Photography Blog

Well I've decided to create another blog, strictly for pictures. I was lucky enough to get a Canon Rebel camera for Christmas, which means I'll be taking pictures MORE frequently, since I don't have to borrow my dads.

I'm excited to start playing around with the camera and learn everything about lighting, posing, focusing...etc.

So if you'd like to follow up on that blog as well as The Black Spot, please add:

ebphotos.blogspot.com

to your blog reels.

Much love!

ERICA

Blog much?

Looking at my Blog Archives, I'm noticing that this post marks my 23rd pots in 2010.

What's weird, is that in 2009, I wrote 45 posts and in 2008, 40 posts.

WHAT HAPPENED?!?!

2010, by far has been more exciting than '09 or '08, but for some reason I hadn't felt the need to blog about it.

This year is drawing to a close and I'm finding myself reflecting over everything I chose not to mention. I did decide to send out Christmas cards this year, nixing the year synopsis. Its just photos - simple, ya know. But looking over the last year and all the things we've done, I really didn't take time to document everything. I did recollect each vacation/trip we went on, photography has become a big hobby this year and I did post about holidays.... but what else?

Joe's still with Carson Elevator; hit his 5 year mark at the first of December. We celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary in October - hence the California trip. I'm going to mark 2 years of management January 2nd, 2011 and 5 years with Smart Style this March. We still live in "Villa de Nelda" or "The Blackstroms." We've been here 2 years and love it - we're looking forward to many 'upgrade' projects next year. This house needs some fixing up! Andee & Kelly had their twins and I can't get enough of them. Shopping for them, playing, helping change diapers, feeding or getting them ready for bed. I just love having them right upstairs. Lets see, Joe bought his '87 Chevy truck earlier this year...and that's been fun. Spent more money fixing it up than we originally paid for it. Yay...not! I didn't keep up with my New Year's resolution to read more. I made it to April and gave up on the extra free time. I just don't have it anymore - Sorry C! I'm still watching my nephew Jesse on Mondays (Most months, just one Monday a month) but we have fun. Endless cartoons, transformer toys, lunch with "Eliz-bit" and shopping at the blue store. He cracks me up and I enjoy my one-on-one time with him.

Okay, well that sums up all the things I didn't post about.

I can't believe what a disappointing "blog" year it has been. Oh well, I guess thats why my obsession with Facebook has increased. The instant connection, conversations and jokes are far more entertaining I guess.

I have a resolution for 2011 already - BLOG MORE!

Happy Holidays everyone - and thank you for continuing to blog...even though I've been lacking..I do love reading though!!!

Much love.

Xmas photo shoot (edited)

Again I played with my dad's camera and pretended to be a professional! I wanted to take some silly photos of the girls for Andee's Christmas card. (We're going to be taking some others later this weekend with all the Snow grandkids in their Sunday best. That should be fun as well)

But anyway, here's a look see...in case you haven't seen them on Andee's blog or on Facebook already. Much love!!

Avie

Ella

Avie

Ella

Avie

Ella

Avie

Ella

Merry Christmas from Avie & Ella

***Okay, I played around in photoshop & picnik.com to make the photos more vintage looking. Too much fun.

Cookie party!

Joe and I were invited to a "couples" dinner party this past Saturday. Unfortunately it was the same night as Joe's work Christmas party...ugh! I was so torn! Luckily Joe's party started at 5 and ended at 7, and the dinner party started until 6. So we only missed the "dinner" part of the party, and made it in time for the activity.

It turned out to be a great night, even though we missed the important part. My friend Lynda, the host, bought a few dozen sugar cookies from a local bakery and we all brought toppings to decorate them with. Sounds a little silly with a bunch of adults...Joe and I were the youngest couple, by almost 12 years...but it really was fun! Lynda purchased all "Christmas" shapes and colored frostings. We all brought candies, sprinkles and sparkles to add to them. We all sat at a round table, brainstormed decorating ideas, talked, talked and talked!!!

Here are a few pictures:

The top 2 are Joe's. He was more in to visiting, than decorating.

MY BUNCH!!

My OCD kicked in big time. I spent about 10 minutes on each cookie...I think I decorated the most too. Everyone had had enough after about 3 or 4 cookies, but I just kept going! And of course we were all in a sugar coma. Working with sweets, you just HAVE to dabble and taste everything!!!

