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Thursday, February 28, 2013

One week down!

Well, today was Day 4 on the new job, and i am amazed that it already has gotten so much easier. It was never awful or anything, of course not! But i think you could tell from my last post that i was a little overwhelmed. That I had no idea what to do or how to do it! 

I knew that's how it would be... it just kind of comes with the territory with a new place of employment. But it still kinda had me freaked out for an evening or two! Thanks SO much for all your comments on that last post, because MAN! You all totally understood, and reassured me that it would get easier! Or sympathized with the dreaded adjustment period at a new job. So thank you!! :) 

So yeah - Monday & Tuesday, i felt pretty lost. Overwhelmed. And like, "I know i should be doing SOMETHING! I just don't know WHAT! Or how!" 

But Wednesday & Thursday were better. A lot better. Got some stuff figured out, got trained on a few things, and got to work! My boss, the photographer, was on location for most of both days, so i didn't get to see him much. But he'll be there tomorrow & hopefully will see that i am learning! We're having a staff meeting tomorrow at 9 am. And that'll be good, too.

WHAT I LOVE MOST ABOUT MY NEW JOB!
{in no particular order!}

1. It's fun. I mean... we talk about wedding pictures all day. And baby pictures. And engagement ones. We laugh. We crack up. We joke around. There IS stress & seriousness, for SURE. I mean, it's a very busy business with much to be done! But there's a lot of fun things to talk about, too. 

2. I can wear whatever I want. I mean, honestly, if i wore pj pants, he probably wouldn't care! But i don't. ;) At my last place of employment, we had to wear black. ALL black, except for accessories. We couldn't wear flip flops. And there were other guidelines, too. None of those things matter here. And the one i am most happy about is that i don't have to wear black everyday. ENOUGH black already!!  It's fun to be able to wear what color i want, what brand of makeup i want, what products i want, & to CHEW GUM IF I WANT!

Geez.

3. I get a GIANT MAC COMPUTER! I didn't know i liked Macs. I've never used one before. It's taking some getting used to. But I LIKE IT!

4. Um, we have a DOG at the office! Lily is Aaron & Jency's dog. She's SO sweet. Her bark is a bit shrill, but thankfully she only does it when someone knocks on the door or she sees someone out the window. She is so soft & cute & i am glad she's there.


 5. There's a bit of drama that keeps things interesting. I don't mean bad drama. Well, i guess it is bad, but it's not coming from people that i work with! It's just funny, temporary drama. I probably shouldn't go into too much detail, but i'll just say this: 1 - PSYCHO NEIGHBOR! And 2 - a NOT clean or sober construction guy. They just provide a little entertainment, that's all!

6. Everyone is healthy! They bring their lunch! They eat salads and fish and fruit and nuts & drink lots of water! I am surrounded by healthy people! This is FABULOUS! (The boss & his wife are semi-vegans. The other two just seem to be pretty health-conscious. I can't have carbs & vegans definitely eat carbs, but i am not worried about eating their food! Just glad there's no fast food coming in the house! And almost no eating out going on! It's helpful for me!)

7. The number one thing i love about this job???? The PEOPLE! 
HAHAHA! I mean, THIS, y'all. THIS! 

That's Jency, Katie & Aaron. They are funny people. 

Aaron (the boss) with his parents. Sheila (his mom) is the office manager. She does the bookkeeping, assists on photo shoots & lots of other stuff! She is SO SWEET! 

A "normal" pic of Jency & Katie. :) 

(Katie is the editor on our team. Jency is Aaron's wife & does a LOT for the business! She also has her own acting gig going on.) Really really like these two!

LOVE THEM ALL! It's like a family already. So, yeah, I'm excited! 

Check out Eye Wander Photo!
the website
or on instagram: eyewanderphoto

He is passionate about what he does. Super creative. Love his work! And excited to be on the Eye Wander Photo team. Thanks again for all your well wishes!

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Just a little update!

As you probably are aware, I started a new job on Monday. I am very, very excited about it. I am working as an administrative assistant for one of my most favorite photographers, Aaron at Eye Wander Photo. (Pretty sure he is my top fave now. Since i work there. Probably a rule, or something. Which is no problem, because he's awesome.)

I've been there two days & I have a LOT to learn! But I am enjoying it so far. And i think it will only get better as time goes by.

There's Aaron, the owner. He is goofy, crazy, hilarious, friendly... and also a successful business owner. He is super talented. Very creative. His wife, Jency, is an actress, and she also teaches acting classes in the studio. She is so sweet - i hit it off with her right away. Love her! :) Then Sheila, Aaron's mom, who does the bookkeeping, assists with photo shoots, and a lot more. And Katie, who is his editor. I really like Sheila & Katie as well. Sheila is so nice! And Katie cracks me up. She is cute & has kind of a sarcastic sense of humor. Which i like.

