Tag Archives: pics

Off Ice Work Out OOTD

Standard
Off Ice Work Out OOTD

Hi! In my youth, I figure skated competitively for about ten years and after calling it quits, I still loved going skating just for fun. Prior to the pandemic, I got back into having regular lessons again with my childhood coach and lived for my weekly skate sessions. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to skate for the past year and a half because of my job as I work with such high risk people.

I am so happy to say that this weekend, I will have my first skating lesson since the start of the pandemic and I can’t wait! To keep myself in skating mode, I have been doing off ice work outs so I don’t lose my edge. This past weekend during my exercise routine, I was able to sport the most amazing pair of shorts I have ever owned by Elite Sports and Born Tough. Take a look at some pics from my Off Ice Work Out OOTD and let’s discuss:

Who? What? Wear?

Working out in my small apartment can be pretty difficult because my husband and I don’t have a lot of free space. To remedy this, I cleared out a corner in my home office so I can continue on with my push up regimen and off ice training. Without the luxury of a home gym, it’s all about working with what I have and, let me tell you, moving my chaise lounge and all of my odds and ends in the office was a work out in itself!

When it comes to figure skating, it isn’t just about training on ice but off ice too. Every week, I try to set aside some time to work on my jumps, spins, and foot work on solid ground. I also really enjoy practicing in my friend’s pool or the one in my apartment community for some added resistance. While this is nowhere near as fun as being on the ice, I am proud of myself for keeping up with this routine and I know it will only help to make me an even better skater.

No work out is complete without the right clothes, of course, and that is why I am so in love with my new shorts by Born Tough. Not only do they look super cool with the visible compression layer but they feel it too as they are so lightweight. Breathable clothing for working out is an absolute must and it is especially important in my apartment because my air conditioning unit in the upstairs loft works minimally, at best. I am definitely looking forward to the cooler weather so I am not working out in my own personal sauna!  

Whether you’re working out at home, in the gym, or on the ice give it your all and put your best face forward. And, as always, put your best outfit forward too with the awesome athletic clothing from Born Tough!

Do you play any sports? What is your work out routine like? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Our Two Year Anniversary!

Standard
Our Two Year Anniversary!

Hello!!! Today is a special, happy day because it is mine and Johnny’s two year anniversary of couplehood! We are also fast approaching three months of being married. 🙂 Two years ago today, Johnny and I made our relationship “Facebook official” and we have been together almost every day since. It has been the best adventure of my life and every day I am excited for what is in store for us next. In these next few weeks, I predict it will be lots of LEGO building thanks to our anniversary gifts! 😀

Now, let’s go down memory lane with some of my favorite pictures of us:

^^^ I could go on forever!

Although Johnny and I agree that being married doesn’t feel any different than our relationship felt before, we both freaking love being married! We truly have never left the “honeymoon phase” from when we first started dating and it makes each moment spent with him special. In fact, I still get butterflies whenever I see him and it is the best thing to come home to him every day after work.

While I love our date days more than I can say, my favorite times are spent in our apartment enjoying each other’s company. There is nothing better than sitting down with him after cooking dinner, tuning into our “programs”, and spending the evening talking and laughing. And, believe you me, we never are hurting for things to laugh about because we could bring up a quote from a show that we watched when we first started dating and are instantly in stitches… Much to everyone else’s annoyance! 😀

Being married to Johnny makes every day a good one and I never take that for granted. It always feels like a sunshiney day with him no matter what weather Ohio serves to us in the given hour lol! Here’s to our permanent honeymoon phase and a lifetime of happiness. ❤

Are you celebrating anything special this month? What are you looking forward to? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

D-Day Reenactment Adventure

Standard
D-Day Reenactment Adventure

Hi! This past weekend, Johnny and I had a road trip to Conneaut, Ohio where we saw a reenactment of D-Day. My husband is a history buff and is constantly teaching me new things from the many books he has read, documentaries he has watched, and podcasts he has listened to. World War II is his favorite thing to learn about so when I found out about this reenactment so close to home, I knew we had to go because he has never been to anything like it but has always wanted to. Check out some pics from our adventure:

Our day spent in Conneaut was an absolute thrill and it was so much fun to see Johnny in his element! It was amazing to see him chatting it up with all of the volunteers, actors, and veterans and every time I looked at him he was grinning from ear to ear. While the “big show” of the D-Day reenactment was spectacular, seeing how much Johnny was enjoying himself was my favorite part of the whole thing. ❤

The morning of our outing started out with a bang when we saw a reenactment of The Battle for La Fiere and that was insanely cool! We definitely both jumped out of our skin when the first shots were fired lol. From there, it was a whirlwind of tank and mortar firings, weapon demonstrations, SAS trainings, and camp shows. I was most partial to The Battle for La Fiere reenactment and we both loved the mortar demonstration!

