God allows us to experience the low points of life in order to teach us lessons we could not learn in any other way. - C.S. Lewis
I truly believe this is true. I can think of so many "low" points in my life, that ended up benefiting me in that it shaped me for the better. Just like every time I ask G*d for patience, I am given opportunities to LEARN patience. Now, that doesn't mean I appreciate those times while living them, but I do eventually appreciate them after they are done.
One such low point was when we were skipped over for LOA. We didn't know what was going on, we didn't find out exactly what happened, and no one could tell us how it would end up affecting us. We just had to be patient. We just had to wait and see. I'm so not good at wait and see. I saw the days go by, I saw those who got LOA when we should have get TA...I saw them make plans, all while still waiting on on our own LOA. I questioned it. I really did. I questioned if we would ever be able to travel to get Katie. I questioned if we were really supposed to adopt her. I wondered if I should I tell our agency to give her file to another family so she could be adopted by a family. I truly started wondering if we would EVER get to her. It was rough. I learned how to wait. I learned how to be still, to be quiet, to TRUST that it would work out and be great.
So, really, that is just ONE story behind a "low" point in my life. I have a few others. I have some "low" points that I fear will never be figured out what I was supposed to learn. But I do know, I have to keep re-learning the whole patience thing.
What have you learned during a low point in your life?
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
Photography/Photoshop that can help Orphans!
Sandy Puc, a truly awesome photographer, is currently quarantined in China. She has some amazing charity drives through her photography business, and founded a personal favorite Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep which helps parents of stillborn children capture photographic memories (100% donated services from local photographers). If you click on Quarantined in China you will be taken her blog, which links to the Denver Post article that has a link to her Facebook photos (which are public). :)
Anyway, while quarantined in China (Shanghai to be exact) she has taken photos of the "grunge" in her hotel room and created "Grunge textures" to be used as layers in photoshop for grunging up photos. Click here for direct link to the grunge brushes BTW, the samples of the grunge brushes in action on that site are of her daughter in Quarantine. The session was a challenge for the Mom I've heard without all the extra equipment she typically has on hand for taking indoor photos.
100% of proceeds from the sell of this set of brushes is going to help Chinese orphans through a charity that works with them. I have asked which one, and will update when I know.
If you don't know how to use these brushes, please let me know and I will do a quick photoshop tutorial on them. It's super easy, and many photographers use them in a layer above the image and play with opacity and such. It's really easy. :)
Anyway, while quarantined in China (Shanghai to be exact) she has taken photos of the "grunge" in her hotel room and created "Grunge textures" to be used as layers in photoshop for grunging up photos. Click here for direct link to the grunge brushes BTW, the samples of the grunge brushes in action on that site are of her daughter in Quarantine. The session was a challenge for the Mom I've heard without all the extra equipment she typically has on hand for taking indoor photos.
100% of proceeds from the sell of this set of brushes is going to help Chinese orphans through a charity that works with them. I have asked which one, and will update when I know.
If you don't know how to use these brushes, please let me know and I will do a quick photoshop tutorial on them. It's super easy, and many photographers use them in a layer above the image and play with opacity and such. It's really easy. :)
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Thankful Thursday
I PASSED!!!!! I passed the exam and the 20 image review by peers. I'm one of a very small percentage of photographers out there that has this, that took the time, and the effort to become certified.
Why certification
This is a big deal, but not huge like graduating from college. KWIM? :) But if you are in the Nashville area next January, I will be attending Imaging USA and walking across that stage to receive the recognition of this in front of my photography peers (it's Tuesday night of that week)! But from what I've seen of the vendor fair/EXPO, I will most definitely need to leave my credit cards at home! *drool*
So very very thankful to have passed.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
We've been on vacation
Sorry for not posting much this week...like at all. We've been on vacation at Grandma's house. We dropped JM off at summer camp on Father's Day, and came back to Grandma's for a few fun filled days with my Mom, my sister, and her kids.
We're so incredibly tired. Worn out exhausted...but the kids have had fun.
I've also beenchecking stalking the camp's website for updated photos of my kid. So far this week, JM has been camping without a tent and fought a water balloon battle using cardboard "subs" they designed as a shield.
