Spring Photo Sessions

So I got the chance to do two photo sessions this weekend and I have to admit it made me a little sad.


First I got to Take Emily over to Valley Forge to do some maternity pictures. Isn't she beautiful? You can see more pictures here.






Then I got to take Chelsea and her girls over to Ursinus campus to get some spring pictures of the girls. You can see more of those here.





So why did this make me sad? Some might think it is because I am still single and as much as i want to be a mom I have no kids but actually that isn't it at all. It is because both of these families will be moving in the next bit as their husbands graduate from Dental school. This time of year is always tough as the friends you make over a 4 year period graduate and move on. But I wish them all the best!!

Is 35 to old to Play with Dolls???

Okay I confess I am slightly obsessed with Blythe Dolls. I really want to get one of these dolls, she would be a blast to photograph. Now for any of you old enough to remember the original she was a short lived doll back in 1972 (Her color changing eyes kind of freaked kids out) but she has a new following and has started to be made again in 2001. You read about her history here.

I think she would practically be the perfect subject since I won't have to chase her to get pictures of her. You can buy all sorts of Wigs, hats, clothes,Stockings/Tights and other accessories for her. Of course the dolls themselves are hard to come by especially in the states even with Hasbro owning the rights to her.

Maybe one day I will have one or maybe even 2 of these stylin' dolls in my possession.



You can see more pictures of these unique dolls here.

Spring colds and Easter Don't mix

I managed not to get a cold all winter long. (I had other sickies but no colds). Well the Easter Bunny decided to bring one to me this weekend and man do I feel icky. Hopefully it will run its course quickly.

But to cheer me up I pulled up some pictures of the little Ellie Bunny that I took a couple weeks ago. Can't wait till she comes to visit in May!!

Why I don’t like to travel with my mom.

I love my mom but she has the worst luck when it comes to travelling!!

We just finally made it back from Indiana and let’s just say the trip home was quite eventful. The trip out was pretty smooth. Flight left on time, got the rental car with no problem, TomTom took us slightly out of the way on the way to the Hotel but we made it fine and then we got to the Rice’s home and got to see sweet baby Ellie. Fast forward to Sunday.. We get to the airport and turn in our rental car just fine. Then we get through ticketing and security without any issues, the lines were pretty long but moved fast. So by now you are wondering why I would hate to travel with everything going pretty smooth, but here is where things changed.

The plane we were supposed to fly out on was late, then it finally arrives and there is no one at the gate to meet it so its sits there for 15 minutes waiting for the ramp to be moved over. Then the woman finally shows up and it takes her another 10 minutes to move the ramp over, they unload and are ready for us to load and of course the lady at the counter is not ready. Once she is finally ready she announces we have a wheels up time 15 minutes from that point and we need to hurry and load the plane, so we rush, get on the plane taxi away from the terminal and then park… 10 minutes of sitting and they finally announce we have been grounded by6 air traffic control because we missed out wheel’s up time by 5 minutes, they would have an update for us in an hour. Yep we get to sit in the sardine can of a plane on the runway for an hour. An hour and 20 minutes later they come on and tell us our flight has been cancelled. UGH!!!

So we had to unload, walk down to ticketing and rebook our flight. That process wasn’t too bad. However we were right behind the most obnoxious passenger on the plane who was talking so loud to whoever was on the other end of his blue tooth the whole plane could hear and was swearing and cursing up a storm. Just flat out obnoxious. The poor guy sitting next to him was like please let me know what flight you are on for the way back cause I want 6o make sure I am not on the same plan with you. I felt the same way. Then when we were in line rebooking the flight there was a woman carrying on about the time of the flight they got her on. It was ridiculous the way she was carrying on and acting like someone just told her she had 2 weeks to live. Most everyone else handled it pretty well.

My cousin’s dear Hubby, Jeff, said he would come to the airport and get us and we could stay with them. We felt so bad having them do that since he had to go back to work today and has been tired with all the commotion of having a newborn in the house. We really appreciated it. I love my family!!

