For A Moment Photography

Cool New iPhone Feature

In the past I, like most people would put my phone on airplane mode.  The problem was I was out of touch, which does not work for this mommy/sister/daughter/friend.  I would be so devastated if something happened to a loved one and I didn’t know until it was too late.  

The new iPhone has an answer to this problem, Do Not Disturb Mode (DNDM).  When my phone is on DNDM my mail, text and phone calls still come in but the phone is silenced.  If I happen to look over at my phone I can see a text and not disturb Mark (or Presley) if they are sleeping next to me.    

This new feature can be set on a schedule so that every night your phone will switch to DNDM from what ever hours you pick.  I set my phone so that only people in my “Family  group” from my contact list can call me and my phone will still ring.  This can be done with any group in your contacts or Favorites.  I started to think I would create an ICE group (In Case of Emergency).  The problem here is I could easily see the list getting too big and therefore defeating the purpose...   They have a solution for that too!

 Repeated Calls, this option if turned on will allow repeat calls to come in.  If the same number calls my phone twice within three minutes my phone will not be silenced.  Leaving this option on could be a problem for those of you with friends/stalkers that like to late night dial (I kid, I kid)...

With this recent feature I sometimes find myself texting, emailing later than normal because now I assume everyone is using this option- sorry if I disturbed your slumber!  I get the best ideas right before I fall asleep!..  I wanted to pass this along because I spoke to a few people who didn't know about it or didn't realize it allowed so many different options.  

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My Italian Beauty Secret

The professor that we went to Italy with was an older woman, Barbara Crawford.  While there we stayed in very nice hotels had beautiful meals it was not your typical college kid european backpacking trip.  We were all told to bring suit cases- no backpacks.  During our group outings we were not to wear shorts, tank tops or t-shirts.  I learned a lot during this trip and one beauty secret I swear by!    

 When we traveled to Florence we stayed in a tiny hotel across from the duomo.  It was during this stay that Tara and I roomed with Barbara Crawford.  The room was more of a suite, we all had our our bed and s sitting area for tea.  Professor Crawford was so kind it was a treat to get to spend some extra time with her.   

 It was during our morning tea that I she had told us she slept on her back.  She said she has done so to prevent her skin from wrinkling.  She was very fair and had very nice skin.  I was 21 at the time and took this beauty secret to heart and from then on I have slept on my back!   

 Now this sounded easier than I expected.  It took a long time to get use to.  I have to place a large european pillow under me knees.  Then I place a pillow on each side of my head I no longer can sleep with a pillow under my head.  Sleeping on your back may lead to snoring, I have been told...  But as Presley will tell you, ladies don’t snore.  Only Daddy’s.  

 I can’t help but think this sleeping on my back is not only great for preventing wrinkles but it’s also great for keep my skin and pores clean and a great relief for my back.  I’ve talked to my esthetician about this and she said this is great advise.  She can usually tell what side women sleep on because they have larger wrinkles on the side they sleep on or even a crease down the side of their face.

Hopefully you like this post but let’s not forget it is the lucky ones that grow old. 

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“They are my memories I’ll remember them how I want to” ~ Judy Garland

 

In my previous blog post I spoke about the trip I made to Italy.  When I started that post I was intending on writing about something totally different.  But the words just flowed so I went with it and decided I’ll write several posts about the trip to Italy.  As I laid in bed thinking about this time in my life for the first time in years I realized I made an error.  Rather then just correct the single sentence I decided I would write another post...

When I graduated from High School I enrolled in the local community college, took classes there, but I had no clue what I wanted to study.  My best friend and I went our separate ways and several of my other friends went to U of A (talk about misguided).  At this point I didn’t think I would ever graduate from a university.  

At the time I was working with a girl (she was a few years older) and she wanted to set me up with her brother.  He was a return mormon missionary.  Growing up around in Graham County I knew lots of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) kids so I did not think anything of it.  I can not remember all the details (I’m not sure how important they really are).  My coworker not only introduced me to her brother but her three younger sister’s one of them (the one closest to my age) and I became very good friends.  

The great thing about the LDS church is the young adult life is pretty active.  So through all of them I was introduced to a world I had never been apart of at a time when I really was looking for something.  The church has pretty clear roles and direction for their young people, so it seemed I had direction again.  There are a few of the local church leaders/members that really stand out in my mind to this day...

