Christmas loot

$$$ Cash money $$$ (to be used later on toward the purchase of a BIG ___ TV!
Chief hoodie
Illinois welcome mat for my new house (you know, when I get one)
Applebee's gift card
Red Lobster gift card
Wal-mart gift card (already used!)
VS gift card
SOCKS!!
Chief laser light thingy
ESPN ornament

Go Trent!

I just want to see if this works:

A new, ice-covered leaf

I don't even really know what that means, but I feel like today is the start of something new.

I am dating again. (Hi Aaron!) My sister and I had a fight last night, but hopefully things are ok now. I woke up with a headache this morning, but it has now subsided. I heard from my friend Jen today, and she sent me a nice, long note about goings on. It is the Christmas season, and I'm going to try really hard to focus on Emmanuel for the next two weeks until Jesus' birthday. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound...

Next week I have my first real infant photo shoot scheduled. Should be fun and nerve-wracking (how the heck do you spell that?) all at the same time. Wish me luck!

I'm mostly done with my Christmas shopping/making. I've been sewing like a crazy woman!! Next item of business is to start the holiday baking. On the schedule: almond bark covered pretzels, Christmas cookies, peppermint bark...

Today I'm going to email a former friend for the first time in at least 2 years. This is part of that "new leaf" thing I think. And two people have suggested that it might be a good time, what with the Christmas season and all. It's scary stuff since we ended on really bad terms, but what's the worst that can happen? She can ignore me?

I realize this is a really sporadic blog post. Oh well!!

Merry Christmas to everyone! - Tiny Tim

Ok, I feel guilty about my last post.

Illinois can win the Rose Bowl. It will take a near-perfect game like the tOSU game however.

Ok, I feel a little bit better. And I will not chump edit my last post.

So we're going to the Rose Bowl.

And I'm about the only person in the Illini Nation that is NOT excited about it (OK, I can think of 1 or 2 others).

I'm going to channel my inner Outkast here:
"I know you'd like to thank your #$%@ don't stank
But lean a little bit closer
See that roses really smell like boo-boo
Yeah, roses really smell like boo-boo"

Let me tell you why. First, it is Pasadena, CA and that means $$$$ *rubs thumb and two fingers together to symbolize $$ that I don't have*. Second, even if it is the freaking ROSE BOWL, we are going to lose. Everyone says "yeah, we beat tOSU at the Horseshoe, surely we can bea USC in their backyard." Right. We are facing a football powerhouse in an unfamiliar environment 2000 miles away. I hope I am proven wrong about my 2nd point, but I digress.

I'm going to work on planning a CU gamewatch party with my left-behind friends instead. We'll have a good ol' time and spend $$ on NYE that we didn't have to spend airfare, sleep in on Jan. 1 and watch us march into enemy territory at 3:30 p.m.

I don't want to be a COMPLETE pessimist here, but I don't like the look of Illinois athletics for the course of the next 2 months. I'm afraid of Arizona and Mizzou in basketball. After going to STL for wins for nearly 7 straight years (read: I didn't go to all 7), I am not prepared to lose on the 8th time. And Arizona is at the UC this weekend. They're not unbeatable, but they're good. I guess the upside of the UC is that it IS our home away from home, and MJ will PROBABLY be in the house. OHMYWORD!!

Alright... I have some work to do. And even though I'm crabby, I must sign off with a thunderous GO ILLINI!!!

Things are looking up again...

Rob commented below and it reminded me that I should probably post another update. God really worked on me the last couple weeks and He totally carried me through the Thanksgiving season. I didn't really even realize it until it was all over with, but it really is amazing how He works sometimes. It's almost like He can shut off an entire section of your brain and hide it from you when you are the most vulnerable... at least that's how it seemed to happen to me. Either way, I'm so grateful for it.

I'm getting into basketball season again, which always makes me happy. And I'm planning on having lots of friends over to watch with me throughout the winter. In fact, tonight, I've invited our whole tailgating crew over to partake in the festivities (and chili!). Should be a good time...

House-buying is not going so well, but I'm not going to fret about it. As it says in Matt 6:27 "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" This decision and the plans that go along with it are not up to me, and God will help me make it happen (and my dad by co-signing the loan). :) It should be noted that Aubrey is praying that I now find a 4BR house so she can move in to. LOL

Thanks for the prayers!!

We're up for the GRAND PRIZE!!

Please vote for us again!!! Our tailgate has the best SUPERFANS ever and we need your help!!

