Amateur hour? Nope Amateur Life.

I do believe that I have spent most of my life as an amateur of things. Never "really good" at just one thing, just a novice of a lot of things. 

I remember in high school there was this girl Meredith Hall. She was the state's best oboe player... and I knew her! We were friends! I was so jealous. I wanted to be the state's best oboe player, but all I happened to be was quite possible the most awkwardly plump and all around bizarre girl Guilderland High School had ever seen. 

It's been five years since I've graced G-land with my intensely peculiar personality, but I occasionaly find myself still wishing that I was the best at something. I'm even okay with not being the best, I just want to be good at something! To be able to focus myself to produce something worth mention, and not something anyone can do. I am really good at seating tables at Buca, but that doesn't count. 

Now, I'm not saying that I'm ugly and obnoxious, boring or bland...I'm simply saying that I'm afraid of letting my life pass me by without ever doing or becoming anything fantastic. I want to be a force to be reckoned with (in a good way... whatever that means anyway), I want to do something besides go to work, come home and watch t.v. That is my biggest fear. Well... at least in the top ten. So dear readers, please don't ever let me do that to myself.

Tis' the Season

The other night at Buca the phone rang and after a brief order was placed the customer informed that he would be bringing in a coupon that he received for the "Holiday Season," unsure of how to respond to the statement I simply said, "TIS' THE SEASON!" he promptly ended the conversation shortly thereafter.
With that little anecdote out of the way I wanted to share some of my highlights from this Christmas season thus far.
-I saw Manheim steamroller with my family. They're a lovely 80's rock Christmas band that I grew up listening to and were so fun to see live!
-We got our family Christmas Tree super early! This is not a typical tradition in the Welch household. It is typical for us to pick out a tree on the coldest day, which we did, but not before December starts, but we did that as well! Mary Ellen was quite ecstatic.
- I bought my first present today! It was for Alicia, my "Big" sister. While a small gift I hope it will be enjoyed.

And my last highlight of the season isn't really about Christmas, but it will occur in December.
I'M MOVING TO ARIZONA!!!!!! Excited is an understatement here people.
I'm moving in with my old college roommate Michelle, whose already there. I'll keep you posted on details, but I put in my two weeks at Buca and woohooo! I'm going somewhere warm!

Analogies and Mumf & Sons

I'm a big fan of analogies like Utah women are fans of Mary Kay, like Country folk are fond of beer and how New Yorkers are prone to terrible driving. 

I'm also currently a fan of the song "Where are you now?" by Mumford and Sons, or Mumf and Sons as I like to commonly refer to them as. You've probably heard their songs "I will wait for you," and "Little Lion Man," if you don't live in a third world country. No offense to any third world countrians, I hope you too get to hear Mumford and Sons soon. 

I would also like to give a little advice to anyone before they listen to this song: 

- Don't listen to it when you're all sorts of happy and upbeat like a puppy who just found a new home 

- Don't listen to it after you've just broken up with someone 

-Don't listen to it when you're with a bunch of people, it is most enjoyed alone 

-Do share this song with other people though, just as I bless you with it now. 

-Do listen to it when you're supposed to be doing something else, but wouldn't mind being distracted. 

-Do give time to enjoy it, relish in its words and rhythm! (I don't really know anything about music, just that I have a really good taste in it... the rhythm was a stretch for my musical knowledge limit) 

-Do put it on repeat.   

What's your secret?

Everyday that I work at Buca or at my internship, interacting with our board of directors, I encounter the 1%. Okay maybe, they're not the 1% the rich of the rich, but they aren't among the 99%.  Any everyday that I see these people with their own personalized Louis Vuitton bags, or their Mercedes Benz I wonder "What's your secret?", "What are you doing that you make that much money?"
I think this, because money never seems to magically find its way to my pocket. In fact, it's pretty much the opposite. Money tends to constantly find its way out of my pocket and in to my over whelming amount of bills I have to pay. Don't those people with their big fancy cars and purses as large as my car have bills? Did they ever have to wonder how they were going to pay for gas, or their student loans or food?
I know that I'm not starving African child (no offense Africa), and I am grateful for the things that I have, but I am honestly terrified of being poor my whole life. I am terrified that I won't be able to buy  my future children clothes for school (and no, I'm not pregnant, this is very far in the future we're talking here).
Which leads me back to my title "What's your secret?" I feel as if the whole world of successful people are all doing (or have done) something that I'm totally missing! I've read a whole lot of linkedin articles that try and tell me what my problem is, but with every adjustment of my resume, and every cover letter that I send into that abyss that is an online application I lose a little bit of faith in my dream to own my own puppy. Cause let's face it, owning and taking care of my own puppy will doubtlessly mean that I'm successful and happy... and that's all that I want.

Octumber

It was about time they got some new, cute couple pics.

This just goes to prove how good I am with kids.

These past two months have flown by faster than geese making their way south. I know how fast they fly because I often see/hear them thundering over my house at odd hours of the morning causing my resolve to "clean up" my language to temporarily disappear. 

Most of my time is spent at Joe's Basement observing the oddballs that I work with and enjoying the fragile emotions of the customers that walk through the door. Mark my words, restaurants have to deal with the widest variety of people you will ever see in any industry. Oh the stories we could tell. You want to sit in that booth because it's less "drafty"? Oh I'm sorry ma'am, put on a coat. I'm a hostess for a reason here people! Overall, it makes for an interesting time... to say the least.

