The New Olympus E-P1

Not knowing it, I ran across a new camera that just came on the market in July. I saw a video called The Pen Story made for the E-P1 today that one of my friends posted a link to on YouTube. Interestingly enough the video made for the E-P1 caught my attention that I did a little more research about the camera to find out more about it.

Coming from having a photography background and a fond love for SLR cameras. I’ve always wanted an today’s features of an SLR in a camera that had a smaller camera body. However that is something that just never really was available. Even though I absolutely LOVE my Canon 20-D can be such a pain to carry around when I’m out with friends so I use an Olympus compact camera to take some of the weight off. However the image quality of my Olympus compared to my SLR could not even be compared. Now with the Olympus E-P1, I may be ringing a different tune?

Overall I found it to be a great little compact camera and really interesting that it has a lot of features that a regular SLR camera embody. I also found out that the E-P1 has HD Movie with stereo sound featuring depth of field and Art Filters! To see the specs of the Olympus E-P1 visit their website. Hum… all this talk about the E-P1 kind of makes me want one now. I wonder when they will start selling it in stores in the United States?

July…really?

Is anyone else wondering how it is already is July 1st! Are we really getting close to the middle of the summer? Seriously the 4th is in just three days… you have got to be kidding me! By the way that reminds me I probably should figure out what to do for that. (Mr. Facebook is on vacation right now but  comes home that afternoon, so we can hang out that night) Anyone have some fun ideas of things we can do for the fourth? Or do you have a great recipe you could share? I would appreciate the feedback… I need help, I don’t have much time! I guess this really shows you what a last minute planner I am.

Anyway, even though the summer has been going by quick and my weekends are pretty much a blur; I’ve been enjoying it so far. From weddings, Festivals, baby showers, birthdays, etc. on the weekends the summer feels like a never ending party. I think I’ve spent way more then I should have on gifts for other people. After two weddings in June, a babyshower and a birthday; I’m glad for a little break. It will gear me up for the three back to back weddings I have coming up in August!

Mr. Facebook:
Just thought I would recap and say Mr. Facebook and I have had a steady relationship for almost FOUR months now! This is a huge deal for me considering my last two relationships didn’t last over three… so knock on wood I really like how this one is turning out. Now I know I said I’m taking it slow in my last post and I that still rings true. I’m just really happy that the past four months have been so great between the two of us. He is just as sweet and caring as the day we went on our first “real date“. I’m starting to really love our history together;  I don’t want to jump the gun yet but I feel Mr. Facebook is someone I’m starting to see a future with.

Italian Street Festival:
Some summer activities have included going to the Italian Street Festival downtown with Mr. Facebook and even though it was raining, we still had a great time! I had no idea they had this Italian festival in Circle City until Mr. Facebook suggested we go to it. Even though the food was great and the weather could have been better I wouldn’t of had it any other way. Because for the very first time I saw a diaper made in to a make shift hat. That is right you heard me… a DIAPAR, haha!!!  As we were standing under this tree trying to wait out the rain, a family was sitting right next to us. Low and behold the mom pulled out a diapar from the diapar bag and put it on her head! I couldn’t believe it! I guess when your hair is getting wet and your a mom you could care less what is on your head. So I pulled out my camera and took a picture. Why? Because who in a million years would catch an adult woman wearing a diapar on her head… willingly. I think this has been one of my favorite highlights of the summer thus far.

Weddings:
Now for the past two weekends, I’ve attended two weddings! Thus the reason I have not had a moment to sit down and write. Both couples that got married are great friends, of whom I’ve kind of grown up with over the past 7 years, Kristen & Joel and Ryan & Tory. I can’t believe all four of them are now married and all grown up. I got choked up watching Kristen & Joel say their vows. And Ryan & Tory could not have looked any happier. I’m honored I could be a part of both of their special days and I wish them both the best as they head for marriage bliss.

