"I Love" Sunday's v.70

Hello dearest Dreamers!!!

I hope this post finds you well.

I know that it has been a while since I've been on the blog, and there really isn't much of an excuse other then my fibromyalgia has been kicking me in the butt. I am going to cover the last two weeks for things that I love since I've been absent.

** We had another show on the 20th, this time in Wilmington. It was at a small hole in the wall pub and there was a small crowd. I am still really proud of the guys and how they handled the evening (it was kind of a nightmare) and they did a great job. I got some great pictures, which you can check out here.

** For these last two weeks, I've done my best to bring in lunch for Lee and I on days that we're both available. It's nice to spend the time together and not spend extra money. It's been as simple as soup and ramen and we've also had taquito's, left overs from the night before, and sometimes I just show up and hang out with him on his break.

** I finally got my desk area set up a little better, and I am loving it! I picked up a converter cable to connect my extra monitor to my laptop so I can better multitask. It makes editing photos a lot easier as well as listen/watch videos while I am working on other things. It's also been super helpful while working on my scrap journal this week. I'm really excited to have a better workspace, and there is a blog post or video coming up on my desk here soon!

** I had my first two group therapy appointments with the VA and I am kind of digging it. It's nice to be around other women veterans with similar issues to me and have things to talk about. Sadly they only meet Thursday mornings and throughout all of June I will be at class during these appointments. Thankfully she is going to make sure she has extra handouts from the sessions available for me to pick up after school every week. 

** Speaking of school stuff, I had a meeting with the Veterans Assistance lady through Fort Bragg and she actually told us a bunch of useful information. This prompted me to go get my student ID, my parking permit, I am going to get my school books tomorrow, I also got into my school email and have been in touch with my Math teacher already,w which has been super helpful. 

** We finally got Lee a dresser for his clothes, which has been a huge help because the drawers in the dresser that Amy gave me aren't deep enough for us to continue sharing a single dresser. It was delivered on the 20th and he couldn't be more stoked. I am pretty excited for him to have his own space as well. It's actually part of the set that matches the bed and my nightstand. I was definitely kicking myself for not picking up the dresser in the first place.

** We had a family fun night this past Wednesday. We decided to go to the local skating rink and we had an absolute blast. Mem fell the most out of us all, Lee only fell once for someone who hasn't skated ever, and I managed to stay on my feet the whole time. Amy used to figure skate so she was showing off the whole time. We had a great time though and we made the decision to make Wednesday's family night.

**  Friday was my friend's birthday party. We all went out to dinner and we had a blast. Nugget is one of my favorite people at work and we spent the whole night laughing and being silly.

** Lee and I actually got to spend the whole weekend together, which we've only done probably one other time.

** We spent Saturday in Raleigh together. We had to take our friend to the airport, so we decided to spend part of the day there. Lee got to go to his favorite drum shop, introduced him to Steak and Shake as well as Sam Ash, and we also went to Guitar Center. I took him to Steak and Shake and he loved it and we also went to their Micheal's. It was just nice to spend the day together doing stuff. We also watched Zootopia yesterday evening. And we both called our parents ((hi Mom))

** Today has been a very lazy day for us both. We left long enough to go to Walmart for some hygiene stuff (I've had this cold sore for about a week and it's annoying me) and check out Hot Topic's Memorial Day sale. He also took me to our Michaels to look for some new alpha stickers. I've spent a good portion of the day working on my scrap journal. He's played his current favorite video game for most of the day. It's been nice to spend the day together doing nothing, in our pajama's.

.: Little Loves :.

|| Oreo Milkshakes | our friends | Mountain Dew Pitch Black | Papermate Flair pens | YouTube | planning | making dinner ||

What are you loving from this past week or two?

"I Love" Sunday's v.65

Happy Sunday dearest friends

I hope that this post finds you well! I can't believe that I missed out on last week's post, but I was at work most of Sunday and was busy for the rest of the day. It's a sad excuse, I know.

