Reunions!

I don't know if this is a secret that no one ever told me about.... but apparently spring time means visitors!

Back in 2009 when I had made the decision to move here, I contacted an old Cheer Ltd. friend, Aisha to let her know that I was moving to NYC as she had been living in the area her entire life. She would more or less be the only person I knew in the area when I moved here. Well as time went on and life happened, we never were able to coordinate getting together when I got here. It wasn't until a year and a half after having lived here that we finally got together! Aisha recently became engaged to a really great guy, Matt, and I could not have been more flattered or honored when they asked me to shoot their engagement photos!

I would really love to share a few with you, but I'm in the process of editing them right now and A&M haven't even had a chance to see them yet... so I need to reserve the first view for their eyes :)

Since A&M's engagement session would be not only the first one that I've shot in a while, but the first one I've shot in NYC... so I needed some reenforcement, I needed to find an assistant!
Unfortunately, all of my photo buddies in NYC were busy that weekend. But very luckily another friend from way back when lives only a couple of states away and is just starting to get into photography.

Mallory and I met in Jr. high and have stayed in touch ever since. She just recently started taking a photography class and I've seen her grow a lot as a budding photographer. I was so happy when I contacted her asking if she would come up from D.C. to assist me on this shoot and she said "yes"!
Just days before Mallory came into down, I had breakfast with another high school friend who lives here, Anna. If you are a loyal follower, you might remember me talking about Anna and Marcos from when I first got to NYC. They were nice enough to let Emily and I stay with them for the first week while we found jobs, our apartment, and our way around the city. Anna, Mallory, and I all went to high school together so Anna and I agreed that when Mallory got into town we'd all have to get together again.
It was so fun catching up with them and listening to all the things we have done and gone through the last 10+ years when we were all together last.... marriages, moves, buying homes, and babies on the way!

Isn't Anna the most adorable preggers you've ever seen!? I cannot wait until May when Anna, Marcos and I will be doing a maternity shoot!

In about 2.5 weeks, my good friend Amber will be coming to visit for a few days. Amber and I met while coaching CHS cheerleading in Portland.

We're going to have a blast shooting her trash the dress and hopefully get in some stunting as well :)

In the middle of April, my mom will be coming to visit me in NYC for the very first time ever!

I'll be running my first 1/2 marathon and I'm so excited that she's going to be there cheering me on at the finish line!

At the end of April, my Major BFF, Amber (different Amber) will be coming to stay with me for a whole week!!!! I haven't seen her since 2008!!!!

I can't wait to have her here and do all the silly, girly touristy stuff with her!

As staying in NYC forever was never really my plan, I encourage all of you to come visit me soon... Spring, winter, fall or summer! I don't know exactly how long I'll be here, or have a plan of leaving, I just know it will happen someday. I'd love to see you before that day comes!

20 pounds... gone!

Since I've started running, there have been times where I think to myself, "why am I doing this??".
My roommates tell me all the time that they think I'm crazy for running.
Shortly after I started really making a commitment to running (back in April '11) I discovered an app for my phone (RunKeeper, for those that are interested to know) that would track my runs. It would give me my stats for time, distance, pace, and loads of other interesting information.
I started posting my stats on my Facebook because, I felt like maybe if I put it out there in public, it would help keep me accountable to stick with it.


I really never thought that the feedback I would get from friends would be what kept me going.
I can't even begin to tell you the overwhelming response I've gotten from people who email me or tell me I'm inspiring them. Even my friends who are already runners, or into working out are telling me that my posts, and pictures make them want to get out and get moving.
It just goes to show you, that you just never know how what you do, or what you say will effect others.
A huge thank you to anyone and everyone who has ever emailed me, commented on a photo of mine, or told me in person that I've inspired you in some way. Please keep them coming... they inspire ME and keep me motivated to keep doing what I'm doing.


That also brings me to the other thing that has been keeping me motivated lately....

These are screen shots from a video I had taken just after moving to NYC. I was going through my phone the other day to delete old photos when I came across this. I was appalled. How did I ever let myself get this out of hand?! I look swollen! If you remember the BLOG POST I did in August about my weight loss, you may remember this shot: 

This is from just a couple of days before I moved to NYC. Oye.


Please don't ask me how it's possible that I didn't get motivated until the following spring before I decided to take action...

Slowly... getting.. there...

Finally starting to see progress...

And here I am today!! Finally, my hard work is proving to pay off!


I've lost almost 20 pounds since August 2010! Can you believe it?! These pictures are such a great reminder for me of where I was, to where I am now. I feel really lucky that I actually enjoy running- I know it's not enjoyable for a lot of people; but I firmly believe if you can force yourself to do it, and constantly remind yourself why you're doing it, it becomes addicting. 


