Introducing LuvAlisa Photography......

Guilty!! I know I've kind of fallen off the radar for a while.  Truth is, I've been hard at work trying to reorganize my life.  It's a never ending process.  I'm still making my jewelry but my focus has been on a new pet project that I'm officially introducing today.  I have opened a secondary Etsy storefront called LuvAlisa Photography and I am offering for purchase print photos that I have taken with my iphone over the last couple of years as I have jumped around the world for work.  I have shifted the main weblink to this new storefront so it can be found at www.LuvAlisa.com.

For those of you who don't know and may be curious, a number of years ago I stepped out in faith and did a massive overhaul of my life.  I left my 11 year relationship with my former fiance and decided at the same time on a drastic career change. It was a very overwhelming process with a lot of uncertainty. God has truly been my rock throughout this process.

I am now a flight attendant for a major carrier. Starting over at the bottom of the barrel in a new career later in life, basically gives me no choice but to bury myself in work until the paycheck can finally make some ends meet. That's why I've been so inconsistent with this blog. Please forgive me, I'm still learning balance....

I was in Mexico City shortly after I first began flying and I was explaining to a tour guide on what I now do for a living.  He looked at me, smiled and said: "Ah you're like a grasshopper."  His comment really stuck with me. I must say, his description of my job is absolutely right.  I am just that - a grasshopper jumping aimlessly around the world; never knowing where I'll be landing next. Since I've started this new journey hopscotching around the world,  I have been using my  iphone to take photographs of things I see along the way. That is what this LuvAlisa Photography project is all about. No fancy cameras. Just me and my iphone and the things I see along the way.

This project initially started very innocently as a private facebook album for friends. I just wanted to share a photo from every city I visited to give them a taste of what I was up to. It was also a way for me to keep a record of where I've been. That private album has turned into a travel journal of sorts. After some encouragement from friends, I feel it's now time to take some of these photographs that I've taken along the way and turn them into works of art for others to enjoy.  I'm still trying to find my place in all of this. If you have any tips or suggestions, I'm happy to hear them.  Always trying to be better and do better.

For a limited time - I'm going to offer 10% off your entire order.  It's my way of saying Thank you for letting me get my feet wet in this new endeavor.  Use coupon code 10OFF at check out when you visit LuvAlisa.com and instantly save!

Don't forget to follow my shop's instagram account too!!  Link is here: www.instagram.com/luvalisaphotography/

Ontario California!

Really wanted to see my dog on this visit to Southern California; I certainly had the time but for the first time ever my ex denied me visitation during my window of downtime.  Heartbroken as I was, I decided to get out and explore Ontario the best I could.  I’ve always been through this city but have never really spent much time here.

Decided to take a long walk and that walk ended up being a little longer than planned.  Sidewalks ended when they probably shouldn’t have.  Roads that were on maps weren’t there anymore due to construction.  To make a long story short I ended up walking all the way to Rancho Cucamonga in a extra long detour. 

Saw a park on the map and decided to check it out.  Got there only to learn that there is an entrance fee. I would’ve had no problem paying it if the park had a back gate so I could continue my walk, but it didn’t, so I passed on entering the park.  Maybe next time.  Looked like a beautiful place.  I continued on and discovered Founders Garden outside the Citizens Business Bank Arena.  It was so peaceful and serene.  Then I ended up at the Ontario Mills Outlet Mall.  At that point I had to do a complete recheck on what state I was in. The mall is IDENTICAL to the Grapevine Mills Mall in Grapevine, Texas!!! 

Exploring the “country” side of Los Angeles was fun. Thanks Ontario!   

Goodbye 2015, Hello 2016

So it was nice warm Fort Lauderdale for me for New Years Eve.  Saw the last sunset of 2015 as I landed and the first sunrise in 2016 as I departed.  Wasn’t here long but just long enough to have a evening with some co-workers and later spend some time next to the hotel pool and enjoy some warm evening temperatures. I’m not a fan of cold so this was a nice quiet way to bring in the new year. Don’t know what 2016 has in store for me.  Hoping it’ll be a good year.....Looking ahead and thank you Fort Lauderdale for nice winter weather.

A Portland Christmas Eve

Landed in Portland on Christmas Eve and took the train into downtown to see what there was to do.  Hit the Saturday Market for the last time in 2015. Didn’t realize it closes for several months out of the year. Turns out it won’t reopen until sometime later in 2016. It was fun looking at all the handmade goodies people were swooping up as last minute Christmas Gifts.

I then wandered over to the world famous Voodoo Doughnuts. Yes there was even a line on Christmas Eve. Stopped in to just see what the hoopla was all about. Yes I bought a doughnut but nothing super fancy.  It’s cash only and I’m certainly a credit card girl. 

I then took a walk up the street to check out Powells Books and then finished this downtown Portland tour with a stop in at Deschutes Brewery.  It was cold. It was rainy but not as bad as my previous visit.  I’m still not even close to being done exploring Portland. Until next time Portland.....   

Getting Goofy in Vancouver!

Who says you can’t be Goofy?  Just a fun figurine display in the Vancouver BC airport. Didn’t get to see a whole lot of this city as usual.  One of these days maybe just maybe I’ll be given a few hours in this Canadian city to see something more than the back of my eyelids.  Vancouver dreaming!

