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{thirsty thursday} — “vitamix breakfast cookies” and another vitamix smoothie

29 Nov

these are always always always a hit.  i’m not much of a baker, but when i find something that is easy to make and that people like, i try to create it into my own.  i have yet to quite create the perfect consistency for these {i’m a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to anything i make or do}, but i do think i found the right name for them.  the ingredients are so simple and healthy that you could literally eat them for breakfast – and not feel at all guilty about it!! they are also great for holiday parties or after school snacks. a good source of dietary fiber and protein as well as healthy fats. Continue reading →

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{whatever wednesday} — singer/songwriter/producer and actor/model/gentleman, david homyk

28 Nov

when i first moved to new york, i took whatever kind of work i could find. i freelanced for the first 6 months, it was kind of scary.  most of it didn’t pay that well, but it allowed me to get out and meet the coolest people and i got to fotograph some gorgeous ones!  david homyk was no exception.

i had found an online magazine that needed editorial shots of this up-and-coming songwriter and producer.  the moment i contacted david, i knew there was something special about him.  a true gentleman with a sparkle in his eyes that would swoon anything with a pulse.  his music is catchy and fun and he writes all of his own songs! we met up in the meat packing district of manhattan’s lower west corner just before sunset and enjoyed an image-packed 3-hour romp with about 6 outfit changes.  i’m usually nervous when i shoot strangers {that’s always fun to say}, but david put me at ease immediately.  he’s a natural in front of the camera, as he’s modeled numerous times, and he even helped me with some ideas for “looks” he wanted and he thought the magazine could use.

this shoot was one of my most memorable and favourites to date.  david has since gone on to do amazing things with his career :  he’s been featured on the hit daytime show all my children, he continues to write and produce his own music, and i’ve caught him a couple times on the tyra banks show.  he’s done quite well for himself and i’m honored to have this wonderful collection of fotographs of him!

so i’m going to share them. try not to drool 😉 Continue reading →

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{travel tuesday} — “the old mill” : autumn in north carolina

27 Nov

a few years ago i visited my uncle in north carolina.  i am itching to go back. i hadn’t really been to that part of the country in a long time!  see, i was born in south carolina, if you can believe it.  didn’t stay there very long, but i still claim to be somewhat a southern belle 😉 at least – my manners and kind heart are still very southern.  but don’t be fooled, i’ll still get down and sassy with ya, i won’t deep fry butter, and you’ll never catch me in a pair of heels!

anyway, i’m sad to say i can’t remember exactly where this is located – i googled it, but can’t find it.  there are apparently lots of “old mills” in north carolina -hA! my aunt was super excited to show me this place – and with just cause!  it’s gorgeous!  i doubt the leaves are still this vivid in colour, but you never know; those east coast autumns can linger!

here are some of my favourite shots from “the old mill” {which is still operating!  – so cool!} :

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{foto friday} — a single gal’s thanksgiving dinner

23 Nov

as i mentioned yesterday, it was my birthday.  which means today i am officially 33 years old.

woot.

i was a slug all day, it was beautiful.  i did all the things on my list and even got to take a soothing hot bath last night.  i swear – some epsom salts and running hot water will cure what ails ya!  not that i was ailed, but i did work 7 days straight and sometimes it just feels amazing to soak your muscles and warm your bones… you know?!

anyway, my brother came over for dinner and all i did was heat it up – thanks to whole foods market and their pre-made thanksgiving platter for one. i grabbed two of them and put it all in a baking dish :

all the fixins’ were there.  i made the yam myself, i have to have them included in my spread.

WFM also provided the delicious pumpkin pie, but i was too dazed at that point to mess with any foto equipment.  just know that every morsel was scrumptious!  every bite was divine. and since neither of us finished our plates, i have unexpected leftovers!

i’m so thankful for all the delicious food i get to experience every day.  i’m beyond thankful for that, actually.  i feel so connected to the food i eat, i just feel so blessed to have access to it.  i’m thankful for a kind heart, a sound mind, good judgement, a healthy body, a handful of loving friends and family, sweet cats, a caring roommate, and “enough” to get by…

and last night, for my first order of 33-year old business, i meditated under the stars and sent some more healing love to the planet… ’cause we need it!

let the holidays officially begin!

