10.27.2011

costume blunders.

Awwwwww, Halloween. 

I didn’t always love Halloween.  I blame it on my “costumes” growing up (no offense to my creative director/seamstress … my mom … bless her heart) AND that awful show they made us watch in school every year… Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin.   Biggest snoozeathon of a movie ever.

In elementary school, we would have a costume parade.  It was kind of a big deal.  All the parents were invited to the school to watch all the kids in costumes prance around the gym.   I dreaded this day each year.   Where to begin ….

2nd grade:  A Princess.  Costume consisted of a weird white dress that looked like a sheet/straight jacket and a giant poster board rolled up with a scarf tied to the end to look like one of those pointy princess hats … I think I was even wearing awkward white bulky dirty tennis shoes.  A princess with tennis shoes?   fail.

3rd grade:  A Fortune Teller.   As I walked through the parade everyone thought I was dressed as a school teacher.  I had on a shawl … and some clip on earrings … yep that made me a fortune teller. I even had on a little bit of blue eyeshadow.  Come on now, what kind of school teacher wears blue eyeshadow?   It’s never a good sign when you have to explain your costume to people

5th grade:  An Indian Princess.  Picture this.  A chubby white girl, with coke bottle glasses, wearing a tan smockthingamajig and a headband decorated with that puffy paint stuff.  Not cool.  To make matters worse, my best friend had decided that she too was going to be an Indian Princess … she showed up in an authentic leather princess indian dress and had feathers in her hair.  I had to walk right next to her in the parade.  She one upped me big time.  Whatever.   I’m over it.

6th grade:  A Pumpkin.   You know those giant orange garbage bags they sell around this time of year that look like pumpkins?  We cut a hole in the top for my head … then stuffed it with newspaper.   It sounded like I was wearing a diaper as I walked.   A big. fat. diaper.

Apparently Mitchell had a costume blunder as well.  How many boys can say that they have been a witch for Halloween?  I’m gonna go out on a limb and say, not many.

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Phew.  That was painful to reopen all those wounds.

And maybe that is why I feel this need to  love Halloween so much now …. I have to make up for all those lost years.

Props to my family that put up with our Halloween dinner party this year.  There was only ONE rule.  You had to dress up.  No ifs, ands or buts.  There was only minimal moaning and groaning.  I’m so proud of my dad … he decided to be Gandalf all by himself.  

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Mitchell’s costume.  Let’s be real.  Its just a mumbo jumbo hodge podge of weird stuff thrown together in 30 seconds. 

I personally think he looks like a creepy murderer that would have been featured on America’s Most Wanted in the 1980’s. 

Not quite what we were going for.

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I found both mine and Mitchell’s wigs at saver’s for $3.00 a piece on the SAME day.  It was one of my happiest thrifting moments ever.

My seashells might be a little inappropriate.  I didn’t think they were until I saw the looks on my family’s faces when I debuted my costume.

I have shamed my family.  I guess next year I should be a Nun or something.

Uhhh …. sorry guys?

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7.09.2011

Who Disturbed My Slumber …. Party?

Mitchell and I had the honor of hanging out  with two of the coolest blondes we know,

no not Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen but Corinne and Hayley

We had fun going out and pretending to be parents.  When you spend 12 hours with little kids …

they say some of the darndest things …. 

“Is that the way he came?” (Mitchell sneezed really loud and she wanted to know if Mitchell was born that way)

“Why do policemen write tickets?  Why don’t they just do something nice and sell lemonade or something?”

“If there were a medium caesars I would still just pick little caesars”

“I just keep seeing moms with funny pants”

A perfect pizza party in the pleasant park.

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THIS my friends is a bad case of a pizza coma.  

The glazed over eyes … the drained energy … the zombie-like state … her little body just couldn’t take any more.

(and yes Mirien … her headband is upside down … don’t ask me how or when that happened … or why I didn’t even notice)

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a 25 yr old little kid

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park prancing

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successful swinging

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Mitchell must have had a bad case of static cling … because poor Hayley clung to him the entire time while at The Gateway.   Remind me to use dryer sheets next time.

