5 Moments I am Proud of!

Posted on May 29, 2012 by Jamie

I know I already wrote a blog post for the day until I ran across this weeks “Moment’s That Define Life” meme post.  Every week, she does listable life in which you can choose one out of 3 categories of lists you can partake in.  This week’s option of “5 Moment You are Proud of.” I just couldn’t pass up!

So… here goes:

1) Graduating College

Both of my parents never graduated from college nor did my brother.  Although, I am proud of both my mom and brother because they are both working towards their college degree now =) But, when I went over 10 years ago no one in my immediate family had gone and graduated.  It was one of those moments in life where I wanted the degree to say, “yes, I did it.” And I did.

Now, the only thing is that I wish I would have thought through my career avenues a little more thoroughly 😉 But I have the degree, and that’s what matters!

2) That Moment in Time when I knew the career path I was down was no longer the right one for me

Imagine working for a place for 13  years.  The past 6 years you were working up the corporate ladder.  But when you got a high enough distance and saw the entire picture you recognized right then and there it wasn’t where you were suppose to be.  Now imagine that, and having to admit it to yourself, and then find the courage to actually leave it.

I did that.  Sure, I miss the money, but the fact of not having to work holidays and to have my weekends off, so much has lifted off my shoulders, and I have come to appreciate life so much more!

3) My Photography

That moment of when things just started coming easy for you.  That moment when you find enjoyment after years of looking for that one hobby, and nothing sticks.  That moment when you start to look at the world through your lens.  That moment has become my life.  I rarely go anywhere without my camera in tow.  I have it with me to capture what is all around me.  The picture above was taken the first time I was driven across the Vincent Thomas bridge in Los Angeles which would eventually become my new home.  I haven’t been able to replicate this picture since.

4) My trip alone to Washington DC

If I haven’t said this, I will now.  I believe EVERY person should travel alone at least once in their life.  They should take a trip they have always dreamed of on their own.  In this trip they are allowed to see everything they want, and to appreciate the city they’ve dreamed about for all that it is.  I will never forget my trip to Washington DC nearly two years ago on 4th of July weekend.  It was a true reminder of the freedom and independence all of us have been given in the US.

5) My writing!

It signifies a lot in my life.  My writing, one of my passions, and how I truly put myself out there.  Because of putting myself out there, the amazing opportunities that have come my way.  It’s a lesson learned that if you put the work in towards what you want, it will eventually come your way.  I am so proud of my writing, and my blog, and look forward to seeing where it will take me next.

A big thanks to “Moments that Define Life” for this fun link up every Tuesday =)

 

 

 


Categories: Life | Tags: , , , | 27 Comments

My New Love of Hats!

Posted on May 28, 2012 by Jamie

Want in on a secret? I use to hate wearing hats.  I’d never wear them in Minnesota.  I thought I looked horrible in them…..

until I got to California… all of a sudden, it became an obsession…. sooo, here are some pics below…. what are your thoughts?

The hat obsession started with my SO.  He wore them all the time.  I took his hat home with me, and since then I learned that I didn’t look half bad in hats.  I took his everyday guy hat, added a flower, and made it work for me:

This was the hat that turned me into a believer.  But when I got to California I began to notice all the different styles of hats in stores.  I especially loved looking for the homemade hats in the boutique stores around the beach… Here were some of my finds:

I also happen to have a similar hat to the green one above.  I couldn’t decide between this and a blue and red, so what did I do? I got both 😉

And of course, we can’t forget about the hat for when I go home during the winter 😉

Photo Credit: David Smith, he was my lovely photographer for the evening.  I thank him a millions!

So what’s the verdict? Do hats work on me? Do you have a favorite?  And if you know of any amazing hat vendors please let me know so I can check them out especially if they’re in California!


Categories: Life, Photography | Tags: , , , | 7 Comments

A night of the Solar Eclipse!

Posted on May 27, 2012 by Jamie

Wow, the Solar Eclipse was hard to capture.  In the beginning because of the brightness of the sun all the captures my SO and I could get looked like this:

In the two pictures above the moon was just a small sliver of the sun… but then, as the fogged rolled in more, and the sun appeared smaller and smaller as the moon took over… we were finally able to capture what was happening:

This Solar Eclipse was truly memorable for me because I honestly it’s the first one where I could see the entire thing through.  Back in middle school we were shown how to create the pin hole boxes to protect your eye sight during the solar eclipse, but I don’t actually recall seeing it as it happened.  So, for me, this was my first documented solar eclipse to date.

It is said that this will be the last solar eclipse seen by Los Angeleno’s until 2071!  So I was truly grateful for this experience, although bummed about the fog rolling in, it actually helped in order to capture the eclipse with our camera’s.  It was pretty neat seeing all the high end telescopes that could truly capture the beauty of the eclipse.  But in the end, we’re quite pleased with how we captured it ourselves.

For those that didn’t get to see it this year because of clouds I hope you enjoy my pictures.  The solar eclipse took place on Sunday, May 20th from 5:24pm to 7:43pm PST time.

 


Categories: Photography | Tags: , , , | 9 Comments