Thoughts Without a Thinker

Oregon Trail in motion.

2009-08-14T00:41:00.004-04:00

Since this was my travel blog, it seems only appropriate I post a link to my travel video here. :)

Watch here, or head over to YouTube to see it full screen in HD: Smatt's Oregon Trail

See You Soon FL.

2009-04-29T01:26:00.001-04:00

"The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time" -Bertrand Russell.-

Between sliding down the snowy face of a mountain strapped to a board and Sunday kickball games, Portland has again exceeded my expectations. And while I've enjoyed the whirlwind of fresh fun activities associated with life here, I'm feeling ready for my Floridian excursions this summer.

I'm looking forward to some kind of combination of salty sunburns, sand in the car, and that slight sting from chlorine in my eyes. If I'm lucky, I'll get all three between outings and reunions with the friends and family that seem so far away at the moment. I wish they could bring me a boat day HERE. If Portland had my loved ones, complete with something like a day at Coconuts or Peanut Island, I would have a hard time leaving. As it is, they don't mix so many banana pina coladas here so I will continue to fly south.

We'll be there soon enough. And really, most of all, I'm looking forward to the weddings. I'm so grateful that there are people out there who appreciate what I do enough to invite me along on (potentially) the most important day of their lives. It's truly an honor to be trusted to create art from another person's reality. It sounds a bit cheesy, sure, but I don't know how else to describe how awe struck I am by my life sometimes. Rather then working for a living, I'm living my dream and making it work. Some days, I feel like the luckiest person alive. Thank You Universe.

See You Soon Florida. <3

More days ahead...

2009-01-15T12:52:00.003-05:00

WE MADE IT TO PORTLAND!
*phew*

Our route ended up being something like this:

73 hours total driving time to cover more then 4,000 miles!
We hit "severe weather" and had quite the adventure along the way!
We have a variety of colorful photos to share but currently don't have an internet connection (or my computer!) so I'll be updating soon as I can share!

Thanks to everyone who gave us a nice place to sleep and made us smile along the way, and thanks to everyone who followed our trip via internet! Keep in touch and VISIT OREGON SOON! :)

xoxox

Day Ten.

2009-01-12T15:06:00.003-05:00

January 12th.

We left Chicago early this morning to continue to blaze our own oregon trail. While in chicago I got my new iPhone (& love it more then I imagined possible). I am posting this while Matt drives us through Iowa. Iowa has been the most dangerous part of the drive yet. We passed through what weather channels are calling a severe storm during which we counted 38 cars that have slid off highway 80. Thankfully, none of them mine. I'll post photos later :)

Day Nine.

2009-01-11T17:31:00.006-05:00

January 11th

Remy took us out to explore a bit more of the city today. Despite the 19 degree weather, we had fun walking around snapping photos. When it was too cold to walk around any longer we came back to enjoy our Sunday afternoon the way the rest of the city was, inside.

Day Eight.

2009-01-11T16:51:00.004-05:00

January 10th

It was still snowing when we woke up and continued to do so most of the day, which made for a chilly welcoming for us Floridians. Desperate for some more suitable footwear, we went shopping for new shoes. The shopping trend continued late into the afternoon when I met up with Tam near the train station. We discovered an adorable (and better yet, affordable) boutique to browse while we caught up. Knowing we have such limited space kept me from buying anything but it's still fun to look.

As it turned out, we were here for Rosie's birthday (Remy's girlfriend) so to celebrate we joined them and friends for an awesome Moroccan dinner followed by a night of dancing. The dinner was outstanding; I had no idea how much I liked Moroccan food. Matt really enjoyed the spice blends/flavors as well and plans to learn to cook some of the items off their menu. I'm definitely looking forward to it. ;)

Day Seven.

2009-01-11T12:43:00.003-05:00

January 9th
622 miles

Our biggest day of driving yet took us from Kensington Maryland to Chicago Illinois. We started early in the morning and the drive through the rolling hills of Maryland's countryside was the most beautiful part of the drive yet. We started to see hints of snow in the shadows of the landscape, and as it started to fall from the sky we drove into a winter wonderland. Once it started, it didn't stop.

I'd never driven in snow before, nor had my car ever been exposed to the chilly stuff so there was a bit of a learning curve to overcome. My windshield wiper fluid wouldn't work and we realized it must have frozen. This is a problem because without it, the windshield ices over and you can't see.

The only choice was to stop and buy an ice scraper at a gas station and while we did we found an incredible treat for Matt tucked away in small town in Pennsylvania: A raw vegan restaurant!

After some lemon garlic hummus with flax seed crackers and mango tango smoothie we were back on the road. It was a long drive, made all the more difficult with the new weather conditions. Twice we saw cars that had simply slid off the highway.
We arrived in Chicago around 9 or so at night to Remy and Rosie's home sweet home. Their apartment is beautiful: wood floors, big windows, great location. We're excited to be here! :)

Day Six.

2009-01-10T01:12:00.004-05:00

January 8th
194 miles.

Sometimes, our friend John's job is to fly BROKEN helicopters. If they're having issues, they run all sorts of maintenance tests and have him climb in to fly it first. He hovers first but it still sounds incredibly scary to me. I suppose this is just another reason I am not a Navy pilot. ;)

So, while John was flying broken flying machines Emily showed us around the base. We got to see the big big ships and I was impressed Matt could name them all. I just smiled and took photos. It was neat to be able to see them so close. Then, after a quick drive past an old church that still has a cannonball stuck in the side of it from the revolutionary war (yes, wow!) we ate burritos and got on the road.

Matt and I pulled in to DC by mid afternoon and Billy took us straight into the city. The last time I was in DC I marched on Washington in a peace protest against the Irag war, the irony of staying with all military families on my way back to the capital is funny. The universe has a great sense of humor.

Anyway, DC wasn't how Matt or I remembered it from our middle school field trips at all. After reviewing some of the same classics (white house, the washington memorial, and the capital) we went to see a trendy younger (and gayer) neighborhood in DC called DuPont. After looking at a handful of menus at different places the boys let me have my way with an Italian dinner (which was FANTASTIC).

Billy suggested we go for a drink afterwards but, when we agreed to pop into the bar the next block down we didn't know it was a gay bar. The fact they brewed their own beer and it was cheap kept us there most the night! I was surprised Matt didn't mind. Actually, I think he quite enjoyed being checked out by the straight-laced boys of DuPont. That's the thing about DC, everyone looks like they just got off their government job. Even out at a gay bar button-ups and sweater vests replace drag queens and pleather. It very strict and frigid but I enjoyed our stay. And always enjoy spending time with Billy. :) Next stop, Chicago.

Day Five.

2009-01-08T09:17:00.008-05:00

January 7th
438 miles

After saying farewell to the Schmick family in South Carolina we steered the car north towards Norfolk, Virginia. If Virginia is for lovers, Norfolk is for military lovers.
Our friends John and Emily live in a city swarming with the armed forces.

We arrived to margaritas being made with fresh squeezed fruit and hummus with pita chips fresh out of the oven. *YUM* And that was only the beginning, the salad, main course, and desert were all as delicious making it the most incredible edible meal of 2009. *high five for home cooking*

Johnny flies helicopters for the Navy, so after we ate as long as we possibly could, he took us on base to see his flying machines. I don't have a lot of preconceived notions or expectations for this trip so these things really blew me away. It was so neat to see such powerful machines and to know he FLIES them! What a job!

Staying with John and Emily has been amazing, I'm so glad we came by. Emily is going to take us back on base this morning to see some more of Norfolk during sunlight hours before we get back on the road. THANKS GUYS! :)

Day Four.

