back behind the lens

A couple of weeks ago, much to my despair, our ol' faithful Canon 30D DSLR camera went beserk.  Possessed, if you will, by... old age, possibly.  We'd had it for almost six years.  While taking photos of Jake and Spencer blowing bubbles at the park, it put itself in "continuous shooting mode" and the shutter acquired a mind of it's own, taking "picture" after "picture," even with the lens off, the battery out, the card out, and off, from time to time.  (I say "picture" because it wasn't really recording any of the snaps it took.)  So strange.

I had resigned to the fact that I'd be a sad little cell-phone photographer indefinitely, hoping for at least a cheap point-and-shoot camera by the time baby Bo arrives in August.

Well, let me tell you what, my amazing, fantastic, super-sweet, thoughtful husband made my sadness disappear when last last week/early this week (I think on Saturday evening), he used his performance points from his (now former) job and ordered us a brand new Canon T2i DSLR camera and 32GB memory card to go with it.

This camera, though a "Rebel" model (so not "professional" like the D series is, sort of) is amazing. It's capable of an excessive 18 megapixel photo and video.  I tuned the settings down to a much more 'reasonable' medium-size image, which is still the same size as the large image from our old camera.  I haven't tried video yet.




Well, anyway, it arrived on Wednesday, surprise!  It was supposed to come on Thursday. The memory card didn't arrive until Thursday, but, fortunately, I found an old SDHC card we had (I have no idea what for), cleared that off, and was able to sneak in a photo or two on Wednesday night, just to see how it worked, before SJ went to bed.  The photo of his legs and diaper is the first one that I took and shared.  I was impressed.  The only light source was our not-so-fantastic floor lamp, and at a 3200  ISO speed, it wasn't overly grainy or full of noise.  Yay!

The next day, as I mentioned, the memory card arrived, and so I got to go on a little date with our new family friend.

It'd been a really long time since I went on a little photographic rendezvous to just take pictures for the fun of it.  I haven't been taking much more than photos of Spencer for about 18 months now, to be honest.  Not that I haven't wanted to, but because it's hard to do that with a newborn/infant/toddler around.  Especially if I want to haul around the backpack full of equipment as I usually do, and a tripod (which I never seem to remember the mount for anyway so it's always basically pointless, just like this time).  But, needing to get acquainted with the Rebel was a good reason to get out and about.  The only places I could think to go were my two favorite parks, of course.

The purpose in my little trip was mainly to learn the updated/new interface of the Canon DSLR, and I think I have it down pretty well, using manual settings and all.  I took my time figuring that out, and then attempted some HDR shots, without a functional tripod, as I mentioned.  Let me tell you what, that's hard!  To hold completely still for three separate frames is hard enough, but adding the breeze into nature shots... makes it a challenge.  I feel like I did pretty well for doing it for the first time since SJ was born though.  The flower above is one of the macro HDR shots I did.

When I came home, SJ was still napping (to my surprise, it'd been almost three hours), so I took out the macro lens adapter again, and I took a few snapshots of items around the house, to see how it did in midday lighting.  I was impressed again.  The "car lot" photo is one of the macro shots I did there.  I took photos of a garland and more toy cars, too, just for fun. Perhaps I'll someday use them to decorate in Spencer's room or something.  You just never know.

When he finally woke up, I attempted the macro lens on a wiggly little toddler in low-lighting, and it did quite well, I think.  The photo of Spencer'e eye here is one from that attempt.  My favorite part about this photo, to be quite honest, is not his adorable nature (though that's a huge plus), but the fact that you can very clearly see what the preview on his "Blue's Clues" movie was for by way of pupil reflection.  Candid awesomness!

