Summer Stuff (A Pop-Culture/Picture Explosion)

Last summer I wrote a blog called "15 Hot and Cool Summer Things". This year, I'm doing a preemptive strike on the summer and I'm listing the things that are going to make my summer rock. Songs, clothes, websites, ANYTHING. SUMMER STUFF, to be sure.

Are you ready to get your face rocked off? (Or be mildly entertained by a somewhat amusing blog?)

I say, are you ready to ROCK??



First off, we have music. What's rocking my face right now there? The Autumn Film album 8 Track Tape. Best song? Love is an Avalanche, Leave the Light On and Row. It will leave you awash in shining, loving light and piano. Also, I am loving Need to Breathe, my favorite new Christian rockers. Lay Em' Down, Let Us Love and Tennessee are flippin' amazing. Thanks to Stefanie for recommending them - I'm obsessed! The year 2000 called, and it wants it's Gladiator Soundtrack back, but they can't HAVE it! It's the best soundtrack I've heard in a looong time. Just listen to "Now We are Free" and try not to cry hysterically as you remember that part in the movie (hand in wheat, child running, now I'm sobbing, thanks a lot). Cindy has tuned me in to 30 Seconds to Mars and I have to say - they are pretty incredible. Rock at it's best. And Florence and the Machines "Lungs" album might just be the sound of my summer, all melancholy and dramatic, sort of like me. Missy Higgins and Ingrid Michaelson both have new albums and while I don't have them yet, I will and I know they will be incredible and SO worth the wait.





TV Shows and Movies: First of all, let's talk about the movies I can't wait to see, mainly Batman. Christian Bale? Christopher Nolan? Uh, yeah, I'm in, paying the full price, about three times. That is the most anticipated movie of the summer for me, followed by Brave, the Pixar movie about a red-headed Scottish girl. I love that there is finally a girl heroine who doesn't look like a Barbie with brown hair. Hooray! Rock of Ages looks pretty great, as does Promethus (I'm getting caught up with Aliens now...still not sure what the big deal is, but I enjoyed the first one!). Spiderman I'm not so sure about - it feels too soon to be excited about that, since it was JUST done with Tobey Macquire and still looks great - but I know I'll have to see it with Ryan, so I might as well add it to the list. There is no movie on this list, however, that could make me as excited as this trailer did:



Wow. Christmas cannot come soon enough. I have been waiting years, YEARS for Baz Luhrmann to make another Baz signature film (Australia didn't count) and this is IT. The colors, the light, the music, the glitter. All that, and I LOVE that book. I'm thinking this is going to be a midnight showing sort of thing. In the book world, on my reading list this summer is Heft, State of Wonder (just finished, so not sure it counts), Swamplandia, Nightwoods, Gone Girl, and some funny, light books in between. In TV shows, I got nothing. Summer TV is the worst.



Except for the Olympics. The Olympics are the best, so they make up for summer TV being the worst. Our Netflix queue, however, looks promising, with The Good Wife Season One, The West Wing Season One and the newest Fringe season on deck. Sweet!

Need some websites to keep you feeling cool while you are dying in the heat? Here are some that I'm loving lately:




Shabby Apple: It's so cool it hurts. The home section is divine, and those necklaces are to die for.
Pinterest: Best website ever, duh.
A Holy Experience: This is the author blog that I hope one day I can hope to come within spitting range of. She's amazing and so full of grace.
Nesting Place: A simple, beautiful blog filled with many good things, not unlike the Whatever blog. I'm a big fan of both.
Production Not Reproduction: I was first turned onto this website by a birthmother that I know. I'm so glad, because it has changed the way I communicate and think about adoption. PNR is a place for the triad to exchange ideas, communicate and share. My blog is now linked on there with thousands of other blogs - birthmother blogs, adoptee blogs, adoptive parents blogs. It's a safe place to share fears, triumphs and disappointments. I couldn't love it more and I feel like someday (hopefully soon!) it will make me a better parent. It has also turned me to check out some of the best adoption blogs: Love is Not a Pie (My faovrite!), Every Bitter Thing is Sweet, Rage against the Minivan....
Hostess with the Mostess: For all the things my parties will NEVER be.
Writer Unboxed: Simply the best blog I've found for writers out there. It's not fussy, it's straightforward and helpful and encouraging.
EW.com - This is where I go to waste time, where I can find out if Jeremy Renner wears linen or wool pants, and read Game of Thrones recaps.