2009-01-06T17:06:00.007-05:00

January 6th, 2009.

Matt and I not only don't have kids, we don't see them much either. Children are like a foreign breed of miniature people that are extremely alien to me. But now that we're to an age where more and more friends are procreating, it's only inevitable we get to know the bizarre baby race. While in South Carolina we've been staying with Leila, Jason, and their baby girl Kali. And Kali is incredible.

Since she's still too little to talk beyond her vocab of 8 or so words, her parents have had her watch a movie called "My Baby can TALK" which teaches babies sign language. This gives little Kali the ability to communicate beyond the words she can currently muster in her miniature mouth. She can sign animals, colors, and more importantly things like "water", "I've had enough" or "more please". I think this is ingenious and incredible. But more than anything, Kali has waving and "hi" down pat. She must have said "hi" to me 20 times today but it never stopped being cute. :)

So this afternoon, mama Leila and baby Kali showed us around Charleston. It was a beautiful day to be a tourist. Complete with cameras strapped around our necks we walked the city streets sighting the sights. After a delicious burger near market street we went down to a waterfront park where I snapped some photos of Kali. And Matt snapped photos of me snapping photos. Lots of snapping and signing. :) We've had a great time here, I'm glad we decided to take the east coast route west even if it takes us a little longer.

Neat photos Matt took in Charleston:

Day Three.

2009-01-05T21:48:00.005-05:00

January 5th, 2009
389 miles

It took me seven years to do it, but I finally drove my '02 car out of the state of Florida today! After passing through Jacksonville, Matt and I crossed the Georgia border and appropriately stopped at the first Cracker Barrel we passed.

We're staying in Goosecreek South Carolina tonight with one of my college roommates and her husband. Their cute as a button baby and two dogs really make their home warm. Matt and I are looking forward to a night's rest on a bed that won't deflate in the morning and a day of sight-seeing in a new city tomorrow. Our adventure is off to a solid start! :)

Day Two.

2009-01-04T18:24:00.002-05:00

January 4th, 2009

My post-christmas car is pimped out. I now have a CD player (that plays/charges my iPod), a GPS unit, new windshield wipers, fresh spark-plugs, and fresh oil running through my engine. We spent the day hanging in Orlando with friends, fixing up the car, and chilling out before we head north tomorrow. Next stop South Carolina!

Day One.

2009-01-04T18:17:00.003-05:00

January 3rd, 2009
166 miles.

Matt and I had packed the car up the night before but leaving day still felt like a whirlwind of urgent activities. All the bits and pieces were difficult to deal with but we finally bid my family good bye around 5pm. Saying good bye is never easy but knowing we'll be back so soon helps.

We arrived in Orlando around 7:30 and headed out to the Saturday night Jai Alai game. After a bit of interweb research, I found that this fast-paced sport is really a Florida thing to do so it seemed appropriate for our last night on the town in O-town. I keep my strategy simple when it comes to gambling: Know how much you want to spend to have a fun time before hand (I figured I would pay $15 or drinks and to see the games)

So, after purchasing my $2.50 draft beer I made a $2 quinella bet on the next game. While the boys were studying odds and paying close attention to players during practice, I chose to base my decisions solely on arbitrary things like colors that look pretty together and favorite numbers. I won $21 and then I won $36.
There's jumping and yelling; it's a very exciting game to watch! ;)

All in all, day one was a great success.

Yes, we can.

2008-11-05T00:41:00.001-05:00

We're all familiar with the endings of dramatic movies.
A sea of awe-struck people, tears brimming in their eyes,
grinning ear to ear as they listen carefully to a leader.
The words of a powerful man spreading words of hope.

And as the lights come up, and the volume turns down,
we all experience that time-warp moment where we snap back into reality.
Back into the "real world" where we have to let go of the fantasy.
But tonight, there wasn't any sliding back because it was real.
Tonight, Barack Obama received a landslide of love from us all.
This night marks the beginning of a journey for our country to again become something positive; something to be proud of and grow with.

I have never been more hopeful that I might find myself living in a place that I can understand. The prospect of living in a country free of the religious right's fear driven policies against women having the right over their own bodies, or gay couples being told how to live and love. The founding fathers built this country on beautiful ideals that have been vanishing over the years in sight of corporate greed and blood soaked war. Well, NO MORE!
We're getting this show back on the road.

"Democracy, opportunity, and unyielding hope!"
-Barack Obama.-

outside my door is great

2008-09-24T02:01:00.003-04:00

Smatt got out of the city and deep into the great outdoors over the weekend. While the plan was to summit South Sister and see the glacier resting up top, the weather dictated otherwise. So, we hiked into an old growth forest and to see waterfalls and an old mining camp called "Jawbone" instead!

While Portland incorporates nature as much as any metro area ever could, it was still really neat to see Oregon's flora and fauna outside city limits. Luckily, EJ loaned me a waterproof jacket for our rainy walk. I learned that just because it's "hardly sprinkling" doesn't mean you won't eventually find yourself soaking wet. This was a sound lesson if I plan to become a 'pacific northwesterner' full-time in the future.

(I plan to become a pacific northwesterner)

California is a great place to live if you're an orange

2008-09-16T18:37:00.005-04:00

I was in LA when Marvin Gaye died. At least, that's what my mom told me. Seeing as I was only a year old, I don't remember anything about the famous block of land stretching down our west coast. All I had was hear-say, and the mental picture I conjured up over the years seemed to prove (as usual) quite a bit different from reality.

My reality is only what I know, and what I know is FL and OR. So, to me; Northern California is like putting Florida and Oregon in a mixing bowl.

Similar to Portland, OR: There are hills and mountain, there is a "green movement", much cooler weather, much better local produce, and simply that fresh west coast vibe that keeps people moving forward.

Similar to WPB, Florida: There is a lot of urban sprawl, with a lot of really rich people...so, things cost quite a bit more and they spend the money buying weird things like expensive cars...

My mom's boyfriend John did a great job of showing us as much as we could possibly take in for one weekend. From great views down trails, beaches, a farmer's market, San Fran, his home town, wonderful meals, and more. In an attempt to capture it all between the glass of our camera lenses we took a bunch of photos.

We had a great time and look forward to getting to know California better in the future. :) Until then, we have these photos to remember it by.

http://picasaweb.google.com/syeakle/SmattInCalifornia

Le Parc

2008-09-08T13:58:00.003-04:00

I think Matt has a new addiction, and it's not a cheap one.

Yesterday on Matt's day off, we went to the park with a spread of incredible, edible snacks. The meats, cheese, olives, and a few grapes we brought with us were thanks to our favorite local markets.

Among the mix was the 'jamon imberico' from Spain Matt has been itching to try. At a whopping $95 per lb. we could only afford a few slices of the cured wild pig leg but, it was worth our hard earned dough. Matt says he has a new love. And soon he'll be saying such things in french.

Smatt is learning to speak french. For an hour each day, we have french lessons and then spend the rest of the day trying to implement what we've learned. The system we're using is very different from the french class I took in college. Rather then also worrying about how to write it and read it, we're simply learning to speak it. And rather then start with colors and numbers, we've started with phrases we will actually use such as "Where would you like to go to dinner tonight?"

So, after our lavish lunch, we laid in the grass and spoke french to the tree tops looming above us. Having our lessons on an iPod is far more convenient then lugging around textbooks anyway. We're having fun with it, to say the least.

Labor

2008-09-02T20:21:00.007-04:00

Labor day brought us to yet another near-by park. Matt and I played some more wiffleball and ate more food over the long weekend with his kitchen crew again. I brought along the camera and we snapped a few photos.

