supermodel baby olivia will make you smile

How a-dor-a-ble is she?? I just finished editing through Miss Olivia's one year old photo shoot, and this is one of my many favorites. Will share more soon.



Happy Thursday!

~abi~

thundergirls in our thunderwear

My first thought when I wrote the above title was, "I bet some people will be pretty let down when they see what this post actually contains." And that makes me laugh.

My second thought was to apologize for my fanatical ways when it comes to the OKC Thunder and our players. But then I think, "This is my blog. I can post whatever I want." Right...? :)

So, here we go. Let me tell you stuff and show you pictures.

There is a very cool store in town called Tree & Leaf Clothing. They have awesome screen printed t's. I randomly stop in there, but recently my friend Lauren posted a link on my Facebook page to a James Harden shirt that Tree & Leaf makes.

That same day, I stopped by and picked one up for myself - gotta represent for my BeardFriend! ;) I also got a "Hustle Westbrook" tee for my friend Kristie and a "Perk" shirt for my friend Brandie. {Remember, these are the girls who I attend games with.} Well, it turned out Brandie already owned the Perk shirt {me and my awesome memory forgot that she had texted me a pic of herself wearing it}. But anyway, we decided we had to take some pix showing our love for our guys.

So, we all met up at Pink Swirls, another fave place of mine here in OKC. And we took a few pix. Fun stuff. :)




{me, rep'n for my boy James Harden, #13}


{B, rep'n for her guy Kendrick Perkins, #5}


{K, rep'n for her boy Russell Westbrook, #0}



Now, here's the best part of this post. It's a fun story. Earlier today, just a bit ago, I tweeted the pic of me in my Harden shirt to Harden on Twitter. And get this: HE REPLIED TO ME, saying "I like that shirt"! :) This is a huge deal, folks. I love Twitter! I love that the invisible wall between us "normal" people and the big time peeps out there is knocked down just a bit by social media. Of course, I realize that has it can be good or bad, as referenced in this article. But today, for me, as I received a reply from my favorite NBA player of all time {yep, it's true}, social media was my friend! :)

Now, today will be the best day ever if we win our playoff series against the Denver Nuggets tonight!

tuesday toes...cool blue

Last week at my hair appointment with my fab friend and hair girl Jamie Roark {at DK Salon}, I felt very pampered because I convinced my girl Kylie to do my toes for me while Jamie was doing my hair. At the end of the evening, I had a new, deeper shade of red hair with a fresh hot pink streak, and these viciously cool blue toes.

In case you have forgotten my previous mentions of Kylie, she is an awesome fourteen year old who I mentor. She is also skilled at painting designs on toenails and fingernails. Yay! :)



Thanks Kylie!

~abi~

Easter

This weekend, I urge you to reflect on the true Easter Story, of how Christ Jesus gave His life for us so we can spend eternity in heaven. Here is a great Easter reading plan on YouVersion.com, an online Bible made available by LifeChurch.tv: The Story Of Easter

Please, read and reflect.

Tonight, I will be heading out late to make the drive up to Iowa to see my family there. I hope you all have a beautiful weekend filled with friends, family, and love.

Happy Easter.

~abi~

five things

Today, my mood and my thoughts are completely random, so I decided to post five completely random facts about myself. Yes, I know: that's very self-absorbed of me. It's my blog, so I guess I'm okay with that. :)

Here you go, in no order of importance:

1~ I have never played Angry Birds. I've never even looked at it, and I honestly don't even really know what it is, other than an ap game, obviously.

2~ I once dated a boy who had one brown eye and one blue eye. Often, when we were talking, his eyes would completely throw off my train of thought because it was so distracting to me.

3~ I got my first tattoo {a tiny green star on my left hip} on Hollywood Blvd. My roommate at the time, and one of my closest friends to this day, got a blue star on her right hip there also at the same time.

4~ I am so forgetful that last night when I went to CVS because I had a coupon for $10 there, I forgot to use it when I checked out. Seriously.

5~ I don't believe there is The One person for each person, as in only one certain person who is perfect for one certain other person. And yet I believe strongly in true love. :)

a girl who wishes for the world

The gorgeous girl in this post is named Carmen. She is a senior in high school, and she is pretty fabulous. Carmen contacted me after seeing her family friend Garland's photos that I had done. She informed that she wanted senior photos that were different than the typical ones, with sort of a Marilyn Monroe theme.

I was thrilled at the idea, and I knew at once where we should do the shoot: The Colcord Hotel in downtown Oklahoma City. But first, we did a few outdoor shots...



{Isn't she stunning?}


{The tattoo on her shoulder is her birth date, in roman numerals. So awesome.}



After an outfit change, we switched to a more glamorous look.













"Beneath the makeup and behind the smile I am just a girl who wishes for the world."
— Marilyn Monroe

Carmen~
You are kind and spirited and beautiful, and I truly enjoyed spending the afternoon with you for your session. Best wishes for whatever you pursue in your future. I have no doubt you will succeed greatly!

~abi~

fashion chatter...fab nails

I first heard of these rad nail strips by Sally Hansen when I was hanging out with Kylie, the cooler-than-cool fourteen year old girl I mentor. You can always count on a high school aged girl to keep you up to date on the current beauty department trends. She picked up some awesome nail strips one night when we were hanging out, but I never remembered to ask her how she liked them.

Then, my beautiful friend Bre sported some super sparkly nails during our recent vacation {which I still need to blog about!}, and she informed me that they were also nail strips.


{Here's Bre at The Varsity in ATL on the first day of our trip.}


{And here are her nails, looking just as fab five days later!}

When I saw this post by Joanna, that clinched it, and I decided that I must try the nail strips soon!


{via A Cup of Jo}

Have any of you tried them yet? I can't wait to...I just don't know how I'll ever choose which design to sport! Too bad they don't have a Thunder design I could rock during playoffs... ;)

~abi~

a thunder fan is what i've become

In general, I tend to lag a bit when it comes to posting a blog entry about almost anything. I have resigned myself to the fact that I will never be one of those up-to-the-minute bloggers. I just haven't been able to kick my procrastination completely when it comes to posting. {I am pretty good about staying current on Facebook, though. :) I upload pics over there on the regular.}

However, today is a rare day. I am actually posting about last night. Not last week or last month or even last year. :)

Last night was the final regular season game for my Thunder. Over the last year, I have gone from liking the Thunder, to being absolutely smitten by them! I just adore our players and our coach and everything about our team. And I love the excitement of being at a game!


{me with K and B, my game-watching-girls. Shoutout to my friend Brandie, who is the reason I was able to attend more than a few games this season -- thanks, B! :)}

James Harden is my number one man on the Thunder. Among other things, I love the fact that he is unafraid to stand out and be different with his unique beard. :) He seems like he is a fun person.

I always spend a good amount of the game taking stalker pics of him.


{Hi, Beardfriend. ;)}



After the game, K and I headed over to America's Pub in Bricktown. We had seen on Twitter that there was to be an after party for the final game with some of the players putting in an appearance. Well, of course I jumped at the chance to see Beardfriend up close in person.

And he walked right past me. I could have touched him. {But I didn't.}



One of his friends, Privaledge, was performing, so he was up on the stage most of the night, so I never got a pic with him {yet}, but I was happy just to be hanging out in the same room with him. Don't make fun of me. I am unashamed to admit all of this, just keepin' it real. :)

I did get a pic with the very handsome Thabo Sefolosha. Which made me extremely happy. And made several girls I know extremely jealous. Including my niece, Laila, who loves him a lot. And my friend Kelly, she loves him too. And my friend Christi. And I think my friend Cassie loves him a lot, too. Although it could be Ibaka that she loves so much, I can't remember right now... :)

Anyway, he was very nice.


{Thabo, you are so handsome.}

Serge Ibaka is a close third when it comes to my favorites, with KD and Westbrook being tied for second. Sometimes Serge steals the second spot from them, it just depends on my mood. :) So when Serge walked in, I was super-excited!

I got this pic of him, isn't it nice?



Now, look at that previous pic again. It was taken just seconds before I handed my camera to a guy and asked him to grab a pic of me and Serge. This is what I got...



Wah-wahhh! :( Thanks for the pic, dude. I was so sad, because I didn't even have time to review the pic before Serge walked away. Oh well, at least I got to feel his back muscles when I put my arm around him. Is that wrong?

So, basically this post pretty much sums up the ridiculous Thunder fan I have become. Don't mind me. I'll just be watching the playoffs these next few weeks.

Who am I?? What have I become???

~abi~

fierce fashionable friends...lulu

Meet my friend Lulu. She is fun and vibrant, and when she asked me to do a shoot of her, I was excited to capture her beauty!





Lulu has a great retro look, and I knew immediately where I wanted to photograph her...in the cool Plaza District. {If you haven't been to Live On The Plaza yet, I highly recommend it!}





Much like me, Lulu can be loud and sassy :), but I like how this shot captured her quiet beauty...







How fierce are these outfits she was rockin'? I loved 'em!








Lulu has such captivating eyes...so pretty!



Lulu~ Thank you for trusting me to do these photos of you. I loved every minute of our session, and I am thrilled with how your shots came out! You are a true beauty. And you did a fabulous job choosing your outfits and accessories!
I love you!

~abi~

a cool shower

A few weeks ago, right before I took a week's vacation to Georgia, I made the hour and a half drive to Tulsa, OK, to attend the wedding shower for my close friend Kevin and his bride-to-be, the beautiful Melissa. Kevin and I became good friends when he attended the photography school where I attended and taught. It is impossible to meet Kevin without liking him immensely. He is fun and goofy and free-spirited and kind. And Melissa is the perfect girl for him. She is a total sweetheart!

To be honest, I generally hate strongly dislike any type of shower, aside from the ones that take place behind a curtain for the purpose of washing one's body. Over the past ten to fifteen years, baby showers and wedding showers have become events that I avoid whenever possible. Awkward conversations plus awkward games plus awkward questions about my single status equals my least favorite feeling to experience: awkwardness.

However, I had faith that Kevin and Melissa's wedding shower would be different. For one thing, it was for Kevin and Melissa, after all -- two of the coolest people I've ever met. And for another thing, it was being held in a bar where Kevin bartends. Also, one of the hosts of the shower was the fabulous Stephanie, all-around cool chick and blogger over at Walks With Roxy.

So, I was actually looking forward to this shower, and even marked it on my calendar so as not to schedule anything else that afternoon. And I was not disappointed. The shower was relaxed and fun, with good food, fun people, and nice conversation. Here are some photos I took there.


{the gorgeous couple}




{fabulous Steph, at the chip and salsa station :)}






{isn't she beautiful? check out those legs! :)}




{shower hosts and the couple}









I'm glad I thought to get a pic with Kevin and with Melissa. I am sometimes bad about remembering to do this.





Here's a quick note for any of my family and friends who might have the chore pleasure of planning any sort of shower for me in the future: no games necessary {but hula hoops are okay :)}, please invite only the coolest and most fun people ;), and beer is always a welcome addition.

~abi~