Miller Family

T & S Christian

Catching up in pictures

James and I went on vacation and now I am looking forward to getting back started with my photography. Goal is to have at least 1 photo shoot per month to post here on my blog. Until I get my first shoot here are some pictures from Hawaii!

At the botanical gardens on the North Shore.

At the black sand beach on the Big Island and a garden we were at.

At a garden on the Big Island and here is the view from the balcony of my friends condo the first morning.

Amanda gave us Leis as we got there and here are Green Turtles sunbathing on the North Shore

In front of Waimea falls and on the Black Sand beach

Not sure what crater this is but it is still steaming from an explosion in Feburary and Rainbow Falls.

Hanging at the beach and waiting for our Luau

They have these awesome trees called Banyan trees. The largest one is in Maui and fills an entire city block!

Hobby

James has a new hobby! That is one of the things that I posted about a long time ago(click here to see.) I am so excited that he has finally found something that he can do that is fun and productive! James is getting into guitar pedal making! His first pedal is a mute pedal that will allow him to mute his computer while up on stage. I am so excited for him! Here is a picture from the phone. I will soon get a better one!

Update

It has been over 2 months since my last blog post. I have never been good at keeping things up to date. I figure that this can be an update over the last few months and I can start fresh after that.

My last post was about the Standard Process Cleanse. Since the beginning of that cleanse I have lost 17.2 pounds. James and I have also been doing P90X doubles. The double part of P90X that we have been doing has been running. We are training for a 10K. We have no race planned because we are finishing the training when there are no races in the area. It will still be Triathlon season. After doing the 10K training we will see about doing a 1/2 marathon during the winter sometime. Doing running and P90X has been exciting but very time consuming. I feel so much better when I am working out but sometimes the workouts are very overwhelming. I love P90X. I must say that although we have tried to do P90X on multiple occasions I still cannot ever get close to doing a pull-up.

I was promoted at Apple and I am enjoying the job. I am learning something new every single day that I am there. I am looking forward trying to learn UNIX so that I can be more proficient in Terminal and begin to learn even more about the operating system.

James began traveling for the summer so I have had a lot of time by myself at home. To take up that time we have started to read the Harry Potter series. Currently I am on the Order of the Phonenix. The next book is the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince which comes out on July 15, 2009. I am hoping to get through that book before I see it in theater. The later books are not as similar to the movies as the first in the series. The books have been much better as they almost always are.

I am also reading the The Shack again with the community group/house church that we have been attending when my schedule allows. I love this book! It explains things in such different terms sometimes. I recommend this book to everyone!

I am hoping to get back into the photography scene again as well. I have let that slip through the cracks with working and working out. Let me know if you are interested in setting up some time for pictures and practice!

Cleanse

On April 10, 2009 my husband and I started the Standard Process Purification Cleanse as recommended by our chiropractor Dr. Ryan Osborne. It is a 21 day cleanse to rid your body of toxins. When it comes to eating we have never really been that healthy and rarely if ever bought organic food. All that began to slowly change in October of 2007. I was at my heaviest weight and decided to do something about it. I began training for a Sprint Tri and was successful at finishing. Since then we have become much more active. I have participated in one other sprint tri, 5K, and gone through the P90X. We are looking forward to either a 10K or 1/2 marathon in the fall. Our diet was slowly changing during this process but never really enough. This cleanse has had us soley on fruits, vegetables, and their shakes for the past 9 days. All foods, or at least most, have been organic. What a change! I felt pretty crummy the first few days but I am now reaping the benefits! I have more energy, sleeping much better, and most of all I have seen 7.2lbs. in weight loss!
I have learned a lot about myself in this process so far. I am going through a transition right now at work which is causing me a little bit of stress due to the unknowns. I have found out that during stressful situations or just a bad day I am such an emotional eater. I had a hard time on those days fight away the cravings. I made it through those days and know better for the next time to not to go to the food because it is not going to make my day any less stressful or make me feel better. I have been very addicted to carbs and sugar. I have done well without sodas and can probably keep not having those, but the bread and candy I am struggling with. I love those two things. Obviously to much!
Vegetable do not have to taste bad! We have been trying many new recipes and have loved all but one. We are planning to continue having them once we are off the cleanse. They say that it takes 21 days to create a habit and that is how long this cleanse is. I am hoping that we are creating good eating/cooking habits. In all the time that we have been working out we have never truly focused on the diet and been able to keep to it. Now we have a few tools my hope is to complete P90X again with our new eating habits and watch the pounds melt away to show all the muscle that we have built and are building!