You may start to see some changes in my blog in the future... I'm still on the fence about where I want this "publication" to go. I already have another blog dedicated to my photography, so if that's what you're after, I suggest you check that one out HERE. I'm considering making this blog more health/fitness/food related; but I would really love to hear from YOU about what you'd like to hear about. Would you enjoy reading a more healthful related blog? More NYC experiences? 
Tell me in comments below!


Thank you, as always for taking the time to read about me, my life, and my struggles and successes. I appreciate each and every one of you!

Cheer New York

Well, I suppose it’s no secret at this point that I don’t blog as often as I wish I did.

I don’t know what I was thinking, but I thought it had only been about a month since my last post...

Sorry peps.

As promised, what follows is some wonderful news I’ve been dying to share with you all since August! But, as you will understand very shortly, I’ve been a busy girl!

November of last year, I had gotten together with an old Cheer Ltd. friend, Kelly, who had told me about this adult cheerleading team, Cheer New York. She didn’t know a lot about it, but she planted a seed in my brain. That night I went home and did as much online research about the team as I could. As soon as I landed on the home page of their website, I knew I wanted a piece of the action.

I contacted the coach that night about when the next tryouts were, because Kelly had mentioned that she thought they might be in January. A short time later, the coach got back to me saying that there were in fact mid-season tryouts in January, but that they were primarily to fill spots for fliers or power tumblers. If you know me at all, you know I’m neither. He suggested I come to their full tryout that would be held late summer. It wasn’t long before I was regularly creeping on their Facebook page and website to get any updates about the upcoming tryouts. I was not about to miss this opportunity.

As the end of summer approached, I was working hard on getting into shape (I had done enough investigating to know that their girls wore half tops...) and worked on my flexibility. Especially because the coach had mentioned that they’re fliers are traditionally under 5’5”.... I had a lot of work in front of me. Before I knew it, the tryouts were here. Thankfully, there was enough girls shorter than me that I was able to tryout as a base which relieved my biggest anxiety: trying out as a flier! The coaches, captains, and alumni continued to hound into us that we were really just here to have fun, and not take the tryout so seriously and just have fun. After dusting off a dance I hadn’t performed since 2005, I decided to do just that- go out there and have a good time. What was the worst that could happen? I’d tried out for tons of teams in the past, and I’m too old to be getting upset and nervous over a team that just wants to have fun.

My name was called first because they decided to run the tryouts alphabetically... ok, now I was nervous. My music came on “It’s showtime folks!” and off I went... having the most amazing audition I’ve ever experience in my entire life. I did exactly what I set out to do, kick some ass, and have fun while doing it. The applause and reaction I got when I finished left me feeling fantastic. Even though I messed up a little bit, I knew I gave it my best effort.

After watching 20+ other talented cheerleaders tryout after me, I started to become less confident. There was some really unique competition.

We left that night being told we would know the verdict by 11:00am the following morning.

me, Norman, Tony, Kaia, and Latoya after auditioning

I resisted the urge as long as I could, but by 10:00am I was signed into my Gmail and hitting the refresh button at least every 5 minutes. Finally, at 10:55am (yes, I looked it up so I could be sure ;) I got the news- I was part of the Newbie class of 2011-2012, I MADE THE TEAM!!

Newbie Night at Boxers Bar

August 11, 2011 will go down in history of one of the happiest days of my life!!

Since August, this team has been nothing but a great time. It is hands down the greatest, most fun team I’ve ever been on in my 13+ years of cheerleading.

Dannie, Wilson and Brian

Cheer New York is an all-volunteer non-profit adult cheerleading squad, made up of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Straight allies (LGBTS), has been serving the NY-NJ area since 2002 by inspiring hope and encouragement in audiences wherever we perform and raising money for people with challenging conditions and life-threatening illnesses through its “Cheer for Life” fund.

Being on this team is exactly what I needed. I have met so many amazing people who, I’m certain I’ll be friends forever with.

my cheer husbands, Dennnis and Dannie

This team builds me up when I’m feeling down.

my roommates Krishna, Jet and I at Sea Tea

This team gives me reason to stay motivated to stay in shape when all I want to do is eat ice cream and pizza.

This team is my family.

at the ING NYC Marathon

Thank you Cheer New York, for selecting me to be a member of this team. I am forever grateful.

I cannot wait for us to get back together in January for the second half of our season!

**If you would like to make a donation, you may do so by going to the Cheer New York website, cheerny.org and then clicking on the “donations” tab.

Up and down. And down again!

