Life Out LOUD: A Photo-A-Day for 2008

January 2, 2008

2009-01-01T22:37:00.002-06:00

The cutest jeans on Earth, worn by the cutest 9 year old on Earth:

Used my new Creamy B/W action for the conversion-I'll be sharing it on 2Peas, so head over there and get it.

January 1, 2009

2008-12-31T18:51:00.003-06:00

Happy New Year!!! I can't believe that 2008 is already gone. It's been a good year for us, with DH finally getting to work in the ministry again, where he should always be. A good year for the girls, they loved moving to Rockwall and meeting all their new friends. A good year for the boy-another year of being spoiled rotten, and a drastic improvement in his breathing issues. And, a good year for me and crimson7, I started portfolio building, and 2009 will be the year I really give this thing a go.

My New Years Photo Resolutions:

Take more "everyday" shots of my family.

Actually print the shots I do take.

Work on getting good skintones, and learn to use custom WB.

Learn to use my flash effectively.

Have a successful newborn shoot.

Get a website up and running.

And not photography, but design related:

Master Adobe Illustrator and web design.

So, farewell to 2008, and "Cheers" to another wonderful year with all the fabulous people I've been blessed enough to have in my life this year.

The girls practicing "toasting" with sparkling cider:

December 31, 2008

2008-12-30T19:57:00.002-06:00

This is what we call a cop-out post. I have been so busy/in a rut, I haven't snapped much lately. I have a maternity session tomorrow morning, we'll see how that goes.

A shot of the barren trees and beautiful sunset as we drove to my mom's house to spend time with my niece the other day:

December 27, 2008

2008-12-26T17:10:00.003-06:00

I hope everyone had a great Christmas-I know we did. I took a break from the camera, with the exception of a few snapshots of the kids opening presents, just to catch the joy on their faces. Didn't even bring my camera to my mom's house later in the day.

One of the boy's favorite gifts is his monkey blanket from Grandma Cathy and Grandma Jean (my mom and my grandma). It has a "monkey face" hood, monkey paws on two of the corners, and a long monkey tail in the back. He watched TV and cuddled in it this afternoon, and fell asleep in the middle of me taking pictures.

Not her again.

"Josh, look at Momma..."

Maybe if I act like she's not here, she'll go away...

Annnnd...he's out!

December 24, 2008

2008-12-23T21:30:00.004-06:00

Merry Christmas Eve!!

I got the chance to see one of my best friends from college today-she was in from North Carolina to see friends and family. She's the reason I have Cory (our matchmaker), and I hadn't seen her in 11 years. I didn't want to ever let her go.

She has 2 of the most gorgeous baby girls I've ever seen, and though I didn't get to snap too many pictures today (due to the wet, freezing drizzle weather) I did have to get my camera out to snap these 2 lovebirds as they ran down the sidewalk.

Josh and his girlfriend Reagan. There were lots of hugs, kisses, dancing, and giggling involved. I don't know how these 2 are going to stand being so far apart:

December 23, 2008

2008-12-22T20:05:00.002-06:00

A shot of "The Happy Elf" (love Harry Connick, Jr.) as he was playing outside for a little while. It was 26 degrees outside, that's why this elf has a parka on. And about 5 minutes after this shot was taken, this elf got cold and demanded to come in for some "hot chloclit with two 'shmellos. no more, no less (thanks, Oswald)"-which he drank 2 cups of.

December 18, 2008

2008-12-17T18:28:00.002-06:00

Baby, it's COLD outside...

I think I like color better, but I'll let my peas decide:

and in case anyone missed it, this is how the boy fell asleep last night. weirdo. :

December 17, 2008

2008-12-16T19:38:00.004-06:00

I'm a sheep. I'll admit it.

When my girl Bobbi started playing with her Christmas lights bokeh, I had to try it, too. Who doesn't want to be cool like Bobbi?

That's the hurricane full of glass ornaments on my mantel, and my tree in the background.

It's fun-everyone should give it a try.

December 12, 2008

2008-12-11T18:17:00.001-06:00

...100% Tina.

December 11, 2008

2008-12-11T00:15:00.003-06:00

Fun with an inherited star filter and my pretty little tree.

December 9, 2008

2008-12-08T15:39:00.002-06:00

A friend sent me this in the mail today. I love personalized ornaments. :)

December 8, 2008

2008-12-07T23:00:00.003-06:00

Whew! What a crazy, busy weekend. The girls were in our church's live nativity scene as angels both Friday and Saturday night, Cory was in it as well, and I shot the whole thing both nights. I. am. exhausted.

A couple of shots of my little angels from Saturday night:

And the WINNER of my caption contest is...

Angela2932!!

with the quote from Albert Camus. It was just perfect for the shot.

Angela-peamail me your e-mail address and I'll get my Vintage Blue action sent to you.

December 3, 2008

2008-12-02T19:40:00.003-06:00

I couldn't come up with anything for this post, so DH suggested a caption contest. :)

(the shoes are mine and the boy's, obviously)

Come up with a cute caption for this shot, and I'll send you my Vintage Blue action I used on the post of Josh under this one.

28mm. ss/250, f/2.8, ISO 400.

December 1st, 2008

2008-11-30T18:49:00.004-06:00

How is it December already??

Just a quick shot of the boy as we left for church today.

I discovered today that I don't dress him like most moms dress their 3 year olds, and most of the people at our church are still in shock that I brought him to church in a Hurley T-shirt with surfboarding skeletons on it. Oops.

And, a play with the action I've been messing around creating-Vintage Blue, what do you think?