So fast forward to our flight today. Plane is there, good sign, boarding time comes and they can’t board us because the flight attendant is a no show, bed sign… we wait 20 minutes then they find a substitute to at least get the flight loaded. So we all get loaded, the flight attendant finally shows up and we start to pull back from the gate, and then all of a sudden we start pulling back towards the terminal, and I can see out the window that the walkway is being moved back to the plane. Not a good sign.. Well long story short they had to remove a passenger that was getting a bit out of control from an apparent anxiety attack. Then we finally start to pull away from the gate and then we start driving around the airport for 10 minutes then stop and park AGAIN!! So we sit there for 15 minutes before the pilot finally comes on and tells us we should have a wheels up time in about 20 minutes, and luckily we took off about 15 minutes later because I don’t think I could have handled having another flight cancelled.

But in the end what made it all more than worth it??? This little face.



She was such a sweetheart and I have lots more pictures coming to share.. I mean I took over 700 so I am sure there will be at least a few I feel I need to post!!

Welcome little Ellie Elizabeth Rice

Well my cousin had her first child today. A little girl. She had to have a C section since the little peanut was breech, and did not have any desire to turn. Both mom and baby are doing well and I can't wait till Friday when I get to go visit and spend a couple days taking LOTS of pictures. My Aunt is over the moon happy at being a grandma and my grandmother has finally accepted that she is old now that she is a great grandmother.

Here is a sneak peak at the little cutie till I can get out there and take some pictures of my own.

A Baby shower for Emily

A baby is a special gift but it is even wore special to those who have been waiting and hoping for one for years. That is why When I heard E & D were expecting their first child I just had to offer to help with the baby shower. Now Chelsea really did all the work, coming up with a great theme, food and so on. I just provided the venue. It was a lot of fun... Chels did a Wonderful job!!

Now I know how Garfield felt

My favorite cartoon character has summed up how I am feeling today perfectly.




Guess sometimes hardwork doesn't pay off. Lets hope next week is better or I will be right back to doing this.

Not much to report - still here

I realize it has been over 2 weeks since my last update so I figured I better post something so people do not think I fell off the face of the planet. Things have just been busy with work and school. The good news is I will be done school in about 8 weeks and I am looking forward to that. I took a very quick trip out to Indiana in February for a couple days to visit with my cousin and take some maternity pictures for her. You can see a few here. I will head back out in about 12 days to meet her little girl who will be arriving on the 23rd, and of course lots of pictures will be taken.

I got to help my sweet friend Chelsea host a baby shower for Emily. I could not be more excited for her to be expecting, and I look forward to getting to take her maternity pictures as she gets closer to her due date!! Of course I took pictures at the shower but have not had a chance to get them from my camera to my computer yet. That is on the top of my to do list, right after I finish my take home quiz for class.

Other than that I am enjoying the more days of sunshine we have had lately and the slightly warmer weather. I am ready for spring to officially arrive, and the flowers that come with it so I can take pictures of the flowers..

Yes I confess I am trying to to take better care of myself and lose weight

Confession time..

So I really had not bothered to mention too many people that I am trying to lose weight this year. Why? Well my past attempts have failed miserably for one reason or another. Plus this time it isn’t so much about getting thinner as it is about getting healthier, with the side benefit of losing weight. However now that my secret is out here is my update..

I started the year weighing 220 (which is my heaviest weight), I ate fast food 3-4 times a week, drank 2+ diet sodas a day, my only source of working out was walking to and from my car every day and lifting my camera gear, ate way too many sweets and processed sugars, ate too many fried greasy foods, and avoided anything that resembled a vegetable whenever possible (Unless you count French fries as a veggie..…)

I am happy to report that here I am at the end of month 2 and I have not had any fast food in 2009, I drink 1-2 diet sodas a week (And I am drinking a ton of water and using those crystal light packets in its place), I think I have eaten more fruits and veggies in the last 2 months then I did in all of 2008, I don’t think I have had any candy this year, but I might have and don’t remember since I am not really tracking that, I have eaten way less sweets in general (I even bought 4 boxes of girl scout cookies and didn’t eat 1 cookie, I just gave them to others to eat), Avoiding the fried and greasy foods as much as possible, I exercise for at least 30 minutes 4 times a week usually a little longer, and I have lost 18.5 pounds and 12 inches. I have beat my goals for January and February. Plus I am able to wear pants I could not even button at the start of the year.

It took about 6 weeks to kick the majority of my cravings and about 5 weeks before I didn’t feel hungry all the time. Yes I was eating enough my body was just used to me over eating. I guess it took about 4 weeks till I was able to exercise without feeling like I would die after 10 minutes, now I feel that way after about 30 minutes.