And now? I have joined the Eye Wander Photo team! I am going to be doing a lot of what Aaron & his mom are doing already. Kind of taking a lot of that load off of them, hopefully! (That's the goal!)

There is also Lily. How could I forget Lily?! Lily is Aaron's dog. She is SO SWEET & i love her. :) 

Right now i am a bit overwhelmed. There is so much i just DO NOT KNOW. And i can't know unless someone shows me. And it's hard for Aaron to show me because he has SO MUCH going on. But hopefully we get it all straightened out so i can get some work done & free up Aaron's time so he can work on the creative aspect more & the administrative side a little less!

I am also getting used to this new schedule. And i think that has my extra stuff, like blogging, a little out of whack right now! But i'll get there! ;)

Some things i know for sure about the job: 

-I really, really like each person that is on the Eye Wander Photo team. Definite plus!

-Everyone eats there. Which helps me to pack a lunch & eat there instead of spending money or risking making poor food choices by going out all the time. 

-It's crazy. Hectic. And different every day. This is a good thing for me! (I like crazy, hectic, different-every-day type jobs!)

-I don't go in until 9:30 AM. I am REALLY LIKING having the extra time in the mornings! So far i have gotten up & taken my time in getting ready. I am still able to make myself breakfast & pack a lunch. I even am sometimes able to do a little cleaning (on Monday i did the dishes, today i did some laundry). This has never happened before, and i am often too tired to clean in the evenings after work! So this is a great thing!). However, i do need to start going to the gym before work. I just think there is no excuse to not go to the gym in the morning when you don't have to go in until 9:30! Also,

-The gym is exactly 2 miles from my new workplace. EXACTLY. 

So that's really all i can say right now! And if you think of it, please pray for me! I don't want to be a nuisance there! I want to learn things quickly. VERY quickly! So that Aaron doesn't have to spend too much time teaching me, and so i can just sort of take over the things that i need to take over. Right now i am slightly overwhelmed, and having to wait to do anything until i can get Aaron to show me how to do it - well... i'm over that! And I am sure he will be too, if he's not already!

Hope you are all having a good week! :) 

P.S. Check out this post on my friend Amy's blog. I am totally participating in this linkup. Check it out. :)

Monday, February 18, 2013

This Weekend, I... {v. 14}

This weekend, I went on a date with my love! 


This weekend, we saw Identity Thief.

It was pretty hilarious. But had a LOT of bad language. Just, FYI.

This weekend, we had hamburgers at Brewbacher's Grill. Because we were craving burgers & Brewbacher's does not disappoint! 


This weekend, we went to Barnes & Noble. I got a book called Far From Here. Good so far!


This weekend, I sang back-up at church... one of my favorite things. :) We sang a new song, Carry Your Name, by Christy Nockels. Great song! It was missions week, and a missionary that we support preached. He & his family are missionaries in Venezuela. 


 This weekend, I did a practice photo shoot on my friend, her son, her brother & her niece! Crazy! It was fun. And i was so glad to finally meet these little ones! :) I grew up in school with Cayla & her brother Cory. Anyway... i have tons to edit, but here's a shot of Cayla & her sweet Camdyn. He is a cutie pie!


It was a great weekend! How was yours?!

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Braised Cabbage with Sausage

Another recipe for you. And it's healthy too!

I recently found Melissa of Satisfying Eats. She has published a cookbook with all of her sugar-free & grain-free recipes... and they all have raving reviews! So far i have only made this one. I know CABBAGE seems like a strange one to go for FIRST, but i had a head of cabbage on hand. And sausage. So, it was only logical. 

If you hate cabbage, give it a chance? Maybe you just had it wrong? I always HATED cabbage until i had my mother-in-law's! It is delicious! And this recipe makes really yummy cabbage too! It's also quite possibly the easiest recipe EVER. :)

BRAISED CABBAGE with SAUSAGE

1 lb. smoked sausage, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 head of cabbage, roughly chopped
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons of butter
cajun seasoning*

In a large frying pan, brown sausage on medium heat on both sides for about 10 minutes.


After sausage is browned, add cabbage & water. 

 Well, first you have to chop your cabbage!


Cover and reduce heat slightly and cook for 10 minutes, stirring after 5 minutes. Check for desired doneness of cabbage. Add butter & seasons. 

 YUM! 

