Mail Call!

I L.O.V.E. getting mail. I always have. When I was a kid, I knew the sound of the mail truck by heart and my little ears could pick it up from streets away. I also knew the route, so I could determine pretty much exactly when it was going to arrive at OUR mailbox from whatever point I heard it in the neighborhood. 

Even as a grown up, I still LOVE getting mail, and get SUPER excited whenever a delivery truck comes. My problem lately is that without fail, FedEX and UPS come on the days I work, during the hours I work! And when I buy expensive things, they usually require a signature in person, so it gets very frustrating! (not that I buy expensive things very often...but when I do, I usually want them in my hands as soon as possible!) I got on my game quick after the first delivery attempt notice, and asked them to hold my package for me to pick up. 

On my lunch break yesterday I drove to the sketchy UPS warehouse and picked up my latest greatest photography purchase: the Sigma 105mm 2.8 Macro lens! I had never shot with it before (couldn't find one to rent) so I went with B&H Photo since they have a 30 day return policy. After 24 hours, I think I'm in love. I mean, there are still quite a more scenarios I want to try this baby out on. But I'm really excited to have this for the wedding next weekend! 

The purpose in getting this particular length lens was to have a longer lens for ceremonies and events where I can't physically get close to the subjects, as well as having the macro feature for close detail shots. I'm loving what I'm finding with my detail shots already. Just waiting to give the portrait side of things a whirl this weekend at our reunion at Lake Gaston with Tim's side of the family! 

So I'll leave you with a shot of my FAVORITE ring - designed and given to me by my strong, brave, handsome, funny, hard-working, creative, gentle, kind, generous, and extreme husband :) 

DIY: Framed Calendar!

My latest greatest DIY adventure was an ACTIVITY calendar. Not like "beach trip", "work", "photo school" kind of activities. Being ACTIVE kind of activities. Running, volleyball, softball, walking to work, squats during a tv show, lunges down the hallway, resistance band workouts. Basically, I wanted a place to keep track of how ACTIVE I am ACTUALLY being. Not just how active I am THINKING about being :) Because I am REALLY good at thinking about being active. And not quite so hot at actually following through long term. So my aunt recently gave me a few old frames, and I knew I had to do something with them quick or my husband would begin to feel justified in his "observations" that my collection of things I'm "going to do something with one day" just grows and never shrinks :) 

Have a look!

This is the frame I started with. Cool, but a little out of style for our home. 

First coat of spray paint. 

Second coat of paint, plus blank calendar grid (I just put the days of the week across the top, and left all the numbers out so I could use it for any month!)

I really LOVE the ornate design!

Ta-daaah! It's on the wall! And a last minute addition was hot gluing a magnet to the side so I could stick my dry erase marker up there! 

My husband loves me and thinks my things are cool. And that I'm cool. And he sneaked it on the board before I took this picture :) 

No Photos....Yet....:)

No pictures right now. Just a happy little post saying that I'm shooting my first wedding of the year today!
So, that means there will be lots and lots of photos soon. But not yet!

Exploring Etsy

It's true! I've finally got a little etsy shop up and running. Decided I'd give it a try and see if I could drum up a little more business before the summer is gone (the summer is my "business trial period" :) You can now purchase my handmade creations or prints online! Most of the listings are "Custom Order" listing, with example photos and I will create each item specifically for you when you purchase! If you see a photo of something you love, let me know and I'll check if it's still available in my local space and can mail you the exact one! 

Go check it out! And send your friends there too!

Viva Photo Art's Etsy Shop!

This whole business thing, small though it may be, has been a walk of faith for me. I don't know how long it will last. Not much stuff is selling in the store downtown. But it has been fun nevertheless! Hope that this etsy shop will help some of my far away friends be able to enjoy my creations as well!

Now off to catch up on everything I can't do on the days I work! ILOVEMYDAYSOFF!! :)

*L

Going Adventuring

So life has started to calm down a tad after a few weeks of business flurry, working to get everything official, legal, and actually created to start selling downtown! It's off to a smashing start with one of my Downtown Doors prints selling, along with one pack of photographic note cards, and one handmade vase!