So what’s next? Well now that I will soon have class twice a week and I will be graduating in May so my biggest goal till mid May is to keep doing what I am doing. I would really like to lose another 13 pounds by May 16th, but more important is to keep staying away from the fast food,(my goal is no fast food before I graduate in May) watch my portions, limit the diet soda intake, keep eating the fruits and veggies (heck I might actually start enjoying the veggies at some point, then again maybe not) and exercising at least 4 days a week. I am dealign with some signifigant back pain right now so I have had to slow down and limit the exercise.

My weekly accountability check is an email to my sister with my progress, and another friend that is also trying to lose weight and needs the accountability check also and of course my mom is always asking(She has a vested interest since she promised a new wardrobe if I reach a certain goal). I can’t bring myself to blog about it on a regular basis because my life is already pretty boring to read about but I might do a check in every other month or so if I don’t think people are too bored by it..

Who knows when it gets a bit warmer I might even drag my road bike up from the basement and actually ride it? I have had it for 3 years and have never actually ridden it, sad I know. (I blame Cat Hunt) I might not win any biggest loser contests but hopefully I am on my way to feeling better in general.

Yes I still have a job

I have had a few people ask if I was still employed after reading things like the following article about layoffs where I work.

Employee Layoffs

I was not one of the many that were let go on Tuesday, and for now I am still employed and happy about that fact. It has been a rough couple of weeks knowing that the layoffs would be coming and not sure exactly when. It caused me a whole new kind of anxiety, as if I needed anymore. Now that it is over there is still a lot to deal with as we figure out who is gone and how it impacts those of us that remain.

And for those wondering what is up with school for me, well I have 2 classes left to complete and I gradute this coming May. One class I am in now and the other will start up in a few weeks. Yes I am happy that I am almost done.

You know all those tags you get...

Well here is my effort to get a few out of the way all at once. For those that are also part of the facebook crowd you have probably seen these..

New names

1.YOUR REAL NAME
Michelle Marie Leighton

2.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother and fathers middle names)
Elizabeth John

3.NASCAR NAME:(first name of your mother's dad, father's dad)
Francis William. Or Bud Bill since they both went by nick names

4.STAR WARS NAME:(the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name)
LeiMi Yea that’s just wrong It should be my stripper or porn name

5.DETECTIVE NAME:(favorite color, favorite animal)
Red Tiger

6.SOAP OPERA NAME:(middle name, town where you were born)
Marie Wolfeboro

7.SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd fav color, fav drink, add "THE" to the beginning)
The Black Dr.

8.FLY NAME:(first 2 letters of 1st name, last 2 letters of your last name)
Mion


9.ROCK STAR NAME:(current pets name, current street name)
Grover Firethorn

10. PORN NAME: (1st pet, street you grew up on)
Holly Clonmel

11.YOUR GANGSTA NAME:(first 3 letters of real name plus izzle)
Mic-izzle

12.YOUR IRAQI.. NAME:(2nd letter of your first name, 3rd letter of your last name, first two letters of your middle name, last two letters of your first name then last three letters of your last name)
Iimaleton