November 30, 2008

2008-11-29T12:10:00.007-06:00

Birthday party randomness-complete with Chuck E. Cheese lighting, a homemade skull cake, and a birthday girl who could not stop smiling, all night long. Toffee and Tutu Tini Puppini were the hits of the party, hands down.

If your speakers are up, you're hearing Tina's favorite song right now, "Hello" by Hawk Nelson. I hear this song a hundred times a day. Right down to the kazoo. Yeah.

It's mainly because she has a HUGE crush on Jason, the frontman.
If she denies it, ignore her, she's lying. :p

Happy 8th Birthday to my sweet, sweet Tina.

November 28, 2008

2008-11-28T01:01:00.003-06:00

Didn't stress too much over the pic process today, just kinda snapped here and there. It was nice to not be in "photographer" mode. Kids got along, adults shared some laughs. A good, simple family holiday.

The food was wonderful, especially this part:

That's buttermilk, pumpkin, and pecan, all courtesy of my Grandma Jean, as was the entire awesome meal. Thanks, Grams.

Tomorrow (the 28th) is a big day, here's a hint:

That's right, this kid turns 8. How is that possible?

November 27, 2008

2008-11-26T20:12:00.002-06:00

Three of the things I'm most thankful for:

November 24, 2008

2008-11-23T15:31:00.001-06:00

A couple more.

November 23, 2008

2008-11-22T21:28:00.001-06:00

Just a few from the funnest session ever.

I *heart* her. I really do.

November 22, 2008

2008-11-21T20:35:00.002-06:00

Another from the other day-his leaf broke. :)

What a face.

November 21, 2008

2008-11-20T19:19:00.005-06:00

Warning-Gratuitous Mommy-Bragging Ahead

See this kid?

She's in the school newspaper this week for being a "KC KID". That's kind and compassionate kid. Her teacher nominated her for it when she saw Kym helping a friend understand the lesson after all her work was done. Hear that? All her work was done. In 5 years of being a student, not once has this child finished all her work at school-it's always had to come home.

I was SO resistant to starting her on ADD meds, but I trusted her doctor, and I trusted the opinions of all the wonderful PEAople I heard testimonies from about how it changed their kids for the better (Jess, this means you), so I took a deep breath, and did it. And WOW. She's so much easier to talk to, so much more aware of what she's doing (or not doing), so much more easy-going, even.

Instead of feeling like this all the time:

She feels like this:

Don't worry, though, she's still a dreamer with a big imagination.
The meds just let the real Kymmie shine through.

November 20, 2008

2008-11-19T19:06:00.005-06:00

Little man in his new hat, and some fishy fun.

I actually think I might like the b/w better on this one. What do you think?

And because Jess is a brat (but I loves her), and tagged me to post my 4th photo from my 4th blog folder:

Good Lord-maybe I should have called this post "then and now", lol. Anyway, here's my little man, blowing bubbles, and the thing I remember most about this day is how grateful and relieved I felt, because the day before, he had been flipped across the room by his sister bouncing on an air mattress, and slammed his head into the sharp corner of a nightstand. HUGE bruise and hematoma, and mild concussion, complete with throwing up. I was SO glad he was feeling good enough to be out playing, and was capturing every minute.

Ok, now to tag 4 of my own (this is the fun part):

AMANDA
KRISTI
HEATHER
CINDI

4 of my favorite people. Let's see it, girls. :D

November 17, 2008

2008-11-16T20:07:00.001-06:00

Just another of my senior shoot last night-my first truly successful jump shot. :)

November 16, 2008

2008-11-15T22:32:00.007-06:00

I had the pleasure of hanging out with "A" today, shooting the first session of her senior pics, and was lucky enough to have her mom come along. These 2 girls have been the biggest blessing I've received since we moved here and started this new life.

"A", I love you to pieces, and I hope these photos capture a fraction of the awesomeness I see when I look at you.

November 15, 2008

2008-11-14T13:00:00.001-06:00

Just my little NutMeg-I took her out for a few shots this morning.

28mm. ss around 640, f/2.8, ISO 200 (I think).

November 13, 2008

2008-11-12T18:29:00.004-06:00

Had to share Tina's outfit today-how could you not?

I can't believe this child will be 8 in two weeks.

Pulled out the ol' 85 for these-and fell in love all over again. :)

November 4, 2008

2008-11-04T13:53:00.005-06:00

No matter who you're hoping for-please, get out and vote!!

Remember:

November 2, 2008

2008-11-01T15:44:00.003-05:00

A few snaps of my two other trick-or-treaters:

My ladybug:

(pulling her wings forward)

I asked her to make a "pirate face":

28? Maybe 85? I don't know. I'm sick, and too lazy to look it up.

October 31, 2008. HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2008-10-30T17:53:00.002-05:00

Protecting those who fear him-my little mutant.

(Wolverine, from X-Men, if you missed it)

October 28, 2008

2008-10-28T19:24:00.005-05:00

Yay! Sweater weather, finally! And, AND-eye contact and an actual SMILE from my notorious little camera hater! I'm not sure what the difference was, but I'll take it!

I whine and whine about not being able to catch sunflare very often, and then when I do, I don't love how it looks on my photos. *sigh* Will I ever get it right?

28mm. Couldn't decide if I liked the color or B/w on this one.

And can I just say I'm a total sucker for those perfect tiny little kid toothy grins? You know, after they have all their teeth, but before the adult teeth come in, and they have to grow into them? They're just so darn cute!

ETA: after a second glance, not loving the vintage-y processing. So, here's just my workflow processing-which do you prefer?

