Snow Day

Matt and Tempe have such a wonderful time together!

Enjoy the snow day!

I still have paint under my fingernails...

    We have been painting our new apartment like crazy these last two weeks. We started with the cabinets in our bedroom, which were an odd combination of olive green, orange and yellow. They are now white, as is the previously mauve and green stairwell leading to our patio and garage. Both of those projects took three days, each! It seemed like we would be knee deep in white paint forever. But then, we saw the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel.

    Now the good stuff starts! We decided on chevron stripes for the spare room, which will be my office. Our green plaid couch will go in here and I thought a coral color would look perfect on the wall! So, after looking at several tutorials, including this one (a huge help), we got the supplies together and got movin'.

    The blue lines you see were made with a chalk marker that I got a Lowe's for $6-ish. I was amazed at how cheap that was. Anyway, you will need to measure the height and width of the wall, then figure out how many lines you will need to make the size chevron you want. Now that the chalk lines are up you can tape off the chevrons - I used Frog Tape, it looked like this:

    Then we started painting, we ended up using two coats of Valspar's Homestead Apricot (2005-3C) in semi-gloss. I, of course, tried to stay in the lines, but I am such a messy painter it was nearly impossible.

    Once finished we let it dry for a little bit, then we took the tape off. I used a magic eraser to get rid of the chalk lines and paint that wandered out of the tape lines - that worked perfectly because the paint was still a little wet - and voila!

    I absolutely love it!

    Next came the front room wall - I ordered our stencil here, and it has turned out to be so much easier than  I thought! We are just doing one coat of Valspar's La Fonda Deep Blue (4011-7) in semi-gloss, we really like the faded, varied look it gives us. I used painter's tape to tape the stencil to the wall, a level to make sure I had the stencil level, obviously, and a 4" foam roller. Dip the roller in the paint and then roll it a couple times on a paper towel, you don't want too much paint on the roller or it will drip and your stencil lines will not be as crisp (I learned that one the hard way). 

    I will post the photos of the complete rooms soon, we move in on Friday!!

    Have a wonderful Wednesday!

    Erin

Moving

    We're moving and I could not be more thrilled. I have gotten used to moving about once a year since we got married and I guess I've fallen in love with the new start we make every time we move. It has been a stressful year and I'm hoping to leave that stress with our current place. We have been through massive bouts of anxiety (on my part), the birth of a preemie niece (which is now so wonderful, but truly scary at the time) and the wedding of my aunt this last week (that one was fun). 

    We have also had wonderful times in our current place, this was the home we brought Tempe to when we got her last year. We have grown stronger as a family in this home, we now know how to breathe and keep moving on.

    So, with this new home comes new possibilities to learn from each other, gain a stronger love for one another and paint. I'm really looking forward to painting! I have big plans for this place, including horizontal striped walls that Matt is not totally on board with, yet. It is an apartment, but it feels a lot like a house - it has a fireplace, garage and terrace/balcony area for barbecuing and what-not. The master bedroom is humongous and the cupboard space in the kitchen is insane! We have not been given a move in date, so for now I will start the packing and cross my fingers that we're in by the end of the month.

    On a side note, we are so proud of our Aggies - they beat the Utes 27-20 on Friday! It was a fantastic game, one that we will never forget!

photo by Eli Lucero of The Herald Journal

Summer goes too fast, and gets too hot

    Matt, Tempe and I have been running around like crazy this summer. Between holidays, family gatherings, and going to see 'Wicked' with my mom and sister, we have not had two seconds to sit down - let alone blog.

    Now summer is almost at a close and we have lots to show for it - most of what we have to show is a ton of Instagram photos on my iPhone. I had some wonderful photo shoots this summer and eventually I will blog about those, but for now I want to a couple photos of one of my favorite things to shoot, flowers. They are beautiful, and they hold still.

    We hope your summer has been filled with laughter and, most of all, time with family and dear friends.

Life via Instagram

I don't know if I have mentioned this before but Instagram is the absolute best thing to happen to me since Facebook. Now we can take photos, not amazing photos, but photos to show our families our daily lives and upload them directly to Facebook for everyone to see. We do not have kids, so the majority of our photos are of our dog, she is our baby right now - and she will be a year old in two weeks! It's been awhile since you've seen us, so here are a few shots from our lives the last month, or so.