He has been in precisely 6 photos out of over 500-600, there are 227 BOYS from grades 2-10 at this camp. Of those 6 photos, only 3 were non-posed...and all were in the lake where he was swimming! LOL
He is signed up for various "skills" that he will go through and learn while there each day, 3 hours each morning with alternating skills on each day.
Canoeing, Swimming lessons, Target Sports (archery and riflery), crafts, rocketry (he'll build and shoot a model rocket), and geocaching.
He's also probably playing A LOT of 4-square games.
I miss my son. I really do. But I also know that he is having a truly AWESOME time!!!
We're so incredibly tired. Worn out exhausted...but the kids have had fun.
I've also been
He has been in precisely 6 photos out of over 500-600, there are 227 BOYS from grades 2-10 at this camp. Of those 6 photos, only 3 were non-posed...and all were in the lake where he was swimming! LOL
He is signed up for various "skills" that he will go through and learn while there each day, 3 hours each morning with alternating skills on each day.
Canoeing, Swimming lessons, Target Sports (archery and riflery), crafts, rocketry (he'll build and shoot a model rocket), and geocaching.
He's also probably playing A LOT of 4-square games.
I miss my son. I really do. But I also know that he is having a truly AWESOME time!!!
Monday, June 22, 2009
Aunt Nay is sick
That's what Katie said to me last Friday as we were packing to leave for Grandma's house, and to take JM to summer camp. "Aunt Nay is sick," Katie said. "Sick with what?" I replied as I knew Aunt Nay was not indeed sick unless my daughter was suddenly clairvoyant or something. "Sick of cleaning." was her reply. Ah yes, I bet Aunt Nay is sick of cleaning. LOL I giggled and asked Katie, "Why is she sick of cleaning?" Katie replied, "'cause Deean and Mi-shell don't help."
After I finished laughing, I had to call Aunt Nay and tell her that Katie thought she was sick...of cleaning! LOL
After I finished laughing, I had to call Aunt Nay and tell her that Katie thought she was sick...of cleaning! LOL
Friday, June 19, 2009
Photography Friday
Faces. It seems everyone loves faces, and quite frankly so do I! I love serious faces, silly faces, and happy faces. But mostly I love those BIG eyes. Not so easy to get in Katie, but doable when she's older.
I've talked about how your camera has an in camera meter. In a dSLR, especially those Canons, you have 3 choices for the in camera meter - spot, center weighted, and evaluative. Each are good in their own way, and I think the default is evaluative. But I can't remember for sure and I don't feel like looking for my manual to see. Forgive me?
Anyhow, here are what those 3 in camera meters do.
Spot - the spot, the circle in the camera viewfinder? That's what is metered to 18% grey if the image is turned to B&W and "averaged" overall. So, if what is in the spot is black, the camera will overexpose that to where that spot would be 18% grey. If it is all white, then it will underexpose to 18% grey. Spot metering is GREAT if you are looking to meter something that is far off and you can't get close and the rest of the scene could be too bright or too dark. Say, oh a child on a snow bank. ;) You probably don't want to use it for close up because one spot on the face might be more in the shadows or brighter sunlight...and the rest of your exposure could be off.
Center weighted - this will evaluate the entire scene in the view finder but "weight" the results to what is in the center...and again, bring the exposure to 18% grey. If you have 3 kids in dark snowsuits sitting in the snow and they are centered, then the camera will set the exposure with the subject matter in the center more "weighed" and it might actually come out close to correct. But, what if, you are following the rule of thirds and a snow scene and had a child in the top 1/3 on the left (that point) in a dark snowsuit. The entire image, weighted for the center of bright snow, will be underexposed. (hint, spot might work better here)
Evaluative - this one considers the ENTIRE scene and brings the entire scene to 18% grey. So, a snow scene is going to be underexposed and a scene shooting in the dark shadows is going to be overexposed.
So, why does this matter with FACES? It pertains to it a little, but mostly, to get a good exposure in a non-direct lighting situation, the best way to meter using your in camera meter is to get really really really close to the face and meter. Set the manual exposure to the most correct when filling the frame full of the face. Then, after getting the correct exposure reading you can back off, recompose, and take the photo knowing that the FACE will be in correct exposure regardless of the rest of the scene.
