Marvelous Mondays | Aimee Bontreger

I love weekends. And I really love when Mondays are occasionally an extension of the weekend. I mean, who doesn't want to lounge by the pool, do a little shopping and get their nails done all on a Monday afternoon when they'd normally be working? I, for one, would take that opportunity any day of the week.

AND, as it happens, today has been exactly that. Why? Well, not because I own my own business and can set my own schedule (no, honestly, I don't do this every Monday), but rather because my super awesome sister and my equally fabulous cousin drove all the way from Indiana to hang out with me for a few days! This, people, makes me happy. I love these two a TON and our time together is always filled with much laughter, moments of spontaneous movie quote-age, random bursts of song and always-enjoyable heart-to-hearts.

So, this brings me to today's truly follow-worthy feature:

Aimee Bontreger's Blog

Sure, I may be biased in thinking my sister is very talented and a tremendously gifted (not to mention witty) writer. But, I'm most definitely not alone in those sentiments. She's committed to blogging every single day, and because of that you'll find quite the variety of subjects sprinkled throughout her posts. From the conspiracy of midwestern windmills, to interviews with noteworthy and talented individuals, to dream interpretations and exciting real-life experiences, Aimee's blog is sure to have something for everyone. Her writing ability is truly remarkable and her unique personality is pretty much like none other. I love the real, in-person individual that she is, but now that we live in other states and often have long distance communication, I love that her blog is a place to keep up with her latest musings and catch continual glimpses into her personality, thoughts and humor. So, without further ado, head on over to her blog and start reading! (And then follow her on Twitter and tell her how awesome & hilarious she is. :)

And furthermore, enjoy the rest of your marvelous Monday! I know I shall. :)

Marvelous Mondays | Super 8 & Lissie

Ok, so, it's 11:15 p.m. on Monday evening as I write this almost-missed Marvelous Mondays installment. And yes, I DID almost forget it entirely. Though, to my credit, I remembered it earlier today, when I distinctly had to be working on other things, and then forgot about it for the rest of the day until now. Don't you love how honest I am about my inability to blog faithfully? You're welcome, readers. Now go feel better about yourselves.

At any rate, it IS still Monday and I DO have some things to share that I've recently found to be particularly marvelous.

1) Super 8

JJ Abrams & Steven Spielberg are considered amazing for a reason. I just saw this fantastic summer blockbuster on Friday night with my husband, and we both enjoyed it from the very start to finish. Complete with middle-school banter, alien-inspired chaos, and legitimate suspense, it pretty much has something for everyone. I laughed, I cried (for real, a little bit) and nearly jumped out of my seat and onto Aaron a few times. It's "super" well done and hits home in one way or another for the kid at heart in all of us. Go see it on the Big Screen, if you can. I'm pretty sure you won't regret it.

2) Lissie

For months, now, I've been greatly enjoying the raw, raspy talent of new singer/songwriter Lissie thanks to my sister. I continue to be impressed at how I enjoyed every single song on her debut album "Catching A Tiger", and never find myself skipping any whether while I'm editing photos, cleaning the apartment or driving in the car. She seems to be the perfect accompaniment for me at any given time, and when I find myself enjoying an artist THAT frequently, I know they're worthy of being shared. So, go give her a listen. Maybe you'll find that you enjoy her as much as I do. And if not, I think that's a shame. But at least you'll have given her a chance.

So, there you go! Another peak into some things making my everyday life feel a little more marvelous.

Goals | June (& a catch-up post of the past couple weeks!)

Ooook. SO. I haven't blogged in over two weeks. And while I realize this is very bad, I feel that you should know it's because I hadn't been HOME in over two weeks. And folks, lets face it, it's really hard to sit down and blog when you're photographing a week-long convention, or three weddings, or spending time with your family, your in-laws and other family friends that you rarely see. As much as I'm trying desperately to be a better, more consistent blogger (and I really am trying!) real-life people interactions will always come first. Because those are moments that you can't get back if you step away from them. So, please forgive the severe lack of posting of late, and know that I AM excited to get back in the swing and have much to share!

1) Kylin & Jordan Featured!

To start off with, I don't want to gloss over the fact that the beeeautiful wedding of my friends Kylin & Jordan recently got published in the summer edition of DIY Weddings Magazine! I'm so excited that not only can you buy the digital version of the magazine, therefore it's being featured online, but you can also buy it in PRINT! This is the first official thing I've had published in print, so that makes me excited. Plus, I love showing off my gorgeous friends and the wedding that they put so much lovely effort into! So, you should definitely check it out!

2) May Goals Update

As always, the things in bold are what I did accomplish. It was a bit of a rough month, as we were busy/gone for about half of it. So, have mercy on me as you read the list...

PERSONAL GOALS

• Continue working out at least 4 times a week (I did this the first two weeks, but not the second two...)
• Brainstorm and accomplish another for-the-apartment decorative project
• Make 2-3 meals per week, without Aaron's help (8-10 for the month) (again, the first two weeks when we were home, I did!)
• Have girl time with at least 4 different friends in person
• Call or hand-write at least 2 far-away girlfriends
• Mail the last Thank-You's
• Order Wedding Album!
• Make more progress catching-up on personal photo editing & uploading
• Work on organizing iTunes & all Music folders on computers
• Sort through all clothes & shoes and get rid of some!

BUSINESS GOALS

• Make detailed weekly to-do lists
• Total all receipts/costs from January - April
• Get mileage for both cars up to date
• Blog at least 2 times a week (trying this again!)
• Finish researching Business Insurance options & decide on a company/policy!
• Finish researching and choose a company for online backup & off-site storage!
• Finish researching laptops/desktop monitors
• Make a list of prioritized purchases!
• Edit one bridal shoot
• Edit two weddings
• Shoot two weddings
• Prepare for & lead the photographic team at TeenPact (the organization my husband works for) National Convention

So, as you can see, THIS time around I did a lot better with business goals than personal ones. But hey, any progress is still progress!

3) June Goals

All right, here's what's on the agenda for this month (even though we're already over a week into it, now). The personal goals are nearly staying the same, because so much went unaccomplished last month.

PERSONAL GOALS

• Continue working out at least 4 times a week
• Brainstorm and accomplish another for-the-apartment decorative project
• Make 2-3 meals per week, without Aaron's help (8-10 for the month)
• Invite friends over for dinner at least once
• Have girl time with at least 4 different friends in person
• Call or hand-write at least 2 far-away girlfriends
• Mail the last Thank-You's
• Order Wedding Album!
• Make more progress catching-up on personal photo editing & uploading
• Work on organizing iTunes & all Music folders on computers
• Sort through all clothes & shoes and get rid of some!
• Shoot just for fun at least 3 times

BUSINESS GOALS

• Make detailed weekly to-do lists
• Total all receipts/costs from May - June
• Add mileage for both cars from June
• Blog at least 2 times a week (still/always trying this!)
• Finish researching and choose a company for online backup & off-site storage!
• Finish researching laptops/desktop monitors
• Purchase new laptop
• Edit 2 - 3 weddings
• Submit 1 - 2 weddings for publication
• Attend 1 seminar/conference

There we go! Here's to June and much (hopeful) productivity! Stay tuned for more posts to come about all the things that took place in the last several weeks!