** I worked a whole lot this week, at least 6 hours most every day of this week. This sucks, but it means I get paid more. I also got a decent amount in tips this week. They also put me on hot bar this week, which means that I got to learn how to actually make the hot drinks (they are easier then the cold bar drinks and more popular). Today was one of my coworkers last day, which totally bummed some of us out.

** Saw Batman vs. Superman this week (finally) and I have mixed feelings about the movie. It was interesting I guess... and Mem and I geeked out at certain parts, but it wasn't what I expected. I kind of like how dark Batman was in the movie though. That is all.

** Amy's best friend and her daughter drove down this week to surprise Mem, which worked quite well actually. On Wednesday and Thursday I got to take pictures of her daughter G, who is ridiculously gorgeous. I don't get to do this as often as I would like, so I jumped on the chance to take her photo's. Make sure you check out my Facebook page to see more photos of this gorgeous girl!

** I got a Toothless plush this week from Build-A-Bear, for which I am most excited. I have been wanting this plush since it came out around Valentine's Day, but I didn't get one before now. I finally decided to get one. 

** I participated in Day of the Life on Tuesday. I wish that I had done better with the project, but it was a busy day, so I didn't get as many pictures as I had wanted, but at least I remembered to do it. I'm working on a post to share that one with you sometime this week. I'll even show you how I documented it.

** I completed my first project as part of the Awesome Ladies Project Creative Team. I was a day late (family surprised us by coming in for Mem's Spring Break), but I had a lot of fun getting the project done! I'll share a post about my project later this week, but here is a look at what I did.

** Yesterday Lee and I were supposed to go to the beach, but the forecast called for rain, so we went to Raleigh instead. This is the first time we've both had an entire day off together. Usually one or both of us has to work. It was about an hour drive there, and the first thing we went looking for was the Art museum, which appeared to be closed. Then we headed to Crab Tree Valley Mall and we walked around. We got some lunch and looked at all the stores. I was very bummed when I realized that they had gotten rid of their Hot Topic in favor of some trendy store.... I've never seen a mall without a Hot Topic. They used to have a big one, bigger then the one where I live, so believe me, I was bummed. After that we both upgraded our phones, we both got the brand new iPhone 6SE- all the perks of the 6 but in the size of the 5, which means neither of us had to replace our Mophie charging cases. LOVE IT!

Then we left the mall to find 5112, a drum place that Lee geeked out about, and it was kind of like watching a child in a candy store, he was so excited and kind of all over the place. There was so much for him to take in. He ended up only buying a new set of drum sticks and a 5112 drum shirt.

After that we headed back to the mall to get some cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory, and then headed back home. He'd never had their cheesecake, and was supremely impressed when he tried it later on that night. Once we picked up the cheesecake, we drove back home. We dropped the cheesecake off, stopped by the Hot Topic in our mall, and then went and tried Chedders for dinner.

I am just astounded that not once did I take a picture to document our day. I'm kind of bummed.

** Today after work I came home to get some stuff done. I cleaned up the craft room from our impromptu shoot with Baby Girl. I did some chores in the kitchen, and baked chicken for dinner. I had the house to myself, so I was feeling productive.

I also got quite a bit done in getting caught up in my scrap journal. I am almost out of room, which means that there will most definitely be a video here soon!

Lee and I went to see London Has Fallen - AWESOME MOVIE! My favorite line - "What do they make you out of?" "Bourbon and Bad Choices"

.: Little Loves :.

|| Jack & Coke | friends | photography | Rock covers of good songs | Cheesecake | my new phone | friends at work | flannel shirts | time with the boyfriend ||

What are you loving from this past week?

Did you know I am also a Photographer?

Hello my dearest friends.

Ever since moving back to the States, I have wanted to focus heavily on my photography business. I keep separate social media accounts for my blog, photography business, and personal stuff. This got me thinking.... do you guys know that I am actually a photographer as well?

Photography has been a hobby of mine since I was a young child. I think we can thank my father for that ((Mom: If you're reading this... tell Dad I said thanks)). Since 2012 I have been working to share my passion for photography with whoever I can. My goal is to share what I see through my lens with people!

I do several types of photography. 