Summer things I'm obsessed with for no apparent reason:




Cruises to Alaska
Driving the Pacific Coast
Cold Pasta Salads
Cucumbers
Getting a Deck and hanging bare light bulbs on it.



Painting my nails fun colors, like seafoam green. I really am into Essie nail polish on short nails. It's just the thing.



Nude Lipstick
Brown Flip Flops
My first novel being published (July, hopefully?)
Outside, all services worship service at our church
Riding my cruiser in the evenings with Ryan
Tuesdays with Sarah (Our day this summer for making things. Pinterest things. Crafty things.)
My husband becoming a BBQ master
Butterflies



Swimming
Swimming in the Olympics
Pretending I am swimming in the Olympics
Watching swimming in the Olympics and rooting for Missy Franklin, who is a Centennial native, super sweet and a great representation of the Christian faith with her mix of humility and power. Go Missy go!



Soft, curly hair that does not involve any sort of heat-producing object.
Enjoying my sister's new incredibly chic porch
Finding a way to get to NY so that I can see Newsies the musical.
Skirts and dresses. Last year was my first year where I condisered sun dresses and skirts as something to wear in the summer. This year, I have embraced it, and have sought out some really cute skirts that go with everything - a brown one, a black one, a blue one and this gorgeous "Mexicali" skirt from Old Navy (my guilty summer purchase) that I love entirely too much.


And, last but not least, making this. And this. And this. And that, that, that.



Happy Summer FIESTA! Readers, what are you most excited about this summer?

Taking my Author Photo

Last week, I sent out a frantic email to a few friends: "My publishing consultant says that I need an author picture - can you HELP ME?"

This was after the awkward moment on the phone when he said "And, do you have an author photo for the back cover?" There was a beat of silence where I racked my brain. Author photo...author photo..."Oh. Well, I was just thinking of using a Facebook photo." Then the silence transfered to his end. "I GUESS you could do that. But if you do a book signing, sometimes they put your picture on a easel. So..you might want to think about getting a real photo."

Here's me imaginging my unprofessional looking photo blown up on an easel. I think I would rather crawl through a village that was stoning me with old loaves of bread than have that happen. It was out there: I needed an author photo. And I needed my friends to help me, because I happen to be the least photogenic person EVER. EVER.

All the best pictures of me aren't staged. The ones I love the most are candid to the core - me, lifting the camera up while Ryan and I are soaking wet and tired on a ferry to Seattle. Or three friends, gathering together for our last dinner on the cruise. Or at a cupcake shop with Liz.

Staged pictures of me are the WORST. You know how Britta is the worst on Community? Staged pictures of me are WORST. So I called in reinforcements. Sarah, with her amazing camera and ever-incredible pictures. She's patient with me. Cindy, who can tell me bluntly what to do with my face. Heather, because everytime I see her make-up and hair, I think "Wow. I wish I knew how to do that." She always looks so polished and put-together.

We assembled at Sarah's house for the remaking of Colleen. I did my research and had looked at hundreds of author photo's by that point. Here's what I learned: A) Authors are huge fans of black turtlenecks. How do you know that you've made it in the literary world? You own a black turtleneck and you wear it in pictures. B) Women authors smile in their pictures, almost knowingly. It's a sly smile, a smile that says, I know something you don't. You know, like this:

Heather did not agree. She was like "May I be frank? You look sort of MEAN in this picture." I looked again. And I did. There is a fine line between a knowing smile and a mean girl smile. This was the latter, the "I just posted a demeaning comment about you on Facebook" look.

I learned in my research that male authors do not smile. EVER. They sit on steps, or in front of brick walls and look super serious and a little pissed. That's the man author picture. Don't even joke with them. They don't get it. They are SERIOUS, Jonathan Franzen serious.

So with these examples in mind, after my make-up and hair was complete (and Heather introduced me to nude lipstick, which I will never be without again), the pictures began.

