day 29:30 - 30 day challenge

day 29: 3 wishes
i think three wishes, and of course the first thing that pops in to my head would be this.
i want to say those rules don't apply to me, right?
i mean, i'm not being asked by a blue genie, but instead by a 30 day challenge blog prompt.  can i escape on technicalities for that?  so of course, wish #1 would have to be more wishes... yeah yeah, sound greedy.  maybe just like, 25 more.  not infinite.  i'm no timmy turner with fairy godparents, so a little more than 3 would be nice to have for a "just in case of emergency" sort of situation.
wish #2 would have to be for security.  financial for sure with a good job, as well as a safe place to live, always be able to have a decent meal, clean clothes, and a bed to sleep in.  i know this sounds like such an easy thing to take care of, but always seeing the homeless out on the streets, scraping in money and not knowing where their next meal will be makes me want to push for having that security.  especially with all the random crazies in the world these days... oy!
and wish #3 for now, is going to sound a little silly.  but if you know my family, you know we are all about the kitties.  there hasn't been a time in my life that i can remember that we haven't had a cat or two (or nine...) in or around our house.  but with life, there is the inevitable death.  i would wish for pets (especially cats in particular) to be like a phoenix.  instead of dying, when it gets old to poof in to a cloud of something, perhaps glitter, and then be reborn as a kitten again.  no sadness, no tears, no goodbyes.  just an old friend starting life over again.  as an adorable cute kitten.  so, to recap.
wish 1: a few more wishes, because that's how i roll.
wish 2: security for myself and family.
wish 3: kitties to live forever.  =^.^=

day 28:30 - 30 day challenge

day 28: something that stresses you out
ahh such an appropriate question this time of year.  it's nearly may.  and after may comes june.  and june means dance recital.  besides the recital rehearsal stress (6 extra rehearsals in addition to the classes i teach regularly, as well as now my play center job) being on staff brings the stress of choreographing, teaching and perfecting dances.  this year, i've been able to combine a few of my classes together, as well as with other classes...  but that still means i have 3 classes of "big kids" that i have to deal with have three dances each to teach as well as make fantastic.  at this point, i have two "big kid" dances finished and taught (finished it last wednesday) and like... 7 more to go.  thing is, half of them are things i have to finish choreographing... but now that the bridal show is over (that was another big stressor... stay tuned for the instagram collection of april that is basically ALL related that... haha) i'll be able to sit down and choreograph the rest of those suckers out.
a lot of my stress comes from me wanting things to be PERFECT... and feeling like nothing is getting done with a bunch of crazy hooligan children... but i know when it comes down to it, they're all smart kids and on show day will just go out there, have fun & do their best.
and the other part of my stress comes from me having to remember three dances of my own in the midst of teaching 13 or so dances.  oy.  once june 22nd is over and done with (and then june 23rd, because i'm second shooting a wedding that day) i might just sleep through most of monday until i have to go to the play center.  i've already warned the boy that he may not see much of me during the month of june... hopefully i survive it!

day 27:30 - 30 day challenge

day 27: pets
well, here is just one of the clan at the house. my ever so snuggly (haha not) mr. grumpy gills elroy.
i know, he looks so relaxed and chill in this picture... you'd think that i had drugged him up or something.  nope.  not at all.
i've had elroy since 2004.  born at the end of october, he was my "garage christmas present" for the year.  (garage christmas present = the big present of the year.  in other years, i've gotten my holga camera & backpack, current computer desk, and savion glover tickets)  his three other siblings went to homes for christmas eve gifts, and apparently he was supposed to go to someone, but i guess they changed their mind and never came.  oh well.  lucky me to get the grumpy one!  i'm not sure why i chose the name of the character from the jetson's for him...  but it is what it is.  if i ever get him a kitty friend, it might just be necessary to name it "astro" just to keep with the theme :)
in recent months, he's become pretty mellow.  well, still hissing and growling at me, but he makes more appearances out to the living room during the daytime, sitting on my mom's lap when i come home from work or bryan's, and flopping around on the floor like a fish out of water.  trap him in the bathroom, and he's even been known to purr and act all cutesy.  very strange.
yes, he's known as the resident devil cat, and i've already been informed that the day i move out, my parents are gladly paying the pet deposit to take him with me.  it will be interesting to see if he remains an under the bed monster when it's just me that he has to deal with, or if he will change his ways.  i guess we'll find out in a matter of time.
other cats in this house: buzz, murphy, velcro & mushu.  outside cat: rufus & buster
fun cat fact: murphy, velcro, elroy & rufus all came from the same mommy cat who used to hang around.  we called her bootsie.  pretty sure elroy & rufus were from the same daddy cat.  we called him daddy cat.  creative, i know.

day 26:30 - 30 day challenge

day 26: picture of your family
i really need to invest in a scanner.
this would have been much more entertaining with some of the pictures we have on our walls...
siblings (because i can't find a full family photo on any of the computers)
cousins: mom's side (december 2012)
extended family: dad's side (2005 family reunion. pre weddings & additional kidlets)
this next comparison cracks me up.
cousins: dad's side (still 2005.  still yosemite)
i love how the girls are all so close together and well... "family like".
and the boys are very much... not.  and desmond is a little chunk that was stuck in a hole to stay still.
in total, as of 2013, i have the following on both sides of my family:
2 parents (shocking how that works, right?)
4 siblings
4 grandparents
5 aunts & uncles
14 cousins
3 cousin in laws
1 step cousin
1 "we still call you an uncle"
4 minion cousins (or whatever the technical term for "child of cousin" is... minions is more appropriate in my book anyways)

day 25:30 - 30 day challenge

>day 25: put your ipod on shuffle.  first 10 songs are...
oh how i love music.  and these "put your ipod on shuffle" questions always end up entertaining.  my ipod has so much random stuff on it.  like, 2916 songs of random.  i'm a music hoarder, what can i say?  i will preface things by saying that if one of my songs for work come up (i.e. ballet warm ups, boogie walk, freeze dance, etc) i will skip it and move on to something else.  those will be the only skips i will allow myself, and i will note them if it happens.
1. The Queen & I - Gym Class Heroes
2. Woody's Been Stolen - Randy Newman (Toy Story 2 Soundtrack)
3. Like a Virgin - Glee Cast
4. Keep Holding On - Avril Lavigne
5. The Future Freaks Me Out - Motion City Soundtrack
6. Nobody Puts Baby In The Corner (Demo) - Fall Out Boy
7. The Great Pretender - The Platters
8. Mary Poppins - Mark Salling
9. Let Your Heart Do All The Talking - A*Teens
10. Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Work - Elton John & Ray Charles
whoop whoop, nothing was skipped!  and now as you can see, music from when i was like 12 still remains on my ipod.  and then some.  haha.  each time i do one of these questions, my music variety that comes up is always do different.  what band do i have the most music from on my ipod?  well, technically the cast of glee with 332 songs of their 500+ musical numbers.  after that, it's fall out boy with 144 songs.  it used to be me first & the gimmie gimmies for awhile, but that spot has been well shot past.