Birthdays:
Now that is not all these past week… I also had a birthday party for Ashley to go to! Where I caught up with Erin and a bunch of other girl friends I hadn’t seen in awhile. I was happy we were all finally able to get together, because like I said earlier the summer is going by fast and there just doesn’t seem to be enough time to hang out with everyone. Plus I think I’m getting to the point where I’m starting to feel older. I can not stay out like I used to. When eleven rolls around I’m about pooped for the night, haha. But one late night on the town won’t kill me right?

Well I think I need to think about what I’m making for dinner… but hope you enjoyed the fun update of what happened in my life these past two weeks. Hope you have a great rest of your week and an awesome 4th of July weekend!

Summer Sizzles

Summer is here and I felt like it was time for some short recaps on things you missed! I’m not even going to try to explain where I have been the past month or so. Life was a little overwhelming and I have had lots going on with parents coming to visit… work… dating… friends… the list goes on and on. I just didn’t seemed to have the time to sit down and write.

Mr. Facebook Update
Anyway, Mr. Facebook and I have been doing well. We have been enjoying each others company and have been just going with the flow. From playing football in the park, baseball games, concerts, hanging out with friends, festivals and random movie nights… we have been keeping it rather low key. However, He has officially meet my parents! What?!? Hold up how did I jump from, “we are keeping it rather low key” to “oh and by the way, he meet my parents” haha? Well…I figure since they really never make their way up here he might not have the opportunity to meet them for awhile if he didn’t meet them then. I think I was more nervous then he was because my parents are a pretty good judge of character, I know their opinions really matter to me. Overall meeting my parents ended up being a really good thing. So we will see what happens when I meet his parents sometime. hum…

I think I’m really starting to grow fond of Mr. Facebook and find myself building up real feelings for him. It has been a little tough because I’m scared of being hurt again so I trying very hard to guard my heart. But I can’t complain, I’m really happy where things are right now and I am excited to see where they lead.

Should I Sell My Oil Paintings?
Lately, I have gotten back into my oil paints and I’m finding I miss painting with them a ton. In the last couple weeks I have painted two different paintings, which I’m even more fond of because my skill set has actually started to improve. Painting has now become this moment in time where I can escape to another place for a little while and really get my mind of things. So here is what I’m thinking, maybe I will start a website for my oil paintings and try to sell them online. What do you think? It would be a great way to make a little extra money and plus it would give me a purpose for painting. I have seriously run out of wall space!

20 Mile Bike Ride
You might find this crazy but just recently I went on this 20 mile random bike ride to BRipple. Totally out of the blue but my bike is fixed now, thanks to my dad! I’m so grateful he fixed it when he was up here. Now I can ride whenever I want! However, I wouldn’t recommend riding a bike 20 miles without pads on your biking shorts. I was so sore afterward.

Fall Marathon Training
I believe training starts soon for the fall marathon I’m planning to do in November. I’ve been back and forth about wanting to do it, but I really think I should. Plus because of my foot I didn’t run a half in the spring and I kind of feel blah now because I missed out on it. So wish me luck, here goes to another summer of running!

My Wish List
I don’t know if you have seen Maid of Honor or not but I’m obsessed with this really unique gold necklace Michelle Monaghan (playing the character, Hannah) wore in the movie. I absolutely love it and today I found out the designer was Zoë Chicco !!! I’m so happy I found it because it was driving me crazy looking for it in the stores just hoping to run across it. The mixed circle necklace will be one of those things I keep on my wish list!

Laundry
Seriously, I should be doing some of that right now. blah. But I think I will go to bed instead. So with that, I will say goodnight… it is way past my bedtime.

Swingin’ into Spring

Chicago Weekend
Spring is finally here! And to start it off right the 1st weekend of May, Mr. Facebook and I went to Chicago for the weekend to see the Cubs play! I was so excited because I had never been to a cubs game before and I was looking forward to going back to Chicago. I think the last time I had been there was about two years ago for one of my friend’s wedding. The whole weekend was amazing! We had a great time together seeing all the sites and the weather was perfect.

