My iPhone is a Camera!

Say Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat?  Who knew?  Yes, you can insert the sarcasm font here ;)
I say this because if you refer back to yesterday's post I am constantly defending why I always have my phone in my hand.  Truth be told, I don't want to miss a thing.  I LOVE to take pictures.  Always have and always will.  I'm no professional photographer, I just like to take random pictures of random things.  I especially love taking candid shots of my family and my friends.

I have always had a camera with me for every special occasion throughout my life.  It was that 'photobug' that landed me a job as the Photography Editor for my college yearbook.  I mean seriously - look at this menagerie of photos, negatives, contact sheets and Rubbermaid containers full of memories!  Years and years full of memories.
I have photos dating back to sixth grade, that I took myself.  That's a long time ago.  When I think back to when I was a kid, my mother always had her camera with her.  She was always capturing memories of our family, so I learned it from her.  She created photo albums for my siblings and I throughout every stage of our lives.  Every milestone caught on film and preserved forever.  I have learned to do the same.

So my point is.. my iPhone IS a camera that is always with me.  I NEVER have to miss a memory.  I know that my kids will certainly appreciate it {if they don't already} that they will always have photos to look back at.  Memories by the boxes.
As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words.  So I assume cameras are worth a thousand pages and I guess songwriters agree because here is a list of the Top 10 Songs about Cameras and Photography:

  1. Kodachrome -- Paul Simon
  2. Photograph -- Def Leppard
  3. Freeze Frame -- J. Geils Band
  4. I Turn My Camera On -- Spoon
  5. Kamera -- Wilco
  6. Pictures of You -- The Cure
  7. Girls on Film -- Duran Duran
  8.  Video Killed the Radio Star -- Buggles
  9. Pictures of Lily -- The Who
  10. 10. Camera -- R.E.M.
Surprisingly, not making the Top 10 is my favorite song about photographs and that's Nickelback's aptly titled, "Photograph".  Take a listen.

Say cheese,

I Love My iPhone. Period.

I feel like I must defend that statement at least 10x a day.  For Real.  Get over it, people {and I say that in the nicest possible way}.  It's not all bad.
It's part of me - an appendage, if you will.  I can't am not going to apologize for it anymore and here's why:
  • I'm a full time working mom who runs a successful Thirty-One direct sales business on the side - I need my phone.  Plain and simple.
  • I have two children who are involved in sports and activities.  Text alerts have become the norm from coaches and instructors, etc.
  • My husband has about three different careers and several hobbies - it's our life-line.  We use our Outlook calendar to schedule EVERYTHING - so we are in 'sync'.   
  • I spend a lot of time in my car {as outside sales people generally do}. I use it to catch up with friends and family and to listen to my music to get me through the day.
  • I spend a lot of time waiting...waiting for my customers to see me, so I catch up on e-mails while I'm out of the office and away from my computer.
  • I stream music on it throughout the day when I'm working.
  • I use it to do my banking {have you even discovered the goodness that is mobile check depositing??}.
  • I'm a blogger and I'm able to blog from my phone when I need to.
  • I take pictures...lots of pictures...loads of pictures.  Stop back tomorrow for a lot more on that subject.
  • It's my alarm clock, my calculator, my weather advisor, my to-do list, my coupon holder, my remote for Apple TV and my GPS.
Bottom line is that it keeps me sane, entertained, connected and productive.  All things I need to lead a happy, successful life.  More importantly, it doesn't take away from my ability to have face-to-face interaction with my customers, my friends, and most importantly --- my family ❤.

So the next time you see me with my iPhone in my hand - look me in the eye and ask me "what's up"?  I promise - I'll put it down and look you in the eye and have a conversation with you.  I always do.

My phone is ringing.  Gotta run!