Cardways Contest

THANK YOU!!

I should be having the best week ever

after that win over Ohio State.

But instead I am having like the crappiest one ever. I don't want to go into too many details, but please pray for me to have peace about something, because I am not going to be able to manifest it on my own. Instead, I have feelings of anger, jealousy, denial & meanness. I don't want to be like that I don't exactly know why I'm feeling the way I am, but nonetheless, I am.

It makes in even harder, when in light of recent events I discovered (like over lunch today), I find that part of me is justified (worldly at least).

The heart is a fragile thing, and mine is very unstable right now. Please pray.

Wow. What a weekend!

I don't even know where to begin or what to say.

WE BEAT UNDEFEATED AND #1-RANKED OHIO STATE! It doesn't get much better than that. We played our best game of the season, and Zook says we can still play better. Juice was a beast. J Leman was a beast. We broke records, we broke winning streaks. We had players step up who most of the country, let alone most of our fanbase, had never even heard of: Miami Thomas, Brian Gamble, Michael Hoomanawanui... THIS FIGHTING ILLINI TEAM GOES DEEP.

I would say I'm sorry, Kirk, but I'm not!! Haha!! So this is what revenge feels like, huh? :)

Pumped for next weekend is an understatement. And I'm just about ready to skip Thanksgiving and Christmas all together and just head down to Florida for the bowl game. THAT'S how excited I am.

And the rest of the weekend was kind of a blur (and not because I was drunk!)... rioting on Green Street, meeting the team at the airport, church, basketball (merely an afterthought at this point!), and an awesome baptism service that seemed to happen all too fast.

We started out at Godsearch with 5 people on the schedule to baptize. WE ENDED UP BAPTIZING ABOUT THIRTY PEOPLE. God was moving. It was awesome. I got to be the photographer, and I got some really great shots. I also got to help baptize my friend Sammy who is in my Alpha small group. I didn't even know she was planning on it, and poof! there she was! I was so glad to get to be a part of it. Some of my pics will be up at www.godsearch.org/blog.

Oh, what a weekend...

Big weekend coming up!!

Taking it easy tonight... getting caught up on some stuff, getting my camera gear ready.

Tomorrow, Illinois takes on the #1 Buckeyes. KIRK, IS AMANDA READING THIS TO YOU?? Because finally after about 5 years, I'm ready to face you when it comes to football. Keep an eye on Rashard Mendenhall... he'll probably tear through your defense.

Then Sunday is the official first game of the basketball season as Illinois takes on Northeastern. I hope they play for real because we have a HUGE tournament starting up in Hawaii on Friday. There's no time to dilly around here, which is what always seems to happen with this non-conference portion of the schedule.

Also, who doesn't love Jeff Jordan? Man, the Today show did a GREAT job with this story. This was kind of a sentimental 7 minutes for me:
MJ & son on Today

Lastly, Match.com blows. Seriously. The end.

Please keep voting! We have until Friday...

and we're now down by 7% to the little kid from INDIANA. And we all know that everyone at IU is a liar!!

We need to win!! So keep voting! AND THANKS!!

VOTE

I love these guys!!

Vote now in the Cardways Big 10 Network Superfan
Photo Contest!

Ok, so Mike was just a teensy bit off:

I guess it's not RashardMendenhall.com, but rather Rashard5.com. Close enough. Pretty cool, regardless!!

I'm thinking about buying a house.

The problem is that I can't afford a huge house payment every month, and I don't have a whole lot put down. But, I've been paying rent in C-U for about 8 years now, and it's high time I start building up some equity.

I don't want it to be a dump. The other slight problem is that I will need enough room for Nevan and Steph to live with me for a few years until she gets done with college. So that means that I need at least 3 BR. Plus, part of the reason I'm moving out of my current location is that I don't have enough room for my business, so there's another room (or just a space that I need).

When I first graduated from college I rented a room in a SWEET 3 BR condo. I absolutely loved that place (though I could have done without the 2 boys I lived with). Anyway, I found a place in the same condo association that's for sale. I think I even like it better than the one I lived in before (mostly because there are colors other than WHITE on the walls). It's slightly out of my price range though (I think?), so we will have to see. Plus, I don't know how I feel about those condo association fees. Honestly, though, I don't really know how much I can afford to spend, so I'm planning on going to the bank on Saturday to talk to someone about that.