October 27, 2008

2008-10-26T22:58:00.007-05:00

I wasn't going to post anything for today, and then this evening, I heard a sound so chilling, so off-key, I just knew one of my daughters was being strangled. Knowing that wasn't really the case (though it sure sounded like it), I grabbed my camera and went to investigate. and I'm so glad I did-I found this:

Took a closer look...

She was SO getting into it...

Decided to push my luck...

And got busted.

At least she was a good sport about it, though. And where did my little bitty girl go??! Seriously, she's such a tweenager these days. At 7. *sigh*

And yes, that's one of my new "ugly chairs". Tina fell completely in love with her on site, claimed her for her own, and named her "Lola". *insert eye roll here*

October 26, 2008

2008-10-25T19:50:00.004-05:00

Finally dragged my ugly chair out (to the backyard-ha!) and got some "fallish" pictures of my only willing model. Not loving how these turned out, but at least the chair got broken in, right?

She wants everyone to know that the upside-down shot was all her-from the idea, to the setup, to the crop (she was hanging over my shoulder). Credit where it's due.

85mm today, believe it or not. I started missing it.

October 20, 2008

2008-10-19T17:46:00.008-05:00

My little man pouting because his cookie broke. Just a location I've been looking at-it's actually an old iron staircase outside our church.

28mm, though I actually did pull out my 85 that day, too.

To answer a few questions about yesterday's processing, it wasn't an action. The color version was taken at sunset, hence the reddish glow. The "vintage" one was a few gradient and color adj. layers, a texture, and a TTV frame, stretched to get rid of the "frame".

And, as promised, my Vintage Cherry Vanilla action and Vintage Cherry Vanilla Cream action.

Get it HERE, and thanks for all the interest in it.

For PSE users, HERE'S Vintage Cherry Vanilla, and HERE'S Cherry Vanilla Cream.

October 19, 2008

2008-10-18T21:09:00.003-05:00

I love driving over the bridge towards our town. It always looks like a picturesque little seaside European town to me. I snapped a shot of it on our way home today.

And then I decided to play with it and make it look like an old photo from a European vacation.

Also, thanks for the interest in my action. Be looking for the DL link tomorrow.

October 15, 2008

2008-10-14T18:55:00.003-05:00

I'm cheating-I've been trying to update my blog all day, and didn't go snap anything. But I did pull out this shot of Tina from a week or so ago I didn't get to post, and played around with my own vintage cherry vanilla action. If I get enough interest in it, I'll share it sometime this week.

28mm, I think.

October 13, 2008

2008-10-12T17:42:00.002-05:00

I'm finally able to shoot again! My eye is fine, and I'm no longer wearing the patch (though I do still talk like a pirate at times, lol).

I haven't shot much, but to have something to post, I did play with this snap of a new location I love. Using it for my senior shoot next week.

A little HDR (check out those busted stained glass windows):

28mm.

October 4, 2008

2008-10-03T16:39:00.003-05:00

If you have to be a pirate...be a PIRATE!!

You probably already know that I damaged my cornea yesterday morning-and this patch isn't going anywhere for about a week as a result. So, have fun with it, right?

This one's for you, Amanda!

And since it's for her, why not use her grunge action?

10-17 Fishy-I like how skinny it makes me look, LOL.

October 2, 2008

2008-10-01T20:50:00.003-05:00

A little fishy fun-didn't get to go shoot like wanted to, though. Maybe tomorrow.

Tokina 10-17mm.

October 1, 2008

2008-09-30T19:44:00.002-05:00

Just a few snappies today, and crappy snappies at that, but how cute is the subject matter?

This is how I found the boy when I walked in the living room last night:

DH was oblivious-he was working on this:

(his sermon's called 2/3 of God is GO)

And, to be kinda on topic tonight (autumn), here's what happens when I "fall", LOL:

And here's how Bare Escentuals covers it flawlessly:

All with the 28mm. I promise to take another lens out tomorrow.

September 30, 2008

2008-09-29T23:50:00.004-05:00

Showing off a new skill the girls are really proud of-Sunday afternoon, after church, they asked me how to make paper flowers. And then proceeded to find every scrap of tissue paper and every chenille stem in this house, and make mass amounts of tissue paper flower bouquets. At least it occupied them for (more than) a few hours. :)

And one of Tina in her "Elphie" hat. (from "Wicked") Can't decide if I like color or B&W better, so you get both!

28mm, though in hindsight, the fishy would have made these shots extra fun.

September 28, 2008

2008-09-27T21:14:00.005-05:00

Whose 7 year old dresses herself like this??

Apparently, mine.

Notice the new haircut? She loves it.

Kym got one, too:

28mm.

September 23, 2008

2008-09-22T22:22:00.006-05:00

I so need to take her on an actual shoot-my backyard is only gonna work for so long...

I couldn't decide-color or B&W?

Actually, I liked this one with lilyblue's honey on it, too-tweaked, of course.

28mm, bay-bee! And how about that weird sunflare thing I caught?

September 22, 2008

2008-09-21T21:20:00.005-05:00

This is Josh, this is exactly who he is right now. From the hair he tried to cut himself, to the way
he's holding his mouth, to the Hurley t-shirt, to the Chucks on the chair-this is the boy.

28mm. My new "usual".

September 21, 2008

2008-09-20T19:49:00.001-05:00

Can I get him to look cute for a picture? Absolutely.

Can I get him to look at the camera? Not on your life.

28mm.

September 20, 2008

2008-09-19T20:46:00.002-05:00

My jellybean girl.

And in case you're wondering what's up with her hair:

28mm.