Family

These three items were all given to me by family. The gold heart necklace was given to me when I was two by my Grandandy Elbert DeLozier, who is my Mom's grandfather. My Mom has one exactly like this. When I was talking with my Mom she told me that she thinks her mom, so my Grandmother, has one as well. My Grandandy apparently gave them his girls. The ring was given to me by, my Dad's mom, Granny. The ring was her mothers. In my bathroom at home I have pictures of the three of us all about the same age, I was a senior in high school. The earrings belonged to my Aunt Lenora. She was married to my Mom's brother. She died in 1993, I think, of a heart attack. My uncle gave these to me after her death. The only other real diamonds I have other than my wedding rings. All these items were given in love. I often forget about these items because I safely store them away so I don't lose them. I did however where the ring on my wedding day as my something blue.

My Two Favorites

My favorite person in my favorite place to hang out.

Things to do

A college roommate inspired to make a list of things I wanted to do in life. She had about 50 things on her list and they were all to do by the time she was 30. Her list was always changing though. I started this list back in 2002 or so I think. I have taken a few item off and I have added quite a few. I hope to continue to check items off and add things to this list. I always wanted to have the 100 Top Books of the Modern Library read by the time I was 30. I am about to turn 26 and still have 59 books left. Some of them are trilogies so maybe even a few more than 59.
I didn't have much else to blog about so I thought I would share. If you are interested I can send out the list of books that I am reading off of.

My List

Masters Degree - not sure in what
Monster Truck Finals in Vegas with my Dad
Go sky diving
Scuba Dive in the Grand Caymen
Go on a live-a-board
Go on a long mission trip
Read the top 100 books of the modern library
Go to Disney World
Tour Europe
Go to candy school
Take a photography class**Have taken the One Light seminar: only kinda counts
Take an art class: drawing/painting/graphic arts
Learn to swing and salsa
Pottery class
Learn to play the guitar well
Learn to play the drums
Ride horses in Montana
Own New Car**Done 2008 Scion XB
Go to New York/Broadway
Go on a Cruise
Vacation in Australia
Summer camp counselor**Done: Summer 2004 Hidden Falls Ranch
Learn to surf**Going to Hawaii in August--Thanks Amanda
Read the top 100 classic books
Ride/Drive a jet ski**I have done this once but I am not satisfied
Learn to snow board
Lounge on the beach**Going to Hawaii in August--Thanks Amanda!
Ride motorcycles/motocross
Participate in a long bike race
Participate in a 5K/10K/and half marathon**Have done 5K: going to do 10K or 1/2 in October
Participate in a dualthon
Participate in a sprint/olympic triathlon**Have done 2 sprints but want to do them once I am in better shape
Run a 10 minute mile
Learn to speak another language

Dentist

I have never liked going to the dentist. My first experiences at the dentist were not too bad I guess. I remember playing the waiting room with all the toys and getting a sucker when I was done. I had two teeth pulled. I thought that the tooth fairy would bring me extra money because I had the tooth and the root. No such luck though. The teeth were still worth the same amount. When I was in 5th or 6th grade I got braces. I had always wanted them, but once I got them I hated them. It was hard to floss and when they adjusted them it hurt so much.
Once I had my braces taken off.....5 years later my teeth were in pretty bad shape. I had never really had cavities before braces and once they were off I had a plethora of them. I had my first root canal when I was 18. I had to have it redone when I was 20 because the dentist missed an extra root that I had. Since then I have had multiple root canals, crowns, and fillings. I fill like I am being tortured when I go to the dentist. The sounds, smells, and looks of everything in the dentist office scares me.
My three most recent dentist/specialist have had TVs hooked up in the office so you can watch TV while they grind away at your teeth and what not. I am ready to be able to go in for a cleaning and be told your teeth look great! Then I will be able to enjoy the TVs.
All this is brought about because I had a crown and a few fillings on at the first of the year. I began have major sensitivity issues and a lot pain on the back right side of my jaw. My dentist booked me for my next appointment to have a few more fillings done, but it was about a month away. I though I would be able to make it through. I could not handle the pain. I could not sleep, eat, or even breath without it hurting. They began running some cold tests and all I could do was cry. I felt so dumb for crying. They sent me on over to a root canal specialist who told me I would need two root canals done.
We got one done and it seems to be doing great. The other tooth is now infected and is causing all sorts of problems. I have been taking Vicodin, Advil, and Amoxicillin to try and take care of the infection and pain. It seems the more I go to the dentist the more I don't like them. Not to mention how expensive they are!