It was awkward, as I expected. I can safetly rule out super model as a future profession, for a million reasons, but one of those is that I am terrible at posed picture. "SMILE!" they shouted. I tried to smile, but it was fake. Or too big. Or too snarky. Then I'm not sure what to do with my arms. Do I fold them like I'm taking a senior picture? Do I pull them back. Do I touch my face? WHAT DO I DO WITH MY ARMS???? I tend to slouch, and do weird things with my mouth. My eyes aren't focused where they should be. I lean awkwardly back against things and then sit up. My mouth hangs open. It's a nightmare in general. I think I drove Sarah to madness.

Then there was the background: wood? Plain wall? Outside? With chair? Without chair? Reading a book? (lame) It was stressful, so stressful that I was sweating which endagered the perfect hair and make-up that was going on. Still, it was kinda fun.

They told me to laugh. I couldn't, not without reason. My fake laugh look was terribly, scary, like a scary clown face. So Cindy paraded around like a giraffe until I really laughed. Then a monkey. And I did laugh. And still, those pictures weren't great. There were a lot of shots of me looking like I smelled something bad, or being distracted by a bug.

In the end, I managed to get a FEW shots that I liked. And one that I really liked. Here is the un-photoshopped image...

And here it is after Heather worked her magic in Photosho:

My author photo. I love the teal color, which will blend so well with the book cover. I love the necklace that was lost for months in the back of Karen's car.

This picture conveys the idea of Elly in Bloom, of a realized dream.

Sometimes it takes an army.

Movie Reviews, May 21st

The Avengers: What do you call it when you assemble the most attractive people in the entire known universe together? You call it the Avengers. I LOVED this movie. When I think of a summer blockbuster, this is what I'm thinking of. Explosions. Bright colors. Funny, like really funny stuff, mostly because it's directed by Joss Whedon, who is one of the funniest people around. His short takes are to die for. Also to die for - Hawkeye. Erin understands. The bow and the pants and the...whew. I thought I would spend the movie hating Scar Jo, but no - she was actually good and I can't tell you how much I appreciate not having to see her running around in a bikini because some alien ripped off her clothing. I hate that in superhero movies. When the credits rolled, I was saddened. I wanted it to keep going and going, and that is the mark of a fantastic movie. It delivered on all aspects, and not just with the action. The action was a side note to the characters, who served as each others gauge of humanity. Iron Man is a megalomaniac - can we talk about that? Captain America wants them to be soldiers, but are they? The Hulk is a container of pure rage, so that's...interesting. (Hulk: good in small amounts.)
And Thor. Well, as my friend Emily put it, "Thor is hot." The entire movie, though, is stolen by the actor playing Loki. He's fantastic. All evil grins and diabolical plots, the actor (Tom Hiddleson, had to look it up) lets his comic-book villain run around without bothering to worry if it's campy. And it's not. It's perfect. We'll be seeing this one again, for sure. And the Dark Knight Rises preview? Goosebumps does not adequately describe the happiness and anticipation it creates. The Avengers for the win! (Perhaps a Firefly/Avengers combo next, Joss? Joss?)



We Bought a Zoo: I liked this little kleenex of a movie. I'm a Matt Damon fan, and he was underplayed here as a grieving Dad. More than the adventure comedy you might expect from the goody advertising, this movie was about familiy and grief. It was about moving on and creating something new. The animals were pretty engaging as all animals are, and the movie itself glowed with a nostalgia for a simpler time. The acting was stellar, and it proved that there is truly no outfit that Scarlett Johanseen does not look like a bombshell in. (Khaki zookeeper outfit? Check. Raincoat covered with poo? Check.) This might not be a perfect Friday night movie, but it's certainly a rainy-day, curled up with someone you love movie. Also, the kid from Almost Famous was in this movie, which made me happy since Almost Famous is one of my favorite movies OF ALL TIME.




