Wednesday, January 28, 2009

What's your fabric?


In times of change learners inherit the earth; while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists. - Eric Hoffer
What are you doing to change this?? What books are you reading RIGHT NOW?
Read, read, read...if you don't like to read then get audio books! Books truly become part of the fabric of who we are... so don't just read all business books...or romantic novels... get hungry to learn again! :)
Some of the books I'm reading right now are...
Wild at Heart(personal), Commanding Your Morning(motivational/spiritual), ChurchShift(business), The Storehouse Principle(financial), The Traveler's Gift(motivational/novel), and Manners by Kate Spade(fun/lifestyle).
What are you reading???

Thursday, January 22, 2009

The not so downtime....

Whew! What a month! December and January went by and is going by waaaaay to fast! I guess it's so true about time flying when you are having fun! Here is a little recap of my past month and somewhat of an explanation of the lack of blogging...I've figured out what it is..I am a HUGE people person and when they are around I don't want to do anything except entertain or veg... I need to learn how to balance it so that my work-life/productiveness doesn't stop when I have people around...as my dad said right after I had moved out... that there was more oxygen at their house because I wasn't there...not that I personally was taking up so much oxygen... just that I always like to bring a TRIBE home with me! That hasn't really stopped since being down here... it's actually almost escalated I think.. It's been such INCREDIBLE times of laughing, talking, dressing up, photo-shooting, working out, eating really good food, shopping... plus getting some work done too of course;)
So as I said in a previous post the month started with my friend Victoria and Angela from Chicago coming to visit and go to a concert!
Then my friend/previous intern Jamie Delaine came in for a week in the middle of December to see my new place and just spend some quality time! She is from Vancouver, BC and I'm trying to get her to move here... cause we are definitely two peas in a pod it's ridiculous and we basically never slept the entire time she was here... with ugly sweater parties, crazy youtube video making, running what felt like 1000s of miles. Yeah. We lived it up!
Right after Jamie left I headed home for 8 days for Christmas! It was sooooo wonderful being back with my family and didn't realize how much I had missed them! I always get really refreshed and re-energized when I'm there...yes even through all the craziness I find it relaxing! ha! It was a beautiful Christmas and one of my favorite parts was being able to see my youngest sister JuliAnna really start to enjoy it... as the past years she's been to little to understand! It was a beautiful time!

I made sure that I stayed an extra day for my beautiful sister Natalie's 17th birthday...she's getting sooo crazy old and mature... has a million friends, her own business, a gorgeous model, plus such a heart to help and love people...what more could you want!? I love her so much!
I came home and enjoyed a couple days of quiet and rest to catch up on everything and get focused before the new year! It was perfect timing too before the next group of people showed up!
On New Years Eve I went to my church for a crazzzzzzy 80's celebration! Sometimes you might think with a church it might just end up cheesy or something like that...NOT even close! This was beyond incredible! Everyone being crazy decked out in hideous 80s outfits, learning thriller, and dancing the night away to a cover band! It was amazing!
The next morning I woke up super early.. yes I can be hardcore like that sometimes... to run Nashville's 5K Resolution Run with my running club from church! It was THE best way to start off the new year... plus then heading over to one of my friends house to celebrate and laugh the rest of the day away with fun games!
That night my beautiful friend Abby Smith arrived in town to spend a couple days here in Nashville! We had been trying to work out a time and finally found just the right time! Also in keeping with tradition as last year was the first time I had met her right at the same time when she came to my house in Chicago! Abby is from the brown state(that's what I relate it too...) of Oklahoma. haha!! She is SUCH a sweet spirit and we just get into some of the best conversations! She is a BRILLIANT photographer too and she actually did some pics for me that I'm going to post on my new website! I love her so much and am so blessed by her!
Finally...right after Abby left my friend Carolina came in town for a photoshoot! Carolina and I have been emailing the past 3 years or so as she is one of the moderators for my cousin's, BarlowGirl, forum and we hit is off SOOO well...she is a worship leader down in Miami and finally decided that she needed some photos for her new projects!! It was seriously one of the most amazing and fun shoots I've done...I'll post those very soon!
Lastly... my friend Heather texted me a couple weeks ago as she had 2 tickets to the Nashville Celine Dion Concert and she invite ME to go with her! I was so honored and boy was it an experience!! What an amazing show! I didn't think I would know a lot of her stuff...but I was happily surprised at how much I recognized...I guess being a wedding photographer that comes with the territory...it was one unreal night! :)
Well.....that my friends has been my last month and where I've been..I'm considering hiring a professional blogger for me just to follow me around like a paparazzi and document my life...what do you think? Yeah...I thought it was a pretty good idea myself! ;)
I love you all!!!

