me in 2 days...

Not to brag or anything, but I will be riding this in 2 days.

Thank God for vacations!

life.

Right now I am relaxing on my couch watching One Tree Hill (last season) with David... love this show so dang much.  We are addicted.  And my favorite character is Brooke and always will be.  She may be a bit crazy but I love her low voice and her hubby is pretty hot, too (I think Julian looks like David).

In 5 days we will be on a DISNEY CRUISE traveling to the BAHAMAS and CASTAWAY CAY!  No big deal or anything... ha ha.  Just kidding, I'm really excited.  It will be nice to get away for a few days, see David's family and just relax.  I probably won't be actually relaxing.  David said not to bring any of my music from the Marvelous Wonderettes, but I'm going to, anyway.  Learning 27 songs in perfect harmony with choregraphy ain't easy, folks.  We'll see how long I'll be able to go without rehearsing.  My guess is a few hours.  :)

So, anyway, there is not too much else going on right now.  The days are just blurring together... right now I'm looking at 50-hr weeks with work and rehearsal, so I lose track of the days pretty easily!  In fact, I forgot the cruise was this weekend until somebody reminded me!  Gotta love it.

Okay, well just wanted to write a quick update. Have a great week!

chill out time.

Whew.

There's a lot going on in my life right now.  I'm a bit overwhelmed, truthfully.
I'm also grateful, though.
I know I say it a lot, but it's true.  No matter my circumstances I am blessed.

I have been cast in a 4-character musical called The Marvelous Wonderettes.  We did our second day of choreography today and it is so fun.  Our choreographer is truly teaching us the essence and art of the fifties -- the way we move and act.  I've always wanted to portray somebody from the fifties so I'm loving this!

Thank you all for your TREMENDOUS, OVER-FLOWING support for my music.  I'm so amazed and feel honored and blessed and... yes, grateful. :)
For those who haven't seen my cover of "Skyscraper" yet, go check it out on youtube and let me know what you think.  Check it here.

Much love to you all!

the green & teal living room.

A lot of people find it totally unacceptable to have a green & teal living room.  But I say "Break the rules!"
This room is not done yet by any means, this is just a preview!  I am going to attempt (key word: attempt) to paint a few canvases to hang on the walls.  I also want a frame art wall so I am deciding what it is going to look like. Also, baseboards/windowsills will be Antique White.   When this is all done we will probably be ready to move and then we'll have to paint over it!  :)

My sis-in-law gave me the bird cage clipboard for Christmas and I absolutely adore it!  I also really love the curtain on this window--I got it on clearance at Pier 1!

Love the coasters!  My friend Laura Himschoot painted them.

It's hard to get the true color of the wall in pictures.  These are the walls where I will be hanging my own art.  Would really love to put in contrasting colors like purples, reds, and pinks.

The table lamps are the next to go.

Centerpiece for Kitchen table.

At first we didn't know how we felt, but now we are really starting to love it.
Tell us what you think!  Would you paint your living room bright colors?

bleh.

So I feel like a terrible blogger.  I've completely disowned my blog since the last time I posted, which feels like an eternity.  Please excuse my tardiness.  People keep asking me where the New York pictures are.  They are right here... on my computer... and I'm honestly too lazy to get them edited/uploaded.
Maybe I have an excuse.  A week ago I was very ill with nausea, chills, etc... and then I developed this nasty rash.
What did I do? Well, I did what I normally do--researched like crazy--and found out exactly what was wrong.
Then, after a few days I paid $30 for a nurse practitioner to nod and say, "Yeah, I believe you are right.  That's exactly what it is.  Here take these pills."
Gee, thanks.
I have the Shingles.  And yes, they tingle.  If tingling feels like small knives digging into my skin every 5 seconds.
So, the last few days I've been painting my living room trying to get my mind off of it.
I'm done painting now and I'm not sure I even like the color.  It's called "Apple Orchard" so it looks exactly like a green apple.  I wanted something that is not typical (I HATE browns) but this may be a little too much.  I'll post pictures tomorrow and you can give me your opinions.  But please do keep in mind my taste is much different from everyone else's.  I have a teal and apple-green living room here, people.

Okay, well I just wanted to post and say I'm still alive, and that pictures will come even if it's a few years from now.
In the meantime, I finally have a facebook "fan page" for my music.
You can check it out and like it here.

hello, 2012.

I never thought it would come, but it's here at last.  2012!
When 2011 rolled around last year, I felt God was really stirring one word on my heart: Change.
I believe that was a word that could not have been more far from perfect.
A lot of changes happened.  My second post of the year was all about change, ironically enough.
I touched on it back then:  I've never been a huge fan of change.  I'm a very grounded, loyal person so sudden, spontaneous and quick things don't always boil over real well with me.
But as we went through a few bumps in the road in 2011--together--I became so much more of who I am meant to be, someone who has strength to stand in all aspects of life and it's wild journey.  I learned that true strength doesn't need to be buried underneath.   True strength is found in the Lord, and He has never left my side.

The bad things: We lost a few jobs, David's childhood dog passed away,  endless car troubles, a car crash, many tonsil related illnesses, losing my keys on a roof,  insecurities and fears, a friend who passed away, and a few other little issues here and there.  What felt like a really bad year is actually not so bad when I say the good things.

The good things: Visited New Smyrna beach many times, Miami, Colorado twice.  Went to Disney World... we auditioned for American Idol in Charleston and I auditioned for the voice in Orlando!  Went to Georgia for the first time. I turned 21 years old and had an amazing Princess-themed birthday party.  I got a part in my first musical in three years, and started performing again all around Orlando, had my very first paying photography gig, and we sang at our first wedding together. My best friend Beth came and visited us for a few weeks. I flew to Wyoming to be with my grandparents on their special 50th anniversary. We flew to Texas to see my brother graduate from Air Force BMT.  Went to a Taylor Swift concert and it reignited my love for music, and then I went to NEW YORK! MY FIRST TIME EVER!

