Some People Do, Some People Don't

Well, I let the good times roll this spring break. It has been a great one, but come monday I am back in a world filled with deadlines to be met and projects to be completed. While most people will be talking about how they barely remember spring break I will be looking forward to some new paintings and also a camping trip next weekend in North Carolina. All I can say is that I am stoked. Also, it is pretty much official that I will be in Ireland come July 14th. I am looking very forward to that trip. My new camera equipment is taking longer than I expected to get so business for me in the photo world is on hold for the time being. My pup Olivia is getting a new name. After a week's long run with a 4 syllable name, Olivia is now officially named Layla. Layla isn't coming with me to Nashville tomorrow, but hopefully soon she will be able to live with me. For the time being, mom and my brother said they would take care of her. Speaking of which, I miss having a front porch in Nashville. Mom and I sat outside for about an hour on the front porch and watched the sun go down over Birmingham. It is little things that matter to me. On a different note, I seem to be on the front lines of a battle against my arch nemesis poison ivy... We have tangoed many a time but I am sure hoping this will be the last dance for a while. What a terrible plant poison ivy is. Tonight I went bowling with an old friend. It was a good time just being able to talk and carry on like we use to. We were surrounded by a bunch of high schoolers who just got out of their prom. Seriously a swarm of them took over the bowling alley. Talk about one of the first times I have felt old in a big crowd... I am excited to get back to Nashville. I have some reading I am needing to get done and also a painting I need to start. Also Shannon Leigh will be arriving from her spring break in South Carolina. It's going to be great seeing her smile in person again. iChat just can't do it justice. Best wishes to all that read this. Life is good. We have it easy compared to half the world. Just remember that in times of trouble.

P.S.- Guess who rolled a strike...=)

Spring Break Thus Far

My spring break has been going pretty good. I have gotten to spend some great time with my dad, mom and brother. It's time that I know one day I will be wanting more of. I have spent a lot of time working with my hands, which feels great. I really enjoyed being home for Easter. I have been working with my brother to build a one-off custom built cart to hold his grill. I bought some lights and installed them on it for him. We have some pretty great ideas for such a simple design.










I started painting my mom's bathroom today, and I must say that painting walls is not my cup of tea. Give me a canvas and some oils and I can be entertained for hours. But stick me with one solid color and a huge room and I lose interest after 20 minutes. Anyways, Matt and I decided to take a break from the normal and we went out to the preserve and did some target shooting.







I have a special girl in my life these days. Shannon Leigh is all the way back in South Carolina for spring break so cell phones and iChat will sustain us till Sunday. And yes she is going to kill me because she told me not to post this picture... =)

Introducing Olivia

Hi! My name is Olivia, but the other dogs call me Olive for short. I was adopted today by a very loving family! So far I have gotten to roll around in the grass and be lazy. I really like it here at this house and I feel like life is going to be a blast. There is already a pretty cool dog named Molly that lives here and she said she was going to show me the ropes on how to enjoy life in the Cook's household. Joel already promised me fun road trips so I can let my ears flap in the wind. Oh yeah, Joel is like a dad to me. I have spent most of my day falling asleep in his lap because he scratches me behind the ears and everyone knows that it feels so good to get scratched behind the ears. Well, I just wanted to say hello world! Look out for me in the future!!

-Olivia

To The Good Times

Well I just arrived back in Birmingham and I must say that it feels great to look at my old bed and know that in a few minutes I am going to be fast asleep in it. I was helping out Taylor again with a shoot that he was doing. It was a blast just getting to spend time with him. I think he appreciated me tagging along to keep the dull times low and the fun times high. Of course I snapped a few pictures with my phone. I must say that these are of particularly poor quality... Don't ask my why, I guess I just didn't get in the zone with my camera phone. Oh well, I look forward to spending spring break around people I love and relaxing some. Now, that bed is calling my name. Enjoy the rest of your week!!









On our way home, we picked up Taylor's new camera...


Oh yeah, Mike bought a custom built arcade machine for our apartment this week. He was as excited as a 5 year old on Christmas morning!

