Hi ho friends! Long time no chat! I feel like I’ve been a bit absent on the blog lately (more on that in a sec…), so I want to play a little catch up and write a post on what’s been going on lately for me.

I’ve been photographing… a lot! 

AHH. So excited about all the sessions I’ve been doing lately! I feel like 2014 was a big year for me in terms of learning more about my own personal style of photography and editing, so it feels great to start off 2015 with lots of amazing people, locations, and emotions to capture. I was booked this weekend and have a fun session tomorrow, an engagement shoot on Saturday (!), and a shoot for a graduating senior on Sunday. Busy busy!

Anddd that leads into one of the main reasons I’ve been away from Apple of My Eye for a few days. GUESS WHAT I DID! I made another blog (yes, guess I’m officially a blogging addict now) for my photography. It was a huge time-suck and the technical aspects made me want to punch someone at times, but it’s all setup! If you want to follow more of my photography adventures, feel free to check it out :). I’m beyond excited to have it launched!

Kyle’s family is getting a puppy…

AHHHHHH. They’re getting a teeny tiny black lab this Saturday, which is one of the reasons (I’ll admit it, the main reason) we’re driving back to our hometown this weekend. Knowing that, come Saturday afternoon, there will be a super squirmy and adorable pup in my arms makes me want to run around in circles of happiness.

In other words… I. Can’t. Wait.

I’ve been running…

I know this isn’t much for some of you amazing runners out there, but on my last run, I did 6 miles at an average of a 9:44 pace with negative splits. I felt amazing and completely understand that runner’s high now. At mile 4 I felt like I was flying! Kyle was a trooper and ran with me since he didn’t want me running alone in the dark, and we’re both pretty sore today. This week I have a total of 20 miles to do, so wish me luck!

Giveaway winner!

And I want to end this post by announcing the winner of my “These Are a Few of My Favorite Things” Giveaway!

Congrats to… *drumroll please*…

Kim!

I just sent you an email . A big thank you to everyone who participated! It was so fun for me to read your entries and I really appreciate all of you who read/interact with me on my little corner of the internet. You guys da best <3.

And that’s just about all that’s been going on for me! Lots of photography, lots of studying, and lots of looking forward to this upcoming puppy-filled weekend. Wheee!

 

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!

I hope you’re relaxing and spending time with those you love. Kyle and I have plans to go on a beach walk and to try a new-to-us steakhouse in downtown Santa Barbara. I’m excited to get all dolled up and go on a nice date!

Anddd now I’m going to post a photo-overload of some of the amazing photos that the amazingly-talented Natalie Schutt. I started following her on Instagram because I absolutely adored her gorgeous photography and jumped at an offer she had on couple photos! She randomly suggested that we meet in our hometown, so things worked out perfectly and Kyle and I had a nice weekend at home and had some photos done at the local cliffs/lighthouse. If you’re ever in the Southern California area, I couldn’t recommend her more .

Natalie did such a fantastic job capturing Kyle and I being goofy and ourselves. I love this boy and it makes my heart so happy to have such beautiful photos with him!

I hope your day is filled with an abundance of love and your weekend it lovely and relaxing

Hiya friends!

This giveaway has been a long time coming and I’ve had the concept in my mind for a while. For the last 4 months or so, I’ve been gradually picking up small things that catch my eye for a “These Are a Few of My Favorite Things” giveaway! Since Valentine’s Day is tomorrow, I’ve decided to finally get around to hosting it as a “thank you” for supporting Apple of My Eye and being some of the best internet friends a gal could ask for <3.

I’ve accumulated cute cooking tools, sparkly gold earrings, a workout headband, a package of my favorite green tea lattes, and a few other treats that I hope will make you guys smile! I’ve done giveaways in the past, but they have all been product-based from companies who have put together the packages. But not this one! This one is hand-picked with love, and though it’s not huge, it’s got a lot of heart in it .

I hope you guys enjoy this! The giveaway will last for 4 days and you can enter my simply following the Rafflecopter steps below. Love ya’ll!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Anddd hello all you friendly faces! Long time no chat.

I’ve been MIA lately since I just finished my first round of midterms (I had genetics on Friday and Biochemistry on Tuesday), which means that I don’t spend any time online or doing fun things like interacting with all of you guys . But hey! I’m done and am excited to join in with Amanda today for some random thoughts! This week has been flying by, and come Friday night, Kyle and I will be making a quick trip to our hometown to do a mini couple’s photo shoot. An amazingly talented photographer I follow on Instagram offered a fantastic deal, so Kyle and I decided to treat ourselves and get some nice photos of the two of us. And by that, I mean I sweet-talked him into it (not hard to do with an easy-going guy like Kyle) 😉 .

