Happy Birthday George!

We live so close to our state capitol and I'm embarrassed to say I've never been there. That all changed on Saturday.

Cooper's 3rd grade choir was invited to sing the national anthem at the One-hundred-third Consecutive Commemoration of the Birthday of General George Washington, 1st President of the USA.

I thought it was a fantastic opportunity- Cooper thought it was a fate worse than death.

What happens when a mom and her son have such differing opinions??


It wasn't pretty.

We drove downtown and he was quiet- I wasn't worried, I just figured he was getting himself together and maybe saying a prayer. I was saying some too.

When we parked, I turned around and cheerfully said, "ok bud, let's go"
I stopped in my tracks- his lips, teeth and fingers were BLUE.

"Cooper- WHY ARE YOU BLUE????"
"I found some Fun Dip leftover from Valentine's Day so I ate it"

Honestly, some days I can't win for losing.
We went through security and the blue boy and I tried to find a bathroom. I got him cleaned up as much as possible.




Regardless, he was there and he sang to honor our 1st President. His music teacher (whom we adore) was so appreciative- she's the sweetest woman and does amazing things with these kids. She was so proud of the kids- they did a super job!



Although I don't have great pictures, I do have great memories. Was it the lighting, the subject (full of frowns) or maybe my skills?



It was a lesson in patience, in bravery, in coping with what life throws our way and in how blessed we are to live in a place that allows us our freedom and celebrates our history with such pride.



Happy Birthday George- thanks for everything!

He was basically in our back yard....

Yesterday the President was visiting our city. Oddly enough, his venue for the day was a little recreation center that was minutes away...

So, Jon and I grabbed Cooper, picked up a pal from down the street and headed over to see what we could see.

Regardless of party preference, I think that for a child, even for an adult, there is something really exciting and powerful about seeing the President. Or in this case- his motorcade. Just the security alone was exciting!

The weather couldn't have been worse for standing around waiting for something to happen- perhaps I could have used that time to check the settings on my camera. I had my ISO on 800. So much for high quality photos to capture the moment!



The boys had flags and umbrellas but by the end, we were all soaked.
Even the friendly Secret Serv!ce agent who was guarding our corner of the route.



Our wait paid off though-
After about 50 motorcycles sped by...



We saw his limo!



Or maybe it was his decoy and this was him...


Or perhaps this....


No matter, the boys were convinced that they saw "HIM" and we walked back to the car to warm up and dry off.

Good times, great memories!

3 generations

My brother was in from California this weekend. I should have had my camera at the ready but was a little lacking on the upswing.

The shadows are a nightmare in this photo but it's going to have its place in our history based on the subject alone.

My dad, my brother and my son....



Love you all!

Maybe Not-

Hmm- It has come to my attention that my sweet kid looks a bit sickly in my edited picture.....so, maybe I need a little more time at the Picnik!

To prove that he's healthy and happy....here's another one.
Minus the dog, but still with that pesky shadow that insists on following me around.



Better??

Happy Wednesday-

Editing....

Everyone says that Ph*toshop is fabulous. I think it's frustrating- and that's after the lesson in my class specifically dealing with it. And so I was faced with some options. I could either 1) figure it out 2) use it with limited success or 3) find an alternative to relieve the stress and perhaps give me some of the benefits of post processing.

I chose option 3. I'm all about instant gratification and discovered that using the premium Picnik allows some PS type tools on a much less technical level. I like it!

I wanted to love this picture, but the shadows were bad and the dog was in the way. So I fiddled around and came up with something that makes it better.


Before-



After-

I think there is some potential.

Sun Flare-

One of the lessons in my class was on lighting. And there were these amazing examples of sun flare that I couldn't stop staring at. Evidently you can fake sun flare in ph*toshop....but it tends to look, well- fake. Therefore, it's nice to be able to actually make your own with some level of skill and the actual sun.

I'm a little short on the actual skill....but I'm great at trial and error!

And so, I give you my sun flare (which evidently is most easily achieved about 30-45 minutes before the sun sets).


Very exciting! (The flare, not the rest of the composition. I can only focus on one thing at a time.)

Oh, and speaking of our friend the sun.
This was the view as we left town early this morning to head back to reality.



Friday can't come soon enough!

Thankful Thursday & Knots

I'm a little obsessed with fishing equipment. I think there is something so commanding about it and so purposeful. Nothing is wasted and everything has a reason. There is also a skill- one that is learned over time and passed down from generation to generation. And in spite of the changes that occur all around, it remains the same.

Like this knot.


I used it as a practice picture for homework in my class and my teacher said that it was excellent, SOOC. That's "straight out of the camera" in photo lingo. Let's keep in mind that she's teaching me, so part of that is adding encouragement within her critiques. It worked- I was encouraged.
And I really love the picture for what it is and what it represents and how it makes me feel.

Knots can be good- they hold things together...boats to the dock, shoelaces in place or stitches in fabric. Or bad- knots in my hair, my stomach or a favorite necklace.

Right now, I'm pretty thankful for the good knots that keep me tied to those that I love. My family and my friends and even my photography teacher- for hanging in there with me, providing encouragement and not letting me slip too far away from the things that are truly important.

Thanks guys!!

Hmphff!

If you're 7, this is what it feels like when your mom practices one time too many for her photography class in an attempt to get the lighting just right.

If you're 40, this is a clean version of the frustration felt when you can't get the lighting right for your photography class, when work is really getting to you, there are 6 loads of laundry waiting for you and you have NO IDEA what's for dinner.

That said, I sort of love this picture.
His chubby cheeks and pouty lips and those crazy silly b@ndz bracelets that are consuming children everywhere.

If I were a whiz in PSE, I'd just do all sorts of fabulous things with all sorts of neat gadgets and it would look perfect.
Lets repeat- IF I WERE A WHIZ.

It ain't happening folks.
Hope you're having a super week!!