We ended up visiting until almost midnight. Lynda & Paul are such great friends and getting to know their other friends, was a lot of fun. There were stories, jokes and so much laughter!! Great way to kick off the Christmas party season!

I can't wait for more holiday get-togethers!! I LOVE THE HOLIDAYS!

SNOW!

Alright, well we woke up to almost a foot of snow this morning!!! (And according to the weather, more is on the way!) I decided to take advantage of my cozy state and get pumped up for all the excitement to come!

Our backyard

First, there are few things I hate about snow.

-The cold, obviously. Always having to wear a jacket, scarves or gloves.

-The constant wet pants. I've got short legs and all my long pants get soaked at the bottoms!! I have to roll them up once I get inside so my socks don't get wet. There is just no way to avoid wet ankles!

-Plus having to scrape & defrost my car EVERY morning...that's a bummer. You have to wake up 15 minutes earlier! :(

However, there are MANY things I LOVE about the snow.

-Something about it, is so peaceful. After a snow storm, everything is so quiet. It masks every sound. Sitting out on my covered porch and listening....to silence!

-I also love how beautiful it is. Especially "untouched" snow. No footprints, slush from the roads, dog pee or mud & leaves. I love looking at freshly fallen snow. Perfect and picturesque.

-And how cozy it makes me feel. Watching it fall while sitting next to a foggy window. You can just feel the chill coming from the glass. Grabbing a cup of hot-chocolate or sipping extremely warm soup while you snuggle up in blanket or next to a loved one.

-Which brings me to fires!! Nothing better the smell of logs cooking & listening to them crackle! We have a cast-iron, free standing fire place and it literally heats up our whole basement. Again - so cozy!!!

-I love all the rosy cheeks. Going downtown to see the lights, or taking a late night stroll - everyone always has the burning, stinging, bright red cheeks! Not only is it beautiful to see on the adorable chubby cheeks of little kids, but its also complimentary on many gorgeous faces!

-and last but not least, THE HOLIDAYS! This time of year is always incredible. Many get-togethers & parties. Family time, giving, surprising, sharing, loving...its wonderful. People say this is the most depressing time of year and I really just don't understand that. Whether I'm spending time with family or giving to those in need or just spreading holiday cheer wherever you go, it couldn't be more wonderful.

As you can tell, I'm really looking forward to this time of year. I was sad when summer was drawing to a close, but to now actually have snow that won't be melting by the end of the day, I'm getting pumped for the days/holidays to come!!!

Happy Snow Day to all the Utahns!!!

Our MASSIVE tree in the front yard. Once the snow stopped coming down, it was interesting to see the weight on the branches give way. Some branches broke, while other just "shook" off the powder. Note to self: Don't stand under this tree for very long, because it will "snow" all over you!!!

New phone!! Finally!!

Okay everyone, after a whole week without my Blackberry, I finally received my replacement in the mail. Its the new Samsung Epic which is a 4G smartphone. I'm pretty excited about it - and its SO MUCH smarter than I am...lots of learning to do!!

Anyway, I'm back to my old number (The 712 one) so for those who need me, you now know where to find me.

Thanks!

**Side note: I've been absolutely pathetic. No internet access outside of my home, no texting, no contact list, no games...NOTHING! It's really sad that my smartphone plays such a big part in my life. Technology is as comforting as a sweatshirt on a cold day, or a nice warm bed ready for you to crawl into. I feel complete.

Like I said...SO PATHETIC!

Phone number

I dropped my phone into a gigantic water puddle, on our last day in Disneyland, yesterday. Its destroyed!! I tried to rice trick, but unfortunately I didn't have rice available until many hours later....so it was too late.

Of course I don't have insurance - duh me! - but lucky enough for me, my plan expires next Thursday, so I can get a new phone in a week!!! And for the time being, I just have a silly "pay as you go" phone, so I can keep in contact with the world.

My blackberry turns on every now and then, so I'm hoping to get some of my old information off of it, but it never stays on long enough to make a call or send a message. Bummer. It can still receive calls and I'll be checking my voicemail periodically, but here is my temporary number in case you need to get a hold of me over the next week.

