I Heart Faces - Sports In Action

This week I Heart Faces is taking a look at Sports In Action. I absolutely love to do photo shoots of kids playing sports. Soccer is probably my favorite because they are so intensely focused on getting to the ball and their bodies go into some pretty crazy shapes. Kids under 10 are my favorite because they have facial expressions like no other...



This little guy cracked me up throughout the entire game...He was completely full of life and had such a passion for the game.

Head over to I Heart Faces and take a look at some of the other entries.

I Heart Faces - Constructive Feedback Friday

Today, I Heart Faces if giving the chance for the first 40 people to enter a chance to receive feedback from other contributers on a photo.



I am entering one from a family shoot I did recently. I really struggle with family pictures from posing all the way thru editing.



I am really looking forward to receiving the comments on how to improve.




(f/4.5, 1/60 sec, focal length 32, ISO 100, no flash)

All editing was done thru Photoshop CS3

so stinkin' excited!!

I have a senior shoot booked for next weekend, a bridal shoot scheduled for the first weekend in August, and the possibility of another shoot just opened up...

The best news of all, is that I think I am going to be able to buy my new camera next week...WHOO HOO!!

Good things are coming...I can feel it. I have come across and in contact with so many amazing people in the last couple of months that I feel so blessed and so motivated that I seriously can barely contain myself. It's like I am right on the edge...I can see it, feel it, and taste it...Only good things are to come.

Been thinkin'

Which, if you know me, you know can be a very scary thing.

However...I've been thinking about how I can jump with both feet into photography. Unfortunately, The Man and I are NOT in a position financially where I can quit my job and jump in with both feet...but what if I were to find a way to supplement my income...hmmm...

So, I have been toying with the idea of selling Pampered Chef. I LOVE love LOVE kitchen products...almost as much as I love pens. Really! I love them. I have cookbooks, mixing bowls, appliances - big and small, and all things kitchen coming out of my ears. I get so excited to get something new.

I went to a pampered chef party a few weeks ago and scheduled a party at my house...really just so I could get a good discount on MORE kitchen stuff. (note to self...need to clean out the cabinets and make room for the NEW stuff coming) Anyway, as I was reading all the materials for my upcoming party, and I noticed that for a mere $155 you can get the set that gets you up and running....hmmm that's not too bad, right? And I figure with my passion for kitchen products...surely I can sell it - I mean doesn't Pampered Chef pretty much sell itself?? It does for me.

So I'm thinking that if I can get this up and running and help supplement my income...maybe I can wean myself off of my fulltime job and do this and photography full time and then eventually just photography fulltime.


So I'm thinking....maybe just maybe.

Florida

mommy card

How much trouble can my kids get in to? I really and truly just want to give the mommy card back. The following is a smidgen of a pity party, so either close the window or just bare with me.

I realize kids are just going to be kids. I realize that kids push their limits. I realize that kids are just kids.

What I don't understand is why I cannot seem to make a difference. Why can't I get her to quit lying? Why can't I get him to make better choices? Why can't I get either of them to just not do the stupid stuff? Why can't i find a punishment to make an impact?

I am exhausted. Nothing I do seems to make a difference. So I ask other parents what they do when their kids screw up...apparently my kids are the only two that make retarded decisions.

So for right now, in this moment, i quit. i can't do this job, i can't teach them how to be good people and how to make good decisions. so i turn my mommy card back in.

tomorrow...maybe i'll try again

Someone's at the door...

That is the text message I received from The Boy this morning. GREAT, JUST FREAKIN GREAT.

Let me back up a little for you.

We have scary neighbors living next door to us as of 5 months ago or so. I mean scary, like gotta be drug dealers or something scary. At first The Man told me I was paranoid, but suffice it to say I am now not the only one who thinks so. Our quiet little couldesac of 6 houses now is even quieter because no one lets their kids play out front and I think all the stay at home moms are now watching out their windows 24/7.

While we were out of town last week, one of the neighbors called the police due to the loud noises and high traffic late late at night. The scary neighbors left before the police arrived, maybe have a police scanner, and things got quieter at night. Now the high traffic and random people are showing up in the evenings.

Sidenote: If you know me, you know that i tend to worry a lot and have a very overactive imagination. But I really don't think that is the case here and neither do the neighbors we have spoken to.