September 19, 2008

2008-09-18T17:50:00.004-05:00

After talking about finding the light in your house with Anne (paintedmoon) a few days ago, I decided to see what light this house has to offer. We've been here 4 months, and I've never shot inside. So, when Mr. Man was playing on the table in here in my office, today, I decided to snap a few. I'm not in love with the placement of the catchlights, and the green table/green polo made his skin a funny color, but I do think if I rearranged a few things in here, I may be able to fit a mini-studio in here for shots of the kids (not big enough for a client).

And after all that-what do you think of the lighting? Should I have turned him more to his left? Is it too uneven?

Back to my little 28mm for this one.

And, I posted it on peas, but I'll post it here, too. After Josh saw Tina in her sports headband, he got jealous:

I love his little folded ears and his crazy, desperately-needs-cut hair. 85mm for this one.

September 18, 2008

2008-09-17T16:48:00.002-05:00

Just a shot of my tough girl as she headed out with her dad to kick butt and take names during youth basketball last night. Her team won. :)

I actually pulled out my forgotten, yet still beloved 85mm for this one.

Also, our little Nutmeg had her shots today-she's 1.4 lbs., and won't get any bigger than 4lbs. I can already see Tina strutting down the street with Meg in a Paris Hilton bag...

September 17, 2008

2008-09-16T19:58:00.006-05:00

"Luuucy, I'n hoooome!!"

Whew! what a horrible week my computer and I have had. A ruined keyboard, a Trojan horse, a formatted hard drive, and a rebuilt system. We're exhausted!! But I'm so glad to be back on my POTD-I missed my peas!

We have a new addition to our family. This is Meg. Or Meggie. Named "Megara" by the girls, after the heroine in Disney's "Hercules". I tend to call her Nutmeg. Whoever she is, she's adorable, and a honey, and perfect for our family. Finally.

She's a Yorkie-poo, her mom is my mom and grandma's poodle, Belle, and her daddy is a Yorkshire terrier.

Here she is with her sisters-my girls and their best friend are the ones holding them. All 3 look almost identical, but Meg has a white "soul patch"-that's how I knew she was ours, she and Cory have something in common already, lol. ;)

Miss Meggie's on the far right-Kym has her.

Taken with my wondrous little 28mm. Not sure of my settings.

September 11, 2008

2008-09-10T18:12:00.003-05:00

More fishy fun, at the request of today's model. Also, a shot of me (be kind, hair and makeup weren't on the agenda today) with the model, at the request of the model. Want to thank Heather for giving me ideas to play with my fisheye-I think I have more of an appreciation for the kind of shots it's capable of now, and I wasn't giving it enough credit.

And Jess, she does have an energy dome. That may have to be an upcoming shoot :)

September 10, 2008

2008-09-09T19:21:00.004-05:00

Today was rainy, grey, and drizzly, which made it hard to keep my promise of fishy photos, but I did it anyway. After the girls got home, we all danced and played in the rain, got a few shots, got soaked, and then came in, changed clothes and ate chocolate fondue- we dipped strawberries and banana chunks. I figured they deserved it-when have my kids ever all three looked at me at the same time, even for a snapshot??

I do love my new fishy, I'm just stumped on what kind of shots to take with it, until I get to a concert-then I'll definitely know what to do! I'm going to keep stretching myself, trying for creativity.

I went for a grey, vintage-y processing to hopefully match the weather.

And for Bobbi and Jess, my 80's girls-that's Devo on Tina's shirt. Yes, DEVO. She saw it, squealed, and had to have it. How can you not love that?

September 9, 2008

2008-09-08T21:37:00.004-05:00

Took the boy to the park, and then he stripped off his shirt, and headed for the sprayground next door, still half-clothed. Goofball. He had fun, and rather than stop him, I snapped away. Here's just a few I caught. Converted, because the color wasn't working.

And Bobbi-just for you, tomorrow some fishy fun. Promise.

28mm. Didn't look up the settings.

September 8, 2008

2008-09-07T20:29:00.002-05:00

Just a shot of not-so-little man outside church today.

28mm. ss/500, f/2.8, ISO 400.

September 7, 2008

2008-09-06T21:14:00.003-05:00

This is "A", our neighbor, and my oldest DD's best friend. She was a lot more willing than any of my children to let me play with my new lens while she was over here today. I have a session coming up with her entire adorable family.

28mm. ss/200, f/3.5, ISO 800.

September 6, 2008

2008-09-05T20:29:00.005-05:00

Today was a good day!! My 2 new lenses came, and I already ADORE them both.

The UPS guy got here a few minutes before I had to go pick the girls up, I yanked them out of the box, and took them with me to the school. LOL, moms must have thought I was nuts! The first shot I took was Tina, with my beloved fisheye, and she looks not unlike a bobblehead, but I love it! Then I played with my new 28mm wide-angle prime,and WOW!! That thing is SHARP! They're both going to be perfect for the sessions I have coming up!

Both of these are SOOC-I just cropped them to 5x7, did a quick web sharpen, and posted them. :)

September 4, 2008

2008-09-03T20:56:00.003-05:00

My moody oldest daughter tonight-she's as happy as her momma that "sweater weather" is coming.

September 2, 2008

2008-09-01T20:18:00.007-05:00

I wasn't going to post tonight, didn't have anything new to post, and had missed the light putting Kym's room together before she got home. Walked past the back door, picked up a stray dinosaur, my thoughts caught up in the monotonous day-to-day of my life. Stood up, and saw this out the window:

A storm at sunset. How could I resist. So, you get a picture today after all. Not a lot done to this-the colors were really that vibrant.

