It's been awhile...

Hello.  I'm still alive.  Suprise! ;)  

I have been waiting for the perfect time to be able to collect my thoughts, organize and write them down...

...well, it seems there will never be the "perfect time" to sit down, reflect and write out my thoughts here.  Truth is...time must be made.  That is what I hope to do more here in the future.  I think it actually might be therapeutic. 

To catch up, here is what my life has consisted of the past year... almost 2 years...in bullet form for ease:

* transitioned and finally planted in a wonderful church family

*homeschool...goin' sometimes not steady, but strong

*accepted the honor of becoming Kingdom Life Fellowship's

Director of Worship Culture

*Dave accepted the honor of being KLF's youth pastor

*closed my photography business for a season

*opened photography business on a MUCH smaller scale

*gained weight

*recently lost 25 lbs

*started running again (training for my first 5K)

*started kettlebell workouts

*trying to do fun improvements to the house

*completed Dave Ramsey's FPU

*ate fried pickles for the first time...and LIKED it

Lots of life has been happening at the Brown home...some overwhelming...some fun...all of it welcomed.  We are growing more than ever where we are now and are so thankful for this season God has us in.  I don't know if anyone actually reads this thing, but I am sorry for being absent for so long.  I hope to keep going...I think it will be good.  

As I type, I hear the laughter of my boys playing with the water hose in the back yard.  I am trying to start letting go of my compulsive tendencies to keep everything "perfect" and let them be boys.  Let go of the reigns and start letting them make choices...make mistakes...and learn from them.  Little stuff now, nothing crazy...but Lord help me...

...I'm sure a mud pit will develop shortly...

Love to you all, and believing that you are finding rest in HIM...

XoXo

bReAkInG {eggs, bad habits, and myself}

Lots of fun stuff going on here:

*Showing the house about every day...

*sweatin' bullets "power cleaning" right before 'em...

*Learning new ways to dye Easter eggs (they're SO pretty)...

*Miraculously stopped biting my nails after 20 years of biting 'em

*Goin' to the circus for free, thanks to my kids' winning a coloring contest...

*Shooting the Foothills Banquet and meeting Mr. Mike Huckabee. AWESOME...

*Finally realizing that it's OK to take a day off...

My little rant comes from that last blurb. Many of you awesome photog peeps may know where I'm coming from...or maybe ya'll already have it figured out. Kudos if ya do :) But for me, it's so easy to be consumed every second of the day with what I do since it's so close...

We meet. We shoot. We edit.

...and this is where I sit. For hours. In front of my computer:

culling. processing. retouching. emailing. researching.

deviating. facebooking. youtubing. refocusing.

I'm absolutely passionate about what I do. I LOVE meeting new people and telling their stories but can anyone else relate with me here? Does anyone else feel this crazy need to get everything done like yesterday? Anyhoo, it was kind of stressin' me out and it's completely my fault. But I'm stoked to tell ya that I'm OK now with taking a break for day. A WHOLE day...to do whatever the heck I want. Sure, I talk to my clients and email if I need to. But, I really try to do stuff with the fam...and stuff for me...for a day. And ya know what I've learned? I am SO much more motivated when I do take that time for myself...to just rest and give my mind a break of what needs to be done. It's like I charge up for another awesome week of my life :) Maybe it's just me, maybe I'm just preachin' to myself, but if there's an "amen" out there, be encouraged...it's totally OK to be lazy for a day. To do something completely for recreation's sake. To snuggle with the kids and watch movies in bed. To go to the park without the pressure of getting back home to edit. To keep the computer off...unless of course you want to youtube your brains out.

You NEED a break...weekly if ya can. God took a day to rest. Why shouldn't we?

So anyhoo, there's my little rant...I'm done now :) Hope everyone had a super fun Easter with their fams! I thought I would post a couple pics of our egg dying fun...this year, we did confetti eggs, or more formally known as cascarones. SO much fun! I totally was spacing that I could use my hole puncher to make the confetti, so you know what this mean mamma did? I made my kiddos (and myself) cut up streamers to make the confetti...because I didn't care to go out that day and buy some. And besides, it builds character right???? You know, workin' diligently at something for a long time towards a really good/fun goal?

Well, I'm definitely doing the hole puncher thing next year :)

To the right: Parker watching the first egg come out of the dye...