13.YOUR GOTH NAME:(black, and the name of one of your pets)
Black Joey

14. STRIPPER NAME: (name of your fav perfume/cologne, fav candy)
Don’t really wear perfume - just use my star wars name

25 Things times 2

1. I hate having to come up with random things about myself on the spot.
2. I HATE grocery shopping. I get panic attacks just thinking about it. Guess that is why I prefer to eat out..
3. I’m a Canon girl, and prefer canon brand lenses for my camera over 3rd party brands.
4. When I was a little kid I wanted to grow up to be a race car driver in the worst way.
5. I tend to drive to fast most of the time, see number 4.
6. My dog is pure evil. Sweetest natured dog but 100% naughty.
7. I still miss my cat that died last year, and want to get another one at some point.
8. I finally caved and bought a Nintendo Wii
9. I tend to be pretty sarcastic.
10. You need a road map to follow my family tree, yet I am an only child my parents had together.
11. My favorite color is Red.
12. I collect too many things, and they are really random collections like shot glasses and I don’t drink.…
13. I enjoy driving, except when there is traffic, refer to number 4
14. I am a packrat.. see number 12
15. I only have 2 classes left till I graduate, the next 3 months will be the longest of my life!!
16. I am the only female on my team at work
17. My favorite seasons are spring or fall. I am not a fan of extreme heat or cold.
18. I ran away from home and dropped out of school my sophomore year of HS (I went back about 4 months later)
19. I enjoy reading but don’t have enough time for it lately
20. I used to walk and talk in my sleep, nightly.
21. I concentrate better when I doodle
22. I love tracking down so many old friends on facebook
23. Peanut butter is one of my favorite foods.
24. I am allergic to chocolate but I still eat it…
25. I love sci-fi movies, TV shows, and books…
26. I used to be obsessed with Wonder Woman.. Need proof check out this blog post http://chells-blog.blogspot.com/2009/01/wonder-woman.html
27. I can’t stand hearing people chew, it makes my skin crawl.
28. When I was a kid I got in trouble more than once with the local neighborhood kids for throwing ice balls, and eggs at cars
29. On one of my many trips across country the strangest road kill I saw was a cow on the side of the road, Dona do you remember that?
30. I had Kawasaki Syndrome as a kid ( no it is not an obsession with motorcycles)
35. I love the show myth Busters
36. I deal with bouts of insomnia several times a year.
37. I tried to learn to croquet, it didn’t go so well.
38. I am fat..
39. I am one of those people that did NOT love the twilight books
40. I once helped my roommate die his mohawk pink, well okay the die said electric purple but it looked pink.
41. I love to cook, but rarely do it since cooking for one means way too many left overs
42. I love left overs but not 3 days in a row.
43. I like to bake also but it doesn’t go well with trying to lose weight (see #39)
44. when I was little I thought Vanilla Ice cream was the nastiest tasting stuff n the planet, my parents had to break up adult sized asprin in it to try to keep a high fever in check.(see #30) So that is what I thought it tasted like. I also thought I was sick again anytime anyone offered it to me..
45.I am NOT athletic
46. I like peanut butter and pickle sandwiches
47. I fractured my foot on day 2 of a 4 day back packing trip. I also lost my big toe toenails on that same trip. Oddly I had a great time on that trip and would do it again in a heartbeat
48. I used to be so allergic to poison ivy I would get it just walking by it, man that was the pits.
49. When I was in middle school I was on a first name basis with the principal. Yea that is NOT a good thing.
50.I still like climbing trees


Scattegories...

tag 10 people. Use the first letter of your name to answer each of the following questions. They have to be real . . . nothing made up! If the person before you had the same first initial, you must use different answers. You cannot use any word twice and you can't use your name for the boy/girl name question.

Have Fun!!

1. What is your name : Michelle
2. A four Letter Word : Mail
3. A boy's Name : Michael
4. A girl's Name : Missy
5. An occupation : Movie star
6. A color : Maroon
7. Something you wear : Mu-Mu
8. A food : Mashed Potatoes
9. Something found in the bathroom : Mascara or if you don’t clean Mold and Mildew
10. A place : Mall
11. A reason for being late: Moped wouldn’t start
12. Something you shout : MOVE IT
13. A movie title : Mask
14. Something you drink : milk
15. A musical group : Maroon 5

Wonder Woman!!!

Since Chelsea asked to see the Wonder woman pics here you go. When I was little I was just slightly obsessed with Wonder Woman. I was convinced when I grew up I was going to be just like her, invisible jet and all. She was my idol, I mean she was patriotic in her red white and blue complete with stars, And since I was born on Flag day I liked that even more, She knew how to accessorize, Loved her Huge Bracelets, and they were bullet proof to boot, she was a princess and got to wear a tiara, I mean what’s not to love right? I wouldn’t mind getting my hands on that Lasso of Truth either..

I had Wonder Woman Underoos, a wonder Woman Bathing suit, and I dressed up like Wonder Woman for Halloween.

Here are a few pics of the Wonder Woman bathing suit for your viewing pleasure..

Look at that diving form



Look at me Fly



I Loved to play with my cousin Jamie in the pool, yep this is the same cousin that gave me the nick name Zobbie.


My Aunt Lois was like a second mom to me, I even stopped listening to her just like I did to my mom.



and she liked to try to steal from me.. (She used to bite me too but that is another story)


After a tough day of swimming this Wonder Woman didn't have and Invisible jet to fly away in, she preferred a motorcycle ride.