Here we are our way down to the Lucky Lab afterwards.
We competitively rolled this tire down Quimby.

Portland is still super awesome and Matt is still super cute. :)

Sew... I've been jugglin'

2008-08-29T18:48:00.003-04:00

I juggle many roles: photographer, girlfriend, small business owner, daughter, roommate, internet researcher, runner, artist, lover, hater, procrastinator... And now, I also juggle balls.

EJ taught me to use his sewing machine last night, and for our first project I made a set of juggling balls. We made them out of a fabric similar to that of airplane seats so they make me think of traveling. Perhaps, they'll even accompany me on my travels.

For now, I'm just enjoying learning to throw them one...er, three... at a time.
Matt and I squeezed in a little practice between work and lunch in the park.

Catch a whiff

2008-08-25T13:57:00.005-04:00

Yesterday, a bunch of the guys from Matt's kitchen set up a game of wiffleball. This is just like baseball, except everything is made from plastic. And by everything, I mean the ball and bat. The only other thing needed was a baseball diamond, so we met at a park in the NE with sandwiches, hot dogs, and a variety of beverages.

I hadn't played baseball since I was a kid, and even then I don't have a clear recollection of my batting-home-run days so I can't be sure if they ever really happened. But I do remember watching Iain play, so I had a clear enough idea of the rules.

As it turns out, I love wiffleball. It was so much fun to get outside and play like a little kid (with adult beverages). Even the Portland rain couldn't stop us. Smatt is officially a fan of the wiff-b. :)

Shoot.

2008-08-24T00:01:00.004-04:00

I just had to pick up the camera today. And without models knocking on my door the way they seem to do in the southern states, I had to settle for what was available: Me.
My self-portrait is a direct reflection for how I felt about Portland today. It's right there, bright and beautiful, but I'm feeling a bit stuck inside. I haven't found my place in the PDX photo scene just yet. Actually, I haven't found any scene. I still don't know many people here. But, what I do know is that my photography opportunities will come; it just takes time and perseverance. I haven't given up yet. So, until I book some gigs and make some new friends, I have Fiona to keep me company.

"I still only travel by foot and by foot, it's a slow climb,
But I'm good at being uncomfortable, so
I can't stop changing all the time

I notice that my opponent is always on the go and
Won't go slow, so's not to focus, and I notice
He'll hitch a ride with any guide, as long as
They go fast from whence he came
But he's no good at being uncomfortable, so
He can't stop staying exactly the same

If there was a better way to go, then it would find me
I can't help it, the road just rolls out behind me
Be kind to me, or treat me mean
I'll make the most of it, I'm an extraordinary machine"
-Fiona Apple.-

Walk walk walk

2008-08-22T18:46:00.012-04:00

This afternoon, I walked Matt to work. We, as most people here, do quite a bit of walking. As a conservative average, I'd say 20 miles per week.

The weather today is beautiful: bright, clear, and not too warm. So, I took my newly functioning camera along for the ride. The following are pictures from our walk, the things we see most typically here.

This is our community. We live in the center building.

This was taken from up on our hill. Mt.Hood to the right.

As well as walk, a lot of people bike here.

More bikes outside our of favorite book store (also known as Goodwill) ;)

On my way home, I noticed another horse. How I never spotted him before is beyond me. I suppose we're never really as aware as we'd like to think.

Anyway, we're still ridiculously happy here. I can't believe 3 weeks have already passed. I'm finally beginning to feel the muscles in my legs grow stronger. I'm hoping to return to Florida buff. :)

Keep Portland Weird

2008-08-17T01:42:00.012-04:00

The people here work hard to "Keep Portland Weird", and by work hard I mean they drink really great beer, eat delicious food, & organize unique, fun, free events. The people here seem to be very true to themselves, something I've not noticed in a lot of floridian characters. When you're in a town where the people really get a kick of things that are different, it's more encouraging not to conform. Without a genuine sense of humor, this place would be a nightmare. For an artist by nature like me, it's heavenly.

So many ridiculously fabulous things have happened (& have been eaten) since I last blogged. Rather then try to recount it all verbally, I'll fall back on my medium of choice and share my adventures visually. The following are highlights from the past week or so.

Mt.Hood, taken from our balcony

Desserts from Zupan's, courtesy of EJ. *mmm*

Amanda came to visit, we've been taking the bus a lot

Playing shuffle board with Amanda & EJ after Montage last week

Rogue in the Pearl: we went on the distillery tour
sampled the rum, drank the beer *two thumbs up*

We also took Amanda to sushi go 'round.
Her fish impression is pretty spot on.

More photos from the Adult Soap Box Derby. AMAZING! I can't wait for next year. Monster Truck Jam has a run for it's money the title 'Favorite event of the year'

The best pizza EVER. Apizza Scholls! THANK YOU Anthony Bourdain for having a great program that sent us in the right direction.

Also, Matt got a job at a top-of-the-line restaurant on 23rd! All in all, things are still great (& weird). :)

trendy-third

2008-08-09T20:54:00.006-04:00

We felt like a slow, casual Saturday so Matt and I wandered down to 23rd (dubbed trendy-third for it's boutiques and a few fancy-schmancy restaurants) to eat some non-fancy-schmancy food. We found a fantastic slice of pizza and spinning sushi.

'Escape from New York' provided a classic slice of cheese pizza. Fantastic! Matt is really into authentic NYC-style pizza but, I was also pleased. I'm sure to be back before the trip is through.

The creatively named Sushi Merry Go Round features small plates of sushi that go around and around and around as you eat. The sushi chefs inside the spinning conveyor belt prepare rolls and put two or three pieces on color-coded plates. The colors signify price, and the prices are nice and low. Green is $1.25, Pink $1.75, and so on up to big money blue at a whopping $3.25 (but could be as much as a 5 pc. spider roll!).

I like this a lot because I can try a lot of different things and if I don't like them, it's not such a big deal. Each diner collects a nice little stack of plates and that is how the bill is tallied. We learned the key is to go when it's busy, so there are more rolls coming out at once.

On our way home we picked up some chicken for dinner from our most frequented, of the 6 or so conveniently located food marts, Trader Joe's. A talented cashier painted some really neat signs for outside to encourage recycling. This is our favorite.

Also, I FINALLY saw a horse today! I had read about a street art project of sorts, before we came here, where people have tied toy plastic horses to the old horse rings in the streets to remind people of the history of the city. To finally see one was exciting. :)

We really like our location, regardless of the steep hike back home. NW Trendy-third, and especially trendy-first, have become my favorite parts of PDX so I'm still very happy to be in the northwest. Here's another view from where we live. :)

Who you gonna call GHOSTBUSTERS!

2008-08-09T11:38:00.010-04:00

The Portland Cacophony Society hosts a number of bizarre events. On the website, we found our way to a MySpace profile that was organizing a public pillow fight. This is a group of people that come together, in a location kept secret until the day before, and bring their pillows to whack one another with. Incredible. And, this is why we love this town!

So, we took a couple buses clear across town to Mt.Tabor. The park was monstrous. We realized that finding the pillow-fighters was going to be more difficult then we'd anticipated. So, I decided it best to simply enjoy the park whether we witnessed a large display of harmless aggression or not, a beautiful old volcano covered in trees.

We decided we must have reached the top and were beginning to make our way back down when, finally, we spotted someone hoisting pillows up. She had more specific directions so, we followed her & her family back up. And then, there was a music. A parade of pillow lugging people appeared from a path, led by a guy with a yellow boombox over his shoulder. Soon enough, we were below the statue of a magazine mogul on top of a mountain and people were hitting one another as hard as they possibly could.