These are what I like to call, 'Tempe adores Matt.'

And now, I went to Houston last week for a conference and had a great time! I had never been to Houston, now I think I want to take Matt there to explore!

Now the photos I have titled, 'Tempe tolerates Erin, doesn't really love her as much as she loves Matt.'

Have a wonderful weekend!
Erin, Matt & Tempe, too!

My girl and me

    Tempe and Matt were out playing last night, she loves chasing her Frisbee. So, I thought I'd bring the camera out and get some shots. I had been editing photos, after coming home from my cardio workout, and looked amazing, not. But I wanted Matt to get a photo of me and Tempe together, we have tons of Matt with Tempe and almost none with just me and her.

    He did a fabulous job!

 
 We have a busy weekend in front of us, including a baby shower for my cousin, Mindy! So, here's to an amazing weekend for you and yours!

    Erin

Feelin' Groovy

    I got new glasses this weekend. They cost only $15 here and I love them. Matt says I look like an 80-year-old grandma, but I had a coworker tell me I actually look younger - I think I will go with younger :)

    I love new looks, though. They make me feel cool, at least for a short time. I have also been busy with photos and have designed a few grad announcements and a wedding invite. I'm loving my new lens, don't know how I ever lived without it. The fam is great! I had the opportunity to take my Grandma Wilson with me to the temple on Saturday and it was such a special experience. She had not been in 30 years and I loved being able to share that time with her.

    I still have not been to City Creek, bluh. I cannot believe it - I guess I'm not supposed to go, something always comes up and I have no time to go. I will have to just go down and not let anyone know I'm there, duck into the mall and spend the whole day in awe of the glimmering newness. We'll see.

    Happy Monday to you!

    Erin

When the going gets tough

   ...the tough go online shopping.

   I've decided lately that life is too short to let everything bring you down. We need to learn to laugh at the quirkiness that is life. I know that things get difficult, but that is no reason to stay down in the dumps. This last summer was filled with anxiety and depression, but I found my way back by taking the bull by the horns and screaming, 'This is not how life should be!' I'm still here, I get up every morning and thank my Heavenly Father that I have a caring husband, cutie puppy, loving family and chocolate. 

    Lately I've felt that I can see everything clearer. I think I have a bit of the eternal perspective gleaming through. I was thinking the other day about life and I had an I-get-it moment. We are here to love and be loved, to help and allow others to help us. We are also never alone, people tell us that over and over but it really is true. 

   So, here is the challenge, find something/someone you love, turn on your favorite music and sop up the amazingness that is life. Go on an adventure, get out of your comfort zone. Don't wait for opportunity to knock - it already has and now it's knocking on your neighbor's door, get up and chase it down the street. 

    I know times are tough and we may think we're too busy to do this, but we need to take time to enjoy life. Most of the time I have to remind myself that it's ok to sit on the couch and watch 'How I Met Your Mother,' while Matt plays some game on his Xbox, it's ok to take time out to relax. We need that relaxing time, we need it so badly.

    In conclusion I want to say this, don't take yourself too serious. Play in the mud, jump in the puddles, run off to Disneyland, bungee jump off a bridge and never lose your childlike sense of 'not giving a crap about anything.' The best thing you can do for yourself is let go of the tension that is cramping your style. 

    Do it. Just do it.

    Erin, Matt and Tempe 

Tempe says

    I love the outside!

    The weather was so beautiful today we just had to be outside! Tempe loves it - she can hardly hold still!

Spring Style

    When Spring rolls around we are reminded why we live in Utah, it is so beautiful! Now that Spring has sprung, well, kinda, I have decided to put together a little Spring style blurb. I love looking at, shopping for and living in clothes. I am already seeing so many pieces from new Spring lines I want to add to my closet. Especially a color I like to call coral - or watermelon, or peach. Whatever it is, I love it. Here are a couple examples:

    I also got a new lens:

    It's a Nikkor 50mm and I don't know where it has been all my life. I shot some portraits with it yesterday and I don't know how I ever lived without it. The depth of field with the f/1.8 is amazing, my detail shots are awesome. Love it. Just love it. Will use it forever. 