801-673-5304

**edited - I originally put a "9" but found out its a "4" Sorry for the confusion

I know I'm putting this out there for all to see, but its only a temporary phone number. (my new phone will keep my other number active) But I know some clients of mine and friends read this blog and I wanted to make sure you knew where to find me.

Thanks all!

Junkyard Treasures

More amateur photos!!! We're still on vacation, but yesterday was a day spent with Joe's parents outside Rosamond, CA. Which...is the middle of nowhere. About 15 outside of Lancaster/Palmdale...which is 55 minutes North of Burbank....which is 35 miles North of Long Beach. Basically, we flew into the wrong airport. We should have flown into Burbank - would've saved us 30+ mins of driving. Ugh - it was awful.

Anyway, Joe's dad is living on a 5 acre lot that used to be COVERED in junk. Okay, well it still is, but they are in the process of cleaning everything & clearing it all out. They are making great head-way because you can actually walk around the yard without tripping or having to climb up something.

It was hot, Joe was forced to lay sod with his dad - on HIS vacation - and I tried my hardest to entertain myself. So, I grabbed my little "point & shoot" Nikon Coolpix camera and went on a treasure hunt. It was amazing to stumble across so many random things. Here are some photos of my "treasures." Some editing has been done, but I'm still on vacation and without "serious" editing time, so they'll do for now. But enjoy - I sure had a good time.

**side note: These items were not "posed." They were photographed exactly how they were found.

We're going to.....

D I S N E Y L A N D ! !

We were finally able to plan a "getaway weekend" for our anniversary. Its going to be a short trip, only 4 days, but we're excited!! We fly into Long Beach late Friday night, then we'll drive to Rosamond, CA for the night & spend Saturday with Joe's dad & step mom. Then Saturday night we'll drive to Anaheim and spend Sunday, Monday & Tuesday in Disneyland!!! We we'll be flying back to SLC late Tuesday night. So like I said, a short trip, but it will be well worth it. (This will be our first time, in 9 years together, where we'll be outside of Utah BY OURSELVES!! What a great/romantic trip this should be.)

Just a few more days to get through until the vacation starts. Oh the joys of working before time off....it always drags. I can't wait to post pictures and tell ya'll how much fun we had.

Yay for quick getaways! Perfect way to spend 5 years of marriage!!

He makes my heart SUPER happy!

I had a wonderful evening with my little nephew Jesse.

Joe and my bro-in-law Jesse having been watching every movie Clint Eastwood has EVER made, in chronological order...that's a whole other blog, let me tell you! Haha. Anyway, tonight they set up to watch "Escape from Alcatraz" so Kalie & little Jesse came over as well.

Unfortunately its hard for the guys to really enjoy the movie with us girls are chatting and a 4 1/2 year old is running & yelling about, so I made plans for some hardcore entertainment for this kid.

First, aprons on! We made brownies!! I now know what its like baking with a little kid. Mix powder went everywhere, licking the spoon is a necessity and he has to do everything himself! He did great. Even cracked the egg with NO shells in the batter!

While the brownies were cookin' I had him make a "Halloween" gingerbread house. I bought these kits from Wal-Mart, houses already made, they're just for decorating (which is the best part anyway!)

We had a little too much fun being creative and messy. I think Jesse ate more frosting and sugary treats than he actually put on the house. Oh well, we had a good time. His mom, Kalie was there to help him too.

Then it was brownie time!!! He wanted to make them "Halloween" as well, so with a thin layer of chocolate syrup, we sprinkled Halloween on top! Yes, these brownies were 100% sugar!!! Actually eating the brownies was a whole other story...he didn't eat any of it! It was the process that made it fun.

Here are a few pictures from tonight. I kept him entertained as long as I could. He was about to pop in a "Halloween" movie, The Night Before Christmas, but it was getting late and his parents wanted to head home. But I did let him borrow the movie, so he can continue the "Halloween" night when he gets home.

What a great night. All "Halloween" themed and the holiday is still 28 days away. We're getting excited though!!!

Thanks Kalie & Jesse for coming over and letting me hang with the little man. He's great fun and he really does make my heart SUPER happy!! xoxox

He was concentrating pretty hard!

He is showing me is "Attoo" he got earlier in the day

I got the broken house. I tried to repair it with icing. Couldn't fix the whole roof though...

This is the front "good" side

Our back "messy" side!

Our SUGAR brownies

What a wonderful evening!!!