Compositionally speaking however, what is good for those close-ups? I prefer a horizontal crop with the head tilted at a an angle (so the eyes are not horizontal). If I'm going to include the shoulders in the shot, then I prefer a vertical shot with the eyes at an angle. With shoulders and head, I will also turn the subject at an angle to the camera as well. The 3/4 shot? again, at an angle and vertical. :)
I have different tricks to getting different looks. Did you know that a recent 4 year old that I was taking photos of looked to see if she could find Tinkerbell in my camera? ;) My camera also does tricks. If you smile REALLY good, then it will wink at you. But you have to be aware, that IF you ask a child to smile for you, and you get that cheese smile, then they do think they are smiling pretty. They really do. It's a forced smile they are giving you, not a true one, and they don't understand the difference. I never tell them, "Oh that's not a real smile, give me a prettier one." I will say, "OH what a BIG smile you have. Let's see if you can show me a small smile? How about no smile? I bet you can't be serious. Now, don't smile. Don't you dare smile....don't smile...." and guess what they do? They smile. They just can't help it.
Except there is always one or two out there that can hold a straight face forever. Those kids, they make me work for their smiles. They get to see some silly looks, hear some silly sounds, and oh if they are around 6 year old boys...they get really bad jokes told by me. ;)
I've talked about how your camera has an in camera meter. In a dSLR, especially those Canons, you have 3 choices for the in camera meter - spot, center weighted, and evaluative. Each are good in their own way, and I think the default is evaluative. But I can't remember for sure and I don't feel like looking for my manual to see. Forgive me?
Anyhow, here are what those 3 in camera meters do.
Spot - the spot, the circle in the camera viewfinder? That's what is metered to 18% grey if the image is turned to B&W and "averaged" overall. So, if what is in the spot is black, the camera will overexpose that to where that spot would be 18% grey. If it is all white, then it will underexpose to 18% grey. Spot metering is GREAT if you are looking to meter something that is far off and you can't get close and the rest of the scene could be too bright or too dark. Say, oh a child on a snow bank. ;) You probably don't want to use it for close up because one spot on the face might be more in the shadows or brighter sunlight...and the rest of your exposure could be off.
Center weighted - this will evaluate the entire scene in the view finder but "weight" the results to what is in the center...and again, bring the exposure to 18% grey. If you have 3 kids in dark snowsuits sitting in the snow and they are centered, then the camera will set the exposure with the subject matter in the center more "weighed" and it might actually come out close to correct. But, what if, you are following the rule of thirds and a snow scene and had a child in the top 1/3 on the left (that point) in a dark snowsuit. The entire image, weighted for the center of bright snow, will be underexposed. (hint, spot might work better here)
Evaluative - this one considers the ENTIRE scene and brings the entire scene to 18% grey. So, a snow scene is going to be underexposed and a scene shooting in the dark shadows is going to be overexposed.
So, why does this matter with FACES? It pertains to it a little, but mostly, to get a good exposure in a non-direct lighting situation, the best way to meter using your in camera meter is to get really really really close to the face and meter. Set the manual exposure to the most correct when filling the frame full of the face. Then, after getting the correct exposure reading you can back off, recompose, and take the photo knowing that the FACE will be in correct exposure regardless of the rest of the scene.
Compositionally speaking however, what is good for those close-ups? I prefer a horizontal crop with the head tilted at a an angle (so the eyes are not horizontal). If I'm going to include the shoulders in the shot, then I prefer a vertical shot with the eyes at an angle. With shoulders and head, I will also turn the subject at an angle to the camera as well. The 3/4 shot? again, at an angle and vertical. :)
I have different tricks to getting different looks. Did you know that a recent 4 year old that I was taking photos of looked to see if she could find Tinkerbell in my camera? ;) My camera also does tricks. If you smile REALLY good, then it will wink at you. But you have to be aware, that IF you ask a child to smile for you, and you get that cheese smile, then they do think they are smiling pretty. They really do. It's a forced smile they are giving you, not a true one, and they don't understand the difference. I never tell them, "Oh that's not a real smile, give me a prettier one." I will say, "OH what a BIG smile you have. Let's see if you can show me a small smile? How about no smile? I bet you can't be serious. Now, don't smile. Don't you dare smile....don't smile...." and guess what they do? They smile. They just can't help it.
