Memorial Day Weekend

Yesterday was my first Friday off of the summer. After commencement, at my community college, we work four, ten hour days. So, this Memorial Day weekend means four days off - sort of like a mini-vacation. On Friday, I got my Tsubo shoes (they were NOT attractive) UPSed back to Zappos, washed our sheets and hung them out, image editing (of course), washed and walked the dog and various other odds and ends. It's so nice just to take it slow and enjoy our home - not having to rush.

We got some rain today so I was able to finally put a wedding book together to take to a local wedding venue and then we went to Spider Man 3. Three kids sat next to us, all by themselves. I think the Mom must have had other kids at another movie, or something. She set them up with popcorn and then left. I think they were about eight.

Then, afterwards, I stood at the counter working with some more pictures until the sunset called me. We have bluebirds making a nest in the house in the backyard and they have the sweetest, most gentle song. I put the dog hair that I comb out of Bogie in back of their house for nesting materials.

Hilarious First Wedding Dance

YouTube can be so entertaining, can't it? I'm doing constant research (well, almost constant) on wedding photography and came across this link on one of my forums. Weddings are so much more fun than they used to be.

First Engagement Session

I did my first couple's session last Saturday. It was a beautiful evening so we met at 5:30 at their home to get some shots there, first. Then, we finished up at a State Park. It took a while for us all to loosen up but they did more and more kissing toward the end!

Here's a link to my first ShowIt video:
Heidi and Jon

Evening Walk

There was some beautiful light and flowers tonight on the Jane Addams Trail. Bogie and I were all alone - that is, there were no people. We heard Sandhill Cranes and pheasants and saw a Baltimore Oriole, a Rose-Breasted Grosbeak, catbirds and flickers. The sunset was spectacular.



phlox
Originally uploaded by NmB Photography.

New Actions

I came across this photo taken before Easter. Paige is holding one of the Easter cookies made by Cole's Confectionary in Freeport. Yummo - they are awesome bakers. I applied my new black-and-white action. I think I like this. I was looking for something in between brown and black tones. Something that I can quickly use to show proofs on the web. The border was recently purchased from Itty Bitty actions.

It's Here - my first L series Lens

I couldn't wait for the UPS man to come tonight to deliver my new 24-70mm Canon lens. We took a stroll on the golf course and I shot a few of the dusky sky. This will be the perfect lens for a couple of upcoming jobs - an interior/exterior for somebody that renovates houses and for Highland's graduation. It has to be indoors this year due to continued construction at Krape Park. This is a wide shot of my living room -


Molly spent two nights in the hospital last week with a Strepp infection - probably caused by her central line. She had a raging fever on Wednesday upon admission. That same afternoon, my 31-year-old son found out that he has mono. How weird is that? So anyway, they both are sick.

We helped Dawn's family move and I took a bunch of new house shots as well as some hilarious ones of Kelby posing apres bath. Erin even posed good for me this time.

Weekend at Molly's

Our daughter, Molly, is going through a major setback with her Crohn's right now. They have taken her completely off food and she's getting her nutrition through a Central Line and TPN. After having so much difficulty getting everything set up, she has to be hooked up to this big backpack for 10 hrs each night. This is a gift one of her friends gave her - she has all these qualities and so much more.

Easter Photos

I used to post updates to my old blog all the time. But now, I'm spending so much time getting this business going. I had a photo session last Friday and even with being gone on Easter weekend, I got the proofs uploaded on Monday night. I finished the order and all my Quickbook entries last night so now I have a little more time.

We had such fun in Chicago over the weekend. I don't think I've every had peel-and-eat shrimp for Easter dinner b4 but that was just part of the beautiful buffet at Dick's. The most fun, though, was listening to the Beatle's band. That's another first for Easter. Paige was totally into the music but too shy to dance along with them very much. This was our celebration for my son's birthday.

Earlier in the day we went to the huge 4th Presbyterian Church on Michigan Avenue. We had to stand outside in a block-long line to get in. After we snaked around the corner we realized that there was another line the same length coming in from the other side! We thought we were going to be routed to the balcony but instead they sent us to the second row. Paige was just in awe of the brass choir and the beautiful white tulips adorning the sanctuary. She even folded her hands and closed her eyes during a prayer. She was really good.

Here are just a couple of my favorite photos from the weekend. She loved her new dress and shoes.

Baby Bedroom

I was cleaning up my baby bedroom last night and now it's cleaner than it's been for a long, long time. What a good feeling. I also folded diapers last night and what memories that brought back for me. My sister and I folded cloth diapers for all of our children so they would fit better. There's something very relaxing about that process and thinking about the little baby bottoms that will fit into them. Guess this really dates me, doesn't it?

