Camilla

(Shot on 35mm Kodak 400UC)

Mine.

The one who NEVER stops smiling.

EVER.

L-O-S-T

After I had Millz, I literally did not go grocery shopping for 5 months.
YES...5.
Between having Milk and other meals delivered through a local company, and food storage, we just kind of survived with the occasional jaunt to the grocery store down the street for fresh produce. I didn't do heavy grocery shopping FOREVER.

Well, when the time finally came that I had to go...to replenish all that we had eaten in the five months prior...I went to my local Wal-mart. I know, I know...but I really can save $50 a week at their store...just like their commercial says. At least truth in advertising says something?!

I began walking the isles and didn't recognize what I saw.
I was SO used to buying colorful blue store brand packaging...
I was SHOCKED to see this:

(Pardon the blurry-ness I was getting used to one of my new cameras)

Uhm...Seriously?

Does this not greatly resemble this:

(image found here)

I am not going to lie. I was a little creeped out.

I am a HUGE LOST fan.

But this? Wal-mart? Come. on.

Meet:
The Wal-mart Initiative.

However, their white boxes will forever make
THESE
more awesome.

Oh the hilarity, you must download your own for the
Series Finale.

Little Claire de Lune Winner!

...Mary!

Mary (MEM) said...

How beautiful- (lullabies on the harp AND helping orphans)!

And at the risk of sounding like a total brown-noser I have to agree with Natalie's comment, YOU'RE beautiful too, Kim!

Thursday, March 25, 2010 8:38:00 AM

(Apparently brown-nosing totally pays off...either that or she and random.org have an in...lucky number 7!)

Mary, e-mail me at kimsueellen [at] gmail [dot] com and I will have Emily send over your new CD!

Thank you to everyone who entered.

Let's do this more often shall we?
xoxo

We played with color.

(Shot on a Polaroid 600 SE with Fuji 100C)

My scanner blowz...or should I say Hubb's scanner blowz.

Oh well, today the sun was shining...and we all got our warm clothes on and went outside to play in the sun and with color.

DELISH.

Sometimes I get too excited on the rangefinder...I just want to click before I think to recompose just a bit...hence why her little hand is cut off.

I haven't had so much fun creating in a long time.
Just what I needed.

(pardon my literal dust...MY computer is COMPLETELY bunk which means no photoshop to clean up the scan all nice and pretty.)

Have a happy weekend all!
xoxo

I have no words.

Polaroid 600 SE

Giveaway: one Lone Harp, helping thousands...

...firstly, let me introduce you to Emily.


(the irony of this haircut, is that every young boy in my neighborhood has it...hmm.)

a.k.a 'Emily, Emily, Emily, Emily, Emily...'
(as I serenaded her all through high school Senior year (channel Cheers' "Kelly, Kelly, Kelly, Kelly" by Woody))

I freaking love this lady with ALL of my heart.

She has been such a good friend to me all my adult life. Like this day:



She introduced me to this man's work.
Love her for it.
It is because of her I am friends will ALL of these people.

Let us discuss how big of a heart she has?

It is huge.
I look up to her in SO many ways.
She is gorgeous, INSANELY smart, talented and giving.

She has recorded this AMAZING CD called:



Little Claire de Lune
Lullabies on Harp

She compiled these songs that! she! played! on! the! harp!
(she has been playing for over 20 years!)

For what?
To make millions?

Well, yes.

For herself?

NO!

To help thousands of children in Bulgarian orphanages.
*tears*

Specifically for:

One Heart Bulgaria

The images will stun you, will break your heart, and I guarantee you will not be able to turn off the computer until you have purchased this CD.

I. Dare. You.

You know of my love for adoption.
I cannot look at that site without wanting to hop on a plane and bring
all of those littles home with me.

So heavy.

Will you help?

Get your CD here.
(there is an amazing sample song at the bottom)

or email Emily:
emilia.kelly@gmail.com

Leave me a comment, Emily is giving a CD away to one lucky reader.

mrs. r just schooled me on how to do a giveaway so here:
(thank you lindsey...borrowed text from her blog. xoxo)

If you would like to enter this giveaway, here is what to do:

• Just leave a comment and include your email address so I can contact you in the event of your winning.
  

Extra entries available:

...leave an additional comment with your email address for each extra entry.

• follow my blog
  
• subscribe to simply me
  
• follow me on twitter (http://twitter.com/kimsueellen)
• tweet about this contest, using @kimsueellen in your tweet! (this can be done once per day.)
• blog about this giveaway, linking back to this post (leave a link to your post in your comment)
  
• email your family and friends about this giveaway (send the email to me too)

for example, if you are already a follower of my blog you would write in your comment:
"already a follower. here's my email: blahblahbla@whatever.com."

then if you tweet about this contest you would make an additional comment:
"tweeted about it today. here's what i wrote: check out this giveaway at simplyme: {link to this post}. h
ere's my email: blahblahbla@whatever.com."

Entries will be accepted until Tuesday, March, 302010 at 11:59 PM MST.
The winner will be announced on Wednesday, April 1, 2010.
No joke.

The Fates.

Last weekend after running my long run, and being completely unable to walk afterwards, my husband laid it out on the line, "Kimmie, maybe you shouldn't run your half." I got all sorts of huffy on him...but did what I normally do, take his advice, stew about it, then took it to prayer.

