Portrait Challenge

Here's today, Monday, and Sunday's contributions to the 30 Day Self Portrait Challenge (in the opposite order):

On Sunday my siblings and I drove through Paris, Texas.

It was pretty cool.

And my second time (first time here) in Paris within the last 6 months!

Sidenote: I am, by happy chance, listening to the Civil Wars singing in French right now.

The Civil Wars' new album is excellent, by the way.

I'd taken this picture a couple of days prior,

in the reflection of the rear window of my car.

Today I went to the dentist

[CAVITY FREE SINCE NINETY-THREE!!]

and, while waiting, captured my tonk's with the waiting room table.

15-17/30

Here's the past couple days in the Self Portrait Challenge saga.

This counts as a self portrait because the background is my shirt. 

I've been trying to avoid simply posting selfies every day.

We all know how annoying that is.

It's probably the most awesome key chain ever.

Trivia: Unicorns are the national animal of Scotland.

My reflection in the glass of a picture frame.

And I liked how this shirt made my eyes look pretty great.

No editing was done on this pic.

I feel like a unicorn.

A Beautiful Mess

I've been taking part in this 30 Day Self Portrait Challenge, and you can find out why here. I've been consistent in posting them via Instagram, but have been slacking some on posting them on the blog. Not that y'all probably care. But here you go regardless, catching up on the past couple days:

From Friday: 

in the car after working at Loft and prior to babysitting a precious little boy.

I also watched My Big Fat Greek Wedding that night.

Great movie.

From Saturday:

it was only 88 degrees in the middle of the day, so I had a happy little run.

It's awkward taking a picture of the back of your shirt,

just in case you were wondering.

From Sunday:

I've been working on breaking in some new shoes.

Cute band-aids make it hurt less.

From Monday:

Second day curl, this is what it looked like when I woke up.

Winning.

10:30

My sister and I went rock climbing at a gym in Grapevine today.

I don't claim to be an excellent or accomplished or even remotely good climber,

but Emme and I had a blast.

We both conquered a couple new walls 

and improved upon ones which we hadn't done very well on the last time we went.

Seeing that improvement brought us a lot of satisfaction and confidence.

It's one of the most fun ways to get a good strength (and some cardio) workout.

I love how I feel so strong and so weak at the same time.

Climbing makes me very aware of which muscles I'm using,

and it's awesome to see improvement over time.

I'm always amazed at what my body is capable of 

(it's capable of much much more than where I'm at now, and I think that's awesome).

The picture above reveals the unfortunate shortness 

(in proportion to my height)

of my legs.

And my calves remind me of Disney's Hercules (aka Hunkules),

so that's really fun.

I wish rock climbing wasn't so expensive so I could take part in it more often!!

It's really a wonderful pastime and workout.

9:30

It seems I've reverted to zooming in on features of my self or my apparel.

But hey, lace is one of the more gorgeous man made things,

and I love the old fashioned yet completely classy feel it gives me.

For anyone stopping in, I'm doing this 30 Day Self Portrait Challenge and that's why I keep posting instagram selfies to the internet.

8:30

I realize that the whole point of this 30 day challenge is to be taking creative self portraits of myself.

But today, I just felt like hiding behind this cup

which used to be filled with some darn good orange juice.

Haters gonna hate.

7:30

Today I'm focusing on my nose crinkles.

This is also me trying to be fierce (not in the Beyonce kind of way, though).

One of my favorite things to do with my youngest sister

is to look at each other across the room/table/couch/etc

and scrunch up my face

and then watch her do the same. 

It's kind of been our thing for years (she's almost 12 now).

Why do you keep posting pictures of yourself, Lydia?

6:30

Day Six: Accessorize

I strayed today from the "selfie" edition of the Self Portrait Challenge

(You're welcome, world.)

And it was also a big milestone for me today

because I wore my first ever (in recollection) maxi dress.

Might not be a big deal to you, 

but I've always feared it would make me look short, squat, and curve-less

I'll let the internet decide one way or another at a later date.

5:30

A part of me is starting to feel a little silly 

for committing to taking pictures of myself

 and posting them 

for thirty days straight.

Another part of me really enjoys it.

Call me vain, 

but I see the challenge as another way to see the beautiful and unique things about myself.

Also, I really love the outdoors 

(except when it's 105 outside)

so it makes sense for me to take a "best friend selfie" with the grass.

[I did this "best friend selfie" with inanimate objects thing

a lot in Europe-see below.]

Selfie with a castle in Wales

Selfie with the Peter Pan Statue and some strangers

And my all time fave:

Selfie with my bff: the Eiffel Tower!

4:30

Not my most creative moment. And once again my hair is braided.

(It's pretty much the only way I do my hair if I don't have to look fancy.)

Also, pearls are one of the more awesome accessories 

and every classy lady should own some.

(Not that I'm claiming to be a classy lady.)

And for anyone who doesn't know why I keep posting pictures of myself, check out this link, it will make everything clear.

3:30

Braids are my favorite. Easy, quick, looks nicer than a ponytail usually.

Although it's oftentimes kind of a messy thrown together braid (see above),

it's my go to every time I'm either lazy or late.

Also, my hair is beginning to turn brown, and it's quite alarming.

2:30

Day two of the Self Portrait 30 Day Challenge!

Went with the concept of the original profile picture.

I like that you can kind of still see the features of my face, 

and especially like the detail of the pearl earring!

It has been an absolutely beautiful day outside; 

not terribly hot (for Texas) and very sunny!!!

(Day 1)

1:30

I follow some blogs, one of which is especially excellent. These lovely sisters over at A Beautiful Mess have presented a self portrait 30 day challenge (which you should look into participating in yourself). I think the point is more for photographers wishing to brush up their portrait skills, but I enjoy selfies and creativity just as much as the next girl so of course I'm joining in on the fun!

My weapon: iPhone
My purpose: take more creative selfies
My goal: 30 consecutive days

And below the photo, if you're interested, is some commentary about my own face.

I used the A Beautiful Mess app to make my portrait slightly more swanky (it's worth the$.99 or whatever on the app store). 

One thing I've always admired on other people's faces are dimples. Although I don't know if I'd call those slight impressions on either side of my cheeks dimples or not, I've only recently discovered them and they're something I really like about my face.