I’m actually really glad we traveled together somewhere. Because traveling with someone you are dating really tells you a lot about their personality. It takes them out of their normal day-to-day living environment and most of the time you can tell how they would naturally handle situations. In the past with some previous relationships I have done this and found out a whole handful of stuff I wasn’t to happy about. But Mr. Facebook passed with flying colors and he was a perfect gentlemen. He not only handled everything well but he was pretty calm. Which is a great plus when your traveling with someone. He made sure not only did we see everything I wanted to see but he made a big effort to make sure I was enjoying myself. Which I think makes me appreciate him even more.

With every day that passes Mr. FB seems to grow on me more and more. I truly enjoy his company and hanging out with him is a ton of fun! From hanging out in a big group to just being with eachother, I haven’t really seen any warning signs that I’m worried about. I’m really happy that he gets along with my friends and I get along with his. And most important is that he comes to church with me! It has been nice to not having to play the dating game with someone for a change.

Golfing Fun
I love the fact Mr. FB can be serious but be silly too. Like yesterday, we went to hit golf balls at the driving range. Well…I take that back, he hit golf balls. While I just was tried to make the ball go somewhere. Haha, but being such a great sport he made it fun and felt natural to laugh and joke with him while we were there. He didn’t try to show me up or anything but I like the way he would sit back and grin at me while I was trying to line up my driver just right. Or he would chuckle when I looked back at him after I would swing and the ball would be still be sitting there. It was cute and put me at ease.

Meet the Parents?
So in two weeks my parents are coming to Circle City and I asked Mr. Facebook if he would meet them. This will be the “real test” because by then we would have been dating about two and a half months. I know to some this might be early but considering the time frame I don’t know when else he would have a change to meet them unless we made a trip to Florida together. It will be interesting to see how he acts around them because up until this point I have only met his sister. However, he did mention that his mom is wondering when we were going to meet, so possibly soon? Even though we haven’t really done any family things yet, I’m not really worried about it because I want him to be ready when he does ask me. There is no point in pushing the subject because it is still early in the relationship and I don’t think it is my place to do so. But hopefully in two weeks when my parents meet him I will have more of a feel for things and be able to tell where our relationship is headed.

24 hours & 24 years

Sorry I haven’t been able to write about this past weekend till now but I had a publication for work going to press this morning, so my life has been a little hectic. We ran into a few issues but finally they are all resolved and everything was approved. I can’t wait for this May issue of the Magazine I create to come out, it is a brand new layout and I designed every inch of it. That alone makes me extremely proud of myself (I think I will pat myself on my back).

Anyway, back to my birthday weekend…

Friday:
What a day… working like crazy getting things wrapped up for the weekend, I couldn’t wait to get off work. I just keep watching the clock… oh please hurry! Mr. Facebook planned to pick me up at 5:15pm to take me downtown for my birthday party and if that wasn’t good enough it was beautiful outside. Which finally gave everyone in Circle City the glimpse of spring we have all been waiting for. I was so happy to be getting a short break for the weekend and be able to enjoy the festive events of turning 24.

Arriving at Howl at the Moon, an old piano bar which is famous in Circle City for having awesome live music. I wasn’t sure who was actually going to show up. But low in behold I saw a friendly face as soon as I walked in. Siobhan… you are awesome girl! I was so glad to see you there and I couldn’t thank you enough for the gifts you got me. I loved them! While talking with Siobhan and Mr. FB, people I knew started trickling in. Before I knew it I was catching up with old friends and gabbing away about new things happening in my life.

This was the first time that Mr. FB was being introduced to some of my closest friends and I wasn’t sure how it was going to play out. But much to my delight he was amazing. He not only seem to handle himself very well but he had a way of talking to new people he never met before. Making it look like they could have been good friends chatting. Afterward I got some rave reviews from some of my girl friends, which made me feel much better that they all liked the guy I have been dating. And yes, my friends opinions matter!

