It's Hot Enough to Fry an Egg! #15

Yes, #15 is late by almost one week, but I have good excuses. (Have you noticed that I always have good excuses? I believe that I'm a master excuse maker! I think I could be employed by the postal service or some any other governmental organization to run their 'excuse' department. I would be fabulous!) but what is my excuse on the sunny/rainy/bi-polar summer day?Well....I have just been so busy these past two weeks drinking coffee, eating smoked salmon and salads, getting massages and pedicures with the best of friends, sleeping in boat houses, swimming in the river, motorcycling through the tropics in torrential rains and eating pounds and pounds of papaya and pineapple that I just didn't have the time to post my portrait. Yes such a hard life!.. I'm practically a child laborer! But alas....I had to get it together and post my self-portrait today. Too much dilly dally is not good for the soul! (<--- I actually don't believe that, but I figured I should add that so all you people out there, don't think I'm 100% lazy, just 94.5% lazy factor )This week the portrait is in honor of the deliciously scorching weather of the summer. Any day of the week, I don't care how extreme, I would rather be hot, hot, hot, hot, than cold. The cold is death to me! When I'm cold, all I want to do is curl up in a little ball with a cup of hot chocolate and soup and hibernate. I bless the day God created the sizzling heat! It's fantastic ^^More blog updates to come soon because I've got absolutely nothing but relaxing and piddling to do this week! Unless I get distracted by Thai massages or cooking classes and in that case, you may never hear from me ever again. But know that I will always love you all very dearly.Remember to check out Mandolyn's Self-Portrait here :) 

Greek Myth #14

I think I must be confused or flighty or both..Yes, both, that must be it.. I think it's from all the Kimchi, lack of sun and the serious deprivation of cilantro, good Mexican food and pink delicious, buttery salmon. Why do I think I am I going through a mental breakdown? Well you know how I said before that I should have been born in the 1800s or the 1980s?  Yesterday at about 6:32 am, I changed my mind. I decided that maybe I was meant for the ancient times of the Greeks. Yes, I thought so.. I was very convinced,  so much so that while the sun was rising, I went outside in my PJs to scavenger for vines and low hanging grapes.. I wasn't too successful, lets just say a little vicious dog wasn't too keen on my trespassing into his vineyard at that hour.,... ::... I wasn't planning on stealing or anything. just borrowing, jeez!.::But I have better hope for my next borrowing escaped. I feel as though if I can fool the dog into thinking that I'm a legit Greek, he'll let me feast on ...eh borrow... his grapes.... Here's my plan....I'm considering donning a toga, learning to play the harp, and then serenading Mr. Vicious Grape dog to all the best Hercules Disney movie songs.....He will for sure be fooled! Which brings me to my next question, does anyone have a white sheet I can borrow?  Self-Portrait # 14 sans the grapes... Next time though! Watch out I'll have the doggie fetching me those grapes ^^

Night Fairies # 13

There is something magical about the night. The complete and utter silence of the sleeping world can be so peaceful. One of my favorite things to do is stay up to an ungodly hour of the morning, creep up to my rooftop and listen to this stillness....Mandolyn's Witchy Self Portrait #13! We've made it all the way to #13, lady! I'm very proud of us!view inge kathleen's portfolio here   

A Watery Grave #12

I am realizing that sometimes things have to die in order to make space for life.. I need to give up things or relationships, and release my control of them so that other things can grow freely. It's scary to let go, and let relationships die, but once you do the most beautiful things can be re-birthed. It's much like pruning an apple tree. As you chop off the old branches, one by one, the tree begins to look painfully awkward and vulnerable, but just give it time and before you know it will be the most brilliant and fruitful tree in the whole orchard. And who, in their right mind, doesn't like a crisp, delicious apple? Ahhhh soooo goood! Makes me want to dance!p.s. Thank-you to my dear friend Kaserie for manning the camera for me and getting up at 7am on a Sunday!! to appease my self-portrait madness. And I pray to the Lord above that my little Korean dry cleaners can do magic on that dress!....p.p.s. Don't forget to look at Mandolyn's Fairytale Saga! She did 2 self portraits this week. Rock on lady! :)p.p.p.s. My skin is actually this white. No photoshop magic needed. Yes, I know! ridiculous. Thank goodness I'll be in the land of sunshine soon!view my portfolio here 