Shooting photos was difficult because we were in the shade and it was so bright. Either the background was blown out or the people were silhouetted with the trees. We had a flash, but no diffuser, so even that was harsh. But, I managed to snap a few, especially when Matt was given a pillow to join in. Every time I caught sight of him in the crowd, he was laughing with a smile as genuine as any I've ever seen. He's so cute when he's that excited. :)

After Matt may have cracked a rib and decided he couldn't muster the energy to swing at another stranger, we caught another bus downtown to go to 'Flicks on the Bricks'. This a movie screening each Friday night throughout the summer on the brick courtyard in front of the Pioneer Square courthouse. We ate free popcorn and enjoyed the movie Ghostbusters while trying to ignore how badly sitting on the bricks hurt our bottoms after an hour. We wished we'd had a pillow from the pillow fight to sit on. Ah well, there's always next summer.

The Magic is in the Hole

2008-08-05T22:16:00.007-04:00

After EJ took us under a bridge for an incredible cajun dinner last night, we knew we'd only begun to scratch the surface of finding Portland's hidden sweet spots. Today, we found more. Today marks the day that I ate the most delicious doughnut of my life.

We started in Washington park, which conveniently enough, has trails beginning straight across the street. This is what it looks like when you first begin to climb:

We followed the signs leading us to the Portland Rose Garden. I knew it was the "City of Roses". I now know why. Row after row of bright, blooming, bunches of flowers. All colors, shapes, and types left Matt and I happy to walk quietly and snap photos.

It was a very hot day so I got Tiger's Blood shaved ice to cool me down. I was so happy with my sugary sweet purchase, I thought this was surely the best purchase I could possibly make today. Little did I know of the VooDoo is my future!

We came out of the park on the SW side and walked through downtown to 3rd where I bought my first VooDoo doughnut. This isn't just ANY doughnut shop; VooDoo takes flavor choices far further then any doughnut shop before them. After deliberating on one of the more difficult decisions I've had to make in the Pacific Northwest, I went with a blueberry and pink sprinkled concoction.

OMFG. Yes, it's pretty but, it's more then that. It was DIVINE. Next time I will have to be more ballsy. I want to try "Vegan Doom": a doughnut covered in maple syrup icing topped with two slabs of bacon. My doughnut future is looking up. In the words of the great Homer Simpson "Mmmmm.....doughtnut"

It gives you WINGS

2008-08-02T22:55:00.007-04:00

Another fantastic day.

We left early to walk down to the Saturday Market, where we found all sorts of arts, crafts, and food by locals. After a banger sausage pastry for breakfast (in true British form), we talked to this Mexican man about his family's trade. He was selling jewelry and small plaques with very small flowers inlayed. Matt took this neat photo:

He also managed to find the Rogue guy, who would have guessed? ;)

After the market we were wandering around the SW when we noticed banners for the Red Bull Flugtag that just happened to be this afternoon! Apparently, many thousands of other people already knew as by the time we made it down to the Tom McCall park it was covered in a sea of humanity. We squeezed into what turned out to be a great spot. Matt's 18-200mm zoomed in to catch some of the action. Our favorite was a group of drunk Lego guys in a Lego plane that called themselves "Lego my Red Bull!". We don't have a photo of them, but we did catch this chip and salsa "flying".

On our way back up we got to see Elvis preform live!

Matt also snapped this shot crossing Burnside when we were almost home. We live in the green part, right where it starts to lift. Climbing up to our place is a serious feat but we imagine we'll be used to it soon enough.

And lastly, my favorite photo I took of Matt today:

And his favorite he took of me:

Northwestern Life... (so far)

2008-08-01T23:36:00.001-04:00

So far, so GREAT. It's only been 1 day but, it has been a damn good day that has surely irreversibly changed us. Matt and I have doubtfully ever been more bonded or excited.

As we see it, so many people live out their lives in the place they were born, regardless of what type of place it is. We recognize how lucky we are to be in a position (financially, emotionally, etc) to choose to do otherwise. So, instead of melting away in Florida forever more, we decided to find an atmosphere more conducive to the type of lifestyle we'd like to pursue living.

What we've found in Portland has fit like a glove. Matt wanted fresh ingredients to cook with, he's found grass fed beef and fresh fish. I wanted fresh pasta and found Pastaworks on NW 21st. Matt wanted mountains so he could go skiing, he can now see Mt.Hood on a clear day. I wanted a car-free lifestyle, I've now plenty of places to go without a glorified horse & carriage.

Our neighborhood has come complete with all the amenities we were seeking. First of all, we can walk (Yes, walk!) to all sorts of amazing shops, markets, micro-brew pubs, and cafes. And if our feet grow tired or we want to venture further, the public transportation system is strong. The buses in Orlando carried scary people that looked homeless or drugged out of their minds. In Portland, the people look "normal". I feel so much safer.

The walk up the hill to our adorable little apartment is a steep one, but well worth it for the view (and calf muscles that can't be too far off in our future!). Inside, we have a big comfortable bed and simple modern furnishings. Finding a place via the internet from across the country wasn't easy so, I'm really pleased with the way things turned out.

Oregon is the most green place I've ever been in both senses. Some of the trees in the city skyline are taller then the biggest high-rise buildings! But, what's really impressive is the eco-friendliness. We've been to 5 different grocery store/meat markets today and the cashiers didn't just PUT everything straight into a plastic bag the way they do in Orlando. Instead, they understood my big purse was intended to carry my purchases. Sitting outside the grocery store, you don't see people walking out with carts full of plastic bags to be loaded into their SUVs. Instead, people walk, use bikes, and keep away from plastic.

We had the most fabulous cheap burrito lunch, and instead of giving us our drinks in styrofoam we were served regular plastic glassware. When we went to throw out our trash and return the basket and glass there was even a recycling bin for the aluminum our burrito had been wrapped in! How COOL?!?

The attitude of the people is so different too. In a full year at Calibre Bend we never knew a neighbor. Within a day here, we've had an extensive conversation with our new next door neighbor about the best parks, restaurants, and internet service provider.

We simply feel more at home here then we ever did in Orlando. The vibe created by all the trees and smiling strangers is something I'm happy to get used to. I can't wait to see what treats the next two months will unfold for us.

Pistol Pete helping Matt and I move out

Smatt on move out day in Orlando amazed we got everything in the car!

Our new apartment!!!

Matt before walking down our STEEP street

Yes, that's a futon we have: Come visit us!

OUR VIEW!!!

Out of the bend, onto the plane.

2008-07-30T23:35:00.001-04:00

Consolidating a two bedroom two bath apartment into two suitcases and two carry-ons in two days was nearly more then I could handle. Moving is always a pain but, I usually have somewhere to move TO. This time, everything had to be sold, trashed, or given away; from big things like furniture, to small things like my fish. Letting go wasn't so bad, as I knew it was for my own good, but the stress of a tight schedule became a heavy burden. We never would have made it without such great friends.

So, to keep from flipping out, the past 48 hours of my life I have been focused on one thing: making it onto the plane to Portland. Now that our Calibre Bend apartment's keys have been turned in (complete with vacuum lines in the carpet and a shining kitchen sink) I am feeling true relief. Tomorrow we will take our tightly packed bags of the things we couldn't bear to part with and embark on a journey for the summer. I couldn't be more goddamn excited.

Oregon Trail

2008-05-19T22:09:00.001-04:00

After countless blogs about feeling trapped in the sunshine state, I'm finally making my move! I'm embarking on the classic 'American Adventure', to go out west in search of a better life. Really, it's not even a better life that I'm seeking, but rather a fresh one. Florida tastes stale.