Except there is always one or two out there that can hold a straight face forever. Those kids, they make me work for their smiles. They get to see some silly looks, hear some silly sounds, and oh if they are around 6 year old boys...they get really bad jokes told by me. ;)
Thursday, June 18, 2009
thankful thursday
I'm really thankful that HE...
has grown out of THIS stage...
One down...2 to go. I also used up ONE of my alloted "portraits with a smile" from JM for this. I'll get ONE more this year sometime. *sigh*
has grown out of THIS stage...
One down...2 to go. I also used up ONE of my alloted "portraits with a smile" from JM for this. I'll get ONE more this year sometime. *sigh*
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
No I'm NOT confused....
it's well, that I had blog posts ready to post at later dates, then forgot to change the dates on them, or the times...and I messed up when they post. When that happens, it's best to delete and re-post, only I didn't have time (or energy) to do that. Thus, I left them.
Which meant my Tuesday post, which had the WRONG time, was below the photo one...and I wanted it on top, so I made it a Wednesday post. *humph*
It will look "right" in the archives, but it's humorous for now. It's also more of a reflection of how I feel about the month of June. It's flying by and it seems like it should more than be over at this point! LOL
OH, and in order for this to be posted "on top" I have to post it today (Tuesday), then edit the date to be Wednesday. *roll eyes*
Which meant my Tuesday post, which had the WRONG time, was below the photo one...and I wanted it on top, so I made it a Wednesday post. *humph*
It will look "right" in the archives, but it's humorous for now. It's also more of a reflection of how I feel about the month of June. It's flying by and it seems like it should more than be over at this point! LOL
OH, and in order for this to be posted "on top" I have to post it today (Tuesday), then edit the date to be Wednesday. *roll eyes*
Thoughtful Tuesday - a day late...oh well
"The greatest gift my mother ever gave me was a messy house, and the knowledge that other things in life came before a tidy house."
What does MY house say about me? What do I place as important? If you look at my calendar, what is important in my life there? If you look at how I spend my days? What is important to me there?
I get so many of these kind of thoughts from quotes. Sometimes I have to stop myself and ask privately, in 20 years will I care that I did or did not do something? What will I remember? What will the kids remember?
Will they remember getting to eat a picnic in the floor for dinner while watching a movie? Or will they remember our dinners around the table more? Will they remember the day we went for ice cream just because then to the park to play? Or will they remember me always cleaning, cooking, and getting on to them? Hmmm?
What does MY house say about me? What do I place as important? If you look at my calendar, what is important in my life there? If you look at how I spend my days? What is important to me there?
I get so many of these kind of thoughts from quotes. Sometimes I have to stop myself and ask privately, in 20 years will I care that I did or did not do something? What will I remember? What will the kids remember?
Will they remember getting to eat a picnic in the floor for dinner while watching a movie? Or will they remember our dinners around the table more? Will they remember the day we went for ice cream just because then to the park to play? Or will they remember me always cleaning, cooking, and getting on to them? Hmmm?
Monday, June 15, 2009
One week ago
One week ago I took a test to see if knew enough about photography to pass or not. Sure, I know enough about photography to be able to talk about it intelligently, but this was a test that would ask questions about things like gel filters and lens filters, and the inverse square law for lighting and flashes. Oh the JOY.
1 week of waiting to find out the results. I was told I would be mailed results in 1-1.5 weeks. Well, supposedly, before they mail the results out they will post to the website if you have earned the certification or not IF you are waiting on the 2nd part of the certification process results...which I am. I've already passed image review. The website has not been updated yet, and I'm left to wonder...did I pass or fail the exam?
See, it was 100 questions. I knew most of them, and knew them without having to think about which of the answers best fit. However, I had to think and eliminate down to the "best" answer on 20 questions (or I flat out didn't know the answer which happened 2 times). That left me with 10 questions of the ones I KNEW that I could have made a mistake in marking the correct answer.