However, this weekend will not be full of work of any sort. This weekend is all play. I get off work at 6pm. Our friend Emma will arrive by train sometime before that. We will meet up with Tim at home, hop in the car, and we'll be off on a weekend adventure to visit Sam & Chelsea!!

The reasons for the trip are manifold:
1. We love Sam & Chelsea.
2. Tim & Sam are best friends (and have been since they were about 7 years old), and when they go too long without seeing each other, they start to go crazy.
3. We are celebrating the pending END OF SCHOOL for both Tim & Sam. (That's not to say that they won't ever do school again. But the end of their current studies)
4. Emma wanted to visit us, and Emma wanted to visit Sam & Chelsea. So we just smashed it all together :)
5. We like getting out of dodge every once in a while. And it's been too long :)
6. We're gettin the band back together.
7. Chelsea bought Sam a new zombie xbox game which they want to force me to play.
8. Chapel Hill is a really cool place to explore with friends.
9. It's the kick off to SUMMER! Let the good times rolllllll!


So yeah. I'm sure I could come up with more reasons. But I should probably go finish packing instead, so that we can actually leave as planned this evening :)

Here's hoping you all find your own adventures this weekend, and that Jesus makes His love known to you more clearly through them.

Cheers,
*L

It's REAL! It's HERE!

So I finally have a legit outlet for selling my handmade creations and photo prints! And a website to prove it! haha. First, go visit www.vivaphotoart.com (you can't actually buy anything there -- it's just lots of pretty pictures and info on my new little business venture)

Then, come to Fredericksburg!

My little space is located inside of Caroline Square Crafts & Antiques (It is literally right across the street from Capitol Ale House -- and I know you all know where that is!) There are two doors, and you want to go in the one on the left (the craft side vs the antique side :) Inside, it's set up like a little town with little "streets" through the shops. Take your first left, and then your first right and STOP. Ha. The wall space on your RIGHT is what you're looking for! It's a tall white shelf full of fun goodies! I am sharing the space with Nancy Shattuck, who makes all sorts of fun wool felted things (purses, water bottle slings, and more!) so be sure to check out her stuff too!

It's not quite fully stocked yet, but over the next few weeks we'll be getting more and more things on those shelves! OH, and be sure to pick up one of my adorable MOO business cards when you're there. I'll be bringing them by today :)

Lindsey² (please appreciate my nerdy-ness)

This post is in honor of my other faithful blog reader :) The other Lindsey! I am incredibly thankful for you, friend. Your smile, your hugs, your blog posts, your excitement about life, your honesty, and your whole family (even uncle nacho :) have been a blessing to me and have changed me. Thanks for staying in King George :) I just wish I lived closer so we could hang out more often. Love you, *L

Happy Birthday Sarah :)

Since it is now confirmed that I have TWO readers, I shall dedicate this post to Sarah Danaher. My sister, friend, and fellow photographer. I missed your birthday, but I took the opportunity to try my hand at yet another pinterest inspired gift. It will be in the mail soon. And rather than show you its full blown glory (i gotta have SOME aspect of surprise, right?) I'm just gonna give you a sneak peak.

LOVE YOU! *L

Another day off :)

So today's pinterest accomplishments are less crafty and more FOODY!!

#1: Smoother Freezer packs! I went to Costco and filled up my cart with all sorts of yummy fresh fruit! (Specifically: nectarines, kiwis, strawberries, bananas--even though I don't like them--, aaaand spinach which is not a fruit :) I also grabbed a mango when I went to Walmart later. I have recently found on pinterest/blogs the idea of putting fresh spinach into smoothies to get those great spinach benefits with all the sweet fruity flavor. I thought it sounded like a pretty rad idea. And basically I think I need to grow up and start eating bananas even though I don't like them. They are cheap, easy to pack, and filling. I should probably develop a taste for things like that. Smoothies is a good place to start I think.