* Military Specific: Promotions, Awards, Retirements, unit activities, etc. I've also done several foldings of our nations flag, a Reserve Unit's drill weekend and family day event, and a Last Flight of a Chief Warrant Officer 4 Pilot who served 20+ years in the US Army. 

* Seniors: High school seniors and I would love to include college seniors. My younger brother was a most willing subject for the first go at Senior photography. I would also be willing to take photos of graduation ceremonies as well.

* Fundraising Events: I love doing Hope Sessions for Relay for Life. Half of the proceeds from both the session fee and ordering fees go to the American Cancer Society. This lovely couple were the people in charge of starting and running our Relay for Life when I was stationed in Germany.

* Travel: This is more for my own amusement, but I am interested in selling prints. This is Repunzel's tower on the grounds of the Ludwigsburg Palace in Ludwigsburg, Germany.

* Lifestyle: I have only done one session that falls into this category, but I really enjoyed doing it and want to do more like it! This kid has to be one of the cutest kids I know. I miss him tons!

* Best Friends: Again, I've only done one of these sessions but we had an absolute blast!

* Sports: Right now I've only photographed Softball, but I would love to expand to other sports.

Looking for: couple specific photography, individual sessions, and am looking into boudoir photography. I want to help women feel beautiful in their skin, despite their size compared to America's version of beautiful (I think it's a crock of poop), having had children, or anything else that might make them feel like they aren't beautiful. I am also looking for businesses that need photographs of their products for their own social media or product guides.

For all my geeks out there: I am looking to do cosplay sessions as well as work at conventions if possible.

Although I live in North Carolina, I am more then willing to travel for sessions for an additional fee. 

Please check out all of my links to see more of my work and my website to see my prices. If you have any questions, please let me know. 

|| Website | Facebook Page | Instagram | Old Blog ||

25 Before 25

So I am a little bit behind on this, but seeing as how I have only been 24 since November... but I like challenges! (Like I don't have enough stuff going on....)

1. Get settled // I really just need to get settled in a place. My household goods have arrived from Germany, which is good to know. However, I really need to get this job situation settled to make sure I can keep my current apartment. I need to get actual stuff for a house (couches and tables and what not). It's all stressing me out.

2. 10 new recipes // I really like to cook, and now that I have the ability to do so, I really need to start trying new recipes and expanding on my personal recipe book. I can bake chicken (tonight we're trying something new and marinating the chicken before baking it - I usually rub seasonings on it). Amy (the lovely woman I am living with until my stuff gets in) says I can experiment any time that I want to). Even once I get settled in my apartment, we still live in the same complex, so we can continue hanging out together.

3. 25 new books // I love to read but have been slacking lately. I've been reading tons of blogs, but not enough books. I need to expand my book collection (digital or hard copy).

4. 10 college classes // I told you guys that I will be starting school here soon. I am just waiting on my high school transcripts and a transfer credit evaluation as well as waiting for the next class opening. I'm hoping I can complete a lot of classes!

5. Grow my following // At least 100 followers on my Bloglovin', 150 Twitter followers, 400 Instagram followers, and 50 followers on my Facebook page. I also want to start a blog newsletter with at least 50 subscribers.

6. Travel somewhere new // I dunno where this might be, but I want to travel to some place I have never been, either a new city or a new state.

7. Attend a Blog Conference // Seems kind of simple, but I would love to attend a blogging conference and make new blog friends.

8. Attend MetroCon 2016 // This is the biggest Anime Convention in Tampa, Florida. I went a couple years ago and I would love to go again. My best friend wants to do some group cosplays that I would love to participate in!

9. Attend Mickey's Not So Spooky Halloween // I've heard nothing but good things about this event and it combines my two favorite things... Disney and Halloween! I have also been told you see more of Jack and Sally during this time.... which I would absolutely love!

10. Better define my blog style // I know that I am more of a Lifestyle blog that focuses on a few different topics (geek, spoonie life, recipes, crafts, DIY, and memory keeping) and I want to focus more on those topics. I want to build up the posts under these topics.