Random giant shooting geysers to the face must not be her kind of thing.   Weird.

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I don’t really understand how getting shot in the rump unexpectedly is much better …. to each their own.

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Shepard Corinne and a very deep in thought and reflective Hayley

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A fun evening always has to end with a movie.  By the look on their faces you would think we rented “The Shining” … but don’t worry, it was just “Barbie: Fairy Secrets” (scary in a different way).  There were barbies and fairies … barbies turning into fairies … lots of dialog about fashion … two thumbs WAY up in my book.   I smell a Golden Globe.

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Candy and root beer floats were eaten,  laughs were shared, teeth were brushed and bed time stories were told.

No one got hurt.  No one cried.  No one was kidnapped.

Operation: Slumber Party was a success.

7.06.2011

Maroon, Ivory and Navy

July 4th 2011

Took a spin in my little brother’s “new” 1989 convertible … my hair immediately morphed into a giant rat’s nest … it could have housed 4 families of rats I’m sure.

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Fire Fest in my parents backyard … Mitchell and I ended up with some blankets and slept under the stars … it was bliss.

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Enjoyed some of Mitchell’s crepes filled with American Pride … I think we ended up consuming one entire strawberry field and a couple blueberry bushes that day …

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Made some snazzy drinks …

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classic barbeque …

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Made my family take this picture … you would have thought I had asked them to run outside in their underwear … its not embarrassing guys.Posterity will thank you for these classic photos.

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Spent some time with this adorable human …

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Let my slightly crazy/delusional side out to play …

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And attempted to get a great shot of the husband and I …

clearly Mitchell LOVES to get his picture taken …

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6.27.2011

Drive By Photography Shooting

 

Shooting and editing make my heart so incredibly happy.

A few from some recent photo shoots.

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6.26.2011

Play That Funky Music White Girl

 

The 70’s.

Bell Bottoms.  Sideburns.  Afros.  Abba.  Hippies.  M*A*S*H.  Stretch Armstrong and ….

Ugly couches … but the good kind of ugly. Now it may be debatable whether or not there even is a good kind of ugly … but I believe, oh I believe.

I have a thing for old-ugly-retro couches and furniture.  I LOVE the sleek straight lines …

Yes, yes I know, they make modern couches that have a nice clean silhouette now but honestly I can’t fork out the moo-lah they are asking for those pretty little things. 

 Trust me, a beautiful modern grey couch is on my wish list … but this will have to quench my modern-straight-couch thirst for now ….

1972 was a good year.

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Poor Mitchell doesn’t quite see my vision.

 

“The couch looks and smells like something from a baby diaper” 

-Mitchell

The color … yes, can’t argue with that … the smell? … a “vintage aroma” would be more accurate 

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I love it.

 

6.08.2011

Masculine Hair, Stunning Niece and Marshmallow Sheets

 

Mitchell is funny.  More than just funny … the funny-ist eva’. 

 

I, on the other hand, have hair comparable to my homeboy, JB (justin beiber). I never knew my hair would leave such an impression.  I’m pretty sure I will forever be known as the crazy aunt who cut her hair like a boy … ON PURPOSE. That crraaazzzy Aunt Erin.

You win some. You lose some.

 

 

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A while back I did a little photo shoot with our gorgeous doe- eyed-avid-reader-niece Alyssa …

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Mitchell and I celebrated back in May, being together for 2 years … 730 days … 17,520 hours … 1,051,200 minutes. Best 1,051,200 minutes of my life. 

We decided to celebrate Hotel Monaco style.

I married a model.

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Just sleeping there for one night gave me a slight case of “bed envy” …the sheets,like butta’ … the comforter, so marshmallow-like … I seriously felt like the Queen of England. Maybe when Mitchell rules the world and I’m making booukobucks being a photography rockstar, we will have butter sheets and a marshmallow comforter.  Fingers crossed.

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Cheers to us.  Bring on eternity.