen once again on Labor Day weekend, where we'll see him with Loretta again!

Gene Watson

Keith Urban

Emmylou Harris

Steve Wariner

Dolly Parton - we see her in May! I haven't seen a full show of hers since I got to meet her in Chicago! 

Joe Nichols

And I have no doubt we'll hit a gig for every single one of them.