Single

I love this man. A lot.

Which is why we both decided to end our relationship... for now.

Confused?

Absence can make the heart grow fonder but it can also cause a lot of stress...

Specially when you aren't sure where either of you are geographically destined and even more concerning, not knowing WHEN you will be together again.

I had a fantastic time on my trip, we had a great time together.

We realized if we were able to just be together, things would be easier.

But that's not the case right now...

So instead of having our relationship head towards a cliff, we decided to put it on the back burner.

We still talk. We still love each other. We just need to each get things sorted out in our own lives and focus on other things.

But it's nice to have a breakup that ends with some hope. And that's pretty quiet... Changing your Facebook relationship status when it's set to "Only Me" is like ripping off a bandaid and not having all the pain and backlash follow.

So yes....

I'm a single lady.

And I'm ok with that.

Home Sweet Home

I'm home!!

I haven't forgotten about you guys I promise...

I'm just emotionally and physically exhausted from the trip. It was really fun and I had a lot of good times but very bittersweet and sad as well....

Updates will come as soon as I'm feeling more like myself.

In the meantime, take in the glory of the San Juan Island with this awesome photo I took at Lime Kiln State Park.

Adventure Time!

Credit

I'm packing and getting ready because at 7am tomorrow morning... I'll be on a plane to Seattle! My boyfriend will be picking me up and then we will drive to the ferry to get over to San Juan Islands. Kris has to drive 7 hours to Seattle to get me and I won't be sleeping period (I never do before a trip) so I figure we will be crashing hard once we get to the hotel. 

I can't wait to explore a new place, go hiking, take lots of wildlife shots, and most importantly...

Kayak with killer whales on my birthday!!

(My birthday is Tuesday hint hint nudge nudge)

From my last trip to Oregon

Then a few days spent in Oregon with my bf and his family.

Then back home to good old Sin City!

I'm really excited for this trip but I'm also pretty nervous..

I think it's safe to share with you guys that long distance has become really difficult for both of us so we will be deciding some things when it comes to our relationship...

But I'm focusing on the fun times, so is Kris, as this may be our last good time together.

I'll try to update as much as possible while I'm gone but if you don't hear from me..

NO WORRIES!

I'll be back on the 26th.

August Playlist

I am not a Bruno Mars fan by any means....

But I can't get enough of this song.

"Treasure" - Bruno Mars

If he keeps making music like this I might just start liking him.

August '13 Playlist

+"Meant to Be" - Parachute

+ "This is Gospel" - Panic! At the Disco

+ "Summer Fling Don't Mean a Thing" - New Found Glory

+ "Sweater Weather" - The Neighbourhood

+ "Beautiful Girl" - Party Supplies

+ "Coffee" -Misun

+ "22" - Taylor Swift

+ "Seek Bromance" - Tim Berg

Missed the rest of my summer playlists?

Check out my best jams for June and July to get the full summer experience before the season ends!

Monkey Bars & Bighorn Sheep

One of the members of my barn family needed some last minute photos done of her daughter and her cousins who were in town visiting. There is a great park in Boulder City that I found out about on a field trip when I was little. What makes this park special? It's filled with Bighorn Sheep! They come down from the mountains during the day to just graze and hang out. You can get pretty close, they are use to humans being around, but I wouldn't say they are tame by any means.

We had a great time watching the sheep and thinking up fun ideas for the photos. All the kids were fantastic and I can't wait to photograph them again!

See the whole shoot here.

Featured Sponsor + a Giveaway!

I'm getting ready for my flight out to Seattle on Saturday and I'm not gonna lie, I'm a little nervous! I really hate flying alone! It's going to be worth it though once I get there and get to kayak with killer whales for my birthday!

Before I go, I want to make sure you guys meet my Super Foxy Featured Sponsor for August!

Meet Danielle from Danielle Faith!

Tell me a little about yourself.

I am 24 years old, I just graduated college and I am ready to take on the world. I have some chronic pain issues so, I spend a lot of time online tapping into my inner creativity one of my current projects is My Beauty Empowers Me, its a site dedicated to finding your inner self and self-worth. I am all about positivity and just living life to the fullest despite any challenges that may present along the road.

Why did you get into blogging?

I got into blogging as an experiment for myself. It started as a way for me to find something everyday that made me smile. From there I noticed patterns and now over a year later we have weekly features of things that used to and still do make me smile. Anything from music CD reviews to whatever I so happened to come across on YouTube to poetry that either myself or a friend wrote!