The Immortals: Terrible. Terrible, boring, and gruesome. I can't be sure, but I think the person who mades this movies hates women. When women are constantly threatened sexually, only portrayed as lustful objects (or sexy godesses), and then tortured in a brutal manner, I just feel like that's a sign of some deep seeded feelings about women that have leaked through onto the film. Ryan and I turned it off. It looked cool, yes, and any part involving the Greek Gods bordered on interesting, but the overall plot was a snore and the gore was without merit. Yeah, it was pretty terrible.



The People Vs. George Lucas: This documentary was pretty great, even for someone who barely watched Star Wars and she only did it because her husband told her he would not marry someone who had never seen it. Turns out George Lucas is kind of a jerk! More than just nerds ranting, this is a great documentary about art and poses some interesting questions: Who owns art? The creator or the fans? Does a creator owe his fans anything? Do fans owe them? Does loving something give you a say in it's future? Once something is loved, is it yours forever? I highly recommend this little gem on Netflix Streaming. We had a great time watching it, although Ryan got all sorts of riled up. "HAN SHOT FIRST!!!"



Dive: Did you know that America throws away HALF of the food it products?? Half! Enough to feed many a starving country. How can we waste so much? How can we use it to help ourselves, and others? That's the idea behind this documentary, one that we both enjoyed. Divers, as they call themselves, are people that dumpster dive at high-scale establishments (Whole Foods, Sunflower Markets, Trader Joe's) for their food. Their haul is ridiculous. As one man put it "My family eats so much better through dumpster diving than what I could pay to feed them." We are talking whole gourmet chickens, breads, produce, plants, drinks...anything. One man, who is featured in the film, only eats dumpster food. And it looks pretty dang good! The documentary desperately needs an edit - there are way too many slow shots of birds flying or clouds, which makes me feel like I'm watching a middle schooler's art film - but overall the message is conveyed. Don't waste. Learn how to help. And maybe think about Dumpster diving. (Sarah and I want to try it once this summer. Don't judge.)

What I'm listening to today: "Pull my heart away" by Alex Winston, and "White Blank Page" by Mumford and Sons.

5 Years in Flowerland

This June will mark my fifth wedding season for my little flower company. I can't believe it's been five years, five glorious, stressful, learning years.



Most people ask me how I even got started being a florist. It started with me having no clue what I wanted to do with my life after college. I had a degree in English and I didn't want to teach, I didn't want to be a copy editor, I didn't even know where to look. I was newly married and in a city that both scared and isolated me, and I needed a job. I thought, "I really liked planning my wedding. Maybe I could do that." But more specifically, I loved planning the flowers for my wedding. I've always been fascinated by flowers. I remember picking apart my corsages after prom, seeing how they were put together, piece by piece. The love was there, just not the learning. And so, I called every florist in the phone book to see if they would hire me. I got to the "S's" before someone would interview me.



More proof that God is in control, was that I ended up in Clayton, St. Louis at a very posh flower shop named Seeds. And that's how it started. Then we moved (twice), and so I bounced around to two other flower shops: Moscarillos and Sisters. Moscarillos taught me how to design fast. Sisters taught me how to do wedding flowers, how to run a consult, how to schedule deliveries.



And then I was out on my own. I opened my little florist in 2007, and it's been quite a ride. I love what I do. There was a learning curve the first two years, and then there was a very stressful third year. But the last two years have been easy and wonderful. I'm in a rhythm now, and I find running the business pretty simple.



I've learned a lot over the past five years. I've learned about business and brides, flowers and taxes. Wholesalers and pricing, venues and expectations. It's all tangled up with each other, but I find it pretty simple to sort it all through.



Here's the most important business lessons I've learned in the past five years that I can pass on:



-Don't be afraid to make mistakes. And if you do (which you will), face up honestly and straight-forward. One of the first weddings that I did I told a girl that she could have dahlia pomanders. The day before, as I designed, I realized that dahlias make TERRIBLE pomanders. Their stems are too weak, and they kept breaking. I seriously felt like I was going to have a heart attack. Finally, I called the bride and told her exactly what happened. I apologized and offered a few alternatives. And she was fine with that! In fact, after the wedding she told me that she was so glad we changed the pomanders to bouquets. Mistakes won't kill you if you deal with them correctly.