When I compare the good with the bad, it is obvious to see which one triumphs.
Thank you, Lord, for a wonderful year of change, and I can't wait to see what is in store for 2012.  What will the theme be this year, eh?

-Shaylee

{photos} Kristy.

You can call this a "Part 1" of New York pictures.
While in New York, we went to the Kelsch's house.  Here are my favorites of Kristy.





My very own bff Bethany Brander is an amazing photographer who used me as a model countless times when she was first starting out, and during this photoshoot I found a stick that reminded me of something she would do during one of her shoots.  So, I rolled with it and am happy with the results.  Plus, Kristy is tall and pretty just like a model!



(my favorites!! ^)

{photos} Gonzalez family + Daniel and Mary.

So, please bear with me as I'm still editing pictures of New York.  I took over 1,000 photos and I have to figure out which ones I want to post.  Until then, here are some pictures I took before I went on vacation!

GONZALEZ FAMILY
Janelle is a good friend of mine and she wanted something different to give her mom this year for Christmas.  I recommended she get family photos done, and she agreed!  It was not hard taking photos of these four as they are sooo energetic and photogenic!

Aren't they so sweet?














DANIEL & MARY
Daniel is David's best friend and has been for many years.  He met Mary a little over a year ago, and the two clicked right away.  Then they started dating and the rest is still history in the making!  This was a shoot we did on Christmas Eve so we only took a few photos. They are so cute together!









**My rate has changed for the 2012 year.  I now charge $40 for 1 hour of unlimited photos and that includes a website with all the photos and the disk!  I hope I can take pictures of you this year!  If interested please contact me via facebook or email me (email found on contact page).

what are you doing new years eve?

I'm in New York!  I spent the last few days in the city, taking in blissful views, bumping into thousands of people, smelling pretzels and different kinds of meats, looking in awe at huge buildings, thinking of endless possibilities... this has been an amazing trip thus far.

The ball lit up from the Rockefeller Center

And a few other faves to hold you over:

Jenny McCarthy in Times Square, Dino at the Museum of Natural History, in front of Radio City, and the tree in Rockefeller Center.

Two buildings I was REALLY excited about:  The Statue of Liberty and the Freedom Tower

WISHING YOU AND YOURS A WONDERFUL 2012!!

--------
And, just for kicks... here were my goals for the 2010/2011 New Years.  I highlighted those that I felt like I actually stuck to in the best of my ability!
1.  More blogging (once or twice a week)
2.  More photoshoots & advance my skills in photography
3.  Play piano daily
4.  Write more songs on piano
5.  Attend more auditions for musical theater (that is my life's dream after all)
6. Start college FINALLY
7. Work out more often, eat healthier than I have been the last few months. I'd like to lose 30 pounds in 2011. Very possible!
8.  Pursue a deeper relationship with Jesus. He has all the answers I need to life
9. Love people more
10. Become more of a confident person and to feel more comfortable in my own skin and walk in that on a daily basis

fun christmas recipes.

I have had a few people ask me for two of the recipes I made for my party a few weeks ago, so I wanted to put them on here before Christmas incase you want to get the ingredients to make them!


Cream Cheese Penguins

These little guys are so adorable!  Because I was in a crunch for time,  I only put the beak on one of them but, as you can see, you can tell what they are without the beak!  The website I found also put red scarves on them using pimentos or strips of red bell pepper.  I personally tried the red bell pepper and it did not work at all.

What You'll Need:

18 jumbo black olives, pitted

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

18 small black olives

1 carrot

Directions:

1. Cut a slit in the big olives lengthwise.  You may even want to remove a small portion of the olive to make room for cream cheese.  CAREFULLY insert the cream cheese.  I would roll cream cheese together in little balls, then stick them in there.  Slice the carrot into 1/4 inch thick rounds.  The smaller, the better here!  Cut a small notch or v-shape out of the carrot and use the piece for the beak.  To insert a beak, you will need to make a small hole using a toothpick.

2. Set the big olive with cheese onto the carrot slice.  Now get a small olive and place it on top of the large olive, and secure carefully with a toothpick.

Christmas Tree Cheese Ball

This tree was so beautiful in the beginning that nobody wanted to eat it, and then slowly but surely it started to tip over and eventually feel down!  It was the butt of the joke of the party.  I got a lot of compliments on this, though and it is so easy to make!

What You'll Need:

3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened

4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (16 ounces)

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 tablespoons basil pesto

1/4 teaspoon yellow mustard

Red pepper sauce

1/4 cup finely chopped parsley or cilantro

1/4 cup pine nuts or sliced almonds

2 tablespoons chopped red bell pepper

Piece of lemon peel, if desired

Assorted crackers, if desired

Directions:

1. Stir together cream cheese and Cheddar cheese; divide in half. Stir pesto into 1 half; stir garlic, mustard and 2 or 3 drops pepper sauce into other half. Cover each half; refrigerate about 4 hours or until firm enough to shape.

2. You can then either make two seperate trees, or combine the two and make one tree (which is what I did).

3. Just before serving, press parsley evenly on the tree(s). Press pine nuts onto tree(s) in string form for garland. Press bell pepper pieces onto trees for ornaments. Top each tree with star shape cut from lemon peel. Serve with crackers.

{photos} Darrow family.

I  have the privilege of watching these two little boys every day.  I love them and they continue to bring me joy and insight as if they were my own children.
Hollie turned 29 last week and celebrated with memories that will last forever!  We went to Cranes Roost in Altamonte for these pictures!

They are a family full of love.

Thank you for letting me take your beautiful family photos!