day 24:30 - 30 day challenge

day 24: something you've learned
apparently i've decided to go literal with this one.
in high school, i put off any sort of foreign language classes.  it was an either/or situation for graduation requirements between foreign language and fine arts...  well, i had fine arts credits out the wazoo with all the band & winter guard stuff i did so i pushed it off to college.  i didn't want to take spanish or french anyways, which were the two languages del oro offered at the time.  i wanted to take ASL (american sign language) and so that's what i did.  my teacher was deaf, which made it a little difficult, but i guess that's true immersion right?  i took asl 2 with a hearing professor who was fantastic.  her class was entertaining and interesting, which really helped the learning process.  my downfall was my third semester of ASL.  I was all game and ready to go for it, but the professor I had for the class was just not my cup of tea.  he was older and deaf, and his personality was a little gruff i guess you could say.  that semester was a bit harder... we had video recorded finals, and did this weird model home project that i'm still not sure what it had to to with sign language at all since it was completely power point.  very odd.  i also took a classifiers class from him that semester, which was like a side course of different ASL things.
sad to say, i really don't remember much from those classes besides the basics.  i can pick up a few things here and there when my aunt signs things - like when she said she was looking for a green shirt across the noisy dance studio the other week - but i don't think i could hold a full conversation with anyone.  at least not at this point.  so maybe i'll brush up on it sometime.  maybe i'll refresh my memory.  regardless, i am glad for the experience that i had learning ASL those semesters at sierra college.  while it may not be as useful in the "real world" at this moment as knowing spanish would be, my experience learning it was great, and i would not have changed it for anything.
two movies i really enjoyed from the classes:
beyond silence
mr. holland's opus
and the not text book we read:
deaf like me

day 23:30 - 30 day challenge

day 23: favorite vacation
geeze... all these topics are starting to feel so similar now that we're nearing the end...
well, i already talked about disneyland back on day 17, and i've talked about the bay area quite a bit.  so this vacation themed post will touch on the reno float trips.  whoop whoop!
the past two summers, jenny & i have voyaged off to reno to hang out with luke & amy at their super stellar home just outside of reno, nevada.  we've had a little dinner fest each time, and then we've also floated the river.  both times i've taken a disposable water camera, so that's where most of these fancy pictures have come from.  no way would i take my actual camera on the water.  not quite that brave.
the first year was the thunder/lightning "jenny is scared and curled up in the fetal position while driving" trip.  haha.  we headed up on a friday night, and then hung out all day saturday.  i did amy & luke's engagement photos, we fed some ferrets at her friend's house, and had a burger bbq out on the back patio and avoided the rain drops.  sunday we floated the river - it was rather overcast and a little chilly but we made it!  jimboys, and then the voyage home for us california folk.
year two kasey was in town, as was luke's cousin, so we made it a little more action packed.  we drove up on a saturday after i got off work, and had tacos for dinner.  hit up the casinos for a little night life action and got ourselves a "reno" sign picture.  sunday we floated... and boy was it worse than last year.  bad sunscreen = brutally burnt emily & jenny.  we went to sushi for dinner, packed things up and drove our burnt selves home.
since luke will apparently be missing from nevada for a few months, jenny & i still plan to head over there again this summer for some hang out time.  should be super exciting!  though this time we'll be sure to bring some fresh sunscreen.

day 22:30 - 30 day challenge

day 22: favorite city
favorite city... i feel like this is SUPER similar to day 8's post topic... so i guess i'll snag a photo i took last year, and list off a few places i like to go.  i 'm not exactly sure i have ONE favorite city, so here we go!
san francisco
i said it before, so i'll say it again.  i really like the bay area.  so much going on, so much diversity, and so much random stuff!  seriously, the last time i was there for my sister's birthday, we went to ghiradelli square, and there was a store that had a mouse dressed up in a ball gown like a piece of work straight out of dinner for schmucks.  i kid you not!  street musicians, spray pain artists, and bush men are just a few of the random delights.  good food all over the place (boudin's, bubba gump, yum) and little shops full of random things here and there.  scenic stops, museums, and so much more.  you can't go wrong with a day trip to SF.
roseville
i know, it sounds totally weird to say roseville is a favorite city... but i spend so much time here.  my shopping needs of all levels are fulfilled, and most of my every day errands can take place here.  it's local, which means super convenient, and it's not too shabby of an area.  i'm sure bryan would say it's fantastic simply because that's where chipotle is... so that gets a point in it's favor.  fabric stores, target, the mall, food of all kinds... can't go wrong with roseville.  i'd totally live there if i had to.
anaheim
that's where disneyland is.
and that's all that i have to say about why it is good.
because i'm sure that is all there is that is really good about it.