We have a couple months without weddings, and it's the same couple months after our lease expires. If that's not a bright sign from the stars aligning, I don't know what is. And, the stars seem to point northwest.

Portland still seems a bit like a random choice, but what's wrong with random? It's the one place that seems to combine my need for a city life with great public transportation, and Matt's needs for mountains. The Incredible food, beautiful parks, microbreweries, and hippy-artsy culture works in favor for both of us. Now that we've made our decision the hard part is waiting; we're READY TO GO!

Mrs.A-Z

2008-05-13T22:41:00.004-04:00

"Hi.
My name is Samantha Yeakle. That's right, Jason Mraz's girlfriend. Yes, our non-fictional relationship came together quite easily when he spotted me on the streets of New York last March and said, "I love your style." I knew immediately he had class. I let him take me home in his pocket that evening. A guy with a home style haircut like that you simply can't let get away.

Since then we've nestled together at his home, a 20,000 acre ranch outside of Barcelona where we raise soy chickens and other non-animal based meat products for all the musicians and models that come and visit us between busy shows and shoots. It’s a tough job for Jason, being both a farmer and a sugar daddy to so many underfed lingerie victims, but I photograph the models when he's not busy hand feeding them personally, and we really do make a pretty good team.

This weekend we’re triple dating with Angelina Jolie and Edward Norton in an effort to reconnect Brad Pitt with Jennifer and adopt us along the way. It’s going to be a busy weekend. But not to worry, Fiona Apple and David Blaine are babysitting the soy chickens. They have the year off."

It's an old post in honor of the fabulousness that is the new J Mraz album- We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things. (I steal this blog post) If you want to be floored by musical bliss, this is where to find it. He's fresh, he's funky, and he makes me happy. Maybe too happy, as this song didn't make it on the album which I was really looking forward to a full version of. Oh well, enjoy the bit we were given. :)

Get me Out of Here & Into the Wild

2008-04-21T23:51:00.005-04:00

I want to ski to the magic bus 142 in Alaska.
I want to hike to Machu Picchu at sunrise in Peru.
I want to swim with whale sharks in Mexico.
I want to order a chocolate croissant in French in Paris.
I want to go to an art show in San Diego.

I will never do these things if I never leave this place.

I want to walk the streets of Barcelona.
I want to take fashion photographs in New York City.
I want to dive with sharks in the Bahamas.
I want to see a concert in Washington.
I want learn to surf in Hawaii.

I didn't take these photos, credit out to those who did, but one day I hope to photograph all of these things for myself in my own right.

I seem to keep thinking I need money to get out of here,
but it's not true. I just need spirit. I need to believe.
I HAVE TO let go of the material things that hold me here,
because in the end, they mean nothing.
Why is that so hard to remember?

As I get older, and collect more, it only becomes harder.
If I don't go soon, I'm afraid I never will.
I want too much from my experience of life then to sit here and wait.
It's time I planned my great escape.

Prom is the bomb

2008-03-10T16:18:00.006-04:00

Strawberry picking was wonderful but for the big 2-5 quarter century mark I wanted to go LOUDER. As I thought back on the past 25 years I realized I had done quite a bit and felt little regret for even the most rash of my life decisions. One such decision was to drop out of high school the beginning of my junior year. While this was likely one of my better choices there was one thing I had sacrificed in doing so...Prom.

Well, better late then never. Chet was kind of enough to offer up a big VIP section at the Red Coconut Club so I bought a vintage dress on eBay and invited a few friends to my 80's prom! To keep things authentic, I built a photo backdrop and asked an old friend from photography class to be my prom photographer. Because what's a prom without prom photos?

With exception of some girl named after a hurricane who made quite the ass of herself falling over breaking things, the night went smoothly! Even our sketchy van service showed to pick us up! All in all, I couldn't have imagined a better night. Special thanks to Chet, ErinDuke.com, and everyone who dressed to impress and made it so super! :)

Strawberry Fields Forever

2008-03-05T11:30:00.007-05:00

For my birthday yesterday Matt took me out to Pappy's Strawberry field in Oviedo.

First there was a bit of driving. When we finally found Pappy's Strawberry field, Matt opened the car door and *BLAM*! I thought a gun had gone off. After exchanging quizzical looks I opened my door and *BLAM*! What kind of place was this? *BLAM*! I wanted strawberries but it certainly wasn't worth getting shot over. Matt said the sound was more like a pressure gun then a shot gun, maybe it was a pile driver past the field somewhere. *BLAM*BLAM* We walked up to greet Pappy and get a container for our future berry collection. *BLAM* The shots were too irregular to be a pile driver. Pappy tells us which parts of the field have berries and we're off to hunt for our little red jewels.

Beyond a small family in the back of the field and a random dude over yonder, we had the field to ourselves *BLAM*. No one in the field flinches. Are we the only ones hearing this craziness? We dig into the plants and begin the careful process of choosing our fruit. *BLAM*BLAM* And Matt figures it out, pointing to the edge of the field he shows me what looks like a potato gun attached to a propane tank. *BLAM* There are two of them set to go off at irregular intervals and I realize it must be to keep critters from eating all the deliciousness scattered through the field.

In a world where we've left the source and production of our food to conglomerate companies, it's refreshing to pick something fresh. And at $2/lb. Pappy packs a pretty SWEET deal.

new blog!

2008-02-29T00:02:00.003-05:00

As this blog got more personal I decided I wanted to have something more professional. I really like the idea of being able to share more photos from my shoots as I can't just post them ALL in my portfolio, so I've created a new photography blog here: PhotographerSam.blogspot.com

I've posted shots from the past week of my photography life and can't wait to post more! Any comments and feedback are always greatly appreciated. Thanks! xoxox

power animal

2008-01-14T02:24:00.000-05:00

"Eyes closed, we imagined our pain as a ball of white healing light floating around our feet and rising to our knees, our waist, our chest. Our chakras opening. The heart chakra. The head chakra. Chloe talked us into caves where we meet our power animal."

Mine is a shark.

The graceful king of the ocean, boasting an extra two senses beyond our five. And, how many animals have been so barely touched by evolution? Not many have been designed so flawlessly. The shark is a symbol of strength, grace, and beauty all the while misunderstood, thus feared.

Today, I got up close and personal with a quite a few powerful animals at Mote Marine in Sarasota. The laboratory also introduced me to other stupendous sea creatures such as this friendly turtle:

In an attempt to better understand the dangers facing our ocean friends, Matt and I got into character in a shrimp net.

And, I also almost went swimming...

It was fun to sea all my favorite animals. If you ever find yourself in Sarasota, I strongly suggest a visit.
Oh, and the quote at the top... Chuck Palahniuk from "Fight Club". If you ever find yourself in a book store, I strongly suggest that too.

running theme each year

2008-01-08T01:17:00.001-05:00

January brings out the motivated, to-do listing, goal-oriented life-planner in all of us. We promise ourselves that this year will not only be different but, be Better. And I dig that vibe only a new year can bring.

Getting out of Florida has been a running theme each year but in '08 I've got a new escape plan. Instead of planing to MOVE I'm planing to travel. And this year I'm going to renew my sanity on a mountain ridge nearly 8,000 feet above sea level in Peru. Yes, I'm hiking to Machu Picchu.

I remember seeing the "Lost City of the Incas" on television last year and feeling like it was the first time I ever really saw it for what it was. One of the, if not The, most beautiful places on the planet. I told Matt we had to go. Then we found out the only way to get there is by train. A very expensive train. My dream of photographing Machu Picchu died as quickly as it'd been born.

