Play It Forward

Last night I attended a benefit concert for a program called Play It Forward. Their mission is to ensure each child in St. Louis is provided with the opportunity to discover his or her musical voice. Check out their site here http://www.playitforwardstl.org/


So, I was inspired to really help spread the word about their great organization. The announcer kept saying last night how simple the process was. They find instruments that no one is using and they give them to children who need them. Music is such a big part of my life and I know as a kid it was too. I had the opportunity to play an instrument in high school and was fortunate enough to be able to afford it. But some kids aren't. Let's help them to be able to play an instrument and let music influence their lives as much as it has mine.

This is Victory Blue. They donated their time and two guitars last night. 

Their an amazing band and a great group of guys. 

So, here you go my friends....here's my challenge. I know all or some of us were in band and if you weren't you know someone who was. You probably know someone who has a guitar in their basement that they haven't touched in years and have no intentions of fixing. Let's get some instruments together for this great cause. You can follow the link above to see how to donate or simply get them to me and I will take them for you. Please take the time to ask you friends and family....someone knows someone who has an instrument they can donate. 

Thanks for reading! Support this great organization

Brynn

Love of something so simple.

So it's been a while since I posted. And I need to get back into it because I really do enjoy it. So, I will share with you something that I have become completely obsessed with. Maybe slightly inspired by Georgia O'Keeffe, I find myself photographing almost every flower, leaf, tree and any other part of nature's beauty every time I come across them. 

In the 1920's O'Keeffe revolutionized flower painting by presenting them in large formats and often a closer view of the blossom as if you were looking through a magnifying lens. With her paintings she vividly portrayed the power and emotion of objects of nature. Many critics and scholars have talked about themes in O'Keeffe's work such as the cycles of birth, life, death and decay. Others saw the flowers as symbols of sexuality. Still others observed that she was incorporating photographic techniques such as cropping and close-ups, even before the technology of color film or large photographic blow-ups had been invented. I find O'Keeffe very inspirational and her work mesmerizing. 

Although, I am not trying to imitate her work by any means, I do think that this new obsession of mine has a resemblance of her work. Now, if I only I could become famous like her! :) I hope you enjoy. And I will try to post more for those of you who actually read this. 

Brynn

It's my right as a mother!

So, it's been almost a month since I have blogged. I've missed it a little, but I don't think anyone has missed me! But I felt the urge to post tonight.


You see....my oldest daughter, Jillian, is having her Tonsils and Adenoids removed tomorrow morning. And, well...I am nervous! But don't I have the right to be? I am her mother. Since I found out that she was going to have them out, I have received tons of support and prayers from everyone that everything will go okay. And I know it will. But I have also received comments towards me dramatizing the situation. Which I am not doing. 


For one thing, Jillian isn't keen on doctor's. My kids are rarely sick which means, we don't make visits to the doctor's office all that often. Mainly for shot updates. So, needless to say she gets a little freakish when we walk into the office. Example: Two mondays ago, when we went to our pediatrician, he wanted to do a strep test just to be sure. She saw the test kit come out and big alligator tears swelled up. She then told me after he left the room that his tried to choke her with that big Q-tip. Dramatic---YES!


Another thing, I am her mother. So, if I want to worry, I will. I will be strong for her and help her to be brave, but if I want to break down and have a good cry once she leaves the room or once she is back in the room and safe and sound, I WILL!! That's my right as a mother. If my child falls down and gets a scrape, I can react however I want. She's going into surgery tomorrow, so I can definitely seem concerned.


I appreciate the thoughts and prayers so much. I really do. But please don't judge why I handle the situation the way I do. 


Anyway, I know things will be fine tomorrow. Jillian is a trooper and I am definitely looking forward to her being back to a normal eating routine. The poor girl has lost almost 10 lbs in 2 weeks. :(  


Thanks for listening or reading or even browsing the first sentence and realizing you don't give a shit about my blog and clicking on the X to close the page! :)




Brynn

Endless amounts of fun!

Mommy post:

So I recently have been on the search for some living room furniture for my girls. And let me tell you, it has been extremely unsuccessful.  I am seriously addicted to Amazon, I mean seriously! I was browsing around and found this crazy new chair/toy.

I thought, is it practical as a comfortable chair to sit in during movie nights... NO! 

But is it super fun... YES! 

So, with the help from my "one-click" purchasing on my 

Amazon iPhone app, the pink and red Bilibo seats were purchased.

One of the reviews I read stated "Most of the time when you buy a child a toy, they end up playing with the box more than the toy. But the Bilibo is the box. Their imaginations run wild with them and it will be endless hours of play." 

I agree 100%! The second I got it out of the box, Karlee was in it and kept showing me all the cool things it could be. Jillian said it was her new favorite toy...EVER! So, I think I made two little girls, very happy! 