Basically I just chopped everything up and split it semi evenly into 8 freezer bags (quart size). I squeezed all the air out, zipped them, and threw them in the freezer! ta daaa! Breakfasts/lunches for quite a few days this month! (I think each bag will be more than plenty for both me and tim....if I can convince him to eat them :) Also -- just a side note -- the blog I was reading suggested using WATER instead of any kind of milk product when blending up the smoothie. Mostly because fruit and milk don't tend to mix well, and its easy for your stomach to digest with just water or juice. They suggested to move a bag from the freezer to fridge the night before to let it thaw some, and its ready to go in the morning!

#2: Freezing Leftover Coffee in Ice Cube Trays This is one of those genius little ideas I found on pinterest. We ALWAYS have left over coffee. The idea is to freeze it in ice cube trays and eventually have enough to throw in the blender with a little tasty coffee creamer and VOILA! A coffee smoothie! Brilliant!

Hope you're having a lovely week, Lindsey Schubert (I consider you the sole reader of my blog, until comments prove otherwise :) *L

my days off

So I'm wondering if I even remember how to write a blog post :) It has been wayyyy too long. I don't actually think anyone read this blog anyways, so I don't really feel bad about that. ha. BUT at special request, I will begin blogging my D(o) I(t) Y(ourself) adventures! (ya know, gotta keep the pinners happy :) Lately, my work schedule at the bank (did I ever mention I'm a bank teller?) has been allowing me two days off in a row every week (did I mention I only work part time - and never want to hold a full time job in my life? :) Two days off a week is one thing. Two days off in a ROW is another thing entirely. And it has afforded me the grand opportunity of starting AND finishing things :) The two latest projects were my lamp and my dresser. I've been wanting to tackle these since I got married and moved 9 months ago, but it just didn't happen...til now! enjoy! --------------------------------------------------

LAMP: I got this lamp from my mom (who was updating the style of her living room) and I figured I could find something to do with it. There are actually two of them. But. One thing at a time :)

The glue was amazing -- it bonded easily to the brass lamp, and was not toxic smelling :)

DRESSER: It was already white, so it just needed a fresh coat of paint. And then some flair to make it match our room (I copied the flowers from our bedspread....and penciled them onto the side, and then painted :)

I put a nice coat of mod podge over the whole thing to seal it. Mod podge is my favorite!!

Aaaand then came the drawers. They were lined with contact paper that hadn't been changed in about 20 years. Sooo, i ripped it out, sanded them down, and painted them inside and out. And then painted the sides colors so I can be happy when I leave my drawers hanging open :)

Ok, so then I had painted the knobs all those different colors. Which was rad. Until I put all my colorful stuff back on top. Then it looked like the dresser of a 10 year old. And (believe it or not) I wanted a grown up look. Soooo, painted them all brown :)

ta-DAAAAA!!! There you have it :)

with the hurricane coming...i've been crafting!

Here's the latest and greatest from the Olson home!
I needed a new way to organize my jewelry, and this is what has evolved over the last few weeks. Not sure that it's done yet, but it sure does look fun and colorful on our bedroom wall!



Clearly, I have more earrings and necklaces than any human needs. But I love how it's turning out!

i love my superman

happy 2011 :)

i like to pretend that people actually read this thing....:)

merry christmas to my sorely neglected blog friends out there :)
the week of Christmas this year has proved different than planned (violent virus was spread at a party here on monday, and many were wiped out yesterday with puking...no fun. i am very grateful to God to have NOT been one of those taken down, however my two bestest friends - Jenn and Tim - both were! It lasted about 10 hours and they are feeling all the way better today! Now for disinfecting e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. in sight ;)

I thought I would share our family christmas letter, and hope you are encouraged and comforted in your hearts as you celebrate the birth of Jesus and the redemption that He secured for us.

you will probably not hear from me again till 2011....here's hoping to more consistent posting of photos in the new year! woohoo! (we can always hope, right? :)

happy and in love, Lindsey
-----------------------------------
Greetings from the Quann family to our loved ones around the world!

