Marisela and Matt Chilcote's Wedding

Did I ever tell you that I have always wanted to be a wedding photography? For a long time that was my dream job up until my photography teacher told us that wedding photographers are one of the most sued professions. Now I just do it as a hobby so no one can sue me.

Well today one of my friends, Marisela, got married and I took the pictures. Here is a sneak peak of the highlights from today. Please bear in mind these are raw shots with no editing and that I am not a professional (at least not yet). Enjoy!





 Mr. and Mrs. Chilcote just out of the Temple





 Everybody who was at the temple and stuck around for the picture. I even made it into the picture. And what you can't see is that a giant just stomped to the right of the temple and that is why everything is tilting that direction. He really wasn't very considerate of my picture. Gosh!

I think this is my personal favorite of all the pictures.  





 I love this angle with the temple in the background. It's a little dark though.





 Here I am practising my paparazzi skills in the bushes.





 Did I mention it was hot? Well it was REALLY hot. And humid.





 I love that yellow flower there. So pretty.



 I LOVE hand holding pictures! Don't they look so cute? Now if only those cars weren't there it would be so perfect!





And in case you were wondering which temple that was here is your answer.

The ring ceremony and reception pictures will have to come at a later time cause I'm exhausted. Stay tuned for more.

Modern Day Governess

I am a big fan of all things Austen, well all things truely Austen not others trying to be Austen like Becoming Jane and Lost in Austen (Not to say I completely hate them but they just aren't Austen.) I love the time period, the world, the clothes, and the values. I have pondered which character I would be if I was in a Jane Austen novel: the quickwitted Lizzy, the very generous Jane, the kind hearted Anne, the sometimes silly Emma, or the bookworm Mary. And while I would want to be the most charming and endearing of characters in her books I have come to see the last little while that my life more closely parallels Jane Eyre. Not even a Jane Austen character. Austen just didn't tell my story so I'll have to be Jane Eyre instead. (Though I just want to add that I pass on the failing in love with a married man part.)

Jane taught school for two years at Lowood after she had finished her education there and then she became a governess. After I finished my education, I taught high school (though only for one year) and then became a home school teacher. Which is the modern day equivalent of a governess. There are some differences obviously like I do not live with the family I work for, and thankfully I am not looked down on for being "the help." But pretty much the rest of it is similar to what I do. And I LOVE it.

Tomorrow is my first official day starting a new "Governess" position teaching a 5 year old. I have shadowed the previous teacher for two days to learn the schedule but tomorrow it's all me. I teach him full time while his parents work from home. It's like a normal school day with only one student and in a home instead of a school. So we have lots of time to do activites, learn, and play. We have a lots of fun.

I leave there everyday with a smile on my face. I love teaching and watching kids learn. And getting to play all day. It is the best job in the world! So while I am glad I wasn't a governess in Jane Austen times because they didn't have the best situation I am so glad to be a modern day governess.

Confession

Last night, I went to see Brave with some friends. And to be honest I was disappointed. From the previews it looked like it would be a good movie but left the story line a mystery. I hate spoilers. In fact, I almost never read the full back cover of a book because it gives too much away. I will read a sentence or two to see if the world sounds interesting. I am a person that loves the journey of the characters and the story. I rarely make predictions about what's going to happen next unless the writer is wanting me to. So the previews not giving a lot away about the plot but still being able to capture my interest is a plus for me. Then I get to go watch the movie and be taken on the journey.




I went to the theatre really excited to see Brave and see what great story was going to come out of it. But it turned out to be a fairly typical story line. There was one thing that was not what usually happens but the rest was verypredictable and typical of its genre. (I am being purposely fague so I don't ruin it for anyone. Cause I HATE spoilers. Did I mention that?) So I left disappointed and unsatisfied. That's not to say that the whole thing was terrible and I hated it. It made me laugh and there were some good parts but I am not going to put it on my list of movies I would like to own.