Anyway, I just wanted to share with all mom's out there. This is a great accessory to any kid's room! 

Enjoy! 

Shutter-buggin in FULL force!

So, it's been a while! And I have so much to talk about but so little desire to write about it. But I will leave you with this....

I am in full SHUTTER BUG MODE!

Enjoy some pictures shot for my Photo 1 class!

More than a push of a button.

There are always two people in every picture:  the photographer and the viewer.  

~Ansel Adams

When you are looking at a photograph, do you ever stop to think about it? Or do you just say, "That's pretty" and move on. Do you consider the photographer who captured the image? Do you imagine them standing there taking the picture? What's the purpose behind the image? Does it make you feel a certain way? 

I have heard many times that photography is an easy art. That anyone can push a button and take a picture. Last night, while sitting around having drinks with friends this topic came up. I had no idea how defensive and heated I would get when it was said that a photograph can't compare to a oil painting, sculpture or drawing. Being the person behind the camera, I know what it's like to capture something that captures you. Photography is such a passion of mine and I love sharing my passion with you! 

I agree with Ansel Adams. There are two people in the picture. Which in this world of variable ways to communicate...it's just another option.

Brynn

It's like the icing on top...

A short and sweet post this evening. I wanted to share the icing on top in my life and that's my job. I absolutely love being a graphic designer. It brings not only stress and deadlines to my life but pure joy as well! It's the icing on top! 

And in class we are have been working on creating our own bitmap typeface. Here's my new font. Something I am super proud of. 

The name: WALLY

Just thought I would share my icing with you! 

Brynn

Love is the key to this Good Life!

    I have always said that being a stay-at-home mom is not for me.  
Most days I pull my hair out, crave peace and quiet and fall down in exhaustion when the day is done. But on snow days like yesterday and today, it sure is nice to have my girls home with me. And the more I do this stay-at-home stuff, I kinda like. 


    With so many things going on in life, it's hard to slow down and appreciate the simple things. Definitely something I need to do more often. And yesterday was simply one of those moments. 


    My sister, Mandy, and I took the kids sledding yesterday to get them out of the house and to keep us from going bald before the weekend. Although, they were whiney and ungrateful about the majority of things yesterday, I knew that they would appreciate getting out and having fun in the snow. And they did! They had a blast. They talked about it all night last night and even woke me up this morning with "Mom, yesterday was so much fun!" I remember precious moments like that as a kid, and it's nice that we get to create moments like that with our kids. 

The smiles on their faces are so precious! 

    Although, most days I am stressed, exhausted, frustrated and tired of the bickering between my two girls....I am also very happy, blessed, proud and very much in love with them.  


Love is definitely the key! 

Never a DULL moment!

I emphasize DULL as I found my youngest, Karlee, had cut her hair this evening. 

This is how it went down! 

Me: Karlee what happened to your hair? 

Karlee: What are you talking about mommy?

Me: Karlee, this chunk of your hair is shorter than the rest. Did you cut your hair?

Karlee: No mommy, I didn't do anything.

Me: Then how did it get shorter? Did it get cut at school the other day?

Karlee: No mommy. Don't blame my friends. (tears starting to form at this point)

Me: Then who should I blame because I know your hair wasn't like this. How did this happen?

Karlee: (Places head on my shoulder) IT WAS ME! I AM SORRY! (Tears really rolling at this point)

Me: When did you do it?

Karlee: I was cutting open my gogurt and wanted to see what it would be like to cut my hair.

Me: Do you think that was a smart thing to do?

Karlee: No, I can't believe I did it. I am sorry. I will never do it again. (Head still on my shoulder)

Me: Thanks for telling me the truth but I am disappointed. 

Karlee: So am I. It wasn't as cool as I thought it would be. And now my bangs are in my face.

Me: (Chuckling at this point and trying not to let her see)

So, this evening after her bath, her bangs were really driving her crazy. She had to resort to a clippy to hold them back out of her face. I love it. I am impressed that it took us this long to experience this situation. This is Karlee we are talking about. 

Seriously, never a DULL moment in this life and I love it. 

:) 

The moments I live for.

• Making my children smile.
• Getting hugs and kisses from my daughters, nieces and nephews.
• Feeling accomplished after a good work out.
• A satisfied client who loves my design work.
• Being independent.
• Dominating challenges that seems so scary when I first faced them. 
• Precious moments with my Fox.
• When my parents are proud of me.
• When my daughters make me proud. (Which is every moment of my life)
• Creating memories with my sisters and friends. 
• Completing another day of school, getting me closer to my degree.
• When my daughters laugh at me for being goofy.

And moments like these...(Plus much more!)

This life is amazing! 

What do you live for?