I can't wait to catch something like this with my new wide-angle. Or better yet, my fisheye. :) You'd have been able to see the vivid orange rays bursting out of the dark, murky clouds better. It was amazing-like hope bursting out of despair.

I look at this sky, and think "My God is awesome".

September 1, 2008

2008-08-31T19:02:00.003-05:00

Since last week was the "family" theme, I'd like to introduce the newest members of my lens family:

Canon 28mm f/2.8

Tokina 10-17mm 3.5-4.5 Fisheye

That's right-I finally pushed the button on a new lens, two actually! I'm so excited to have them in my hands-sometime this week!!

And just because I feel bad not posting a shot I actually took, lol, here's a shot of Tina at a waterpark party the other day.

August 31, 2008

2008-08-30T21:31:00.007-05:00

Wow-I didn't even realize that it had been that long since my last post. I bet I have a few relatives (like my dad) going nuts for updates. The only excuse I can offer is-school started. Lame, I know, but there it is. I get so wrapped up in finding the perfect outfits, backpacks, lunch boxes, etc., that I barely do anything else for those few weeks. I promise, I'll do better now that the first week's over.

A few bathtime shots of the boy. Converted to b/w, because my bathroom lighting sucks. And as soon as I decide on and purchase a lens with my wonderful brother's generosity, I'm going to try this again-the 85 was pretty limiting in their little bathroom. (hence the nutty crops in some of these)

August 13, 2008

2008-08-12T18:48:00.003-05:00

Home from Rock the Desert. It was HOT, the music was in-your-face-awesome, and I had a blast.

I didn't, however, get many pics. But, here are a few. The ones of Group 1 Crew are HDR, I bracketed my shots and merged them in PhotoMatix Pro.

And, completely unrelated, Happy 75th birthday to my grandma. Love you, Grams.

August 7, 2008

2008-08-06T20:38:00.005-05:00

Sometimes it's the little things that make things better. I've had a rough week-my uncle died a few days ago, and I've been feeling funny-lightheaded and like my balance is off-and just blah all week. I dropped the kids off at my mom's earlier this week so DH and I could go to a youth concert for the weekend, and today I notice this on my fridge:

One of my little girls used the boy's LeapFrog magnets to write me a message. It just made me smile. I love my kiddos.

(excuse the snapshot-type photo, do you know how hard it is to make a white refrigerator look interesting?)

August 3, 2008

2008-08-02T20:12:00.006-05:00

First of all, thank you so much for all the sweet comments on the past 2 posts. The girls loved me telling their stories. I do intend to tell Josh's story, but as I sat and thought about what to write, I realized that I couldn't tell his story-it has to do with his birth/near death, and no one could tell that story better than his daddy, who actually lived the fear that he may walk out of the hospital without his son, or his wife. So, tomorrow, Josh's song story, through the eyes and the words of his daddy.

I didn't want to fall 2 nights behind, though, so here's a shot of how the boy felt all day today-his sisters went to a day-long birthday party without him, and he was lost without them. Poor, precious baby boy.

*warning-extreme grunge ahead. I was in a "playing" mood.*

And...why not? An HDR shot of Tina from the playground the other day, after Amanda taught me how to bracket, taken with her fisheye. (have I whined enough that I need that lens yet?)

August 1, 2008

2008-07-31T17:34:00.000-05:00

Turn your speakers up.

Christina Rebecca-Glenn Medeiros, "Nothing's Gonna Change My Love For You"

(Jennifer Rebecca, too-that's me)

I adore this song, I've had the lyrics engraved in my mind since I was a little girl. Never knew quite where it came from, but it's always been there. And when my precious youngest daughter was born, life was definitely changing. Unhappy in my marriage, I decided to take my newborn baby and her 18 month old sister, and leave. Go home, let my husband figure out what was important to him, and then see if he still wanted us. I was still young, and scared, and didn't believe in divorce (I come from a long, long line of divorce), but didn't believe in an unhappy life, either. I was so lost, had no idea what to do or what was going to happen with my life. Our lives-I had 2 baby girls relying on me, now, too. And I felt especially guilty taking my new baby girl away from her daddy. And I just needed her to know that no matter what changed in our lives, I would never regret having her, even during this chaotic time in my life. The lyrics from somewhere in my past popped into my head..."the world may change my whole life through but nothing's gonna change my love for you", and I can still see myself singing it to her, sitting there crying and rocking her, trying to protect her from the insecurity I felt about our future with her daddy. And it became her song-she loved to hear it, she'd grin when I'd sing it. It was like it reassured her tiny little heart even before she knew what it meant. She knew the words of the chorus by the time she was 3. When she was 5, she'd ask me to sing it as she laid her head on my lap and I ran my fingers through her blond curls. And a few days ago, when 7 years had passed since that moment, and her daddy and I had made it through and were stronger than ever, it randomly came on an 80's station I listen to, and I recognized it, and sat there soaking in every word, and when it was over, I went searching for it. And found it. And as I listened to it a second time, I heard not Glenn Medeiros' voice, but my mom's, singing it to me when I was a little girl. And it instantly clicked, how I knew every word, how I felt that song in my soul my entire life, even though I didn't ever remember hearing a recording of it. And I thought about my mom, as a single mom, feeling the same thing I'd felt when I sang it, reassuring me with the same thing I reassured my daughter with. And then I called my mom and told her how much I loved her. And I do. She's my best friend, my counselor, my sounding board, my role model, and my hero.

So, now it belongs to me, as well as Tina. And she's willing to share. After all, "you shared your middle name with me, Mom. I'll share my song with you."