On another note, Champaign just seems to get smaller and smaller in terms of people I know. Last night I was looking for houses on Craigslist, and I found a cute little house on the cheaper end (but in the neighborhood I currently live in!) so I emailed the guy about it. Turns out I know him!! He called this morning and I assured him that I was the Holly that he knows from church. I don't think the house he's selling is quite what I'm looking for, but it doesn't hurt to look and get a feel for what's out there.

Wish me luck and pray hard!!

Snap Back... to Football

J Leman's snazzy, new website.

Mike tells me RashardMendenhall.com will be up before too long as well, but I just checked and it is not yet.

There is NOTHING to do at work this week. I was glad to have a minor crisis on my Martini book that finished about 2 months ago, just so I would have something to do this morning. That meeting and some research took all of about 1 hour of my day.

I think I'm going to scream.

Ok, seriously. I know I shouldn't be jealous or bitter or anything, but if ONE MORE PERSON gets engaged before the end of the year, I think I'm going to scream.

Breathe Holly...

I love you all, but I don't know... I guess it makes me feel stupid. And it makes me realize what I don't have and what I really, really want. Guh.

Another two bite the dust...

So this weekend, my friend Jen got engaged to her boyfriend Chris in upstate New York. Also, my friend Katie was proposed to by her boyfriend, Daniel, the young adult pastor at our church.

Also in the last few months, these people have all gotten engaged: Joanna, Becky, Alicia... which means that business is good for Holly! But obviously, it's still hard for me, but not hard enough that I can't handle it. I mean, I shot a wedding on 10/13, and everything went smoothly and I wasn't really even thinking about my own wedding plans that had recently been washed down the drain.

The thing that sucks now is just the people who don't know yet, but it's not like I want to put out and APB announcing it to the world either. There are a few key people who I'm pretty sure don't know yet, so I feel like I should send them an email. Really though, I think I'm just trying to avoid the obligatory "oh, I'm so sorry" comments (Erick, I'm glad you sent the email though... no worries!). I understand that there's not much else to say, and that it is sad. But I'm not really that sorry myself, so I don't know why everyone else is.

Here's what I'm sorry about: I'm sorry that my plans are now shifted a little bit, I'm sorry that I probably won't be able to take my business full time in 2008 now, I'm sorry that I probably won't buy a house as easily now, and I'm sorry that I am back to square one.

What sucks is this: I feel like I don't know where to start again now when it comes to looking for another relationship. I am trying really hard to give that over to God though. He has a MUCH better chance of finding Mr. Right than I do. But God, while I have you here, can we find someone this time that loves Jesus AND the Illini? Thanks!

The other thing that sucks is that one of Ryan's friends came up to me on Saturday and asked where he was, so I'm thinking that he hasn't really told everyone yet either, and it's really awkward to tell someone I don't really know, "Oh haven't you heard? We broke up." Ugh.

Ok, enough ranting. But at least I gave you people something to read!! :)

Check out the new Holly Birch Photoblog!

Holly Birch Photoblog

The House that MJ Bought

Well, no one seems to know for sure that he IS buying a house in CU, but it makes sense. Kind of. He told Kent Brown that he would be here for a game this season. A game. Why would he buy a house here if he won't be able to make it over for most of the games. For this years, at least, JJ has to live on campus since he's a freshman. I guess it could come in handy the next three years though. Time will tell...

On a similar note, Aubrey thinks that we should offer to live in his house when he's not here and take care of the housekeeping and so forth. This sounds like a GREAT arrangement to me. I just need to figure out how to get a hold of him... hmm...

Who's ready for MICHIGAN?! ME!!! (And Heath, Bev, Ryno, Kayla, etc.) Saturday is going to be a great, long day. Can't wait.

If you're reading this...

there's a good chance you already know that the wedding is off.

I don't really want to get into it too much, but if you have questions, feel free to ask. I just wasn't happy anymore and I realized I didn't want to spend the rest of my life with him. I deserve to be happy and I gave myself the chance to find that happiness by leaving my relationship. I feel like there is a huge weight off my shoulders and I think some of the stress I had all summer is now gone.

In other news, I am now the proud owner of an Illinois men's basketball season ticket!! This basketball season is going to cost me way too much, but it's what I enjoy and I don't have to pay for a wedding now, so I figure there's some give and take. Also, football isn't costing me much at all, yet I'm still having a good time.

I'm taking suggestions for a possible spring vacation. In March I will definitely be going to the Big Ten Tournament for a couple days, but I could make it a longer trip maybe. I know there is a lot to do in Indianapolis. I could also go visit people (I know Amanda will jump all over this!). My friend Ann also called off her wedding this summer, so we talked about doing something together maybe.