While there was plenty in the schedule that we did to fill up time until the D-Day reenactment at three, we both enjoyed walking around the different areas representing Germany, France, and England and taking in all of the sights. It was also a lot of fun to browse through all of the different vendors and eat fair food and drink hella fresh squeezed lemonade. Johnny walked away with lots of souvenirs that are now proudly displayed on our knick knack shelf.

The actual D-Day reenactment was so well done and, although our view wasn’t the best, it was still really special to see. The coolest part had to have been seeing the P51 Mustangs and the C47 Transport planes flying around the beach as well as watching the boats come up onto the sand with more and more soldiers. From the sounds and the smoke to the tanks and guns firing, it was an astounding display and we can’t wait to go back next year.

Thanks to some tips from other viewers, we learned about more reenactments in our area and I just know it will become a regular thing for us to do. We thank all of our veterans and those who lost their lives from the bottoms of our hearts for their amazing service and bravery.

Have you ever been to a war reenactment before? What was it like? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Leverage Photography To Elevate Your Marketing Strategy

Standard
Leverage Photography To Elevate Your Marketing Strategy

We humans adore visuals. Our brains are wired for visual perception and we desire it. Images appeal to us because we spend more of our brain’s processing capacity to vision than any other sense or skill. Images are more natural to our eyes than words. Content with pictures regularly attracts more clicks while scrolling through infinite search results. The absence of pictures in your online material frequently means that it will be disregarded. Shoppers are sixty times more likely to contact a brand with a picture in search results than without. Let’s dive into the impact of imagery and photography on your marketing campaign:

Leverage Intuition:

Humans like looking at pictures and instinctively comprehending them. We can analyze a photo in less than a tenth of a second, which is quicker than reading text. When marketing your business online, always include images that assist visitors in understanding what you’re promoting. Material with pictures receives up to 94% more views than posts without images. Search engines prefer visual information and prioritize results with large image files. A well-received appearance may compensate for poor content and enhance the viewer’s overall impression of the product.

The Impact on Emotions:

Images may trigger emotions in us more than any other kind of material. These feelings are more intense than those elicited by reading a story, and individuals make strong connections between the two. When selecting pictures to accompany your web material, use images that evoke emotion. A spectacular landscape can be captivating, but one with a happy home can be moving. The image must convey the information, but it also has to fit in with the general design of your website. Your web material will be more memorable if you include images that convey emotions of love, contentedness, or liberation.

Of course, strong images don’t just apply to a website but to storefronts as well. How many times have you walked by a shop with a product picture you just had to have? Eyewear companies are an excellent example! Utilizing different imagery throughout your store with cool framed prints or on its exterior by using Color-X Large Format Printing will turn heads and create more traffic. Storefront marketing is also a great way to introduce new products or advertise sales.

The Images Are Part of Your Assets:

Images are a vital component of the business arsenal and should be treated as such. Good pictures will help you attract consumers and help you negotiate with other products and businesses. For example, to generate inbound connections, invite social media influencers and writers to use your pictures for free in return for link traffic to a website.

Investing in your views allows you to reach across many platforms such as social media, news stories, your website, your company profile, print advertising, and more. A picture may significantly impact a news story. Many PR agencies utilize pictures as marketing material; providing great images is typical for getting companies noticed in the news.

Pictures Drive Engagement:

Pictures, in addition to capturing our attention, eliciting emotional responses, and leaving a lasting impression, possess another ability. Visuals, as every marketer is well aware, enhance engagement. People don’t only want to look at photos; they also want to share them and then see more. Material that includes images gets up to 40 percent more shares than content without pictures.

You can also use digital tools to do things like incorporate your logo into images. Do some research to determine how to make pictures transparent on photoshop, this way you can start using it for improved branding. By incorporating your logo into designs in a professional way, your audience will be more likely to see you as a trustworthy brand that cares about reputation. In recent years, we have learned that part of the judgment call process takes place in one’s visual cortex, which means that the minute consumers see your material, they are already thinking about what they will do next, whether that is sharing it on social media or responding to a Call to Action.

As we all know, engagement is everything on any platform. If you are struggling with this aspect even if you have fantastic photos, it might be a good idea to consult with a full service marketing agency. These professionals can give you insight into areas of improvement, formulate a cohesive strategy, and can use what you have as a base to take your brand to the next level.