    I also won this bag:

    Cheeky Lime chose my Pin it to Win it, Pinterest board, and this is what I won! How cool is that? It looks like it will arrive today and I couldn't be more ecstatic! I also have a light meter coming, should be here tomorrow. So, I'm all set for wedding and graduation season! Nice!

    Tempe also loves Spring, that means that we get out and throw the Frisbee more often! We bought her a new Frisbee last night at Cal Ranch, we also bought her a new bed - it's actually a horse blanket, but we figured that would be thick enough to withstand her boredom. You get good ideas like that when your husband grew up on a cattle ranch in Wyoming - he totally thinks outside the box, and that's one of the many reasons why I LOVE him!

    Happy Tuesday!

    Erin, Matt & Tempe

Temperance in All Things

    I got this idea from a fantastic blog I read, The RockStar Diaries, their bulldog, Kingsley has his own diary and I thought it was such a cute idea - all credit goes to Tazaa and Husband! 

    Hi! I'm Tempe. The best thing I do all day is nap with daddy, and catch my Frisbee and eat my numnums. I am almost a year old and LOVE carrots, and strawberries, and oranges - oh and apples! When mom and dad ask if I know they love me I give them a little head tilt to let them know that I know. I love them too, but cuddles are not my favorite - but I really love giving kisses. If you come over to see me I will jump up and kiss you right in the face, even if you don't want me to. I will kiss you and you will like it.

    My days are relaxed and I can't wait to go on walks when mom gets home from work. 

    Hope to see you soon, and I will kiss you.

    Until then, I am Temperance and I get into everything!

Improvement

    I was thinking yesterday about the change that I wrote about. Our family had a bit of a rough one, but I think it has been good for us. I feel stronger. I feel more empowered to go and do. Part of that has to do with not only how I look at my photography, but how I photograph. I found myself, after a summer of crazed disappointment in my behavior with clients (nothing bad, I just started crying while shooting a wedding, after a bit of criticism, and couldn't stop), scared to shoot photos. Scared to shoot, edit, anything to do with picking up my camera. I saw my beloved hobby as a beast, nothing fun about it anymore. All it became was me not thinking I was as good as others. We all know how that feels.

    I had a summer of learning. Learning to be patient, learning to trust myself. A whole summer of trying not to be stagnant. And the other day I had an epiphany, after reading a statement from one of my favorite photographers, Jonathan Canlas. Some one asked him if film presets, or actions, in Photoshop could give a photo a film feel - well, Jonathan shoots strictly film (you should check out his book) so I thought this was a stupid question to ask such a prominent film photog, but whatever. His answer was simple, 'I don't know maybe. I don't really care what other people are doing to be honest...' 

   After reading this I thought, 'Of course, who cares what everyone else is doing, just do what you want - get the look you want from your photos.' So, that is just what I intent to do. I wanted to display some of the improvements I've made over the years with my photos.

    In every case I was happy with the result, it has just taken me a while to get to the point where I can say, 'Yes! That's the effect I've been wanting all along.' I look back as these photos and remember how much fun I have had with every single one of my clients - I don't think I would change anything. What's the point of growing if one day we just stop the growth? If that makes sense. 

    So, I will continue to improve. I will strive to do the best I can, not caring what anyone else is doing. This is how I am happy, that is how you are happy. I do my own thing. You should do yours!

    Happy Saturday!

Matt, Erin & Tempe

A Year of Change

    This last year has been a year of change. We have seen the birth of two new nieces and the passing of one wonderful grandfather. I took a bit of a hiatus from photography just to simplify life, it helped and I now feel energized and ready for wedding season. I will, however, only be taking one wedding per month. I already have one for May and one for June. 