day 21:30 - 30 day challenge

day 21: picture of yourself
seriously... i have no recent photos of just me.  well, i do... but they were all taken by bryan.  which means they are all incredibly awkward, blurry, and/or are of me shoving food in my mouth.  so i did the best i could so search the old computer archives for photos of me and only me.  quite a few made me laugh, because they were from the old "myspace photo" taking days.  like that black and white one.  pretty sure that was my first myspace profile picture.  back when our den was still a den, and not my brother's room.  super classy, right?  i guess that middle row is as recent as they get, since those two are from last summer, with the outsides being from 2010 on the left and 2011 on the right.  it's not that i'm completely opposed to pictures of me being taken... as you could probably guess, i'm the one with the camera, which means they're either pictures of friends, or the long arm group photos.  hey, as long as a picture is taken, that's what counts right? at least i make SOME appearances :)

day 20:30 - 30 day challenge

random "emily specific" post topic = collage of random photos from old hard drive i'm currently working to get backed up on an external drive. win/win situation, right? i've acquired plenty of nicknames over the years. some random, but most somewhere along the "emily" name involvement.  most make sense, with a handful being inside jokes going back to at least freshman year of high school, if not longer.  now i present to you, the list of nicknames.  i apologize if you have given me a nickname and i forgot to include it on this list.  please don't be too sad.
day 20: nicknames
emmy
emi
em
ems
emlee
emualie
shmemmie
emisaurus
mla
long tall sally
stretch
pebest
dr. evil
dudeness
siamese twin

day 19:30 - 30 day challenge

i don't miss that logo... that's for sure day 19: something you miss
as weird as this may sound... i sorta miss college.
no, not in the "hey, let's spend a ton of money to get a degree that feels useless in the end" sort of way, but in a "give my week a purpose" sort of way.  i would go to school 4-5 days a week, then go to work after that.  busy day meant a tired, but happy emily.  i'm not fond of sitting around the house and doing nothing - which is in part why i've been picking up as many shifts as possible at the play center.  i'd rather fill my time being busy, getting stuff done, and having something to show for my day.  if i could go take college classes for free, i totally would.  i enjoy learning (providing the delivery isn't horribly boring) and take any advantage of it that i can.
i miss the college years for some of the friends i made.  not so much the sierra college years, since that was all basically high school all over again.  same people, different campus.  at sac state, i got to know some girls that were great to talk photography with (whoot whoot second to back row group) but now after graduation are kinda all over the place.  riley is in san diego, emily is in canada... actually i think she's in anaheim right now, katie is in roseville (yeah, no excuse there) and more.  we had some fun hang out nights for sure.
i also miss college a bit for the photo classes.  i had a reason to be regularly using my camera and doing what i love.  it gave me a project to be creative with, come up with a way to execute it, and then completing it by the deadline.  i think i've let myself focus too much on the wedding & family client aspect of everything, and forgot to take time for myself to shoot what ever i feel like shooting.  which is why i plan to take my holga with me to disneyland next month.  bust out some fun random film shots and just enjoy it.  plus it would remove the instant gratification of digital and raise the excitement for waiting to see the final products.
i miss my ballerina project.  throughout all my "big" projects over my 5 college years, this one was by far my favorite complete project.  i love how it all turned out, and am quite proud of myself for the effort i put in for it through the semester.  i have thought again and again to do another one of these as a personal project, and while writing out this post, i'm thinking that perhaps this summer will bring on ballerinas 2.0.  maybe it will be digital, maybe it will be film.  i don't know.  i guess you'll just have to stay tuned and find out.
to see the last round of ballerinas, head on over to freeze frame blog, conveniently linking the ballerinas tag just for you :)

day 18:30 - 30 day challenge

day 18: something you regret
my regrets don't involve not doing that one thing, going that one place, not buying that one thing, or even dating/not dating that one guy.  instead, this one has to do with the piano, and my youthful lack of desire for it, sending me in to a spiral of inability to jam like schroeder from the peanuts gang.  yep.  another music related post folks.
when i was younger, along with all my siblings, i took piano lessons through a woman at our church in rio linda.  at one point, it would be all three of us back to back (aileen wasn't old enough yet) for an hour and a half combined.  it was a good experience, but i was at that age i just didn't want to do it anymore.  so i think i lasted MAYBE two years, and then called it done.  but alas, i find myself now kicking myself for doing so.
i'm sure it would have helped me out immensely through high school with the percussion parts i was given in concert band, and i'm sure it also would have helped me out a ton with my sight reading skills...  yes, i totally wrote the notes in on my sheet music all the way through high school.
i wish i had stuck with piano maybe a year longer... maybe two...  i don't know.  long enough to at least feel semi masterful at being able to play chords with one hand and a medley with the other.  long enough to play more than the annoying "here comes the band" song i remember - it was the last song i think i learned before i quit.  long enough to be better at sight reading... maybe even long enough to play a full length song from a musical.  you know, with the fancy pedal movements, changes in tempo, chords, and all that jazz. the kinds of music you see the five year old prodigy children bust out on america's got talent.
sure, i could retry teaching myself now.  bust out one of those fancy phantom of the opera jams... maybe one day soon(er or later) i will sit down and attempt a thing or two.  but right now, i'll just deal with it.  or at least i'll keep telling myself that.  it feels like so much stuff is happening right now, and boy would i NOT want an audience to witness that happening!  i can at least say i feel that i'm better at the piano at this very moment than ross geller...  i mean, i can bust out heart and soul... or the rugrats theme song.

day 17:30 - 30 day challenge

day 17: something you're looking forward to
ooooh boy.  the post i've been looking forward to!  this involves two events, one best friend & a whole lot of flashbacks.  and don't you doubt there will be some throw back photos up in here!
disneyland
so basically, erika & i are going to relive our 2004 spring tour trip, but this time as chaperons.  both of our sisters are currently in the winter guard/band program at del oro, and every year they do a "tour" aka super fun trip to be awesome... with some education thrown in.  when we went 9 years ago (ugh i feel so old) we toured a college campus (i can't remember which one), knott's berry farm, medieval times and disneyland.  all in a matter of a few days.  we also hit disneyland again in 2006 for tour, but instead did a concert in california adventure and a day and a half in the parks.  due to the time crunch this year, the planned educational part of the trip (the queen mary) was left out, so we'll be heading down on friday, medieval times that night, and then disneyland all day saturday.  sure sure, we'll have to be the "grown ups" on board, but hey.  it's disneyland.  what more can we say?  so in one month from today, that's where we'll be :)
fall out boy 2013
yes yes.  the boys are back in town... and we are excited as ever.  it was announced feb 4th that fall out boy was back from hiatus and had a new album to release.  uhm.  friggin awesome.  erika & i bought tickets to their oakland show, and we cannot WAIT.  we've seen the boys twice together before.  once in 2006 at sac state (meet & greet.  holla!) and then once at memorial auditorium in 2009.  both times decked out in our matching t-shirts of awesomeness.  it has been a well over due wait for the new album, and let me just say it is FANTASTIC.  it was #2 on my to do list on tuesday (would have been #1 if dimple records was open before i had to be at the play center) and it was every little bit as awesome as expected.  yes, i did purchase the cd, even with the digital itunes era upon us.  it just feels right to physically own the cd.
and if all goes well in june, we'll be hopefully back to see them in SF in september.  so excited.  so very very excited.
may & june are both looking to have some awesome best friend moments.  i'm sure there will be some instagrams as well as picture blog posts to follow for sure :)

