Big Changes

Just a couple things:

First, I've changed my website quite a bit. The pricing and info is completely different. Hopefully it'll be a lot better.

Second, my website will be off the web at the end of June(this month) in preparation for my new site! The new one will be completely different and hip(the pricing and packages will remain the same.) I'm super excited about it. One thing I'll be doing differently is no printing(except for montages.) Each package(excludes Fine Art) comes with a high res cd of all images. AND, here's the biggest change, each cd includes all images in color, bw, and sepia tone, and 2 custom made photo montages. Isn't that exciting?! Breath. It's for real. Here are a couple examples of montages you can expect:



If you know anyone(including yourself) who would like their pics done please refer me. I would be super grateful. As an incentive to get more business I am offering 30% off any package to friends and family.

Love you guys!!!

www.amberweimerphotography.com

Attack of the GEODUCKS!!!! Blah!

So on our little jaunt over to Dash Point, we made a disgusting discovery (how's that for alliteration? nice right?) We noticed these nasty little blobs sticking out of the sand that would go down every time we got close. Not only that, but they would squirt water as they slunk down below the sand. The boys tried to dig a little to unearth one(as did Brucey, after being squirted by one), but gave up as no one wanted to touch the globby creatures. Luckily we asked a passer- by if he knew what they were, and he did. "Geoducks," (gooey ducks) he told us. When we got home we looked them up and this is what they really look like: Prepare yourself!





(This photo is not mine, but I picked it because it's so ridiculously funny. Her nails are all painted nice and she's holding it like she's shooting a comercial. Ha! Classic.)
Is that not the grossest thing you've ever seen in your life?! Apparently, they are native to the Puget Sound in Washington(where we live,) and we just happened to run across them. What are the odds?! I know you're curious so here are some fun facts about the geoducks:
-The name geoduck has a native American origin, meaning "dig deep"
-The Chinese call the geoduck the "elephant trunk clam." They actually eat these! It's a Chinese delicacy(I think I just threw up a little bit in my mouth.)


-Oldest Recorded Age: 146 to 168 years
-The neck of a geoduck can stretch to 1 meter, from the body and shell of this clam
-A developing geoduck will burrow into sediment at an approximate rate of 1 foot per year. After digging about 3 feet deep, the adult geoduck settles in for 100 years or more.
-The average size of 2.2 pounds is reached in five to six years. The maximum documented weight: 7.15 kgs. That's 15.76 lbs!
http://www.manandmollusc.net/geoduck.html

What is this strange place I've moved to?!

Dash Point at low tide

We went to this cool place called Dash Point Beach. It was extreme low tide so we got to see a ton of crazy things. There were lots and lots of starfish, thousands of live sand dollars, different kinds of crabs, a nudibranch, and geoducks(gooey-ducks. I will do another post about them because they're so bizarre, and disgusting!)

One cool thing we discovered was water pockets in the sand. It was so odd. We kept seeing random bursts of water spring up here and there and wondered what the heck was going on. We realized they were coming from little sand mounds that, when disturbed, shoot water 6 feet into the air. It was so fun to find sections with tons of the mounds because we could spray each other(and ourselves.) Brucey sprayed himself many times. It was hilarious.

We've made many good guy friends up here. I get to cook for them or make brownies whenever they have days off, and we get together and play games for hours and hours. It's been great. I get sad when they have to go because I know I won't see them again for a week. I'm trying to keep myself busy while they are away. I miss Brandon so much when he leaves. I couldn't help but shed a few tears when they left yesterday morning (for 2 weeks.) At least I have Brucey to keep me company.

sand dollars

Hadley, Jon, and Brandon looking for critters

Brandon holding a mini starfish

One of the many starfish left by the receding tide

Hadley trying to get the crab to grab his hat

Hadley

Brandon and a big critter

Brandon, Jon, Hadley, and Joey

Cute little crab. Looked like a leaf. Love him.

Joey with the dead "octopus", which was actually a giant many legged starfish.

Wet and Wild

Brandon's office met a goal for Memorial Day so we got a party for it. We went, not knowing what it was at all, and found this blow up slip and slide. After running back to our apartment for a swimsuit Brandon was able to have lots of fun with the guys. It was soooooo hot. I, on the other hand roasted my butt off while watching. I know this is totally lame, but I didn't want to get my face wet. Washington has been pretty great except that ever since we got here, my face has been so disgusting! No matter what I do, it just keeps breaking out. I don't know what to do. It's never been this bad in my life. I just keep having to wear more and more makeup to cover it up which, in turn, makes my face even worse. It's a vicious cycle. I was able to play some ultimate frisbee at the party so it turned out okay. The stupid thing is, I'm sure know one would even care if my face was all zitty, but seriously, if my face keeps breaking out, I'm going to have a nervous breakdown!!!!

Washington in a whirlwind

more photos below

So I'm really glad my mom drove up with me and stayed for a few days. For those of you who don't know my momma, she's a traveler. Period. I don't know how else to say it other than we usually need vacations from our vacations. We like to see as many things as possible as fast as we can. Don't misunderstand me, this is not a bad thing. I love it. Because of her, I've been able to see so many things and experience so much.

So on our drive up, I was disappointed for most of the journey. I was expecting a lot more green and started to get discouraged. Then all of a sudden, it was like we'd driven into Twilight. For reals! We were magically surrounded by vast foggy forests and it started to rain. That's when things got exciting.

While my mom was here we went to: Gig Harbor, Point Defiance, Tacoma(Glass Museum), Port Townsend, Port Angeles, Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park(where we saw a bear 20 feet away from the road ancd nearly hit a number of deer,) Marymere Falls, Forks(yes really, read more below,) Hoh Rain Forest, Ruby Beach, and Seattle(Aquarium, Space Needle, Pike Place Market.)