And in other, other news, I'm contemplating buying a houes next year and living with my sister and nephew until she finishes up school. I think it's a good move to buy, esp. since I don't plan on going anywhere for a while. Also, then Steph can pay me rent and help me out with the mortgage for a while. The problem is going to be getting a big enough place though. She will need 2 bedrooms and I will need 2 as well because I am requiring that my next place have an office space for me to use (working out of my bedroom is becoming a huge mental and emotional problem for me).

MY ILLINI ARE 3-0 IN THE BIG TEN AND 5-1 OVERALL!!! So, this fall is shaping up to be pretty good. Wooooo!!

I'm going to shock you all (3) by posting twice in one week.

In case you're interested, I've also added a photoblog to my business website:
www.hollybirchphotography.com. I notice a lot of photographers doing this to keep their customers/potential customers up-to-date on their work. It's also good if you have an impatient bride wanting to see something fast when you haven't quite gotten all the post-processing done (although I usually get my photos up within 24 hours after the wedding).

Tomorrow is going to be a GREAT day, esp. if the Illini can pull off the win against the Nittany Lions. Tonight I have to make: 1) buffalo chicken dip, 2) fruit salad, 3) football cupcakes!

Anyone know someone who might like a nice, leather briefcase? I'm trying to sell one on Craigslist, and I'd rather not fuss with learning how to put something up on Ebay and then shipping it, etc.

I know I need to post more pics on here. Here are a few fun things I've shot recently:
I want this van:


I want to paint my house (someday) like this:

Ok, just kidding.

My adorable nephew says "Go Illini!"


I shot this last night:


Alright... later peeps.

Sorry to all of my 2 faithful readers

There's not a whole lot to update though... I've had a rough couple of months with a couple mental and emotional breakdowns, but Im' hoping that my 2 days off (though unpaid... grrr) next week will help me to unwind and de-stress and get back to my usual jovial self. The visit to the spa for a massage and Oligomer seawater bath shouldn't hurt too much either. :)

Let's see... wedding plans. Haven't thought about it too much lately since so much other stuff is going on (read: Illini football & wedding photography). I'm pretty happy with my latest work: http://www.jcbethmorgan.weddingherald.com. My wedding dress came in almost a month ago now, so that was pretty exciting. I could stand to lose 2 or 3 pounds though.

I'm preparing to take on much more photography work next year. I'm considering doing some print/online advertising through the local paper and perhaps through the Mason County Democrat. I am already talking to two brides about weddings in June and September, so things are looking good on that front. I'd like to book 2 each in June, July & August. Let me know if you know anyone getting married soon! My new brochure is hot off the press and ready to send (email pdf or via US mail).

Tailgating is well underway. We have a pretty good-sized group of regulars now and we've starting assigning foodstuffs to people so the 3 main contributors aren't stuck feeding everyone. I think it's going to be a good season. Plus, WE ARE 3-1!!! Yeah for a winning season so far! Bring on the Nittany Lions!

I LOVE shooting on the football field, more than I thought I was going to. I've streamlined my workflow so the post-processing goes much faster now. Plus I have my brand new Mac!!! I feel like I am more comfortable on the field, too, as far as knowing where to be when and that sort of thing.

Alright, I should probably wrap up my work for the day. Peace out, yo.

Check Check Check

Man, I haven't updated in so long, I'm starting to achieve Tuscy lameness!!
Tuscy

List of wedding things we have completed:
Found a fiancee - CHECK :)
Found a church - CHECK
Found a reception hall - CHECK
Ordered my gown, veil & shoes - CHECK
Met with florist - CHECK (with another meeting on the way)
Found a photographer - CHECK
Found a caterer - CHECK
Found a minister - CHECK
Asked all three bridesmaids to be in wedding - CHECK
Found a DJ - CHECK
Picked colors - CHECK

I think we're in good shape!!
http://www.theknot.com/ourwedding/HollyBirch&RyanChristensen

I think anyone who would read this would know, but

I'M ENGAGED!!

I think I'm still in shock. I sit here at work looking at my ring, and I think "Is this really happening?" By the way, my ring looks gorgeous under the light over my desk at work. I'm going to start making plans, and as I make them I'll post some updates here and probably a few on our Knot site. I'm not all wedding psycho or anything, but some of this stuff is fun! I mean, how often do you get to plan a party that all your family and friends will be at? That's awesome.