The Man and I decide that with the increased traffic we need to talk to the kids and re-enforce the rules of staying home during the day by themselves and staying safe.
1. Don't answer the door for any reason - even if you know the person
2. Don't tell people on the phone that we aren't home. Tell them we are in the bathroom and we will call them back.
3. Do NOT go outside for any reason, front or back yard
4. Only call 911 if there is a TRUE emergency


So after lots of questions, The Boy getting a little freaked out and The Girl really not understanding the severity of the situation we send them on their way after promises to comply and promises that 911 will ONLY be called in the case of an emergency.


Fast forward to this morning...

I get to work at 8:15
I get a text message from the boy at 8:30 that says "someone is at the door"
WTH

I call The Boy and tell him not to answer the door and go to the window to see if he can see who is out there. In my mind I'm thinking several things:

1. How in the heck is this happening after we just had this conversation last night?
2. Why do I have to work so far away?
3. Who is out there?

He tells me it's a police car...HUH? What?? What do you mean a police car? OH GOD why do i have to work so far away.

I tell him I'm going to call the neighbors to have them go check it out and he is NOT to answer the door. He says, "um mom...I think The Girl may have called 911..." "well, she said she tried to call 811, but might have hit 911".

She gets on the phone and I ask her not so calmly why she would do that..."I was trying to call 811" Really??? I ask her why in the world she would do that. Tell her she has NO idea how much trouble she is in and to go upstairs to her room and I'll talk to her in a little bit.

In the meantime I have called the neighbors and he is out their talking to the police officer and "apparently" they received call from our house... Yeah, just freakin' great. So he gets on the phone to talk to me and I don't even really give him a chance to talk I just immediately start rambling "yeah, I am so sorry we just had a LONG conversation about the scary neighbors on the other side of us and told them that if they had an emergency they were to call 911 but only if it was an emergency and apparently she decided that maybe she needed to practice and again i really am sorry..."

and no, there was no punctuation in the rambling either...i'm not sure i ever took a breath.

He still wanted to talk to the kids to make sure they were ok so i told him I would call The Boy and let him know to go answer the door.

The police officer talks to the kids, not near as harsh as he should have been, and then he leaves. I tell The Boy to have The Girl call me from the home phone. I jumped all over her and then The Man called and got all over her too. She knows she is in LOTS of trouble now.

UGH- why is it so hard to understand that ONLY IN AN EMERGENCY really means just that.

Wonder how long before CPS shows up?

OH, and this was all over and done with before 9:00 am

Gentlemen

True gentlemen are hard to come by...unless you live in Texas. I think that is one of my favorite things about living here. I love that men hold doors for me, say thank you, call me mam, and are just in general very kind.

However, if you (a man) are the last one to walk into a crowded elevator with your rolling briefcase and we are all getting off on the main floor, please do not just stand in the middle of the open doors and hold them open for the women who are standing at the BACK of the elevator. We can't get out with you in the way. I really appreciate that you are trying to let the ladies go first, but for the love of all things good, please get out of the way! Thank you though.

We're baaaaack

Well we made it back from Florida. It was an eventful trip and really not too relazing. BUT we had a good time and lots of good memories were made. Here are the highlights of the trip:



1. The Girl got a stomach virus the day we got to the beach that lasted for 3 days.

2. I got in the ocean...without the full wetsuit Woot Woot!

3. The Boy LOVES to boogie board

4. Surf camp did not happen due to the stomach virus

5. Vacationing with the WHOLE family...well, it was an experience (that might not be repeated)

6. The Dolphin Cruise was great, such neat animals

7. I was a good girl and made sure we all used sunscreen, yes even me. A week at the beach and I did not burn, not even one time.

8. The Man is a cleaning machine when forced with the option of cleaning or sitting in a living cram packed with his family.

9. A week was not near long enough, I was so sad to leave the amazing water and sand.

10. I am already looking forward to going back next year with just us and the kids...maybe we should try CA next year???



I will upload some pictures tonight. We got the BIG family picture, of grandparents, cousins, aunts & uncles. I think I got the picture I wanted of our family to go over our fireplace... what do you think? I can't quite decide if i like it or not... It doesn't look this blurry in the original format. click on it and see if it does when you make it bigger.

I am...

Super Woooomannn, yes I am...yes she is.....

Alicia Keys - you know me well