Happiness doesnt grow on trees, but peaches do! :D

February is a very busy month for me, and looking for a job has made it that much more crazy. With that said, I have so much to look forward to, it is a little crazy.
Obviously, Valentines day is right around the corner. I have no special plans, besides sitting in front of the TV watching netflix and eating lots of chocolate and my favorite blueberry pomegranate ice cream (That only comes out this time of year). Valentines day really has lost its significance the last couple years because our anniversary is on the 21st. With such a special, real significant day to be exactly a week after the day of 'Love', we both agreed that as long as we are with each other, it is the only thing we need to celebrate the day.
With an extra week to plan a special way to celebrate our day of Love, I have been plotting away at all the crafty things I can do. I cant wait to share my craft ideas!

Anyway, I am also awaiting a couple job interviews, so keep your fingers crossed. And as soon as that happens, I can have what I am truly awaiting... my beautiful 7D Canon DSLR with a macro lens... ;) I am melting just thinking about holding it in my hands!! I have my mind on so many things; my job, my dreams, my relationship... I feel like life is about to send me on a very beautiful and exhilarating roller coaster ride.

New year, new beginings

My Dental Assistant program comes to an end the first week of February (The 21st if we count the final day as my last day). At the last minute I was able to find an internship an the Shining Stars Kids Dentistry. Its located in Belmar, which is a really nice area. The office is this little hole in the wall, and when you walk in it really comes to life. Dr. Lawrence Musajne (Or Dr. Lawrence) was born and raised in Uganda. He then went to Hong Kong where he received his Doctor of Dental Surgery. He studied at CU and opened his practice in June. My experience (keep in mind it was just my first day of the 3 day internship.) awesome. I helped place a sealant and fill a couple cavities. I even held the hand of a 12 year old patient who was very afraid, and finally, with my help, relaxed enough to take a snooze while the doctor did her filling. I really can see myself being a dental assistant, and it took me until today to feel optimistic about my choice. when speaking with Dr. Lawrence about how difficult it was to find a place to do my internship he said " Angelena, we have I been in your shoes, in order to get where I am now. Sometimes, Doctors need to remember what it was like. At some point, we needed help too." He then handed me a pair of gloves and a mask. It was really cool that he had confidence in me from the very beginning. (:

In other news, I have been keeping up on my photography, and have made the decision to make another blogger blog specifically for my photography. It will still be linked with Heart on My Sleeve; Just photography specific. I have lots of things to post, now that I have the green light to share these amazing images.
It should be up in just a couple days so keep an eye out!!

I have been so blessed, and the next couple weeks are full of blessings. I love when faith is strengthened.

Practice, Practice, Practice!

Before my family and engagement session tomorrow (Saturday) I went out and practiced taking pictures in different manual modes, and doing my best to 'direct' poses and what not. Alyssa, a good friend of mine, offered herself as a model and we took a few good ones. I grabbed some new photoshop pre sets, and here is the finished product.

I will have a website up and running by Monday, however it may take a few days to set up. When that happens, all of my photography will be posted there. I am really excited about the legitimacy I am starting to form, with help of course. Who knows, maybe a business will take flight, and I can work and play at the same time! ;p

I will keep everyone posted on the website, and will share photos from my first paying gig (Woo!) here in the next few days. Enjoy your weekend!

Like a flower in cement

Things have been pretty stressful for me. I recently lost my job, and have been piecing together all of my money to make sure everything is paid on time. I feel like finding a new job is almost going to be impossible, now that the holiday season is here. I know the roughness will pass and I will find something else, I just need it sooner, rather then later. My relationship with my boyfriend is on the rocks, just because we both seem to take our stresses out on each other. Sometimes when you are fighting with your best friend, and feel like you have no one to talk to, it makes all the other rough things that much harder! Him and I have our moments, so I hope this too, will pass. So, right now I am learning to handle everything as adult as possible, and just make it through the next couple weeks. My 19th birthday is tomorrow (One more year as a teenager, and it is all done!), and so far, my only plans are to put up my Christmas tree and play on photoshop. The tree should bring some positive feelings into the house, and be a good way to spend my Saturday.

With all this free time I have recently developed, I have done a few things to help keep me busy. I found new, downladable PS actions, and have been learning how to use these actions to edit my photos. I got bored editing the same pictures over and over again, and decided I needed new material. Plus, I have been dying to go out and get more practice. So I posted an ad on craigslist offering low cost photos by a student photographer. So far, I have booked an engagement session and a family session. Both are for the same family on December 3rd. I will make a few extra bucks and have tons of new photos to edit. I am so excited for that, and Thankful I can pull in a little money. Craigslist will see a few more of my postings, in hope to book a few more things for the month of December. At the very least I have that to look forward to, as well as Andrea's wedding on December 18th!

School is nothing like I thought it would be. I expected it to be hard and almost over whelming, when in fact, it is the exact opposite. Which I guess is fine, it is literally fail proof...  I expected the program to be a good bridge from High school to College. However it turned out to be just like health class in High School. Don't get me wrong. I am learning new things, and I am enjoying it... but I think I could have handled a lot more of a challenge. I guess the point of this post was to complain, and admit my life is not as awesome as I wish it was right now. Lately it feels like things are going wrong, more than they are going right. When this happens to me, I make a big change some how, in attempt to avoid problems... but now I am stuck, and I just have to rely on God to help pull me through.

