Everyone has a different perspective- a different outlook on life. How we all choose to interpret the world we share depends on what lens we use. Our attitudes, choices, and actions are all affected by the angle and way we look out of our own lenses. My lifelooklens varies. One lens stays true to capture all the things in my world. I take pictures of EVERYTHING. I'm glad I do and don't mind if some think my pictures and ramblings are boring. This blog is a glimpse at life through my lens...
I love drawing on the iPad Paper app. It's forgiving, which I especially like.
Half the time I start drawing something, the end result looks entirely different from what I'd planned. I change my mind a lot as I go.
I usually screenshot step by step... just in case I end up hating something I've done.
Seeing one from start to finish kind of explains one of my typical drawing sort of day brainstorms.
Just go with it...Here's how my sketching went today... :)
I typically start my doodle madness with something simple. In this case, it's an eye.
I am not a big fan of the eye, so I figure adding a nose may help.
I am wrong, for I have incorrectly placed and proportioned both features. I press on...
Adding a mouth might pull all this together, I think. I start to really hate the big eye at this point.
The eye took too much time to erase, I tell myself. Add shading... it'll be fine.
It is still not fine. I must think of a way to rescue this doodle... hmmm...
I certainly do NOT want to draw another eye. Hair will help get me out of this...
and shading...
and bigger hair and more shading...
too much shading... the eye is worse now than ever!...
I force myself to erase it. Now what?
I play for a while, sketching a tree instead of another eye. I refuse to mess up another eye, so...
I avoid it altogether. I doodle as I brainstorm how to salvage this sketch...
Nope...
Nope...
And it is then that I remember SUNGLASSES. I, and my doodle, are finally redeemed. :)
Still, I play...
I am, and have been for quite some time, addicted to watching Master Chef. After working over 40 hours this week, I came home yesterday to find something strange going on in my kitchen. My husband had been...cooking.
What's weird about this is that Josh wasn't making his infamous chili. He wasn't making chicken stir fry. (He is a master of those two dishes, by the way.) Josh was up to something... CRAZY.
Seasoned steaks were resting on the kitchen counter. Some delicious aromas were in the air. My little chef had been busy while I was at work.
"What in the world are you doing!?"
"Cooking, Gina. I knew you had a long week, so I wanted to do something nice for you."
"This is AWESOME! But..., how'd you know how to make all this?"
Fresh vegetables, potatoes, and parmesan asparagus were already baking in the oven. Those steaks I mentioned looked perfectly seasoned. WHAT WAS GOING ON??
"Do you want something, Josh?" I joke at my husband's expense, overemphasizing my bewilderment at his sudden cooking streak.
"Haha! Nah, just looked up some recipes and watched Gordon Ramsay cook a steak so figured I'd try to make you dinner."
"Wow.... okay... um.... thanks! Anything I can help you with?"
"Nah... I mean, I've got this. The whole point is that you don't have to do anything, Gina."
"Thank you so much. I'm exhausted."
I watched my husband cook with a dumbfounded look on my face, no doubt. Had he known how to do this all along? We've been married nearly 5 years. What happened yesterday was the first time Josh has cooked non-chili, non-stirfry dinner for me. It was incredible! Still, I wondered if something was up...
"So, you just looked up some recipes?," I asked as Josh stirred veggies and prepped the skillet for steaks.
"Yep! It's really not that hard, Gina. Kinda like following a lab, you know. I mean, the directions are all there. I went to the store and got all the stuff. We have lotsa spices now, too."
I am speechless.
Don't get me wrong. My husband does nice things for me all the time. Just... this time, he went over the TOP! The shopping was done. We were no longer out of toilet paper AND I had STEAK to look forward to eating as soon as I got home from work.
Josh can cook. He is REALLY good at it. He just kept it a secret for nearly 5 years. It took getting pregnant and watching tons of Master Chef episodes to inspire the chef in my husband. I don't care WHY last night's dinner and perfect-husband-ness happened. I just know I'll be expecting more meals like this that I don't have to cook in the future! ;)
THE MOST AMAZING STEAK DINNER - RECIPE FOR AWESOME
SOME HELPFUL LINKS... A quick Firefox history check gave some insight into just what my husband had researched to prepare the most amazing steak dinner EVER! :)
Recipe links, videos, and cooking tips found below...
Today, I went to the doctor for my 16-week appointment. It's amazing to hear the baby's heartbeat! This time, the swooshy-swoosh sound was much more distinct. Doc says the baby sounds healthy. I don't get to find out what baby is until my next appointment. Asking for an elective ultrasound was worth a shot, but Doc says it isn't recommended.
"But, I just wanna know what it is!"
"And you will...soon."
Had to ask, but expected his answer. Looks like we'll find out on September 11th. Could've picked a less ominous sounding day, I suppose, but that's what worked for us.
Took a few snapshots today to keep track of what's going on in my life...
Lucky to have him. Josh has gone to all of my appointments so far. He's going to be an awesome dad!
Waiting for the doctor... I look terrified here. Can't help but be a little nervous at my appointments, but glad to kill some time with Josh while we wait. Taking weird us-ies is our thing. :)
The countdown! This little chart helps remind me that I won't be pregnant forever. The days go by slowly, but I have 16 weeks down already. Welcome to my second trimester!
This chart is scary. Cervical dilation measurements serve as a visual aid of what's going to happen to me. I'd rather not think about this part right now. Waiting room wall art has something to be desired, but I really like my doctor. Maybe I'll tell him about how much this chart scares me at my next visit.
Another poster to scare me. Pregnancy and Birth education- you care a LOT more about all this stuff when it's actually happening to you! I think a few pictures of cute babies and happy moms could replace all this decor, don't you? :)
Waiting isn't fun.
I'm not good at it.
I'm not patient.
I am the patient.
I have to wait.
Cheekwood is an awesome place. At 15 weeks pregnant, this was a perfect spot to have some maternity pictures taken yesterday. Thanks, Mom! :)
Glad to have some pregnancy pictures I actually like! Planning to go back when I'm bigger for a follow up session. Debating on doing the same poses next time to see how much the baby (and I) have grown!
This one is a favorite. I opt for black and white almost all the time- just has an elegant, old-fashioned look that I love. Plenty of options for different scenery at Cheekwood, but this spot was perfect.
I climbed up and down the rocky waterfalls (against my mom's wishes, obviously)... There are plenty of limitations to follow when you're pregnant. Climbing is probably one of them, but I figure it's okay to break this rule every once in a while. I won't be able to climb as I become 'more pregnant', so figured I'd take advantage of the 15-week-not-too-big-yet size.
Pretty overlook in an antique photo edit I like. :)
Okay, I realize this pose is overdone. How else are you supposed to take maternity pictures, though? To show how much you change, you're pretty much obligated to do the bump hold.
Love the lighting in this one. Seriously owe my mom for taking some awesome photos! Can't wait to go back in a month or two!
Another climb-the-waterfall picture. Mom likes the ones where I'm laughing. I heard enough lecturing about my adventure yesterday. Apparently, I am not supposed to be climbing anything anymore. But..., where's the fun in that? I was careful. :)
Another giggle shot. I'm happy with how these turned out. I am not big on posting tons of pictures of myself, but since I'm pregnant- I have an excuse? Lots of 'selfie' pics are excused when you use the 'capturing a once in a lifetime memory' reason. Thought some family and friends may like to see these- and if any other fellow pregnanteers are looking for a maternity shot location, maybe this one is right for you, too. :)
15 weeks and counting...
I think I'm getting the hang of this whole pregnant thing, after all. :)
