Experience.

you may remember the reference to my friend allie in a previous post, who is in paris right meow opening up a new A&F. ive fallen in love with her pictures and have edited a lot of them.. here are a couple of the guys that were models standing outside to welcome the newcomers to the now open paris A&F. tough life i must say.. amazing pictures. =) eat your heart out ladies.

this is a different effect than the one below.

i liked both of them so i chose to put both on here =]

im too sexy for my shirt...

Stunning.

wow! has it seriously been a week since my last post?! whoopsie.


sunsets are one of my favorite things and make some of the best pictures. it is ashame that most cameras dont have the capability of capturing the sunsets true beauty; however, since i moved to a new area of columbus last year, ive actually been able to capture some of the prettiest sunsets with my blackberry! i have never seen sunsets like the one i posted below, until i moved here. ever since last april, these sunsets are almost every evening. the reds, pinks and purple-ish hues are truly amazing.

at the end of the road by my apartment

this is actually when i was on spring break in Pensacola, FL.
one of the prettiest beaches ive ever been to.

Captivation.

the Eiffel Tower is such a fascinating thing to me. it captivates me in ways i cant even explain. it is so elegant and beautiful i only wish i could see the real thing. the pictures ive posted below is the replicated Eiffel Tower in Vegas. i think i had about 1000 pictures of this thing when i left Vegas.. whoopsie.

Shaken, Not Stirred.

i feel like bars are breeding grounds for new ideas and inspirations. this is where people go to socialize, relax and talk to anyone that will listen. it is usually filled with music, laughter and people looking for a good time. people go to their bar of choice because to them it is comfortable. a place where they can be among good people and have the ability to talk about their thoughts, ideas, the latest headlines and to tell their own story.

i started bartending at a local bar and last night was my first night. i only worked for five hours but in those five hours i would have had about two to three chapters of my first book written.. "stories of a bartender." okay, im not writing a book but that'd be a good idea huh?

the hard part about being a bartender is figuring out who is drunk

and who is just stupid.  ~Richard Braunstein

anyway, as i was mixing and pouring the different colored drinks into different shaped glasses, i couldn't help but to think these drinks would make great photographs.

BOTTOMS UP!

caution: photographs may cause the viewer the urge to consume alcoholic beverages.

An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools.
~ Ernest Hemingway

you can never go wrong with a dirty martini.

one tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor.



Devilish Dish.

sushi.

you either love it or you hate it. i happen to love it! =] it's definitely a dish i would love to be able to make myself at home or have enought money to indulge once or twice a week. yes, i love it THAT much mkay?

i dont have much to write about this other than this is one of my guilty pleasures/loves.

match sushi with some hot sake && you've got a devilish dish!

Bon Appétit

Mild Obsession.

"Give a girl the right shoes and she can conquer the world." - Bette Midler

that statement is my justification for my obsession with shoes.

i dont know too many ladies that arent overly obsessive with shoes. i have about three totes full, plus a hanging shoe organizer at home. i just cant seem to part ways with my shoes. when the time comes, i have seperation anxiety as if i wear the shoes that have been collecting dust the last two years all the time. dont judge me. you know you do it too.

i truly believe, clothes are just accessories... not the shoes.

so for all you shoe lovers out there, this blog is for you. i received this picture from a friend who is opening a new a&f in paris. yes, paris.



What becomes of the broken-hearted? They buy shoes." - Mimi Pond (Writer & Cartoonist)

**special thanks to allie for sending me this picture** :)

just beachie.

this coldfront that decided to come through today didnt help my monday at all.

what does help me through these days are pictures of when i went to the caribbean with my wonderful grandparents and my sister. we went to grand turk, st. thomas, st. marteen and half moon cay, bahamas. it was simply ahhhhmazing and i got to capture some of the most breath-taking pictures.

i thought id share with you on this cold, manic monday.

this was our first stop - grand turk.



this was our last stop at the half moon cay. it was my favorite stop.



this was after pulling away from the port at st. thomas. i loved how the clouds opened up over this boat on the water. truly amazing.

PINKitUp.

6am: alarm goes off in the red roof inn. i awake to my sister getting ready for her Susan G Komen Race for the Cure 5k.
7am: as my sister, pops and i walk from the hotel to the start line, crowds of pink fill the streets. people with pink wigs, pink tshirts, pink jackets, pink ribbons and bows. even dogs were dressed in little pink tutus. ill be honest, im not a fan of the color pink; however, you best believe i had my pink sweats on. (which are actually my sisters lol)

as the crowd begins to gather around the start line and we say our good lucks and goodbyes to my sister, i began to look around at the excitement and happiness of the people im surrounded by. everyone was so proud to be there...

8am: the gun goes off and my dad and i are quickly welcomed with the breeze from the 1200 some runners. as im recording the beginning of the race, it's not surprising that i finally felt what everyone else was feeling. [inspiration]

8:23am: we finally see my sister coming up the last stretch, pushing as hard as she can and i couldnt help but become overwhelmed with emotion. it was mixed feelings galore so im not quite sure how to explain it... but it was amazing.

she finished her race with a time of 24:18 which beat her personal best of 25:33. she came 11th in her age group and 200 something out of 1200 'timed' runners. it was awesome.

i looked through my pictures that i had snapped during the event and came across my best picture yet. id be interested to hear your interpretations of this picture after you look at it.

i obviously edited this for the color; however, the blurriness of the people surrounding the ladies in pink i had nothing to do with. just the works of my camera.

im so thankful i got to experience this today. it has [inspired] me to take part next year.

newbie.

why hello all. im a newbie to this whole blogging thing; however, i feel this would be a great way to capture items that spark my interest.. which was my inspiration for the name of my blog. dur. so hopefully im able to keep your interest and have you continuously checking back to see what i consider [sparks to my flame]


so i guess my first post would be a picture of downtown columbus that i got off of the "experience columbus" facebook photos. (www.experiencecolumbus.com) if you haven't experienced columbus, i would recommend for all. it's such a great, artsy city where there's more than enough to do. this is where i currently reside, but i am not originally from here. i come from a church pew and bar stool kind of town (thank you jason aldean.) ill never forget where i came from, but ill never go back for good. id have to say, the city is where ill stay.

i did edit this photo because i like 'different' looking photos; however, it is not my own. this i feel would make a great canvas picture in your home. <3

like i said, im new to this game. please feel free to comment. this is an open book for diverse conversation. be inspired..