When I'm not at work, I'm wishing I was at work so that I could have more money to pay my student bills... and when I'm not doing that I'm at my internship wishing it was my real job. I love sitting at my desk in our 250 year old building, and knowing that right below me are artifacts from ancient Egypt and art from 500 years ago. best. feeling. ever.

Now when I'm not at work, wishing I was at work, or wishing my internship was my work I often find myself taking pictures. My sister recently "hired" me to take her family portraits for Christmas. It was so fun to hang out with the nephews and they even paid for lunch after the shoot. Win win! It was my first time really working with kids in photography and let me tell you it was a challenge. I brought chocolate chips to bribe them with and I have to say it worked pretty well. The hardest part is making sure that everyone is looking at the camera at the same time. As a whole I'm really pleased with how they turned out.

I love this picture. Washington Park is gorgeous in autumn.

We took pictures at noon, It was a little challenging working with such strong sunlight.

Action shots often turn out to be some of my favorites. It's easier to capture "real" moments

I brought a blanket on a whim and it turned out to be real handy. Such a precious little family!

The boys loved the pond and the ducks, I couldn't resist capturing this shot.

Wedding Photography: A hobby that pays & tips!

Once you buy a nice camera all sorts of things can happen to you. When I purchased mine on a very expensive whim I never thought it would already have paid for itself!
I love going to weddings, they always make me want to settle down, hitch someone to this ole' wagon (aka myself...) and become a real housewife of Oklahoma or something, but did I ever think I would be doing wedding photography and getting paid for it!? Well... no. Do I love doing it? While I will neither answer in the affirmative or the negative, I will admit that it is slightly addicting.
I just shot my friend, and now cousin-in-laws' wedding two weekends ago and it was a blast! The wedding party was so fun, the theme "the perfect pair," was executed flawlessly and it is obvious that they both are really in love. 
While I'm trying to maintain a certain level of humility in my photography since I'm a novice, I do some kick ass work... go ahead and see for yourself! I've added what I think are some mildly helpful hints too.

1. Start cropping before you hit the computer, really be aware of how you are framing any subject

2. Use guiding lines in your picture. See how the bridesmaids hand leads the eye right to the bride?! That's not on accident people.

3. While this is not the angle for every bride, this shot is an interesting perspective and allows the viewer to catch great details of the dress.

4. Capture every dramatic moment! Here all the bridesmaids were offering the bride all sorts of advice on hair and make up. As a photographer always be snapping pics, even if you don't think it's relative- the unplanned pictures can be the best.

5. Do not be afraid to move around! When you're on location in the heat of things, make sure that you're taking pictures right on the front lines! All those annoying relatives might be mad that you're in their shot, but hey- it's your job to get the good pics... not theirs.

6. Don't hesitate to get up close and personal shots. I can say this easily, because this is a shot of my sister (who was a bridesmaid)... but for real, people let photographers do whatever we want, even if it's get in their face.

7. When taking posed portraits, phyiscally move your subjects. Sometimes it's hard to explain what hand you want to go where, so just go ahead and move their hand for them... trust me, they'll trust you and you'll look like you know what you're doing.

8. Be creative! I thought of this shot when I took couple pictures for some friends of mine and absolutely love it. Maybe it's not for everyone, but I like to think it's pretty cute and creative.

9. If the shoe fits, have the bridal party get crazy and fun! Here we see the classic "I want my bouquet back" shot... not sure if I saw this somewhere or thought of it myself... but I more than encourage this kind of behavior with every wedding party I work with. 

Living in the "real" world

Unlike my two college friends (Shar and Alicia) I didn't land a sweet career after graduation, that let me blog at work, a probable cause for why I don't blog quite as often.

However, akin to many recent graduates who have less than ideal jobs (for they are not careers), I am adjusting to the "real" world. I say "real" world because it kind of really sucks, so deep down nestled inside my inner most hopes and dreams, I hope beyond hope, that this isn't all there is. There is so much to worry about as an adult! Everyone told me that college would be the best four years of my life, what nobody told me is that I should stay in it forever, because the "real" world is about as much fun as a pet rock.

On the flip side I am grateful for all that I do have, being born in America I kinda won the "birth lottery" (as my sister likes to call it). Our standard of living is pretty high, even for lower middle class tyros like myself.
**** Side note**** In an effort to prepare for the GRE, aka the test to get into grad school, I have been studying my vocab. Don't know what tyro means?!?! it's a synonynm for novice or noobie/newb****

Despite my gratitude and appreciation for this impressively impulsive and consumer driven country, my lack luster job and garrulous {means excessively talkative} family, there are a few things I'd like to share about my ambiguous reality of living in the "real" world.

1. No one gives a hoot or a holler about you... for real.
2. You will inherently start caring more about taxes and the government once you see how much money they really take from you.
3. Everyone wants your money!!!
4. People want to cut you up, demean you and, eat you like kentucky fried chicken during Fat Tuesday... just because they can.
5. The grace period for students loan is not even close to being long enough
6. People expect you to wake up at a decent hour and be happy about it (this one is still challenging for me)
7. Societal norms... there are so many!
8. Having tact is like having a concelead weapon... not everyone has one, you know it's always there... and it protects you from wandering weirdos and casual acquaintance psychos.

Want to get the deets on what exactly I've been doing, check out my youtube video, you'll probably laugh.