At some point I got baptized, moved to Mesa with three LDS girls (one of the sisters).  After dating her brother for awhile we broke up, I dated a few other mormon boys.  It just never really seemed like a good fit.  Pretty quickly the girls I lived with started to get married and we all went our separate ways.  Many LDS girls get married young, so around 20 years old (my roommates, off and married) I found myself looking for direction again.

It was not long after this that I went on that trip to Southern Virginia College (SVC) for Spring Break...

My feelings toward the mormon church are good.  I found comfort and support at a time in my life when I was looking for it.  There are a few friends that I met at that time that I still keep in contact with...

I wanted to talk about this time in my life partly because I never do.  One friend who knew me before all of this asked me if I was embarrassed I had been baptized.  The question caught me off guard but no, I’m not.  It is not apart of my life today but it was a part of my journey and discovery of me and that I am ok with...   

*This is not an invitation to send visiting teachers.*

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Venice

 

Tara and I stayed in Italy after the semester was over to travel on our own.  We made a few friends.

Venice, Italy

When I was 21 I went to Italy for a summer abroad program with a Southern Virginia College.  One of my childhood friends was going to college there and after visiting her one Spring Break.  It was a very small private unaccredited college with ties to the LDS church.  I was not a member of the church but they let me come anyway.  For the sememster in Italy I had to enroll in the college.  

 The trip to Italy is a small piece of a puzzle that changed the direction of my life....  At the time I was working at an optical company taking a night class or two at the community college with no real goal in mind.  My boyfriend was a Brown graduate who had family that was less than excited to meet me.  Not only was I not Lebanese (he was) I was not college educated (Ivy league- I was blissfully unaware of how different their world was).  Lucky for me I was young and clueless.

When I decided go to Italy that summer it was not was not a part of a big plan in the next step of my future.  It just sounded like fun and I wanted to go...  Now how to do I make this happen...  No one in my family had been to Europe.  Except my grandfather during his time in the military.  My parents did not want me to go.  They didn’t know how I was going to pay for it (neither did I) and it was so far away and unknown.  Keep in mind we didn’t have internet and no cell phones... Is that possible?  That sounds so strange...  

 This is bizarre too, I called (from my apartment phone- no cell phones) the bank to ask for a loan.  I didn’t dare go into the bank because I just knew they would say no.  To tell you just how clueless I was, I didn’t even call prepared to ask for a school loan.  I just told the guy I wanted to pay for a trip to Europe, the bank representative is the one that said, “oh a school loan”.  I wanted a $4,000.00 loan enough to pay for my ticket, my classes, room and board.  

 I remember sitting on my bed (mattress on the apartment floor) talking to a bank representative.  He asked me a couple of questions and put me on hold and then he came back and said, “you have been approved.  When can you come to the bank and sign the paperwork?”  I got a ride to the bank a few days later, signed the loan and the first thing I did was go buy a huge map of the world...  

 This I did not expect!  I really keep taking one step at a time thinking every time that the next step would be the one where something/someone stopped me.  With each step I some how made the next step and the next.  

 The weeks I spent in Italy were everything I thought it would be.  Being exposed to a world I didn’t dare dream I could experience changed my life.  It was the following semester that I enrolled in ASU, expecting/waiting someone or something to stop me... 

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It's been a long time since I posted.  The time away has been for good reason, my business has been doing very well, my family life is happily fulling and I've found a few hours to work on quilting, crafting and calligraphy.  All these activities have contributed to my time away from my blog, but it is something that I’ve missed.  Writing is a practice that prompts me to stop and reflect, slow down and try to understand and digest events in my life.  It’s an important part of my life experience...  I plan on writing lots more this year so stay tuned... 

Without going into too much back story, I have taken part in this contest started by Drew Barrymore.  She has a new bood out where she has photographed everyday objects that she has found a heart abstractly within.  All you have to do to take part is to post your photos on Instagram using the hashtag: finditineverything.  If you’ve looked at the photos above you will see that all of them are photos where Presley or I have found a heart in some sort of object or reflection.

Now I have to admit a part of me giggles every time I enter a contest because who wins this stuff?!  Definitely not me...  But if I put those pesky self-conscious thoughts aside I allow myself (and Presley) to enjoy a small but positive experience together...  At first I just thought the contest would be fun to win, but now I’m thankful that for at least a week now Presley and I have found even more love in the world we share...  And now that I think about it...  I don't even know what it is that you win. ?  She had me a photography! 

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