Then last week after a game of Aquire by the fire a friend told me about her plans to hike up from Cusco. I was floored. I never thought to simply WALK there! How brilliant! I told her I was IN with such conviction it gave me goose-bumps. I hadn't meant anything so seriously all year. Since, we've started a new running routine: minimum of two 5ks per week. (The 4 day hike will surely be easier if we're in shape)

This is my 2007 running in visual review. Notice the magical motivational power of January.

I don't want to spend the year running after the expectations of January. 2008 feels too fresh for that nonsense. Instead, I plan to let the Incans be my magical motivational power this year.

to the North Pole

2007-12-16T00:58:00.000-05:00

Seeing as christmas is drawing near it seemed only natural my family take a trip to the North Pole. This year, we even brought the dog along. I haven't partaken in the purchasing/decorating of the Christmas Tree in years so I was happy to take an active role.

I brought along my camera to wander under the tents protecting both the sweet smelling trees and sweaty smelling floridians alike. (Some of us may have forgotten deodorant today) I wish I brought my camera around with me more often. New Years resolution, maybe?

We got the new LED christmas lights that rock up to 88% less energy then the classic variety. They also keep cooler, which I'm quite sure the tree is thankful for.

The new lights light up the tree in a whole new way. I'm feeling pretty lightened up too. I dig the christmas spirit; glad I came home for the weekend.

say CHEESE

2007-12-09T00:42:00.000-05:00

I love cheese. All cheese. White, yellow, blue... I don't discriminate.
Recently my main squeeze has been gouda. He's goud to me.
OK, the whole blog won't be a cheesy declaration to my love of cheese.
I'm really here to share some recent favorite photos
So, here we go: this is the last month or so of weddings in visual review:

I'm really enjoying wedding photography. People trust me to make art out of their reality, it's great.
But nothing beats photographing friends; they give me so much creative control I can create my OWN reality.
I prefer my photographs bend the truth, my friends don't seem to have a problem with that.
Here are two such friends, Busey & Laura

But, lately the biggest jump out of my comfort zone has been a dentist's portrait (for an upcoming magazine cover!)
I'm learning to pay more and more attention to the technical and to take my time when its offered.

I've also found in the last month I've shot manual full-time. I try to rock the aperture or shutter priority but always end up clicking back into M. I've really started to crave that control. I'm happy my camera gives it to me. I'm even more happy that my camera and I continue to grow together in a forward motion. Oh, and the cheddar it's been generating is nice too.

Balance from Malaysia

2007-12-05T18:36:00.000-05:00

My sunglasses hid tears as I checked the mail today. Matt and I were arguing on the phone as I flip-flopped back to our apartment. The buildings in our complex are being renovated; the 'whizz' and 'whee' construction noises interrupting my already flawed ability to listen. Between all the heat and noise I wasn't paying much attention to what I was doing. I assumed the package I was carrying was CD jewel cases I'd ordered.

It wasn't until I was home that I looked at the suddenly curious box. I hadn't ordered CD cases from Malaysia. THIS WAS MY FIRST SWAP PACKAGE! Months ago I'd found this blog, Gimme Your Stuff, and began talking to two people about exchanging cultural goodies via snail mail. My first swap had arrived. I decided it best to put the package aside until my emotional tornado passed. So, Matt came home: we talked, we hugged, we did all the things couples do when they realize how much they love each other, and how stupid they'd been to get so angry (It was a fight over DISHES after all!).

When my lovely love left for work I sat down with the box that had traveled around the world to see me. I carefully unwrapped the beaten up gift (its long travel has been a rough one) to find an assortment of wonderful goodies. Karen (life-muses) had put together a beautiful package and I couldn't be more thankful that it came on the day I needed it most. It was the perfect pick me up. :) Here is a photo of all the fabulous trinkets inside. I have a photo of the things I sent her as well, but don't want to post that until she gets MY package! (don't want to ruin any surprises!)

Thank you universe for being balanced & funny! And thank you Karen for putting a smile on my face all the way from Malaysia!

thanks

2007-11-23T01:01:00.001-05:00

The one nice day we had with the indians has been bringing american families together with gluttony ever since. I got to join in the festivities of a visit home for the past couple days. I also got to eat my fair share.
One thing I didn't do was join the mob crawling the streets of Abacoa. I've seen the benjamites spend their benjamins in previous years. Instead I opted to lounge at rum bar, play shuffle board at the snug, and catch up with friends I rarely get to see.

Sada, Tam, and my mysterious male model let me experiment with matt's polarizing filter on the beach.

and my delightful dog got a bubble bath.

All in all, I'm thankful this thanksgiving. Thankful for my incredible family. I'm thankful I got to grow up in such a beautiful place and more thankful that I don't live here anymore. I'm thankful that my life is going in the direction I want to take it. I'm thankful that I have choices, freedom, and a lot of lovely people to love.

movie

2007-11-14T20:20:00.000-05:00

I wanted to try the new version of iMovie, so I made a little video slideshow. :)

(This is the 2nd version with a sigur ros song in the background)

SkyVenture

2007-11-08T16:31:00.000-05:00

Matt's boss invented a big tunnel that pushes 150 MPH wind through it to simulate free fall. So, we got free vouchers to float around in one off I-drive! *two thumbs up*

I looked like a string bean in a potato sack, as my flight suit was three times my actual size so as to fit my actual height. This didn't bother me nearly as much as the smell I noticed climbing into the thick jumper, surely housing years of other fake jumpers sweat. While you only fly for two minutes it's quite the little work-out.

The ordeal takes about an hour between training, suiting up, and bumping into walls. The two one-minute flights are to simulate a real jump from 14,000 feet, and the pros confirm the realism. I've never dove from high in the sky, but I'm assuming the way my face felt as if it might peal off my face to be strikingly similar to the real deal.

All in all, I'd say our sky adventure was a great success and I recommend an afternoon in this tourist trap to any and all of my friends. :)

23

2007-11-08T02:01:00.000-05:00

the universe is a joker!
lol.

p.s. -> my hair smells of bon fire. :)

2 yrs. in review

2007-11-07T12:53:00.000-05:00

What started as a casual coupling has turned to the two of us for two years running.

He comes home with a whistle to attack me with a tickle, it doesn't get much better then this.

After he cooks me a mean meal and fills my heart with kind laughter we rest between the sheets, blanketed by the layers of our love.

Him being so tall makes me feel small and his smile puts me at ease.

This is the brand new edition, no more self-demolition; I let go of the frustration because it's all about creation now.
I've never been happier.

wasting time on being grouchy.

2007-10-25T01:27:00.000-04:00

I got upset with myself today. I feel like I'm wasting away. Here I am, early 20's, starting my own businesses but left with lots of free time. I finally finished school, as did my close friends that all seemed to disappear at once to far away places to claim as their new homes. I'm BORED.

My mom told me to get a part-time job, but I'm quite sure I would be just as depressed working a $7/hour job at the mall at 24 as I was at 15. Also, I don't want to commit to anything now as the wedding work will be rolling in full force so soon. It's this lull of down-time waiting for all I have planned that is driving me crazy. Matt is working seemingly every single day, and loving every minute of it. I'm jealous. I want a life too damnit! So obviously I need to get out of the apartment and do other things; the problem is What?
I'm not sure. But I have a few ideas:

Join the eco-canoeists on one of their weekly waterline clean-ups
take a portrait painting workshop at Creadle school of art
start dropping into yoga classes
spend a day helping build with habitat for humanity
focus on creating/completeing a body of art work outside of photography

Speaking of photography, I should post some recent photos.

