I saw on LJ today someone who had some a decade in review and she posted photos of herself with them. It thought it was really interesting to see how she’d changed through them, so I decided to do one of my own. Only.. I don’t think in time-lines much or remember specific dates for things. I remember what was going on, just not when it happened. So, I decided to go through my CD’s and nab the most fun photos of myself through the last 10 years and post them with the stories behind them. Have a laugh!
2001, my very first pre-k class with me. I took the job out of desperation and ended up in LOVE with being a teacher. I got tackled every morning when I came in. I miss those kids, but I was sick with everything they had for SO long.
John and I celebrating my birthday at my parent’s house. I think it’s my 21st. This is the year that I learned how to wear pretty shirts, but you’ll notice I’m still wearing man jeans. Yeah… John looks so young too. I still look the same. Either I’m staying looking young or I was just born middle aged.
Working in the UPS store. Boxes big enough to ship me if we wanted to, which is saying something since my whole 6ft self fit in there.
Halloween at a party with my beloved peacock costume. I worked so hard on it and it was so lovely, but I lost the costume contest that year to my own man, who went as the Swedish Chef.
John and I together, taken by his brother Brian who was just then getting into photography. He did a grand job, especially since he has always said his strength is landscapes, not people.
2003, John and I at the Animal Kingdom in Florida. Notice the shorts. There’s a first time for everything. Oh and holy crap, was I ever that skinny? I look like a sack of bones, but I ate everything I got my hands on! No wonder people used to ask me if I ever ate.
Entering my dark phase. Meggie convinced me (in a good way) to go chocolate brown with my hair, and I guess I felt like I couldn’t be fun for a while. Dark hair, dark shirts, dark pants and bored expression.
John and I at another halloween party. I do love my costumes. This time I am Alice and he’s Samurai Jack. I worked forever on that costume, and I think I may have won that year. I’m not sure.
Check out my hot self at the UPS store again. I loved those giant bags of popcorn. They come off a huge truck 20 bags at a time, but we needed them all just to get through a week there.
Halloween at the UPS store. I was a bar wench and my boss was a cowboy that year. It was great to see the customers come in and do a double-take. The red dress was actually sewn and worn by my mother when she was my age as part of a western costume for her.
Feb 2004. My granddaddy died and we went to FL for the funeral. Being a last-minute thing on prom weekend, we only could find a room in one hotel, and it was right on the beach. There was a huge flock of seagulls out back of our hotel the morning we woke up, so despite the signs that said not to, I fed them anyway. They got close enough to touch, and it was amazing.
Me volunteering at the local zoo/rescue. I managed to jess (put on the little ankle reigns, the jesses) and get this guy on a glove all by myself. He’s a screech owl, blind in one eye because he flew into a branch. I just about wet myself the first time I got to touch him.
Me in Pittsburgh. David took this one. I had no idea I did that scary looking thing with my feet, but I was so engrossed in the wedding we snuck up on that I didn’t notice. My hair was pretty red and pretty long!
Self-timered self-portrait. My attempt at looking as cute in a photo as I feel like on the inside of my head. This remains one of John’s favorite photos of me. He carries a copy in his wallet and calls it his ‘kitty-heather’ photo.
Nothing to see here, move along.
My mother and I at my second Japan-fest, her first. Japanese women dressed you in a kimono for $5. I was SO excited to do this with her. She’s always wanted to do it and I certainly got my love for asian culture from her.
Me as a ‘vixen’ for another costume party. I did have a great time looking probably as hot and sexy as I ever have in my life. I loved all the details to this costume. Ribbons in my hair, those ears (which I made and painted myself), the stockings had corset backs (as did the undies) and I even had a tail.
I worked SO hard on those ice fairy wings and they turned out SO well. I really loved this photo.
Me in downtown san-diego. I actually managed a flattering shirt and pants, but it was freezing, so I had to add the flannel. John and I really had a blast out there.
