And in Rolls the Fog

Overall, Fresno isn't a horrible place to live. It has all the shopping and fast food chains a town can handle and is centrally located to all the greatest things California has to offer. If you can get over the severe allergies and smog it's not a bad place. I actually love the super hot summers and the extended spring and fall but those 2 1/2 months in the end of December though the end of February are so.....blah. I hate the fog and the layer upon layer of cloud cover that make it impossible to catch even the slightest glimpse of sunlight. Snow has its downfalls, this is true but at least its pretty and rain is well, wet, but fog and gloomy clouds...so ugly.
The fog seems to just bring everyone down and not to mention how much I worry with Daniel commuting to Kinsgsburg everyday in it. People who aren't from here may think they know what fog is but as far as I am concerened you haven't seen fog until you have spent a winter in the central valley. Of course some years are worse than others but there are times when you can't even see your own hand in front of you. As a kid we actually had foggy day schedule at school because the fog was too thick for the busses to drive in.
I remember when I was in high school I helped my brother with his paper route in the mornings and we would split up and then have the hardest time finding each other again. We would have to run to a house get really close up to see the number on the house and then yell it out. And with the way sound travels in thick fog my brother used to scare the crap out of me by saying creepy things like, "I see you..." and being no where near me but it would sound like he was right at my ear. Thankfully the last few years haven't been that bad but the gloomy aspect of it still bums me out. Winter just started and I can't wait for it to be spring again!
This is the time of year that I miss living at the coast the most. It got cold and rainy here and there but hey, I could see the ocean from my apartment...what can be bad about that?! One thing I do like is seeing Christmas lights through the fog...that is definitely pretty. So, Christmas is for sure the high point of the winter. But after Christmas its just waiting for Groundhog Day to see how many weeks of winter gloom are left. Don't laugh, my family is from Pennsylvania so of course I hold Punxsutawney Phil's opinion in the highest regard. Crossing my fingers for a short winter this year!

Fogged in in Fresno,
Busy B

I miss my crafts!

I have always been a lover of crafts. From scrapbooking to crocheting and everything in between I have always enjoyed filling my free time with various craft projects. And I still love to do crafts its that free time that I am lacking. Just thinking about bringing all of my scrapbook supplies out sounds like way too much work. Isn't that sad!?
I used to do a lot of stuff late at night once Daniel went to sleep since he goes to bed early and I am such a night owl but nowadays I'm either exhausted from the day or trying to pick up the house once Gianna goes to sleep. So, I have closets and drawers full of craft supplies that just stare at me longingly (or maybe its me staring longingly at them) and I have come to a point where I'm wondering when I'll ever have time to use them again?
The practical side of me is telling me to just clean out those closets and make room for more useful things but a part of me is thinking that this can't go on forever! I will eventually have free time again right?! (Mom's across the world insert laugh here)
Oh well, I have yet to fully commit one way or the other. I feel like if I throw them out or banish them to storage I am admitting a defeat of some sort. It wouldn't be that bad if I didn't continue to hang out (read, buy more stuff from) Michaels and Joannes and what not. Its like a bad habit I can't shake! I haven't decided what I am going to do but bottom line...I miss my ol' crafty ways! :(

Top 10 Tuesday: 10 Things You May Not Know About Me...Just for fun!

10. I was born on a military base in Germany.
9. I have been skydiving and loved it but I am deathly afraid of flying.
8. If I had to choose my last meal it would be my mom's "Poor Man Soup."
7. My first pet was a basset hound named Mumford.
6. I love writing research papers.
5. My favorite t-shirt is a Expo's shirt I got at a garage sale when I was 15.
4. I drink my coffee black.
3. If I could meet any dead person it would be Winston Churchill.
2. I tell everyone I am 5'7" but I am really 5'6 3/4".
1. I've lived in 3 states and been to 10 different countries.

Busy B

When Hobbies Go Wild!

For as long as I can remember I have loved taking pictures. I used to dress my sisters up for hours on end and pose them in the backyard until they wanted to kill me. In high school, as I have mentioned before, thats pretty much all I was involved in....things pertaining to photo like newspaper, sports programs and yearbook. In college I took pictures all over Europe and was inspired by all the people and architecture. But when I got back from Europe, I kind of just stopped taking pictures for awhile. I missed having access to a darkroom and didn't really jump on the digital bandwagon right off the bat.

After Daniel and I moved back to Fresno a few years ago, a friend asked if I still took pictures and if I would be interested in taking his family portrait. I was flattered but I didn't really think I was the person for the job but it did sound fun so I did it for free refusing to be paid. A beer and dinner sounded like decent payment. But the feeling I got from being behind the camera came back to me, a rush of sorts. And I was hooked again.

Over the last few years I have invested in a new camera and what not and have loved taking pictures for friends and family here and there. Its such a fun escape for me from my normal 8 to 5 behind an investment desk. But over the last year, my hobby has started to take up a lot of my time and people I don't even know are calling me asking what I charge! Its comical to me in a way that people would pay me to do something that I love to do so much and I have by no means viewed myself as a professional.

Over the last few months, with the encouragement and support of friends and family, I have decided to cross the line from hobby to side job and actually make a business for myself and see what happens. And so, Bella B Photography was born. I have been working on building a website and getting things in order but I decided for the first time ever to give the world a snapshot of what I have done recently. I am excited about showing everyone what I have been working on and what I love to do so much! I hope you enjoy my photos as much as I do and if your interested in booking a session feel free to email me at bellabphotography@gmail.com. You can also check out my facebook page www.facebook.com/brianne.pearce82 for more pics.

xoxo,

Busy B....I mean Bella B :)