The Adventure! #11

Isn't life amazing? Every time I stop to think about it, it honestly gives me the chills. There is so much beauty everywhere.. I mean have you really considered DEEPLY, how beautiful hot apple pie is with ice cream? Think about it for a moment. A Loooooong moment. Can you think of anything more beautiful? I certainly don't think Tara Banks nor Jude Law put together are half as pretty! (Gasp! don't hate me, at least I didn't say Johnny Depp!) ::inge would have said Johnny Depp, but she's a whimp and knows that her cyber head would have been snapped into two if she had typed such blasphemy:: <-- Great, thanks for ratting me out... you're such a great cyber imaginary friend. boo. I think I might disown you!

::inge proceeds to start typing a internet ad for a new imaginary friend, any takers?::

Bad friends aside.....I'm in the process of ending one part of my life and beginning another and I'm so excited and ready. I can't wait to see where God takes me next.

"The world is round, and the place which may seem like the end may also be the beginning." Ivy Priest

Happy Tuesday :)

Korean Food Challenge, Home Stretch, Baby!

With only a short time left here, I've made it my mission to cook and eat as much Korean food possible... Except for my major fail.... Yesterday, I went to an Italian restaurant, while in Korea ::gasp!:: but it gets much worse! at the Italian restaurant... What did I order? A Greek Salad? What is wrong with me? I must have gotten out of the wrong side of the bed,  forgot to drink my morning coffee and walked under a ladder all in one day! But I'm hoping my failure will be forgiven because I've been hard at work on my Korean food cooking list and I'm almost finished! So close that my next food update I may be finished, finished! Asah!p.s. thanks to the lovely Lisa and Rosi for coming over to dinner and eating and cooking with me! ^^ 

Blissful Immaturity #10

Since the age of 4 or 5, I've been somewhat of an adult in a child's body, responsible, mature, dependable, blah, blah = a boring and worried little soul.. But I'm realizing that I missed out on the beautiful lightness of being a child and now I'm setting my soul free and throwing off the weights of the ridiculous worries of the 'grown-up' life. I am learning to be carefree and be worried for nothing, and it is so very freeing. Oh, I just love being immature! I can sleep in, puddle jump, sing in the rain, have bed head, never brush my hair, and really, who needs tangle-free hair anyways? I should have shed my adultness much sooner :)Clothes by: GyahahaTeddy Bear: My dear friend Katrina. I'll bring Mr. Teddy home to you again soon!And Mandy's Awesome Self Portrait #10 is here.. or if it isn't there right now it will be there soon. She promised me :)

Whispers of the Past ~ #9

I've always thought with my hair that I should have grown up in the 18th Century or during the 1980s, but unfortunately my parents missed the 18th century by a long shot. Lame guys! and then I only lasted for 2 years and 2 months in the 80s, equally lame. Though my 2 year old bedhead hair was fabulous, it just wasn't to the maturity of my current wig.  So since my birth didn't come in either of those time periods, now I am stuck with recreating what could have been. Me, as one of Jane Austen's Characters. I would have been awesome!. Though I may not have been as cool as Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice, I would have been close. ;) hehehe Happy Tuesday, ya'll. And check out Mandolyn's Amazingness this week. ^^Clothes by: Gyahaha Clothing Store, Seoul, South Korea.

A little inspiration on a rainy Saturday :)

I recently read this beautiful quote by Marianne Williamson on my friend Susan's blog. Susan is a fellow photographer and Mexican Taco lover.^^ This passage so exemplifies what I've been feeling lately that I just had to share..