I didn’t want the night to end… it was so good just kicking back and laughing with everyone. Just like in the good old college days. I can’t believe it has been two years since I graduated. Jeez… has time flown by or what! As the evening went on so did the fun… except I feel really OLD right now. Because what I’m about to tell you just might blow you away. Even though I was having a blast hanging out I was whipped by 11:30pm. What happening to me staying out all night?!?! I guess this just goes to show I feel my age just a little more each year. So Mr. FB was nice enough to bring me home, which I might add I fell asleep on the car ride back. haha what a big birthday bash I had, the clock strikes 12 and I’m sleeping like a baby. Oh well… nothing wrong with that, at least I know I did have a great time with everyone!

Saturday:
The next morning I was happy that I just popped right out of bed. So I guess it pays not staying out till the wee hours of the morning. Mr. FB asked if I would like to go to get a birthday breakfast at Cafe Patachou. That same cafe that we were suppose to go to on our first date but didn’t get to. Which the food is amazing by the way if you haven’t gone you really should. It was really sweet of him to come take me out for breakfast even though he was coming back later that night to take me out for a birthday dinner! Can you believe that??

After breakfast Mr. FB had to run a couple errands before dinner that night, so I was able to relax for a bit (time just to be me). Which was great since most of the week before I had been working really hard and it was nice just to take a break to chill for a little. It also gave me a chance to catch up with a couple of my best friends and family on the phone. Besides that the rest of the afternoon I was totally shocked at how much people really cared for me. I got flowers delivered to my door, music sent to my e-mail, Facebook messages on my wall and a ton of cards from loved ones and friends in the mail. Not expecting anything, I’m truly blessed to have such wonderful friends and family in my life! It really made my day to get things in the mail.

You know sometimes it is really hard being away from family around holidays and birthdays because you never really have the chance to share those moments with them. And I know for myself I would of loved to have spent the day with all of them for my birthday. It really makes me cherish those moments when I am able to spend time with them even more.

Saturday Night:
Okay now to Saturday night, just what you all have been waiting for right?!?! Mr. Facebook showed up promptly at my doorstep with a present and a dozen white roses in his hand. All dressed up in a nice collar shirt he was so cute because he couldn’t wait for me to open up his gift. Seriously he is spoiling me with roses… (side note: I absolutely LOVE getting flowers) except I don’t always get them. This means his roses were a real treat!

Opening his gift he anxiously waited for me to open the card. I think I was so excited I opened it right away without looking at the front at first and he stopped saying wait don’t you want to read the front?!?! I could tell he spend a lot of time trying to find just the right card. As I read it, I felt just a little emotional because not one guy I have dated has ever gotten me such a sweet card that was this nice. I can count on one hand how many times someone has done this for me before. And to think this is only after dating a month!

The card read as follows…

“Happy Birthday to the one who makes me feel special and important, cared for and HAPPY, excited and content- all at the same time. I’m so glad you’re in my life. Happy Birthday with Love… CCG, I have truly enjoyed every minute we spent together and look forward to a future with you. Happy 24th Birthday! – Mr. Facebook”

I think I read the card at least 100 times after that night… I just totally blown away. Not only did Mr. FB get me beautiful white roses and a birthday card that just wants to melt your heart, he also got me a shirt! What, another thing I was totally surprised about. I pulled out the shirt and not only did I love it but it fit! Now when does that ever happen, seriously?!?! Needless to say I ended up changing so I could wear the shirt he got me to dinner.

For dinner Mr. Facebook took me to Maggiano’s Little Italy… a great Italian food restaurant where again the food is absolutely amazing! I am very blessed to have had such an fantastic day with such an great guy! At the end of our meal, Mr. FB made sure I had cake with a candle to blow out. I really couldn’t have asked for a better birthday, it was more then perfect. After we were done with dinner he asked if I would like to go to a movie… so the night was far from over. We end up running to the movie called State of Play. If your looking for a great movie with a lot of unexpected suspense, I recommend it. I love movies like this for some reason… I guess I like the fact that it is unpredictable and I don’t know what is going to happen next.