To the left (uh uh): 'now dip baby dip' oh woops...had a "Tootsie Roll" moment

anywayzzz when Ash was cuttin' confetti he dropped a long string and it happened to fall right on Sam's face...did he care? Obviously not...my dog is SO cute :)

Some of my faves!!!

Happy "BIRD" Day

My sweet Ashton is 6 today! Here goes the cliche Mamma in me....I just can't resist:

"It's seems like yesterday...."

...for real though. This little face was staring at me.

He was about 14 months in that picture...so crazy right? Hard to believe that my smart first born is half way through kindergarten, sounding out words and reading. I was so sad that our spontaneous trip happened during his birthday. BUT, we had so much fun making some fun cupcakes for his classmates on Thursday night. Ashton wanted a "Nemo" birthday. I think it's so stinkin' cute that he still loves the Pixar fishy! He gets to wear the birthday crown all day on Friday and give these cute cupcakes to his friends. He was SO excited about it :) We will be back tomorrow to top off his birthday celebration. But I miss him now. I love my munchkins!

Ali land is so much happier with Ashton in it...I love you Mr. Face!!!

I'm just a teeny bit proud of these...thought 'em up all by myself :)

Little kids love things like cheese and icing right?

I love you {baby}

Happy Anniversary!

YAY for Christmas!!!

I LOVE Christmas!!!

I get so stoked about the decorating, the fun traditions I have started with my family, and just the celebration of Jesus' birthday :) Seriously, I could listen to Christmas music all year long. My husband and I have been battling the playlists because he has to hear Christmas music all day long at work. I'm all like...Bah Humbug to you Mr. Scrooge ;)

So I have my sister and her husband in town and tomorrow night my mom flies in! EEEEEEK! I'm SO excited! It has been awesome having my folks here together...surreal even. I took the two love birds out for the fastest shoot I think I have ever done. I would have gone longer...BUT...we had to beg him to do it in the first place so when he was done I didn't push it. It's supposed to be fun anyway right???

I wanted to post a teaser of what we did today and also some pics of my house decorated for Christmas! Look at my knock-out sis and her awkward feeling hubby..hahaha!

You know I love ya Cam :)

I decided to do a fun red black and silver tree this year for the main tree. Main tree you ask???Yes, I kind of have a Christmas tree addiction...

Our very first Christmas ornament as a hitched couple :)

It's so much fun to have my kids doing all the fun crafty things for Christmas. I'm getting so many wonderful ornaments hand made with love. I made these stockings for the boys a while back...they are replicas of a stocking my Aunt had made for me many many moons ago...when I was a wee baby...

If you walk in the foyer, you will be greeted by a sweet little purple, pink and gold

vintage tree...

This is the tree that I dolled up for the guest room...love the green, black and blue...sounds so horribly violent for a Christmas tree but I think it's pretty :)

What fun traditions does your family have for Christmas?

Ali 2.0

Weight had really never been an issue with me...that is of course until I carried two little - NAY - over-average sized munchkins in my tummy. I guess I thought I could just get away with eating potato ole's every single day with the first one...and Mocha Moo-lates every single day with the second. Seeing as they are 14 months apart, one can easily understand how I had a good 60 pounds of weight added to my once small frame.

But it didn't stop after the pregnancies. I now had TWO babies to care for, no time for myself and the only thing that I could run to and instantly feel good about was food. Cookies in particular. I think when peeps think of me, it wouldn't be too far fetched for them to say...."Oh yeah! I know Ali...the cookie monster..." Ask most my friends and they can tell you I almost always had a batch of homemade cookies in the oven when they would come over. In fact I think some of my friends were probably a bit upset when they were a pound or two more on the scale...by me making the delicious warm gooey wonderful treats. Ok I'm really salivating now...

"NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM!"

Anyhoo, I had tried, on my own, to eat better...and I did lose a few pounds but nothing to write Oprah about. I then started workin' out. I love to run! It was so hard though running when I was so heavy...but I worked out nonetheless and a couple more pounds came off. I was getting very frustrated with not seeing the results I wanted after going at it pretty consistently for 4 years...and that's when I learned about Go Figure.

I started in August and to date have lost just around 50 pounds. It was tough but I HAD to do something about my bad eating habits. I pretty much kicked my metabolism back in gear and changed the way I felt about food. I will eat to live and not live to eat.