    First I want to say a few words about my Grandpa John. He passed away at the beginning of February after almost 83 years on this earth. You can read his obituary here. My mom asked me to write his obituary and I was so honored. Grandpa was so fun, I always remember baking, playing or just being silly with him. He always cared about what we were doing, he genuinely wanted to know how our lives were going. As it says in his obituary, his family was his life and we always felt loved. Grandpa will be missed, but I know we will see him again. He was a fun grandpa, I will always remember how upbeat and enthusiastic about life he was - and how he called me his Erin Ann :)

    Our nieces Charlotte and Ivy were also born in the last year! We love our nieces and nephew so much! 

    Here's newborn Charlotte, I can't believe she's almost a year old! She is such a sweetie!

    Here's Ivy, she was born Nov. 20 at 25 weeks gestation - she was 1lb. 4 oz. and is now over 6lbs!!

    Happy Tuesday!
    Erin, Matt and Tempe

Indie Feature - Denik

    As you may have noticed I have placed a 'Shop Indie' tag on our blog! We would really love to support independent, local, small businesses on our blog. Especially one that helps a good cause. Our friend Tyler Tolson was recently featured in The Herald Journal for his small business pursuits. Denik is his company, they make notebooks, all with a wonderfully designed front. I bought one yesterday for $9. $1 from every purchase will go toward building schools in Mali, Africa. 

    Head over to the Denik shop and let's support our indie sellers! Buy one for you, your mom, your friend who goes to school occasionally - heck, buy one for everyone for Christmas. It's a simple idea, but one that can do a lot of good. You could even buy this one :)

Happy Wednesday!

Erin, Matt and Tempe

Birthdays and a bit of redecorating

    Matt's birthday was Friday and mine today. Matt always reminds me that he's older, albeit by four days, but older is older. I woke up early on Friday to make birthday breakfast for my wonderful husband before he left for a conference in Arizona. He got a gift card to the App Store, an Aggie football signed by Coach Gary Andersen and another prize that has yet to arrive. After he left for AZ, Tempe and I set to work on a big change to our front room. I know that Matt is so busy and we desperately want our little apartment to feel like home, so I decided to take matters into my own hands and paint. I put Tempe in her kennel, for obvious reasons but she still managed to get paint all over her, and painted the crap out of that wall. After that we headed to Salt Lake for a baby shower, my friend Janel is pregnant with twin boys! 

    We spent the weekend shopping with mom, Allie and my aunts Jill and Diane. We ate yummy food and Tempe got to play with her friends! We got good news about Ivy, she took two whole feedings from a bottle - how cool is that - plus her eyes are doing great after her surgery.

    When we got back to Logan on Sunday I hurried off to church to teach Sharing Time, we talked about the blessings Nephi received from following Heavenly Father, it was great fun. I love being in the Primary presidency. When I got home I put up shelves, which was a hilarious sight, I'm glad no one was there to see it. But I did it, all by myself. I am so proud of it! After that we got everything cleaned up and I went to a Primary training where our Stake President spoke about how we need to prepare and teach the children, it was perfectly edifying, he truly is a great man.

    Our friends Ammon and Emma invited me over for an Oscar party, they made such a yummy dinner, where I proceeded to only get five correct guesses, I really wanted Jonah Hill to win, but what can you do? 

    Today I am looking forward to spending time with my husband and admiring our newly decorated wall. 

    Here's to a fabulous 27th year, full of love and hope. 

    An Instagram of what our shelves look like up on the wall, the color is Valspar's Grand Hotel Mekanic Blue in an eggshell finish. Shelves and picture frame from Ikea, Allie made us the monogram, cameras from our grandparents, alligator teapot from Matt's mom, photo of Tempe by Sharon Johnson and those Mickey ears have my name on the back!

Before Tempe

Before Tempe, our deck of cards never toppled due to attention-mongering,

 we never went outside much unless we absolutely had to,

 Matt took naps alone, on the couch,

 we always figured one of us would win in our two-player game of Phase 10,

 we didn't think of the back of the couch as a perch,

there was no one to lay at my feet while I cooked dinner,

 and we always had enough room in our bed.

But we also never knew how much we would be smitten with this sweet girl. I don't know what we would do without her, she makes us laugh, gives us big sloppy kisses and makes us feel more like a family. 

Now that we have her, this is what we get to come home to! And we couldn't love anything more :)

Happy weekend to you!

Erin, Matt and Tempe