Anyways, not sure where I was going with that introduction, but let’s move on!

Spending more time on things you love…

Nothing makes you appreciate free time more than being super stressed, over-caffeineted, and sleep-deprived for a week. Today, after my one morning class, I grabbed lunch with Kyle at a local bagel shop and then spent an hour just walking around and taking time to concentrate on a little creativity. Have you ever stopped and thought about how, when we get older, we stop playing? I remember being able to amuse myself for HOURS on end with stuffed animals, pebbles, and other kids I had just met. Things were so simple and there was never a time were I felt bored or under-stimulated. The world was my playground. It makes me all sorts of sad to think that I’ve lost that part about me. While I don’t think rocks would interest me as much these days, I’m working on “playing” in my own adult ways (woah woah woah guess I’m techinically a grown-up now) by taking more time with my favorite creative outlet: photography. My goal is to shoot at least once a day (even if it’s just a crummy iPhone picture), then gather all my photos together at the end of each year and see all the places I’ve gone, people I’ve talked to, and things I’ve learned.

Here are some photos from today! Including one hell of a gorgeous friend who offered to model for me so I could practice my portrait photography and one hell of an amazing bagel. I think I’ve ordered this three times this week 😯 . Poppy seed bagel with light cream cheese, lox, and fresh onions <3.

Speaking of photography…

I’ve been loving watching my new friend, Abbie, grow as a photographer and work towards her dream of capturing weddings! We both went to the same middle school (I think?), but ended up at rival high schools in our hometown. I’ve only recently connected with her through our mutual love of photography, and get so excited when I see her post new glimpses of her work on her Instagram! Such a gorgeous girl and I love how shared passions can bring you closer to someone you’ve never really known!

I’ve been running…

YOU GUYS. GUESS WHAT I DID. I ran 6 miles tonight with my roommate Abbie. Which is officially the longest I’ve ever ran before. We didn’t go super fast (a 10:13 pace according to my beautiful new Garmin) since Abbi had eaten nachos right before we ran (laughed out loud when I wrote that out… typical college kid move), but I am so proud of myself! I’ve never considered myself a huge runner, so the fact that I finished 6 and felt fantastic at the end amazes me. I felt like I could have kept on running forever and totally understand how people get addicted to running.

Green tea latte game is still going strong…

Still addicted to these things. My stash isn’t close to running out, but I have a minor freakout every time I open a packet since I know the end is inevitable. Luckily, my mom found more of these beauties at a Japanese grocery store. *pumps fist in the air victoriously*

And on the note of green tea lattes…

Get ready for a fun giveaway that I’m going to be starting in a little! Hint: the name of the giveaway is “These Are a Few of My Favorite Things” and include a bunch of supahhhh adorable things that I think you guys will love! Stay tuned 😀 .

And that’s all I got for you guys today! I’m typing this up and just realized that running 6 miles for the first time makes you damn tired. Time for bed!

 

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of California Restaurant Month. All opinions are 100% mine.

Ahhhhh California. Or as I like to call it, my forever home. The combination of the wonderful people, insanely gorgeous weather, and, of course, the delicious and diverse food here make it a place that I never want to leave. Whenever I leave for vacation, I always find myself equally looking forward to coming back to my coastal hometown and think every day here is such a dream! I live for the year-long sunshine and sound of the ocean waves!

If you’re thinking about planning your next getaway, what better place to go visit than the Golden State? Not only is it the perfect place for a family vacation or much-needed retreat, but January brings with it month-long restaurant specials at participating restaurant (check out more on that at California Restaurant Month or to see Participating Destinations) . What could be better than enjoying a delicious meal with an ocean view? Trust me, nothing compares!

At the moment, Visit California and California Restaurant Month are giving away five OpenTable gift cards, each valued at $100 and you can enter by heading over to the Dine On Us In California Contest on their Facebook page! Entering to win is a great first step to planning your Californian vacation and, who knows, you might be one of the lucky winners!

Want to join in on the fun? VisitCalifornia runs a Twitter Chat called KnifePoint every Wednesday at 11am PST- make sure you join in with the hashtag #KnifePointChat!