day 16:30 - 30 day challenge

day 16: dream house
oh the dream house conversation.  this isn't the first time this has come up recently.  i'm so sure this is ever changing...
the fella surprised me about a month ago, and asked if i could come meet him at his place.  he had something he wanted to show me that he found, but wouldn't tell me.  after getting in his car and winding around some roads, we came across a small community of houses.  these were the kinds of houses you'd imagine would all get together and decorate their houses together at christmas time with the big character cut outs - you know... the ones that EVERYONE drive slow through to look at them all.  the houses that everyone knew each other, maybe even have a block party bbq get together.  basically, the kinds of houses that ALWAYS seemed fancy to me.  the kinds i would visit, but never live in.
well, he did ask the "what would your dream house be like?" question, as well as the "what of these houses do you/don't you like?" question.  we talked about things like the weird rock walls on a yellow house, round shingles vs. flat shingles, house styles, rooms, yards, the works.  and well, here is what i currently think my dream would possibly have...

• a super living room
• playroom for kids
• office/sewing room for me
• office/man room for the future hubs
• bomb diggity master bedroom
• super awesome master bathroom - i just watched an episode of HGTV where they had this cool bathroom with glorious blue tiles.... it was amazing.
• kitchen that rocks... one that would make me want to cook more than chicken nuggets, taquitos & pasta roni
• bedrooms for each kid.  maybe an extra for a guest room... because the house would be so cool people would swarm to visit us
• yard that can be run around in, but not huge enough to lose your children in.  maybe a pool.
• basement of awesome.  like that super living room, but feels lived in.  comfy couches, big movie screen
• dark room.  yes, i still super want a dark room of my own.  apparently my dad hasn't been convinced yet (even though HE had one...) so i guess the convincing is on to the future husband

day 15:30 - 30 day challenge

day 15: bible verse
i am a little stuck as far as today's post goes.  i don't have a photo for this one, and along with that i am by no means a scriptorian, that's for sure.  sure, i did four years of seminary every day in high school, but i really don't remember much from it.  and when it was at 5:40 in the morning, who really would?  anyways... though  i don't remember a whole lot from those four years, i do remember one verse (in chunks, so i had to google it) that particularly stuck out to me.  oddly enough, it's from my freshman year, and probably the first term of the year.
"for my soul delighteth in the song of the heart;  yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me,  and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads." this verse is from the doctrine & covenants, and is in chapter 25 verse 12.  at that point, emma smith was being instructed through revelation to put together some hymns for the church.  music was important then, and it still has a huge role in the church today.  now not specifically pertaining to churches and religion, this verse stuck out to me through high school simply because of the importance music & the arts played for me.  being involved in music programs regularly since 6th grade through 12th grade has had a huge impact on my life.  through music, i've made a lot of friends, build my talents, and rounded myself out as an individual.  i'm not a singer AT ALL so through band, as well as colorguard and dance performance programs, i have been able to express myself and create myself as an individual.
well, i'm sure i shocked and amazed you all by actually sticking with the prompt and not skimping out because it was a bible verse/churchy themed prompt.  i'm full of surprises.  gotta keep you all guessing!
edit to add:  i decided to throw in this old "girls camp" photo... because it was a church camp.  thus relating to the theme.

day 14:30 - 30 day challenge

day 14: a picture you love
i love this picture because of how simply adorable i am with a massive guitar.  but even greater than that, i love this photo because it is just one of the MANY my parents took throughout the years of my childhood.  the ability to flip through pages and pages, albums and albums of photos from growing up is awesome.  dance recitals, lost teeth, birthdays, and everything in between documented and kept safe as a record of the past.  with the digital era on us now, the ability to regularly document and record is available to everyone, and that makes me so incredibly happy.  my friends all know and expect me to be the one with a camera, whether it's a point and shoot or my big ol' dslr.  i look forward to the day when i'll have pages and pages, albums and albums of photos of my own kids growing up.
future husband, prepare yourself!

day 13:30 - 30 day challenge

i felt bad for yesterday's blog post not having a picture... so here is a "semi-related to this post" picture of a holga. somewhere, in the great beyond of my bedroom, i have a small little composition book that would fit in my pocket.  inside that booklet, is my bucket list.  a list of things of varying degrees that at some point i want to do in my life.  travel, create, live, love and so much more through each of those things on my list.  unfortunately... my room eats things, and right now, it's currently missing in action.  so for the time being, here are some greater goals for my life as of right now.
day 13: goals
move out on my own, hopefully before my little sister graduates high school in 2014
work out more.  aka put my free gym membership to use
push my photography business to be a stronger priority
travel.  go somewhere new and different.
blog more.  (at least this blog challenge is helping that one.  for now...)
of course the typical girl goal.  get married, have a family, yadda yadda ;)
take more pictures.  create more memories

day 12:30 - 30 day challenge

day 12: what you believe
i believe in...
love & soulmates
working hard to earn what you want, not have things handed to you
karma
good things coming to those who wait
having a positive outlook pays off
doing good for those in need
capturing the moment
live laugh love

