Denver Derby Day

Waking up at negative bajillion in the morning definitely sucked for the flight, but I was so excited about going to Denver that I didn't really care. Not to mention the flight was 20 minutes shorter than expected. The Denver Airport is the scariest place I've ever been. Awhile back I watched a documentary on how conspiracy theorist believe that the New World Order constructed it to commit a mass genocide, so I had that in the back of my mind the entire time I was there. The picture above is one of the murals they talk about in the documentary.

One of the things I was looking forward to in Denver was seeing for real mountains, but when I landed I couldn't see any out of the plane window. But as soon as I got out of the airport there they were...MOUNTAINS!!!

Jen took me downtown Denver so I could see all the cool shenanigans there before we went to her house and because my bad luck doesn't just effect me it has to get everyone around me, her muffler falls off her truck...right in the middle of one of the busiest roads in Denver!! I swear that everything I touch breaks (later I went to the bathroom at her house and I shut the door and pulled the knob right off!) I suck lol. But we pulled over in front of the "world's largest discount laundry." I love seeing the "world's largest...."

We get back to Jen's house and get all settled in and then we're off to DERBYVILLE! An entirely derby dedicated store in Denver. I had stumbled across it when I was checking out the Rocky Mountain Roller Girls. So naturally we had to check it out. We, of course, drive past it the first time and on the way back spot this really weird looking building which turns out to be the BIGGEST resale/vintage/costume shop I have ever seen. We browsed that for quite awhile. All kinds of awesome stuff in there, but unfortunately there were signs everywhere saying that we couldn't take pictures :( After that quick pit stop, we found Derbyville, which was everything I imaged it to be. Absolutely adorable, girly and BA at the same time, and Amy was the cutest thing ever! And so incredibly nice. We chatted derby and I got to put a sticker up on the map for Michigan. I bought an uber cute shirt and got a sweet bout poster with the amazing artwork of Jay Vollmar.

Then it was back to the house for a much needed nap and to get ready for the bout at the Filmore: Rocky Mountain Roller Girls vs. San Diego Derby Dolls. What an intense game!! I had never seen such an amazing game of roller derby ever played. I should have known it was going to be incredible since RMRG were the 2010 Championship Winners. They had cheerleaders, a mascot and the coolest announcing system ever. Not to mention the Filmore was absolutely gorgeous. I was impressed from the get go, then the game started and I don't think my mouth closed the entire game. The final score was RMRG 296 - SDDD 25...they got creamed, but fought right down to the last jam. I can't even express in words how cool it was without sounding like a blubbering idiot. Just know, if you weren't there, you suck and missed the best thing I have ever seen.

Their after party is at this place called the Beauty Bar, you can get martini's and your nails did at the same time. It was very 80's retro nail salon meets bar/club. Super cute.

Flying Solo

There's something fascinating about traveling by yourself. With everything these days revolving around technology and sitting behind a computer screen talking to someone halfway around the world; it's really easy to be content with that. Studies show that the younger generation lacks everyday social skills and since a lot of my job is based sitting on a computer, I slowly find myself falling into that category. So it's exhilarating to get out there and see the world first hand. There's also something freeing about leaving your comfort zone of your own vehicle and having to rely on on someone else for transportation (ie. planes, trains, cabs, subways...). I practically live in my car, between driving back and forth to school and meeting clients all over the state; I am completely comfortable in my car. I can eat, sleep, and go places in my car; so leaving it behind and leaving my fate up to someone else (despite prior planning) is completely out of my comfort zone. It makes me uneasy and excited all at the same time. I love traveling anywhere and everywhere. I want to see the world, eventually visiting every continent...well maybe not Antarctica, it's too cold for me :) I want to see mountains and oceans and wide opens plains. I want to photograph the wonders of the world. I am hoping to travel at least twice a year to somewhere new. Last year I didn't get a chance to go anywhere, but this year I was able to travel quite a bit. And I'll be leaving in 8 hours on my way to Denver, Colorado. I never thought I'd be going there...as a matter of fact I had VOWED never to go there because of their ban on pit bulls. It was my way of protesting their ban and not giving the city any of my business. But since Hawaii got cancelled and one of my friend's moved out there in May and has been wanting me to come visit, I broke my vow and now I'm going. I will be bringing my Hello Bully t-shirt that says "Pit bulls are for Lovers" and will be wearing it proudly. So I will still be spreading pitty love <3

Bedtime...I will see all of you tomorrow...in Denver!!