I had a ton of fun getting out and about, and in and around the house, playing with the camera.  Ever since I can remember, I have loved to take photos.  I had my first 110 film camera in elementary school, and even then, I would try macro photos (though I had no idea what that was at the time, terminologically speaking), and would be very sad when they'd turn out blurry (because I had no idea you needed different lenses for that).   Then, I was given a Kodak Advantix for a birthday somewhere around 1998, and took a million photos of my youngest sister growing up.  During camp, one summer, I think 2005, I rewarded myself for hard work by buying a Canon SLR Film camera (I forget which kind), and really started to get into a photography hobby.  Then, came mine and my husband's Canon A20 point-and-shoot, which had a macro setting on it, and I explored further.  We acquired the Canon 30D in 2006, and I went crazy developing my "view" and sense of style, so to speak.  And since then, I've loved photography.

Sadly, of course, when SJ was born, it took a back-seat to being mommy, and my photos were basically all of my precious child.  While photography will still be a hobby that comes after being a mom and a wife, as I told Jake, I think I need(ed) to get back into it.  I need something besides being a SAHM and wife to add interest to my day.  I have many hobbies, mostly creative ones, but this one, for now, will be the best one for me to get back into whole heartedly, because it takes up much less space than say, book binding, in our small apartment with two small children (come August).  It'll be compatible with our lives for now.  Hopefully, someday, I can get into others again as well.

So, in summary, we got a new camera, because my husband is awesome and it made me very happy, relieved, and not sad about losing the old one.  I have learned to use it, pretty well for starters anyway. And, I'm diving back into my artistic photography hobby, not just photos of my family and friends, again.  It feels amazing.

If you'd like to check out my photography works (old and new, mostly older, but I still love them), feel free to "like" my new page on Facebook, specifically to showcase those works.

https://www.facebook.com/ExistingLight

Gosh, I love my sisters.

I must say, before I start, I have been reflecting a lot upon relationships that are meaningful in my life lately. My husband, my son, my sisters... to name a few. Fortunately, Spencer is taking a short nap again (because our loud neighbor woke us earlier), so I have a few minutes to express my thoughts again.

My sisters are AMAZING.

I'm fortunate to have my sisters not only be sisters, but also be two of my closest, dearest friends and confidants. Yes, indeed.

I am currently 28.

Samantha (or Sam) is 17.

Allison will be 13 this year.

Those are some pretty big age differences from me, obviously. But, despite that, and despite the fact that we live a few hours away, and despite the fact that I did not live with either one of them for all that long before I grew up, went to college, and got married... we're close. We're tight. We're three peas in a pod, some might say.

My sisters and I have a lot in common. We all love to read. We all love to create art. We all love music. We all love taking and editing photographs. We do that one a lot when we're together. We all love LAUGHING. We do that one even more than taking photographs when we're together. Gosh, we laugh so much. Sometimes, Jake gets to laughing just listening to us laugh. I've been known to laugh so hard I couldn't breathe. Or I'd tear up. Or I'd almost pee my pants. Or, when I was pregnant with Spencer, laugh so hard I'd gag and throw up. Yes. We love to laugh. About the strangest, smallest, most random things sometimes that no one else would really understand or think funny, but hey, they're hilarious to us!

I'm blessed to have these two lovely ladies in my life, and I love that our interests and passions are fairly similar. Especially when we are able to spend weeks together at a time and are able to capture so many moments and memories on camera. I was looking through photos of the three of us and our adventures earlier. I won't lie, I teared up. It's so easy to relive those cherished times when we take turns being behind the lens. We capture our smiles and so many other facial expressions that when I look through the photos, it's almost as if I can hear my sister's laughter and voices in the room with me. Gosh! That's SO FREAKING WONDERFUL.

In this entry, I have included a few photos from one of my favorite "shoots" together, just a few days before I found out I was pregnant with Spencer in February 2010. We were having a blast in the snow in the backyard. I've also included an older one from 2009, just because I like it.

When I moved on to college, I was very, very sad to leave my sisters behind. I felt like I was going to miss out on the majority of their childhoods. The majority of their lives. Somehow, we made it work, and while I miss random every-day things, I feel like the important stuff I'm able to be a part of, whether it's by phone, online, or in person. I'm thankful for that!