I'm a terrible test taker.
I have to make a 70 to pass. I thought after the test was over that I was close, that I most likely had it. Now? I'm beginning to wonder if I did okay or not.
Internets...I had to learn how to develop FILM, and transparencies (at least theoretically)! I had to learn about view cameras, different kinds of film, and so forth. I learned about the Zone system developed by some photography greats (that was actually very interesting!). There were even some photoshop questions on the exam.
*sigh*
I really do not want to have to take the test again, but I will if I have to.
1 week of waiting to find out the results. I was told I would be mailed results in 1-1.5 weeks. Well, supposedly, before they mail the results out they will post to the website if you have earned the certification or not IF you are waiting on the 2nd part of the certification process results...which I am. I've already passed image review. The website has not been updated yet, and I'm left to wonder...did I pass or fail the exam?
See, it was 100 questions. I knew most of them, and knew them without having to think about which of the answers best fit. However, I had to think and eliminate down to the "best" answer on 20 questions (or I flat out didn't know the answer which happened 2 times). That left me with 10 questions of the ones I KNEW that I could have made a mistake in marking the correct answer.
I'm a terrible test taker.
I have to make a 70 to pass. I thought after the test was over that I was close, that I most likely had it. Now? I'm beginning to wonder if I did okay or not.
Internets...I had to learn how to develop FILM, and transparencies (at least theoretically)! I had to learn about view cameras, different kinds of film, and so forth. I learned about the Zone system developed by some photography greats (that was actually very interesting!). There were even some photoshop questions on the exam.
*sigh*
I really do not want to have to take the test again, but I will if I have to.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
What has your summer looked like so far?
Mine? Well, lets just say that I'm finding a new meaning to the word busy. This week was interesting, as were the past 2 weeks...and oh yeah those before that. If you are one of the people who count the summer months as June, July, and August, then here I am, not even through June 15th.
2 kids have completed swimming lessons for this summer.
1 kid has done 2 summer camps at the science museum.
1 baseball team party down.
1 set of grandparents have visited.
2008-2009 yearbook is finally DONE
summer sessions have been booking up left and right
3 kids, and one adult, have been swimming for "fun" 6 times.
1 photography exam taken, and hopefully I will be certified by this time next week. If not, then please don't hold it against me.
Still left? Actually submit that yearbook. Tag summer camp clothes for 1 kid and pack him up...he leaves in about a week!!! Go to the zoo. Meet friends for swimming....multiple times. 1 more team party. Fall sports signups. Work on all that curriculum where we start the school year in the summer...
and, oh yeah, BLOG about it.
I saw something today that I'm going to post about, and why I'm going to be more diligent about watermarking my photos.
My life. It's too busy. Haven't I said that many times before? Yeah? thought so.
2 kids have completed swimming lessons for this summer.
1 kid has done 2 summer camps at the science museum.
1 baseball team party down.
1 set of grandparents have visited.
2008-2009 yearbook is finally DONE
summer sessions have been booking up left and right
3 kids, and one adult, have been swimming for "fun" 6 times.
1 photography exam taken, and hopefully I will be certified by this time next week. If not, then please don't hold it against me.
Still left? Actually submit that yearbook. Tag summer camp clothes for 1 kid and pack him up...he leaves in about a week!!! Go to the zoo. Meet friends for swimming....multiple times. 1 more team party. Fall sports signups. Work on all that curriculum where we start the school year in the summer...
and, oh yeah, BLOG about it.
I saw something today that I'm going to post about, and why I'm going to be more diligent about watermarking my photos.
My life. It's too busy. Haven't I said that many times before? Yeah? thought so.
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
1 year
I remember it clearly because I was "counting down the day" and unsure how we would survive or react.
Monday June 9, 2008 was the day we had told the satellite company to turn off our "connection" to their system. It was the day we moved to only what we could pick up with rabbit ears.
Y'all...we bought an HDTV LCD television in April of 08. Then, less than 2 months later I had killed the connection to television shows on cable. That TV, while we love it now, at the time could have had a sign put up on it that said, "Stupid Tax."