As I recently told you in my last BLOG, I’ve been working for a private training gym, Brownings Fitness since mid April. Just a couple of weeks before I started working there, I began to get back into running. Boy was it rough at first. I would usually run about 3 miles at a time, but it was taking me close to an hour to complete that, and I would be extremely sore the following day (if not by that night). I knew getting a gym job was exactly the extra boost I needed to get myself in gear. I didn’t waste a whole lot of time getting to know the trainers and getting a feel for who was more open to training front desk staff than others. I started training only about once every two weeks, and quickly bumped it up to once a week, if not twice or three times. 

It wasn’t long before I was already noticing a difference in my body, my energy, and my overall mentality. Before it got way too hot, I was still running at least 2-3 days a week outside. As it started to warm up, I was hitting the treadmill 2-3 times a week and doing my best to get in at least 1 outdoor run per week. I began to notice that my outdoor runs were getting easier and easier. I was running at faster minutes per mile, and even when I tried, I couldn’t get myself to slow down. This also became a really fun way to get to know my new neighborhood. 

I’m so glad (as I’ve already mentioned) I started working for Brownings. It honestly was exactly what I needed in life: a better paycheck; something that I’m actually passionate about; and more than anything, a constant reminder of how I should be living my life. Healthfully. 

I’m sure that some people still (and always will) look at me and think I’m over weight, or that I could loose a little here, or a little there. Now, I’m not saying that I don’t have those same thoughts from time-to-time. But what I do know, is that I feel like this is the first time in my life when I actually like my body. This is definitely not the thinest I’ve ever been- but I like what’s going on. I love watching the changes in my body. I am actually enjoying learning more and more about the training and nutritional side of everything. 

I feel fairly confident that this is probably where my body will be for the foreseeable future. I do not plan on having kids anytime soon (or ever at the rate I’m going), and feel pretty good that I can keep up with the workouts and “diet” I’m on right now. 

**To be clear, I’m not on any specific diet. I’m just trying a lot harder to be conscience about what I eat, how much I eat, and when I eat. I still eat pizza regularly and don’t plan on giving that up anytime soon.  

So take a look, and see for yourself. 

The photo on the left was taken of me just one day before I moved to NYC almost a year ago in August 2010. The photo on the right was just a couple of weeks ago in Southampton.

Looking back at pictures from a year ago, and even from 2 and 3 years ago; I realize now that I was hands down the heaviest I've ever been in Aug. 2010. It's shameful that I ever let it get that out of hand and have made a promise to myself to never let that happen again.

To be honest, even if you don’t see the difference, or think I could still stand to loose a bit more- I don’t really care. I’m happy, and that’s all that matters :) I know that I’m being healthy and doing something really great for myself. 

I hope that you can find inspiration somewhere, wherever it may be- to commit yourself to a healthier future! And even if you fall off the wagon, don’t let it knock you down! Pick yourself back up and get back on that healthy train! You owe it to yourself :)

SIDE NOTE: Tomorrow marks my 1 year anniversary in NYC! Time has absolutely flown by since I've moved here. The first few months sure did drag on, and were a bit rough at times, but the last 5 months have more than picked up and sometimes I want to barf I'm so happy. 
I want to thank each and everyone of you that have supported me and believed in me. 
An even bigger thank you to those of you who ever doubted me too- you have no idea how much pride it gives me that 365 days later, I'm proving you wrong. 
I can't wait to share my next post with you! I have the most fun news to share with you!!! 
To be continued.... 

Internship

What a whirlwind the last 2 months have been!

I can’t believe that that’s all it’s been since I’ve moved here! There is always so much to see and do, I feel like it’s already been 6 months!

One of the greatest things I’ve been lucky enough to experience is my fabulous internship! As you may remember, before I even got here, I had high hopes of finding a female photographer to intern/assist with. Mostly because this industry is mainly powered by men, I really wanted to work with another female to see how SHE does it, and to help keep me motivated if ever a man tries to take me down! I definitely set out to  find an internship with a fashion photographer since that is the area I’d like to specialize in, but I also know that I have SO  much to learn, and that working with a pro photographer in any area would really help me. Back at the end of August, I spent hours and hours on Craigslist looking for job and internship opportunities. When I interviewed with Jill Lotenberg of Jill Photography, she explained to me that the majority of her business nowadays is commercial, and head shots. Not exactly my cup of tea, but I knew I needed to start somewhere! This was only the second interview I had been on since having moved to the city, and she pretty much hired me on the spot!

The first shoot I went with her on was to photograph the founder and CEO of Jump Apparel Group, Glenn Schlossberg. Jump is celebrating their 20th anniversary and Jill was hired to photograph him as well as some behind the scenes shots for the front cover of Fashion Manuscript Nove/Dec 2010 issue. It was really exciting for me because the moment we stepped off the elevator and I saw logo on the wall, I knew I’d heard of Jump before! It took me a second, but I definitely wore a Jump dress to a winter formal, or some sort of formal dance when I was in Jr. high or high school. 

