Walking with each other

Think we'll never match at all

But we do, but we do, but we do, but we do
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Day 66. My house is practically immaculate now. It's pretty awesome.

If you'll only, if you'll only say yes

Whether you will is anybody's guess

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Four out of my five now out-of-towner friends are coming home for Christmas! I'm pumped beyond words! There are not enough exclamation points out there to convey the awesomeness. We haven't had this group together since Christmas of 2007. Two years too long ago. Get pumped.

Believe it or not I super sized my sights on the surprise in the cereal box

My stomach's smaller than my eyes

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Simple things in life:

• I love how blue the sky is in the fall. I don't know if it's because there isn't as much sun or what, but it's gorgeous! Blue sky + fire red/orange/yellow leaves = awesome.

Come fly with me

Let's fly, let's fly away

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Simple things in life:

• Anticipation. I like looking forward to things. Today is my friend's housewarming party, and after, we're going Halloween costume/decoration shopping. That's totally awesome. I'm looking forward to our photo shoots tomorrow. I'm looking forward to more hot chocolate. I'm looking forward to my dinner party. I'm looking forward to Halloween itself, too. I really like Halloween. What are you looking forward to in life?

I'm on call, to be there.

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Simple things in life:

• Starbucks hot chocolate. I'm one of those people with a (semi) complicated drink order. I enjoy drinking a zebra hot chocolate with whipped cream and caramel drizzle. Poor baristas, the younger guy dropped my first one. The second barista, an older gentleman, made my second one, and added espresso. I'm totally wired now at 10:22pm when I should be falling fast asleep. At least it smelled good, warmed me up, and was tasty. I miss my Starbucks buddies. You know who you are.
• My bff coming over just to hang out. It was awesome. We laughed, we talked, we reminisced.

You say it's all in my head

And the things I think just don't make sense

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Simple things in life:

• Meeting new people; going on vacation; going to the beach; trying something new; sleeping in; chocolate chip pancakes; hugs; realizing you are so very blessed.

Read my lips carefully, if you like what you see

Move, groove, prove you can hang with me

By the looks I got you shook up and scared of me

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Simple things in life:

• Laughter. I forgot how to laugh there for a few days. Don't worry, I'm bouncing back into my crazy, (not so) normal self. I'm guessing that this weekend will also hold copious amount of laughter. Yay!

Now your world is way too fast

Nothing's real and nothing lasts

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Simple things in life:

• Vacation. Oh yeah, I'm going to San Diego this week. Hopefully, it'll bust me out of my current funk.

Repeating history and you're getting sick of it...

These things will change, can you feel it now?

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Simple things in life:

• Having friends to talk about your life with. Don't take these people for granted, because they are few and far between. A true friend will listen to you when you make absolutely no sense, then translate it and give you the good advice you were looking for.

Ball of confusion

That's what the world is today

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Simple things in life:

• Sunshine! I'm totally serious. We're headed into autumn waaaay too fast (in my opinion). Live it up in the sunshine while you can.

I'm tourin' around the nation on extended vacation

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Simple things in life:

• Orange juice. It rocks my world. Also, it makes me feel like I'm recharging my body when I'm sick (like now). Minute Maid Kids is my personal favorite.

Oh, this is the start of something good

Don't you agree?

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Simple things in life:

• A victorious shopping trip. Nothing like it. If shopping were a sport, I'd be an All-Star.

I wanna sleep on the hard ground

In the comfort of your arms

On a pillow of blue bonnets

In a blanket made of stars

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Simple things in life:

• Edy's Strawberry Fruit Bars. Seriously, they're amazing (and healthy!).

I'm a winner at a losing game.

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Simple things in life:

• There's always a light at the end of the tunnel. I'm just feeling funky this week, stressed out and bummed out. I'm ready for it to be over. It's summer, it's warm, and I have so many things to be thankful for. I just need to snap out of it somehow.
• Chocolate chip banana muffins (from scratch). Well, we'll see if they're any good (they're baking now).

I will be your guardian when all is crumbling

I'll steady your hand

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Simple things in life:

• I made two food dishes from SCRATCH today. I wasn't even bored. I'm a regular Betty Crocker.

Don't be shy

I want you to come closer

So what you gonna do?

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Simple things in life:

• Today, I got to tour the newly remodeled penthouse and 12th floor at work. The first person we talked to was the CEO. When his phone rang over on a nearby chair, he told us that he had no idea where the tropical tones were coming from, haha. Good times. Cierra proceeded to ask him what he does if he forgets his security badge. Apparently, he gets a temporary one, just like everyone else. Seriously?! Everyone knows you. You wouldn't believe the views from that place even if I had a camera up there.

525,600 minutes

How do you measure, measure a year?

In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights in cups of coffee

In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife

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Simple things in life:

• Laughing so hard you cry a little. I totally did that on the phone earlier.

I said you wanna be startin' somethin'

You got to be startin' somethin'

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So, I was pulling weeds out of my garden today when I realized that I have about three "simple things in life" moments. Simple things that I see that make me smile or think or are just interesting to me. Read them if you want to, or you can just skip over them. I'll add them in if I can remember them all day. Dorky, I know.

I have a few since I've been thinking about this all day:

1. I love the fact that there's a blog called "smart, pretty, & awkward." Brilliant!
2. How is it that spiderwebs can withstand rain/water, wind, and who knows what else, but the moment you touch them, they stick to you and are totally destroyed. No joke, I saw a 10-12 inch spiderweb "bridge." It was impressive. I didn't take a picture of it (shocking, I know). There were a ton of layers to it.
3. I just got a cord that allows me to play my iPod through my sweet stereo with subwoofers (boom boom pow!). For some reason, I thought that if I went to Radio Shack, they would laugh at me for requesting such a specialized item. They were totally sweet and didn't even give me a weird look.
4. iTunes has a genius playlist?! You just choose one song, and then it selects songs that go well with it to play for your musical delight. Fabulous!

What good is a life, with no one to share,

the light of the moon, the honor of a swear

being dramatic

I love taking dramatic pictures. The best ones occur when I get a shot of something simple, then play with the shadows when I get it back on my computer. Black and white has always been my favorite; it's both simple yet dramatic. Ansel Adams captured some of the most beautiful landscapes in the western United States on film in black and white. It truly blows my mind that such stunning photographs could be taken without editing or enhancement. This photo is one I am always trying to replicate in my own way. I love how the tree stands out against the dark forest so vividly. Maybe I'll have the opportunity someday to spend a few weeks out west just doing landscape photography. I wouldn't mind it at all.

Some of my favorite black and white shots that I have captured over the years have been in common places, at home or at school. It doesn't take a trip to a new and/or exotic place to inspire creativity, it can happen in everyday surroundings.

Not all black and white shots have to be within a nature setting. Switching over a group or couple shot instantly adds interest and elegance to the shot. Instead of being distracted by colors and backgrounds, you switch your focus to the body language, facial expressions, and emotions being expressed. I love black, white, and all the shades of gray in between.