This is Diana, a high school senior this year that found me via MySpace to take her senior portrait

A Quinceanera portrait for a very sweet girl in a very pretty dress named Vanessa

An ex-room mate turned newbie mommy, Leila and her daughter Kali

That's it for now... I'm sure I'll figure things out. So long as I keep moving things will work themselves out. I'm just being grouchy. :/

digi-paint

2007-10-15T00:26:00.000-04:00

When I first saw Sarah Green's art (Sarah Green Art.com)I assumed it was some fantastical, fabulous filter in photoshop. After another look and chatting with her briefly via MySpace, I learned it was in fact digital painting. So when I found a Wacom pen tablet on clearance today I scooped it up and ventured out on my own personal computer painting journey.

I chose a photo I'd taken of a poet over the summer named Tara for my first experiment because it looked like it would be simple. What I've come to learn is nothing about this funky pop process is simple but, it is a lot of fun! After a considerable portion of my evening, I produced this as my 1st finished piece:

I sure appreciate Sarah Green's paintings on a new level, and it's interesting to see how different her style is. Tonight I'm working on a self-portrait painting from the photo where I'm in my fish bowl. Here's a screen shot of as far as I've gotten, I'm hoping to finish tomorrow:

I want to start offering these types of digital paintings an add-on service to my photography packages! Think anyone will be interested? :/

felt animals and a wedding

2007-10-10T22:20:00.000-04:00

Over the course of 77 delightful shuffle songs (for non-iPod users, this is approximately 5 hours) I managed to sew a small panda bear out of felt.
Yes, me : sewing.
This new development in skills might alter the nature my #9 of my 25 before 25 goals. So, after the creation of my very small panda I got carried away and set my sights on a larger ROBOTIC bear. He's called the mechani-panda:

All the B&W was taking it's toll on my psyche so a green lizard lifted my spirits and have since decided clothing my miniature critters a simple way to add more color. Here is a photo of the 3 little creations responsible for countless hours of my freetime over the past 3 days:

And, of course, I've also been shooting. :) Here are a couple shots from a british wedding yesterday. (I haven't even seen Matt's photos or updated my site, but I'm posting a blog!) I'm really enjoying wedding photography more and more, which is great as we've been booking more than ever! This group was really laid back and fun to spend the day with. :)

Thanks for reading my blog! :)

Tip of the hat to Japan

2007-10-01T01:21:00.000-04:00

I shot a baby over the weekend. With a camera of course. It was my first baby. I actually hadn't seen a baby up close IRL in quite a while. I realized I don't know much about them. I expected it to cry a lot, maybe be afraid of the flashing, but nope. She just bobbled her head around and was extremely cute.

Modern Japanese culture respects the importance of cuteness. Kawaii. Everyone can use a little extra cuteness, so with that in mind I present baby photos. (I especially liked her itty bitty feet)

Also, I've decided blogging every day is too lofty a goal for a gal like me. I haven't been clocking so many clicks on the computer this week. Forced blogging will only make for a bland blog. Instead, I'll blog at my own pace. :)

Blog Without a Reader

2007-09-23T19:57:00.000-04:00

Thoughts Without a Thinker; Blog Without a Reader.

I missed a few days of blogging while house-sitting in Windemere over the weekend, but I don't think anyone was too affected by the gap in internet time line. My one faithful reader 'John', the greatest giver of comment and compliment, may have noticed but has yet to say anything of the sort.

3 Highlights of my weekend in order or awesomeness are as follows:

Kayaking early this morning on Lake Butler. Beautiful, I wish I'd had a camera. The only non-awesome things about this was realizing how much of a wuss and how out of shape I am. I burnt a few layers of skin off my thumb just from paddling friction. It was worth it.

This is me in the backyard Friday night

Photo shooting is always a positive. This weekend's mini-shoot was particularly exciting because it is only the 1st stage of a big project, to be revealed in it's greatness at a later date. Oh, and extra-awesome points for my subject matter being Matt. :)

Matt of Smatt in Windemere

And the number 3 awesome thing about this weekend was the extra cash I scored from friendly tippers at Busey's Sausage Castle party. The hurricane/monsoon-like weather could blow down the tents, but couldn't stop this shin-dig. The bands set up in garage attached to the stage and made as much noise as they could until the cops shut it down.

That's all I have to share with you all at the moment. ;)

Bogart

2007-09-20T11:22:00.000-04:00

Bogart is the extremely cute puppy I took photos of yesterday. He's super soft! While he hasn't quite learned to control his long skinny legs yet, he was still wonderful to photograph. Here are a few of my favorite shots:

I realized yesterday that I enjoy photographing people because they're unpredictable; a dog is this same spontaneity intensified. I really enjoyed it. Hopefully my upcoming baby shoots will provide the same satisfaction from new, uncharted photo territory. :)

2007-09-19T15:10:00.001-04:00

25 things to do before I'm 25

2007-09-18T09:55:00.001-04:00

1.) ~~Buy bowling shoes~~
2.) Go on a ski vacation in Park City
3.) ~~Strip & stain bedroom furniture~~
4.) Finish decorating the living room
5.) Make some attempt to work on my spanish
6.) Start a new sketchbook and use it
7.) Continue to blog nearly daily
8.) Book 10 more weddings
9.) Have my prototype bag sewn
10.) ~~Learn 3 new songs on piano~~
11.) Post more how-to piano songs on youtube
12.) Go to the Epcot food & wine festival
13.) Put a substantial amount of money into my savings account
14.) Plan a trip to Europe
15.) Run 100 more miles with my Nike plus
16.) Try wake-boarding again
17.) ~~Attend a wedding that I can enjoy/relax without being the photog.~~
18.) Paint more. A lot more.
19.) Become a better tennis player
20.) Get my car stereo fixed
21.) Figure out how to cook dinner for Matt one evening
22.) Learn more about how to use Photoshop
23.) Clean out my closet and donate a lot of clothing
24.) Find a way to get back into scuba diving
25.) Go on a road trip with Matt

Finished Refinishing

2007-09-17T16:55:00.000-04:00

I work from home, so building a nest I'm comfortable in is all the more important to me. When we lived in Crane's Landing, all of Matt's ugly furniture was tucked away into his own room and I never had to visit. In our new apartment, we only have one bedroom for bedroom furniture and the result has been waking each morning to depressing orange stained wood with black painted panels. It's everywhere. I couldn't take it any longer.

I finally convinced him to let me have at it. So today, after a weekend of poisonous chemical paint strippers, sandpaper, stain, dust, and sweat I have my first sweet reward. A night-stand I can stand to look at!

This photo is the other textures of the room with the new night-stand.
*sigh of accomplishment and relief*

Gimme Your Stuff!

2007-09-16T22:10:00.000-04:00

I love packages. So, what's more fun then one filled with random surprises? Not much! I found this super-cool blog called Gimme Your Stuff where you trade trinkets with people all over the world, like a cultural exchange of sorts. I think it's a really fun idea and would love to try swapping with someone foreign! :)

Stuff I can offer:
♦ seashells
♦ stationary/notebooks/stickers
♦ cute things; keyrings . . . trinkets . . . playing cards. . .
♦ Nearly anything 'Disney' themed as I'm in Orlando, FL
♦ american candy
♦ felt crafting patterns and materials/other crafts
♦ print of any of my photography that you like (www.SamanthaYeakle.com)
♦ books/magazines/postcards/maps or guides from FL
♦ mix CD of my favorite music
♦ Siesta Key sand (whitest and finest sand in the world!)
♦ anything else you'd like! :)

Stuff I would love to receive:
♦ anything local including unique spices, hot sauce, etc.
♦ stationary/stickers/notebooks
♦ anything cute w. animals (my favorites are sharks) but I also like owls and birds.
♦ mix CD of your favorite music
♦ jewelry (i love wooden beads)
♦ Bento box (kawaii maybe?) i love the color green!
♦ postcards. . . candy. . . random trinkets :)

If you're interested please leave me a comment! Thanks :)

bowling for shoes

2007-09-16T08:19:00.001-04:00

Bowling alleys are like casinos; there aren't any windows. It's another world, a world of oily lanes and french fries. A world that USED to be walked through on mismatched and colorful shoes.