Two Days

OMG, I leave in two days. Goal today: Get off of work, go home and pack!!! Well, at least that's the plan...I know myself too well. But I also need to clean the house a bit so I don't feel like so much of a slacker. Photos will be coming of the journey, just like last time. However, hopefully this will be a lot less stressful than the trip to Ireland lol. I do have a nonstop flight, so it should be :)

Derby in Denver

So, I'm sad to say that I am no longer going to Hawaii. It's not that I'm sad that I'm not going, I'm sad that I found out 10 days before I was supposed to leave, but I'm the queen of compulsive purchases so I threw all plans in the wind and bought tickets to Denver, Colorado. I have a good friend that lives out there and I figured I'd get to have fun visiting her and seeing a new place still. I already had made all the arrangements for time off and a dog-sitter, so I didn't have to change anything besides my destination. It all worked out great!!

Now for the greatest part, she used to play on my derby team here in Michigan so she looked up the team out there and there's a bout going on the day I land...yep, you guessed it, we're going to see the Rocky Mountain Rollergirls (5280 Fight Club) take on the San Diego Derby Dolls. Here's the Facebook event if you want to check it out. Also, there's a store dedicated to everything roller derby, right in Denver!!! I'm SO excited, we're going to hit it up on the way to the bout. It's called Derbyville and here's their website. We're going to have so much fun, I can't wait! And of course, keep checking back for tons of pictures...t-minus 10 days...

T-Minus 16 Days

I can't believe that time has flown by SO fast!! I leave for Hawaii in 16 days!! I can not wait until my massage on the beach at 9am and chillin' ocean side taking beautiful photos.

Hawaii Update

The dates are set for Hawaii! I'll be there from September 29th - October 4th (really the 5th since it's an overnight flight home). I'll be staying at a resort and spa, so there's no way I'm not getting a full body massage while I'm there. I've never had one before so it should be amazing. I looked over what they offer and I think I'm going to do the sunrise one in the cabana outdoors...mmmmm...

I had been feeling rather nervous about shooting the wedding without an assistant, I've done it before so it's really no big deal, but this is my first destination wedding and I definitely don't want anything to mess it up since this could potentially open SO many new doors for my business. Not to mention when I went to the Sandy Puc tour I asked her what her best advice was for me and she said, "get an assistant." So I placed an ad on craigslist and had a HUGE response, much more than anticipated. It was nice being able to pick from a range of skill levels, but I finally found a woman who's style compliments mine and who shoots weddings regularly. Now my brain is finally at ease (at least for the moment).

Hit the Ground Running

So fresh off the plane from Ireland and I get an email asking me to photograph a wedding in Hawaii!! Right now it looks like I'll be there in early September, she's still trying to coordinate the dates with all the family and friends. I've always wanted to go to Hawaii, just the idea of lush, tropical paradise got me...hook, line and sinker. Not to mention the photos I'll be able to get there. I just received my gallery blocks from Artsy Couture and they are the most gorgeous pieces of art I've seen (and I'm not just saying that because my images are on there lol). The craftsmanship and print quality are outstanding! I hope to be able to buy some from Ireland and I can only imagine how awesome Hawaii photos are going to look.

So I hope to be able to knock "volcano or lava flow" off my photographer's bucket list with this trip. I've been googling things that I can do while I'm there and there's SO many sweet things. Horseback riding, helicopter rides, botanical gardens, surfing, snorkeling, zip lines, hiking, roller derby team (this is a must!!)...I really don't know how I'm going to decide what to do. The bride said that they plan on doing some hiking and whatnot so I'll probably hang with them for a bit. I'll be there for a week so I'll have time to be able to do some things on my own if I like as well. I'm super excited, I've dreamed of being asked to do a destination wedding and didn't think that it would happen, but it did! Now just to loose some weight so I'll be beach ready and not so self conscience :)