If you don't know what Stupid Tax is, please please go visit DaveRamsey.com. ;)
We do not consider ourselves very weird at all, but perhaps we are. We are loving life without cable television. It's not life without TV though. We still watch shows and movies. We just rent movies/shows/dvds through Netflix OR we stream things through the internet.
As we're a slightly "geeky" family, and as such had more computers than people (not really but not far off either), we now have a dedicated "dinosaur" of a computer that is connected to our TV and directly to our HIGH SPEED cable internet (oh how we dream of a T1 connection or our old really fast DSL). Nothing is on the computer anymore, it's a glorified terminal to the internet. It doesn't really have as much RAM as we'd like, so things are not perfectly smooth...but oh...all the shows you can see!!! Well, they do have commercials, but only 1 or 2 every commercial break period.
Except it seems more people are doing this so less and less are free, and more and more sites have fees associated with them...fees like $5/month. Netflix has instant play shows, and LOTS of them...shows like Engineering an Empire on PBS (yeah...we're a tad weird, but I have already admitted to being a geeky household).
I foresee a future though where instead of cable we're streaming tv shows, movies, news, etc. and watching on the tv. We'll have to pay for the service, but I predict that we'll be paying on a per site basis...so this household would pay for Sci-Fi and CBS most likely and leave the Golf channel alone. Oh, we'll have to pay for the NASA channel as well I guess as the boys seems to love it for some odd reason.
This was all part of a self-reflection on being wasteful with resources. We didn't really USE the cable television, we didn't get the $55+ enjoyment out of it every month, so why have it? It also started something in our lives where we were cleaning out all the unnecessary things, simplifying things somewhat...and it was all part of that quest for "finding family time" with each other doing things the old fashioned way...you know, not connected to electronic things 24/7.
Monday June 9, 2008 was the day we had told the satellite company to turn off our "connection" to their system. It was the day we moved to only what we could pick up with rabbit ears.
Y'all...we bought an HDTV LCD television in April of 08. Then, less than 2 months later I had killed the connection to television shows on cable. That TV, while we love it now, at the time could have had a sign put up on it that said, "Stupid Tax."
If you don't know what Stupid Tax is, please please go visit DaveRamsey.com. ;)
We do not consider ourselves very weird at all, but perhaps we are. We are loving life without cable television. It's not life without TV though. We still watch shows and movies. We just rent movies/shows/dvds through Netflix OR we stream things through the internet.
As we're a slightly "geeky" family, and as such had more computers than people (not really but not far off either), we now have a dedicated "dinosaur" of a computer that is connected to our TV and directly to our HIGH SPEED cable internet (oh how we dream of a T1 connection or our old really fast DSL). Nothing is on the computer anymore, it's a glorified terminal to the internet. It doesn't really have as much RAM as we'd like, so things are not perfectly smooth...but oh...all the shows you can see!!! Well, they do have commercials, but only 1 or 2 every commercial break period.
Except it seems more people are doing this so less and less are free, and more and more sites have fees associated with them...fees like $5/month. Netflix has instant play shows, and LOTS of them...shows like Engineering an Empire on PBS (yeah...we're a tad weird, but I have already admitted to being a geeky household).
I foresee a future though where instead of cable we're streaming tv shows, movies, news, etc. and watching on the tv. We'll have to pay for the service, but I predict that we'll be paying on a per site basis...so this household would pay for Sci-Fi and CBS most likely and leave the Golf channel alone. Oh, we'll have to pay for the NASA channel as well I guess as the boys seems to love it for some odd reason.
This was all part of a self-reflection on being wasteful with resources. We didn't really USE the cable television, we didn't get the $55+ enjoyment out of it every month, so why have it? It also started something in our lives where we were cleaning out all the unnecessary things, simplifying things somewhat...and it was all part of that quest for "finding family time" with each other doing things the old fashioned way...you know, not connected to electronic things 24/7.
Saturday, June 06, 2009
100,000
Our van recently rolled over that milestone. 100,000 miles. We bought it new (bad Dave Ramsey followers), but we had our reasons. I remember when we bought the van thinking of how long it would take to get to 100,000. Yet, here we are. I remember where I was THEN when we bought it, and where we are now...the changes our lives have seen.