My (Lindsey) turn to write the family Christmas letter has rolled around again, and I’m so grateful for the chance to take a break from the busyness of these days and reflect on all God has done since this time last year. I think that in 2010 our family has learned more personally the truth from the bible that says “eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared for those who love him.” (1Corinthians 2:9)

If you asked me to sum up the year of 2010 in the Quann home in just one word, it would be this: Unexpected. Every month has gone by, revealing an unexpected twist or turn in the story that God is writing through the lives of each one of us individually and together as a family. Unexpected joys. Unexpected sorrows. New seasons of life, new relationships, new challenges, new jobs, new direction, new ministry opportunities, new schedules, new family adventures. And yet in the midst of all of the new and unexpected, the good and the bad, the defining factor has been VERY expected, INTENSELY sought after, and FREELY given: deeper relationship with the God of sustaining grace, mercy, and love. He is the strength that held our family together through this year, just like every year before, and every year to come. Even through the most painful moments, when we might have felt like we were falling apart, God was molding us more into the image of His son Jesus, and teaching us more deeply what love really means.

Since even a summary of the events of 2010 would fill a novel, I will keep it to some highlights: Mom and Dad celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary with a fabulous week together in the outer banks. (Side note: for adult kids still living at home, there are challenges for sure. But getting to see our parents grow in their love and commitment to each other through the changing seasons of life has been an unexpected gift.) Jenna and I got stretched in our girls retreat experiences this summer, as we helped put on not only our usual teen girls retreat in Virginia, but also flew to Guatemala to do a girls retreat at Hope of Life Ministries (Yes, it was in Spanish. Talk about walking by faith!) Jenna continues her job teaching GED classes in King George, and went to her first out of town work conference, which made her feel like an official grown up. She also set a personal record: attended 4 weddings, read 6 books, and took 10 trips in just a 3 month period! Charlie, the brother with many names (Aaron, Quincy, Buddy…), jumped back into school this summer at Germanna Community College. Playing guitar and writing songs has become his favorite pastime and creative outlet, during days filled with calculus, chemistry and engineering classes. (If you frequent downtown Fredericksburg in the evenings, you might even find him and Jenna sitting on the sidewalks making music with an open guitar case, collecting enough change from passersby for a slice of pizza :) I have found myself quite occupied with a very handsome man who loves Jesus, who asked me this summer if I would marry him. And I happily said yes. Thus wedding planning has ensued, and in May 2011 I will become Mrs. Tim Olson! (Side note, to all the 7 year olds out there: you never know if that kid you’re playing with might become your husband/wife 16 years later. Be nice to them :) Ariel, Matt and their 4 adorable kids (Tyler, Audrey, Connor and Karis) still live in our neighborhood and bring sunshine and MUCH laughter into our lives. This fall we accomplished one of our family goals, just in the nick of time: a trip to Niagara Falls, Canada and Buffalo, NY to visit mom’s college before anyone else got married. It was the perfect time of year to visit that area of the world. Pictures do not do it justice. We also got to visit the Republic of Texas for the first time, and celebrate our cousin’s wedding with mom’s side of the family.

Believe me, that is only the tip of the 2010 iceberg! It is our hope and prayer that our glorious Lord Jesus will make Himself known to you intimately in whatever place you find yourself this Christmas. Whether it be a season of busyness or of rest in your life, of joy or of sorrow, that you would find Him to be your ever present help and comfort. The baby in the manger over 2000 years ago is not just a story for little kids. It is the true story of the eternal God setting in motion His plan of eternal love to put our sin to death and bring us to life. It was the beginning of the story that brings us peace in the midst of chaos, and hope in the midst of pain. This Christmas, we are celebrating the birth of the One who is making all things new.
With much JOY, the Quanns

i heart faces: orange

It is a well known fact that orange is my favorite color. Even my 3 year old friends know that :) It was the perfect motivation to get me back into the i heart faces photo challenges after several months of slacking...and i caught it just in time, as I only have half an hour till this week's challenge closes!

