Carpet!

So! I drove by the house today and from what I could see from my car, the walls are complete! Not just sheetrock! Totally done, AND there was a carpet truck there! I believe they were putting the carpet in place!!! Woo Hoo!

FACEBOOK (An Explination)

OK so this is for those of you who probably just got a friend request from me and either accepted it and then I dissappeared or tried to accept it and I was gone... let me explain. One of the BIGGEST reasons I left FB originally was because people were finding me that well, I didn't want to have anything to do with.
So I thought I'd make a new account that was for my photography... thus all the friend requests... but minutes after having a FB account again I just didn't feel right about it and I got a creepy feeling. SO! I appologise for the weirdness. You know what they say "Go with your gut!" and that's what I'm gonna do! I'll stick with blogging for now. Again sorry for the weird inconvenience. :P LOL

Photography News!

Well, I officially own the domain: tiffanyandersphotography.com
I've purchased web hosting too and am working with my chosen web designer to get my website and logo up and running live! I'm SO excited! My hope is to be able to rotate out my part time job at the YMCA to really go after photography! But I won't do that until I'm consistantly making about the same amount of money as i am at the Y with my photography.
My other hope is that SOON word about MY photography will spread like wild fire and business will take off!
If you have people you want to hand out my cards to (when they get here!) I would LOVE to give some to you! I'd like to work here in the Austin area as well as in Houston.
I'm expecting the website to go live about the 6th or 7th of October. =)
So spread the word! Tiffany Anders is takin the photography world by storm! =) Woo Hoo!

HOUSE UPDATE!

Ok so it was obviously raining when I took these pictures so you can't see very well but the masonry is finished and all the dry wall is up inside the house and this last picture is circling and pointing to our address tile on the garage. You can't really see it but it's beautiful!

Ryan and I walked through it again on Saturday. Our date night has become date morning. We get up, grab Bree, grab a Starbucks and a Rudy's breakfast taco and take it out to the house and have a little family breakfast date exploring the new features of our house every week! =) I love out Saturday morning dates! =)

We had some paperwork to drop off to Bob (The sales man we've been working with.) And I always ask about closing because I wanted it to be the first week of November instead of the day after Thanksgiving like our paperwork originally said. But our latest conversation revealed that the foreman believes we'll be ready to close October 20th!!! And sure this SOUNDS like a GREAT thing and the idea of getting into the house earlier is nice too BUT here's the thing. If close even the last day in October our first payment will be in December (Which hello! is Christmas time!) BUT if we close even just on November 1st we don't make our first payment until January... so hmm... move in about a week early and only get one month before first payment.... OR wait a week and get TWO months before our first payment?
Needless to say we w ill do everything in our power to close on the 1st of November!
The next few months are going to be CRAZY!!! =)

AND... Did anyone else go outside this morning between 6-8am? It was actually CHILLY!!! Woo Hoo! Come on fall weather!!!

ATTENTION WORLD!!!

I'm goin' pro!!! After a networking opportunity arose in Houston for a photography gig Ryan said I needed business cards because a little comment and simple transaction could have left a couple with all of my needed information for their engagement pictures.
I explained to him that at this point cards wouldn't be practical because I don't have a REAL website. SO... we decided that as an INVESTMENT we are going to get a website and business cards and really hammer in on these photography gigs!
I now introduce to you....
THE BUSINESS CARD:



I also e-mailed a web designer that a friend of mine knows. We will hopefully be working over the next few weeks to create: www.tiffanyandersphotography.com (It doesn't exist yet so don't click it!) I'm hoping we can match it pretty closely to the card and have a theme going! I have so many ideas I'm so excited. My blog will be a part of my official site, (But it will only be photography related so I may keep this one for random thoughts.)

SO... I need all of my (silent) readers to spread the word! Anyone looking for a photographer? Refer them to me! I'm STILL building up my new portfolio and prices right now are CHEAP!

And of course, there will be a BIG blog post when the website goes public!

So, I may be just an Austin photographer or an Austin AND Houston photographer! So even if you're in Houston; Spread the word! I'll come down! =)

So exciting!

Baby Allie! (Finally)

Still having trouble getting them to load so these are the only ones that will load right now.

Fast Building!!!

So just a little update! I went to the YMCA for a morning work out and on my way home I just cruised by the new house to see what progress they might have made and snapped this picture!