Don't Judge,

So What! Wednesday

So What Wednesday

She's baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack.  Here I am kickin' it back into gear with my favorite blogging day of the week.  Today I am saying So What! if:
  • I demanded to my doctor that he surgically remove my ear from my head when he said hello to me yesterday.  My allergies are kicking my @ss and filling up my ears with fluid and I'm sick of it already.
  • I opted for a shot in said @ss instead of taking a 7-day pack of steroids. A quick pinch in the rear for some relief in my ear...sounded like a good trade off.
  • I spent the entire Memorial Day Holiday in my house - cleaning and organizing.  My closet looks amazing though and I got rid of lots of clothes that I am happy to say 'no longer fit' - [too BIG - thank you very much].
  • I'm spending money on iTunes for songs I already have in my library because I'm voting for my favorite artists on The Voice.  They put their own spin on cover songs and actually make them sound different and very cool.  Not only do I add to my music library, but I support my favs. 
  • I'm not happy to hear that Christina Aguilera is returning to The Voice next season.  I know she was an "original" but Shakira has been such a breath of fresh air this season.  She's genuine, very sweet, beautiful, and well-liked by everyone.  This picture pretty much sums up my thoughts on that decision {you hear that NBC?}!
  • I am learning to like some country music {let's not get crazy, I said some) and it's all Blake Shelton's fault. Through my obsession with The Voice - I have become a big Blake Shelton fan.  Personality, good looks, talent and a sense of humor are a pretty awesome combination.  He and his team have really opened my eyes (and my aching ears) to some good country music. This is one of my favorites - the song and the contestant - Danielle Bradbery singing "Grandpa".
  • I am going to rant again about my loathing of group text messages.  I'm sorry, it's just a pet peeve of mine.  I understand group texts, the need to tell multiple people the same thing at one time.  I get THAT, but what I loathe is the "reply all".  Simple etiquette (at least in my book) - start a new response back to ONLY the person who sent you the message.  
  • I am still refusing about 5 requests a day to play Candy Crush.  Quite simply, "ain't nobody got time for that."  I see that it's addicting and I am trying to scale back on my addictions these days. :/
  • My kids only have 4 1/2 days of school left and I haven't finalized their child care plans for the summer.  It will all come together {I hope and pray}.  

Have some So Whats! you want to get off your chest?  Head on over to Life After I "Dew" and tell Shannon all about it.

Happy "Over the Hump" Day,

Laughing Out Loud!

OMG!  Seriously, funny stuff right here.
Who doesn't love Will Smith?  Who didn't love The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in the nineties?  Who could forget the 'Carlton Dance'?  This video is going viral on the web right now and I can see why.  Such happy memories for me {and Bradley Cooper in the background is just an added bonus!}.

Some people may have negative opinions about Will Smith giving his son's career a boost, but not this girl.  I have always been a huge Will Smith fan and if talent is in the blood lines - then I say "work it"!  Jaden is a doll and obviously has some skills (have you seen The Pursuit of Happyness and the Karate Kid)?

This video has literally had me smiling for a day straight.  I love the father/son time, but the real fun begins around the 3:45 mark, when none other than Smith's Fresh Prince of Bel-Air castmate Alfonso Ribeiro — Carlton Banks himself — makes a surprise visit!  

What makes it even funnier for me (and my friends) is that my husband has been doing the 'Carlton Dance' for years!  His most recent rendition of it was less than two weeks ago, while we were vacationing in Florida.  

Oh and what about Heather Graham dancing her head off?!  This video is full of all sorts of goodness.  For real!

Laugh Out Loud,


When to Say WHEN!

Sorry Friends.  Something had to give.  Life gets busy and sometimes you just need to know when to say when.  I had to say "WHEN!", hence the Blogging Hiatus.  I missed my blogging outlet, but I'm happy to say that I still used my Instagram and my BellaBud Facebook page to keep my friends and followers motivated on a daily basis.

Currently, I am enjoying the long holiday weekend, at home, with my family and no plans.  Let me repeat that, no plans. Zero. Zip. Zilch. Nada. I couldn't be happier. Last night, we braved the elements (a.k.a. northeast Ohio Spring) by hanging out at our fire pit and eating S'mores.  



The sun is shining and my mom's plants are still alive (I'm caring for them while she's out of town). It's all about catching up and chilling out this Memorial Day weekend.  I plan on being productive and lazy {if that even makes sense}.  Life is good!

Happy "Sun"day,