Happy Saturday!

This morning I had big plans to sleep in. And when I say sleep in that means about 9 or 9:30 in this house. As luck would have it, fighter jets decided to circle our neighborhood and "play" in the air for about 15 minutes and boy are those suckers loud.

But why is this Saturday happy?

Last night Dustin and I were able to go on a date. We rarely get to go anywhere together with out the girls so it was quite the treat. We went to see Harry Potter and I'll be honest, I dressed up a little.

See? Just a little.

The movie was amazing though. I'm sure some of you are thinking "Harry Potter? No. That's for kids." But it isn't! The theater was full of all ages and [fun fact] the first book was published when I was in 5th grade. True story. The story lines and creativity that the author displays in the books is phenomenal. If I could sit down and pick the brain of any author, she would be it! I would definitely recommend them if you are looking for a new series to read, and I have ALL the movies if you want to borrow them. ;)

I am going to reread the series again pretty soon here and I'm looking for to it.

J.K. Rowling: Thanks for teaching me to imagine again. It's been a good decade.

It Starts...

Today I am starting a modified version of the Paleo diet. I am hoping that it will bring back my love for lean meats and veggies and wean me off of carbs. I plan to still eat carbs, and continue to eat carbs after the diet, but I need to focus on getting other food as well. I'm hoping this will also help me lose some weight. I have been stuck at the same weight for MONTHS now. I'm talking... more then half a year. I work out three to four times a week so it has been pretty discouraging.

My first goal is to lose 5 pounds before July 30th, and I think just with a drop in carbs and an uptake in water, that is possible. Baby steps. My ultimate goal is 20 pounds, but I'm not setting any time limits because I want to have patience.

If you have an advice or good recipe blogs, let me know!

:: raises glass of water ::

Is this thing on?

July is probably our busiest month of the summer, so that is why my blog may seem neglected. We have had BBQs and days at the lake. We spend our days outside swimming and sunning, and the Nook has been getting lots of use. In just over a week starts the local 4H fair, which is one of the largest in the country, and we already have two nights planned to be there. The weekend after that we leave for vacation. Where are we going you ask?

And yes, that is the beach right on the other side of it. When I stand on the beach and look back, I'll see this.



We also have a pool and hot tub



A nice kitchen



And entertainment...

There are also 8 bedrooms and 6 bathrooms. There are beach chairs, game systems, kids stuff, and even a huge sandbox underneath the house. There will be 22 of us going and I have been looking forward to this since we booked it this past Winter. Now on to making myself look good in a bathing suit...

31 Days of Photos

I am doing this Photo challenge on FB, and I guess here too. :) I don't think I'll update every day like I will there, but I might include them in other posts or post my favorites.

So today's... who in their right mind asks a girl to pick ONE pair of favorite shoes? I think if you met me in person and got to know me, you would be shocked when you walking into my closet and saw my shoes. I have a lot of shoes, A LOT. And the majority of them are heels. So I couldn't possibly pick my favorite, so here are a few. I wear flip flops when I'm out with the girls, but for nights out or at church, I love to wear my heels. I like feeling tall. :)

Photography

See that over there? That is a POLL.

I know I have been vague about this photography thing and more of just "plugging" it. I think it is time I went a little deeper.

I have spent almost two years practicing, researching, and studying photography. I think that the beginning of a photography comes from a natural skill, something deep within you that knows just the right pose or that creative angle. You have to have it. But there is also skill building after that, which is what I've done. I had family and friends constantly encouraging me to taking it further that just my own girls and free sessions for friends. I decided that this summer would be THE summer.

I started a blog and a FB page, and have been working on my portfolio. The natural name for a photography business seems to be after the name of the photographer. I have a very common name, especially in my town. I changed it up a little with J.Miller Photography.

As I was building my portfolio I noticed that there is one specific door downtown that I am pulled to doing shoots. A simple, red door that I think might lead to an insurance agency, but I'm not sure. Here is a picture taken with that door, and I hope that there are many more to come!

The Sugar & Spice idea came from the fact that I have two girls and they pretty much define me most of the time. It is hard to remember that I am not only a mom 24/7. I have interests and passions and I matter. It is a cute name idea though.