Hey guys, I've marked some of the items down in my store for a quick sale! I also have a lot of items starting at just $0.99 that are ending soon! I have items by Coach, Dooney & Bourke, Michael Kors, Harajuku, Kate Spade, Steve Madden, Rocketdog, Betsey Johnson, etc. Don't miss out on these great deals! http://stores.ebay.com/amber-lanes-fashion"

Craig and Jaime
Keystone Ranch, Colorado
July 19, 2008

Jaime and Craig had a gorgeous mountain wedding Saturday. Mike and I love Keystone weddings, and the Keystone Ranch didn't disappoint! The views of the mountains and lake were fantastic, and we even had a chance to ride around the grounds in golf carts for a photo session with Jaime and Craig. They had a big wedding with lots of family, including six parents, four flower girls, and three ring bearers. We got so many great photos that day that I can't figure out how to narrow them down for my blog!

Jaime and Craig, thank you for asking us to photograph your wonderful wedding! Congratulations!

( More photos from their wedding )

Venue: Keystone Ranch
Coordinator: Wendee Walter Vezzetti
Florist: Creations by Christine
DJ: A Music Plus

So, Phillip and I are planning a vacation for the beginning of August.. Our top ideas are to either go camping up north, or to go to Niagara Falls. I think both would be nice. I haven't been camping in a long time and would love to go. On the other hand, the falls might be a little more romantic.

I think I'm leaning more toward the camping though. Since we'll be in the middle of no where, we wont be eating out at restaurants and I can choose healthy foods to bring with us and still count calories. Also, I think it'll be a more active vacation---we can do lots of hiking and swimming. Not to mention it'll be great to just get away from it all.

Ok, so, this is kind of silly but..

When I drink the standard 8 cups of water during the day...I can't sleep for more than a few hours at a time at night without having to get up to pee. Last night I got up three frickin' times. I already sleep very, very poorly, and this is NOT helping.

I stop drinking several hours before I go to bed, too, so it's not like I am chugging water right before I lie down at night.

Is there anything that can be done about this??? Should I be concerned?

So, I'm an illustrator/lowbrow artist and I just started a new series... Monster Pets: A twist to the traditional pet portrait. It's something to combine my love of both monsters and dogs. Since my kids are a chihuahua and a chi/jack russell mix --- naturally, i started out with the Chihuahua and thought some'a YOU might dig it too!


nikscarlett.etsy.com

I'm excited about my new sample proof book! It is bound in a pretty sage green linen, and it just feels durable and lovely. I've offered these books to a few clients who've requested them, but this is the first time I've ordered a sample for myself.

If any of my clients want one of these books, please let me know! They are a great way to sort through hundreds of wedding photos, and they make it easy to carry all your photos around and share them with people.

( More photos of this proof book )

does anyone have the rafe for target black patent doctor's bag that they're willing to part with and sell? i have been looking for one (regretting that i didnt get it the first time around) and have looked on ebay. only to find that when i do, their prices are WELL above the retail price (orig. $49.95)

i am either open to paying via-paypal or i have some purses in my collection im willing to part with, some are brand new with tags.

please let me know and thanks in advance.

(x-posted to other comm.)

( under the cut )

does anyone have the rafe for target black patent doctor's bag that they're willing to part with and sell? i have been looking for one (regretting that i didnt get it the first time around) and have looked on ebay. only to find that when i do, their prices are WELL above the retail price (orig. $49.95)

i am either open to paying via-paypal or i have some purses in my collection im willing to part with, some are brand new with tags.

please let me know and thanks in advance.

(x-posted to other comm.)

( under the cut )

I've been without a camera for almost a month so I've fallen behind in the arena of puppy pictures. I just took this camera out of the box last night so here are some new pictures of my guys- Chavez, my 3 yr old fawn chihuahua and Remo, a 7 month old "Heinz 57" (the rescue told me there was some chi in there, but I love him either way):



( More Puppies This Way )

I saw someone else make a similar post, I'm open too on any thoughts on what Remo might be? The Rescue said Chi, Doxie, and terrier... as he gets older I can see the doxie, but he looks less and less like a chi.

Goals I forgot to set. These are subject to change of coarse. I based this on losing an average of 2lbs a weekish. Cause I know from past experience it changes quite a bit from week to week. When you look at it this way it doesn't seem impossible at all!

215 by 1st day at Pet Smart (8/11/08)

205 by The first day of Vet Tech School (9/3/08)

175 by Thanksgiving (11/27/08)

150 by my Sisters 15th birthday (1/22/09)

130 by my 24th birthday (3/16/09)

So, this week (last couple of weeks, really) have been SO FRIGGIN' BUSY!   I've not gone to the gym much, but have gotten plenty of exercise... between mowing the lawn (with a reel mower... lots of work and sweat, heh!) and getting my girl set for camp (the shopping nearly killed me both physically and financially, not to mention emotionally with trying to please a 13 year old on a budget and time crunch!) and I also have been constructing a booth for my corner in the local artisan's market.... which means things like gathering the materials to make a branch and twig arbor... then constructing it in the parking lot in the swealtering sun, heh!