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world.

There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine, as children do.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.

It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” ~ Marianne Williamson

Happy weekend world!

And Mandy, are you ready for the most glorious week of eating, dancing, cooking and lollygagging that Thailand has ever experienced? Mark your calendar, lady, and get Thailand ready because Thailand has never seen the likes of Minga! ^^

The Cooking Mission... Marches On!

You may think I've forgotten all my Korean cooking dreams, but you see I've been very hard at work over here in Korea land cooking! Why have there been no pictures to prove my words? The reason? Well.... I've had a few foodie failures! Yes, it's true, I think it's due to my cooking sins; I must have upset the Korean food gods by putting pumpkin and mushrooms in Kimchi Jiggae and pumpkins in my Spicy Mackerel Stew.. Pumpkin is my weakness, like honey is for Pooh Bear or Spandex for Superman.I've been having trouble following recipes because I always want to add different ingredients than those that are in the original recipe! And alas, my past few attempts I got over greedy and tried to add too many different ingredients, conflicting flavors, and well it turned out like poo. So maybe I'll go back to the basics next week? BUT it's sooooo hard!!!.. Repeat to self... FOLLOW THE RECIPE, INGE! ::inge, continues to mutter these four words over and over to herself, while slapping herself every time she reaches for the pumpkin.::After many failures and recipes mess ups.. I tried to make my favorite soup Soon-dubu Jjigae (A spicy Tofu stew) about 3 times and ickers! It just didn't come out right! I could have been because of the above problem of never wanting to follow the recipe. Why it just takes so long to read instructions. There are many better things to be done, like not reading the recipe, but alas my dinners were not tasty and after a while of nasty dinners I had to get it together, and Snap out of it! And thank goodness to the Lord above, I did! I figured out what my Soon-dubu Stew problem was. You see, I was trying to cook a Korean Soondubu Jjigae, when my soul longed for an exotic Thai Soon Dubu. So one morning at 7 am, just one hour before I was headed off to work, I came into my apartment from a morning walk and opened up my refrigerator and like a vision from Heaven, a recipe started to spill into my head. I started pulling out, ginger, garlic, jalapenos, shrimp, soft tofu, coconut oil, lime, cilantro, eggs, lime.... AND you guessed it, Pumpkin! and somehow in just 20 minutes I chopped, fried, mixed, stewed, and sprinkled until a dish that tasted so like Heaven that I was tears while eating breakfast! I scribbled the recipe down in Inge code, meaning it's short and confusing (because I hate both reading and writing directions, such waste of time). So one day, when I have my own restaurant, I can cook you this Heaven-sent dish! Please look below.. And wipe the drool off you keyboard, drool ruins electronics. I have experience ;)Ciao for now! My next week's cooking challenge? Kamja Tang! (potato and pork back stew) People say it's devilishly time consuming, but I got this right? Perhaps I'll substitute pumpkin for potatoes! Yum! And then my skin will turn even orange--ER. I swear, I've got to stop eating all these carrots and pumpkins, my eyes are loving me, but my skin, well, it practically glows in the dark! Which come to think of it could actually be fantastic! In that case, tomorrow's breakfast will totally be pumpkin eggs, carrot juice, and coffee with carrot milk and, and....hmmm.... carrots and gravy or perhaps sunny side up carrots?. But you see any way you flip carrots, they will always be sunny side up. Oh aren't they fabulous?!?!.. Ok, I'll shut up now :) Have a lovely day!  