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{thirsty thursday} — happy thanksbirthday, to me!

22 Nov

it’s thanksgiving.  but more importantly, it’s on my birthday this year.

i have so much to be thankful for.  this has been an unbelievably transforming year for me, and i have much to reflect on and celebrate! i plan to take it easy and do whatever i want… and you can guarantee i’ll be EATING today!

here’s the menu : Continue reading →

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{whatever wednesday} — too soon?!

21 Nov

i put up a tree this year… my roommate and i decided to.

listen, i only have it up until like, january 2nd.  so i figure a good month or so is reasonable for an 11-year old faux fir to stand adorned in bulbs and glowing objects in honor of an outdated and consumer-driven holiday…

now if only the weather would mirror the season around here – it’s almost 70 degrees today!

oh, and today is my last day as a 32-year old.  33 is going to kick so much ass, and so is all the food i plan on thankfully consuming tomorrow 🙂

happy holidays, ya’ll!

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{foto friday} – love is always the appropriate reaction

16 Nov

i feel like KISSing today.  Keeping It Seriously Simple.

i have a long weekend and week ahead of me.  i am working straight through to my birthday, which coincidentally happens to be on thanksgiving this year.  i plan to cook a feast for myself and meditate under my stars all night.  i’m kind of weird… even though i work in the public and enjoy helping others, i’m actually quite a loner and am extremely introverted… so it’s totally okay 🙂

anyway… i feel really good lately and even though this is true, i do realize not everyone is so “zen” during the holidays, and therefore i’m trying to remember this simple truth over the next week :

i saw this on a building once when strolling through the lower east side of manhattan.  i obviously had to take a picture.  two days later i walked that same block and it had been painted over.  i still have it as my screen saver on my phone and i try to live by this rule every day.  it’s such a simple truth, and i find that when i react to situations with love, with only the highest version of myself, things are just better. the world needs more love.  it’s part of our “job” here, to spread the love that we ARE… in fact, it’s the only reason we are here.

oNeLoVe.

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{thirsty thursday} — mini-eggs florentine w/ a twist and my first vitamix smoothie!!

15 Nov

i’m really pleased with how cute and delicious these little treats turned out.

half the time i plan my meals and half the time i wing it with stuff i have around the kitchen.  only on occasion has that not worked out for me.  my roommate usually eats whatever i make anyway because he’s a wonderful guy, but there have been some creations even i had to pass up because it just didn’t turn out good.  haha – but i grab a spatula, put the apron back on anyway and try again 🙂

this time, it turned out brilliant.  didn’t see how it wouldn’t, either.  when you start with a basic classically good recipe, you can pretty much bet it’ll taste terrific.  these were no exception.

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{whatever wednesday} — batch cooking

14 Nov

okay…

this week has been epic for me.  why? you ask… well, i’ll sum it up in my usual cryptic style :

i’m transforming and it’s really kind of kicking my ass. and as some of you may know, i’m a huge astrology buff, and boy is there some major stuff going on up in those beautiful stars… and it’s totally changing my life!  good stuff, but also a lot of purging.  i’ve been meditating longer than normal, and it actually takes a lot out of me, physically.  which is fine because i’m manifesting some BIG changes that need to occur.  i started to blog about it and realized it was a little heavy for some… so maybe i’ll open those doors again later, but for now we’ll stick to the basics – food and fotos. meanwhile, i’ll continue to lovingly work on this planet from behind the scenes…

you’re welcome.

so, having said all that – i bought a car recently and that means reconfiguring my food budget a little.  it’s a good thing, because it kind of forces me to do what i always said i liked doing anyway… batch cooking ahead of time and packing my lunch for work 4-5 days a week.  it’s so easy to spend 5, 10, 15 dollars a day at work just buying food on-the-go and i’ve found i spend half my breaks just buying food.  so, why not plan ahead, save some money, AND save time in the long run… you know how we roll here at food and foto, we KISS – Keep It Seriously Simple.

i’ll just give myself 3-4 hours on my day off in the kitchen and just work my pots and pans out!  i throw on some music or some bad TV in the background, pour a mimosa, and plan my meals for the week.