Thus by the time the movie was over it was 12:30am and my birthday had past. It only took 24 hours to have a birthday come and go and 24 years to get to where my life is today. And I’ve come to the conclusion that I wouldn’t change a thing. I have learned some valuable lessons during my 24 years in this world but I’ve also learned the value of life and what it means to live life to it’s fullest. Gaining that wisdom alone is the best gift I could have ever received.

Hope you enjoyed my long post about my birthday… man, I had a lot to catch you up on!

Birthday Bash

Tonight is the night for my birthday bash… I’m turning 24 at midnight! The weather is going to be amazing… looks like in the 60s and clear skies which I couldn’t be happier about. We should all have a ton of fun and I’m excited Mr. FB is going to be picking me up to take me to the party after work. We will see how many of my friends can make it out tonight. I’m sad though that my family couldn’t join in the fun, I think that is the biggest downside to living in another state. Boo.

Man, I can’t believe how much time has flown by… I still remember my 16th birthday bash. Wow… that was 8 years ago, okay that is making me feel old. I’ll stop talking about that now. Anyway, I’m sure there will be some fun stories to tell after tonight. Be sure to look for a blog post about my birthday after this weekend.

Lastly, Mr. FB told me last night that he has reservations tomorrow for dinner somewhere… hum I wonder where he is going to take me? hehe… I love surprises! Eeee… Can’t Wait!!!!

25 Random Things

Thought you would enjoy these 25 random things you might have not known about me…

1. Christ is the MOST important thing in my life.

2. I am a Sunday School teacher for 1st graders.

3. I can snow ski, wake board, & scuba dive… now all I have to do is sky dive and I will be set.

4. I love traveling… I would be on a plane tomorrow if it meant going somewhere new.

5. I write and keep a personal anonymous blog about my dating life. (Wait you guys already know this)

6. I hate doing laundry. Who does ?!?! Please let me know so I can have them do mine.

7. I live, breathe, design…and I am 100% a MacBook Pro Girl.

8. I love watching a good movie snuggled up on the sofa by myself.

9. If we didn’t have sweet tea the world would be a sad place… can you tell I’m addicted to sweet tea.

10. I can fall asleep about anywhere… even if I have a computer on my lap.

11. I love to network! Smaller Indiana, LinkedIn, Facebook, gchat, skype, Twitter, Rainmakers… the list goes on and on. Seriously, I’m going to have starting a log book for how many passwords I have.

12. I run marathons for fun… that is 26.2 miles long, end of story.

13. I used to coach a kids ice skating and hockey class.

14. I’m a president for a multimedia company.

15. I’ve almost died once.

16. I was certified and worked as a physical therapist at a Chiropractic office

17. I am a workaholic.

18. I can’t STAND drama… I stay far away from it!

19. I’m not one to play games with guys… I have better things to do with my time.

20. I love kids! I want to have 2-3 someday I think. Lord willing.

21. I’ve been trying to teach myself Korean.

22. I didn’t know how to use a grove tool on an ice scraper till Dec 2008.

23. I’m an oil painter.

24. I used to be a tom boy growing up and I love sports!

25. I didn’t wear make-up till I went to college.

I Dreamed a Dream

This just goes to prove you should NEVER give up on your dreams… I heard about this on the news this morning and had to watch it for myself. Susan Boyle on Britain’s Got Talent 2009, was by far the most unexpected surprise I have ever seen on a t.v. talent contest…simple phenomenal!

You can watch her performance on youtube. This without a doubt will amaze you… I still have chills, it just might even bring tears to your eyes.

