I am still alive! 
This blog has been put waaaaaaaaay on the back burner...like at a neighbors house or something!! 
Don't worry, I am still snapping away and growing in my faith.
Really somehow I am even doing both of those things together and it is so wonderful to experience.

Here is a fun something for ya!  Those sweet potatoes grew from a wedge that had been growing in a cup of water, that we stuck in the ground.
The vine that grew above ground was gorgeous, but we truly didn't even think about what might be shaping up underground in the soil.
There were six lovely taters! 
God does really cool stuff, right??  I love it that it still catches me by surprise.

What I saw

Hello there world!! 
Have you all but given up on me? 

Well just know I am still learning and growing and because of that process I don't have time to be here.

No, I haven't taken a photo everyday, but have been solidly working on learning the program called Lightroom which was ON SALE for half price 2 weeks ago!!  It has rocked my editing world in a good and complicated way.
So much to take in.

I am pretty sure that I didn't tell you that my family took a drive to Iowa for the week of Thanksgiving.  It was to be a surprise and didn't want to give it away. 
I knew there was no way my husband was going to stop and let me photograph all the things that caught my eye along the way, so I didn't even ask. BUT I did shoot through the windows of the back seat of the van.  Pretty much a fail all around at 70 miles per hour.
I have confidence that you can sort through the blur to see what I was seeing.
Here are a few SOOC, because I don't have time to do any thing but resize them right now.

(Remember I shot a wedding....hundreds of pictures my friends, hundreds to go through)

This building plus no photo editing, equals wonky photo for you!!

Name this capitol...and you will know where I have been while not here with you.

Dear Fedex

It takes a thoughtful amount of time to write the perfect love note for the person delivering my lenses today. 
Man...I should have used purple and orange and made that Fedex word look nicer.
Sigh!!! 
I have to be out for awhile today, but I have to be home to sign for the package. 
Can't be two places at once now can I???
Come on Fedex driver, be kind and take the few steps to my neighbors house and leave my package there, or just come when I am here.
I am easy to please!

Oh, that is removable tape on my door for anyone worried over that! hee hee.

Choose wisely

You may have heard about the ACU bus accident? 
We have heard plenty about it here. 
It strikes close to home for us because one of  the girls who was very seriously injured is the daughter of one of the  teachers of my oldest son.

I wanted to be able to keep up with her situation so my family and I could pray specifically for this family and this Father, who touches my son's life on a regular basis at school.

I knew long ago that this was a man who believes and lives his faith; had heard about it from many in my own church family who had worshiped with him at another local church in the past. 

It has been AMAZING to read his daily accounts of his daughters progress on a special Facebook page set up for updates. 

The ups and downs which he refers to as "the roller coaster ride" of an experience. 

 

His love for his family and more importantly his trust in the Lord concerning his family is captivating.

It seems impossible that they can keep up this positiveness and trust....except  I feel certain that they can because of their faith. 

  Sure they have talked about being weary, about frustration, about bumps in the road...but never about blame or doubt or an unfair God.

I want to decide right now, when things are easy that I am going to act that way.  I want you to think about that too!!! 

I want to share this facebook comment from a fellow named Phil.  He obviously knows this family well and hits the point that I am trying to make perfectly!!

 "You & your ladies are violating protocols for such forums. We come in expectation of proclamations of the unfairness of it all, the “why” questions, and angst about the future. Instead of wailing and gnashing teeth we are met with bundles of faith, conviction of God’s almighty goodness, praise, and hope. All this negates our twin duties to remind you of God’s mercy and regale you with appropriate verses. Good heavens! You are reversing the paradigm and lifting our spirits! Your “inappropriate” responses are absolutely inspiring. Thank you!"

 

Doesn't that just make your day? 
Go be a light on this day. 
Choose to love God and trust Him even when the days are hard. 

Ahhhh, sleeping baby! 
This one moves 90 to nothing every single second he isn't asleep.  I was exhausted after watching him today.
So sweet.

A post just to say I did.

Okay friends, here is the latest!!! 
I think I will make this a random thoughts post as I am in a time crunch!

As you can plainly tell this blog is a sufferin', big time.

The farther along I get towards my goal of being a "real" photographer the less time I have for this site here! 

I find I am spending a LOT of time messing with, reading about, crying over, trying again, making headway,  and making mistake with the Lightroom trial I have loaded on my computer.  Every time I open it I both love it and hate it. 
Ignorance and frustration can't keep me away though because it is an amazing program!! 

It makes what I have been using before look like child's play.
I can't go back.

So all that to say, I have spent a TON of time either using this program or learning to use this program or researching how to use this program. It is fairly intuitive, but I want to be able to wrangle all the amazing stuff out of it that I can.

 One of the things that I find fascinating is a little thing called a Preset.
With one click of a button you can dramatically change the look of an image.
They are like code written into a program which tells Lightroom what to do.



Some people all they do is write these programs and sell them, which makes the editing of photos go so much faster once you figure out if one of them suits what you want a final photo to look like.
See my example to the left.  One click, that was all.
I know it isn't all majorly impressive, but it sure simplifies things.

On another note...I am shooting a wedding this weekend. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

I am super excited at the opportunity it affords. 
I am super excited about the lenses that I am renting for the occasion and am anticipating their arrival Wednesday or Thursday from which point on I may not actually let go of my camera except for eating and sleeping so that I can get as much out of these lenses as I can.
It is not everyday, or every year for that matter that a $2300.00 lens finds itself on my camera and I am so thrilled to be able to see what I can do with the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens. 