11. Sell some hand decorated inserts // I really enjoy the Travelers Notebook's and the community around these amazing little items. I want to sell some hand decorated inserts... at least 5!

12. Take part in a craft fair // My best friend Sarah and I used to go to craft fairs all the time to try to sell our handmade crafts. I'm hoping that we can do that again this year! We make a variety of crafts and you can check that out here.

13. Build up savings $2K // I had a good amount of money in my savings, but things kept coming up when I moved home, so the amount of money in my savings has been serious depleted. I really want to rebuild my savings to a comfortable amount.

14. Earn an income from my blog // This one is pretty self explanatory I think. I want to do sponsorship and advertising, and make this blog into a community. Eventually (probably not this year) I would like to move to blogging full time.

15. Make my own graphics // My father is a computer programer and he's pretty awesome at making pretty stuff. I want to learn how to make and code my own graphics and maybe even build a simple layout. I want to make my own graphics and maybe start selling some simple graphics.

16. Volunteer // Now that I am at a more permanent address, I want to find someplace to volunteer my time if possible. Either on base ( I'm near Fort Bragg ) or at least within the Fayetteville area.

17. 10 New Books // I want to read 10 new to me books. I love to read and I haven't been reading nearly as much as I have wanted too.

18. 10 New Movies // I also want to watch 10 new to me. Luckily there are a lot of new movies coming out in theater this year, although there are some movies that are already out or have been out that I can watch.

19. 5 sessions // I want to hose at least 5 separate sessions for my photography business. Since I am stateside now, I am more willing to travel to other cities or states to have some photography sessions. I can't wait to focus more on photography! If you're interested in my work, please let me know! I want to build my following on my photography business as well... which is going to be a lot of work. At least now I am stateside and can work on this!

20. Host or find a NC Blogger meet-up // I want to find other bloggers in my area that I can get to know and just talk with. Most of my favorite bloggers are well outside my state lines (some are in another country) and I would love to meet bloggers that are a little more local.

21. Build my stock photo collection // I am realizing how important stock photography is becoming for bloggers and I think that I could create my own stock photography collection. I might even offer them for a small fee or solely for my community here on the blog. We'll see what happens here!

22. Craft Space // I want to create a perfect for me craft space where I can do everything that I want too. You guys know that I have a varied craft interest (sewing, photography, drawing/ painting, memory keeping, crochet, tulle bows/ tutu's... etc) and I would love to have a dedicated space JUST to my craft stuff!

23. Halloween Party // Halloween is my favorite holiday (you guys should know this already) and I've always wanted to host a Halloween party for some of my closest friends. I am hoping that I can do that this year.

24. Eat healthier // I finally have a kitchen in which to cook... which means I want to eat out less and eat healthier. This kind of goes along with me wanting to make new recipes.

25. Get in shape //  This goes along with number 24... although there isn't really a final point to this goal like the others (no set number or what not). I just want to feel better in my own skin. I haven't worked out in a while because of my profile with the Army and I want to get back into that. Amy and I joined a gym before the new year and we are going to have to keep each other accountable, which I think will be really helpful!

Do you guys have any more goals with a specific time line?

Disney Trip 2015: Part 2

Hello and welcome back for part 2 of my Disney mini series!

The second part of our trip picked up at the Epcot theme park! We took the monorail from Magic Kingdom, switched monorails at the Ticketing station, and then continued on the way to Epcot! 

As soon as we walked into Epcot, we were greeted by a winter Minnie and Mickey sculpture made from the plants, which is gorgeous. Once again we needed to get a picture with the ball in the background and got to do that with Minnie and Mickey in the middle! I absolutely loved it and the photographer was a sweet man who appears to have the patience of a saint. People were so impatient and jumping in front of other people and he just took a deep breath and went with it.

After that we headed to the wheel chair rental, because I just couldn't deal with it anymore. My feet and legs were just in so much pain, and luckily the wheel chairs could be rented for $12 for the day, however it was one Lindsay had to push me around in. It made me feel bad for her, but at that point even my cane wasn't going to be of any help.

On the way to the wheelchair rental, on the reverse side of Minnie and Mickey, was this Stitch! He was too cute and of course we had to get a picture with him as well! We're such Disney nerds!