When I moved to Sioux Falls with Jake in 2009, I felt like I was abandoning them. Leaving them so far behind that I would barely ever see them, and that they'd lose touch with me. I felt like they'd hate me for not staying. I almost refused to move, actually. It was one of the hardest decisions I've ever faced. But, I had a heart-to-heart with them, and they assured me I was crazy (in nicer terms) and it wouldn't hurt our relationship. It'd probably strengthen it. Even as "little" as they are compared to me (though they'll BOTH be taller than me next week probably, Sam already is), they're so wise when it comes to matters like that.

They're so helpful, too. When they're around, they help out with Spencer, now that he's here. And, recently, over Christmas break, they pretty much cared for him non-stop, as well as helped with the majority of the housework, and helped quell my sadness and frustration with basically being bedridden with sciatica. My little sisters did! I was beyond blessed to have them here when they were!

I like to think I'm some sort of inspiration (haha, maybe that's one big high hope) and role model for them, in at least some way. I hope to be. I hope to be leading a good example for them.

I can't wait until I can see them again. Today, especially, for some unknown reason (most likely, I guess, the photographs I was looking through), I miss them, and I want them here right now. But, I know that's not possible. I'm hoping to see them in a few weeks, if possible.

For now, I think this shall be all.

In summary, I love my sisters.

Take these six strings and make them sing.

When I was younger, I wanted a guitar. Badly. I think I asked for one at least four Christmases in a row, before my parents were ultimately amazing and gave me one my junior year (I think) of high school.

Why did I want a guitar? Well, when I was growing up, for Labor Day weekend, every year, we went to my parents' friend's farm, for two or three days, and at night, there was a guy, or two, or three, depending on the night and the year, who had his acoustic guitar and people would gather by the bonfire as he played and others sang along. Every year, he'd play "American Pie" by Don McLean, and every year, there'd be mass confusion as to the verses. (I will admit, I know them all and in order...)

It inspired me. I wanted to be like Mike (that's the main guitarist for the campfires of 'yore.. haha).

So, my parents gave me a guitar, and I took it upon myself to learn to play.

An embarassing tidbit: When I first picked up the lesson book, it told me something to the effect of "place your finger on a string next to the fret, but not touching it." My critical reading skills at the time were... lacking, and I placed my finger between the strings, next to the fret, not touchign them, and would get pretty frustrated when I'd try to pluck a string to get a really "pingy" yet airy noise... but don't worry, I figured it out shortly after.

Over the course of a few months, I taught myself to play guitar.

Fast forward. I met Jake. And he played guitar, too. *swoon*

Playing guitar, whether it'd be me alone, Jake alone and for me, or the two of us together, has been a very substantial part of our relationship (in fact, our first "official" date was at Falls Park with both of our guitars. We took pictures (and I can't find one anywhere to show you, go figure, but they do exist))...

...up until a year or two ago, when I nearly stopped playing altogether while I was pregnant with Spencer.

Yeah. I can't claim that I'm proud of that.

Last night (Sunday), Jake asked me if I would play guitar with him. I said yes, half heartedly, as I have been any time I agree to do so lately (which isn't often). Why halfheartedly? I wish I could pinpoint that and give a precise answer, but, I can't. I think it has something to do with the fact that I can't get my fingers to properly form a bar chord, or an F, or any variation of an F, or a B...

And, honestly, sometimes I get frustrated playing guitar with Jake, because, in my opinion, he is exponentially better at it than I am. Kind of how he would feel about having a mascara application party with me (not that we have ever done that, nor do I believe it would interest him at all...)- a bit inferior, possibly.

Whatever the underlying reason, I haven't been all that "into" playing guitar for quite some time.

But, because I wanted to spend quality time with Jake, and do something he would enjoy, I agreed.