I bought my dog a sweater today...she shivers when it is cold.  Now if it would just get cold.
It is green and has Santa on it. 
I am not sure what the best color for her would be. I tend to think a nice rusty orange, but often buy pink for her because she is a girl. 

I took that picture there with my friends Canon 7D.  She is letting me borrow it as a backup camera for the wedding.  Oh it is similar, but oh it is different.  I just need some familiarity with it just in case something crazy should happen to mine. 
Let's just pray it doesn't...fervently okay?? 

I have a fellow who is on leave from the Marines coming by to visit the family this evening. 
I hope he feels loved and cherished before he has to set off again.

I am going to make french toast, eggs and bacon.
My neighbor from England says you simply can't eat syrup on your "eggy toast".  I wondered outloud just what one does eat on it if not syrup. 
She replied Ketchup.  WHAT???  Can you even imagine in your worst nightmares having Ketchup on your french toast....blech!!! 
Oh she is funny that one!! 

I really have no more time to dedicate here.
I promise I am working and making progress it just isn't happening here.
Gotta run.

Be thankful

 11-11-11 Veteran's Day Celebration near our town.

This precious man had spent the whole event in his wheelchair, but stood proudly for the American flag as it passed by in front to him.

Neat moment..

Yes, I am here.

This is my oldest child "letting" me take his picture.


He really was too fast for me to get any type of good one without a huge case of blur.

I have to tell you friends that I have been very very busy trying to get my Photography ducks in a row.

I am still working with my 30 day trial of Lightroom.  You my hear wailing when the countdown ends, I am really getting to love it.


It does take some trial and error to learn a new program, and time. Lots of time.

Here is an image from a brother/sister session I did a few weeks ago.  Pretty much not a usable picture of the boy, but the girl caught my eye and I had to keep from deleting!

 I happen to know this little girl, as she is a friend of my daughter and I know that cutie grin on her face is one of her everyday looks.  I couldn't resist cropping her out and sprucing it up a bit.


The before....

The after!!

So, while I have been missing in action around here, you do have to know that I have been a busy little bee in so many other places.

I started my online photography class on Monday.  So far, the info has been about lighting, which is great! 
Tonight I will attend a Webinar class, right here from my computer!
I suppose I better go get that last load of clothes out of the dryer before that starts! 
See ya when I see ya! 

tight fit

Another seriously wonderful use for an old paper towel tube!

Had to share that with you, it made me laugh so hard to see this fat little hamster lovingly squeezed in the tube. 
I think it is actually larger than the tunnels he crawls through in his cage!! 
Later, me

I am totally neglecting this blog and I am okay with that. 
I have been intensely busy editing photos from "real live" photo shoots!! 
Can you just believe that?? 

So be patient with me as I am busy in other areas of my life! 

Here is one that I just finished, I am totally digging this lightroom program!! 



I have got to run!

For me?

The Shelbster did not recognize my oldest when he walked into the kitchen this morning.  She cowered and grinned her nervous grin wondering who had let this fellow into her home! 
He spoke gently to her and she figured it out almost getting her lips back in place.  She then assumed her normal "it is time to fix the lunches" position. 
I just love this!

Have an amazing day!

Learning again!

I downloaded a 30 day free trial of the program "Lightroom". 
I feel like I am finally working past the frustration zone and heading into creative zone! 
Hmmmm, I sure hope I don't fall in love with it too strongly! 

Ohhh I do like some of the cool features I can tell you that! 

This is a before and after I used to grind my teeth through, learning the program!
Ughhhhh I hate new things!

Before...

 

After....

  

Romans 12

 

9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil ; cling to what is good. 
10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love ; give preference to one another in honor ;  
11 not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord ;  
12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer,
13 contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality. 
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.  
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.  
16 Be of the same mind toward one another ; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.  
17 Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men.  
18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.
19 Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY," says the Lord.
20 "BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK ; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD."
 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. 

 Words to live by. 
Words that will make you and I different from the masses.
Words that work through the power of Christ!!

Sewing Bee

I want to super quickly tell you about that piece of fabric there???

 It used to hang in my daughters room.  It was the curtains that came with my new house and we of course, took them down immediately, seeing as how they didn't suit our more girlie pinkish taste!

It was scooped up quickly by a sweet lady from church who knew she could do "something, sometime" with it.
Well, now is the time.
A few folks from our church are making their way to Hannah's Hope Children's Home in Cambodia.

One of the sisters here decided it would be awesome to take a homemade blanket to every child in the home, so began this old curtains journey toward greatness!!

It was cut and paired with a coordinating deliciously soft piece of orange light weight fleece, then folded and set aside to await sewing.
A little group of us got together one day last week to stitch shirts, pants, and blankets for the upcoming trip.  I chose to do simple sided blankets, as my sewing skills are rusty at best!!
I unknowingly picked up this very fabric and it's partner piece and began my job of surging the sides together.

 It was then that my sweet lady friend reminded me where the fabric had come from. 
How wonderful that it could go through my hands again before being put to use for something special.

Here is me working.  I thought it only fair to put my picture up and not torture the other ladies present who had no desire to be in my camera sights!!!

 It shouldn't surprise you that I got distracted while surging and went too far, so my buddy here had to rip out those seams so the blanket could be turned right side out.  Aahhhh ahahaha!!! 

The next stop for this blanket is to yet another sister from the church who will put the name Daniel on it. 
I wonder what color thread she will use, and what Daniel's expression will be when he realizes that it is all his to keep for as long as he wants it.
I hope to be able to someday show you the final steps of the journey of this humble piece of fabric!












And that is my quick story for today!!  I hope it all made sense, cause I sure don't have time to edit it!!! 

later,
Me

growing