Now granted this was taken from the car because I didn't want to bother the workers AND it is cloudy so in case it isn't clear, the brick work is half way done all around the house!!! Plus from what I could see through the garage, front door, and windows, it looks like all the sheetrock is up!!!
Woo Hoo!

Catching Up!

So it's been a while since my last post and there are some highlights that need to be documented!

It's going to take me a longer time than I expected to even really understand PhotoShop. That's right, I ended up getting it after all!

And we went down to Houston this weekend to meet our new baby neice, Allie; and as far as our newborn session went... Allie did NOT enjoy herself. We decided to wait a few weeks and let her adjust to being alive outside the womb before we try to strip her down and take her pictures again. LOL But I have tried to post some of the few we got of her not screaming and apparently they are too large of files or something because they won't load onto blogger! Ugh! I'll have to figure that out later.



I got my stitches out from my mole biopsy and there were NO precancerous cells! And since I was in the area I went by the house! They have sheet rock waiting to be put up and bricks waiting to be laid! Here are the most recent pics!

Bummer!

Today I decided to track my Staples order that was supposed to bring me PhotoShop that I have been SO excited about... and found that the whole order was CANCELLED!
Yep... no PhotoShop, no camera battery charger, no antivirus software.
Why? Because the rewards we used are apparently non transferrable! Ugh!
My mother in law so sweetly offered to purchase everything FOR me but it all has to be under her name to use the rewars but the PhotoShop student version has to be under my friend's name so she can present a student ID and get me the validation code! What a let down! I can't even begin to tell you how excited I was about this program and how long I've wanted it and the plans I already had for it. I hate it when you feel like the rug has been pulled out from under you landing you right on your fanny. =(

So, I'm going to have to get more creative with my photo retouching.

My first mark package did arrive. And I have set up a party and I can't wait! My other mark. order will be here this week so i can model some of the products at the party! I just love girly social events! This gave me a great excuse to get together with a bunch of wonderful women! I hope everyone can make it! =)

In other news...

We got a new staff member at work because we went over ratio which means I won't always have to close.
AND it made it easier for me to get off this Friday so Ryan and i can head down to Houston to meet our 'almost-here' baby neice!

New Beginnings/Goals

This past week has revealed a lot to me. A lot of my weaknesses and failings. And to be honest I got down on myself and moped a bit, but then I decided it was time to set new goals, and begin new beginnings, FRESH.
It's the perfect time of year for it too! Beginning of Fall (maybe related to school) always feels like a new start to me.

One of my biggest goals relates to every aspect of my life. I want to be more disciplined, focused, productive, etc.

As that relates to my spiritual life I feel I am far from where I'd like to be because I lack discipline in steady time in my word.
Ryan's reading a book right now called "A Praying Life" and he read an exert to me last night about how, without even realizing we sometimes come to God with a mask on. As if God doesn't see us for who we really are. It becomes so much a part of our life to make things seem a little better than they are that we do it with God too.
This has really helped me examine my spiritual life. And I am a wreck. I am lazy, unorganized, and unstructured and yet I desire all of those qualities.

I am a simple person when it comes to intelect. I prefer to read fiction over anything else, and most of the Bible is difficult for me to chew so it is a huge temptation for me to simply not read it. But then I think "Man, how did I drift so far away from God?" Hmm... well how do you expect to get closer to someone without getting to know them better on a regular basis.
So, my short term goals for reading my Bible is to start with Psalms and Proverbs. A Proverb in the morning, and several Psalms before bed. These chapters are easier for me to swallow and I need a good starting place.

I've also discovored that it's harder to love people as blindly as I did as a child. Ryan and I discussed how Jesus came for the sick and the sinners and ate with tax collectors and prostitutes.
I can be very judgemental of people. Especially people who subject their children to their sin. But I'm not God. I'm not here to judge, I'm supposed to be sharing the love of Jesus with these people; and not despite their sins but especially because of them. This is a hard one that I'm praying about and working on.

I find I am lacking discipline in house hold chores too... partially because I'm not as used to keeping up with a larger space like this and I miss things. I'm VERY good at keeping things picked up and looking good on the surface...(This is sounding like an unintentional metaphore.) But I just don't think about the deeper cleaning stuff naturally... YET. So, I'm going back to basics and making lists! I've also decided to stop watching TV and movies while Ryan is gone. It keeps me on track.