day 11:30 - 30 day challenge

day 11: favorite tv shows
much like day 7 with the favorite movies list, i'm so glad this is plural.  though, this time i'm a little more direct in picking favorite shows i love to watch right now.  it has stayed pretty consistent  the list is just a decent length.  with that said, i'll do two lists.  one with shows that i watch on a regular basis, and one of shows that i haven't watched in a long time, would like to own the seasons on dvd, but still have love for those shows.  i'll do both in abc order, just to show no extra love for one show over another.  and believe me, the current shows list is like 90% of our dvr... as pointed out by my brother.
------
the "i watch these every week" list
big bang theory
four weddings
friends (not dvr-ed, but i still watch it ALL the time on nick @ night, tbc & whatever else)
glee
go on
how i met your mother
last man standing
melissa & joey
mobbed (off/short season show)
my fair wedding w/ david tutera
new girl
say yes to the dress (new york, atlanta, bridesmaids... all of them)
something borrowed, something new
so you think you can dance (when it's summer season)
what not to wear
the "i love these shows and would marathon them" list
ace of cakes
full house
home improvement
sabrina the teenage witch
what i like about you
whose line is it anyways? (totally coming back on air!!)
------
i love the fact that new shows have been created using some of my favorite actors/actresses from the 90s shows i grew up with (or started watching a few years ago in the case of friends)
matthew perry went from friends, to mr. sunshine (which i liked... but apparently nobody else did...) and now to go on.
melissa joan hart grew up from sabrina on to melissa of melissa & joey
and well... bob saget wasn't my favorite from full house... at all... but he went from being the clean freak wake up SF dad of full house on to the now ominous dad voice telling the story of how i met your mother. and dave coulier was a guest star a few weeks back.  so i guess that counts too :)
sadly, i miss amanda bynes and her acting career.  i follow her on twitter these days, and she just doesn't seem the same as she used to be.  i guess that's what happens when you're a teenage icon and then you grow up.
last note: ace of cakes, come back!  i miss you, and cake boss is lame... that is all.

day 10:30 - 30 day challenge

day 10: something you're afraid of
and so i thought to myself "self... what should i take a picture of for this blog post?" and i replied "oh i know... how about that nasty spider in the garage??"  brilliant idea... i would so love to do that.
so basically, something i'm afraid of is spiders.  they just creep me out like nobody's business.  yuck.
in 7th grade, i went to this thing with a few of my classmates and our teacher (it was in berkley i think...) and one of the things we did during the day was look at creepy crawly things.  leah allowed the tarantula to crawl across her hand, but i know i stood as far away from that thing as possible.
and it doesn't stop there.  when i was younger, i would play down the street at cica's house, where they had this really cool sandbox.  well, it was pretty cool until a black widow was hanging from my shorts.  ughhh.
have i out grown the spider freak out-ness?  no.  just last week i was getting ready to leave from bryan's place, and when i looked at my sweatshirt on the ground, a nasty spider just crawled right across it.  i may have done a little freak out dance... but want to know what sucks?  he is just as bad about spiders as i am.  luckily, he'll get the big ones.
bleh.  so gross.  sure, i know they have their benefits, and eat bugs and stuff... but seriously.  they're nasty and disgusting.  yuck yuck yuck.  and i'm SO glad this picture is now forever stored on my blog... not.
a few other things i fear/strongly dislike:
needles
falling long distances
upside down roller coasters <- one day, i'm sure i'll be forced on the one at california adventure.... i guess that's a good "one loop" starting point.
the butterfly house at marine world.  i swear it creeps me out EVERY TIME
now hopefully tomorrow i'll have a much happier, less creepy photo to go with my post.  fingers crossed.

day 9:30 - 30 day challenge

another post that i'll super enjoy writing!
day 9: a picture of your friends
i have some pretty fantastic friends, that's for sure.
from recent months, to years and years gone by.  i couldn't ask for better from those that have stuck around, faded out and found their way back, and those who have newly found their way.  so for starters, here is a picture of the local mass from my 24th birthday last november.
back row: bryan, me, matt, erika, amy & sarah
front row: chris, jenny & luke
these are all people that i generally see, talk to, or leave rude facebook comments to often. (kidding on the rude comments... mostly)  until jenny decided to abandon me for the bay area & her boyfriend, amy & luke were the only "out of the area" people located near the ever classy reno, nevada.  so now, let's break things down a little bit, using only the classiest photos i can find.  i know there are some more ridiculous ones out there of some of these friends, but alas, my computer and scanner don't appreciate my blogging needs.
the bff: erkia
for as long as i can remember, we've been erkia & emlee... and that would be since 2003 when we met over the summer in a super classy science class.  we've done quite a bit together over the years, and though we've had our ups and downs as most friendships do, i know she's always going to be there for me when i need. her.  everything came full circle of our high school plans when i stood by her side as her maid of honor as she married the man of her dreams last june.  so crazy to see where we were and where we are now.  this year is our 10 year "friendship anniversary" (friendiversary?) and we already have some pretty cool things in the plans for the next few months!  i can't say too much, or i'll be out another blog post ;)
the three amigos: chris & jenny
i do have to say, the three of us have had some awesome adventures together, and some of my favorite pictures on my wall are of the three of us together.  our santa cruz trip was probably my favorite adventure so far, and i totally want to do it again.  jenny's move to the bay area sorta validates that in an "on the way" sort of trip, right?? of course, we also have some pretty exciting "vlogs" we did a few years ago and they are equally hilarious, and possibly even educational.  well, that educational part might be a stretch.  you can decide for yourself by clicking here.  the one where we play WHEEL OF FORTUNE is probably my favorite.  and i think also the only time you see me in a vlog.
those that i had a potential road trip loop planned for: amy & luke, stephanie, lisa & lorelai & cica
- sure sure, i see amy & luke a fair amount for the distance they are away, but they fit perfectly in to my potential road trip loop that i had created in my head when the peterson clan moved to colorado last august. so they can still be included in this group.  it's always an entertaining time at their house in nevada.  minus the gnarly sunburn i got last year floating the river.  but that's beside the point.
- stephanie (remember, she's the one who nudged this "30 day challenge" idea) & i met in 2011 at WPPI, and boy am i glad we did!  we bonded over nigel barker (yes, any time i mention her, i take advantage of telling this story) and fought the security guards to get our photos with him (and won that battle).  we hung out again the next year in vegas, and had a blast, as expected.  she's in new mexico, so she fits perfectly in the look.
- lisa & lorelai zoomed off to colorado last summer, thanks to the husband man deciding to go ahead with his dental career plan.  what a punk.  but seriously, lisa and i go way back... in a "we're cousins and born in to this friendship" sort of way.  adventures at grandma's house, sleepovers watching clueless, and in more recent years, talking crafty are just a small summary of the cousin-ly friendship that has happened.  i hear about a lot of people who don't really know or got to hang out with their cousins growing up, and i'm so glad that was not the case with our family (lisa's dad is my dad's twin brother... so i guess that makes us closer cousins than the rest??  sure, why not).  and of course, lorelai is my favorite little now five year old, and she's the silliest & smartest little kidlet i'm related to.  she's the cute little icing on the colorado cupcake.
- cica.  here's where the roadtrip loop plans change.  all was fine and dandy with her living in arizona, but i found out yesterday that she's moving to new york in may!  even better, she's expecting a baby girl in september!!  so much cuteness.  her husband bryan got in to grad school so they're in to quite the adventure for 2013.  cica and i grew up down the street from each other, just a few months apart in age.  we grew up on beanie babies, barbies & american girl dolls.  we spent so much time together when we were little, and it's been great that we've been able to keep in touch so well thanks to technology.  now i just gotta convince her to start updating her blog more often with new york & a little one on the way!  will i be seeing new york for the first time in 2014?  it is a good possibility!
if i talked about all my friends each individually, this blog would never end.
so here's to all of you.  thanks for being awesome!