ANYWAY...

That has all been good. I have been eating pretty well (though got my diet-soda kick going again and I really need to kick that in the arse)... and my weight is progressing as expected... in that, with the heat and less gym time it's staying more or less the same.  I'm not unhappy about that, though.  It takes a long time for me to lose weight if it's going to stay off, and after a year-long plateau, I'm so excited to see the scale going down again that I could dance a little jig right here for y'all... 'cept 1) you'd not see it and 2) my office-mates might call the crisis intervention team in ;)

Female, 33, 5ft 11.5 inches
Highest Weight: 335
Current Weight: 247.8
last check-in weight: 247.8
+/1  stayed the same
Short Term Goal Achieved: 248 (one less stop for that big weight!)
New Short Term Goal:  235 (a full 100 lbs lost! I think a party and a pair of awsome shoes will be in it when I reach that weight!)
Long Term Goal: 175-195 (... really have no clue where in there I'll be comfortable) 

I got on the scale today. It is an awful feeling when your weight is just shooting through the roof. I am not sure what I am expecting, eating the way I am. Not being active at all. Eating and going right to sleep. Not eating ANY fruits and veggies for weeks at a time. It's no wonder why I am at 225.5. I need to do something before I am knocking on 300's door. I feel unhealthy. I look unhealthy. And it is even affecting my love life. Perhaps a little TMI, but I have not been intimate with my boyfriend in a few weeks. Maybe it's not a long time, but we haven't been really intimate in months. I don't like being naked. I loose my thoughts when we are messing around. All I think about is how gross I look. It sucks. Last night I had a dream that he was cheating on me because I couldn't satisfy him. I know he is not, I trust him. But my insecurities are eating at me. I just don't understand why I cannot get off my ass and do something. I just keep thinking, I've done this before why can't I do this again? I need to do this. I have a million and one reason WHY I need to do this, why I WANT to do this. . . But why can't I turn on my will power when I need it most?

Here are my stats again. . .
HW: 225.5
CW: 225.5
STG: 190 by December 26th
LTG: 160 by June 2009

I had another not-so-great weekend, but as far as I can tell, I haven't gained and I've actually lost since I weighed myself after the weekend before. And I haven't given up yet, which is what's really important. Yesterday I just hopped right back on track and kept going.

What's the most you've ever spent on a pet deposit for an apartment?

I'm asking because we're about to move into a new apartment with our two girls, and the apartment requires a $500 deposit PER DOG... yes, it's refundable when we move, but STILL... $1,000 to have my dogs? Jeeeeeeeez.

I love my dogs but I just can't justify spending this kind of money (even though I'm going to). I mean, they are NICE apartments, and they're new (www.eatonvillageapartments.com)... so I guess they have to charge that much to KEEP them nice... but man, this is hard to swallow.

Any thoughts?

Well with less than 4 weeks until the big day... perhaps it's time I actually posted some of our engagement photos online. I don't like all of them... because they show off my stomach too much!!! So I'll only post the flattering ones. And I've lost 20 pounds since these were taken...so hopefully the wedding ones will look better.

For more photos they're all posted on my facebook page... but for here... just these: 

 

I'm seriously getting tired of wedding planning... there's just so much to go into it... and I don't really have any fight left in me. Originally I booked the hall for 125 people, but now I'm down to like 70 guests, no joke. People booked holidays or forgot and made other plans... or they say they want a plus 1 so I planned for it and now there isn't... and I'm just... ahhh! There's only one exception to this ahhh... and it's because I know that there isn't a decision yet.

Oh well, it'll still be a good party with the 70 people there. But I know that if I did it in Holland at the moment I would have way more than that attending. Although, that would be mostly family attending... maybe that's the huge thing, we barely have any family there so that really takes a toll on the numbers.

Oh, and my brother has decided that he wants to come to the wedding. The less said about that the better. Let's just say... he's still a junkie, he's taken thousands of dollars from my mother, and the only time he chooses to contact me is when he wants more money... so no, I don't want him at my wedding because he's a selfish ass who is going to ruin the entire thing. I think this is what I'm most stressed out about at this moment... the fact that he may show up and ruin it all.

Here's my two girls in their favorite spots:

From The Two Girls

(more if you clock through...)

Gracie loves to be under covers. More often than not she's completely covered. Even when it's really hot she still has to have her snuggles - though then about the only thing she'll cover is her nose.