So here you have it folks: one of my favorite little boys in my favorite color :) This kid is captivating. I can stare at those gorgeous eyes all day and never get tired. And he also has an amazing mama who has a fabulous blog of her own: http://ljlifeandliterature.blogspot.com/

i am alive. really i am. and i'm turning 23.

so i realized its been...ohhh...maybe 100 years since i last blogged. i honestly don't even know if anyone reads this, and i wouldn't blame them for not reading it with how infrequently i write anything :) i'm turning 23 tomorrow (or today if you want to be picky....yes its just about midnight). I figured that was good enough reason to update.

i DO plan to get back into my I <3 faces challenges as soon as I get a handle on the rest of my life (no telling when that will be ;)

the last few months have been a cross between a tornado and a roller coaster. they have held moments of tragedy and heartache, and moments of crazy joy and sheer bliss. the common factor being God's hand of steadfast love in all of the moments. i am learning mucho. learning about myself. learning about God. learning about others. learning about love. learning about understanding men. learning about marriage. learning about the sin in my heart. learning about humility. learning about repentance. learning about forgiveness. learning about fighting the lies of the enemy with truth. learning about waiting. learning about investing in others. learning about trusting God. learning about giving burdens to God. learning about asking God for the things I need. learning about how God provides for my needs in ways i don't expect.

wanna know whats been keeping me so busy (and mostly keeping me out of trouble)?
- helping in Ms Higgens' kindergarten class at Potomac elementary
- a plethora of house cleaning/babysitting/photography jobs
- spontaneous family trip to Niagara Fall, Canada (driving: 10 hours each way. left friday, came back sunday. so much fun.)
- weekend family excursion to Texas for our cousin Joe's wedding (flying: first time we ever flew as a family IN the country. usually we're headed to mexico when we're all on a plane together)
- weekend with the four fabulous Littlejohn kids: Katie (7), Julia (5), Lucy (3), Anderson (1). i gotta say, we packed a lot of fun into one weekend :)
- girls weekend trip to the Outer Banks with Mom, Aunt Deb and Jenn: perfect weather. and I didn't take a single picture the whole time. i still don't know whether to be glad or sad about that :)
- my amazing, wonderful, handsome, sweet, STRONG, intense, tender, encouraging, and muy guapo fiance, TIM....who is the best lover i could ever ask for :) he is working SO hard on school right now, that we don't get a whole lot of time together. But the time God has given has been sweet indeed.
- w.e.d.d.i.n.g. planning <3 this has been lots of fun. i LOVE planning things. its like the biggest party of my life :)

so. with all that said.....i hope to catch up on pictures soon, find some sort of regular weekly schedule that will allow time for taking MORE pictures and posting pictures for the I <3 faces challenges again...and also for posting pictures of this wonderful crazy life God has given me.

happy november.

[guatemala love ♥ ]

Something tells me there are a few of you out there still not quite sure what all went down in the whirlwind adventures of this past week of my life. Let me try to put together the pieces for you.

On Friday July 9th, I flew with a group of girls to put on a girls retreat in Zacapa, Guatemala. It was an amazing week seeing God at work in our hearts and in the hearts of the girls and women we were there to serve. We were challenged, encouraged, and experienced God's grace and provision every day. Lots of laughs...lots of silliness....lots of praying...and i mean LOTS of praying...and lots of eating gooooood guatemalan food :)

On Friday July 16th, we left Hope of Life Ministries, and took a 4 hour bus ride to the cobblestoned city of Antigua. I fell asleep half way through and woke up as we pulled up to the Hotel Posada Don Valentino. In my sleepy-headed glory, I got off the bus and began the adventure of getting our bajillion suitcases into the hotel. I had just dropped my bags in the lobby, and was turning around to go back for more, when I heard someone say "Tim". I didn't actually think it was MY Tim, but I turned around anyways to head out the door. Only I stopped. Because it WAS MY TIM. So a very confused but happy Lindsey walked over and gave Tim a hug and said something very romantic like "wa...wa...hey what are you doing here?" :) He was smiling and all I remember him saying is "Come with me..." as he put his arm around me and led me out the door of the hotel and around the corner....into a pretty little corridor-ish place with green stuff :)

He took both my hands, took a deep breath, and dropped to one knee. Looking deep into my eyes, he said lots of beautiful things, including (but not limited to) "You are the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. Lindsey, will you marry me?"