Dancing Queen #8

There are not many things in this beautiful world that I love more than sleep. I guard my sleep more than Pooh protects his honey or a Black Widow watches her poor, recently deceased husband., I like naps, I like going to bed at 9pm. I think sleep is one of the most essential things to a good life. I could be a spokesperson for shut-eye. I love, love sleep, nothing can get in the way of my sleep... well almost nothing BUT dancing. Oh my! Now dancing, this is a different kind of love. Sleep is my practical sweetheart, but dancing, why, he is the boyfriend who you'll sneak out of a 3-story window for; the one who makes your heart go flip and flop, puts butterflies in your stomach and then gives your spirit wings. Ahhhh Dancing, how I do love thee! And in the name of love, I decided to stand-up Mr. Sleep, and spend all Saturday night in Seoul dancing to the beats of Salsa, Bachata, and Merengue with my dear friend, Farah (the real dancing queen).We danced till 5 in the morning! And then we went to meet my 2nd love, Mr. Food, for a good post-dancing breakfast. Then we spent Sunday morning drinking coffee and discussing how whoever we marry must love to dance, and dance well. We are very serious, even if we meet a wonderful guy who meets all the other husband requirements, if he can't dance, he just will not do! Ah, it was a lovely way to spend a weekend.The Clothes: The super beautiful Japanese hat and dress in the picture are from Gyahaha. They are launching a new website in the next few days. I can't wait!View Mandolyn's beautiful #8 portrait here! Can you believe we've lasted 2 months in self-portrait land?!? I'm so proud of us :)view my portfolio here

Self Portrait #7 ~ Ghosts

I've been going through a process of navigating through the ghosts of the past. It's an interesting and sometimes painful process of discovery, but it's fantastically freeing when you kill these ghosts dead. You get lighter and lighter and fly higher and higher! And I don't know about you, but I sooooo enjoy flying. It's much harder than levitating and when you fall, dude! the bruises cover half your body. Yet, when you finally succeed, it is much more fun then just levitating! The only problem are the blasted bugs that I keep swallowing! I must work on breathing through my nose, and shutting my yapper! And remember to check out Mandolyn's Self-Portrait Amazingness!  

#6 Feelin......

I was feeling a bit savage today, and I felt like I needed to embrace it. So I ate raw meat from the bone, beat my hands against my chest, swung from vines, and ate snails with my toes. A fabulous day!This one is for my sister Constanzia. I love you lady, and I miss you! My top is from the my favorite store ever, ever Gyahaha in Hongdae.Have a lovely Tuesday and please be just a little barbaric today :)And check out Mandolyn's #6. It makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside ^^

Avocados + Mangoes = Happiness

This is the most essential math equation that you'll ever learn, who needs to worry about square roots or geometrical shapes when you know the equation to happiness. And a new friend of mine just gave me a whole lot of happiness! Thank-you very much, Denise! Do you know that in Korealand Avocados cost 3$ each and Mangoes cost 10$ a piece?.. More reason to love you girl! :) And in the spirit of summer and good friends, we had a picnic to celebrate all the avocado and mango lovin! I sure hope there was a typo in the Bible when it said that there are streets of gold up in Heaven. I think I would prefer a Heaven which has streets lined with Golden Mangoes! Now that, I could get into that!   

The Self-Portrait Madness Escalates! #5

Wow! Is all I have to say. Wow!