The first half of our playing together was Jake trying to teach me songs that he knew, while I tried to figure out what chords he was playing by watching him, or he occasionally called them out to me. It was alright, but it wasn't the best time I'd ever had. Though, I will admit, any time Jake plays guitar, or I play guitar (I have a few times since SJ was born), it is the CUTEST and most wonderful thing to see Spencer dancing to the music, or "singing" as we play, or even... *gulp*... trying to HELP us play our guitars (and mind you, Spencer has FOUR of his own guitars). I get goosebumps and practically cry every single time.

While Jake was giving Spencer a bath, I pulled up to the computer, opened the "guitar chords" bookmark folder I had compiled before getting pregnant, and opened a few windows to display songs I used to be able to play from memory and have long since forgotten. Truth be told, if you were to ask me which songs I could play from memory now, I think it'd be... "Time of your Life" by Green Day, and "Wonderwall" by Oasis. Yeah, it's that bad.

But, wouldn't you know it, as soon as I saw the chords for "2a.m. (Breathe)" by Anna Nalick, I picked up right where I left off so many months ago, and belted the lyrics out, playing at my original pace, with my original strumming, like I hadn't missed a day playing that song.

Then, I played and belted out a little "One Sweet Love" by Sara Bareilles. Yup, that one was "good as ever," as well. Huh.

I played a few more while waiting for Jake, including learning a new one "Paperweight," by Schuyler Fisk and Joshua Radin, and after Jake put Spencer to bed, he joined me in front of the computer, and we took turns pulling out a song from the folder, playing it together, and singing. Just like old times.

And it was WONDERFUL. I kick myself for taking such a long break in playing with my husband, and for being such a poo about it when I would play.

Truly, the highlight of our "open mic night" in the kitchen, however (and I think he would probably agree) was when we pulled up "Poison and Wine" by the Civil Wars. I don't remember that we'd ever played it together. I know I book marked it when I first heard the song hoping to learn to play it and sing it with Jake (it's a beautiful duet), but I don't know for certain that we ever had before.

But, when Jake started strumming the rhythm, and I joined, and he sang, and I followed... and then we sang the harmony together... it was FANTASTIC. I am not saying we were the best performance anyone could have heard, and we might not have been even "good" in some opinions, but it felt PERFECT. It sounded symphonic, even without other instruments. I felt like we had stopped time and were holding onto an everlasting moment.

I enjoyed it so much, I asked Jake to do it again.

We played a few more songs, until my fingers felt like they might bleed, and my arm was only playing my "wussy version" of a Bm every time it came up in "When You Come Back Down" by Nickel Creek (Jake played everything, and I only strummed the Bm) and I laughed myself to silly tears.

I woke up this morning, though, still giddy about our concert together last night.

I hope I can hold onto that feeling, and get back in the groove of playing again. I wouldn't want to lose that something special that Jake and I have, after all.

Truth be told, an acoustic version of most any song nearly always ends up being my preferred style. Random tidbit for you.

And, here's a few more "guitar-related" significances from my friendship/courtship/marriage with Jake.
- the first time he ever came to my house, he played guitar, and I have pictures

- he learned to play my favorite song "Name" by the Goo Goo Dolls, and performed it when he randomly surprised me at my parents house

- he learned to play my other favorite song "Crash Into Me" and debuted that at the aforementioned Labor Day gathering in 2003 (I think) in front of a ton of people

- he once came to my parents house and played guitar under my window to serenade me (but I wasn't in my room and had actually run up to the post office and then stayed downstairs until I thought I left my radio on and realized he was in my backyard...)

- he and his best friend broke my first guitar wrestling, and so they chipped in and replaced it and gave it to me for a 4th of July present in... 2002 or 2003. I have it on video.

- our first "official" date

- I gave him a 12-string guitar for his 21st birthday

- we used to play guitar and sing in the racquetball courts at SMSU late at night

- he wrote me a song and performed it for me at open mic night on my 21st birthday

- I wrote him a song, and my friend got it on a webcam video

- and others... but my fingers are cramping.

(PS: I took the photos I included in this entry, so please, don't be taking them.)

She used to write poetry... and take fine art photographs...

