I'm Back! (sort of)... with a 16"x20" Canvas Giveaway

::tap tap tap:: Is this thing on?

Let's not even go into how long it's been since I've posted. I bet some people out there still have my blog in their blog feed, and will be super confused when this pops up. "Who is Kelly?"

Well, I can't promise that I'm back. In all honesty, I've been much to busy with other endeavors for triathlon blogging.

Like... my wedding photography business! :)

So, since ya'll are my peeps (please ignore that I just said that), I thought I'd fill you in on my canvas giveaway.

Now, before you stop reading, let me just say that you do not have to be a client of mine. And you can use whatever photo your heart desires to create your canvas. And you can live anywhere in the continental US to win. Seriously.

To enter, all you have to do is publicly share this video on facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=861882054510

But first, you should watch it. Because I poured hours upon hours of my time into creating this from scratch, and I'm super proud of how it turned out. I feel kinda proud of myself, actually.

If you're interested, you can see all the details about the giveaway here: http://kellybentonphotography.blogspot.com/2012/03/canvas-giveaway-contest-fort-wayne.html

And you can find out how to earn even more entries!

So please share the video. And tell your friends to share it. Because free canvases are awesome!

I'm Alive!

Wow, how three months can fly.

In May, I had my bachelorette party...

The following weekend, I PRed the Geist Half Marathon...

In June, Ryan and I got married!

Immediately following the wedding, we took our honeymoon in Mexico...

 We returned from our honeymoon in July, and only a week later, we bought a house...

Two days after that, I told my work that I want to go part-time. I'm going to use the extra time to focus on my growing photography business...

Overall, It's been a whirlwind of a summer to say the least.

Oh... but you want me to talk about triathlons, don't you?! Well, I haven't done any. In fact... I haven't even been training much. I did my first swim last week, and did my first bike ride today. I have my first race, the Chicago Triathlon, at the end of August. Thankfully, I'm doing to sprint, and not the Olympic (which almost killed me last year).

My weight is holding steady for now. I gained (no joke) 8 pounds during our wedding and honeymoon. Ouch! But I lost a few when we returned, and now I'm back on the Weight Watchers wagon... aiming for that elusive 140. I only have 11 pounds to go.

Hopefully I'll be back soon! I'm still reading everyone elses' blogs religiously!

Four Month Photos

Technically, 4 months and 1 week.

I've lost a total of 22 pounds since the beginning of the year. Here's the proof...


The side photo is my favorite. I didn't realize how big I was!

We are less than 2 months out from the wedding, and I've got 9 pounds to go until my goal. I don't plan on reaching it in the next two months, but I do plan on having a set-back during our all-inclusive honeymoon.

My Dad and I ran a 5K a couple weeks ago. I was aiming for a PR, but it was 24 degrees with 25 mph winds, so I missed it by a mere 14 seconds. I got 4th place in my age group out of 28 people, so I'm pretty happy with that.

Happy Saturday, everyone!

You Know You Wanna Know

I like to be like the cool kids. And all the cool kids are doing this...

Age: 25 and 8 months

Bed size: King. And I don't know what we'd do without it.

Chore you dislike: Um... all of them! Worst, though, is probably dishes. The ones you can't go in the dishwasher. Bleh.

Dogs: Our adorable dachshund, Maggie.


Essential start to your day: Breakfast. Seriously... if I miss breakfast for some reason, I am the crankiest person on earth. I will spend the next 3 hours on the brink of tears because I'm so angry.

Favorite color: Green. Kelly green is nice. :)

Gold or Silver: Definitely silver.

Height: 5 feet, 9 inches (or so). I always wish I was a couple inches shorter.

Instruments you play: The flute. I was in band from 4th grade through my senior year in college. I can also play a little piano... but it's at a beginner level.

Job Title: Hmm... I wish I knew. When I call clients, I refer to myself as the "Commercial Producer" because it sounds professional.

Kids: Not any time soon.

Live: in Indiana. Previously: Chicago suburbs; Dayton, OH; Rhinelander, WI; and Rockford, IL.

Mom's name: Karen

Nicknames: None really. A lot of people call me Kel (even people I barely know)... but that's pretty normal I guess.

Overnight hospital stays: Just when I was born.

Pet peeve: I have a billion. How long do you have? Off the top of my head, I'd say bad drivers. I have some serious road rage.

Quote from a movie: "That's the beauty of argument. If you argue correctly, you're never wrong." Nick Naylor in Thank You for Smoking, which I just finished watching.

Righty or lefty: Right

Siblings: An older brother. I think he's 27.

Time you wake up: Even thinking about waking up early makes me angry. Mondays-Wednesdays, I wake up around 7am. On Thursdays and Fridays, I work the evening shift, so I don't wake up until 9 or 10am. The weekend is a toss up.

Underwear: Always.

Vegetables you don't like: All of them. Err... most of them. Mostly onions, bell peppers, peas, cabbage, and mushrooms. Although they're all good for adding flavor to dishes (I just pick around them).

What makes you run late: I hate being late. It gives me anxiety. But it's usually because I got sucked into an episode of the Bachelor, or my dog refused to pee.

X-rays you've had: Broke my pinky in elementary school, and had a seizure in junior high and again in college.

Yummy food you make: Chicken is our specialty. Tonight we made chicken schnitzel. Although we also enjoy chicken tacos, cuban-style chicken, and other delicious recipes.

Zoo animal: Monkeys. I could watch them for hours.

Does anyone else really not want to go to work tomorrow? I have to go shoot a series of 4 commercials at a car dealership. Gurr. Shoot them yourself!

Two Month Photos and other Stuff

I hit my 15-pound weight loss mark today, and now my mom is bugging me to see photos. I took these on Saturday, which was officially 2 months into Weight Watchers.

First up is the face picture. Sorry I suck and wore my hair up the first time. That makes it hard to tell the difference...

But now onto the good stuff. Here is the side of me. Check out that stomach!

Lastly, is the front picture. Bulge-be-gone!


I totally wore the wrong shorts too... but I'm sure you can get the gist of it. Overall, I'm feeling great about myself. Yes, I miss gorging on pizza, pasta, and ice cream... but I'm loving how I look. All my work pants are literally falling off me. When all this is over, I'm going to need to do some serious shopping. I'll need all new pants and bras.

I'm halfway to my goal weight of 140. I don't think I'll reach that before the wedding (June 25th)... which might mean a slight set-back (there's no way I'm dieting on our honeymoon!). But I plan on reaching it eventually.

Training

On the training front, I've been pretty bad. I'm basically just working out once a week now. (Ouch.) I thought it was all fine and dandy until I saw my BuckeyeOutdoors account today, and noticed that this time last year, I was already full-swing into half-marathon training.

Eep! I need to get a move on it.

So training officially starts this weekend. Crappy weather or not.

Other

I've been so busy recently. Wedding planning has turned into invitation printing... which we are doing completely by hand...


And I've been putting a lot of thought into what I want to do with my life (isn't that something you're supposed to figure out in college?!). So there may be a career-change in the future.

I hope everyone's doing well. And fear not! Just because I'm not writing much doesn't mean I'm not reading all your blogs!