What's the most important thing you think people should know about you?

That I LOVE the color pink. ;-) Because, life doesn't need to be serious all the time.

If you could do anything in the world, what would it be?

Anything?! I would fly! Without an airplane! I would love to just be a free spirt and fly.

Blog | Bloglovin | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | My Beauty Empowers Me

Danielle has a really special surprise for you guys. 

A giveaway!

One lucky Mocha Fox reader is going to win an 8x10 print from I Candy Photos!

This talented Hollywood photographer is a friend of Danielle's and not only do you have a chance to win one of his prints but Mocha Fox readers can use the code "IWANTCANDY" for a 20% discount off your purchase! 

An Etsy giftcard and a mystery prize is also up for grabs so make sure you enter! The lucky winner will be announced at the end of the month!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Lavender Coffee Syrup

Ever since I saw Katie @ Skunkboy talk about getting amazing lavender iced coffees at a little place by her home, I became obsessed. I love coffee. I love lavender. The two together sound amazing! Unfortunately Las Vegas doesn't host any kind of place that makes such a thing which means Starbucks really needs to up their game here.... How are they not serving these already?

So it seems I would have to take matters into my own hands and try to make my own. I tried my own variation based on the following three recipes I found: here, here, & here.

I tried the first one to a T but I'm not a big fan of brown sugar and I had the wrong part of lavender since I had a really hard time finding the buds... So I scratched it and started again. I luckily came across the buds in a spice and tea store that had just opened up near by and I used white cane sugar instead of brown.

Lavender Coffee Syrup

1 cup water

1 tablespoon lavender buds

1 cup sugar (white or brown)

Combine all three ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a light simmer until the sugar is completely dissolved. Strain the buds out of the mixture and bottle it up!

It's really that easy but it takes some practice to find the level of lavender taste you want. The longer you cook it, the stronger the lavender taste will be and that sometimes means it might be a little soapy. Double the recipe to make more of it. I also suggest that usually this way comes out a lot more watery then syrupy. To fix that, go ahead and strain the buds out and then continue to reduce the mixture...Basically boil it down till it reaches a consistency you like.

I'm still trying to find the iced coffee mix I like the most.. I enjoy putting a little of it into my Starbucks though!

I found the syrup bottles for super cheap (like $2) at TJ Max. 

This syrup is good for more than just coffee. You can put it in a pound cake or sweeten tea with it. The possibilities are endless!

Let me know if you tried this recipe and any twerks you might have made to it... Or if you have an even better version then I would love to hear it!

I Heart Faces Photo Challenge : JUMP

I'm just starting to edit this session from yesterday and realized I was just able to squeeze into this month's I Heart Faces challenge... Jumping was the kids idea and I'm so glad it was!

Canyon Skyline

I had a really fantastic shoot in Red Rock a few days ago... I found this new place for hiking, exploring, and photo shooting completely on gut instinct. I had a great model who would pretty much do whatever she needed to for the perfect shot. We even had a bit of a nature experience seeing lizards, chipmunks, and even a coyote while we were up in the canyon! It was a really fun experience and I just wanted to share a few of my favorite images from the set.

It was hard picking all my favorites so if you want to see more, you can see the whole collection here.

Mocha Fox Makeover!

You might have noticed that I did a little sprucing up around the place... 

That's right, I gave the blog a makeover! Not that I didn't love the custom design I started this place on, but with my birthday in sight it just seemed right.

I have to thank Crissy of Candypow and her awesome store SilentDaisy for the great layout. 

Would love to know what you guys think... 

Do you approve of the new and improved Mocha Fox?

Daily Dozen Contest!

I just found out by accident that my photo of Jasper crunching on ice cubes was picked for National Geographic's Daily Dozen. If it get's the most votes, I'll be published in the magazine! Can you help me make my dream come true? 

VOTE HERE

I'm located at the bottom.

Please share this via social media and help me get as many votes as possible before the end of the day!

London & Lace

This is obviously a pre-bangs post. Since my beloved shutter remote died (and my new one still isn't here yet!) I had Kris help me out when he was here. It was a bit of a struggle since he needed some basic photographer 101 training but I'm pretty proud of how well he did!

I stumbled across TOBI awhile back and was drawn in by so many amazing pieces that I just had to own. Usually I never ever ever buy shorts or pants online because it's very rare that they work out for me. However, drawn by the 50% discount off my first order, I decided to take a risk. I loved the look of these peach tie dye lace shorts and when I got them in the mail... I was so pleasantly surprised!