When will it be my day! ;)

     All smiles tonight as I complete a wedding invitation for a soon-to-be family member and her wonderful future husband. Wedding invitations are one of my favorite things to design. The whole time you design, you know you are designing for two people who are in love. Two people who are anxiously awaiting that day when they join their lives. It's super romantic and well, it gets me every time. 

     I sure do love my job! I spend my time being creative and expressing myself through my designs. Pretty great, if I do say so myself! 


     Needless to say, creating wedding invitations sure makes me anxious for the day when I can say "I do." I am patiently waiting. Kinda. 


Love.

Down 3....

Down 3 lbs in a week and I am super excited about that. 


School started today and I am so looking forward to this semester. I am taking Graphic Design II, Drawing II and Photography I. What a great semester. All full of the things I love. :) Let my creative juices flow! 


Just dropping in. All smiles today! Even though I have some things weighing me down, I am keeping my head up! 


Happy Monday everyone! :) 

Does the heart ever heal?

So, my blog for today is about heartache. Although, I may be the happiest I have ever been and life seems to be going in the direction in which I want it to go, I can't help but still feel a little ache deep in my heart. And I wonder....will it ever heal? Will that ever go away? I don't feel it every day but when I let my mind wander and the memories flood my brain, that little "knife jabbing heart" feeling rises back up stronger than before. 


See, I lost something in 2010 that I never in my life thought I would lose. NEVER....I can't express that enough. It literally killed me and although I have moved on and have found ways to cope with that never ending ache, I still think about it often enough to remind myself of the loss. I won't go into much detail because for a few of you, you have heard enough. This loss wasn't a death though, let's just make that clear. Although, I felt as if I had died when it all happened. 


It did make me reevaluate things in my life and realize the importance of having people around you who truly support you and love every step you make in your life. That definitely was one of my accomplishments for 2010. I guess an accomplishment I need to be concerned about for 2011 is finding a cure for that little ache that keeps coming back. 


For those of you who have stood beside me and helped me through it....I owe you more than I will ever be able to give you. 


So now that you are a little ho-hum after all that....keep in mind, my chin is still up, eyes wide open and a grin on my face from ear to ear. This is my year! Can't take that away from me! 


With Love! 

Day 6 of 2011. Day 3 of P90X!

So, as always....my new year's resolution was to lose this baby fat. Wait, can I even call it that anymore. I mean, my kids are 5 and 4. Okay, so maybe my new year's resolution should be to loose this "no longer baby, older than toddler, young adult fat"!! Well, either way, that's my goal. It will be gone in no time, wait and see! 


I have completed P90X once during 2010. Started the second round before I left for New York last year and didn't finish the second round when I got back from NY. I lost 15 lbs when I completed the first round, so here's hoping for a larger number than last time. I love P90X. It's pretty hardcore but I think that's what keeps me pushing myself. 


Is it me or does the new year seem to be creeping by? Maybe it's because I am anxiously awaiting next Monday, when I go back to school. This is my last semester at Jefferson College. I will have my Associates in May and start Fall 2011 in a Bachelors program for Graphic Design. That application process has begun and I am getting more and more excited every day. Ready to have this degree in hand! 


So much to accomplish this year. I am really excited to achieve all my goals. I am not sure which is longer: my bucket list or my goals for 2011. 


Here's to another day in this wonderful year. And another awesome workout ahead of me this evening. 


:)

It feels like the first time...

So, this is my first post on a blog. (trying to hold back the tears) :) Is it any different then telling my life story in my Facebook statuses? Is it any different then crawling into bed every night and writing 2-3 pages in my journal? It doesn't really feel any different at this point but we will see how I feel few blogs.  


 I got the itch to create a blog after reading a friend's blog. She is so driven and her head is on straight and ready to tackle 2011. Her motivation and chipper attitude towards a new year are really motivating. She's the same girl I knew back in high school and I am so glad that her and I have reconnected over the last year. 


It's funny how things change in a year. It's funny what can develop in such a small amount of time. It may seem like a lot but really it's only 525,600 minutes. That's not a whole lot if you look at how many minutes we have already lived. When I look back at where I came from and everything I have done, I am amazed that I am here today. I have often said that I need to write a book. A book of my challenges, fears, tears, laughs and loves. Maybe I will. Maybe I should put that on my Bucket List (what do you think Amy?). 


I won't get all wordy this evening and ramble on for hours, cause that's probably the last thing you want to read. But I will leave you with this. 


This has got to be the good life. No matter what I go through, no matter what gets thrown at me...I survive and I get another glimpse at how wonderful this life really is. 


This blog is simply this: A place to log my thoughts, worries, laughs, tears, triumphs, new adventures and whatever else I come across in this good life. 


Thanks for reading.


Brynn