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Wednesday, October 29, 2014

So You're Engaged...Planning Your Engagement Pictures

You would think I might be on a different time zone, but really just on sick girl zone. Apologies for the two late in the day posts in a row. #GetYourIshTogether.

I wanted to write this post a  few weeks ago, but my Wednesday mornings have been iffy before work. The coffee shops I go to keep having NO internet. WTF mate, how am I supposed to wait until I'm home after a long day of teaching to post?



Iman and I began planning our engagement photoshoot right away...and then did not go through with our original plans. I sense a trend here...we changed our engagement photoshoot idea because we moved away from L.A. so we ended up with a different photographer, too.



When you're looking for a photographer, I have a couple of suggestions.

First, figure out if any of your friends are professional photographers. You may not realize that a friend has a professional photography side business, and they're focusing on building their portfolio. P.s. I'll be highlighting my favorite friend photographers in SoCal soon :)

I definitely recommend doing this for your engagement photoshoot, but not your wedding photography. Portraits and pictures of the two of you stationary are easier to capture than photos at an ever moving ever important wedding.

Of course look at their portfolio first.

As far as engagement photoshoot ideas go, I recommend searching all of the blogs and Pinterest boards you can find. On top of that, really brainstorm something that exemplifies you and your fiance.



Originally, Iman and I wanted to do fancy schmancy pictures at the L.A. Observatory. The pictures would have been gorgeous, but it is so not us. I mean, we've been to the Observatory once and it is so, so cool, but it doesn't show who Iman and I are.

Ultimately, we decided to go with some nice pictures and a paint fight in the parks surrounding our old childhood town. We had a lot of great memories in those places, so it was way more personal. A high school friend of ours did our pictures, and she gave us a killer deal. She was amazing. 



While doing your engagement photoshoot, make sure you have everything you need beforehand - including water and a friend to help in ways you might not think. i.e. Iman and I wanted paint thrown at us AS we were kissing and our photographer didn't have three hands. Luckily, we were at the park by my old house and my maid of honor was 6 houses down and came to help.

Note to all: If you're having a paint fight, don't open your mouth to oncoming powder paint #bluespit


Take a ton of pictures because chances are, the two of you are not used to having pictures taken of you, so there are going to be a ton of awkward giggles and faces.




Hopefully, your photographer can make you feel at ease. Definitely get to talking with your photographer before you dive into the pictures.

Mostly have fun with it! Have your save the date ideas ready, so that you can make sure you get the perfect picture! We decided to make t-shirts with our date on it (Lucky we did this AFTER we changed the date).

Here and here are my past blog posts on my engagement photoshoot.

What advice do you have? Or what problems did you run into for your  engagement photoshoot?

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Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Follow Your Dreams #fireworkpeople

Hi!

I've recently noticed quite a few new followers, and I thought that now would be a great time to re-introduce what this blog is all about!!

I'm one of those people that dreams of changing the world, one small step at a time. That's why I am absolutely thrilled to have found the #fireworkpeople community.



This community is about encouraging each other to follow our dreams and our goals. This post is a part of the #fireworkpeople blog tour, and I'm here to introduce my life goals and dreams.

Of course, I've always wanted to change the world. As I mentioned in past posts, I was always the little girl on the field who said "Anything boys can do, I can do better!"



It was in high school when I truly realized my dream of starting a magazine to empower teen girls. My magazine will be something that could stand next to popular magazines, like Seventeen, to give girls another side to girlhood. Girls aren't all pretty and pink, makeup and fashion. A lot of us girls are barely into that stuff. Warrior Queen magazine will be about self-love, strength, independence, and all of the things girls like (including dirtbiking, extreme sports, hard music, etc).



In my late teens, I began my blog to gain a following for the someday magazine, but it wasn't until last year when I really begin to dive into the blogging community. Boy, have I met some wonderful, inspiring ladies.



Through the encouragement of my blog friends, I have watched this blog grow, realized other dreams and truly feel as though I have begun to empower girls and women around me. I want to  be a mover and shaker, do you?

Are you a member of the Warrior Queen community? Read more about the definition here. We will be updating our community and growing soon, so now is the time to sign up for the newsletter!

