blogging to inspire

blogging is such an interesting medium. when i first started this little blog i never read other people's blogs & didn't think anyone would be reading mine. i didn't really understand what the blogging world was all about. but in the past few months i have signed up with bloglovin ^^ & began following tons of various blogs. in fact, i have found that the blogging community is actually pretty awesome.

pretty awesome? yes! you can find blogs about ANYTHING you are interested in reading about. i follow lifestyle blogs, fashion blogs, food blogs {the best!}, design blogs & of course, photography blogs. some might think, wow that is a lot of random reading to do, but the truth is i find inspiration by looking at all sorts of things that people post. finding a brand new, delicious recipe to try or stepping up your personal fashion after seeing how others creatively put together outfits! there is just so much out there! i also find a lot of inspiration for my photography via blogs. whether it is locations that i love, a pose or lighting that i want to learn how to capture, i have found that i actually do learn a lot by reading what others have done. inspiration is a beautiful thing & i love that i can find beautiful pictures, interesting stories & new things to try just from reading a stranger's blog.

at first, my biggest issue with reading blogs was how to find them. but bloglovin can help! this site is really cool because you can look up top blogs or find popular ones in certain categories. do you love crafts? cooking? weddings? you can find them all! and once you've found blogs you like, you don't have to always check back with their sites because bloglovin will tell you when there are new posts! makes my life much easier.

blogging may not be your thing, but if you want to try something new {& who knows, you may find some inspiration of your own}, then get involved in this crazy, little blogging community!

sign up to follow me on bloglovin!

bright lights, big city

i am beyond excited right now! i just booked my ticket to go to NYC in two weeks! AHH! for those that don't know, i am obsessed with new york. it is my dream to live there, but i'll settle for a weekend visit in the mean time :)

the reason for this trip is to attend a fashion shoot. my uncle's niece has a fashion line based in new york & we are going to hang out behind the scenes of the shoot all day sunday. i typically work with natural light when i take pictures, so going to a studio shoot will be really new for me. i am excited to learn as much as i can & watch some legit fashion photographers work!

i'm bummed mark won't be coming with me, but we may take another trip out there this summer because he really wants to visit the big apple & see what it is all about. i can't say i'm mad about that ;) cheers!!

liebster award

in the blogging world there are fun little ways to help your blog get noticed & the Liebster Award is one of those things. it is a fun way to share a little bit more about me & i would like to thank brooke & mrs. adventures for nominating my little blog over here.

so what is this award??

the rules

1. list 11 facts about yourself

2. answer the 11 questions given to you

2. create 11 new questions for the bloggers you nominate for the award

4. choose 11 bloggers with 200 or less followers to nominate

5. go to each bloggers page and let them know about the award

6. thank the person who nominated you and link back to their blog :)

11 facts about me

1. i hate to vaccum

2. i love love love to cook & try new recipes. healthy or not! but dishes are a different story....

3. i declined graduate school in order to become a photographer

4. i work as a nanny during the week

5. i am so hot! as in, i get over heated SO easily! my body temperature is a good 10 degrees higher than everyone else's at any given moment...thanks mom!

6. i've always wanted to be a real city girl

7. i wish i wore glasses - i think they are so adorable, but i know the day i actually need them i will hate it 

8. i am known as having terrible taste in tv, movies & music. to get a better understanding of what i mean...i love reality tv {almost ALL reality tv...yes that includes the bad girls club}, i love lifetime movies & the radio is where i get my music.

9. i have recently fallen in love with lipstick. i never used to wear anything on my lips, but i am really learning to appreciate having a fun color pop on my lips. 

10. i want to move back to california SO badly at this point in my life

11. i try really hard to drink lots of water in a day & so i always have my pink camel bak water bottle with me at all times. that, or a diet coke...haha i know, total opposite.

11 questions for me

1. Favorite book? i'm not a huge reader, but the last book that i couldn't put down was the help. if you haven't read this book you should. i movie was good but the book was great.

2. The song you currently have on repeat? i have two. c'mon by kesha {i know, i know} & the a team by ed sheeran. two very different songs but AH i love them both.

3. Least favorite thing about your day? the idea of showering!! i love to shower but getting ready afterwards is so time consuming. long hair can be a blessing & a curse.

4. Favorite meal? mexican food. growing up in southern california i was blessed to have endless amounts of mexican food all around me. i could eat tacos everyday & sometimes do.

5. Favorite nail polish? i love OPI nail polishes. i tend to stick with pinks, reds & orangey reds. a few of my favorites are >> color so hot it berns, hot & spicy and charged up cherry. interesting names, huh? hah

6. What was your last tweet? i am not a huge twitter person. the last tweet i did was about one of my blog posts haha. i am way more into instagram than twitter.

7. Last store you visited? uhh, the grocery store? haha. we made a huge, fancy meal last night with some friends.

8. What do you like to do on a week night? i wish i was more interesting...but, i like to come home from work, eat with the husband & watch some of our favorite shows on tv.

9. Your most re-purchased beauty item? MAC zoomlash mascara...this has been in my makeup bag since 9th grade.

10. Favorite shampoo and conditioner and why? i love redken shampoo + conditioner. i actually don't use it right now cuz it's about $50 for each bottle but when i can afford it again, i will pick these babies up again! i love the smell & they have so many different kinds of shampoo for any kind of hair type.

11. Essential piece of jewelery? The one you can't leave home without? my wedding ring! i do tend to take it off at home a lot when i'm cleaning, cooking, blow drying my hair, putting lotion on, etc. so i kind of, more often than i'd like to admit, leave the house without it & feel naked! so i have to remember to grab it, it is an essential!

11 questions for my nominees

1. what is your favorite color to wear?
2. what is a hobbie that you wish you had?
3. best part of your day?
4. favorite beverage?
5. what is your favorite season & why?
6. do you have a hidden talent that most people don't know about?
7. what is your go-to junk food?
8. favorite vacation spot or memory?
9. what does your ideal saturday night look like?
10. what is a guilty pleasure of yours?
11. are you a morning or night person?

my nominees
kaylyn from the weir house
rachael from shore society
erica from la petite reine
ani from catch 21
melissa from a little bolt of life

perspective

isn't it interesting how altering your focus or perspecitive can lead to a whole new picture.
sometimes switching up your way of thinking or looking at things in a new light can be refreshing.

i love this picture because it can have so many different meanings depending on the person viewing it.

when i look at this image i think about the feeling of being stuck in the present day2day rountine 

vs. the bigger picture in life. but that's just me!

trapped vs. being free

short term goals vs. long term goals

hard work & then the reward...

just a little food for thought ;)
enjoy your weekend!