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{travel tuesday} — my most recent visit to new york

13 Nov

i visited new york last month for the first time since i moved…

it was surreal… that’s one word for it.  i didn’t really bust out the camera too much… just really “took fotos with my  mind” as i like to say… captured memories by breathing it all in.  sometimes a picture doesn’t really do it… that’s coming from a photographer!!  haha.

new york is a million and a half wonderful things.  but i realized this time that it has now become a place for me to visit.  there will always be a piece of my soul in new york city, but i can confidently close the chapter now and no longer wonder if i made the right decision to leave.  i loved every second of my experience living in manhattan, but i left when it was the right time and everything is as it should be {like always, right?!}.  i have to say, it’s a good feeling to know that in my heart, now.

so, here are a few shots i managed to grab while out wandering the city… i only took about 50 pictures all weekend!  so weird, so not normal.

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{foto friday} — some colorado sunrises

2 Nov

the sky in colorado is seriously off the hook!  and during this time, for about the next 6 months, it intensifies!  it happens every year and there is some scientific reason as to why, but all i know is – every day for 4 months before i began this blog in april – i got up every morning and photographed the sunrise from my bedroom window.  the only reason i stopped was because the sun moved out of my view and frame, eventually… but somehow it’s back again, so i may try something new this time – especially since i work nights and i ain’t gettin’ up at no 6 a.m. to snap a photo, sorry. 😉

have a great weekend, ya’ll!

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{travel tuesday} — i recall… central park and fall…

30 Oct

it’s really hard to imagine new york city under water right now.  the subway is shutdown, 1.5 million people without power – my former roommate included. I WAS JUST IN NEW YORK LAST WEEKEND!!!  i’m so glad i dodged the bullet that is frankenstorm.  my heart goes out to all of those who are struggling from the effects of this monstrous event.  of course, i’ll always think of new york when i think of the east coast.

last night, i was watching the david letterman show and as he was listing the “top ten rejected frankenstorm names” i began to wonder why no one was laughing… “too soon?!”, i thought… but then i realized that no one was in the audience, and he was recording anyway. jimmy fallon did the same thing.

here is a little article about it – classic.

so here’s what central park would probably look like in the next couple weeks, if the rain hasn’t totally bogged it down…

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{foto friday} — a perfect autumn wedding

26 Oct

i told you how i fotographed a wedding a couple weekends ago, right?!  well, i’m still processing the 1300 raw images i shot, but i wanted to share a few of my favourites for foto friday.  i am beyond blessed to have met this woman. she is a soul sister and i immediately knew when we met that we were going to be close friends.  it can be a little nerve-wracking to mix business with pleasure, but i have found i work better when fotographing events for people i know.  in this case it was beyond easy.  first of all, the bride is STUNNING!  she looked like an egyptian goddess this day.  and she just put me at ease.  the entire wedding was basically HAND MADE from the flowers to the cake to the beer.  hosted in coal creek canyon’s eldora lodge – complete with crackling fireplace, snowfall, hot tubs, an incredible host staff, and tons of love and laughter.  i have never been to such a wedding.  i will never forget this day, it was so special to me in a very unique way…

so, here are a few of my favourite images.

i did mention how it rained like, 4 times that day?! i’ll share the shots i was able to snag in good light! 🙂

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{travel tuesday} — ttfn, NYC

23 Oct

see you later, new york… you sexy little crazy wild and hardcore vixen, you.

until next time… xxoo

 

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{thirsty thursday} — pasta primavera w/ a local oktoberfest lager

18 Oct

if you’ve been a reader for a bit, you probably know by now that i do not often cook pasta.  i am getting better, but for the longest time it just seemed like i couldn’t make a decent pasta dish to save my life.

mostly, i just throw together stuff in my fridge and call it a “primavera” — and i’ve been on this kick where i just make my own sauce fresh every time i make a pasta dish or spaghetti squash dish.  i’m all about things in one pan… make it easy! Continue reading →

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{whatever wednesday} — a gentle reminder…