I am a very religious person.
I know there is a God, and that he loves us and is here to help us.
After praying, I got my distinct answer...that I shouldn't run this half marathon on Saturday.

But, like most children, I took my Father's advice and I didn't listen...I took it upon myself that I would in fact run because I had been training for this for WEEKS.
All of the hours pounding the pavement to what?
Give up now?!
P'tcha...that was not me. I am no quitter. Hurting feet or no, I was going to cross that finish line.

Fast forward to yesterday morning at 4 a.m.
I awaken to the. most. painful. throat. E V E R.

Within two hours said painful throat had turned into
fever, chills, cough, congestion up the ying yang.

I spent 5 hours on the couch in fitful slumber while my
six year old played dad and delightfully helped me in any way possible.

Last night was no different.
In fact, if possible, I thinkI may have passed out a few times
IN. MY. SLEEP.

So, the Fates conspired.
And they won.
Oh how sad I am to admit that they won.
No race tomorrow.

I am a believer.

I will listen.

I will go back to bed now.

Millz

I am pretty sure she is training to be the best yoga instructor ever.

Friends, quite possibly the best.

These belong to me. I am so lucky.

"Weight a second, I can do this!"

This is a post about confessions.
It is not a post I want to be writing, but have had it going through my mind for the past few weeks, and it is one that I must write.

Remember how I have been training for the half marathon?

I haven't been blogging about it much, because, well I am a schlub.
While I have been training and running in the bitter cold, and battling illness,
and a few weeks being unable to train because of it, I have pushed through it.
The problem I am having right now though?
Tendonitis.
Like Tendonitis on steroids.

It is bad.

I described it earlier like walking on razor blades.

When I run for more than three miles I literally cannot walk for DAYS.
I feel like I am 90 years old and I can honestly not walk faster than
the older ladies at the gym on these days.
My workouts have been really rough on me, I walk a lot when I should be running.

Because of these things, and my husband noticing we discussed the
possibility of me not running the half.

When I put it out to the world, I got a handful of e-mails telling me I must do it!
That I am inspiring (thank you) and that regardless of my decision,
I would be supported either way.

Well, I have decided that I will do it.
I cry when I think about all the miles I have put in already, I just can't NOT do it.
I just won't run or train the three days this week...and hope and pray for the best on Saturday. Oh please...pray for my feet.

Part of me knows the reasons why I have had SUCH a hard time.
Here is a picture of me shortly before the last time I ran a half:



Yes, that is my bestie Casey...if you haven't met her yet you MUST at the CBC in May.

I am too prideful to show you a picture of what I look like now.

I love this picture.
That girl on the left was in a MUCH better place.
Well, sort of.
Mentally she was dealing with a lot of shee, but physically she was
30lbs
lighter than I am right now.
did I just admit that out loud?

I know that is why I am struggling.
My body hates me.
I am really struggling to shed any weight since having Millz, and that is not helping me mentally with this race...let alone physically.

If any of you are runners, then you know that the mental part of running is JUST as,
if not more important than the physical aspect.

The past two years were really hard. Things are SO good now.
I hope that sharing this small part of me will give me the courage to continue on my road to losing this extra weight I have hanging on me, so the next time I run a half...
I will be much better prepared for it.

Love you guys, thank you for continually inspiring me!
I CAN do hard things, and I will!
(totally going to buy myself that necklace when I cross the finish line.)

After the race, let's talk about what will happen when I shed 40 of those
30 extra pounds shall we?

See you at the finish line.

Frandsen Family

View entire session and order prints here.

Hinchey Family

Over the next few weeks, you may notice a slight change.

I am slowly making the transition back to film.

While I am still currently photographing my sessions with a mixture of digital and analog, most of the things you will see here and in the future will only be work shot on film.

View entire session and order prints here.

Are carrots better for your eyes...

...if you put them IN your eyes?

Apparently Millz thinks so.

Casual Blogger Conference...are you going to go with me?

Friends!
I just signed up to attend the CBC with mrs. r in May.

I am STOKED for this conference.
I want you to come with me!
It is going to be LEGIT.

Some RAD local bloggers will be speaking, people like CJane and Loralee...and Vanessa, and Kristina,
and, AND, A N D
My! BFF! CASEY!
as well as loads of other really rad bloggers.

Two of whom I have met IRL already...one I can't wait to meet.
We all need a party...so come and hang out with me. I need a jolt awake back into my blogging groove...don't you?
Also, who doesn't like swag and to party it up away from the kids from time to time?

<--------sign up to come with me over there! Let's meet IRL if we haven't yet. xoxo

Home Made Bump-its

Have you seen that commercial for bumpits?

Well, my kids have. And apparently they have seen it a lot.
I caught them the other day making home-made bumpits.
(I am not sure if I am more disturbed that bumpits is one word
(think bum-pits)
or just disturbed period?)

See for yourself:







I about died when my friend Jon saw these and was all, "Is that a bumpit?!"
Hilarity.
According to J-Dawg this was the "Hollywood Tall Bumpit".
After eating lunch in Provo last week, and I saw all the hair...I am wondering if Utah County is the number one buyer in the country of bumpits.
(love you Utah County!)

Still rolling.

Tell me YOUR bumpit story.