If you're feeling the call to be something greater; if you have a fire inside of you, join the #fireworkpeople!!

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Monday, October 27, 2014

Life With a Side of Coffee Halloween Giveaway

Happy Monday!! I have a little treat in store to brighten your day. For this month's giveaway, lots of bloggers and shop owners have come together for a Halloween giveaway! There is a ton of ad space available and a $75 gift card to Amazon so you can treat yourself to something on your wish list or use it to get a start on your Christmas shopping. Your choice!!

Participants: *Raewyn - Be A Warrior Queen // *Laura - Side Street Style // Taylor - Pink Heels Pink Truck // Katie - Beneath the Chandelier // Betsy - Musings of a Museum Fanatic // /*Chelsee - Southern Beauty Guide // *Brittany - Everyday Thoughts // *Gayle - A Gayle Force // *Christine - Life With A Side Of Coffee // *Lix - A Classic Notion // Brenda - Schooling A Monkey

*Indicates this participant is giving away ad space

GOOD LUCK AND HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Sunday, October 26, 2014

Organic Date Night with Fresh and Easy

Thank you to Fresh and Easy for sponsoring this post! All opinions are my own. 

You probably don't know this, but I could probably be one of those bloggers who blogs about how she is a horrible housewife. Seriously, I'm so bad at cooking. Not the actual act, but the foresight part. By the time I'm hungry, I'm HUNGRY. Luckily, I have a Fresh and Easy obsession.




 Fresh and Easy is my constant life saver - whether it's my regular groceries or groceries for an event. Did I happen to mention Fresh and Easy is the reason I occasionally eat healthy? I don't remember when I discovered Fresh and Easy, but for the past year it's been my go-to place. I stock up on their already prepared, easy to cook meals and we're set. Seriously, when I don't shop at Fresh and Easy we're eating out. #sobad.



I am absolutely delighted to tell you that Fresh and Easy makes it EASY to get FRESH organic vegetable steamers at a totally affordable price. (See what I did there??) I always think that I should eat organic, but the price tag is always staring at me, eating all of my money.

The new organic veggie steamers are to die for, but don't break the bank. On Friday, I purchased 2 for $6, completing my date night at home meal.



On Tuesday, I bought Chilean Bass for our Friday dinner date. I wasn't sure what sides I wanted with it yet, but I spent about $100 stocking our fridge and pantry. At checkout, I got a $5 off card for shopping on a Monday or Tuesday that was good for shopping Wednesday through Sunday.

So, I came back Friday night to decide on my sides, when these organic veggie steamers caught my eye. I love the way that they aren't all veggie-veggies but they had starch sides, like potatoes and sweet potatoes, too.



When I got home, I popped them in the microwave, and stuck the bass in a pan, and dinner was ready within 10 minutes. WITHIN 10 MINUTES, YOU GUYS!!



Please try your very best not to drool over these pictures.

Aren't the flowers my husband got me gorgeous? Just because it was Friday :)





I'm also super lucky because my Fresh and Easy is open 24 hours and is closer to me than the freeway. So, so convenient.

Do you shop at Fresh and Easy? What's your favorite find?

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Check out one of our featured Warrior Queens:

Friday, October 24, 2014

Blogger Love Dare: Love is Impossible

*stumbles back in*

Oh hi, welcome back. That was a totally unintentional hiatus. Life got a little overwhelming, and I have the beginning stages of a cold. Boo!

Anyway, while I'm late to the game, today is my day to share my #BloggerLoveDare printable!

This dare has been really awesome for Iman and I. It has brought us closer - and is a great start to our marriage. We also have been working on Our Q&A a Day: 3-Year Journal for 2 People. We got it as a gift at my bridal shower and I absolutely love that we've been doing it for the past week!

If you want to learn more about the Blogger Love Dare, you can read about it here. If you want to purchase The Love Dare, I seriously recommend it. Iman and I are going to purchase it, so we can continue to challenge ourselves to love our deepest every day.

It's easy to get swept up into the daily life, and not make your relationship your priority. In my nontraditional sense, I believe that this book and challenge would be good for any serious relationship, not just a married couple. Perhaps do The Love Dare as an engaged couple, to strengthen your future marriage.