After that, we rented the wheel chair and then headed over to get some ears! I got a Minnie Santa hat and Lindsay got some Jack ears! We did a little more shopping inside and when we came out we were surprised to see how dark it had gotten in such a short period of time!

I know I said I would do another post to show you what I bought, but I couldn't help but share the hat now!

This is another attempt at a bokeh tree, which worked out since there were so many people with ZERO situational awareness of people around them. It doesn't help that I was in a wheelchair, so even though Lindsay was standing behind me, it appeared that no one saw me trying to take a picture or no one even cared. Either way, I love the lights in this picture.

On our way around The World Showcase we saw Daisy Duck, so I made myself stand long enough to get her picture. I just really didn't want a picture with her while I was in the wheelchair.... maybe that is a little weird of me. I also got her signature (it's what I'm holding behind my back).

After that we hurried around to the center of the back of the park, where the Disney Candlelight Processional is always held. Like I mentioned in my first post, this was the whole reason we made this trip. Lindsay and I sang at this event for at least 3/4 of our high school years. 

For those that don't know, the chorus members are basically singing a story and each day it's narrated by a famous singer or actor. The narrator for this day was America Fererra, but they've had Reba, Gary Sinise, Trace Adkins.... the last year I sang at this it was the voice of Tiana from The Princess and the Frog! It's awesome!!!

Needless to say, we could still sing every song and we had fun watching the show. It brought back memories of our chorus teacher when we were practicing and we were giggling. Just so you know, we were actually outside the roped off area and not a part of the main audience, which is why we were okay singing along and giggling quietly.

This is two sides of the same tree which was set behind the stage for the Candlelight Processional. We had stopped for some funnel cake and a gift for her mother, so while I waited, I had to snap several pictures of the tree! Because, just like everything else in Disney, it's absolutely gorgeous!

The last thing we did before we headed back home was to stop at Japan in The World Showcase! This is always a must see for Lindsay, because she loves Japanese culture. As we were leaving, I managed to snap this picture. The Epcot ball was all lit up and could be seen underneath a Japanese style arch. This is a gorgeous sight, and thankfully I was able to darken it a bit to hide all the people that were in the way! 

After that we headed back home, which is about a 2 hour trip or so, depending on traffic. She and my parents live on the west coast of Florida and Orlando is in the center of the state. So we were waiting at the monorail and happened to meet an awesome cast member who has become a new friend for us! We hope to see her at future conventions and what not! Super stoked!

It was a fantastic trip and we're making plans to go back for Mickey's Not So Spooky Halloween in October!.

Stay tuned either this weekend or the start of next week to see all the goodies that I purchased while we were at the parks! Several awesome goodies!

Disney Trip 2015 Part 1

Hello dearest friends! 

Today I wanted to share a three post story with you about my trip to Disney World earlier this week!

Note: Most pictures were taken are property of J.L. McClure Photography, which is my photography business. If they aren't my pictures, then it's noted below the photo.

So I rented a car on Tuesday morning (because mine is still not here) and spent the day driving down to my parents house in Florida! It's a 10 hour drive for anyone who is curious. It was a long day. I left around 0830 and made it home just after 1830 (6:30 pm), just in time for dinner. Once I got closer to home on US 19 I hit the rush hour traffic, which made my trip longer then expected. My brother was awesome once I got home and made some quesadilla's for dinner! 

I met the newest addition to the family: Finley. A month or so ago our Golden Retriever passed away, and our small dog Fergus was lonely. He and Lady had been friends since I deployed in 2011, and they were inseperable, despite the massive size difference. Apparently he was pretty lost, so my parents decided to rescue another smaller dog from the pound, and that's how they got Finley. He's an interesting little dog, a little spastic sometimes. It's taking a little time to get used to because we had Lady since I was in middle school, but he's alright (as long as you don't leave him with electronics or paper towels)

This photo was taken by my father and isn't my property.