Here are the lyrics to the song, “I Dream a Dream” Susan sang by Les-Miserables…

There was a time, when men were kind
And their voices were soft
And their words were inviting
There was a time, when love was blind
And the world was a song
And the song was exciting
There was a time it all went wrong

I dreamed a dream in time gone by
When hope was high and life worth living
I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving

Then I was young and unafraid
And dreams were made and used and wasted
There was no ransom to be paid
No song unsung, no wine untasted

But the tigers come at night
With their voices soft as thunder
As they turn your hope apart
As they turn your dreams to shame

He slept a summer by my side
He filled my dreams with endless wonder
He took my childhood in his stride
But he was gone when autumn came

And still I dream he’d come to me
That we would live the years together
But there are dreams that cannot be
And there are storms we cannot weather

I had a dream my life would be
So different from the hell I’m living
So different now from what it seemed
Now life has killed the dream I dreamed

Instant Gratification

Have you ever felt like you have more on your plate then you can handle? Saying to yourself that famous line, “Ughhhh… I have so much to do and not enough time”. Time is everything isn’t it?!?! We just never feel like we can never get enough. I find this to be the case 9 times out of 10. But I have a crazy thought for you, what if you have all the time you need? Pondering this statement you don’t know if you believe me do you? Seriously, think about it. God made this marvelous world and made time. Wouldn’t you think God would have made our days longer if he thought we would need more time then we have now. You have all the time you need for today but what you choose to do with that time is up to you.

Here is a real life example… I have been putting off grocery shopping for a few weeks now. (finally went tonight… yahoo!!!) Anyway… I kept saying I just don’t have the time to grocery shop. But in reality I was spending just as much time trying to find somewhere to eat, then it would have actually taken to go grocery shopping. So in the long run I was wasting more time and money then I should have for instant gratification.

Working out is another great example of what I’m taking about… Most of us will always say I don’t have time to work out. But in reality you really do have time to work out. Even if you just spend 17 minutes a day (doing abs on the floor, walking, or picking up those weights while watching t.v.)… you would have worked out 2 hours a week! 2 hour or more a week will make a huge difference in your lifestyle. You will find you have more energy during the day, you will feel more confident about yourself and you will less likely be stressed out about all that time you don’t have!

Lastly, one more thing we always tend to neglected is spending time in the Bible. Again something you can spend 10 minutes a day reading… (you can give up 10 minutes of tv can’t you?) will change how you grow in your relationship with the Lord. I know for myself… spending time in His word has not only been a huge blessing but really has changed the way I view my day. I started to notice little things that God wanted to show me through His word. And it has also giving me the opportunity to share Bible verses with someone that maybe really needed to hear it.

You see because of our “instant gratification attitude” we tend not to make time for the things that really matter. Making us feel defeated when we try to get by with not doing them. So are you up for a challenge? Think about something in your life that you always put off and say you don’t have enough time to do. And the rest of this week and next make time for it. If that means spending less time watching t.v. or surfing the net… do it. I guarantee you will feel better about your day, be less stressed out and feel more accomplished… try it and see what happens!

Rockin the Graphic World

So I would have never thought I would love working from home this much! I can’t believe even after a few months working for my new job I still enjoy it just as much or more then the first day I started. I just realized I’m a few days ahead of schedule which is amazing considering I still have tons to do and I won’t have to be putting in anymore 19 hour days. Yahoo! Plus today my boss was in such a good mood… that it made me feel a ton better about my work. I guess this means I’m rockin it up in the graphic world today!

Right now I’m still working but I’m about to wrap stuff up and meet Mr. FB up for dinner… not sure if we are just going to pick something up or make something back at my place yet but whatever do I’m sure we will have fun. I really do enjoy our talks and just simply hanging out. I kind of miss being away from him… (does this mean I’m starting to really like him?).

OMG, plus I just found out some juicy relationship gossip from my previous job! Can’t believe sometimes how two lives can change so much in the course of the year. It is unreal how two people that lived totally separate lives would actually end up together. It truly boggles me.

Only four more days till my birthday… Ahhh….EEEE…. OooOOoOo…..heheheh I CAN’T Wait!!!! (can you tell I’m excited?)