I also feel like I have grown so much inside as much as I have changed on the outside. That is what truly matters anyway. I have seriously tried to do a makeover on my heart just as much as my body. I really hope that this post isn't sounding vain to folks. That's not my intention...I just feel so good and feel like I've worked very hard to achieve this goal I have had for over 4 years. I figured I would just share with you the success I have had.

My young padawan Matt Ehnes took me out to do some "after" pictures. I seriously had about 45 minutes of daylight left and was rushing to get my mask on. It was really weird being in front of the camera and actually feeling good about myself. I think I kind of worked it ;) So, with Matt's permission I thought it would be cool to show ya'll some before and after pics...because:

a. number 1. Dave and I were looking at older pictures of me and I was all like, "WOAH!"

and

C. I have this guilty pleasure of enjoying those types of pics. Whether it be for some kind of face cream or hair removal...it's just cool that there's an instant result right there...does anybody else feel that way???

So here I am...Ali and Ali 2.0 ;)

p.s. there was no help from photoshop to get me to look this small and big for that matter

scout's honor

I was having OODLES of fun spicin' up the dance floor at a wedding in this next image...s'rsly...

And here's one more from Mr. Matt...Cuz I can't resist...

I'm a good "guy"

While on an amazingly fun shoot yesterday, I asked my hubby to hold this red backdrop I had to block a bit of rays...it was flapping so stinkin' hard...flippin' HiLARious to see Dave try to get that thing under control!!!! We managed to get some good shots even with the crazy mast in the air...and then he proceeded to tie the "cape" like backdrop to his neck. I then was reminded of that commercial I triple heart...the super pages commercial! So funny!!!! I laugh big fat belly laughs every time I see the end. SO...I was all like

"DAVE! DAVE! I wanna picture with the cape! Because I'm a 'good guy!'"

It's so ironic to me that the same day we were remembering this commercial, I had a run in with a not-so-wonderful situation that is still haunting me almost a year later.

*Cue Alanis Morissette*

I have been extremely blessed to have some of the most amazing clients in the entire universe! After the visit yesterday from "the spirit of nightmares past," I was tempted, and almost caved in, to insecurity, self-pity and a very. VERY. Bad attitude.

Instead, I have chosen to accept this as a gift:

A fresh gratitude to all my wonderful clients who love and appreciate my work...

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! a Bajillion times over!!!

Love, me

XoXo

And for your viewing pleasure, here is one of my fave commercials...I give major kudos to the genius ad peeps who thought this up :)

a {house}...my {home}

I went to my first parade of homes today...so flippin' awesome! I think I was on stimulation overload from all the fantastic designs, architecture, and decor I saw. It was neat how each house had it's own personality. I think my absolute FAVE were the lofts at the Johnson building. I was ready to sell my soul for that loft. I could totally see all my funky stuff in each room. As I was imagining my "dream" loft, I had to stop...why was I wishing for a newer, better, cooler pad when I have been so incredibly blessed to have a house now? A bit of conviction crept into my heart and it didn't take long for me to thank God for what I have...a sound house filled with my healthy family, my memories and even a couple silly pets. So, it's not just "a house"...it's my HOME. Even though it's older, got a few quirks and may not be in the cleanest of conditions...it wins the "Best Place to Be Loved" award in my parade.

I'll end with some sneak peeks from one of my seniors last week...

Love the vibe. Love the hat. Love the color.

Kelsey admitted that she brought a third of her closet in the car...which was cool with me...the more color the merrier I always say. I loved that she had this purple flower pin...which we conveniently made into a hairpiece...

Rockin' the hat...

{announcement}

I just wanted to let everybody know who is a senior or knows a senior that I have only  3 more openings in August if whomever wants to do their senior pictures next month.  Or if anybody wants to do their pictures next month...families, babies, kiddos.  August seems like a pretty popular month...so shout it from the roof tops :)  Since it's so much more fun to look at pictures on a post, I picked out a few from my recent family folders...because I love 'em.  AND because I'm taking more pictures now that I have let go of the fact that I don't have to take all my families pictures in RAW : )

Ash was so excited to hold this big frog on our first campin' trip...

If you have never played Quelf,  you need to.  It is only THE most fun game. EVER.  All your pride goes out the window as the most random and odd things take place before your eyes.

This is a game that daddy made up today.  It's called kid-a-polt.

The kid places himself in postition and then...

 is a-polted through the air.  Apparently they love it.  