Availability of Tools:

Images are becoming more important to marketers and academics alike, and everyone wants a piece of the action. With specialized agencies like Caravan Club that handle comprehensive production services from concept to final delivery, brands can access professional visual content more efficiently than ever before. Even technology firms are attempting to capitalize on this emerging trend by developing image-based products. The emergence of visual search engines, such as those provided by platforms like Google and Pinterest has been a significant development in recent years. The sheer increase in visual searches on Pinterest alone (from 250 million in 2017 to 600 million in 2018) demonstrates the scale of the shift that can be anticipated in the following years.

Images matter to various industries, especially those that deal with jewelry and accessories. Reliable jewelry photo retouching services are something your company can benefit from. It’s not easy to match your text with the appropriate image, but there are specific recommendations to follow to increase clicks. Remember that today’s customers are adept at evaluating ideas. These skills have been developed by assessing picture quality and distinguishing stock photos from unique brand assets resulting from their internet experience.

An image that is high-quality, uplifting, and emotional is a beautiful start, but what’s in the picture is just as essential. The image should reflect your business, purpose, and values to best enhance your customer’s experience.

Garden Tours

Standard
Garden Tours

Hi! My dad is, hands down, the best gardener in the world and has a million green thumbs. Whenever I’m over at my parents, I always enjoy our “Garden Tours”. My dad and I will walk through the backyard together and check on the progress of his flowers and veggies. There is something new to see every time and it never gets old! Take a look at some pics from our backyard stroll and keep in mind that it was all done by a man who recently broke his dominant arm. Like I said, my dad is the best gardener in the world. ❤

My dad’s garden is home to many creatures both real and fake. There are bunnies, butterflies, bees, and bats as well as all of the decorative birds, lizards, frogs, and gnomes! My niece loves to play outside and my dad is always on the hunt for new lawn decorations to surprise her with as she is partial to the fake flamingo he has. It is also so much fun to look for bunnies and butterflies with her. 🙂

A few weeks ago, we had a family visit to the Kingwood Center Gardens in Mansfield. The botanical gardens were splendid, but I don’t think they have anything on my dad’s backyard and I live for our Garden Tours. What a guy!

What are you growing in your garden? What is your favorite flower? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Wedding Pictures!!

Standard
Wedding Pictures!!

HELLO!!!!!!! Johnny and I got married on June 4th and I am so happy to finally be able to share some wedding pictures with all of you! Our photographer did a bang up job and I am so appreciative of her hard work on our big day and afterwards with the intricate editing process. I am in love with the sneak peek she sent us and cannot wait to see the rest! Now, without further ado, here are some shots from my wedding:

Johnny and I had a small wedding ceremony in his best man’s backyard and it was short, sweet, and absolutely perfect for us. It was so special to be surrounded by just our immediate family and best friends and I wouldn’t change a thing about it. Looking through the photos from our photographer with Johnny had us reliving our wedding all over again and I can’t wait to frame and hang up our favorites. ❤

I had been so eager to get some pictures back because I was also super looking forward to sharing them with my dear readers. We thank you all so much for the well wishes and support because it really does mean the world. Keep it posted on lifewithlilred for all of the latest and greatest as well as more wedding photos soon!

What is your dream wedding like? What was your wedding like? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Kingwood Center Gardens Pics Pt. 2

Standard
Kingwood Center Gardens Pics Pt. 2

Hello! Today, we are going to take a look at my last bunch of pictures from the Kingwood Center Gardens in Mansfield, Ohio. The estate and botanical gardens of Charles Kelley King was an absolute delight to explore with my family and I am itching to go back. I am also looking forward to going to the Cleveland botanical gardens with my husband since he had to work the day we went to Kingwood. 🙂 Let’s get to it:

While it was so fun to walk through the grounds of the Kelley estate with my family, my favorite part of the day actually happened indoors. About halfway through the botanical gardens is an expertly placed children’s play center so the little ones can cool off and have quiet time after a lot of walking. We took a pit stop there with my nephew and I had the best time playing with stacking blocks and stuffed frogs with him. Due to the pandemic, it was hard to see my brother and his family who live out of state so I I really cherished getting to have some TT time with him. ❤

Another cool part of the botanical gardens is the Storybook Trail. Every twenty feet or so on this wooded path, there is a display of a page from a children’s book. As we walked the trail, my brother and I took turns reading about a baby bat named Chiro and that was also special to me since I have never got to read a story to my lil nephew before. Even though he won’t remember our day at the Kingwood Center Gardens, I will for forever. It was the best. 🙂

Are there any botanical gardens in your area? What is your favorite outdoor activity? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Kingwood Center Gardens Pics Pt. 1

Standard
Kingwood Center Gardens Pics Pt. 1

Hi! This past Friday, my family and I enjoyed exploring the Kingwood Center Gardens in Mansfield, Ohio. I had no idea that this beautiful property existed and it definitely didn’t feel like I was in Ohio when I was there – more like a magic fairy garden! The greenery, flowers, and fountains at the botanical gardens were simply stunning and now that I know it’s only a mere hour away from me, I have a feeling I’ll be going back there again really soon.