day 8:30 - 30 day challenge

i snapped this photo when testing the light when i did a shoot with my "siamese twin" and her husband last month... finally a chance to use it somewhere!

day 8: a place you've traveled
basically, the area of california that i live in is pretty awesome.  2 hours to the mountains, 2 hours to the ocean.  best of a little bit of everything.  now, i'm not much of a cold mountain person (though the boy is determined to take me camping... and i think erika is excited about the idea of camping together something) so my favorite day trip travel direction would have to be the bay area.
something about the beach, the fun shops, the little areas all make it so much fun.  we recently went for aileen's birthday last month and went to a few places we'd never been before, which is also part of the fun.  i've seen pier 39 plenty of times over the years, but we went to a few new places this trip.  i was particularly excited to see the "full house" house in real life, plus we ventured through ghirardelli square, which appeased my chocolate loving sister.
aside from the touristy san fransisco, i've also eaten at a pretty decent mexican restaurant in half moon bay as well as went to the place with "the best sushi ever" in walnut creek... or was it concord?  i wasn't driving, so i'm not totally sure.  jelly belly factory, market street & alcatraz are all excellent stops for those who have never been to the bay area.  sure, the jelly belly factory is in fairfield, but it's totally on the way TO the bay!  half moon bay, santa cruz, monterey and everything in between always prove to be a fun day trip, or even a quick weekend get away.  i've been yearning for some santa cruz beach boardwalk since the last time i went was 2010... so hopefully that can happen this year!  luckily between two day jobs and my photography, my current work schedule allows me the possibility to get out and about every so often!  

day 7:30 - 30 day challenge

day 7: favorite movies
alright... i'll try and keep this list short... but i can't guarantee anything.  i have never really been able to pin point one true favorite movie, so i'm super glad today's item was a plural situation :)  i really do enjoy movies.  there is something about them and the way they can transport you to a different world unlike your own.  my 2012 of movie watching was awesome, thinking back on it makes me miss my netflix dvd account... but then i remember once i met the boy, my movie watching nights were cut very slim.  to recap on all the movies i saw in 2012, click here.  of course, my list of favorites could go on forever, all for very different reasons.  so here is the list as of april 2013
in no specific "i love you more than the rest" order:
- mrs. doubtfire
- bridesmaids
- crazy, stupid, love
- mean girls
- toy story (all three, of course)
- i am sam
- forrest gump
- 27 dresses
- silver linings playbook
- date night
as you can tell, i do love my comedies. both romanticaly girly and hilariously funny will do it for me.  i do also enjoy a fair amount of dramas, and even the occasional action movie.  what movie genre will you almost NEVER be able to get me to watch?  horror.  i just can't do it.  i was swayed to go see "cloverfield" once... ugh it was HORRIBLE.  never again.  not on a big screen, barely on a small screen.  well, on that note, i'm going to leave you with this fantastic scene from the most recent movie i watched, big fish.

day 6:30 - 30 day challenge

day 6: a picture of something that makes you happy
i'm steering clear of people & places with this one, since those appear to be coming up in later days.  the word for today's something isn't limited to one specific "thing" but instead it is a verb.  something that makes me happy is the ability to create.  i'll now break things down in my two main forms of "creation" and why they make me happy.
sewing
i've been sewing off and on for a long time.  like, i took my first sewing class when i still lived in rio linda (pre 1999) and still have the quilt from it.  my sewing years died off during jr high and high school, but once i hit my senior year, it came back and in action.  my senior project ended up being making & donating small quilts to shriner's hospital, and that's generally about the time i started sewing again.  the ability to take things from just a bolt of fabric, and turn them in to something new and exciting is a thrill, and the hard work that goes in to it totally pays off.
honestly, i don't craft much for myself.  i used to make skirts and stuff for me, but never wear them.  i guess i'm just picky... or know they aren't as cute as they would be if it was in a 3-5 year old size.  things are always cuter when they are smaller.  instead, i've taken to crafting for friends, family & those in need.  my friends are all at that point where we are starting to get married & have babies, so being able to create them a personal item that nobody else could have done for them makes me feel way better than it would have been if i got them yet another toaster.  my family (primarily my sister) has received a handful of crafted items. i made that avengers purse for aileen, a tie for josh, and i have some plans coming up for a markham project one of these days.  and for those in need, much like my shriner's quilt donation in 2006, these monthly stash buster quilt tops has made me feel like my efforts are being put to a good cause instead of just hoarding things for myself...  like my giant box of fabric...
plus... all this sewing keeps me off my computer.  haha.  much like today, where this is being written mid fabric cutting.  i NEEDED a break from sitting on the floor!
and now part two, as you could guess....
photography
where to begin?  i think i could summarize the feeling i get from photography after a long wedding day.  from the start of the day where everyone's nerves are going through to the grand exit, i absolutely love every moment of it. knowing that i was responsible for creating and capturing those special images that will last forever and be passed down from generation to generation is an honor that i cannot even being to explain.  the trust that goes in to selecting the perfect photographer is phenomenal, and when you're chosen...  it's a rush.
i love building connections with my clients, turning them in to more than just a "client" but someone i can connect with.  whether it's over music, movies, or something like the love of all things mexican food, i love being able to have these new faces in my life that become friends over the duration of our time together from engagement session to wedding day and beyond.
basically, it's more than just taking photos.  it's about creating memories, sharing laughter, and building a trust relationship.  and i couldn't ask for a better plan for my career... if this second part of the creating explanation made no sense at all, that's because i'm a photographer.  lewis hine said it best.
"if i could tell the story in words, i wouldn't need to lug around a camera."
 :)