Last night, I wrote a post about how I used to play guitar and vowed that I would bring that back into my life.

Tonight, I was sitting on the computer, browsing a friend's etsy shop (which I happen to adore and hope to own an item from someday) when I also happened upon a list of that friends' etsy favorites, which included photographs of coffee. (I think that was a complete sentence...)

That made me realize that it's been quite a long time since I've picked up my camera to take a "fine art photograph," or photograph of anything that wasn't my son or other family member.

I used to do that frequently (read: I had a project 365 for over a year straight, until I found out I was pregnant, actually, and I stopped that day), and I would sell them online in my own etsy shop.

Once, I had someone from a college in Tennessee (I forget which one, which is kind of embarassing, because the entire event was a big deal to me) tell me that she wanted one of my images in her curated show in a local art gallery! One of my biggest dreams had been to be featured in an art gallery somewhere!

Anyway.... Photographing "fine art..." I did it mostly for fun, however, and with the "crazy" idea that someday I would have my own art gallery in my home. Not to sell or anything of that nature, just to display some of my favorite photographs.

I loved taking photos. Heck, I still do, my focus just has, undoubtedly, changed from "art" to photos of my adorable (yes, I'm biased) son.

But that doesn't mean that desire isn't still there. I still have some photos for sale on an etsy shop, but I haven't really done any marketing to find an audience. Part of me doesn't have any interest in selling it, but then again, the other part of me does.

Tonight, on facebook, I commented how I miss taking fine art photographs. A few friends told me that they'd buy my art, or display it, which was great to hear, I won't lie. This then lead to someone commenting on how I should publish a photography book.

That had been one of my dreams as well. I guess it still is, I just haven't focused on it at all since Spencer's arrival. I have always wanted a book of my work published.

Then, I remembered I used to write poetry. I had over 200, maybe three hundred, poems written and published on a long-deceased geocities website. Fortunately, I had a crazy whim once to make sure to save them all and made two copies of the entire "works," one for my high school German teacher, mentor, and friend, Frau. The other, I gave to my boyfriend at the time (who is now my husband). When geocities had their demise, the website was surely lost, but luckily, these works are around somewhere. Jake says he still has it, and I know Frau does, because she let my little sister read them at school, or something to that effect.

I miss writing poetry. I haven't done that in YEARS. I don't know why. It's not like my love of language has faded, nor have I really lost my words. I guess I should probably find a spark inside of me and get that going, too.

What does poetry have to do with anything, you might be wondering? Well, I had the idea that maybe I'd put poetry with my photography, and have the two mesh, somehow.

Maybe. I guess we'll see.

The photos in this post are a few of my personal collection. Be a pal, and don't steal them.

Fluffy White Stuff

Snow. It's cold. It's white. It's pretty. Today, it's fluffy and falling beautifully outside!

This photo, to the left, is one of my all-time favorites that I have ever taken. It was taken January 20, 2009, apparently. These snowflakes were on my windshield, and I couldn't resist capturing their perfection.

I love watching snow fall. It's completely serene and mesmerizing. It calms me and lulls. It entrances me. I just found myself staring out the window watching the precipitation dance as it fall to the ground, for 15 minutes. It whirls and waltzes with such grace that I could have watched it for much longer, had I not the urge to sit here and write about it instead.

I love that snow is so soft after it's first fallen, that you can pick up a handful, and blow it away like a wish, or like a dandelion that's gone to seed.

Last year, my sisters and I were so excited about a snowfall much similar to that of today, that we

bundled ourselves up to go play outside, taking pictures of ourselves throwing snow, playing in it, blowing it around, and making snowballs as perfectly round as we could. It's one of my fonder memories of us spending time together.

I also adore how calm and peaceful the world looks as snow settles upon the ground, the stair railings, and the trees. It's as if it's been kissed with the beauty of heaven. I know that sounds corny, but I feel it to be the truth. Before the plows have thrown muddy snow onto our yards, or animals leave their marks in the fluff, everything looks like it belongs on a postcard of some sort. I absolutely love that pristine white landscape!