We have moved 2 times. So it's been registered to 3 different homes.
Visited Walt Disney World 4 times as a family, and 1 time on an Anniversary Trip.
We did the entire adoption and added Katie to our family.
I started my business after bought the van.
It has moved multiple pieces of furniture to different locations.
We've driven it to Hilton Head Island multiple times.
We've driven it over the TN/NC border in the mountains.
We've taken it to camping trips.
We've spent many hours sitting in it waiting...for classes to be out, ballgames to over, sessions to be done, shopping to be completed...
and then I think...I wonder what the next 100,000 miles will hold for us? Will we make it another 100,000 in our van?
Thursday, June 04, 2009
Summer is here
can you believe it?! I sure can't, but then again I'm so incredibly busy with juggling the 3 kids, homeschooling, the yearbook, the photography, the gearing up for all things for the summer fun, trips, and oh yeah...we started school back. Not to mention the household chores, and I started wondering if I truly am a little insane to try to do all that at one time.
I sat down the other day and listed out all that I'm responsible for, and I finally decided that it would be rather nice to have about 5 clones of me. Yeah, that might work.
Over Memorial Day weekend we took the kiddos to visit Grandparents and cousins and Aunts and Uncles and "hopefully one day in future" Aunts...and managed to work in a trip to Splash Country. It was the first waterpark for all of the kids, and it was a HUGE hit. A big huge major hit especially with JM.
The favorite waterslide.
Samuel on the lazy river with his cousin.
JM on the lazy river.
Katie does NOT like the wave pool at all. "Is too wha-owd."
Cousins together and happy...they love each other so much. 3.5 months apart, and they will give you the funniest look if you ask if they are related. I swear they looks at you like you are dumb for not recognizing that they are cousins. I mean, in their eyes they look just alike...both short. LOL
I sat down the other day and listed out all that I'm responsible for, and I finally decided that it would be rather nice to have about 5 clones of me. Yeah, that might work.
Over Memorial Day weekend we took the kiddos to visit Grandparents and cousins and Aunts and Uncles and "hopefully one day in future" Aunts...and managed to work in a trip to Splash Country. It was the first waterpark for all of the kids, and it was a HUGE hit. A big huge major hit especially with JM.
The favorite waterslide.
Samuel on the lazy river with his cousin.
JM on the lazy river.
Katie does NOT like the wave pool at all. "Is too wha-owd."
Cousins together and happy...they love each other so much. 3.5 months apart, and they will give you the funniest look if you ask if they are related. I swear they looks at you like you are dumb for not recognizing that they are cousins. I mean, in their eyes they look just alike...both short. LOL
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
A few gems from a month ago...
Yes, it was THAT cold here in early May one evening when we went to visit friends. Friends who have 4 kittens they are looking for homes for (and more kittens to come).
Katie LOVES kittens. A little too much sometimes?
Interesting quote
Stop the mindless wishing that things would be different. Rather than wasting time and emotional and spiritual energy in explaining why we don't have what we want, we can start to pursue other ways to get it - Greg Anderson
Decide what you want, decide what you are willing to exchange for it. Establish your priorities and go to work.
- HL Hunt
Can you tell where I am right now? What is important to me? What do I really want out of life? What can I do NOW to start me on the road to what I want.
Both of these quotes came from Dave Ramsey, and while I definitely SEE the link to financial things, I also see the link in them to other things going on in my life and head.
Um...when you are in debt it HURTS to fix the problem because you have to save money, not spend money, live waaaaay below your means and actually well...pay off that debt. It's "duh" but oh so incredibly hard to do. Well, we found Dave Ramsey and Larry Burkett and Money Matters budgeting software starting almost 10 years ago. We picked ourselves up, buckled down and just DID it. It hurt. We learned a LOT through that experience...like Kool-Aid does taste alright without a full cup of sugar. ;) Driving a car without an FM radio is okay, after all Dave comes on the AM stations. It's even possible to drive a car without Air Condition in Southern Arizona during the summer. Yes, indeed it is. The biggest thing though during this, we didn't complain to others constantly. Sure we vented to friends about how bad it was to drive in 110 degree heat without an AC. Imagine, if you will, a 36 hour drive by CAR across country without FM radio. Yeah. Add in a car sick cat as well....fun fun times. Marriage building fun times.