day 5:30 - 30 day challenge

day 5: siblings
and here we go, in age progress order.
markham - 27
studying at BYU utah majoring in animation
spent a month in india
instrument of choice: saxophone
6'4" (see, i'm not the tallest one)
the one that called me "pebest"
used to eat ketchup on everything
disney movie that i relate to him: robin hood
joshua - 20
works for a staging & lighting company
choice instrument: french horn
lived on a train for two months, working for ringling brothers
thought he had a curse of not being able to own a car for 2 weeks without it being totaled by someone else. his most recent car purchase has broken that trend
once had a "dory" fish that literally played dead in his fish tank
couldn't spell "oats" for the longest time.  no seriously.
oh.  and i didn't want him.  i wanted to stay at grandma's and play with barbies instead of getting him from the hospital with my dad
disney movie that correlates with him: finding nemo
aileen - 17
still at del oro, class of 2014
enjoys science.  making up for the science that i didn't enjoy
music maker: mellphone during the fall, oboe during the spring
used to be in to ventriloquism (acquired from my dad) and has a large cat puppet he made called "cloud shrimp"
went through a beret wearing phase. still not sure on that one...
plans to do something "sciencey" after graduation
the reason why we have a fat orange siamese cat.  and also the reason why my blog header has googly eyes and a mustache
disney movie that is "her": mulan
facts of sibling relations:
- we all did marching band at del oro.  most of us all four years, markham joined his junior year (my freshman year)
- joshua's head chipped my front tooth.  how?  my dad was swinging him around my his feet.  it's not a "massive" chip.  but i can still feel it.
- aileen was the reason i passed out in a hospital once.  we went to take her and mom home a few days after she was born, and they forgot to do a test on her.  heel pricked, and then i hit the floor.  super fun.
- my dad used to do "sissy stories" with aileen before bedtime (much like he would play barbies with me when i was little)  when my dad wasn't there, markham took over and started doing them with her at night.
- every year we have our christmas card picture taken in the creek at donner mine. later in the year during the holiday season, there is usually some form of in front of the tree picture with everyone holding a cat.

day 4:30 - 30 day challenge

day 4: your parents
number of siblings: mom: 1 older sister dad: 2 older sisters, 1 older brother, 1 twin brother, 1 younger brother
met: mira loma high school marching band
anniversary: june 26
jobs:  dad works as the finance officer for the town of loomis, and i think does the same thing in forresthill.  mom has been a stay at home mom for awhile, and worked at quiznos when it was still open in loomis.  also does the costuming for our dance studio's annual recital, which is coming up in a few months.
kids: four... five if you count dad's "baby cougar cat"
dad's hobbies: photography, ventriloquism, hamm radio-ing (if that's even a word....)
mom's hobbies: sewing
both volunteer for del oro band.  dad with the brass/mellophone line, mom does sewing flags & uniforms for the color guard.
been taking tap classes through our dance studio for 15ish years

day 3:30 - 30 day challenge

day three.... and i have no clue where to begin with today's topic.  seriously.  do we all really want to read about this?  hm.  probably not.  i know that i barely want to write about it.  here goes...
day 3: your first love
well.  i grew up in the 90s.  so i guess one of my first loves would have to be...
the backstreet boys.
in particular, i was a nick carter fan.
i mean come on, what girl in their right mind didn't love them?
alright alright... to make up for that, here are some of my current "material world" loves:
comedy movies, whether rom com, or laugh super hard comedy
tap dancing
photography
sonoma turkey sammies at quiznos
"mirrors" by justin timberlake (no seriously.  i heard/saw the video for the first time two days ago.  amazing)
my new sparkly toms
star shaped jewelry
a cruise through the fabric store (get it?  material world?  i really humor myself sometimes)
oreo sundaes at dennys.  delish...
oh.  those weren't the answers you were hoping for? my bad.  i'd prefer to keep this an "ex boyfriend" free zone.  at least this time around ;)  in the mean time, keep calm, and sing soft kitty.

day 2:30 - 30 day challenge

here we are at day 2 of 30.  so far, so good! (and i preblogged this, so it helps.. which is probably what i will do with all of them at least the night before)  and now, on to today's topic...
day 2: meaning behind your blog name
well, if you've been following me for awhile, you know that the name has been constantly changing until i decided on this one that stuck.  first, we had "by emily, with love"  which actually still exists over here on a different blog url.  this began back in the craft fair days of old, where bag making galore was happening.  so i tried to keep it crafty all over there.  i had a blog header, but can't find it... it was a pretty wretched self portrait anyways... so maybe it's a good thing.
there was the itty bitty laptop, and at that time the itty bitty kitty.  still have both of those around.  sorta.
i was updating randomly.  primarily about my sewing updates for making those dang bags.  which looking at them now, totally boring.  2009 (starting in june) had 45 posts.  2010 had 6 and 2011 (january to august) had 5... wow.  goooooo me.
august of 2011 i switched over to a fresh start, and titled it "the best-est pebest"
it was cute, it was personal, but anyone that is not related wouldn't know what the heck a pebest was.  well, basically it was my other brother, telling me i was a pest... but it came out pebest.  when i was younger, i was called a pink & purple pebest by my dad... but trying to explain that to anyone was pointless.  i did a lot of weekend WIP posts, and a few other crafty things here and there, but nothing terribly personal and "fun" to share like day in the life stuff.  so in january of 2012, the blog became titled what it is now... toothpaste and orange cat.  why?  well, apparently i did a blog post then about it on january 10th, but i'll re explain if you don't want to go back that far.
i remember hearing on a commercial for some disney channel show way back when a brother telling his sister about how unalike they are.  one of the lines was "we're like toothpaste and orange juice".  knowing how blech the experience of drinking orange juice after brushing your teeth, i thought it would be a good basis for the re titling of the blog.  things didn't have to be coherent, or themed or anything like that.  sure i could share craft projects i did for self glorification (haha), but i could also include photos from over the weekend trips, share some random youtube videos, music, and random stuff in between.  a whole bunch of things that really don't go together, and keep things interesting.
and well, instead of "orange juice" it made a whole lot more sense to use something very me... something very my family... like a big fat orange cat...
yeah, the very same itty bitty kitty from 2009.  not so itty bitty these days.  and getting his irish self on for st. patrick's day last month.
and there you have it!  the basic summary of the evolution of emily and the blogger environment.
come back tomorrow for the day three... aren't you just curious what wonders it holds for you to learn about me?