The one thing I really dislike about snow is that it makes traveling quite treacherous at times, especially if it is proceeded by rain and ice, and accompanied by wind.

If I am allowed to be safe at home, I do not mind it nearly as much, because I know that my safety is not threatened. Though, I worry about my husband on wintry roads, because he travels for work. Really though, driving in snow really makes me nervous. If it's just a little snow, that's fine, but as soon as it accumulates, or slushes, or ices, I'd much rather just stay at home with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate and watch it falling out the window, much like I am, today!

After roads are safe for travel, however, I do enjoy a venture out into the snow dusted world, especially if I have my camera in hand!

So, all this babble, and no real point, other than the fact that I do adore the aesthetics of a lovely winter snowfall. I don't even mind the cold so much, so long as I'm not forced to be outside for long in one of the famous midwestern sub-zero windchills. But a merry little jaunt to the yard to throw a few snowballs, make a snowman, a snow angel, possibly a fort, or just throw some snow around taking pictures? That sounds like a delightful way to spend a winter day. I can't wait until Spencer is a little older and can enjoy the snowfall

with me.

(All of these photos were taken by me, except the one of me, which was taken by my sister, Samantha. You can see the ones I took that day (and some that she or Allison took) by clicking this link. Please, do not copy, save, paste... well, steal, these photos.)

A Morning with My Mother

I couldn't sleep very well last night, so naturally, as it carried on into the morning, I rose out of bed pretty early (for a Saturday, at least), 8:23 a.m.

Not more than five minutes after, as I was leaving the bathroom, my cell phone started ringing. It was my mom.

I answered, of course, and she said, "I hope I didn't wake you up." I assured her she didn't, and then she told me the basis for this early morning phone call.

"I'm looking at your photos on some... website, where you're 'LadyEmeraldEyes,' and there is this one of snowflakes on your windshield, and it's AMAZING." She continued to rave about the beauty of this particular photograph, and then carry on with the rest of them, telling me that I'm an amazing photographer, along with other various compliments.

Of course, it brought a smile to my face. An unexpected, early-morning phone call from my mom in which the premise was to pay me high compliments? Who wouldn't smile?

Then, she mentioned how she is one of my biggest fans.

Now, my mom and I haven't always gotten along the best, it's true, though I love her dearly and cherish her as a treasure. We have been getting along for over a year now without stress, which is truly a joy.

But, I will be honest, sometimes I forget that she's such a big fan. I feel ashamed to say it, but I must admit it is true.

So, perhaps the best part of the hour-long phone call that began with compliments and continued on with various chatter covering a myriad of topics, was that after we said "I love you," and "talk to you later," I hung up the phone with a renewed sense that my mother is and always has been one of my biggest fans.

Now that I'm off the phone, I went to find the photo she was talking about, and I assumed she meant on flickr, but wouldn't you know, I can't find it there, so I don't know how she did. But, I did find it on my etsy site.

"Pretty Little Things." January 20, 2008. ©Nicole Worthley

The Baby Book Wedding Graduation.

Last Friday (May 28th), my best friend of over 19 years got married! It was my second favorite wedding I've ever been to (next to my own, obviously). I was the only bridesmaid (Maid of Honor (and Awesomeness)), with four groomsmen, a flower girl, and a ring bearer (who really didn't want to be the ring bearer, he even told the photographers).

I tell you what, though, on Thursday, we left Sioux Falls to head to Minneapolis, and about half an hour away from home, my car decided to die on us. Yeah. Not cool. We coasted into a small town, and sat at an auto shop for about an hour and they told us we should probably call the bride and tell her we weren't going to make it. I started crying... and well, Jake took care of things. His mom came and picked us up, and his best friend's mom let us borrow her car for the weekend.

My wonderful husband was kind enough to chauffer the bride and I to the hair appointment, and then the church, and though he didn't have an official job after that, until the reception, he found plenty to do to be helpful and keep busy.