Another place that I have accidentally "let myself go" is my health/fitness. I used to be a lot more aware of the things I eat and should stay away from for the most part. But Ryan doesn't need to be careful about anything that he eats. It doesn't 'stick' to him like it does me. And finding meals we will both like and that I can feel real good about is HARD... and after a while I think I gave up.
We started going to the gym together too but in the midst of our house buying and other life distractions we stopped.
We don't own a scale right now but because of my biopsy I found out that I have gained 20 pounds in the last 6 and a half months! 20 pounds! That's just uncalled for.
So! I am taking advantage of my new YMCA membership and am planning a work out regemine and this week's goal is to go to a one hour fitness class every week day. So 5 hours of working out this week. Eventually I want to add Saturdays and work up from there. I'm trying to keep my focus more on working out and less on food but still be aware of what I'm putting in my body and try to keep it to more REAL/unprocessed food.
LesMills is a cool program offering several classes at the Y. The one I did this morning and plan to do more than the others is called BodyPump. It's a weight lifting class geared towards burning fat and toning muscles NOT gaining muscle or "bulking up". It's geared towards women and it was in a study at the university of Aukland that proved it was the fastest way to burn fat in a fitness class ever recorded. I do Body Pump every other work out day, and then a step class or combat or pilates class on the other days so I'm getting weight training, cardio, and core training! I'm excited. I got through the first Body Pump this morning and it's intense but it's really rewarding to finish it and it'll be a class I can do for a long time because as it gets easier I can just add a bit more weight untill I'm at my goal and just want to maintain. =)

So, I have a lot of new goals and they all have to do with discipline and focus and I'm hoping to really be able to keep motivation, stay focused and see changes through the power of Christ. (Cause let's face it, I couldn't do any of this on my own.)

Waiting for Mail (Not so Patiently)

So... I'm STILL waiting for Photoshop to get here... and I'm waiting for my 'mark.' rep stuff to get here so I can host a totally awesome kick off party! =) And NOW I'm waiting for the order I purchased for myself! (Thanks Hubby!)
Wanna see what I got? There are some sales going on right now! Check it out!

This "Little Black Dress" is gorgeous and perfect for upcoming holiday parties and events or a great date dress and it's in the "Last Chance" section of our mark. store at only $17!


This GREAT little compact has the perfect colors for my shades and is on sale for 3 bucks right now!


This adorable plaid jacket is not on sale but I just LOVE fall fashion and this is just too cute to pass up. It's $35


Now these other two products I just ran out of and figured I should by my products version of them; eyeliner and mascara. I chose a dark brown in both to go with a more natural look for my eyecolor but the mascara also comes in black and the eyeliner has tons of colors to choose from! They also have liquid eyeliner but I always get it in my eyes! LOL



So I'm hoping to have my starter kit and products soon so I'll have great demonstrations and we can have a great party! I also have awesome coupon codes that I can add to orders for great discounts like FREE shipping and $10 off any order of $30 or more! (And we can combine some orders!) =)
So be looking for a mark. party invite in the upcoming weeks!

AND also look for photo updates wants PhotoShop FINALLY gets here! LOL =)


AND HERE'S A LITTLE TIFFANY UDATE! ...
I survived my nast biopsy! LOL
We'll get the results on Wednesday but it's unlikely that it's anything serious.
I'm just glad it's over with and you can be SURE I will be MUCH more careful about sun exposure! (Mark has skin and hair products now too!)

HAPPY SATURDAY!

2 posts in 1 day?

That's right, I'm blogging again.
So I went to the doctor this morning to have him check on a mole and turns out, he doesn't like it so he's gonna take it off tomorrow. EEEW!
Here's the thing, I'm not really worried about the procedure as much as I am bothered by it. It wasn't that long ago that I had wisdom teeth removed while being awake and they way he explained it to me, they will numb me up but then remove not only the mole but a millemeter around that mole and then stitch me up!
Yuck... this kind of stuff grosses me out so bad because I'm so visual! Yuck yuck yuck. Anyway, it's a simple procedure just a pain in the butt and I'm nervous not because I think anything will go wrong or that I think it's dangerous at all but simply because I just don't want to be really uncomfortable! LOL

Speaking of... I've been thinking more about life in general and being more purposeful, and we've been discussing it in our small group as well. For some reason God granted me a really easy going happy attitude this morning and people life has just been better today. =) I need to remember this so I can give myself more attitude ajustments. =)

I'm headed to look at Nick Jr and what not for workideas (Thanks Beth!)