They were a perfect fit! I loved how they looked and how comfortable they were! I can't get over the lace detail on the sides which gives it a little something special and the color is fantastic! I've never had peach colored shorts before! I'm hooked for life on this store now.

I picked up this hooded tee because hello.... Anything with London on it I have to have. It's extremely comfortable, really soft on the inside and will be much more comfortable to wear when it starts cooling off. 

Hooded Tee: Charlotte Russe

Shorts: TOBI

Bracelet: Unknown

As you can see I'm obviously starting to lean towards fall clothing items. I love summer but I'm soooooo ready for fall. I even went downtown the other night in a thin long sleeve. It was paired with shorts of course! It's still way too hot to not show some skin. I love pairing opposite seasonal clothing together... Tanks with jeans, hoodies with shorts. I'm always comfortable!

New customers at TOBI get 50% off their first order and all new items are always 30% off so snatch up that item you've been lusting over!

*This is not a sponsored post. I was not provided anything, all items paid for out of my own pocket.

Live every week like it's Shark Week

If you know me at all then you know I love the ocean and everything about it.

Including sharks.

So naturally....

I LOVE SHARK WEEK.

I mean you've got survival stories, crazy breaching, and shows about ancient giant dinosaur sharks that might still exist? THAT'S JUST AWESOME.

It's not all about Great Whites and shark attacks though.

Look at how cute this little guy is! That's a Port Jackson Shark. It's adorable.

I love the fact that the Discovery channel has dedicated an entire week to ocean conservation and destroying myths about sharks as well as bringing awareness to cruelty these predators endure. Shark finning is the most disgusting and sad thing ever. Sharks kill maybe 5 people a year while millions of sharks are slaughtered per year for their fins.

So show your love for the sharks!

Tell everyone to get out of the way...

Because it's shark week and you might just learn something awesome!

Follow me on Twitter so we can chat about one of the greatest weeks ever! 

Bangarang

So if you follow me on Twitter then you'll know that this happened yesterday...

I got bangs y'all! Like, actual thick bangs that aren't whispy and ridiculous!

At first I wasn't sure I liked them but they are really growing on me and I got quite a few compliments last night.

Best part?

For some reason they make me feel like I look British. So that's a win.

What hairstyles are you loving?

Would you ever take a crazy hair risk?

Discovering Vinyl

So... Funny story. I had taken a whole bunch of great pics I planned for this post and then I deleted them by accident when I was trying to figure out what was wrong with my broken shutter remote. Since I already threw away the packaging and stuff.... Well I had to throw this together last minute.

Anyways.

I love vinyl. So very very much. I think all music sounds better on a record player and I love going to Zia or thrift stores and discovering awesome vinyl for cheap. I can hear you guys asking, do you have any Prince on vinyl record? Fear not! I'm pretty positive I have every album of his. And also some Monty Python. It's like finding a diamond when I stumble across a Monty Python record.

It's fitting then that I randomly came across Feedbands on Twitter. I recently mentioned them in my last Foxy Things post and wanted to share my first experience using them with you guys.

The concept is pretty simple. Every month, you get a spanking new vinyl record in the mail of an undiscovered band. The record is always a first pressing which makes it a collectors item. You can download the Feedbands app to vote for the band you want to be released the following month. You get to discover cool music you might not usually listen to. And if you don't like the record that month? You can send it back and not get charged that month. It's a pretty sweet deal.

My very first record I got was the Coo Coo Birds. I gave it a listen on a lovely rainy day (the best days to listen to vinyl are cloudy/rainy days I believe) and I liked it. I didn't love it, it's not my favorite type of music but I could see myself listening to it on occasion so I decided to keep it. The Coo Coo Birds remind me of 70's rock... Something like The Doors. And I have some of their albums so why not keep this one?

It doesn't hurt that the record came in my favorite color.

I haven't even mentioned my favorite part about all this. Since you can't take your vinyl record on the road, a downloadable card come included with your record so that you can download the songs to your Ipod. When you're done entering in that special code? Plant the card!

The download cards are biodegradable and contain flower seeds! Just plant it, water it, and watch it bloom!

If you love vinyl as much as I do, I hope you check out Feedbands! If you sign up now, you can also try out their services free for one month! It's worth it so do it!

Visit Feedbands.com

*This post is not sponsored, all comments and views are completely my own and services were paid out of my own pocket.