Beautiful Lengths

Hi faithful blogreaders!

As some of you may know, I'm chopping my hair off soon to give to a woman battling cancer who needs a wig. I was going to do this through Locks of Love, but I have since learned that it may or may not be a corrupt organization and you have to have 10" of hair with them, whereas with Pantene's "Beautiful Lengths," you only have to have 8".

Here's the haircut I'm thinking about getting. What do you think?

Wow, it's almost june! I need to update...

What's been happening? Well, lots of shooting and lots of busy-ness. I had to shoot a few more graduations. A few went well, a few not so well. I still got a cash bonus though! (That reminds me... I need to pick that up.)

Memorial Day weekend was fantastic and pretty relaxing I guess. Saturday Ryan and I went to Jack & Jill's wedding where I got to see several of my pledge sisters, which was awesome. I got to talk to Joanne for a while, which was very nice and all the girls got to meet Ryan. Haha. At one point Joanne said "so whose wedding is next?" and they all pointed at me. :)

I also spent a lot of my free time over the weekend practicing with some of my new Strobist techniques. Some were good and some were not so good... I don't think I'm afraid to bounce light off a ceiling anymore, but I also have definitely learned the value of having my camera off flash. I'm really wishing I would have had Strobist before I bought my studio light set because I would be in much better shape now if my lights were smaller and battery-powered. I've found a way to use my Metz in this way though and I'm thinking of buying a Nikon SB24 soon, which will serve the same purpose. You can see some of my practice shots at www.flickr.com/photos/hollybirchphotography.

On Memorial Day our friend Mike hosted a big cookout in a park near his house. A whole bunch of our church friends showed up and we ate way too much food. We'd eaten all the hot dogs and burgers when Gatanya showed up with like 50 chicken legs to grill. It was ridiculous. We had a good time playing volleyball, chatting and lounging though. That night we went to Gabe's to sit on the roof for a while. It was fun but I was severely dreading coming back to work the next day... but now the week's almost over! Yay!!

Three Graduations and a Wedding

Hmmm... it almost sounds like a movie. Well, that's what I did this week. My shutter finger is exhausted!! Friday night I shot the Lake Land College graduation (at which I knew one person!)... two shots of every grad.

Then Saturday, Ryan and I went to my friend Taylor's (and Stan's) wedding. The shooting went very well, and I think it was my best wedding photography yet. That will probably be the case every time though, because the goal is to get better every time. My lighting was almost perfect in just about every shot though, which is a huge relief. I ended up only getting about 775 shots though, which is less than I'd like, but I didn't shoot as many at the reception this time.

Sunday I had to get up early to go shoot another graduation. It didn't go as well as the first one, but it was still decent. The nice thing was I didn't have another one for about 4 more hours, so I went home and made myself a nice salad, took a short nap, and worked on Taylor's wedding photos. It was a very relaxing afternoon actually. Then I headed back to the other graduation. Then I treated myself to some El Toro II and a huge lime margarita, before settling down with some TV.

I had Monday off after such a long weekend, so I spent the day doing a little shopping, cleaning the oven and some windows, and designing Taylor's wedding album. It looks awesome so far! And let me tell you... I tore through that thing! I made about 18 pages that first day. Wow.

We got a hot crustacean band!

It's a Nice Day for a White Wedding

Proud Season Ticket Holder

So I tried to post something before lunch but I didn't really have anything interesting to say. I do now though!

Over lunch I went to the Post Office really quick to send off my broken studio lamp. :( First I get hit on by some weird guy who had a strange nervous tick or something and couldn't stand still to save his life. What made that part even more awkward was that Kenny Kim was ahead of me in line. And I didn't really want the strange guy asking me any more personal questions.

Speaking of personal questions... you know if I had a dollar for all the times I've been asked if I go to the U of I since I graduated, I'd probably have enough to pay for my education. Oh well, I guess I should appreciate it while it lasts.

Also over lunch, I finally bought my season tickets. The last straw? Well, I got an email this morning saying that there are only 1,000 horseshoe seats left. Well NOW THERE ARE ONLY 999!!! :D And when I got back I received a Fighting I-Mail saying that the season ticket renewal deadline is 4/27. Whew!!

My website is getting some finishing touches today and Seth says it will be done tonight. I really hope so because I printed 170 cards with the address on them last night!

