Arielle’s Chicago Birthday Weekend

When people hear I from Chicago, they tell me how cool it must be to live close to the city.
My response is lame and I admit that I really don’t know anything about the city and rarely go.
I am a country girl at heart and every time I would go to the city things happen that just stress me out. Like a bucket of water dumping on me from a high rise…. I can laugh now about it!
Anyway, it is a sad thing because Chicago really is a cool city and I now realize I need to go more.
This past weekend my best friend turned 25 and her fiance planned this fun filled trip to downtown Chicago.
It opened my eyes and I can actually say I had a blast in the city!
These two are some of my favorite people and the three of us have fun wherever we go.
So I thought I would share some instagram snaps from our mini get away!

Our hotel was super nice and so we had to celebrate drinking that fancy water:)

We started the day with lunch at Epic Burger which was sooo good! Such a cool vibe inside too.

Then we went to check out this well known coffee shop Intelligentsia. That’s where the cool people go I think. Except I am the totally uncool one that has to ask for ice cubes after the barista spends 5 min getting my tea temperature exact. Yeah I am a bit odd with the temperature of my drinks:)

Then we went to the Willis tower. Which was cool after we got up there but the near hour and a half wait was not worth it sorry. It was the never ending line and a patience builder haha but still an experience!

After that we got ready for dinner at this AMAZING brazilian steakhouse. It was my first time at a steakhouse like that and I almost died. It is a joke for Paleo people that all they do is eat a ridiculous amount of meat and if so then I fit the stereotype that night. So good and so much fun!

Our good friend David just moved into a new apartment so we went to check out his new place! Then we went to an improv show that I didn’t get a pic at. That was hysterical and I love shows like that.

That was a full day wowza.

The next morning we went to church at the Harvest Cathedral and I loved it! It was a beautiful building and I loved worshiping there!
Then we hung out a bit more and took top secret pictures in the park that I can’t share until later. But it was great!

And that was our weekend in the city!! I have decided to give Chicago a second chance and I will for sure go more often now:)

And I had to include a few pictures that Pat took. We like to banter whose the better photographer and don’t tell him but I think these are really good:)

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Gathered ::: March Family Fiesta

Those who know me know that I can’t get enough of Duck Dynasty. They make me laugh my head off but I love what they stand for and how much they make family a priority. It is so cool to see that they end every episode no matter where they are sitting down and eating a family meal together. I read a great quote that Phil Robertson said about their gatherings.

“Good food has always had the power of bringing people together,” Phil says. “When you add in a continual thankfulness to the Almighty for whatever blessings He’s provided, you create a time of openness, communication and fun storytelling.”

I love that concept and believe that can translate into a family that is beyond just blood related. Between Christian believers, we are all brothers and sisters and that bond is deep and something so special. I don’t want to forget that and neither does my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ around me.

So monthly we have committed to gathering around the table and creating just what Phil is talking about. About 20 of us set aside time one Sunday a month and just be together. There aren’t groundbreaking things happening or deep tear filled heart to hearts. Yet there is something happening beneath all of the laughter and good eats. It is a night where for a few hours you can be around your closest friends. For some it is a few hours of not thinking about their grandmother’s recent cancer diagnosis, their financial troubles, the daily struggle of finding purpose, or the pain of family discord. It is a few hours to feel actually loved, to feel appreciated, and to feel you are not alone. And that? That my friends is powerful nights.

I think God is glorified in that togetherness and we are stronger together than we are together.

So now that you see my heart behind things and why I get so sappy, here are some fun pictures from our fiesta:)

We had to have a mini photoshoot beforehand! Love these crazy girls!

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Then I tortured the dogs with sombreros! I couldn’t help it! They look so embarrassed though!

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Real laughing pictures melt my heart <3

 

 

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On the right is something I couldn’t stop talking about. Since I don’t eat gluten or corn I found a recipe for plantain tortillas! And they worked! 3 ingredients and I didn’t miss a regular tortilla. I was pretty excited and some people loved them! Some people:)haha

 

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These two jokesters provide laughs wherever they go. So thankful for them!

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United 2014 ::: Beach Photoshoot

While in California, there were lots and lots of opportunities for photoshoots before and after our classes for the day.
Photographers would volunteer their time and lead a photoshoot for aprox 20 photographers and teach them along the way.
I originally wasn’t planning on going to one but for some reason I decided to go on one and I am so glad I did.
The photoshoot was led by Jordan and Amy Demos aka my new favorite people ever. They are literally the most joyful and nicest couple I have ever seen. Throughout the week whenever I saw them they were still smiling. And when i had an opportunity to talk with them, they were so genuine and interested in my life which meant to much to me. And just watching them in action at an engagement session really taught me a lot! And they love the Lord which is totally obvious by the way they love others!
The models we got to work with were gorgeous (as you can tell) and some people recognized them from So You Think You Can Dance. I don’t watch the show but that is still pretty cool!
So here are some of the images I managed to grab from a sea of photographers. Such a fun experience !

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She had the best laugh! Although they were only friends they still had amazing chemistry together!
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Here are a few behind the scenes!2014-03-07_0021.jpg
Jordan and his teaching face
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We pressured Jordan and Amy to model for a few and they were adorable!2014-03-07_0024.jpg2014-03-07_0025.jpg
Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to get the shot! People driving by were wondering what the heck was going on!2014-03-07_0027.jpg2014-03-07_0026.jpg

Again huge thanks to Jordan and Amy Demos for putting this together and dedicating their time and talent toward teaching others!