The pictures below don’t do any justice to the beauty of the Kingwood Center Gardens but here they are! Check back in tomorrow for the rest. 😀

We were surprised by rain showers when visiting the gardens and, normally, I hate to get caught in the rain. But, in this case, the rain didn’t put a damper on my family outing at all. In fact, I think it made it even better! Seeing the raindrops dance over the flowers and leaves only added to the storybook vibes the property gave me. I also loved being able to see my nephew splash in the puddles. ❤

Ironically, the sun came out just as we were all getting in our cars to go home but I wouldn’t trade our rainy day at the Kingwood Center Gardens for anything. Rain or shine, I can’t wait to go back again!

What is your favorite fairy tale? Do you have a favorite flower? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Wedding Makeup

Standard
Wedding Makeup

Hi!! I have never gotten my makeup done professionally before so that was a huge treat for my wedding. I went to Carol Martin Salon and my makeup artist knocked it out of the park for both my test run and wedding MOTD. Take a look at some never before seen pics from my test run, wedding makeup, and after party celebrations and let’s discuss further:

While I enjoy wearing makeup, I wouldn’t say I’m necessarily “good” at applying it and pretty much wear the same look every day. My sister loves to razz on me for it but if it’s not broken, then don’t fix it lol! Because I’m not very familiar with makeup, I left a lot of my wedding MOTD up to my makeup artist with a few vague instructions of “champagne eyes” and “Bratz doll lips”. The end result was exactly what I had pictured in my head but didn’t quite know how to vocalize and I left Carol Martin Salon on my test run and wedding day feeling like a billion bucks.

I am very excited to return to the salon for our October reception and I even feel inspired to purchase new makeup for myself so I can experiment more. I don’t think I ever realized just how fun makeup can be until having an expert beat my face and I definitely feel a trip to Sephora happening in my future!

Do you have a must have makeup? What is your preferred way of learning new makeup techniques? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Our Wedding Day

Standard
Our Wedding Day

Hi! Johnny and I got married on Friday, June 4th and it was the most fantastic, wonderful day in the whole world. For our wedding, we had a very small late afternoon ceremony in our friend’s backyard with immediate family and one best friend each. Then, after having pictures taken our little wedding party went to mine and Johnny’s favorite bar, the Zephyr, for celebratory drinks.

It was a magical whirlwind of a day and both Johnny and I were going nonstop until it was time for our ceremony. Needless to say, we were exhausted for the rest of the weekend but that’s a small price to pay for the best day of your entire life! Take a look at a few sneak peeks of our wedding pics and let’s chat more:

Despite such a small wedding, there was still much to do for Johnny and I to prepare and we couldn’t have done it without the help of our family and friends. Johnny’s best man was gracious enough to allow us to host our wedding in his backyard and he helped my husband get everything ready before it was time for me to walk down the aisle. Another dear friend of Johnny’s officiated our marriage and he did a simply beautiful job and we were so touched by his heartfelt and thoughtful sentiments. And, of course, both of our families pitched in wherever they could too!

It was so special to us to have a majority of our families there and our ride or die besties. Lea and her husband came to celebrate with us and I am so lucky to have had her with me for every major milestone in our past thirteen years of best friendship. One of the biggest treats was having mine and Johnny’s little niece, Valerie, as our flower girl or should I say Taco Bell sauce packet girl. Lol, as I’ve mentioned since my engagement, our wedding was going to be nontraditional! Rather than flower petals, Val threw Taco Bell sauce packets which was a fine tip of the cap to one of my favorite places on planet Earth.

Our ceremony was short and sweet – it was over in about five minutes. However, everything that we wanted to say was said with our own vows and our ordained minister gave such a moving introduction and that truly said it all. Our mini after party was a totally different story, though, considering we were out for hours! We all had a blast at the bar after the ceremony and it was such fun for us to let our hair down together and clink our drinks in celebration.

It’s safe to say that I will be reliving mine and Johnny’s perfect day constantly and I am very excited to see more pictures! If you are too, keep tuning in for more on my wedding here on lifewithlilred! ❤

What was your wedding like? What would be included in your dream wedding? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah