4th of July Festivities

This morning we didn't let the heat keep us in. While Trey and Brandon, drove to Mineral Wells, Cheyenne and I drove to Arlington to watch the Let's Roll....America - 4th of July Parade.

We enjoyed the sights and sounds of America. I liked how close it was to UTA. I knew the area! I always joke about how every time I venture outside of my Arlington commute I get lost. It's true! Arlington roads throw me off. One moment you're in a business area and before you know it, you're in a residential neighborhood. What's up with that?

Mamma forgot the sunblock, so we found a group of people and squatted down, so we were sitting in their shadow(s).

The heat made us sleepy. Why is that? We eventually got out of the road and parked our bodies under a tree. I met an outspoken local. She had an opinion about everyone she saw. She was like the comedian commentary for the parade. It was great.

If you didn't get a chance to go to a parade, don't worry, just cue some American music and scroll down this webpage.







WE have race cars, yeah, because UTA is cool like that.

This is so Texas.

Oh, and this is so creepy!



Happy Fourth, everyone! The day is not over. More to come on our 4th of July Festivities...

F-150 Body Work

Brandon is visiting us for the weekend. It's not exactly a vacation trip for him, no -- he's helping Trey work on the truck. Here is the latest update and host of photos.

New Paint on the hood and fenders of the truck

Her is a before picture. It was a rusted mess.

It's looking more and more like a vehicle you'd see on the road :)







While Trey has been gone, working on the truck, I've had plenty of time to edit Missy and Ethan's wedding video. A few more hours of editing and I'll be ready to drop it to DVD. Yay! Now, someone needs to help me find a wedding to film in July.

My Life Just Got More Organized

I got something I've been wanting for a long time, a laundry organizer. Originally, I wanted Trey to make me a custom organizer with shelves in the laundry room, but he's so busy these days, so I decided to get this. I like it! What do you think?

Let's see...colors, whites, towels, Trey's work clothes. Yeah, that covers it.

It has a home.

In other news, Trey was busy this morning, so Cheyenne joined me on a 7 mile paved trail run. We headed out early this morning and I was hoping to run at least 5 miles. She did better than I expected, so I took full advantage of that and managed to cover 7 miles. That may be a baby jogger PR distance for us.
Here is Cheyenne, being camera shy.

Once I got home, I mowed the yard. Don't ask me where I got all that energy from. Here is Cheyenne watching Sesame Street on the patio. Did you watch Sesame Street? I don't recall watching it, as a child, but it seems like everyone I know grew up watching it. Cheyenne likes it and I like it because it educational.

Her HAIR!

Progress on The Truck

This morning Trey and I drove to Mineral Wells to see the truck, now that the engine has been installed.









After our trip to Mineral Wells, we were on our way to pick up Cheyenne. Did she grow 2 inches in a few days or what?





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So, last night Trey wanted to take me out. I wanted to try something new, so we decided to go to Railhead, it's a BBQ restaurant. Have you been? Supposedly, it has "the best ribs." Trey got ribs and I got a BBQ plate. We went thru the line, paid, sat down to eat, and a few moments later we walked out. It was terrible! BAD! DISGUSTING! I could not make myself eat it and I tried! I've seen cafeteria food more appealing than my plate. Have you ever had a bad food experience like that? What a waste of time and money....

No Take Backs & My Indigo Experience

This just in:

The Lululemon Cruiser BackPack doubles as a camera bag! The compartment meant for a yoga mat holds my tripod perfectly. I may never give Trey his bag again. Sorry, sweetie...no take backs. IT'S MINE!


Since I'm on the topic of yoga bags -- yoga -- yoga 
Let me tell you about Indigo Yoga. I went to a community class, featuring instructor Mateo M. This was my second Indigo experience. HOLY HOTNESS! They keep it at 92-98(?) degrees in there. Indigo offers Baptiste Power Vinyasa, so I guess all baptiste class are like that. IDK, but I'm guessing that's the case. With it being crazy hot, I was slipping and sliding all over my mat. Kelsey was a sweetheart and saw me drowning in my sweat and got me a towel. I'm sure there is some proper yoga name other than towel, but that's basically what it was. It helped. I loved the class. It was packed, wall to wall with yogis. I'm in this picture, back row-middle blue top. I'm was in child's pose with the rest of the yoga army.

I already want to go back and do more yoga. Thanks Indigo for offering this community class. 

Photo credit: indigo yoga

Salmon with Apples & Avocados

Do you eat enough fish? I rarely crave it, but I'm trying to add it to my weekly menu.

Blog readers meet, fish. Fish, meet blog readers.

Ingredients:
Salmon (cooked-duh)
Greek Yogurt
Green Apples (diced)
Avocados (diced)
Lime Juice
Fresh Parsley
Fresh Sage
Flaxseed (sprinkled)
Salt/Pepper

Mix all the ingredients and chill before serving. This is superb and tastes great as is. No crackers. No bread.

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Cheyenne is still in Abilene and she's having so much fun, she won't even talk to her parents. She's refused a phone call from me and refused to talk to her Daddy twice. That's okay, I won't hold it against her. I'm sure she's loving all the attention she's getting.

Rediscovering My Passion for Wedding Videography

Back in college, I spent my weekends filming weddings. I loved it. It kept me busy and I learned so much about videography, during that time.

A few weeks ago, Chris contacted me asking if I'd be interested in filming his sister-in-laws wedding. I've been wanting to get back to event videography, so I said YEAH! Chris and I went to Abilene Christan at the same time and we both majored in electronic  media. I had several classes with him and I also taped his wedding ceremony, way back when.

This is Kay & Chris at the wedding reception, Friday night.
 

Timing is everything, isn't it? 

I recently purchased a DSLR and I had an opportunity to use it at this wedding. When it was all said and done, I used a total of four cameras. Two cameras to record the ceremony, one camera to capture audio from the mixing board and one DSLR to capture everything else. Is it normal for a camera to make my heart skip a beat? Hmmm...I probably should've edited that last comment out, but the depth of field is so good on the T2i, it makes me sick. Good sick, if there is such a thing. 

Here is a video clip, it's raw footage. I shot this in Standard Definition, using a Canon T2i DSLR. 
Meet the bride and Groom, Missy and Evan
No Audio: Raw Footage. Missy & Ethan's Wedding from Dominique Anderson on Vimeo.


You mean you're paying me to do what I love?
I've been wanting to get back to event videography.  I've mentioned it several times on the blog. Well, after filming this wedding, it reignited my passion. Filming a wedding is like filming a fairytale. Also, the work feels like a party -- because it is.

Name Dropping
Friday night, at the wedding ceremony,  I met the photographer that Missy and Ethan hired. Her name is Stephanie Hunter, she's based in Abilene. Check out her site! Her pictures are gorgeous!

Also, a special thank you to Serena. Serena is a DFW photographer, who helped me man the second camera during the ceremony. This was her first time to film a wedding. I've already edited the ceremony and her camera work was fantastic. She panned and zoomed like a pro! I'm so glad I asked for her help!

While I'm name dropping and all, I would also like to thank photographer, David Ruiz. I was having a hard time figuring out why my DSLR would shift exposure every time I panned or zoomed. With a few twitter responses back and forth, David told me exactly how to correct it. He's like a photography rock star!

Heads Up!
If you have friends looking for a videographer, you know how to find me. I want to focus on the Abilene & Dallas-Fort Worth Area. Tell your friends! 

Abilene Vacation for the Little One

Erin and Mike are taking a vacation and since this is the busiest time of the year for Trey, there is no way we are taking vacation too...however, Cheyenne will be spending a few days in Abilene. From what I hear, she will be swimming and making her rounds visiting family. I hope Abilene is ready for this girl. She always has a full agenda when she's in town, so if you see her around A-town, say HI!

She's ready to leave....

Did you notice the Pillow Pet? Last week, Erin told me Cheyenne requested a pillow pet and something else....

Yeah, let me work on that...HAHA!



Have Fun Cheyenne, Mommy and Daddy will miss you!

Friends, Chey's First Movie, Running, And TEVE

Linda and Steve spent the weekend with us.  Typically, when we weekend visit with the Eilers, we send Cheyenne with the grandparents, but this time we made it a family affair.

Here is a picture of us in the backseat of the ELEMENT. Did you know the ELEMENT can only seat two people in the backseat? Linda and I squeezed in and used one seat belt. Safety!