*cajun seasoning: Melissa has her own cajun seasoning, which is a mix of black pepper, sea salt, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, paprika & oregano! Let me know if you want the exact recipe, and i can email it to you! Otherwise, you can use Tony's or whatever cajun seasoning you have on hand. :)

Baked Spaghetti Squash & Cheese

Y'ALL. Ohmygoodness. 

I think it took me long enough to try spaghetti squash. It took so long because i could never FIND it! Maybe because i didn't know what i was looking for. Anyway, one day in Wal-Mart, i was passing through the produce section when i spotted it. I practically RAN to it, picked it up to make sure it was actually spaghetti squash, and not some other squash. And it was. SCORE! :) 

It is SO GOOD! It was definitely worth waiting for. I think it is my favorite veggie. Spaghetti Squash is often used in place of pasta. I was never a huge fan of pasta. I like it and all, but it's not one of my weaknesses. That being said - i actually PREFER spaghetti squash in place of pasta! And so does Brad!! He LOVED it! 

So here we go. My first try at Spaghetti Squash. 


Baked Spaghetti Squash & Cheese. 
  • 5 1/2 cups cooked spaghetti squash (from about 2 small)(Could have used 1)
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/4 cup minced onion
  • 1/4 cup flour (use 2 tbsp corn starch for gluten free)
  • 2 cups skim milk
  • 1 cup fat free chicken broth (vegetable broth for vegetarian)
  • 8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 4 cups (about 4 oz) baby spinach
  • 1/8 cup grated parmesan

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

2. Cut the squash lengthwise; remove & discard seeds. 

Um...this proved difficult. I had to get hubby to help & it wasn't easy for him either! 


Trying to find the right knife. Hahaha!

I mean, GAH! This part was NOT easy! But after that it was smooth sailing! ;)


2. Place squash on baking sheet. Bake until tender, about 1 hour. 


3. Separate the strands of squash & place in a medium bowl. Discard shells.



Honestly, it would be fine...just like this...with some olive oil, salt & pepper, maybe. But we kept going w/ the recipe. ;) 

4. Heat butter & oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions & cook about two minutes. Stir in flour. Reduce heat to low & cook, stirring continually, about 3-4 minutes. 

5. Add milk & chicken broth and continue whisking, raising heat to medium-high until it comes to a boil and becomes smooth and thick. Season with salt & pepper. 

 6. Once it becomes thick, remove from heat, add cheddar cheese, and mix well until cheese is melted. Adjust salt & pepper to taste. Add squash & spinach, and mix well.


7. Pour into a baking dish, and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top. 



8. Bake until bubbly and golden 25-30 minutes. 
 



This was an easy recipe, too. Once you get past actually cutting the spaghetti squash! But that may have been just us. HA! :) 

{DELISH!}

Friday, February 15, 2013

Pelicans at the LSU Lakes

There was a time where i went to the LSU lakes & took eight gazillion pictures of the egrets. I just became obsessed with those things, they're so elegant and interesting & it gave me something to practice my photography on. 

I had heard that pelicans came once a year, but hadn't seen them. 

Until this year. :) 

So i went & watched the pelicans & took some pictures.

A couple weeks ago, i went back. And they were still there! And i got some more good shots!

So forgive me if i am over-posting the pelicans. I just love them so. 


I don't believe I've ever seen people out in the water at the lakes. But...here they are!

It was such a beautiful day! 

I made my way over to the pelicans... 

Love how this black bird (not sure what he is) just chillin' like he is one of them! 

At one point, some college kids in a motor boat thought it'd be funny to get up real close to the pelicans to scare them away! RUDE! They all jumped & flew into the water! 
 


And then they just made their way to another little area of the lakes. 
 

 {Yeah, see those houses? People actually get to LIVE right here! Ahhhh!) 





Ha! Look at that big mouth! :)


A girl came & plopped near me in the grass... i fell in love with her dog. I kept trying to sneak a pic without her noticing. HA! 


Isn't her doggie beautiful!? I ended up talking to her & she let me take some pictures of him. He was so soft & sweet! His name is Ryder. 


Oh, hi, pelicans. Sorry to disturb!


I think I took a million shots of this guy. He was just asking for me to take his picture!

 The clouds were SPECTACULAR! This is not edited, y'all.

Shallow Depth of Field, yo. 

One of my favorite shots. It's like his portrait!

Such a beautiful day!



Random fact: See that house? It's the side of it. You're looking at the side of the house and that particular room is a sun room. I know this because once upon a time, i was a maid. And when i was a maid, I cleaned that house. The company always sent at least 2 of us because it was HUGE (much of it is covered by trees). It has an indoor pool!!! Which was the one room we didn't have to clean - thankfully! HA! ;) 

HOPE YOU ENJOYED! Have a great weekend!