P90X

I am finishing up week four of P90X for the second time. I have not seen as much weight loss this time but I can feel a difference in my muscles. This round has been a lot more fun and I can't wait to start the second month. We will take pictures and measurements on Sunday. I can't say I am really looking forward to seeing the numbers. In all the blogs that I have read it seems like the first month is all for building your base muscle and then the second month you start to lose weight. For the most part I feel better about myself and that is really all that matters. I know that taking care of your body is one of the most important things that I can do. Knowing that I am doing that makes me feel accomplished. I have also start using the Loseit program on the iPhone. Not a perfect application but great for what I am looking for. It allows you to track calories will very little work and also helps you set goals and know when you will achieve them. I have only started using the application a few days ago, but I think it is going to be an invaluable resource to me losing weight. I have set a goal weight and if I can lose just 1 pound a week I will be done at the end of June. Then I can work on maintaining. At this point in time I feel like 1 pound a week is not that much to ask of myself. I think I will be able to acheive this with P90X and a healthy diet.
I know this is a little long winded and not about much but it is what I have been thinking about the past week or so.
I am nervous about learning a brand new set of excercises but I am looking forward to it at the same time. I can't wait to see what kind of results I can get from a healthy diet and hard work without having to go the gym!

New

New equipment, new site, and new name! I have purchased and have received some new equipment to help out with my hopes and dreams of one day helping support my family with photography. I have finally decided on a name as well. FiveSquaredPhotography
I have purchased the name on the web and so I have a small and very unfinished website up with pictures. http://www.fivesquaredphotography.com Today I did a small shoot with the Christian family to test out the new equipment. I was extremely happy with the results. I couldn't help but post a lot of the pictures. I couldn't pick just 1 or 2. Sorry if it is overwhelming!

I've Been Tagged!

I was tagged in the picture game.The object of the picture tag is to:
1) Choose the 4th folder where you store your pictures on your computer.
2) Select the 4th picture in the folder.
3) Explain the picture.
4) Tag 4 people to do the same.
No cheating (cropping, editing, etc.) Have fun!!!
Everyone else has a cute picture of their kids or of themselves and this is what I have. I feel a little ripped off. Oh well, here is the story.
This is our first Scion XB that was obviously in a wreck summer of 2007. I was driving to Amarillo with my Mom to look at new cars for her and for some reason I was driving my car and she was driving hers. I was following her and a semi pulled in between us. We drove for a mile or so and after that it gets real fuzzy. The next thing I know I am right up on the semi's trailer and so I jam on my brakes. I don't seem to slow down and I really start to panic. I was attached the the semi's trailer. I put my car in neutral because I can't do anything else and I continue to push the brake as hard as I can. The semi finally pulls away from me taking my front bumper with him. Apparently the semi had changed lanes but then without looking came back into my lane. I had already moved up enough for him to grab my bumber and latch on. I don't think that he even knew it happened. We had called 911 and they looked through all the road leaving Amarillo and found no semi with my bumper attached and we never did find the bumper. I was not injured and made it out fine. The car was said to be a total loss. Sinc this is a sad picture I am attaching picture of the morning of the accident because I had just hand wash and waxed the car as well a picture of the new car that we got after this.

Tagging Jennie, the Bean family,Kayla, and Casey.