July 31, 2008

2008-07-30T18:49:00.002-05:00

Turn your speakers up.

For the next three nights, I'm going to be telling the stories of the kids' songs. I love music, it's been part of my soul from the day I was born, and I sing constantly. DH tells me I'm like living with a musical. So, when my babies were born, I sang to them. And though I sang a lot of songs to them, they each seemed to grasp onto their own, and it became "their" song. I can fully imagine my girls wanting their songs played at their weddings someday, if I ever let them get married (LOL). They have the same heart for music that I do-for them, music makes a lasting memory, and the song is written on their soul. I can remember my mom singing to me all the time, too (she still does) and those songs are part of me now.

Kymberly Diane-Bad English, "When I See You Smile"

My oldest daughter. My quirky, funny little Kymberly. My sensitive, giving, servant-hearted girl. She's been a challenge, and a joy, and I wouldn't trade a minute of it. When she was a baby, I was living in a town I hated, with a husband that worked all the time, and it was just me and my girl for hours, sometimes days, on end. And I was young, and miserable, and wanting my own momma, instead of this lonely life I had chosen. And then my girl would smile. A sweet, gummy little grin that would just bleach out all the negative, all the bad in my life. It didn't matter that I was lonely or sad-I had this precious baby in my arms, and she was smiling at me. I didn't care about anything else. She was all I needed.

9 years later, I still feel all the bad fall away when she turns that smile on for me.

July 30, 2008

2008-07-30T17:24:00.004-05:00

Must. Have. One.

The aforementioned wonderful Amanda, who, by the way, I had a wonderful time hanging with, took pity on my poor, fisheye-less self, and handed over her own precious Tokina, the very fishy that I've been dreaming of, to play with. My kids only wanted her, so I got some lovely shots of the sky, my backyard, and my feet, LOL. And one shot of Tina. And today, one of Kym. (I didn't want to be a lens hog, though Lord knows I could have been. Easily.)

July 29, 2008

2008-07-28T22:01:00.008-05:00

*sidenote-you may have realized that my watermark has been different the past few days. I can't seem to access my new watermark file through PS, so I've been creating simple ones with bracketed wording (a la the wonderfully creative Toni) until i can figure out why my file won't open. That's all. :)

Tomorrow's an exciting day for us. All I've heard all day is "Amanda's coming tomorrow!! Amanda's coming tomorrow!!"

So...Amanda's coming tomorrow, LOL! She gets in from Africa tomorrow afternoon, and she's all ours until Wednesday evening. Yay! I'm so glad she got the opportunity to go to Africa, but we did miss her terribly.

I sent the kids out on the driveway to play, so they wouldn't mess up my clean house, and they decided to write welcome messages to Amanda:

This guy:

was most interested in coloring his feet instead.

Don't ask. I didn't. But he was walking down our driveway like this.

We really did, chica. We can't wait for you to get here tomorrow.

July 28, 2008

2008-07-27T21:49:00.003-05:00

He must take after his Momma...look at him framing his shot, LOL. :)

July 27, 2008

2008-07-26T20:23:00.004-05:00

I got one, ONE shot of my oldest DD today. Not even bribery worked. *sigh*

Tweenagers.

And, let me say that I was so happy to hear everyone say that they loved my normal "style". That made me smile, so thanks.

I edited last night's shots the way I wanted to last night:

July 26, 2008

2008-07-25T20:17:00.005-05:00

Ever-willing, ever-adorable, ever Tina.

After the discussion on the pea-board today, I felt compelled to at least try a purist form of processing, even if I fit the grunge style better.

Now, I have to think of something to bribe her sister with for tomorrow...

July 24, 2008

2008-07-23T23:12:00.007-05:00

"Look, up in the sky! It's a bird, it's a plane--it's...SUPERCUTE!!!"

My little guy got a new Superman cape, and has been wearing it since Saturday,
when his daddy won it for him at Six Flags. :)

I loved it-he saw me laying on the ground (to get a specific shot) and decided it must be naptime-he laid down, too!

July 19, 2008

2008-07-18T20:12:00.002-05:00

She said, "I look cute today, huh?"
I said, "Yes, Tina-bug, you look cute today"
She said, "I look extra, extra cute, huh?"
I said, "You always look cute to me, but yes, today you look extra cute"
She said, "Cute enough to take my picture?"
I said, "Let me get my shoes"
She giggled.

July 16, 2008

2008-07-15T22:01:00.001-05:00

Some HDR action, and some baby (okay, big) boy eyelashes.

July 15, 2008

2008-07-14T21:35:00.008-05:00

A super-quick shot of Tina as she raced by me, hair flying, to go play Frisbee with her
dad. It's not my favorite, but it's literally the only shot I got of anything today.

85mm. ss/320, f/3.5, ISO 100. CC would be much appreciated on this one, I can't put my finger on what I don't like about it. I think it's her eyes, though I didn't do anything specifically to them. Maybe just the crazy catchlights? *shrug*

July 14, 2008

2008-07-13T20:05:00.003-05:00

Tina wanted to take my new umbrella out just after the rainstorm we had today.

Yes. Yes, she does.

July 13, 2008

2008-07-12T22:38:00.004-05:00

Another of my niece. Her gorgeous side, and her silly side. :)

July 12, 2008

2008-07-11T22:36:00.005-05:00

My first baby.
The first time a child ever grabbed a piece of my heart, and wouldn't give it back.
My gorgeous, amazing niece.

People ask me all the time where Josh got his looks from, after seeing mine
and Cory's coloring, and seeing that Josh looks nothing like us.