Right before he popped that question, while I was looking deep into his eyes, I laughed. I laughed because I realized that this was real life. And the man of my dreams was really about to ask me to marry him. It hadn't even sunk in yet that he had flown all the way to GUATEMALA to do so. But when he did ask, I said yes. And then there was much happiness and hugging, as Sam Krieg can testify to....since he was hiding in the taxi van video taping the whole thing :) Gotta say it just feels right to have Sam's spanish/english commentary in the background of mine and Tim's engagement...he's been there since the very beginning of our friendship as 7 year olds :)

I told Tim then that I found the whole experience even more ridiculous and humorous because just the day before, I had been floating around in the pool with my friend Angela. We had been talking about how you know that someone is THE ONE you are supposed to marry. She asked me, "If Tim showed up HERE in Guatemala TOMORROW and asked you to marry him, what would you say?" And I told her "Yes. Without a doubt yes." To which she added, "Well i would like it if he did, because then I could be there."

Wish granted.

After long-hug number one, Tim took my hand and slipped on a ring he had gotten for me that week. He explained that he hadn't thought of this Guatemala plan until the day I left, so he only had a week to plan everything, and that wasn't enough time to get the engagement ring he wanted. So engagement ring numero uno is a beautiful white gold ring with a heart surrounding my orange birthstone :) Long-hug numero dos ensued.

We finally walked back out to join my team of crazy lady friends who had been clued into what was happening by our very own Mrs. Wine (who had successfully kept the secret ALL WEEK LONG, as Dr. Wine had called her very early on to get information for Tim so he could be at the right place at the right time :) They were MUCHO excited for us :)

I was pretty much speechless. (I know, I know, you didn't think it was possible for me to be lost for words. But it is. Pretty much only when it involves Tim...and love....:)

The rest of the day we spent exploring Antigua, and Crina took some "engagement-ish" photos for us so we wouldn't forget what had just happened to us :) I had spent all week wishing Tim was with me to experience Guatemala together.....and now he was :)

I have just noticed that I have used an excessive number of parenthetical smily faces in this note. Take that as just a glimpse of the kind of joy I'm feeling these days. God has been so kind and gentle with me in leading me on this path, in teaching me how to live and to love more selflessly, and helping me to open my heart to the man who has walked a thousand miles to fall down at my door (yes, thats a Proclaimers reference. Best song ever. And he may not have walked the whole way, but he's definitely gone more than 1000 miles for me in the last few years...even when I didn't know he loved me...)

So that's the short version of my love story :) Enjoy.

i heart faces: then & now

This week's iheartfaces challenge makes me laugh every time I think about it. Seriously. To get the full idea of what this is about, you have to check out this website HERE.

So as soon as I saw this upcoming challenge....I knew exactly what photo I wanted to recreate. With the help of my mom, sister, brother and cousin...and a delicious spaghetti dinner....here you have it folks. age 2 and age 22.


[please note: you cannot really tell because of the angle and my size difference, but I am actually in the same chair.]

i heart faces: smiles

Smiles. I LOVE smiles. And I also happen to LOVE my mom and dad. And they also happen to LOVE each other. Can't you tell? :)



i heart faces weekly challenge :)

i heart faces: collage

This crazy collage makes my heart happy. Because it was a crazy trip, getting to see the beautiful work of God in our hearts and lives with our familia mexicana in Mexico City.



I made the collage with Picasa. This is my first entry for an i♥faces weekly challenge.

Scratch that. We're on :)

So the iheartfaces community network (separate site) is hosting a contest for the month of April.
Theme: Laughter
You get 5 submissions.
Here are mine.
Enjoy.