new camera!

After using my trusty little Sony Cybershot for four years, I finally decided that it was time to upgrade to a DSLR. I've been talking about it all year, but this weekend I finally broke down and bought myself a proper camera.

Meet Vera, my brand new Nikon D3100! I've already taken her on a few photography outings, and I think I'm in love. ♥


Expect lots of picture-laden posts later this week!

recent life in instagram

Life has been busy lately, so all you get today are instagram photos. :)









1. new OPI nail polish (50% off!!)
2. fancy cocktails at Whiskey Cake (highly recommended)
3. Yogurtland date with mister
4. my favorite beer
5. new brushes (sorely needed)
6. new Steve Madden sandals (50% off!!)
7. first Polk-A-Dot Bakery experience (yummy raspberry/cream cheese pastry)

bookstore photo shoot

The other day I was in need of cheering-up, so I had the husband meet me after work at used bookstore for a silly photo shoot. There's nothing like a little silliness to bright up one's day.







We definitely got a lot of nasty looks from the blue-haired woman in the sci-fi section next to us. She was taking her shopping very seriously.

But, don't worry - we put all the books back in alphabetical order.

wide angle lens

I'm getting a little more adventurous with my photography lately. I even added a (gasp) wide angle lens to the mix! The lens actually belongs to Corban, but I am, ahem, borrowing it for the time being.

Thanks, babe. :)

We took the following photos when we went to Austin over a month ago. Least dedicated photographer of all time. Sigh.






Hopefully my photog skillz will continue to improve. Until then...

Fun with the AE-1

Nice Texas weather = busting out the AE-1. My friends have been good sports letting me steal their souls with my vintage camera.

chillin at The Saucer

beers in the park

I'm still learning how to use this monster, but I'm getting better. I now know to pay more attention to the film speed because some really cool shots got ruined by being way washed out. :(

I can't wait to take the camera to the Rangers Opening Day. My soul collection's gonna be huge!

Snow Day Photos

Remember when I promised to share photos from my film camera snowy day adventure? Despite having to drive 15 miles to the closest camera shop that could decently develop my film (yes, I live in Dallas, the thriving metropolis of opportunity), I am here to make good! Disclaimer: this was my first outing with a manual film camera, I am simply proud that these photos are viewable at all.

(this was a (adorable) test shot...the aperture is obviously way off)

Did you notice that last photo? Do you see how delicious that pizza looks? Yes, that is Pastazios pizza, and it is awesome. If anyone is ever visiting Dallas and is in need of delicious pizza, this is where you should go.

Anyway, I'm pretty happy with how these came out. The camera was super fun to use, and now that I know that it still works, I think I'm going to try to take it out more often. If anyone has experience using vintage film cameras, I would love any advice you could give!

Dialect Meme

I decided to jump on the bandwagon and film my own version of the dialect meme that you've all probably seen going around. I studied linguistics in college and English dialects (micro dialects in particular) are completely fascinating to me. I would still love to get my masters in some kind of linguistic study.

Anyway, here's my video. Please ignore my makeup-less, frizzy-haired appearance. Corban and I just got in from playing in the snow.

Say these words:
Aunt, Route, Wash, Oil, Theater, Iron, Salmon, Caramel, Fire, Water, Sure, Data, Ruin, Crayon, Toilet, New Orleans, Pecan, Both, Again, Probably, Spitting image, Alabama, Lawyer, Coupon, Mayonnaise, Syrup, Pajamas, Caught
Now answer these questions:
What is it called when you throw toilet paper on a house?
What is the bug that when you touch it, it curls into a ball?
What is the bubbly carbonated drink called?
What do you call gym shoes?
What do you say to address a group of people?
What do you call the kind of spider that has an oval-shaped body and extremely long legs?
What do you call your grandparents?
What do you call the wheeled contraption in which you carry groceries at the supermarket?
What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining?
What is the thing you change the TV channel with?

Wow, I knew that I had an accent, but there it is in full force. I tried not to "refine" my speech as I often do when I am being recorded or meeting new people. I'm a southern girl and proud of it. Also, I definitely could not figure out where the "stop" button was for a moment. As you can plainly hear, my cat got the last word...as she always does.

I tried out my dad's old 1980-something Canon AE-1 while Corban and I enjoyed the winter wonderland...hopefully at least a few of the photos turned out and I will be able to post them in a week or so. :)

It's Me and the Moon

Just finished my first sewing project in over ten years, with great success. Now to make it little brothers and sisters.

I don't usually have many good things to say about Denton, but I have to admit that I love the UNT campus in the fall. The well-known mile-long walk from my car to class has beautiful vegetation and can be a real pleasure when the weather is nice.

The one thing I will miss about Denton.