Tonight is date night!! Ryan finally has a weeknight where he doesn't have to work, but this means that he'll miss our small group party tomorrow night too. :( He's going to fix me dinner at my house (so I can work on stuff while he cooks) and then we're going to see a movie (I think). He wanted to go minigolfing but it's kind of raining and a little chilly here, so probably not.

The mental preparation for my first wedding of the season began on Sunday. I'm trying to make lists and sort things out in my head so I don't miss anything on Saturday. Going to the dress rehearsal on Friday will help, along with having an hour or so to myself at Kristina's house on Saturday morning. Wish me luck!!

Edit: Ooh, I forgot a couple more things... I found out that Pantene has a program where I only have to cut off EIGHT inches of hair instead of TEN! WAHOO! Now THAT I can definitely do. Now I just need to talk Stephanie into it...

My friend Brian sent me a link to a cheap PocketWizard (it's a remote flash trigger for you photo-clueless types). It's on its way to me for only $169!! Yeah!

Nick E. Cheese

My cousin Nicki has decided to start a catering business in order to fulfill her life-long dream. She needs a name though, and here's a little bit of what some of my friends came up with:

Down Home Catering
Taste of Home Catering
Nick E. Cheese
Puttin' on the Grits Catering
And, similarly... Patton on the Ritz Catering (THIS ONE IS MY FAVORITE!)
Nicki's Country Stuffin'
Nicki's Gnocchi

I'll keep thinking...

Massacre at VT

I forgot to mention this below, but the VT thing has been on my mind a lot too. This is absolutely horrifying that this would happen. Some of the video and audio footage brings me to tears. It just breaks my heart that there are people out there dealing with things that they feel like they can't handle, so they feel the need to murder or in this case, mass murder. And then besides the depression, there is the mass amount of hate the gunman had for other people. It makes me ask questions like: Where did this hatred stem from? What initially sparked his disdain for fellow students? Why was his life so bad that he resented other people so much? Why didn't someone realize that his quietness was probably a sign of something else?

All I know is God weeps over situations like this. And I know that that young man needed Jesus more than anything in this world. But like all things, God will use this situation to bring some sort of good, as awful as that may sound the day after.

My prayers and thoughts are with the families of the deceased and the students who had to witness the massacre yesterday. I don't know how I would deal with seeing that.

Girl put your records on...

So I don't know what to write about, but for some reason I feel like I should today, so here's a list of songs I've recently downloaded:

Put Your Records On - Corinne Bailey Rae
Not Ready to Make Nice - Dixie Chicks
Big Enough - Ayiesha Woods
Boston - Augustana
I'm Not Who I Was - Brandon Heath
Beautiful Disaster - Jon McLaughlin
The Sweet Escape - Gwen Stefani
Give Me Jesus - Fernando Ortega
Untitled Hymn - Chris Rice
Jesus You are Holy - Kate Miner

Let's see... what else is on my mind?
- I screwed up and missed a photo shoot last night. Oops.
- I was woken up at 3 a.m. last night by my neighbors and one of their girlfriend's OBNOXIOUSLY LOUD cars. Then I couldn't sleep and they came back an hour later and were still loud. Jerks.
- My jerk-y roommate is still at her usual ways even though the bf is gone. Seriously. Who parks in the driveway behind your landlord blocking them in? Jerks. That's who.
- I felt really compelled last night during my sleeplessness to write a letter to my ex-stepmom. I might work on that tonight. Along with 326 other things I have to do.
- Why was I the last person to hear about Mom & Joe's party? If you wanted me there, so bad, why wasn't I one of the first to know?
- I can't really handle when one person dominates a conversation. It makes me uncomfortable and I feel bad for everyone else present.
- I think I need a day off or two, but alas, my stupid job only started me out with 5 vacation days. What a load of crap.

How awesome am I?

And you know, Regis too, I guess. :)

Lots of things to tell...

The first is that I had my first gig as the football photographer for InsideIllini.com this weekend. I wasn't super happy with the results, but the guy who hired me seemed to like my work. He gave me a few suggestions and tips and is going to get me a subscription to the premium forum which is ultimately where I will post my photos from now on.
You can view my photos here:
Spring Practice Photos 4-7-07


I have a BUSY week this week, which is good because I've been lacking energy lately and I think it's because I was sick and then wasn't so busy and then the weather got cold again. I have high hopes for this week. I have a Vineyard leadership training meeting tonight, Breaking Free Bible study tomorrow, football practice tomorrow and Wednesday, a wedding consultation Thursday, and lots of loose ends to tie up when I have a little free time. Ha! Free time.