One Sweet World

-Into the Wild
A great movie. It can now be crossed off my "must-see" list. I am going to try and tackle the book over spring break.

Tuesday I will be heading to Birmingham to meet up with Taylor. We then are driving to Atlanta. My spring break is going to be relaxing. It last till the 30th!

Photoshoot Videos

Here are two videos from a few weeks ago.

This first video is from an in studio shoot I did of Kirstie Lane down at Lake Fever Studios. Thanks to Taylor for helping me out on this project. Pretty laid back and simple. The shots turned out nicely!



This video is from a shoot of The Four Kicks. Taylor and Lauren came up for the weekend to hang out and shoot some. Austin Gros helped out on the shoot and it was fun to all get a chance to spend some time together. Some good stuff coming from Taylor Christian Jones these days. Check out his blog site at www.taylorchristianjones.com/blog

It Did

Just when I thought it couldn't get better, it did. This past weekend I faired the brisk elements and headed west down that stretch of I40 towards Jackson, TN. It was a new experience to drive during what we in the south would call blizzard like conditions. Thank goodness my radio or cd player isn't broken in my car or else it would have been a long, boring trip. But don't you worry, I made it to Jackson safe and sound. This past weekend was just what I needed. I got to see more snow then I have seen in years. Sorry mom for the snowballs. How often will I get the chance to hit you with them? That was an opportunity that I wasn't going to dare pass up. Spending time with my Grandfather is something I hold dear to my heart. He has taught me so much over the years and I can only imagine how much I have still to learn from him. He even taught me the ins and outs of shoveling snow. I'm telling you, he is something else. I really do enjoy seeing my family. They make up part of who I am and I am very thankful for each member because they are a blessing to me. It never fails that my grandmother has the best breakfast that I could ask for. And I got to eat Snowcream for the first time. That was a real treat. I haven't seen my mom that excited in a long time. I do wish that my dad and brother could have been with me. They would have enjoyed being with family and seeing the snow. The distance to Jackson is much too short for me not to take advantage of more often. Two hours in a car isn't bad at all, and I know the reward when I get there is going to always be great.






And just so you know, I have dubbed this little tike as "Hand-full Hunter". I can see he is going to be fun watching get older.


Last night Shannon Leigh pointed out to me that there are only a few more weeks left in this semester. This is something I definitely did not have run across my mind before. So I have decided to make the most of these weekends coming up. I have a rock climbing trip, a camping trip, and also a few photo trips lined up. But I wouldn't mind having a free weekend to do some catching up, or possibly have someone to go with me on my adventures. Oh you.
(random thought #1) The film Walk The Line is definitely on my top 3. Yes, holding strong in the 3rd spot.

I'm Still A Guy

I don't know if you have noticed but the titles of my blog posts as of late have all come from song titles from Brad Paisley. Yes, I currently have over 200 plays for his 5th Gear cd on my iTunes. A must buy if you don't already have it. Today, Mike and I got out of classes early and decided to head to the park to get fresh air and people watch. We saw a funny character who we dubbed Peacoat Bill and many others that were out and about enjoying the weather. Shannon Leigh and Whitney decided to come out but everyone knows Nashville weather constantly changes so it turned cold when they arrived. But! I must say that their smiles brighten up any day of the week.

I've Got A Bite

Growing up I learned to enjoy the finer aspects of life. Enjoying good company and spending time outside when the weather is just perfect. Yesterday, my good friends Dan and Matt and myself decided to get out of the city and enjoy a great day out in the country. I won't go into great detail but the fishing was excellent and having a country home cooked meal in Smith, TN was simply amazing. Thank you to Brandon and his family for sharing their time with us and their hospitality. Life is all about adventures and yesterday was no exception. I look forward to more days of beautiful weather, country music while driving down back roads of middle-of-nowhere Tennessee, and good friends to join me. It really is great to get away from the concrete and city lights every once in a while. I can see myself clocking a lot more miles to get back to those waters.