Love is Impossible. Today's really struck home with me, but I've spent all week trying to figure out the words to describe it. I just can't. So instead, I leave you with the printable.


Get the printable here

And I promise, I'll be back tomorrow :) 
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p.s. This post contains affiliate links to my Amazon Affiliates program.

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Monday, October 20, 2014

Weekly Wishes #13






Last week was rollercoaster-y and busy. This week will be super busy, too! Eep, but I got a lot of awesome pictures taken on my adventures (take a look at the end!)

1// Get some serious research in for this really exciting opportunity. I did great at this! Well, organizing. Researching, not so much but the ball is in my partner's court!

2// Get some serious love going on the Not Just October NPO!! Success!! Check out their new website :)

3// Take Bella to the dog park! We postponed this till this week because we wanted to be sure it was a "good" dog park. But she did get 2 playdates in! 

4// Keep building my habits from last week. Oh EM gee I got this! 

The Nectar Collective

1// Feel Balanced. This one is more of a feeling I'm striving for, so no set guidelines.

2// Work at Home Plan. I'm finally going full time with my company, so I'm working out a plan to stay on task. ALSO, since I'm working less shifts this week, I picked up a couple of shifts working office stuff for a friend.

3// Take pictures at my adventures! This week I'm heading to Disneyland for a bachelorette, and then the wedding is Sunday! Pictures are a must

4// Bake something for my grandpa's wake.

I had so much fun this past weekend. I went to a pumpkin patch and to Queen Mary's Dark Harbor! 






This was the best scare crow installation. It was made by a girl scout troupe!!



My "other family"

Iman and I painted pumpkins when we got home (note, these are not the finished products)

This man put a curse on me

Iman was too tall for the coffin :P

I am so grateful for our friend for getting us these tickets to Dark Harbor. The Queen Mary is legitimately haunted, and I've been on it a few times previously. Every year, a friend of mine runs the pyrotechnic team at this event, and this year we went and visited her!

p.s. I fed a baby lamb!
What wishes do you have this week? How did last week go?


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#BloggerLoveDare Week 3

I am so excited to be a part of this. Come back on Fridayday to see my interpretation of my day with the #bloggerlovedare


Week 1 can be found HERE. Week 2 HERE.

  lovedare3
Welcome to Week 3 of the Blogger Love Dare! I'm so thankful that you are here & I really hope you are finding new blogs & inspirational ladies to follow, but also - that you are staying up on each of the daily dares & seeing an improvement in yourself & in your marriage (troubled or not). We've got a great line up of ladies & dares this week. Be sure to check all of their blogs daily for insight, inspiration and another perspective on relationships and marriage. Follow us on Instagram (#bloggerlovedare) to find out which blog to read each day!


Day 15: Love is Honorable

shambrayBLOG // FACEBOOK // TWITTER // INSTAGRAM // PINTEREST 

LD15

 


Day 16: Love intercedes 

tammiBLOG // FACEBOOK // TWITTER // INSTAGRAM // PINTEREST

  LD16


Day 17: Love promotes Intimacy 

MichelleBLOG // FACEBOOK // TWITTER // INSTAGRAM // PINTEREST 

LD17




Day 18: Love seeks to Understand 

LDANNEBLOG // TWITTER // INSTAGRAM // PINTEREST

LD18


Day 19: Love is Impossible

raewyn

BLOG // FACEBOOK // TWITTER // INSTAGRAM // PINTEREST 

LD19


Day 20: Love is Jesus Christ 

AshleyBLOG // FACEBOOK // TWITTER // INSTAGRAM // PINTEREST 

LD20


Day 21: Love is satisfied in God 

megan1BLOG // FACEBOOK // TWITTER // INSTAGRAM // PINTEREST 

LD21

  And there ya have it. 7 more AMAZING ladies; all here to share a fresh perspective and their journey through marriage. I hope you have found someone who caught your eye, who shares a similar story & ultimately someone you can reach out too. We are all here for you. Keep it up & BOOYAH for Week 3. See you on instagram #bloggerlovedare photo name.jpg

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