This weekend, we took Cheyenne to see her first theatrical movie, Cars 2. How did she do? Okay, for a two year old. When we requested tickets we asked for the 2D showing, but somehow we ended up in the 3D showing. We didn't realize it was 3D, until the movie started. WE NEED GLASSES! We got them.

She got a little restless. She would go back and forth sitting on Trey's and Steve lap.

She didn't really want to sit on my lap :(

She could care less.

Earlier that morning, Linda and I walked to the lake. We did do a little bit of running, but for the most part it was a brisk 5 mile walk.

Someone is glowing.....

Don't ask me why, but Chey was and still is --- all about Steve or as she sometimes calls him TEVE.

Mineral Wells State Park Has a Running Trail!

*Note: 50K Training Program at the end of this post*

Sunday morning, while Trey was working on his truck, I took the opportunity to explore the state park. That's what I love about running, you can discover things you might miss otherwise.

The trail covers ground from Mineral Wells to Weatherford, which is a 14 mile one-way trip. One day I will run the entire distance. Anyone want to join me? I would have to arrange for someone to pick me up in Weatherford. Seriously, this would be a great trail to run to prep for Palo Duro. Mineral Wells trail is NOT technical, it's basically flat...or at least what I saw. I ran 8 miles, in and out.

A bridge overlooking water.



I got a late start on my run, 10 am. Oh, my goodness, it was hot! Luckily, I ran with my handheld, but the last mile was a struggle. The sun was close to high noon, by the time I was making it back to the car. I only had one mile left and I had drank all my water.

I parked myself under a tree for a few minutes, got my head out of I'm going to die out here land...and I sucked it up and finished.

 I was so glad to see my car, since I had cold water waiting for me. Oh and I'm also thankful for sunblock. Trey thinks I should start wearing sunblock more often, even on my short runs because he's noticed my tan shoulders go from a fair bronze to medium/dark brown, in a matter of months. He's right, you should see my tan line. I have not had a sunburn, this season, but that doesn't mean that I shouldn't wear sunblock.


Official Palo Duro 50K Ultra Marathon Program
I decided to post this online because I've noticed blog traffic picking up from people searching for 50K training programs. When I was on the search for one, I had a hard time finding the perfect match, so hopefully this will help other ultra runners out. You're welcome!

(note: on Thursday's I plan on doing some speedwork)

I'm on week two, so I'm feeling pretty good. Depending on how I feel, on my rest and low mile days, I will incorporate P90X. Or I'll rest. Like I said before, I'm not going to stress over this program, it's just a plan. My main focus will be long runs. If you are on dailymile you can follow my daily progress. Here is my page.

She's Worth It

Today, is a good day. After two and a half years, Trey and I finally paid off Cheyenne's medical bill. She spent the first week of her life in NICU. Even with insurance it cost us a pretty penny. But ya know...she's totally worth it ;)

I still remember the night she was transferred to another hospital. The nurses prepared us for the worst and it freaked us out. There were lots of tears that night. Trey and I were terrified, but fast forward to 2011 and we have a gorgeous healthy daughter.

It was difficult seeing her in NICU. The hospital had strict visiting hours. I spent 9 months growing her in my belly and then all of sudden I was separated from her. That was tough!

I mean really, who wants to see their newborn child like this?

I have to say, the nurses did a fantastic job putting her on a 3 hour feeding and napping schedule. So, it wasn't all bad. Our family was great too. They spent time with us in the hospital, brought us food, made me rest and kept us distracted.

If you are interested, here is the blog post from 2008, when Cheyenne was transferred NICU.

Financial View
Oh wow, it feels so good to have one less bill to pay each month. Trey and I want to keep the momentum going. Dave Ramsey Debt Snowball? You bet!

VIDEO of The F-150 Engine Install

Here is video footage I shot of the truck. Towards the beginning of the video, you can see Cheyenne watching a movie. For the past week, she has taken over our phones. This morning she woke up and asked for Trey's phone before she went to the bathroom. Oh, and this girl can maneuver through an iPhone home screen like nobody's business. She knows how to access Netflix and pick out movies to watch. Trey and I have got to get a handle on this before it gets out of control.