This might help clear up some of the confusion:

July 11, 2008

2008-07-11T22:29:00.002-05:00

Today Cory and I celebrated 10 years married. "A decade of service" as he would say. Spent the whole day enjoying each other, and ignoring everything else. It was wonderful.

Here's to many more decades with you, baby.

July 5, 2008

2008-07-05T00:27:00.009-05:00

Happy Independence Day, everyone!! A few fireworks shots:

July 2, 2008

2008-07-01T20:22:00.000-05:00

My girls came home from Grandma's house with some of the cutest clothes she made for them while they were there. Among my favorites-this halter top/skirt she made with the toile fabric I bought ages ago and have been hoarding for something special for them.

Thank you, Grams, for working so hard to keep them cute. Now, where's mine?

85mm. This is about all I got before she ran off to learn how to ride a bike.

July 1, 2008

2008-06-30T20:02:00.000-05:00

Just some summer bubble-blowin' fun.

All taken with 85mm.

June 28, 2008

2008-06-27T18:30:00.000-05:00

Had a slight setback in his health today (ran high fever all last night, started retracting again), so had to find a quiet indoor activity. Play-Doh to the rescue! See the circles under his eyes? That's poor oxygen. Poor baby.

June 27, 2008

2008-06-26T20:46:00.000-05:00

" All true artists, whether they know it or not, create from a place of no-mind, from inner stillness."

The Artist:

The Technique:

The Medium:

The Masterpiece: (he swears it's a bird)

And yes, he is feeling better-thanks to everyone for their prayers and thoughts.

All taken with 85mm.

June 22, 2008

2008-06-25T19:52:00.000-05:00

My little man watching a movie on Daddy's laptop. Just loved those little feet peeking out. :)

June 24, 2008

2008-06-23T19:47:00.001-05:00

"Momma, are you doing your picture of the day?"
"I was planning on it, Angelfish"
"Can I be your model tonight?"
"Of course you can-but why?"
"Well, you've had Tina, and yesterday you had Josh, and I don't see me on there enough. I'm your kid, too" *said with a slight pout*
"Okay, baby-how about you help me both tonight and tomorrow night to make up?"
"No-I don't wanna have to take pictures more than once, it's boring"

So there ya have it, pictures of my oldest daughter, on her terms.

June 23, 2008

2008-06-22T12:23:00.000-05:00

One sick baby boy. And one sweet sister, the only one he'd take a neb treatment for.

Notice her eyes are closed-she's praying for him. I loved that.

A little TTV action and a few adj. layers-not a lot done to it, I didn't have time.

June 21, 2008

2008-06-20T20:23:00.000-05:00

Sometimes...you just gots to chill:

The idea of the Otter Pop in the Otter Pop t-shirt goes solely to the model.

June 20, 2008

2008-06-19T20:07:00.000-05:00

My youngest daughter is an artistic little soul. She's definitely got her own, um, style, and the things she dresses herself in can make me proud of her flair and independence, make me look quizzically at her and just shake my head, and sometimes even make me turn her around to go back in her room and change. My grandma made the girls a few new tutus, and I can't seem to get her out of them. Lucky for her, and me, she pulls it off. Adorably.

85mm. 1) ss/400, f/4.0, ISO 100. 2) ss/250, f/4.0, ISO 100.

June 19, 2008

2008-06-18T20:26:00.000-05:00

June 17, 1999. I became a mom for the first time, and learned what the words enamored, enthralled, and in love truly meant. I was completely enamored by her big, gorgeous eyes and her gummy little grin, enthralled by her every movement, every little thing I watched her learn or concept I watched her grasp. It was so awesome watching her exploring and observing her world. And, 9 years later, I find myself still in awe of her, of watching her learn things like how to ride a bike (3 days later, she's zipping up and down driveways, and doing donuts in our huge cul-de-sac). And in love. I am more in love with this child than I ever thought I could be-I love her sensitivity, her perseverance, her determination to complete goals. 9 years ago, this wonderful little part of me gave me the best gift she ever could have-she made me a mom.

Happy birthday, Tigger. I adore you.

A few shots of Kym learning to ride her bike:

Look! No training wheels!

All taken with 85mm.

June 9, 2008

2008-06-08T17:27:00.001-05:00

Actually got the other man in my life to stop going long enough for a quick snap. He promised he'd make time for me to take him on a shoot soon, too-I'm holding him to that!

85mm. ss/1000, f/3.2, ISO 200.

June 7, 2008

2008-06-06T18:50:00.001-05:00

Nothing special, just a few before/after snaps of the girls' new hair. Kym feels like a movie star, Tina feels like a rockstar (typical). The before shots are just the back of their hair, the sun was too bright for them to not squint, so they told me I could only shoot them from behind.

The boy got a new look, too, but refused to let me get a shot of it. Maybe tomorrow. He's cute, though.

June 6, 2008

2008-06-05T19:32:00.000-05:00

Did you miss her as much as I did? Just look at that dimple, and those eyes. I swear, she changed so much just in the few short months she was gone.

I missed her sister just as much, but she wants to wait til tomorrow to be my subject, so she can show off her new haircut.

85mm. ss/1000, f/1.8, ISO 100.

June 5, 2008

2008-06-04T19:18:00.000-05:00

If you can't get an ounce of cooperation from subjects, the least you can do is document uncooperation and have fun with new techniques, right?

He was a grumpopotamus all day, the girls I didn't even try with. So, I thought I'd at least try out Heather's instructions for my new Amanda Keeys actions (thank you, Heather!!), and then try out the TTV thing the fabulous Tara Whitney featured on her blog.