I'm on a quest to become a better bowler. To help this dream transform into a reality I've been researching how best to invest in my bowling future. I've decided the first step is purchasing my own bowling shoes. There's just one problem: bowling shoes aren't cool anymore.

They look like white and bulky sneakers. Well, I call Bull Shit. They're ugly! And not in the ugly-cute kind of way a boxer or a pug is. They're ugly-Boring-ugly. Bowling shoes are supposed to be embarrassing to wear. And they should Never in no way, shape, or form match your real world clothing.

While I am on the search for colorful wonders for my feet I will continue to rent my 8.5s at the alley. eBay has become a destination of choice to search for my new old shoes. $2 Tuesdays have become part of the Smatt routine. We accept all company and we're even open to playing on other evenings. League anyone?

Matt performing the classic "Get a load of THIS girl!" move.

Summer Showcase

2007-09-15T16:34:00.000-04:00

Some argue if summer ever really ends in the sunshine state. Assuming the season is strictly during the months designated to be so, it is drawing to a close for 2007. Seeing as I'm a photographer with a blog, it only seems reasonable that I blog photos. So here it is, my mini summer oh-seven showcase.

Why not start the summer with legwarmers. This is my lifelong friend Tanya in the hallway of my apartment building. I told her to bring over some colorful clothes and after a little scavenger hunt through my own things put together this ensemble. She's a shy girl and felt a bit ridiculous trotting around the neighborhood dressed like this with my big camera and I, but it was for art.

Next up is Kevin. This construction worker hadn't had his photograph taken in years. Despite his loathing of photos of himself, he needed one for his new profile. Kevin was preparing to look for love online. I hope he found it, he was a very nice man.

This is MTV Jackass' Bam's uncle Shitbirdz. *phew* That was a mouthful. My friend Mike Busey called Matt and I one summer afternoon to ask if he could borrow Matt's riffle. He was filming a pilot reality TV show. It was an insane day that I've already blogged about here

Here is Mike Busey hosting a Girls Gone Wild event down at the Mojo Room. This was Sada's birthday so we drove down to Port St.Lucie for the madness.

And then this is Sada at her birthday party when we got back up to Orlando. She likes balloons. She also thought she'd like Ben to have a black beard, so he dyed it at this party. I don't recommend it.

Marcc Gregory is a musician living up in Cincinnati. He set up a shoot with me while working on his new record in Orlando. We walked around downtown to get that urban vibe. He took his shirt off a lot, which was great because he has an awesome body. I recently found out one of the photos from this shoot has made the cover of his new album!

This was my first summer working as a wedding photographer. I had my first, and last, experiences with sub-contract work. I didn't feel comfortable taking wedding photos this way. I didn't know the brides beforehand, understand what they wanted, they'd never seen my photos before, it all felt wrong. I just showed up, found the bride, took photos for a number of hours, and that was it. Awkward. Matt and I run our photography business very differently.

The British Biggins. This very nice couple renewed their vows while on vacation near Disney. They found me online and had me come out to take photos of their small ceremony with their adorable daughter. As it turned out, the hotel didn't allow outside photographers so we lied and said I was a cousin that lives in Florida. Well, I do have british citizenship...but the on-site photographer actually walked by at one point and didn't seem to buy our story. Ah well, nothing he could do. ;)

Teresa and James were our first couple to get married in a church. It was really beautiful. I'm reminded every time Matt and I shoot together how much I enjoy working with him. It's fun to share our photos and sort of feed off one another's energy.

David and Nan was my shortest wedding job to date. 1 hour! :) They had a small ceremony in the rose garden in Winter Park. They had a very casual vibe which made them so easy to work with. It rained just enough to get some really beautiful shots of them under and umbrella.

One of Matt's best friends moved into a new house this summer. He has this incredible old furniture I've been wanting to photograph and the move seemed like the perfect opportunity. I asked another of Matt's friends, Darrah, if she'd model for me. She was a great model; let me style her however I wanted! There was actually a house warming BBQ party going on the day we shot, which made for a lot of surprise visitors (all male of course) The man power was welcomed as they helped me move the furniture around. ;)

The band Less Than Perfect was a handful! It's tough to work with a group of guys. They came in like a tornado and the world didn't seem to settle back into place until they left that night. More wardrobe options, styling products, and alcohol then I'd ever seen at any of my shoots, but it was a great experience. My first time shooting a group with my studio gear. :)

Tara is a poet and spoken word artist. She also publishes a poetry magazine up in New Jersey. She was very easy to work with and interesting to talk to. She's lived a very full life. Sometimes you can just sense a strong core in people. Tara is one of those people. This photo is a composite using a photo I took in central park over st.patrick's day weekend.

Jessica, a UCF sorority girl, was beginning work as a promotional and trade show model. She needed some fun studio shots to promote herself better. She was a pleasure to shoot because she smiled so much and was a natural with the bubble-gum pop happy posing. Which is great because it's the kind of photos she needed. I think this shot is my favorite shot b.c it's not really like that at all, a bit more seductive instead.

Terrel was my 2nd client and we still shoot together! This was Terrel's 3rd session, and we switched it up by using the studio gear. He's a christian rap artist, so I thought it would be fun to really use the light almost as a prop.

My little brother has proven to be very difficult to shoot. I'm not really sure why. It just seems every time we take photos nothing really jumps out as the killer portrait. Ah well, I'm sure I'll take many more photos of him. We're still young ;) This photo is an edited composite of the two of us in a really neat park I recently found.

After living with Billy I began understanding make-up better and my interest grew. I liked what I had done with Darrah but wanted to try something more colorful. Rachel is usually up for anything, so she was the perfect model for this shoot. As well as some studio work with a lemon, that highlighted the make-up more, we also took some shots on the tennis court at my new apartment. I like the energy of this shot. I imagine there might be aliens landing. (maybe when i get better at photoshop i can put some in) ;)

I've known Audra since middle school and while we've remained friends we started spending more time together over the summer. I'd never photographed her, so I was excited to do so. We bought lots of tulle in a rainbow of colors and then my favorite shot turned out best in black and white. It's funny how that happens, no matter the amount of planing, I never seem to know where the image is going until I'm there clicking away on the camera. :P

That was a BIG, LOOONG blog! I'm hoping that I post every day, or at least almost every day. What can I possibly do tomorrow that will match an entire summer or photos?

new travels to old places

2007-09-14T11:07:00.001-04:00

Matt of Smatt had a little vacation time so we decided to venture out of the greater Orlando area to visit parental units along the coast lines. Between the homes we call home we found ourselves in the town of Arcadia (right off the big dot in the middle of our phallic shaped state). We found a beautiful old opera house that has become a large antique store. Some of the old trinkets were quite interesting, but I don't feel the need to own relics of other's past pasts. Instead, we took some photos.

I've come home feeling a bit more put together, maybe a result of the circular path of our travels. Maybe family just does that naturally. Regardless, I hope to travel more and have decided that rather then dreams of waking up in Barcelona every morning, I'll try to focus on making my way there for at least a few mornings a year.

blog?

2007-09-13T21:36:00.000-04:00

blog smog frog blog,
fog sog bog dog?

a new place to blog if only i had something to blog about.