All that occurred in 4 days.

The majority of those happened on one day. The grand near-impossible adventure around the Olympic Peninsula. I didn't think it was physically possible to see everything we did and drive that far in one day, but as I mentioned before, I was with my mom. That was 463 miles on a one lane slow highway (25 mph through towns.) Just the driving time for all the places we went that day, not including the time we spent at each location, was... ready for this... 11 hours 25 minutes!

Yes. It was a very long, very successful day.

We didn't even plan on going to Forks, but it just happens to be on the highway along with Port Angeles and La Push. It's so weird! One cool thing happened while we were in Forks. We had stopped for lunch and shopping there briefly and were on our way out of town when my mom got a call. Since it's illegal to talk on your cell phone while driving in Washington we pulled over immediately. While my mom chatted I looked over to my left, and there, down the road, was Forks High School! We of course had to drive over and take about 20 pictures before I was satisfied.
p.s. one more fun fact about Forks, they do Twilight tours! The Twilight tour bus driver honked and waved at me while I was taking pictures of the "Welcome to Forks" sign. They go to Port Angeles, Forks, and La Push. Isn't that funny?

Everything is green and gushy here! Hoh rain forest phone booth

Pike Place Market

Ruby Beach

Hoh Rain Forest




Bear! On the way up to Hurricane Ridge. I got a little nervous and didn't stay long...

Pt. Defiance beach walk

Pt. Defiance

Tacoma Glass Bridge

Washington's been super so far, accept... I've seen Brandon for about 48 hours total since I got here. He had to work all week while my mom was here and could only go to Seattle with us. And even worse, he's had to stay in Yakima(a city 2 1/2 hours away) for the past 2 weeks. And even more worse, he'll probably be gone all of next week too! Come on!!!!! Serioulsy?!!!!!! I'm basically going crazy now.

I have posted many more images on Facebook if you want to check 'em out.

And that brings us to now.

You're going to laugh your socks off!

Zac? Oh yeah!

Wild about Wicked

If you ever get the chance to see Wicked, you should. It's phenomenal! I've been going to operas and musicals since I was little, and this one definitely makes it into the top 3. The story was so much better than I thought it would be. I almost cried at the end because it was so great.
Brandon had a ticket, but since he's already gone to Seattle, it was basically an all girl excursion.


I spent much of the weekend going out with my Mom, Aunt, and sisters getting dinner, pedicures, and seeing a movie(State of Play is sooo good.) No kids or husbands whining in our ears. We even dressed up cute and all wore high heels. Sometimes you just need to go out with your female posse lookin' hot to trot. It was so so so fun. What a great distraction for me.

You must look at this!

I was just browsing on the net and found the cutest blog ever! It's a woman named Daisy that posts shabby chic pictures, and it's the most darling stuff I've ever seen. You must look at it! www.daisypinkcupcake.blogspot.com

Feeling Bummed

Brandy left yesterday morning, and I'm feeling it. I burst into tears whenever anyone asked about him, which was super embarrassing since it was Easter and I was surrounded by people all day. Overall, my family wisely steered clear of the subject so it wasn't too terrible.

I was trying to be really positive about my job before, but now I can't stand it. It's the only thing keeping me from being with my sweetheart, and I hate it! I just want to be done already. I feel bad because I can tell I'm not shooting as well or as fast now. One nice thing is my mom's going to drive up with me to Seattle and stay for a few days to do fun stuff. She's pretty rad like that. And, right after my last day of work we're going to Vegas for the weekend to shop and play. And since my birthday is that week, it'll be a nice present for me. So things aren't really that bad. I just have to stick it out for a month. yeash.

A Fun Thing

So I've been getting fun Twilight shirts from this website, CafePress.com, and I wanted to find a fun Harry Potter one. Surprisingly, they don't have many. So I decided I would design my own and have it printed from that site. Here's my design. I quite like it considering it's what I named my photography blog a year ago. I'm just getting a v-neck white tee I think and it will have the griffin stamped on the back, small, just below my neck. The best part about designing my own shirt is, it's cheaper than the ones already on there! Awesome! You should try it!

p.s. Obviously, my shirt doesn't say my name on it. I just didn't want anyone to rip off my sweet design.

Did I mention...

We're moving to Seattle for the Summer?...

Well now you know. Brandon leaves in a week and a half, and I will join him May 13ish. I have to finish my seasonal job. Blah! I want to go now!(picture me stamping my foot like a two year old.)

I'm about peeing my pants thinking of all the amazing pictures I'll be able to get up there. I've asked for a camera backpack that fits 4 lenses, 2 camera bodies, and a tripod for my birthday. It even has a rainfly that pops out of the bottom. Neato burrito. I want to be ready for anything at all times.

If anyone has ever been to that area, I would love some input on things to see and do. I've only been as high as Portland. We'll actually be living in Puyallup/Tacoma, which is about 30 minutes south of Seattle.

And don't worry, I've already mapquested how far away Forks(remember how I mentioned I might be a bit obsessive?...) is from where we'll be. It's like 3 hours so I'm pretty sure it's not going to happen, but one can dream. Anywho, now you know and you can be jealous. Go ahead.

You know you picked the right present when...

A) Gracie riding her new rocker from me and Brandy.

B) Lilly trying to share in the fun.

C) Gracie dragging Lilly off by her pjs.

D) Gracie dragging Lilly off by her hair yelling,"Birthday Present!"

E) Gracie running away with her rocker.

Need I say more?

My reward

I found these on my porch. They were left by that man's company that I called 911 for with a thank you card. They are so beautiful and fragrant. The big flowers are literally like 7" across. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.