This weekend will be fun too. I will get to hang out with Ryan during the day on Saturday (he's on call in the evening) and then Sunday afternoon is Taylor's bridal shower luncheon.

I also need to get crackin' on my website updates. My friend Seth put some stuff together for me in exchange for me shooting photos at the Taste of CU this summer. I can't wait to see what he came up with (AND get it posted!).

Let the busy-ness commence... I'm out.

I'm going to plant a Vineyard.

But not that kind of Vineyard. :)

So this is what's on my mind this week:
Vineyard
Church Planting

This thing is way in the early stages of planning, but it's going to happen in summer of 2009. It's kind of scary, and kind of exciting. I know that this is what I'm supposed to do.

If you have questions, you can ask!

Look Ma! I'm famous!!

I hate being sick.

No, I mean I really, really hate it. I've been sick since Sunday. And it sucks. This could be one of the worst viruses I ever had. The only times I can recall in recent memory are when I had strep/mono when I was a freshman at UI and when I had the flu in February of the 2004-05 basketball season.

The following are things I've been taking to alleviate the symptoms (they aren't helping much, IMO): DayQuil gelcaps, Sudafed, ibuprofen, Excedrin, PM ibuprofen, Nyquil, Tylenol Severe Congestion, a vapor inhaler, throat spray, and some nasty cough drops. I hate cough drops, but sometimes they're the only things that can soothe and aching throat.

Anyway, I need to be better because it looks like I might be heading to the suburbs this weekend for a visitation for Ryan's grandma who met Jesus this morning. And I just want to be able to get back into my routine and enjoy the nicer weather instead of staying holed up on my couch or in bed.

What in the world is going on here?!?!

Today:
1) FBW announces he's leaving Iowa to go to New Mexico. Sounds great... then he can retire comfortably in a few years without having to go very far... Arizona is only one state away!
2) Tubby announces he's leaving KENTUCKY for MINNESOTA! Now tell me, how messed up is THAT?! It really just pisses me off because it means high caliber coaches are working their way into the B10 and we don't need bottom-feeders like the Gophers heading up to the top of the conference.

Also, on a side note, if for some reason Guenther decides to leave Illinois or is somehow booted (who boots the AD anyway? Chancellor Hermann? Stukel? NANCY CANTOR?!), I would like to put in my nomination for Mr. TwinCityIllini, aka Heath, as the new AD. He knows his stuff - coaches, players, stats, you name it. And I think Beverly would make a fabulous First AD Lady of the University of Illinois.

Also, as another side note, since we're speaking of Nancy Cantor, I have to imagine that she had SOMEthing to do with the new Syracuse unis. I mean, they're RED for crying out loud. So not only has she ousted the Orangemen, but now also the ORANGE. If she never had another say in athletic matters, it would be too soon.

I'm dying to wear my new Illini shoes to an Illini event, so I guess it will have to be baseball for the time being. You all know how much I love Illinois baseball. And then there's the Spring Game next month. WOOOOOT!! I'm secretly secretly really really ready for football season though. I know, I need to lay off the orange Kool-aid.

My brackets suck. The end.

2007 All-Superficial Basketball Teams

All-Hair
Captain: Warren Carter (Illinois) (unanimous)

Steven Hill (Arkansas)

Jamaal Tatum (SIU)

Robin Lopez (Stanford)

Tim Doyle (Northwestern)

Honorable Mention:
Raymond Sykes (Clemson)


All-Name
Idong Ibok (MSU)

Vaidotas Vokus (Missouri)

Karolis Petrukonis (Clemson)


The ‘Tom Coverdale’ Red-headed Stepchild Team:
Matt Kleinmann (Kansas)

Drew Naymick (MSU)

David Pendergraft (Gonzaga)


You Look Stupid. Period. Team:
Jon Scheyer (Duke) (Really, Jon? It’s like you take your inspiration from John Mayer doing “Your Body is a Wonderland” on stage.)

I’m sure I could have come up with more for this team, but I just was lazy. And, really, Scheyer deserves to be mocked all by himself.

All-Hot Coaches:
Anthony Grant (Virginia Commonwealth)

Jay Wright (Villanova)

Billy Gillispie (Texas A&M) (mostly because it seems that ESPN has dubbed him the most eligible bachelor in college basketball)

Nate Mast (Kansas) (simply for the hilarity factor & hometown favorite)


And a couple bonuses I didn't post anywhere else. :D
Celebrity Lookalikes:
IJKA = Christian Moody (Kansas)

Chris Rock = Kammron Taylor (Wisconsin) (of course)

It's the most wonderful time of the year!!

