September

Hello! Well I don’t know about you, but my September so far has been BUSY! It started off with a vacation and now that I am back I hit the ground running with all things website, shows and my photography.

Where did I go on my vacation you ask? To Las Vegas of course. If you know me, you know I grew up there and my Mom still lives there, so I try to go at least once a year. The whole city to me has the air of any hometown for anyone. You know, the town you grew up in then left and whenever you go back to visit the memories start flooding in. As I am my Mother’s daughter and I got my travel gene from her, whenever we get together, we always plan some type of road trip; this year, it was to Sedona and Canyon de Chelly in Arizona.

Coffee At home

Sedona was amazing and if you have the chance to go, I highly recommend it. It really does have some kind of mystical feel to it. I myself just felt very grounded and still, like I could finally just be still and present. The town is also absolutely gorgeous! Built on and surrounded on all sides by beautiful red rocks, there is not a bad view anywhere. As evidenced by the best view I have ever had from a hotel room.

Best view from a hotel room EVER!

The town itself is not short on things to do, but if you are a hiker, this town is for you. Mom and I hiked a bit up Bell Rock a before heading on a scenic train tour of the valley. This train ride was probably the highlight of the trip for me. It was so fun. You get seats in an air conditioned car complete with snacks and drinks and there is an outdoor observation car with a very knowledgeable and entertaining tour guide to tell you all the things you are passing. The weather was so beautiful I think I spend most of the ride outside, learning about the history and surroundings of the area and of course taking a million pictures. A note on the pictures, all the pictures you see in this blog are un-edited and come from my phone, but hopefully provide enough of a preview for what I have coming from my camera ;) .

Train tour through Sedona valley

The next day, Mom and I drove northeast about 2 hours to Canyon de Chelly National Monument. This is in the middle of nowhere but well worth the drive. This canyon is not as large or as popular as its “grand” cousin to the west, but still absolutely breathtaking. There is hiking, but mom and I simply drove around on the North and South Rims and pulled of on all the lookouts to aww and take pictures. One of the best things about this place is that is not as popular so not as many people so you can really listen to nature and take in the beauty.

Spider Rock at Canyon de Chelly

Now that I am back home, its go time. You may or may not have seen/heard that I have added a newsletter sign-up to my website. Inaugural issue of my newsletter to debut shortly, so be sure to sign up so you don’t miss a thing. It will feature a link to this blog as well as news of new products, prints and shows.

Speaking of shows, I have a few shows left for September and I hope to see you there. I have also re-ordered some favorite inventory and some new prints as well.

9/22 - Wheeler Concert Series, Wheeler Ferris Wheel, 7-10pm, Oklahoma City

9/23 - Norman Twilight Market, The Well in Norman, 5-9pm, Norman

9/29 - Spoke Street Night Market, Wheeler District, 5-9pm, Oklahoma City

Talk to you all soon and WELCOME FALL!!!!!!

-Alexis

You Must Travel A Lot?

Driving through the Grand Mesa, Colorado

I get so many questions when I do my shows. One of the biggest is, “you must travel a lot?” Well, to answer, I guess? I love to travel and would do it waaay more than I already do if I could. I love to see new places and have new experiences. But traveling a lot? I guess I would say I travel as much as a normal person. My husband likes to travel also, so when we can we at least like to plan little getaways on 3 day weekends and holidays. We were lucky enough in February to go to Hawaii where I got some amazing pictures and an equally amazing time, and we also just got back from Colorado, (blog post on that coming soon). No matter what, even if I am just going 2 hours away, I am always taking my camera, and I must give some credit to my wonderful husband to being my location manager and pointing things out, like a cool tree or a bird or even a bison sunning itself.

I would however be the first to tell you, I have a permanent case of wanderlust. I have even planned my next vacation while on vacation, including looking at hotels while waiting for my flight home. Because I always need to have somewhere to go. Like I said, its the new places, experiences and adventures I am after. I want to see as much as I can and don’t want to be 90 sitting in a nursing home saying I never left my state.

One of the reasons I decided to pursue my photography full time was to give myself the opportunity to travel. When you work a corporate job, you only get 2 weeks of vacation a year (which is not nearly enough) and even then, your going on that fabulous trip is dependent on your bosses approval. While I am now self-employed and get unlimited vacation days, even though I realize I am not getting paid for them, I will happily take it. Working my booty off to make it financially worth while. Plus, the camera is always with me so I am sort of working (but are you really working when you are having fun).

So answer the answer the question above, do I travel alot? Not as much as I would like, but I treasure when I can and love sharing the pictures I take on my travels.