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Intern update....


Heeeyy beautiful people!!! I just wanted to make a quick post on here to fill everyone in with what is going on with the intern program as I've been getting emails constantly about it and am getting REALLY excited about the HUGE response before I've even released anything! That's incredible!
Anyway...I'm hopefully releasing the program within the next 2 weeks....I haven't accepted any interns for the year so if you haven't gotten a response from me that doesn't mean that you haven't been accepted...it means I haven't responded to anyone yet! ha!! :)
I'm super super excited about the upcoming year of internships! I know it's going to be unreal!!!!! Stay TUNED!! :)
PS....btw...that's last years header...alllllll new stuff coming up sooooon!!! ;)

Sunday, January 18, 2009

The Tiffany box.

This past Christmas was beautiful....I enjoyed every part of it. My family and friends gave me the best gifts I could ask for... it could've stopped there and I woud have been as happy as a lark... but the night of Christmas I recieved....
A Tiffanys box. Yes. A Real. Authentic. Little blue box.

I know I know...you all are wondering now....are you engaged?? When is the wedding???
But...nope! No ring on that finger right now:)

My incredible cousin Lauren, who is my bestest friend too, gave me the most adorable little silver necklace with two little hearts... definitely one of the sweetest presents ever! I almost cried! She said that SHE wanted to be the first person to give me a Tiffany's box... so that any guy was going to have to top that! ;) hehe!! Oh how I love her! So here is my lovely little present.... that was way better than a ring at this point!

I hope you all are doing wonderful!! I'm going to do a little recap tomorrow...as so much has been going on with constant house guests and such that I usually never get much done blog wise when that happens!! Love you all!!

Saturday, January 10, 2009

The Barlow Bunch!!

In the past our family has "sometimes" gotten out a Christmas picture and card relatively around Christmas or New Years...but I ALWAYS envied the families who had enough time to put together a Christmas letter...no matter how many times I would try to write one or get my parents to it NEVER seemed to happen...until somehow a miracle happened in our midst... more like... just rallying the whole family together to get this thing out instead of just one person! We thought...we are all on the computer most of the time anyways...so what better way for a Christmas/New Years letter than a website!! Thankfully my brother works for the INCREDIBLE company showit... that gives you a sweet tool, showit sites, to build these things so easily!! Soooo now...better late than never..I introduce....The Barlow Bunch!!!! ""CLICK HERE"" for more information on my family than you probably ever want to know! ;)
I love you all!!!
The picture below is the first version before JuliAnna was born back in 05!

Thursday, January 08, 2009

Volition


Ok...I'm going to catch you all up SOON on what I've been up to...but pictures are being taken faster than I can type! ha!
Anyways...I was on my cousin Lauren's facebook today and saw the link to this short film... I checked it out and was BLOWN AWAY by it! It tells what's on mine and sooo many people's hearts right now in the area of LIFE! It was perfect timing too as a big time revolution is taking place in a couple weeks in DC...partly headed up by my cousins..called Never Silence Life! It takes a serious stand for life.... and the importance of everyone having a choice to live and it not being chosen for them. No matter what your stand is in this area...watch this little movie...you will be in serious awe! I was close to tears! **CLICK HERE!!!!!!**
""Volition (n)- The act of making a choice. Sometimes the choice of inaction has consequences stronger than we could ever imagine. Throughout history, men have been faced with difficult choices in a world that makes it easy for them to conform. This film explores the hope that lies behind every decision made in the face of adversity; the hope that is buried in the heart of those that look beyond themselves and see something bigger worth fighting for.""
Here is the preview.....

Thursday, January 01, 2009

HAPPPY 2009

I hope you all have celebrated well! I just got back from one heck of a party, I'll post on that hopefully tomorrow..but right now as we are pondering resolutions and what the next steps in life are....I just have this to leave you with...time to truly make a change. Have we put THIS in our plan for the year??