I'd appreciate prayer for tomorrow, I have this random fear that the numbing medicine won't work well enough. LOL

Happy Thursday!

RAIN!!! and other stuff

I like the rain a lot of the time! Especially when it makes the weather cooler. But one thing I DON'T like about the rain is how it affects my job. Something about the barometric (sp) pressure throws kids off and makes them wild and then because we can't go outside I end up with about 26 kinder through 2nd graders who have even more pent up energy than usual! Thank the Lord we didn't have work Monday because this is already feeling like a long week. I'm trying to come up with science and art projects to keep them busy and interested. Yesterday we made "gack" out of Elmer's glue, starch, and food coloring. That was a big hit and even their parents were impressed. I had a scarecrow craft planned but the Elmer's glue wouldn't work so today I think I'll do that craft with a few at a time and help them with a glue gun... or find a different activity.

If anyone has any suggestions for elementary aged kinds PLEASE LET ME KNOW! Two more work days left before the weekend! =)

I am getting ready for an appointment, then I have to stop at the vet to pick up some medicine for Bree, then I need to go grocery shopping, finish the laundry, prepare dinner, clean up the house and have a game plan for work today all before 2pm.... Ready... BREAK! =)

Bethany and George

Well, if you know much of the adventures of Beth and George getting married, you know there wasn't really time to do engagement photos. But, who says you have to be engaged to have really awesome couple pictures!? So here's to George and Bethany; Happily married and cute as can be! =)

Jonathan and Kelly!!!

Ok this is just a GLIMPSE of the very raw and untouched photos from Jonathan and Kelly's engagement session. These are my personal favorites but they will look even better once PhotoShop finally arrives and I can work on lighting a bit and exposure and other details. So! Until then... here we go! (Can't wait too do George and Beth tonight!

HOUSE UPDATES!!! =)

HELLO SEPTEMBER!!!!

Do you like my new layout?
I'm gonna be honest; I saw Beth's changes and got jealous! LOVE the brown upgrade on your page sis! ;)
But, I've been talking about how excited I am about the upcoming season, I decided I needed something appropriate to such a change. =)

I am pumped right now! I'm about to head to work which is going to be a little easier on me today because the Cafeteria is being used which means we're stuck in the gym which means we have a good excuse for a movie day! That may not sound like much but when you're talking about occupying very energetic kinder and first graders, 2 and a half hours of movie time is bliss! LOL
Plus we're being encouraged to work on clubs for the kids, where they can learn a special skill that we can teach them. I chose sign language! I need to brush up and choose some songs to work on and get planning! Sometime before I transfer in November I'm supposed to have a showcase for the parents of what the kids learned in my club! =) I'm so excited!

ALSO, I know I talked about getting back into photography and that level of excitement just went up! We got some rewards coupons from family at Staples and thanks to a friend who is using her student ID to get me a fabulous discount, I'm getting PHOTOSHOP!!!! We're talking top of the line professional photo editing software! I can't WAIT to use it! I hope it comes really soon so I can edit this weekends pictures with it and try to figure it out. This is REALLY going to help my photography. =)

Ryan and Dad went to the house last night to do a walk through on the stick stage and apparently they've done a LOT in about 4 days! I can't wait to see where it is on Saturday when we bring them breakfast tacos and water so they don't mind me taking pictures with my nice camera and snooping around a bit instead of taking snap shots with my phone from the car window =)
They way things are looking we may be in earlier than expected! I certainly hope so!

Justin and Ryan have a game date for when the Cowboys play the Texans this season! The pre-season game the Texans ruled! LOL (Mom, listen to me, I'm talkin' football!)
I'm hoping that friendly rivalry game will end up a family event. I'm gonna be torn 'cause I gotta support my hubby but I'm awfully partial to Justin's Cowboys victory dance! Jon's a Texans fan now too! He better have some sort of ongoing communication during this game.

September makes me think of the color red, and new beginnings and fall and I'm just so thankful for our family and all that we have. I wish more of them would blog and e-mail so I can get a glimpse of what's goin on =) Hint Hint

HAPPY THURSDAY!