This is only portrait #5 and I can't believe how many things have started to come my way since my friend Mandolyn and I have started this challenge. Let me explain, or try to. This story may be a wee bit difficult to understand, and long! I had trouble believing myself, but bear with me if you have the energy or brew some coffee! Brew it extra strong with some delicious milk to obtain the maximum focus ;)I had probably the craziest, most unexpected Saturday in quite some time. Like I said last week, I had no clue where my next self-portrait would come from, but then it just fell into my lap! So you see remember that fear challenge list I made? The one about the different things I wanted to do before saying goodbye to Korealand? Yes that one! Well on that list I wrote that I wanted to do a fashion shoot and collaborate on the photography shoot with another artist (fashion designer, make-up artist, etc).This past weekend that goal was accomplished! After I made the list, I decided to go meet and to talk to the owner of my absolutely favorite clothing store in all of Korealand in Hongdae called Gyahaha . I wanted to how she felt about  collaborating on a fashion shoot together.This store is amazing! It is full of beautiful colorful clothes, designed or bought by the owner Yeon Ja. She travels all over the world selecting clothes, fabrics and Jewelry for Gyahaha (Ladies in Korea let me know if you need directions because they carry some Western sizes and jewelry) .So about 3 or 4 weeks ago we met, Yeon Ja, Hyun Mi, and myself, had a lovely chat and decided that we wanted to work together! They told me that it was actually the perfect timing for a shoot because Gyahaha is about to launch their new summer line and they were looking for a photographer to do a fashion shoot, and I walk in their door. I like their style of clothes and they liked my style of photography. Ah-sah! I just love when the stars align!So we planned for a photo shoot for this past weekend and then we all started planning the shoot's concepts and looking for models, foreign and Korean. All was going well, and I couldn't be more happy to work with them.., but on Tuesday this tale took an unexpected twist. I get an email from Hyun Mi last Tuesday discussing the logistics of the weekend, our concepts, the timing, the models, and then she casually mentions that ever since they met me that they though I would be perfect to model their clothes. And they hoped that I would be one of the models for the shoot... Ha? What?!? ::at this point in the email, I spit out 1/2 of my morning juice dousing my computer my desk with orange juice while I simultaneously choked on the other 1/2 of my juice and it went down all sorts of wrong pipes that I didn't even know I had. It was a mess:: But you see, ladies that... I'm the photographer.. yes?? uhhh.. how? mmm. errr.  And then the idea came to me. Like a light from Heaven, the voice of God most probably.  ;)  You know what?!? You can do this. I've been doing self-portraits for the past month, why not? Weird, but doable.. So I pitched this idea to them, and they agreed! Wow.. Crazy right? Model and Photographer for a fashion shoot. Really, is that even possible? But wait there is more craziness to ensue, yes I know, how? You will believe it when you see it!So Saturday day morning the Gyahaha team, and I set out in the wee hours of the morning about 3am to go to a piece of farmland about 3 hours east from here, but not before grabbing some delicious Soon Dubu to fill our bellies. Off we went in search of perfect farmland. It took more time then expect, and people kept telling us that we couldn't take pictures here or there, but then we finally found a beautiful location free from all those pesky rule-following people. And so the shoot began. And yes I did model and photograph, I must say it was an experience switching from photographer to model and then back again. It's a little rough having to try to switch from model face to creative brain and then back again, but a good challenge. I would set up the tripod, arranged the scene, then the ever so lovely Hyun Mi would click the shutter for me or tell me when my face looked dumb. She was an amazing help! So I guess these may not be a purest of self portraits but.... It was pretty close :) Here's one of the semi-self portraits from Saturday...Well we shot all day! But the weather was amazing, and we an awesome time! About 4pm we packed up all the clothes and props and headed home, well almost, we first decided that all of our hard work deserved good food so we ate. I just love how Koreans never let you go hungry. They are my kind of people.After filling our tummies with Korean BBQ and marinated raw beef&pears, yum!, we had to rush back to Seoul because they had another in fashion shoot in the studio at 7pm. As soon as we jumped into the van, we all passed out from exhaustion. It was about 6pm.,  and we were on the way to my house, and the studio called Yeon Ja, by the tone of conversation, I knew something was wrong. I heard my name spoken in the conversation a few times, but everything was in Korean. I could only pick up a few words. She gets off the phone and then there was just silence in the car for about 10 minutes..No translation was provided. hmmmm... now I was curious.  What was going on?So being the noisy, annoying American that I am, I started to poke about the studio shoot, and I asked if I could go and watch it.. Then Hyun Mi tells that was the studio on the phone, their model was very sick, and that the studio stylist saw my self-portraits and asked Yeon Ja if I would be interested in modeling for the shoot?. ::at this point if I had had been drinking any sort of liquid, i would have spewed it all of over the car and its inhabitants:: hahaha! Really? Are you serious? Not twice in a day when I've never modeled a day in my life. You guys must be super confused.. I'm supposed to be on the OTHER side of the camera.. you know the PHOTOGRAPHER!, remember?But Yeon Ja hadn't mentioned it to me because she knew I had already worked all day and thought I was probably exhausted, and this would be asking too much. After thinking about it for hmm... 5 sec I decided the sure, I was tired, but how could I pass up the opportunity? I mean I had already wanted to go to the studio to watch the madness and now I could join it! Ah-sah! I wonder what they would make me do?.. hmmm...Come to find out, they didn't make me do much, but they sure did a whole lot to me.. A few times they had to give me electric shock therap so that I didn't fall asleep on them, and by the look of my hair you can tell. It looked like I stuck my finger in the socket. Look at the pictures! It was sheer madness. So much so that the shoot lasted for about 9 hours. I got home at 6 the next morning.The Photographer Kim Suk Jun, Hair & Make-up by Ji Hye, and the set stylist who was super cool with such a personality, name: Hyun Na! And thanks to Hyun Mi and Yeon Ja for keeping me company and feeding me kimbap and juice so I wouldn't fall asleep in drool all over their pretty clothes ^^Such a crazy Saturday, and I know the lunacy will continue. I can't wait! I am a truly blessed  :)