Me touching a dolphin for the first time ever. That water was COLD. I expected them to feel slimy like fish, but they felt more like rubber wetsuits than anything else! One even snorted water in my face for a laugh.
2005, the year I actually gained wight. Look at me, I’m not a stick anymore!
I chopped my hair for Locks of Love as well. I really do love it shorter.
My first ever hummingbird festival. These birds are not sick and not hurt, they’re being banded for research. Once banded, they are placed in the open palm of anyone who wants to do it and they will sit there until you give them a little bit of a shake and they figure out they’re free and fly off. They weigh as much as a few grains of rice, and they feel very very warm in your hand. Oh, I just about wet myself when I go to do this. That kid behind me cracks me UP. The hummingbird society actually used a lot of my photos in their newsletter and invited me back the following year to be the official photographer for the event.
2005. I sold my entire pixietail collection that I’d been collecting for years for a grand total of $867 and bought my first ever DSLR (and a macro lens) with the money. My neighbor snapped this one of me trying to get a photo of a bug.
Playing at the schoolyard playground next to us. I think this is the year I learned to stop worrying about how awkward I felt and just start to have fun.
John shot this of me shooting the hummingbirds in Arizona. I really love how this caught me, just hanging out watching the birds with my hat on. It was roasting hot out, so we were catching some shade.
At the desert museum in Arizona again. We took a day off from hummingbird watching to check out the cacti. I’d never been to the desert, so cacti were HUGE to me.
Hummingbird stalking in Arizona again. This was right before John said “I’ll bet you could reach out and touch them!” and I reached out and poked one of them on the feeders. It looked at me and just sat there, offended that I even dared to try that, but it didn’t fly off.
2006, I bought a skirt. Yes. It’s a real skirt.
Me and my Stump. I love this girl. This was a shot for a contest on what you love most besides your spouse/partner. I threw a piece of gold fabric over the bathroom door and set up the camera on the tripod in the sink. Stump just wanted to snuggle. I didn’t win the contest, but this is still one my favorite shots.
I got a Mac!! I was excited. 😛
2008 I didn’t shoot many of myself, either because it was such a terrible year or because I was working so hard on shooting things for clients. This one was to show off my first ever salon (not from a box) dye job.
2009 in January, my first client of the year.. and he peed on me. It’s a glamorous job, right?
A rare one of me working. This is just about my favorite ever client. She’s SO funny and sweet. This kid knows how to burp on command and she’s six!
It snowed 8 inches on March 1st, just after I got back from Florida. I was so thrilled to see that much snow that I couldn’t help but take a few of my silly face out in it. Right after this I fell on my rump.
My first ever in my life helicopter ride! This is an item off my ‘bucket list’ for sure. It was SO awesome. At the end, the pilot said ‘If you’re feeling adventurous, we can try an auto-rotation!” I said “I have no idea what that is, but go for it!” He replies “It’s where I turn off the engine and we drop out of the sky.” I wasn’t about to go back on feeling adventurous, but dropping out of the sky didn’t sound so fun. It wasn’t bad at all, in fact if he hadn’t told me, I would have figured it was just a normal landing.
Me with the day’s client. I was hanging out with droolmonster here while mom got the rest of the family ready. This kid weighed a good 20lbs and my arms HURT when I went home, plus she drooled right through the burp cloth and my sweater sleeve. Gross! But I totally had to admit is was a little nice to snuggle on a baby for a bit.
Another shot of me working. In order to get kids with wings but no straps, we had to hold them behind the kids. We tried strapping the wings to a pole and then to a broom handle, but in the end the best option was for me to lie on the floor and move them with the child, even if my arms did want to fall off by the end of every session.
John and I, shot by Frankie. You’ll see more of these later. I do love how we look int his one. $40 to get my hair curled for these photos, worth every penny.
Last of the batch. Me in the bathroom mirror as a Nikon girl for the first time.
