?!

There is a show that recently became rather well-know, though I still find people that haven’t heard of it. Whether you’ve heard its name or not, though, you should be watching Downton Abbey.

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I ate an incredible meal last night. It was one of those that was so good, I couldn’t stop eating – even when my tummy, belt, and pants were all SCREAMING for me to stop. It ended with a carb-coma that lasted through the night, but this morning I’m feeling well-fed AND well-rested, so it was totally worth it.

It started off with the signature Betta Bruschetta, which is a grilled focaccia topped with goat cheese, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, chopped tomatoes, basil, garlic and olive oil. I’ve never had a better bruschetta.

After the appetizer round, warm focaccia was delivered to the table, which was already waiting with other supplies to create “Italian butter”, which is the combo of olive oil, parmesan cheese, and fresh-ground black pepper. Yum. I definitely ate more of this than I needed to, but it – like the bruschetta – just tasted soo good.

Next came the salads. I’ve eaten here before, and I’ve had the house dressing. I’m not a fan. So this time, I smartened up and substituted the standard house salad with the Goat Cheese salad. If you’re like me, the name doesn’t sound very appetizing. Allow me to describe it to see if that helps: it starts with your basic “spring greens” salad on a chilled plate. Add julienned carrots and apples (granny smith, I believe), a generous helping of garganzola cheese, a VERY light drizzle of the house dressing (phew!), and a slice of the grilled focaccia on the side. Along with that, take a hockey-puck sized portion of goat cheese (shaped like a hockey puck), roll it in chopped pecans, pan fry it in butter, and rest it gently on the side of the plate, forming a suggested square with the focaccia, apples, and carrots.

UH-

MAY-

ZING.

I was about half-way through eating my salad when I hit “that point” – the point where my mouth screams “More! More!” and the rest of my body says “Whoa! No More!” Let me just say that I let my mouth win that argument.

The final course – for me, at least – was the entree. I chose to go with a pasta dish, even though the steaks are phenomenal here. I opted for the Tortellini Portabella, which had cheese tortellini, portabella mushrooms, and broccoli in a creamy alfredo-esque sauce.

UH-

MAY-

ZING.

I chowed-down into the pasta like it was going to run away or something, and after eating about a third of the portion I couldn’t go any further. I was done. I had them stick a fork in me, and I was definitely “well done”. I had eaten too much, but my taste buds are still thanking me this morning.

The downer of the evening was the fact that I left my to-go container with the remainder of my pasta on the table as I left the restaurant. In fact, I didn’t even realize that I forgot it until an hour or two after I got home. Darn. It would have made for an UH-MAY-ZING lunch today.

So, in case you’re wondering where I found such a delicious meal, you can find it at Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse. Here in Peoria, it’s located at the Shoppes at Grand Prairie.

I received zero compensation for this – it’s my honest-to-goodness review on my experience last night. But if Johnny’s is reading….. *wink wink*

Safe

Originally uploaded by Full-on_Amateur

A few weeks ago, my sister – my ONLY sister by blood – tied the knot with the guy pictured here with her. I was given the opportunity to create photos to celebrate the event, and I eagerly accepted. I truly enjoyed taking the photos, and I was really excited with the results.

I want to focus on this one photo, though. This photo says a lot to me. Take a minute, and see if it speaks to you.

First, it says “safe”. The way that he is holding my sister in his arms, and the way she is looking at the camera, I just get the feeling that she feel 100% safe in his arms.

Second, I see happiness. I see love. I see warmth, care, and support.

Lastly, I see commitment.

Leading up to this union, I heard comments of concern. I heard questions about whether it was the right time for this marriage or if maybe it was too soon. I can’t say that I shared those concerns, but this photo answers all of those questions for me. It is good. It is right. Everything is going to be just fine.

Pretty Girl

Originally uploaded by Full-on_Amateur

I’ve been trying to learn more and more about editing photos using the software that I have. Tonight I spent some time in Photoshop and Lightroom and came up with some interesting re-edits.

More photos can be found on my flickr page.

(Female) Coworker: Man, Bikini season is around the corner… I’m gonna have to take just half of a brownie.

Me: Luckily I don’t have to worry about that, since I don’t wear bikini’s.

Her: Well, maybe you should start…?

Me: What, wearing bikinis?!?! I don’t think so. There are enough blind people in the world…

Her: … buh.. but… no…

Me: … without me wearing bikinis. I don’t EVER need to start doing that.

2011 Self Portrait

Originally uploaded by Full-on_Amateur

I don’t like New Year Resolutions, mainly because the emotion behind making them fades almost as fast as the ball drops the night before. But this year, I wanted to do something different.

I’m going to start taking New Year Portraits of myself. I figure it’s a nice way to document my appearance year over year, and it’s also a way to practice additional photo-techniques.

So, on Saturday, I got out ALL of my equipment and set up a little studio in my living room. 2+ hours later, I had a TON of images and the desire to go to bed. Yesterday afternoon, I started sorting through and processing all 240 of them. This one became my favorite. TECHNICALLY it’s not the “official picture for 2011″, but it’s my favorite so I’m posting it here. The official picture is found on my flickr feed.

Christmas Card Shoot

Originally uploaded by Full-on_Amateur

I was asked to take some family portraits to be used as a Christmas card, and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to do so. I gathered them on the stairs of their house, and got to work. We didn’t have much time – the lasagna was in the oven and nearly finished – but we were able to work it out.

Of course, I’ve looked at this picture a hundred (or more) times now, and I realize a TON of things that I could have done better. Luckily, I’m taking notes, so I hope to not make these same mistakes next time.

Ok, so there’s a back-story here, but I’ll let you laugh at the photo first.

(click to enlarge)

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Engaged

Originally uploaded by Full-on_Amateur

I was given the opportunity to shoot some engagement photos for my brother and his fiancee. I hadn’t ever worked with people directly, and I’m quite pleased with the results.

This was my favorite from the whole shoot.

Late Delivery

Originally uploaded by Full-on_Amateur

Back in May, I made a trip to Montrose, IA, to spend a day with family. Two of my siblings had come in from out of town, and my parents rented a house for the weekend. My goal was to explore and take photos .

On my way to Montrose, I passed this old delivery truck. At the time, the field was shooting up corn stalks all over the place, and the area was very dense with the color green. This truck, though, was all white and rusty-orange, and with the blue sky, it was picture perfect. I was moving too fast to stop then, and it was WAAY too dark when I passed on my trip home. But I didn’t forget about it….

So then this past Saturday I had the chance to revisit my old, rusty friend. I was a bit disappointed that the corn was gone, but I will be sure to return next spring/summer when there is more green.

Click on the photo to visit my flickr page, and you’ll find a few more photos of this same truck there. You’ll also get to see more pics from the random, haphazard, meandering road-trip that I took this past Saturday.