Therefore... he didn't really take any photos. Ah well. Here's one from the bride's little sister, of Michelle and I. It'll do for now.

My dress fit, despite the pregnant belly and boobs (Jake had to pin the front of the dress to my bra, but hey, I didn't flash anyone) so that was fantastic.

The entire day was a lot of fun, but completey exhausting. I bet I fell asleep promptly at 12:05.

Saturday, we joined the newlyweds for gift opening and brunch, and following, met up with Jake's best friend. We asked him to take a few photos of us so that we had a recent one to put in our baby book. He is a new aspiring photographer, and hadn't really photographed people before, so it was a fun experience for all three of us, I think.

Here are a few of my favorites from the set (they're distorted because my drag and resize skills suck):

You can see more of my favorites by clicking this link.

After the photography session, we went out to eat at a wonderful pizza place, with our friend and his friend, and then to a one-man play called "The House Can't Stand." It was... uh... interesting. The guy played a woman telling a story about her life through her political history and past love life. I liked the first half, and then in the middle, she started to sleep with Abe Lincoln from the past brought into the future (because she was telling him about Obama)... and well, I sort of lost interest. The actor did really well, but it became really hard for me to focus and follow. Plus, my uterus was hurting, so what do you do? Truthfully, I can't tell you if I liked or disliked it.

Then the guys took us out to a wine bar.

We came back after, and I fell asleep on the couch, and eventually went to bed.

Sunday, my little brother graduated high school. Ah! He's going into the guards, and leaves in August. He won't be around for the birth of my baby! I am really proud of him, though. And at the reception, there were all of his pictures from his school career, so I got a good laugh seeing his Kindergarten picture again. It looks like he's pooping his pants.

Unfortunately, we weren't able to stay as long as I would have liked, because we had to go back to Jake's home town to drop off the borrowed car, and have his mom drive us back to our car, which was, luckily, done. The water pump needed to be replaced, and the old man quoted us $1,300 for repairs. HOLY MOLY! I about died. Jake talked to him, and it turns out he gave us the wrong quote, that was for a transmission job, and ours was much less, thankfully.

The end.

Oh wait, the internet at our place is still all sorts of crazy, despite my cousin's laptop, so I'm still not around consistently. I apologize!

I used the new camera today.

Jake and I purchased a brand new, Canon 50D on Saturday, half an hour before the wedding we were booked to shoot. (Luckily, the system is pretty similar to the 30D which we own, so Jake figured it out with little effort and the photos turned out magnificently). I hadn't really touched it since we bought it... which is sad, because I love photography.

Anyway, since the sun finally came out today, I decided to take 50 to Terrace park for a short rendezvous, and attempt a few HDR photography sets. I need to give the 50 a nickname. 30 too, now that I think about it.

Let me tell you what, when your camera weighs as much as a small dog, it's hard to hold it perfectly still. I didn't think to bring the tripod. I did attempt to fold myself up with my knees to my chest to rest the camera between them... but that didn't work so well. Very uncomfortable. Who would have thought, right? Haha.

Anyway, you can see the attempts on facebook. CLICK HERE.

He Wants to Etch-A-Sketch my Head.

I have had a headache, off and on, all day, every day, a week ago today... for sure, not to mention randomly before that. I tried tylenol, which is what I was told I could take, and drinking a lot of water, and it just wasn't helping. So, I gave in and called the doctor (after the urging of many friends), in attempt to solve the problem.

Jake, in attempt to be helpful, told me "I would love to etch-a-sketch your head." I laughed so hard. He meant it to mean he wished he could erase my headache, but it sounded like an insult more than anything.

It was a frustrating and long day as I waited to hear what they wanted, if they wanted me to come in maybe, and check my blood pressure or iron... and then waiting to hear what they wanted to do about it.