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March 11, 2014 - 7:29 pm

Suzy VanDyke - Beautiful! Don’t you love shooting at the beach?! 😀

March 21, 2014 - 1:27 am

Terri Baskin - Love these images girl!!!

United 2014 Recap ::: Santa Barbara Photography Conference

I don’t know if I have the words to put into today’s blog post.
I spent last week in beautiful Santa Barbara, California at a photography conference.
But it wasn’t just any old conference.
It is called United and put on by my website company Showit. Kind of confusing but they are an incredible group.
This company has created a community of photographers dedicated to serving their clients in big ways and being united with each other as photographers.
It such a cool thing to be apart of. It is a different mindset than I have seen before. Instead of doing life on your own and keeping your gifts to youself, United encourages you to share and to change lives with what you have been given.
So the week was a whirlwind of classes, photoshoots, inspirational talks, fancy dinners, and lots of hugs.
I have made some amazing relationships from being apart of United last year and I walk away with friends all over the country. And it helps so much to be apart of the online community to. People are so generous with advice, tips, and life lessons from photography. It helps to know that I am not alone in this!
I took so much away from the conference that I am still processing it.
I learned about business and technical things with my camera.
Then I learned what it means to live and love in big ways with my camera.
So it was a lot but so much good.
It is cool to see how I have grown since last year too.
Last year I was timid, terrified and a nervous wreck.
This year was different and I even had a few people tell me they could see how much I have changed. Not only physically but emotionally as well. I stood taller, smiled more, introduced myself to strangers, and challenged myself not to hide in the corner.Now I wasn’t this jumping burst of confidence who was perfectly fine being around hundreds of amazing photographers. I may or may not have hid in my hotel room a few times. But God is growing me in that area and I will continue to fight my insecurities.

But I still took so much away and I am SO grateful for everyone and everything that took place.

So instead of rambling more here are a few pictures and people I got to hang with:)

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My two roomates were amazing! I could literally write a blog post on just them. You may recognize Xiomara from last year and it was so so great to reunite! This lady is such a joy to be around I just look up to her so much! Not only is she an amazing amazing photographer but she is such an example of a Godly wife and mother! And I got to meet Kris for the first time and fell in love with her sweet spirit. We had so many good times and she is just wonderful to be around. These two put up with alot having me as a roomate with my mess and weird eating habits!

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Self Timer Ninja!
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And here is the result of Xiomara’s self timer skills!! I stole this picture from her! Credit: Imago Dei Photography


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I got to exchange headshots with my new friend Jamie! I’ll be sharing more later of hers and the ones she took of me but head to my facebook page and check out the cover to see some of mine!2014-03-05_0020.jpg

And here are some instagram snaps!2014-03-05_0021.jpg
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And tomorrow I will be blogging about one of the amazing photoshoots I got to go on! It was a teaching experience from two of my new favorite people!
Be on the lookout:)Here is a preview!2014-03-05_0032.jpg

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March 5, 2014 - 5:49 pm

Ashley Kester - Love this! Next year we need to sit down and talk for longer than 10 minutes! :)

March 5, 2014 - 6:56 pm

Kris Kandel - Awww Sabrina this is fantastic!! I’m so glad we were roomies!! You brought me so much joy too. It was so fun getting to know you and see your lovely heart for everyone around. Hopefully we can room together again next year!! <3

March 5, 2014 - 11:45 pm

Linda Barry - Looks amazing!! I so hope I can go someday.

March 6, 2014 - 3:44 am

Candice C Wright - You are so talented Sabrina! Can’t wait to work with you!

March 6, 2014 - 3:21 pm

Lauren Wakefield - SO glad you had such an amazing time! I hope I get to see you soon!

March 10, 2014 - 9:55 pm

Xiomara Gard - SABRINA!!!! You just had me in tears…. I miss you girls like crazy. I could have spent all day hiding in our room having deep talk though! 😉 LOVE you sweet roomie

Holistic Sabby ::: Eat More Salad!

Welcome back to another edition of my holistic life series:)
This topic is something that is so simple it feels silly to be blogging about but it has made such a difference for me and being able to eat my veggies. Plus when I posted on Instagram, a lot of people seemed interested!
I love salads which makes this paleo lifestyle not so bad.
What I don’t love is assembling them every day and the hassle with trying to put a decent salad together. So then typically I just eat something else when a salad is a much better option.
So I have seen this mason jar method on Pinterest forever and I decided to actually try it! Basically you put together a weeks worth of salad in mason jars and then throughout the week you just grab and go.
If you have a food saver it is even better. You can seal the jars and they last for up to 3 weeks! Saves so much time during the week! And by doing this I eat a lot more salad. For example this week I didn’t do the jars and I haven’t been eating enough vegetables! I can feel it!
Taking healthy meals to work normally involves a lot of containers, but with this it takes me 2 min to have a healthy meal. I am starting to sound like an infomercial but I get excited about stuff like this!
You can put dressing in the bottom but I prefer just to have little jars of dressing on the side so I don’t worry about soggy lettuce.
You can go crazy with your ingredients or if you are like me keep it simple! Just layer the heavier items at the bottom and stuff the rest with your lettuce.
See? So simple but such a gamechanger for me and my meal planning for the week!
Try it friends and eat more salad!

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February 19, 2014 - 11:11 pm

Lora Densmore Cartmell - do you have a food saver or do you just use the mason jars? :)

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