17 Oct

a sweet message from my morning yogi tea – “let your heart guide you”  — and this is why i drink yogi tea… it tastes amazing, they use organic ingredients, AND – they leave you little reminders for your spirit.

i am especially grateful for my morning tea today… and for all the love the universe showers me with.  sometimes it’s hard to hear/feel your heart clearly speak to you amidst all the noise of every day life.  but if you quiet the mind, and {as my spiritual guru would say} crack that chest open and inhale – it’s amazing how much love will flow right through you.  i’m not saying it’s easy, i’m saying it takes lots of practice.  the heart is the 4th chakra, right smack in the middle.  it is the most neutral of our chakras.  it is neutral because it has no opinion, it just is.  the heart is the center, and it only knows love – and love has no opposite, it just IS.  it accepts, it forgives, it doesn’t hold on, and it is free. so be good to you heart, and listen to it more – tell the brain to take the backseat… your heart got this!

and i – i believe in the power of love.

and ya’ll should, too! because… we ARE love.

oNeLoVe

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{travel tuesday} — colourful new york in autumn

16 Oct

i’m visiting NYC in three days… and i actually kind of got a little nervous.  for real legitimately nervous… what?!  i lived in manhattan for 3 glorious years, and i ran the LES.  why am i nervous?!  it’s like i’m going to rekindle a former relationship or something.  haha

i’m definitely bringing my camera with me, and although i won’t get up to bear mountain park {where these images were taken}, i do hope to catch a glimse of a few of these colours throughout central park or the like.

for now, i’ll share these with you… oh how i love the autumn!

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{foto friday – seven different kinds of squash}

12 Oct

it’s that time of year.

my goodness do i love autumn!  the leaves, the brisk air, the campfire nights, the comfort foods… i mean, i guess most people don’t consider squash a “comfort food” – but isn’t it, though?!  i mean… in my opinion, if you put something in the oven, it’s comfort food.  haha!  mostly i just mean i think of the aroma that roasting squash in the oven creates in your home… it just screams AUTUMN and COMFORT!

anyway, squash was on sale and i bought all kinds of it.  i wanted to try some varieties i had never tried before.  a few of my favs were in the mix, but i also came out with some i never tasted and i am excited to! Continue reading →

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{travel tuesday} – the new york comic con

9 Oct

i have a very dedicated follower of the blog and of my work – i am proud to call him a friend.  anthony is a native new yorker and when i lived in the city, he’d always show me the best and most authentic hidden parts of that huge playground.  anthony always knew {and knows} about the coolest things to do in the city – it seems he always has tickets to the best stuff, too!

a couple years ago, anthony had an extra ticket to the new york comic con… and he was generous to share it with me.  i had never heard of it, but once i found out what the event was all about, my camera and i got super excited. the javits center was no stranger to me… i had been there a few times for photo events…once for the PDN expo in 2008.  the building alone is cool to visit – when they have events inside, as they typically do, it’s even cooler 🙂

i had a friend at the time that was/is an outstanding illustrator.  you can see his work here.  i plan to hire him if/when i do a childrens book… he is so incredibly talented.  he was an artist at comic con that year… i’m so glad i got to go!  it was really fun.

this year, the NYC comic con is this weekend – October 11-14. so in honor of that, here are some fotos i took when i attended this famous event.

this one’s for you, anthony 🙂 Continue reading →

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{travel tuesday} — a trip up first avenue and down memory lane…

2 Oct

i moved to New York exactly 4 years ago almost to date.  i pulled up to the corner of 20th and 1st on a sunny and brisk October 1st afternoon.

in honor of those first memories – which i will never forget – i decided to share these first ever fotos i took in new york.

🙂

i’m pretty sure this was literally the first foto i took when i moved into my new apartment… i was so excited to see flowers and a guy with a dog!  it was as if i had some idea that my apartment would be in a weird part of town or something… and it was quite the contrary. see, i actually never saw my apartment until i moved there.  a friend visited it for me and sent fotos, but that was it.  i was so grateful to have lived in stuyvesant town when i lived in new york.  BLESSED, really… xxoo Continue reading →

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