Keeping Your Hands Open

Two weekends ago I met Ruth, a fiery Filipina, that stands maybe 5 feet tall, she is full of smarts, wit and has more personality and heart than 100 people put together. She will give you the clothes off her back not just if you need them but even if you just like them.She is the definition of generosity. I met her at my church's women's retreat. How is she so generous? Let me explain..It was Sunday morning and Ruth and I were waiting in the breakfast line probably talking about how famished we were. When I'm around the conversation generally relates to food :) One of the girls came into the dining hall and casually commented about how beautiful Ruth's earrings were. Ruth's response? Not the typical 'ah, thank-you.' Nope, she slipped those earrings off her ears and asked 'Here you want them? They're yours' I was floored. Five minutes pass, we're still in line and the hunger pangs were getting substantially stronger and tummy rumbles were getting louder and louder.  More ladies were shuffling in for breakfast and as the line got longer, another lady from behind us said, "Oh Ruth, I love your bracelet!" Her response?. exactly.. 'Here you want it? It's yours.' Again, I was astounded. How could she be so unattached to things? Beautiful things that she liked?Then she explained that she loved to go shopping and get pretty things, but she believed in keeping her hands open all the time because when you keep your a hands open you allow blessings to flow into you, out to others, and then back into you. Giving begets giving, a beautiful cycle.,However when you close your fist tight and grip to the things you own, not only will others not be blessed by you, but you cannot receive any more blessings. You will be like a water faucet that has been closed off., no one can drink water from this faucet, no new water flows into it or out of it. The faucet just becomes musty and old and useless.Ruth said that the Tsunami in Japan confirmed to her that you can have millions and billions of dollars in fancy buildings, cars and computers but in seconds it can all wash away and you have nothing but relationships. That's it. Stuff is so impermanent.This got me to thinking. Yes, yes, I know that is bad for my brain, but I just could not really help it. Deep, deep down, I've always wished to be generous, but it's always been a struggle to let go and just give, and give freely. I have always admired people who could, but I couldn't. I think out of fear that there would not be enough if I gave too much.From that moment on and the weeks that have followed I have started to realize that when I hold onto things not only can others not enjoy my blessings, but I can't fully enjoy them either. Because I spend too much time worrying about not losing what's mine. And then my life becomes heavy by this unconscious worry and struggle to protect what is 'mine'.And I am tired of it. Life is too short to worry and waste time putting a "this is mine" sign on all my things. So I had to be honest ::shudder:: with myself and look at where I stick the biggest 'this is mine' signs. Well, come to find out. It's really, really dumb, funny actually, maybe embarrassing but where do I hoard like a Grinch during Christmas?!?! F-O-O-D!!!!!!Yes, it's true! It's out! I'm a food hoarder! Instead of the 'A' on my chest for 'Adulterous' I should have and 'FH' for 'Food Hoard! I should be on one of those reality TV shows about hoarders! I save, and save food that I love and only eat it in small portions, and I've done it since I was a wee lass. ::look at me speakin Irish! Multicultural, I am::I was that kid who on October 30, 1999, was just finishing up her Halloween candy from Halloween of 1998. I ate it sooooo slowly, just to make sure I would always have some. I grew up in a very health conscious family so we rarely ate sugar or got