What I Have Been Up To

1. Conquering skin issues.

I don't drink enough water, so the end result is that my skin suffers the most. For the past 2 or so years, I have had a dry spot on my ankle that would not go away. No lotion, cream, or… anything really would get rid of it. I even tried exfoliation which cured it for about a week. Finally I tried straight olive oil. (Desperate means call for desperate measures.) To my shock and surprise, it worked!

Recently I discovered I have something called "chicken skin" on the backs of my arms. I've had it since I was a kid, and I never once thought anything of it. Turns out you can fix that problem with exfoliation and moisturizers too. Unbelievable.

So not only can I fix my skin in photoshop, but I am working on fixing my skin in real life too! Huzzah! :)

2. Editing Images.

I just missed Ben Wilmore's "Think Like A Photographer" on CreativeLive which looks like it would have been awesome to watch. :( But, instead I've been working my way through Jack Davis' "Adobe Camera Raw: Optimizing, Enhancing, and Retouching"  I have learned a lot thus far and I'm already starting to put what I've learned into practice.

taken by Darwin Young, edited by me

I'm sure I've edited this picture before, but I decided to take it through Adobe Camera Raw and actually spend a good bit of time editing it there. I was so surprised at what I was able to accomplish before ever plopping the photo into Photoshop. Plus, ACR does not hurt your photos in the same way that Photoshop does. If you are interested in improving your workflow, I definitely recommend checking out "Adobe Camera Raw: Optimizing, Enhancing, and Retouching" by Jack Davis.

3. Work.

It sounds crazy that I might actually have actual work to do, right?! It turns out both babysitting and graphic design industries pick up the closer you get to the holidays. I love what I do, so I have no complaints whatsoever; I just wish I had more time in the day to do it!

4. Travel Research.

Tomorrow Justin and I go interview for GOES, so I've been making sure I have everything in order. (That may mean no entry for tomorrow. Sorry!)

Then we have a trip to Asheville, NC and Biltmore Estate coming up, so I've been getting tickets and a hotel lined up for that.

Finally, I have been working on details for our trip to Europe which is now 2.5 weeks long and includes a bit of time in each of 3 countries: Germany, Italy, and France. I am thrilled to be going, and excited about the low cost of our plane tickets, which I'm trying to talk Justin into upgrading. More leg room for the win?!

5. Mobee App

Justin and I have recently become ADDICTED to this app where you can take on jobs and make "money" while you are out and about doing your normal errands. Thus far we have made nearly $200 in Amazon money within a week's time. Whatever you do, do not go get this app! I want all of the jobs! We have a -list- of things we want on Amazon, and with that kind of money, it would be awfully fun to obtain some of the things on our list. :)

What are you up to? Preparing for the holidays? Taking on a personal goal? Share with me! :)