June 4, 2008

2008-06-03T20:57:00.000-05:00

We like Bobbi. (how's that for a random way to start a post, huh?) Anyway, we do. We like that she's crazy like us. She listens to our music and likes our style. So, we thought we'd break out the chalk, and try to be cool like her. Love ya, Bobbi!

Tina had the idea for her and Kym to write a word they thought described them, and then have me take a picture of them with their word. Not completely original (got if from Hawk Nelson's video "Zero". Awesome song, awesome guys), but still cool. Tina chose her own phonetic interpretation of "beautiful". Kym chose "special", or some variation thereof. I thought that was interesting.

Not a lot of pp tonight, a curves bump and high-pass. Nothing to eyes. (I know, I know)

85mm. And a little LensBaby action. A true artist never follows the rules-she handprinted about 6 colors on our garage door.

June 3, 2008

2008-06-02T20:07:00.000-05:00

Totally random and completely off topic, but I didn't have time to shoot today, and didn't want to miss a day.

A shot of the Rockwall bridge as we left to bring the girls home. And yes, the sky was that blue.

85mm. ss/1250, f/3.2, ISO 100.

June 2, 2008

2008-06-01T18:30:00.000-05:00

**Disclaimer** I am NOT a flower photographer, but a friend of mine gave me a LensBaby 2.0, and it focuses a lot closer than my 85mm, so I thought I'd give the theme a shot this week-besides, she had gorgeous yellow calla-lilies (favorite flower ever) in her front yard, so how could I resist?

Fun with textures, vintage, and some burning on this one.

LensBaby 2.0. No idea how to read settings on this crazy thing, but it sure is fun!!

May 31, 2008

2008-05-30T20:31:00.000-05:00

He's awfully cute-but...who is he?

Have you ever gotten a shot of your kid and thought that? Has he really changed this much?

Sidenote-his hair has gotten to long to 'hawk, so we have an appt. to get it cut tomorrow.

Sidenote 2-don't expect too many pics of the the boy anytime soon, because...I know 2 little girls who are coming home FOR GOOD tomorrow, and they're both dying to be my subjects for a while!!

Try enlarging this one-it looks better.

85mm. ss/200, f/3.5, ISO 100. May have been playing with fill flash on this one.

May 27, 2008

2008-05-26T21:25:00.001-05:00

Discovered his shadow today, begged Daddy repeatedly to swing him, and gave me a commentary on every bug he found.

Heather-his hair was flat again today-neither he or I have had the inclination to use product the past few days. We're going for the emo look, um, yeah, that's it. :D

And yes, that's another Hurley. The child has so many, he could wear one daily until he outgrows them, and never repeat.

May 26, 2008

2008-05-25T22:07:00.000-05:00

Looks like I have something to post tonight after all. My only subject until the girls get home this weekend. At least he actually looked at me, and gave me a real smile!

Which crop do you like best? I wasn't feeling the first one, so I decided to play. Feel free to add other suggestions, too-cropping is something I'm just now "getting".

May 25, 2008

2008-05-24T19:00:00.000-05:00

Been out for a few days.

The boy's sick and crazy-grumpy with a sinus infection, the girls aren't home for good until next weekend, and Cory's worked 7 days this week, almost all day, leaving me alone, even overnight (youth lock-in last night) with aforementioned grumpy toddler. So not picking up my camera right now. My camera did get a gift, though-my AWESOME strap from the fabulous Kristie D. came, and I love, Love, LOVE it!!! My leather couch was the lovely backdrop.

So incredibly me. A little punk, a little pretty, a little polkadot, and a little pocket. :) Oh, and a little bling, too-there's a skull charm hanging off one end of it. Is it sad that the only thing I've taken a single shot of in 3 days is my camera strap? I was so HAPPY when I got it in the mail, I had to snap a pic. It makes me HAPPY. There, I'm on theme. Like neoprene, I stretched it to fit.

See you guys in a few days. Thanks for the sweet comments on my sunflare pic of Josh-I decided to print it after all. (for my photo wall)

May 22, 2008

2008-05-21T20:56:00.000-05:00

This little man makes me very happy. When I got pregnant with him I was terrified to have a boy. I'd had 2 girls, and had been around girls all my life-I had no idea what to do with a boy. I remember thinking "will I love a boy as much as I do the girls?". And when he got here, and was taken away from me because he was so sick, I thought I would go crazy waiting to be considered well enough to go see him in the NICU. And when he was finally in my arms, I remember thinking how silly I was to wonder if I could love a boy as much as I love my girls-no question, I love this little bundle of energy, or frustration, of joy just as much as I love my daughters. My son. Those words used to scare me. And now I love them.

Does this shot work for you? He was in the backyard, jumping and being silly, and I liked the way the setting sun caught his 'hawk, and how soft and babyish his face looks, but I'm not sure the crop- or the comp -works. I'd love HHCC on this one. I tried my own version of lilyblue's honey on the second, and my own conversion on the last.

85mm. ss/500, f/3.5, ISO 200.

May 21, 2008

2008-05-20T19:56:00.000-05:00

My best friend.

She makes me happy. She makes my kids happy. She loves me, teaches me, corrects me, counsels me, laughs with me, cries with me. And I never have to ask her to do any of it. She just knows me that well.

She's an awesome photographer, a phenomenal singer, a woman with the kind of relationship with God I long for. My life was so much more boring before she came into it. She keeps me singing, laughing, dancing. My kids would die without her. I would die without her. She's my Missa.

I caught this of her and Tina at the concert she and I shot this past weekend. Just a silly little moment between two people who truly adore each other, but I love the look of sheer joy on Tina's face.