Catching some ZZZzzz's in Charlotte

My stay here was too short to enjoy much of anything except some sleep.  Did grab a few photos, mostly of the airport.  Charlotte is feeling festive with those poinsettia trees at the airport.  Maybe next time I’ll have a few extra hours on the ground here to do something fun but for this visit sleep was the only thing on the agenda.....  

West Palm Beach....

Out of all the Florida cities I’ve visited so far, this one is by far my favorite but it too welcomed me with less than perfect weather this go-around.  I’m starting to think Florida might not like me so much.  Either way, no rain just a cloudy, windy day. A few clouds won’t stop this island girl from finding her way to the beach. I took a long walk out to the ocean and took in the beauty it has to offer.  No matter where I am in the world, if I can find the water I can find a little peace. It was kind of nice having the beach almost to myself. Grabbed a few shots and saw the drawbridge up on my way back into downtown. Thank you West Palm Beach, I look forward to exploring more of this city in the future....

The Furry Adventure in Chicago

Wasn’t looking for it.  Didn’t expect it.  Next thing I know I’m looking at a lobby full of furry creatures wandering around and tails, tails, tails everywhere!  Yup I certainly walked into a unexpected surprise.  Found myself in the middle of the Midwest Furfest Convention I think.  I don’t know much about this stuff but it seems to be popular among the crowd I saw. It was kinda fun to just watch and see furry animals talking to other furry animals.  Bottom line, these animals were enjoying themselves.

Took a walk down the street to see some holiday lights as well.  Other than that new furry experience, my stay in Chicago was pretty short this go-around. One of these days I’ll have more time to re-explore the windy city.  Until then take care Chicago...

Los Angeles and my BFF

Landing in LA this last time I had one mission on my mind.  I was determined to see the only creature on this earth that cries when he sees me, loves me unconditionally and appreciates every minute I spend with him.  He is my BFF - a German shepherd named Buddy.  As I made my way up to the San Gabriel valley to visit him, I was informed by the rental car radio about the tragedy that was unfolding out in San Bernardino that day and the manhunt that was taking place trying to track down those who could commit such a senseless act.  It just really brought home the point that anything can happen anywhere at anytime and this world we live in isn’t what it used to be. It’s such a sad reality check but I’ve come to realize that we can’t live our lives in fear. Acts like this remind us that we need to hold close what is dear and let the people in our lives who mean something know that they matter. Always say what you mean and mean what you say. Actions speak volumes and when you can back them up with words; it makes the impact of words that much more meaningful. Life is a precious, priceless gift that can be taken at any moment and we need to be ready for that next chapter.  Anyway, when I finally arrived on the doorstep to see Buddy he didn’t bark. It was almost as if he knew I was coming.  Instead he cried. It took him about 10 minutes to stop crying and calm himself down.  He knows when I show up, it’s always just for him and it’s going to be all about him. I can’t thank my ex enough for being kind enough to let me spend time with Buddy on those rare occasions when I have the time. It’s been a few months since I last saw him and I always wish I had more time. As usual the visit ended with tears. Pets truly are precious and good for the soul. I think dogs especially can teach us humans some important lessons. We should strive to live more like they do: Living in the moment, not questioning the past and loving with no boundaries.  If we could just be but half of what dogs believe us humans to be, this world would be certainly be a much better place.

On my way back to return the rental car, I caught the beautiful sunset while driving down the 605.  Wish I could’ve been at the beach to capture it but I managed to sneak in a few shots along the freeway.  Thank you LA! See you again hopefully soon.    

Another Great Norfolk Sunset

Landed in Norfolk, Virginia to enjoy my Black Friday.  It’s no secret I’ve been pinching pennies so shopping this year is pretty much out of the question.  So when I got to the hotel in Norfolk, I already knew what to expect.  Decided to take a walk along the shore and grabbed these shots along the way. Norfolk is a real Navy city. Everywhere you turn, there’s something about the Navy and it’s nice to see. On a future visit I may actually try and visit the Battleship USS Wisconsin (photo above). Putting that on the to do bucket list. 

Believe it or not, as anti-shopping as I was, I did manage to find the mall on this visit.  Thought about going in just to see the frenzy but I figured it would just be way too much temptation to spend money on things I didn’t need.  I opted to watch the priceless sunset instead.  Thank you Norfolk for another great sunset.

Turkey Day in Indianapolis

Landed in Indianapolis, Indiana on Thanksgiving Day.  Not a whole lot to see. Did manage to grab a couple of photos while on a walk in the crisp cool air. Sharing them here.  Otherwise it was very uneventful and that’s probably a good thing. 

Being away from family is something I’ve gotten very used to over the years. I grew up away from my extended family so we didn’t travel much to see them on holidays because of the cost. I honestly can’t remember the last time I’ve ever been at one of my own family holiday gatherings. Over the years, I’ve always joined friends or boyfriends at their family gatherings if I’m invited but when you’re single and have no children, I realize holidays really don’t carry too much meaning. I’ve always welcomed just being at work and this year really wasn’t much different. I was thankful to find my way to Indianapolis.