Ah, March Madness... it's like a warm blanket... :D

Sadly, though, I do not have the time/resources this year to just chuck it all and sit on my couch surrounded by junk food & nonstop college basketball. I am actually working today, but the good news is that my boss is taking us all out for a LOOOONG lunch at BW3 around noonish... hallelujah!!

Tomorrow, I am not working, but I'm leaving for a conference in Evanston at 10 a.m. I have all afternoon to sit around and watch what I can from my computer (PLEASE let the church have WiFi!!). The plan is for Aubrey to pick me up around 5 and we're going to run over to BW3 to watch Illinois play and then I will head back for the remainder of the conference. This means, however, that I will also be missing almost all of the games on Saturday as well. Ugh! Therefore, I have asked Facebook to please send me a final score for each game. That way I will NEVER be completely out of the loop. But, oh, how I will miss the days of sitting on my couch doing absolutely nothing.

So, provided the Illini win tomorrow (6:10 pm CST), we will play again sometime on Sunday. Rest assured, Sunday I will be going to church and then heading straight home to probably spend the rest of my day on my beloved couch with my beloved junk food watching my beloved sport with my beloved laptop right by my side in case I need to get a quick update.

Oh, March Madness. I apologize in advance for being so unfaithful to you this weekend. :( I promise to be better next year and give you my full attention for 4 straight days (it will help that my job will also bless me with additional vacation days next year!) :D

WOOO!! BRING ON THE BASKETBALL! (Oh, and I just received word that my department is leaving at 11:30! That's only 28 minutes from now!!

One last thing... GO ILLINI!

My website is finally getting somewhere!

http://www.hollybirchphotography.com/index.html will be the home page. I still need to create the subpages. What do you think (all 2 of you who have even seen this page)?

I'm not sure I'm sold on the color scheme... and the way I have it set up, it's not very easy to edit often, and I pretty much have to work on it on my work computer. And obviously, since the links don't work, I still need to get those set up. I'm hoping to somehow work on that this weekend. So I might be attempting to write some code! I think I might be able though, so set pages up in Photoshop (sample pages at least) and then create the slices in ImageReady on my work computer next week.

Wish me luck!! :-/

Well it's been an interesting 24 hours.

I actually feel pretty good about the communication that has happened thus far today. The coolest thing was when I was getting really desperate yesterday about it, and I just gave it to God and he answered my prayer in like an hour! Cool. I wish I could give more specifics, but I won't anymore gossip or rumors to be spread about the whole thing.

I'm starting to get really pumped about the Cause Conference this weekend. I'm also freaking about how I'm going to be able to watch the game. The conference officially starts at 7, but the game starts at 6:10. I think I will just have to miss the beginning.

Now I'm off to use my new Macro lens over lunch. There's a guy here at work that wants documentation of his watch collection for insurance purposes. So it'll be fun to play around with my equipment. Woohoo!

Missing bball players at BW3

So in case you were wondering exactly WHERE Jamar Smith and Brian Carlwell were during the game last night, you can rest easy knowing that they were enjoying some $.50 boneless buffalo wings at BW3 in Savoy. It was really odd hearing the commentators talk about them and why they weren't there when they were sitting like 20 feet from me. Personally, I would have stayed at home and avoided any awkwardness and public ridicule, but apparently Jamar is one tough cookie and he decided to enjoy the game with the masses. The whole thing was just really surreal for me. But I digress...

On to Indiana today. Woo!! We can beat the Hoosiers. And we can definitely beat them at the United Center. Sadly, Weber's perfect streak at the UC is going to come to an end this weekend, but we're not going to go down without a fight.

And Chester Frazier going off for 19 points last night? What was that about?! Chester, it would've been nice if you would've shown up for some of our huge B10 conference games. Ugh.

Ok, so after about 23 template changes, I finally settled on one that isn't completely awful and uncustomizable.

Since I said I needed to upload some pics, here are some shots of my recent work:

Stout-White wedding invitation


Artie's Pizza

The Big Ten Tourney starts in less than an hour!!

Are you ready to get your groove on?

That's what the front of the birthday card from my sister said, along with a picture of Napoleon Dynamite dancing.

I don't have a lot to say right at the moment, but I figure that everyone else has Blogspot and my current blog is on Wordpress, so I switched.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow when March Madness begins! (well according to me at least).

I need to get some photos on here.