Anyway, all that was to say that Brave helped me come to a realization. I have never been one to have a favorite movie because how can I pick just one? I have a list of favorites. (As an ironic side note my sister actually just put a post on her blog about the same thing. I promise I was planning this post before I ever saw hers. But you can check it out here. She is hilarious and her kids adorable so you should check out her other posts too. You won't regret it. Wait...then my blog will look even lamer. On second thought stick to my blog.) My favorite Disney movie is Emperor's New Groove. But I also really love Tarzan. And to adopt my sister's method my favorite romantic comedy is While You Were Sleeping. (These mash potatoes are so creamy. Mary mashed 'em.) And the list can go on and on.




Well, last night while watching Brave I realized that I was comparing all movies to one movie which I love! During the previews I thought "Hm looks interesting but I don't know if it will be as good as..." Upon reflection I think it comes down to the fact that I now have A FAVORITE MOVIE. This is interesting and ultimately very life changing for me to have a favorite. And who knows how long it will last but for now it is definitely my favorite movie. A movie which I could watch over and over and over again if only I owned a copy of it. (So maybe it's best that I don't.) A movie that makes me laugh everytime and cry... from laughing so hard. A movie that has so many wonderful quotable lines which makes me want to watch it over and over and over so that I can memorize the whole movie. A movie that is unique and is not the same story that had been told so many times. A movie that is not full of terrible acting but full of actors who are terribly witty. (see what I did there) A movie that makes me smile just thinking about it.

So what is this movie that is so amazing that has broken my tradition of not picking favorites to climb to the very top of my list, you ask? Well let me tell you. Drum roll please....... MEGAMIND. Yes, indeed my favorite movie is MEGAMIND. It feels so freeing to admit it. I love Megamind! I do. Him and his ginormous blue head. And Minion. And Roxane. And Metro Man. And Bernard. And even Hal. They are all so wonderfully hilarious! And I am not ashamed to admitt it.

Since this post is now long and you are probably sick of reading it, I'll make it longer by ending with some photos and favorite quotes from Megamind.



You were right. And I was .... less right.

Ah, you don't know what's good for bad.

Girls, girls. You're both pretty. Can I go home now?

 

Megamind: Over here, old friend. In case you haven't noticed you've fallen right into my trap.

Metro Man: Can't trap justice. It's an idea. A belief.

M: But even the most heart felt belief can be corroded over time.

MM: Justice is a non corrosive metal.

M: But metals can be melted by the heat of revonge.

MM: It's revenge and it's best served cold.

M: But it can be easily reheated in the microwave of evil!

MM: Well, I think your warranty is about to expire.

M: Maybe I got an extended warranty.

MM: Warranties are invalid if you don't use the product for it's intended purpose.

R: Can someone stamp my frequent kidnapping card?

M: You of all people should know we discontinued that promotion.

R: And you left us with him? No offense.
M: No, I'm with you.



R: What's the plan?
M: It most involves not dying.
R: I like that plan.

I am  forcing myself to stop now because really the whole movie is quotable and fantastic as I mentioned. If you have not seen this movie go watch it right NOW! Do it! Do it now!



What next?

I was looking through the various projects I have done and couldn't decided what I wanted to post. So I decided to take a vote. What would you like to see next? Here are some options.

• More Stage Makeup (which can include beards, old age, punk, or scars)
• More Mask photos
• Some wedding and engagement pictures I've taken
• My collection of crocheted baby hats
• Sewing projects and alterations
• Or none of the above

If it's the last one maybe you should just not read my blog. :)

Ready, set, vote!

The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus

Another of my hobbies I learned as part of my Theatre Major was mask making. I think that definately wins the prize as my favorite class. It was so much fun and I realize that I have a talent I did not know I had before. I can sculpt pretty decently. I am not so great with painting or drawing but I can sculpt which comes in handy for mask making.

The semester after our mask making class our teacher Dr. Omar Hansen was directing "The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus" and wanted to use masks. So three of us from the class agreed to be on the mask crew and made around 30 masks in 4 weeks for the show. It was intense but so much fun. Here are some photos of the masks I made for the show.