day 1:30 - 30 day challenge

so i literally JUST read stephanie's 30 day challenge blog post, and i am already hooked on the idea.  especially since this is my "personal-ish" blog, and i have barely made it more than 2 or 3 posts in the last month.  so here goes, 30 day challenge attempt.  hopefully we'll all be here at the end of the month!
day 1:  introduce yourself, recent photo & 15 facts
so if this is your first time here, my name is emily...  and i think i'm pretty cool.  i'm an aspiring wedding photographer that currently teaches dance classes and works at a play center.
apparently there is no photo evidence of me in 2013... so here you get my 2012 birthday.  i'm on the right, red sweater i hijacked from my sister. 1. i'm 24, 5'11", & just bought my first pair of "big girl" high heels this year.
2. i've never broken a bone, but i did get lucky enough to have 4 or 5 stitches in my hand in 2002.
3. my cat hates me.  no seriously.  he runs when i enter the room.
4. i laughed way to hard at this video and probably made the boyfriend concerned for his safety.
5. i go through crafting phases.  for awhile i feel like sewing, and then scrapbooking, and then nothing.
6. all time favorite band:  fall out boy.  so glad they're off hiatus and making music again
7. i had the same photography professor at CSU Sacramento that my dad did when he went there.
8. two movies i really don't like that everyone else seems to love: 50 first dates & groundhog's day
9. i've been dancing since i was 3, teaching since i was 15.  i currently teach 7 classes a week.  my kidlets are super important to me
10. i LOVE tlc wedding shows.  and david tutera...  and what not to wear.  basically i like my reality tv in the form of pretty dresses & $5000 shopping trips, with the occasional tiara wearing toddler or gypsy thrown in.
11. i might play a popular online game...  but not saying straight out what one it is...  hah.
12. i have a habit ever since graduating high school of growing out my hair and then chopping it off when i get 10 inches and bored of it to donate to locks of love.  right now i'm stuck in the not short/not long enough part where i just want to cut it off.
13. i've never had novocaine to numb my mouth when getting a filling at the dentist.  like a boss.
14. sarcasm is quite often what comes out of my mouth.  sometimes i have to gauge my audience before i let things fly out.
15. i'm very internet involved.  i love my social networking sites more for being able to be "in the know" of what it going on with people i grew up with, went to high school with, etc.  facebook, twitter, instagram...  i even have google plus and a myspace account still.
come back tomorrow, and we'll have more to share!  i hope i can lure some of you in to do this with us :)

march - instagram lookback

as quick as march came, apparently it is over now.  2013 is zooming by like crazy!  here are a few instagram highlights from last month.
- went to SF for a little part 2 & 3 photo shoot with megan & her husband john.  we did part 1 at the end of april in penryn, and it was faaaaantastic.  in SF, we hit up this awesome hill spot, legion of honor & baker beach.  all in one day.  you can check them out over on the photog bliggity blog
- the following saturday was another photo shoot with melissa & her boyfriend trevor.  we stuck to the streets of loomis, newcastle & auburn for some nerdy photo goodness.  those are also up on the photo blog. seriously.  just follow me over there too.  more friends in more places, yo.
- i had a double header job interview.  sorta.  friday i interviewed one place, monday i interviewed another (and was hired on the spot.  whoop whoop)  you are now looking at the newest play center employee at broadstone racquet club in folsom.
- basically, my computer had some brutal heat problems... in which the boyfriend and i learned how to open up my computer and found it was dusty to the max.  like, two years worth of dust.  so needless to say, it got a good cleaning and has been running quite well since.  minus the internet problems, but that's probably because i'm at the way far end of the house.
- i lost the coin toss, and had to go see olympus has fallen.  if you like bloody shoot 'em up movies, then this is the movie for you.  not my taste.  at all.  hopefully i'll win a coin toss for something soon.... i really want to see admission... hmmmm.
- for my birthday last year, i was gifted a pair of toms of my choice.  well, i finally found a pair, and went to get them.  the size 10s i tried on were HUGE, so she (sales lady) convinced me on the 9.5 pair.  yeah, it was all bad.  so i returned them... but when i tried on a size 10 again, they fit fantastically, so the glitter shoes became mine.  or in the words of the boy's brother... "it looks like a stripper threw up on your shoes".... *sigh*
- i managed to knock out a stash buster quilt for the month (as you all saw in the post prior to this) and still think it's pretty cute.  so yeah, it did make it to instagram, as well as this post.
- aileen turned 17 last friday... say whaaaaaat? so we ventured to SF after i got done at the play center.  we hit up the jessica mcclintock outlet (not that great) as well as a few basic tourist places (ghiradelli square, pier 39).  BUT the big deal was finally seeing the full house house.  totally not the area you envision it in from the tv show... but it was still pretty cool.  i can now cross that sucker off my bucket list.
- on easter, i put my super hunky boyfriend to work.  after brunch with his parents, brother and their neighbor, he assembled my entire set up for my bridal show display.  i was told there was a "no camera" policy once he started using his mom's sunglasses for safety goggles... so unfortunately this is as good as it gets.  now it's down to my job of wood putty filling screw holes & painting.  yeah, i got pretty lucky with my free labor having a construction degree :)