Here's the cover!:

Look! That's the inside of the magazine with MY name in print!!!:

A few weeks after I assisted on that shoot, Jill asked me to assist her while she shot THIS!!:

Now, I’m no Top Chef fanatic, but I knew this was pretty cool. I was also really excited because she told me I could invite anyone I wanted. That same week, a friend of mine from high school, Shaun, was in town visiting so I invited him as well as all of my roommates. It was just one of those lucky nights when a bunch of them were all off and three of them were able to come along! It was such a lovely evening, and I must admit, that I think we all had a moment or two that night when we thought to ourselves, “I can’t believe this is my life, I’m so lucky”.

(left to right: Marcus, Lois, Shaun, Alaina, Emily, me)

Shortly after that event, Jill asked me if I would be available to go with her on an overnight trip to Boston for a shoot. When I got her text message, I stopped dead in my tracks and could feel myself grinning from ear to ear. Not to toot my own horn, but I am well aware that this was not something that she was offering to her other interns- it really hit me then, that I might actually be doing a really good job. I had never been to Boston and of course wanted to jump at this opportunity! Not only that, but she also informed me that this would be a paid trip! As if I really needed to be convinced even more!?

I really feel so lucky to have this opportunity and still sometimes can’t believe how this sort of just fell into my lap. As far as how long I’ll be working for Jill, I’m really not sure. I believe I’ll be done in or around January sometime. But I am fairly confident that this internship is only going to lead to bigger and better things. I hope to do a recap in a couple of months when all is said and done.

Below, enjoy some photos of the different locations we’ve been so lucky to shoot in!

Chef Marcus during the cooking demonstration at 5th on the Park:

On location in Queens: 

Last week we went back to 5th on the Park to get some shots of the building. This is the view around 6PM from the 25th floor overlooking Manhattan. Off in the distance, you can see the Empire State building: 

Atop a Brooklyn condo, shot by Jill:

Workin' hard for the boss lady: 

Downtown Brooklyn in the background, me, Allie, Clair (other interns) and Jill, far right: 

Update: My computer is (obviously) back up and running. It was extremely frustrating however to not have my computer for almost 2 weeks. Though I have to give my roommate Alaina a HUG thank you for letting me borrow her computer almost every day while she was at work!! If this has taught me anything it’s, BACK UP!! Sometimes computers just crash, and there are no warning signs. It’s a good thing I love what I do, other wise I don’t know if I’d be able to put up with the amount of money it costs to keep this going. 

I hope you are having a lovely day!

Until next time.....

A 

Death Wish

So my computer has decided it's had about enough of me.
I don't blame it. Sometimes I make it work really hard for me.
Unfortunately, what this has meant for me is that my logic board is a goner.
Thankfully, there is a great certified Apple repair store really close to me! (The Mac Support Store)
I took it in last Friday because Thursday evening, it just stopped turning on. I was really baffled because I had been using it throughout the day with no problems whatsoever.
Well turns out apparently your logic board CAN go out without any warning of any kind :(
I had decided before I even took it in, that if it was going to cost too much, I would just get a new computer. Fortunately, they were able to figure out what was wrong with it and told me it would be ready and good as new in about a week (for the bargain price of more than a month's rent, but still cheaper than a brand new one!)
So here I wait... for my computer to come back to life.
I'm really glad I didn't have to get a new computer for a few reasons (even though a new one would have been fun): #1- and most importantly, I can't afford it. While I'm working on trying to find a paying job, I'm still without one. #2 I don't know what I would have done if I had to buy all new music to replace my lost iTunes library, not to mention I'm sure there are a number of photos I haven't backed up yet; and mostly that I know there is no way in hell that I could afford to repurchase all of my photo software: Photoshop, Lightroom, Bridge, etc.

I am extremely thankful (for this, and many other reasons) for having five roommates right now. They are being quite gracious letting me use their computers while they are at work, or not using them.
It's sad really, how attached I am to my computer. I wish I didn't depend so much on it, but I really do.
So please to not fret everyone, I'm not purposefully leaving you high and dry on the blogging front. As a matter of fact, Thursday morning, I had sat down and started drafting a new blog when I was distracted by more important things, like getting my website (better) up and running!!!
I am extremely proud to announce, that www.abbeycorbett.com is now officially a website!!!
This is also really exciting news, because I also ordered business cards with that web address AND a new New York phone number! - Don't worry, my cell number has not changed, I just got a google number for business purposes.

On that note, please do check back in a week or two- I promise to update, and with photos very shortly after getting my computer back at the end of the week!!
Much love,
A