iPhoto 6

Although I have the ability to edit photographs in Photoshop with limitless possibilites, I was amazed by the new photo editing capabilities of iPhoto 6. New actions for re-coloring images, even their healing brush is really quite remarkable, not to mention the ease of red-eye reduction.
You can create albums with unique templates, create photo gallery websites, order prints, make cards, calendars...all within one interface. Really...It's pretty amazing.
I've had this loaded on my computer for over a year now, and I just started using it since being back from our Europe trip. If you're a mac user, you're probably already using this. But if not, maybe you're like me who thought iPhoto was just for amateurs...I mean, I've got Photoshop CS2. And don't get me wrong, there's a million things that you still need photoshop for. But taking a snapshot and getting it to look amazing - this can now be done in iPhoto.
Try it sometime.

So I'm decided on the Razr. Very excited about it. I went o purchase this weekend and the guy suggested taht I wait until April (3 months before my contract is up) and I'll get a better deal. That was pretty helpful of him, huh?
So I think I'm stuck with this beast for a while longer.
Thanks to all who so carefully researched and gave thoughtful input on this big decision.

Things that I love

Headbands
The Notebook
My new signature scent Sud Pacifique
Peppermint Hot Chocolate from Starbucks
Taco Tuesdays
My Grandma's Regatoni & Cutlets - Amazing!
Reading Pride & Prejudice (over and over again)
Gopher Glen Braeburn Apples
The smell of my husbands deodorant
Two scoop sundaes from baskin robbins - mint chip, both scoops
Playing Settlers
Cozy Pajama Pants
Weddings
The Office
Dancing
Real Simple Magazine
Watching Felicity re-runs
Christmas
Paper-Source.com
Broguiere's Chocolate Milk

What a Drab Day

What a drab day. Everyone's working from home today, which leaves me alone in the loft for the past 5 hours. I'm starting to lose my mind, but I've gotten a lot done - which is probably a good thing. A new newsletter hits this week, here are a few of the freebie backgrounds included.

Free Stuff

I enjoy getting things for free. Sure who doesn't? But I love getting things for free that I actually would have spent money on. I was given a coupon to Pick Up Stix for a free lunch special and regular drink. I was craving it today, I went and I didn't spend $7.28. Now that is exciting.

I have one more. I can hardly wait.

Hozell

Two friends of mine from high school - Jeff and Chad - started a new clothing company called Hozell, based in Southern Orange County. Their goal was to create a line of golf apparel for the young and trendy who are embracing the golf scene but uninterested in the traditional attire.

I must say the clothes are pretty awesome. Super thin and soft t-shirts with collars sewed into them, to make them golf course savvy. They are finding their way into surf & skate stores, golf shops, and chic fashion boutiques in LA & NYC.

They were on a local news station this week, so the word is starting to get out. Check 'em out.

My Phone is so Lame

This is humiliating. People...this is my phone! I am a semi savvy girl. I'm a designer, I can be well dressed if I chose to be, I'm a mac girl, I work on a 23 inch beautiful apple display, I drive a Volkswagon. I care about such things. So the fact that I've gone a year and a half with a zach morrris phone is really beyond my understanding. I'm teased ruthlessly by my co-workers and they occassionally throw it across the room to try to break it.
I embrace it. I believe it's time to get a new phone...but which one. While savvy, I'm not techi. I don't need email, or weather, or sports scores delivered straight to my phone, but I would like to have a bluetooth ear piece. I don't need to take pictures with it or stream videos...Just a phone, that's really thin, that supports Verizon service, that's compatible with a bluetooth ear piece.
Any Suggestions?

Email is a Distraction

I've gotta get my ducks in a row. My most recent discovery, thank you Tony Steward, is a website called www.43folders.com

Yesterday I learned that email keeps us from being productive. Constant dings, and send/receives are distracting me from getting work done. Rather than keeping my email set to auto receive every 10 minutes, I've changed it to every hour.
While Andy is going to hate this, it's required for a scatter brained person such as myself in order to stay focused and get things accomplished. Also by doing this, I can more effectively manage my emails because I'm doing them in batches rather than constantly trying to sort through the junk, non junk, long reply, short reply, searching for a file to send to someone, another task (that gets ahead of other tasks because now it has my attention), or a thankful thursday from my mom (that reminds me that I love my life so I need to call my husband because now I miss him).
See...if we allow these distractions all day long, whenever they so choose to command our attention it becomes a constant people pleasing catastrophe. I hope my life will take new shape after this new step of planning infuses into my life.
Check back I'll let you know.

A funfilled, action packed, extremely tiring three days...pretending to be parents for a weekend with my niece and nephew. Highlight for all was the pumpkin patch. We picked out a pumpkin, carved it, baked the seeds and had a lighting ceremony. Too fun.

I took this picture this weekend of my husband and my 2 year old niece, Camryn (my sister's daughter). They are the sweetest little buddies and I love seeing them together.

I went to the American Idol concert at the Anaheim Pond. Oh, yeah baby. My mom is a dear friend of runner up Kathryn McPhee, so we had the pleasure of going to the concert and visiting with the performers backstage. The whole concert was a little corny but Eric and I agreed to embrace the corniness and dance and sing along. We had a blast.
The worst part of the corniness is that they had kareoke booths set up outside with the concessions stands, and people were shamelessly singing, trying to prove that they were just as good as the American Idols on tour. It was bad. Really, really bad.
Best performance was definitely Chris. Second would be Elliot. Taylor started his set by signing Jail House Rock. He entered the arena from the very back and ran down the stairs and through the aisles finishing the song from the stage. Eric and I enjoyed this idea and screamed along with everyone when he ran by our seats. Eric even shook his hand. We had to admit we got caught up in the moment and were star stuck by the whole encounter.
The backstage meeting was actually pretty dullsville since they all just seemed so exhausted. The friendliest of them all was Ace. Kathryn's even prettier in person. Taylor is even more socially awkward.
All around I give it an A-. Fun for the whole family.

My husband and I just returned from a 3-week trip to Europe. We visited London, Paris, Barcelona, Nice, Italian Riviera (Rapallo, Santa Marguerita, Portofino, Cinque Terre) Siena and Rome.

Travels were amazing. Favorite city was London – high tech, high fashion, so much history, a million things to do. Best day was Cinque Terre – hiking from town to town, swimming in the little ports, listening to a band of 3 70+ year old men play accordians, great food. Worst day - Barcelona , Spain – flooded, our train had engine trouble and we got in after midnight, no hotel reservations. Pouring rain and we’re running from hotel to hotel trying to find a room. We ended up sharing a top bunk at a hostel – so miserable at the time, but very funny afterwards.