Hopefully everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving, and next time I will have some happy stuff to share! Have a good weekend!
(:

New job, New school, New possibilites!

My little job at Comfort Inn will officially come to an end Friday, when I pick up my last check. When I first got hired, I was working every day, sometimes 14 days in a row and I was getting 40 hours a week. Now, the scheduling over there seems to be a War, and hours have been stolen right out from under me. Needless to say, 6 hours a week was nothing, so I went and looked for a new job yesterday. Craigslist happened to be my best friend, and I landed two interviews. The first interview was for a part time position making $10 an hour to answer phones. I would be working Monday though Friday, with a guaranteed 30 hours a week...When I learned I got the job I was so excited. The second interview is not until Saturday, but its a full time position making 9.50 plus commission. When I spoke with the woman on the phone, she said the Front Desk clerk often averages out to 11-13 an hour. The shift would be 3-11 any day of the week. I obviously took the opportunity to have the interview, because I can't pass up a 40 hour work week. The woman made it sound like I got the job, so I was pretty much beside myself.

With a couple different jobs lined up, I figured it was time for me to start thinking of school again. I have to wait a couple years to begin the nursing program (due to the highly competitive program I would like to be in, you have to have all your Pre Reqs before you can be added to the 1-2 year waiting list... :) So I have been thinking about enrolling in a fast paced, accredited program that could give me a job making decent money while I make my way through school. I looked at massage therapy, medical assisting, and even a simple CNA program. I didn't like any of those ideas so I looked into being a dental assistant. Well, last night I came across American Dental Assisting School. It is an accelerated Dental Assistant program with Financial Aid. Its 11 Saturdays (I would be in school 8am-5pm) and certifies me in 3 areas. I get a paid internship and help finding a job when I am done. I would be completely done with it all by the 21st of February. With my new job, working Monday through Friday, I can totally do this!! So I applied for a loan, and hopefully will be in class on Saturday.

Unfortunately it took me until this morning to realize that Saturday is my interview, but if I make it into school, I know what I am going to choose!

My brain feels a little over whelmed right now, because I made a last minute choice about school, and I am about to start a new job, but in the long run I know its a good thing!!

First 'Bridal Gown' Shoot

On October 15th (which I promise will be my wedding date), I went down to Standley Lake for my first 'bridal' shoot. The weather was absolutely beautiful and all the colors were so vibrant and bright. It was the perfect day for this shoot, and I had a lot of fun! I am pretty proud of the fact that no instruction was given to me, I just let her pose and I snapped away! Some poses were a bit repetitive but seeing her move gave me ideas on some great poses when my first real bride comes along!

Victoria was fun to get to know. I have never known a 21 year old that owns two companies, teaches students full time and models! She is such a busy girl, and for her to meet with my mom and I for two hours out of her busy life was so sweet of her.

We started the session out in the weeds, which was a lot of fun. Grasshoppers were everywhere, and they were even getting stuck in between the layers of her dress. Turns out Victoria was brave, and we got lots of good stuff. (:

We stopped to take photos in a slot off the trail. The trees behind her were amazing, and with the bright blue sky behind that, there was no way I could resist!

From here, we made our way down to the beach. The wind started to pick up, blowing Victoria every which way possible. But through all that the wind managed to be a prop in her beach pictures, and it was nice and soft until we stepped foot on to the sand. If you didn't know where we were exactly, no one would be able to know. I love this place, and for future shoots I just might come here!

Taking pictures on the beach was a lot of fun. She was excited about being bare foot in the sand. The beach had such a California feel that day, we loved it so much! Victoria had even talked about a swim suit session and a trash the dress session that could be held right here at this beach!

Special Thanks goes to Victoria Sofia for modeling and spending the afternoon with me

Anna Carbone, my Mom, who is being so supportive of my photography dream, and she has been here every step of the way...

And Joel Turowski, my loving boyfriend, who is more supportive than I could ask. He is always looking out for me, and he totally puts his Call Of Duty on hold to look at my photos.

You guys are the best!

<3

Sparkle&Shine shoot out

My first shoot out was quite the experience. We went to Civic center park and split into little groups of three. We each had our time with the models, posing them how we would like and choosing where to take the picture. I met a photographer by the name of Mark Alison there, and he does really amazing work! I feel really lucky to have had some simple instruction from him. He leads lots of 'meet ups', so I should be learning lots more from him! :)

Editing did not take much time at all, and I seem to favor the pictures I took of the first model, Brandy. The lighting seemed to work out more, and she was fun to work with. Here are some of the pictures I took from my first shoot ever. (:

 

The photo shoot was a lot of fun, and I cant believe how much I learned!  I have a couple bridal shoots coming up, as well as an engagement session. I have been dreaming photography, and my brain has been over flowing with ideas... I really can't wait!!