{Expired}

Email can be a wonderful friend if say...I hear from a distant friend...or...get a forward that truly does make me pee my pants it's so funny...or...notifications of sweet comments left on my blog.  NOT however to tell me that my Pharmacy Technician Certificate and License has expired.  How did they get my email anyway?  As I was freaking out about my back up plan being blown to bits by my procrastination, I started thinking.  Do I need a back up plan now?  

Then it hit me.  "Hi.  My name is Ali.  And I MUST CREATE!"  I remember something that a pharmacist once told me...he said, "Ali, you are a square peg trying to fit in a round hole."  This was shortly after he yelled at me to stop singing in the IV room.  Apparently he couldn't concentrate to my awesome made up tunes.  

Point being he was right.  I can't be stuffed in a small room making IV's for people...or stuck behind a desk stuffing envelopes for the elderly who can't remember which pill is which.  I must create.  That is who I am.  And if for some out-of-this-world reason this whole photography thing doesn't work out for me...which I don't see happening...then I know I am creative enough to figure something out.  

So I am liberated...Email, you can stuff it...I don't know where cyber space stuffing happens...but I don't care that my license expired.  I'm doing just fine thank you.  And to prove it to you, here is one of my FAVE images from a wedding that I shot recently...

Excuses and Siblings

Frankly I have none...excuses that is...other than I have been chillin' like a villain from my blog.  Sorry folks.  I know it's so horrible.  I HAVE been doing other things though.  Like:  weeding the garden, ripping down even more wallpaper, playing around with my photoshop skillz, sleeping in the sun, meeting clients, watching a movie...or two...or three.  But my summer will be completely slammed from tomorrow on...so relax my faithful peeps :)  I won't leave you without some images.  Here are some from my Florida session a while back.  Yes...I did have many excuses not to get these done...none of them good.  It was my sister's dying wish for me to get her "Funky Fire Hydrant" pictures to her...so here she is...and some of me too thanks to my sis.

Crazy hurkey woman!

Sushi

One of the commercial projects I am working on involves me going out and taking artistic pictures of the night life here in Great Falls.  I had this image of a plate of Sushi in my head...told you I was crazy...So, looking for some Sushi I called The Breaks.  They started a Sushi night on Thursdays.  Steve, the manager, was SO kind to allow me to take pictures.  They were very welcoming when we arrived and made a special plate for one of Dave's rolls so I could get some cool shots.  Yum...Fresh Sushi :)  We made a date of it.  He had never had Sushi before.  It was really entertaining seeing how big his pie hole got when he tried to put a bigger piece in.  I actually had a funnier picture but you might see something to the tune of, "Great Falls photographer murdered by angry husband"  on the late night news if I posted that one.  So here's a little from our Sushi night...I even got a bit of Sake2Me :)

Hmmwaahh...HAHAHAHA!

My 100th post!!!

Hey Ya'll! I just realized that this is my 100th post since switching over to this blog! Rad huh? I promised some beach pics and since I am heading home Tuesday, I figured I better "git" to it. Southern accent compliments of being around my Daddy for two weeks.

We went to HoneyMoon Island...it's about a 10 minute drive from my folks house and it's where part of "The Punisher" was filmed. I knew I wouldn't have any pictures of myself if I didn't ask someone to brave my camera. Thankfully my sister took a stab at it. She was very quick in learning how to focus, recompose, frame...all the yummy lighting stuff and everything. From the looks of her shots she could have a future in this field too.

I wanted to share how I set up the shots for some of the cool rim lighting images. I used to be afraid of shooting without shade...not anymore! I now see it as an opportunity to get a beautiful highlight around the subjects hair and profile...I think it's cool anyway. I'm not perfect at it...but I'm trying to learn the trick...so far I've learned that as long as the back of your subjects head is facing the sun, so that their face is shaded, and your exposure is nailed, you can get that pretty rim lighting effect. I bumped up the meter through the viewfinder a couple of notches to experiment with it...this is one of my faves:

Isn't it fun?!?!?! I'm so excited about learning this more and gaining confidence with my rim lighting shots :) Enough blabbing...I edited on two separate days so that's why some are big and small...I'm eclectic anyway so it works :) Here's some more of my faves...

My mom and the kids playin' in the sand...

My lovely sister

As my sister and I were walking, I was wondering what this homeless man was doing...turns out...it was my dad...whoops! I laughed so hard when I saw that it was him.

He was picking up these...

I love the colors you find at the beach!

Frolicking in the sand = awesome calve workout