- Don't be afraid to take risks....but also know your limits. I love doing things in the design studio that I've never done before. They always turn out pretty great. BUT...I also took a wedding once that had high, foam centerpieces. It was a disaster. They looked great, but designing and delivering them was a nightmare. Now, I know that I won't do those type of centerpieces. It's not a weakness, it's just me knowing the limitations of my company, my team and my resources. This makes me a BETTER florist.



At the same time, do new stuff. Like a photo shoot. And always keep educating yourself. Trends change all the time.



-Most brides are awesome. Brides get a bad wrap. For every one bridezilla I have, I have ten regular, lovely girls. There have been so many couples, brides and families that I have met with that made me long to be a part of their family, or best friends with them. When they leave, I feel like I've known them for awhile. I love those consults!

-In most cases, less is more. A key part of designing is knowing when to stop. Anyone can keep adding and adding flowers to a vase, but it takes a designer to say "Enough." The same goes with everything you do. Don't push people to book with you. Don't push your ideas on the bride. Don't overload her with ideas at the consultation. Keep things simple and clean. Less is more.



- Kindness and professionalism go a long way. Just because I'm a home based business does not mean coming over for a consult is like plopping on my couch to watch tv. Being prepared - always - with a neat office and consultation-ready clothing is a great way to always be ready to take a last minute consult. When you think ahead, it really shows.



And, here are some things that I've learned specifically about the wedding industry:

- Tread carefully around a "Perfect day". Every piece of literature about the wedding industry sells brides on the idea of a PERFECT DAY. Realize that perfect is LITERALLY unobtainable. I avoid any mention of "perfect" in the consultation (which places me in the minority of wedding vendors), but rather "well-executed." There are a million hiccups in every wedding. My job is to NOT be one of those hiccups. Or, if we have a hiccup, deal with it quickly and efficiently and try not to concern the bride in any way.



-Realize that you are fighting against hopefully unrealistic expectations. I hate wedding magazines. I do. While they are great for wedding ideas, I see the outcomes of their extravagance in every consult. Wedding magazines have led brides to believe that what they see in those magazines are normal weddings. They are NOT. They are photo shoots, or "Real" expensive, socialite weddings. There is no moment worse than when I have to tell a bride that the centerpiece (exploding, tall, dripping with flowers and candles and crystals) is more money than her ENTIRE budget. I have - and will continue - to be part of a growing movement in the wedding industry that is asking these wedding magazines to put prices next to their pictures.



- Don't bother the bride when you don't have to. At first, when I started, I was the annoying super friendly florist. I always stopped in to say congratulations, thank you and made sure that I complimented them and checked that there was nothing I could do for them. Now, I know better. I try to see them ONCE (usually when I drop off the bouquet) and then my job is to do my job and stay out of their way. Brides are so busy on their big day, and surrounded by moments of love and high-emotion. You are not a part of that, so do your best work and LEAVE. Stay out of the way and let the family be engrossed in what is happening. You = useful tapestry.



- NEVER EVER EVER EVER deliver a wedding alone. NEVER! I don't know what I would have done without my Sarah, Eve, Emily, Kendall, Ryan, Nicole and Cindy's. My delivery teams have been incredible and SUCH a blessing.

- If you think "that's going to suck to set up" when you are writing down an item on your contract, it totally will, and your future self will hate your current self for not saying "Why don't we find a different direction?" Also, you can ALWAYS use more waterproof tape. Always.



-Lastly, know your vendors. I will not recommend a vendor to a bride unless I know they do a stellar job. If I recommend someone to a bride, that is my reputation on the line as well. I'm not about to hinge my name for a rude photographer who just wants to network. Wedding industry professionals tend to be crazy networkers. That's nice, but I like having a small group of really, really GOOD ones. I would rather have three STELLAR photographers to recommend then 20 "okay" ones that I really don't know.

Also, pay your self-employment taxes on time. That's a good one.

Here are some of my favorite brides (and people!) Nothing brings me more joy than doing the wedding of a friend or family.





Thank you to all you readers, brides, employees, friends, and family who have made my little florist the most wonderful business that I could ever ask for. It's truly been a blessing. It takes the cake, for the most part.