La Joie De Vivre

La Joie De Vivre ( The Joy of Living)

Hi

My name is Chrissie

Thank you for visiting my site

If you have a passion for photography, please visit my photo website at:

http://claingphotography.com

A few months ago, as some of you may know, my photo website came to life. I had no idea when I started how I was going to design it, but it all fell into place on it's own. A lot of my inspiration was generated subsequent to my meetings with my incredible mentor, Mr. Paul J.R. The entire story however started 2 years ago, when my friend Trace, made mention that I should take my pictures out of my computer. I did not have much else to do at the time, so I thought, sure, why not! After investing in new lenses, I found myself addicted to photography and soon purchased my 7th Canon camera! A Canon EOS 5D Mark II. It was love at first sight. I can not put this camera down. My photo is a work in progress, I am however having a lot of fun with it. As the weeks go by, I find myself coming up with new ideas that I can't wait to try. I haven't had the time to market my website, but yet, I am overwhelmed with the amount of hits that I get per month. Last month was 7000. So far this month, I am at 4000. I have no idea how people are finding me. I just hope that they enjoy what they see. I like the high quality and diversity of products that can be made and purchased from my site. So if you are so inclined.... please check it out. The address is : http://claingphotography.com If you like it, please leave a comment. If you don't like it, please feel free to say so as well. I can only better myself from opinions from my viewers. Thank you. Be well

 

Dedication to fitness

Once upon a time, when I lived in Paris, exercising and fitness were never a part of my life. When I moved to the U.S. and elected to make America my new home, my life changed forever. In my early twenties, I decided that I wanted to learn to run. At the time, I knew someone who was an incredible runner, a fitness trainer by trade, and from that point on forward, my life changed forever. In the course of 12 months, I went from running one lap around the track ( which equates to a 400 meters), to running 10 miles per day at a pace of 7 minutes/mile. Make no mistake about it, the training that I went through was pure "hell", but what I learned from it was discipline,perseverance, and a never ending quest for health and fitness. I am now an  older woman, but my stamina, dedication, and love of fitness is still the same. At this stage in my life, many people help me pursue and achieve my goals. So here we go.... it's time to say Thank you. First and foremost, thank you to my incredible Doc, Dr. Welker. Twice a year, my doc, turns into Dracula, as he draws blood out of me. He teaches me about vitamins, proper nutrition and I know for a fact, that whatever course of action he chooses for my well being will never hurt me. Then comes my wonderful trainer Mike @ Carpe Diem. I have now known Mike for a few years and all I have to say, is that whenever he pushes me to my limits, I know for a fact that it is for my own good. I trust him. Let's not forget my new trainer Chelsea @ Hard Core Yoga aka miss " Rubber band". Chelsea helps me stretch whatever Mike got stiff and sore, but make no mistake about it, she gets me plenty sore. Starting next week, I am adding on to my existing exercising routine. I am very exciting about starting boot camp. I think that it will be a great addition to my existing fitness program. I would not be able to do all of this, if it were not for the wonderful people who keep me healthy. Thank you Dr. Welker, thank you Mike, thank you Chelsea. I am grateful for who you are, and thankful for what you do. Namaste!

Playing with my new lens

My new "toy" has arrived  and it is an absolute beauty. For many months, I have been eyeing this lens, watching the price go down. Two weeks ago, came an alarm call. Only 5 of them were left. It was now or never. So I took the plunge and went for it. All I can say is that my new lens is absolutely incredible. I have been a Canon fan since I was 17 years of age, but I kid you not, this lens is just fabulous. My new lens is a EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM. OMG,  is all I have to say is..... I am in love! I have  been literally "dying" to use it, but the weather has not been conducive for it. Today seemed to be the perfect opportunity . We were on our way to Pfeiffer winery to pick up our allocation of whites, and I thought that, for sure, I was going to be able to catch some wildlife along the way. I came back empty handed. It did not stop pouring the entire time. So, instead of spending 5 minutes at the winery making our purchase and spending the rest of our time on the lookout for some wildlife, we ended up spending a lot of time at the winery. All I have to say is that .... eht eniw saw doog!. Did I spell this right????????. Who cares!, it's just the internet. I was in a desperate need of some pictures. I had an itch, so I fixed it. 

Here we go..... 

The end!