candy so I always had a candy stash. I think, I was afraid that I would never get candy again, but I'm 23 and I still have a candy stash, and I can afford as much candy as I could ever possibly want!So I decided to do what any responsible addict needs to do. Purge baby, PURGE! I needed to be honest ::ick. that word again!:: and see exactly what I had been hoarding and free myself of the burden! ::inge, cues the fancy church organ music!::So I whipped open my cabinets and started stacking all of my precious treasures into pile. The pile grew and grew until it became a delicious castle of food. The castle consisted of all the food that is expensive or impossible to obtain in South Korea. Items like delicious Oatmeal, jars of honey, exotic spices, pounds of dark chocolate, 4 different kinds of coffee, tea, lentils, cheese, ahhhh! Sooooo delicious.. but then I became sick to my stomach of all the food I had, mouth-watering, yes, but I could never, ever begin to finish in the next four months of my life in Korea. All this food that just sat there locked in my cabinets, food. I wasn't even enjoying fully, because I was sub-consciously afraid that I could never get it again so I would eat it slower than a turtle with a broken leg!Yes, this food hoarder had a 'come to Jesus' moment ;) I needed to stop this madness so after I cleared out my cabinets AND my sock drawers of my precious food, I took the food mountain and started making small piles around my apartment. These piles were for people who I knew would appreciate and enjoy this food. After hours of sorting, cleaning and arguing with myself to relinquish my precious bottle of balsamic vinegar or my fancy chocolate, I won! The vinegar and dark chocolate are now being enjoyed somewhere far from my dark little cabinets.This food hoarder has been set free! It is not that I think it is wrong to have delicious cheese or dark chocolate. Actually, I think it is a necessity in life; I just realized that I, personally, held onto them too tightly, and I can't fully enjoy how amazing these things are until I learn how to let them go., so I let them go. Yes, I did shed a tear or two or maybe I used up a box of Kleenex (but I have no witnesses to attest to my tree-killing ways). Yet, now that I have finished, I can honestly say that something has lifted, I am not only enjoying what I have more, but I feel less afraid to give. My fists are slowly loosening their grip, the water is trickling through and someday soon my hands will burst wide open!***Thank-you Ruth, you're an inspiration!

'Timely Fashion' ~ Self Portrait #4

As a journalist, I felt the need, the call, my duty, the deep, deep responsibility to incorporate my journalistic background into the next self-portrait challenge, with a little fashion twist, of course. What fashion could really be more current than the daily paper? Not even Paris designers can top the freshness of the morning news! Just call me at 1-800-fresh-fashion for your very own chance to wear the latest, greatest fashion!And I wanted to give a big shout-out to all the years of sleepless, shower-less, coffee-filled nights in the photo labs with my bestest and super gifted, artsy friends.... Mandolyn McConaha, Libby Isenhower, Nathan Morgan 2.0, Elizabeth Lauer, Joy Lewis, Drew Thompson, oh, oh and Becky Fluke too, but she was a rebel in the group and left us early to escape the sleepless blues of school life.. They are all very talented and beautiful, beautiful people, currently all over the planet doing all sorts of crazy things! But hopefully one day soon we can all catch up together, eat good food, drink delicious coffee, and chat about all the photo geeky things we can think of! I miss you guys! #4 finished! #5??? We'll have to wait and see, but currently, I have noooooo idea., but it will be an adventure, like life :) view my portfolio