They suggested a few things:

* VICODIN (how about, hey, I'm pregnant and that scares me (and yes, they know I'm pregnant))

* Excedrin, but if that doesn't work, maybe Vicodin anyway

I was really... shocked, nonetheless, by the Vicodin thing.

Anyway, beyond pain killers, they suggested I take it easy, rest more (which seems funny because I'm tired all the time, but apparently they say it could just be my body's way of telling me I'm pushing too much), relax and de-stress as much as possible, and if all else fails, cool showers, so we'll see.

Moving on. Jake had flowers sent to me for my first Mother's Day ever! I mean, granted ourbaby is not born yet, but I guess it still counts. They hadn't bloomed by yesterday morning, and I made a joke about them being fortune flowers and telling me I was going to be a bad mother. We both got a great laugh out of that, and Jake informed me I am the funniest person he's ever met.

We visited his mother yesterday, as well as his best friend, and I learned a little about HDR photography, so when my headache isn't bugging me as much, I'm going to try that out a little more. My first and somewhat lame attempt can be seen here. It is my mother's day flowers on top of Wendell's dog dish. Yeah, like I said, kind of lame. But I am not feeling well (I was home sick today).

We had a wedding on Saturday, for a friend that I work with. It was a blast. I wasn't feeling well at all (headache and such) but Jake did a fantastic job running the show. I kept things in check and took pictures of stuff (like I love to do), and now it is my job to proof and edit all the photos. You can see a few of the previews that I did on Sunday morning, by clicking here.

A Few Topics.

I'm super tired (yes, it's only 9pm, but I got up early and uh... am tired all the time), so this will probably be kind of scattered.

Yesterday, or wait... Monday. Wow. Monday, I received notice that a friend (of mine, newly, of some family members, most definitely) who has been battling a stage 3 brain tumor since last year, had a bleed into his brain and was given a very short time to live. He's been moved to a hospice in his home town, where it is assumed he will spend the remaining days of his life.

I haven't known him long. I met him in June of last year, and really enjoyed it! He was dating my cousin at the time, and he came with them from Washington to visit and meet the entire family! He really is a charming fellow with a great sense of humor. I was able to spend time with him again over Thanksgiving last year, in Washington, but even by then, the treatments were affecting his body. He was, is, still a vibrant spirit determined not to let it get the best of him. I have admired him boundlessly since knowing him. Truly.

It breaks my heart to know that this life will come to an end too soon, much sooner than even doctors estimated. As much as it saddens me, I cannot even fathom how much it affects those who know him best, have known him longer, and love him so deeply. My heart breaks and tears flow from my eyes when I imagine their pain. And yet, I am so inspired by his strength through these days.

If you pray, say a prayer for my friend, his family and friends, and everyone who knows him or has been touched by him. Pray for peace and comfort for them all.

And now to change the subject, so you don't leave the blog completely depressed, and because I do have other things to say...

Jake and I had an appointment for the "first trimester screening" this morning at the hospital, where they did an ultrasound and blood work to gauge the possibility that our child may have genetic illnesses. While we don't actually know the result, we both feel very positive about it.

It was wonderful to see our little "Horseradish" again! I would have to say, and yes, I know it may be arguable, that our little one is starting to really look cute! We were able to watch baby moving hands and legs, and almost sucking one thumb. Ah! It was wonderful. And we already have a printout of the profile, where you can see baby's nose, mouth, the works! I took a photo of it with my cell phone and it's now my cell phone background image. I can't seem to stop opening it and looking at it. And for the record, we're in the second trimester, officially!

Though, I do find it odd that I've lost a few pounds, but definitely look like I've gained some. Haha. Ah well.

I've been slacking hardcore with photography, and we have a wedding we are shooting this weekend. Jake is going to be doing most of the work, because the bridal party is pretty large, and I'm uncomfortable managing large amount of adults. Children is one thing, but adults? Yeah, no thanks.

And we finally booked our hotel room for my best friend's wedding at the end of the month! One day left before the block hold was let up, thank goodness I remembered to get that done.

Okay, I think that's all I've got. Peace.