We still are not perfect with money and budgeting, and probably never will be. Afterall, Matilda Jane, Strassburg, Disney, and such still exist and my willpower is weak. Oh so very weak.
But one thing those early days taught me was that while it was tough...it was doable with ingenuity, humor, and lots of love. I have a good friend who is going through similar, but reading her blog you wouldn't know it. While we were buried under debt (thank you college degrees), she is living life as a Single Mom...and I would venture to guess that her daughters truly do not know all the sacrifices she is making. I would guess those girls do NOT feel poor, because they aren't. Poor is a state of mind. My friend is going through a financially difficult time, and she's humbled herself in order to get what her daughters need. She may vent and whine about a particular situation, but you know what? She does it once, then she fixes the problem or works to find a solution. Sometimes she vents a few times, but always she is working to make it better, usually with humor.
Then, there is the whole "I want to spend more time with my family" aspect that has been an ongoing theme for the past 2 years. I just have to DO it. Life has a crazy way of interfering with quality family time, but even if I'm not perfect with it...at least I'm making that effort. KWIM?
Lately, I've been paying attention to what I've been complaining about, and what irks me. Usually, that is a clue to something that I need to work on, to change in my life...and while it might hurt (like to give up carbonated beverages and start a running program) it's usually something that is BETTER for me. Like being out of debt.
Just don't expect an update anytime soon. Remember...I work SLOW. ;)
Decide what you want, decide what you are willing to exchange for it. Establish your priorities and go to work.
- HL Hunt
Can you tell where I am right now? What is important to me? What do I really want out of life? What can I do NOW to start me on the road to what I want.
Both of these quotes came from Dave Ramsey, and while I definitely SEE the link to financial things, I also see the link in them to other things going on in my life and head.
Um...when you are in debt it HURTS to fix the problem because you have to save money, not spend money, live waaaaay below your means and actually well...pay off that debt. It's "duh" but oh so incredibly hard to do. Well, we found Dave Ramsey and Larry Burkett and Money Matters budgeting software starting almost 10 years ago. We picked ourselves up, buckled down and just DID it. It hurt. We learned a LOT through that experience...like Kool-Aid does taste alright without a full cup of sugar. ;) Driving a car without an FM radio is okay, after all Dave comes on the AM stations. It's even possible to drive a car without Air Condition in Southern Arizona during the summer. Yes, indeed it is. The biggest thing though during this, we didn't complain to others constantly. Sure we vented to friends about how bad it was to drive in 110 degree heat without an AC. Imagine, if you will, a 36 hour drive by CAR across country without FM radio. Yeah. Add in a car sick cat as well....fun fun times. Marriage building fun times.
We still are not perfect with money and budgeting, and probably never will be. Afterall, Matilda Jane, Strassburg, Disney, and such still exist and my willpower is weak. Oh so very weak.
But one thing those early days taught me was that while it was tough...it was doable with ingenuity, humor, and lots of love. I have a good friend who is going through similar, but reading her blog you wouldn't know it. While we were buried under debt (thank you college degrees), she is living life as a Single Mom...and I would venture to guess that her daughters truly do not know all the sacrifices she is making. I would guess those girls do NOT feel poor, because they aren't. Poor is a state of mind. My friend is going through a financially difficult time, and she's humbled herself in order to get what her daughters need. She may vent and whine about a particular situation, but you know what? She does it once, then she fixes the problem or works to find a solution. Sometimes she vents a few times, but always she is working to make it better, usually with humor.
Then, there is the whole "I want to spend more time with my family" aspect that has been an ongoing theme for the past 2 years. I just have to DO it. Life has a crazy way of interfering with quality family time, but even if I'm not perfect with it...at least I'm making that effort. KWIM?
Lately, I've been paying attention to what I've been complaining about, and what irks me. Usually, that is a clue to something that I need to work on, to change in my life...and while it might hurt (like to give up carbonated beverages and start a running program) it's usually something that is BETTER for me. Like being out of debt.
Just don't expect an update anytime soon. Remember...I work SLOW. ;)
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