Citrus-marinated roasted chicken

Hi friends! I know it has been awhile since I last updated my blog. As usual, I have been busy working on my business, exercising, and working at my regular job. This recipe came courtesy of my latest Fine cooking magazine. I strongly encourage you to check out the Feb/March 2012. No 115 issue. This dish is absolutely fantastic. I made it the other day for the first time, and we had a lot of leftovers. There is a lot of prep into it, but in the end, it's all worth it. Following are a few pics to entice your appetite. 

If you are like me, concerned about calorie intake, then do what I do. Serve your food in a dessert plate. It will look like a lot of food to the eye, it will satisfy your mind, but will not stick to your body. PS: The last picture was Jeff's plate. He does not have to watch what he eats. The man has this metabolism that I would LOVE to have!

 

Great quotes

"Good company and good discourse are the very sinews of virtue." Izaak Walton

"Honesty is the mother of confidence; it unites, combines and solidifies society. Dishonesty is disintegration; it destroys confidence; it brings social chaos......" Robert Ingersoll

A great hike in the woods today

I woke up this morning looking out the window to what was going to be a cold, crisp but yet a very sunny day. It was a great day to be outside. The camera batteries were charged, my backpack was ready and my hiking boots were at close range. It was a wonderful hike. I took a lot of pictures, but only a few were uploaded to my website. Please check them out. I think that you will like them. Tomorrow is back to work. Time to get organized. Be well. 

Happy Sunday!

Play hard and dance the day away

 

 

Great Quotes

"Hope is the consolation of the world." Robert Ingersoll

"Honesty .... is the foundation upon which relationships and many societies are built. Without it...there can be no trust. Widespread lying destroys the fabric of democratic societies, in which the necessary assumption is that people mostly tell the truth." Janny Scott

Sushi with my Buddy

                                              WHATEVER HAPPENS AT SUSHI

                                                   STAYS AT SUSHI

                                                   or so the story goes

Last Thursday, my buddy Webb and I decided to go out to Izumi, for a plate of Sushi and an hour of pure laughter. Webb and I are both from big cities. We have a sense of humor that is very different, and when we get together, we have a tendency to joke a lot, laugh a lot and eat a lot. In our own fashionable way, we can sometimes give the appearance of being obnoxious, rambunctious, but we don't care. We are JUST having fun!. We are both goofy people who feed each other on jokes. Our lunch hour usually goes by really quickly, and the laughter is non-stop. I always look forward to meet with Webb, for that he is a person with a big heart. He always knows when I am feeling great. Whenever I am feeling blue, he is always the right guy to give me a lift, and in the end,  all is well.  Webb is my buddy, and I am grateful to have him as a friend. However, Webb's big heart belongs to his beloved wife Karolyn.  Whatever happens at Sushi, kinda sorta stays at Sushi, the one part that needs to be mentioned, is that Karolyn is always highly spoken of by her beloved husband. Thank you Karolyn for your understanding of our goofy beings. You rock!

Alex's "Hot Chick"

Christmas with a twist

Hi friends!, how was your Christmas?

Mine started with a slight challenge. On Friday afternoon, as I was on my way back from work, I made a call announcing the family of my plan to participate with the Christmas dinner. My contribution constituted of homemade NY style Cheesecake with Cranberry Cointreau sauce, Oven Braised Fennel, Mashed Potatoes and Rutabaga au Gratin with Cream Cheese and Pecorino, Egg Bread (for Alex). As soon as I arrived home, I went to work. I started with the bread, then dessert. I was well on my way , when all of sudden everything came to a giant CRASH. My oven broke!. Talk about bad timing!. My kitchen was a disaster zone, there was food all over the place, my bread needed to be baked..... it was pure panic. Luckily for me, the folks live a few blocks away. With my loaf of bread on my lap, I went to the folk's house to bake my bread. I had to figure out a plan of action for the rest of the dishes.

On Christmas Eve, I woke up early and started my cooking.

Everything had to be pre-cooked, pre-made. When dinner time arrived, it all worked out. There were very little leftovers. Dad's roast was cooked perfectly. As soon as he took it off the barbecue, some of us started lining up for bites. Amy took the leftover cheesecake, and so I hear, hid it from her boys and ate it ALL!. Alex took the bread home, and so I hear, ate it ALL!. It was a wonderful Christmas Eve, spent with family, surrounded with good food and cheers. On Sunday, Norm and Amy invited everyone to their house for another wonderful dinner. It was another day of good food, good company and good cheers. I hope that wherever you may be, your holiday was equally filled with love and happiness. Now it's time to face reality. I am 4lbs heavier and my stretch pants are the only thing that presently fits. I will be sweating it off tomorrow at Yoga. Oh my it's going to hurt!