There was a main purpose for this trip though, and that was for Lindsay and I to make a single day trip to Walt Disney World for the Candlelight Processional on Wednesday. When we were in high school, we used to have to participate in the Processional, so we wanted to see it from the audience point of view. It was a blast!

This is us from 2011 before I deployed to Afghanistan taken by a dear friend of ours, Silent G Photography.

We left a little bit later then we originally planned, but that is because we had to run by Joann's to get my mom her own Canon Selphy printer and then Starbucks for a Butterbeer Frappacino (Lindsay never had one.... yet another convert)

The first thing we did when we got to Walt Disney World was go in search of their military resort, Shades of Green. It caters solely to the Military and their families! We parked in their parking garage and then went inside to purchase tickets. The cool thing was that we got a 1 Day park hopper pass for much cheaper with my military discount. It was well worth it since originally we were only going to Epcot. It was also right across the street from the Polynesian Resort, where we caught the Monorail to Magic Kingdom to start our adventure.

The first thing that you see once you get off the monorail and get into the park is this gigantic tree right in the heart of Main Street USA. It's a gorgeous tree and I can't imagine how long it took them to set up and decorate. I also love how they have an American Flag flying right there as well.

The memory keeper in me warned Lindsay that we would be taking a LOT of pictures. When we entered the park, there were tons of photographers who worked for Disney that were more then willing to take some pictures for me with my own camera. Had to do the obligatory picture with the castle in the background. Poor Lindsay was being blinded, so it was a good thing that she was wearing sun glasses so she could close her eyes during the pictures. 

This is a better view of the castle as we got closer to it with less people standing in front of it. The photographer in me really needs to learn how to clone people out of pictures!

The first thing that we did was stop on Main Street for some food. We found the Baseball themed restaurant and picked up a hotdog and fries for me and some mini corn dogs for Lindsay. There were no seats so her and I propped up against a small rail fence in front of this piano. While we were eating this gentleman came out and started to play the piano. I just loved the smile I got in this picture of him playing! The reflection was perfect!

Once we ate, we decided the first thing we wanted to see was the new Beauty and the Beast castle that was built in Fantasy Land. It took us a few minutes to get there, but that's ok. This place is AWESOME!!! So what I didn't know was that they made this into a new restaurant. We didn't go inside (obviously, but we did see it from the outside)

This was another gorgeous structure that is newer to the park. So I am really not sure what story this building comes from. It might be from The first Little Mermaid movie, but I am not sure and I am not sure where my map went (yes, I kept them for my December Daily album).

From there she and I talked about how I wanted to get pictures with the characters if possible and she mentioned that Gaston liked to hang out around his Tavern, so we walked that way. I love this little statue that sits in front of the Tavern! We found Gaston but were told he was leaving and would be back at 1530, so we headed on our way to the Little Mermaid ride to kill some time.

Do you recognize these? If you've watched Tangled, they are from the city once Repunzel and Flynn get there to see the floating lanterns. I love the colors and how they popped! Gorgeous area!!!!

From there we went to The Little Mermaid ride! This was done to kill time before we went back to see Gaston. It was nice and cool in the ride and it was fun to sing along with the songs. We're both huge Disney nerds, so of course we knew all the words!

We went back and got in line to see Gaston. This guy played the character PERFECTLY and I was laughing the whole time. I got his signature and then we headed on our way.

We finished up in Tomorrow Land, looking for some Star Wars related things for Lindsay's boyfriend before moving on to the second part of our adventure! We found some awesome merchandise (which I think will be a separate post at another time) and happily made our way back to the monorail.

Of course, it's no normal "adventure" for me without my fibromyalgia kicking me in the face. Since I wasn't driving my Escape and was being rushed the morning I drove to Florida, my cane was left at the apartment in North Carolina (believe me I was kicking myself in the pants for that one). The second problem I had was since the movers took my running shoes all I had to wear were my cowboy boots and some flats. I decided the flats were going to be better for me, but they still caused me all sorts of problems. Walking was a nightmare for me, however if you live with a chronic pain disorder, you learn to just live with it and not let it stop you if possible. I dealt with this when we got to Epcot, which is part 2 of this Disney mini series! So stay tuned!