But before we get to the photos for those of you that are not familiar with "The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus" here is a very brief synopsis. Dr. Faustus wants power so he sells his soul to the devil and gets a side-kick named Mephastophilis who is one of the servants of the Devil. Faustus uses Mephastophilis' powers to impress scholars and to play tricks on others. And then at the last though he attempts to repent right at the end he (SPOILER ALERT) is dragged down to hell. That out of the way lets go on to the pictures.

One of the first things Faustus asks Mephastophilis (wow that is such a long name) for is a wife. Well, Mepha does not want him to have a wife (if you want the details go read the play) so he (or in the case of this version she) conjures up a Devil Wife.

 

"Sure darling Faustus I'll marry you after a short nibble on your ear."



You want to see more devil pictures? Okay. Here is another devil mask I made for the show. This is actually one of the last masks I made and I only had one night to get it done. I was running low on creativity for devils so I ended up with this one. The one on the left with the horns.

This is my least favorite mask of all the ones I made. So please don't judge me on this one. Let's move on to some better ones.

Alright how many of these can you name? I'll give you a hint they are the Seven Deadly Sins.

 Okay be honest no cheating now on the Seven Deadly Sins. Did you say Pride, Wrath, Covetousness, Gluttony, Sloth, Envy, and Lechery. (from left to right) If so you are the winner! Post a comment and I'll send you a nice congratulations email. :)

I made three of the seven sins which were Covetousness, Gluttony, and Envy. So let's take a closer look at Gluttony and Covetousness.

I find it funny that the girl who played Gluttony was actually the smallest and skinnest girl in the cast. I love how it turned out and made her look Gluttonous.

Now Envy and Covetousness however were much more difficult to make them unique since they are synonyms of each other. And they both were wearing green costumes. But I decided that envy is more assosicated with green so I made it green with sunken cheeks because she is "lean with seeing others eat." Covetousness I chose to give her big eyes and make it gold because of her wish the house was made of gold. Here's a closer look at Envy.

And here is another photo of four of the seven with Lucifer from the promo shots just because I thought it was a cool picture. (And you may notice that some of these are still a work in progress since this was the promo, like Gluttony.)



Pride, Sloth, Gluttony, and Lechery



There are two characters in the play who steal the Book of the Devil that was given to Faustus. They are then turned into an Ape and a dog. I made the Ape mask. I freaked my roommate out pretty good with this one cause it looks so real. Definately high on my favorite list.

Faustus conjures up Helen of Troy, who is suppose to be the most beautiful woman that ever lived, to impress some scholars and later conjures her again to comfort himself before he goes to hell.

This picture is not the greatest but it is a pretty mask with little blue jewels all over it. This is high on my favorites list as well.

Since it is Dr. Faustus let's end with some devil masks shall we? We had five little kids who played devils in the show and I made one of their masks. I made the one on the right that is standing up.

Don't you just want to cuddle these little Devils?

And again here he is ascending from the floor.

That's all of them. What do you think? Do you have a favorite? (And please don't say it was the devil I didn't make. Let's keep this focused on me people.)

Inanimate Object Makeup

I studied Theatre Education in College and one of the classes that I took for my major was Stage Makeup. We learned how to do all sorts of awesome makeup for the class. One of our assignments was an inanimate object. So I chose to make myself into a stained glass window. This was one of my favorite assignments in the class though they were all really fun.



From the front it can be kind of creepy.



My favorite side where you can see the sun.





 If you like this stay tuned there will be more makeups coming soon.





Rachel SoHappy

At one of my previous jobs I came across the last name of SoHappy. At the time I was not very found of my last name so I thought it would be so cool to change my last name to SoHappy. I discovered this name when I was preparing to serve an LDS mission and thought it would be great to be Sister SoHappy. I just loved it. Well, I didn't change my name and served my mission as Sister Brady. I loved my mission so much and Sister Brady was my identity as a missionary that I love that association now. As I was contemplating a name for my blog, I went through a bunch of ideas which none seemed to fit me but then I remembered SoHappy and it clicked. I am SoHappy. My life is SoHappy. Happiness is what motivates all that I do. The gospel of Jesus Christ brings me so much happiness that it brings purpose to my life. So I am Rachel SoHappy.