This time, I'll use the cloth diapers when I photograph babies in lieu of a naked tushy or a disposable.

Baby in a Cup

I finally got to use my teacup planter from Walmart to photograph a baby. This is Dillon and he was totally happy while sitting in this cup. I was worried that he might be uncomfortable but, I think he could have stayed there even longer.

19 Pound Guard Dog

Here's our little white dog playing with the kids last weekend. He takes his guard-dog role more seriously every day. He sits by the front door or by the garage or by the back sliding glass doors keeping an eye for possible intruders. 19 pounds and 19 inches - not really too scary.


Seems the battery in his "correction" collar had drained and sure enough, since he's constantly testing it, he disappeared from the yard. Thank goodness, the neighbors from two doors down called to report that he was on their front steps. That's the second time they have rescued him for us.

I finally sent off the order for this client last night - this process will get shorter in the future (I hope). This is one of my favorites.

Finally Time to Play with New Camera

My school (and place of employment) was cancelled at noon today due to our high winds and blowing snow. I'm so glad. I've finally had time to experiment a little with my new 5D and this awesome 85mm lens. We have more grandchildren coming this weekend so we're praying for safe travels. There were several accidents on Pearl City Rd this morning and lots of cars in the ditch between here and Rockford. I've got to tear myself away from this beautiful notebook computer and 'purty' Vista and finish getting my dinner and house ready for them. I tried the lasagna recipe from The Pioneer Woman website and it looks yummy.





March is definitely coming in like a lion here in NW Illinois.

Nic and Jason

I got several good shots of Nic and Jason even though Jason was quite bored posing for me in the solarium at the Beach Club where we stayed. What a beautiful area. One night we went right across the little lake and hung out on the Boardwalk. Nic says he might be a "street performer", too. We watched a very funny magic show. This photo of Nic is at MGM on Monday, our first day. The boys both have beautiful, brown eyes that always catch the light. It drizzled a little but we were just fine.

I declined the Tower of Terror after doing it three years ago. So, they made all the plunges random and it isn't predictable any more. Who cares? Grandpa did every ride (several times) with the rest of the family. I did do the Rockin' Roller Coaster, though. Whoah!@ 0-65 mph in 2.8 second. What a wild trip.

More February Birthdays

These shots on Cocoa Beach show how playful and relaxed Molly was during our Disney week. She had a birthday on Wednesday, 29 and holding, and since we were gone last week and President's Day was on Monday, she got most of her cards and gifts late. I just want to sing her travel agent praises. She planned, reserved, herded us around for the whole week and everything went like clockwork.



We also celebrated Jason's 11th birthday while we in Disney. Molly arranged to have the diver at the Coral Reef Restaurant (Epcot) hold up a sign underwater so everybody knew it was his birthday. He was very playful during his time in the water and then they brought him this awesome desert. Actually, Jason was born on Leap Day in 1996. All of our grandkids have kind of unusual birthday.

Velvet Saves Mt Hood Climbers

We love to read stories about super-hero dogs in the news. They credit Velvet, a labrador mix, with saving the lives of the Mt Hood climbers by providing them extra heat. We call our little white dog, Bogie, my little heater. He warms up my hands so nice when he curls up on my lap in our favorite chair. This morning he's all curled up after his daily leg rub when he evidently saw a cat. You can tell that it's a cat by his distinctive (and annoying) high bark. We hate to let him out when he's so hyped up like that but if we don't, he keeps scratching on the door and tearing around from window to window. Yikes!

Yesterday on our lunch-time walk we met a new little puppy in the neighborhood. She's Lily, an 11-week-old miniature Yorkshire Terrier. Bogie was so happy to see her he was literally turning flips in the air. We're so happy not to be back in the potty training stage.

Speaking of potty training, Paige is! She's coming to our house this weekend and now gets to wear her princess and Dora panties every day to pre-school. One day it just clicked with her. She'll be three on tax day.

Here's a couple more photos from Disney. I took all my night-time photos without flash with 1600 iso so they aren't all super-sharp but I love the look. I even tried shooting inside the 3D movies - doesn't work real well.

Back from Disney

Just back from Disney and I'm anxious to share some of my favorites. What a lovely day it was yesterday at Cocoa Beach. We had a little road trip away from the kiddo crowds for a bit to relax at this beachside restaurant for a while. It was awesome to have Molly to ourselves for a little while, too. Now, we're home, and back to a foot of snow with temps in the low 20s. Our furnace had shut off so it was only 49 degrees when we walked into our house. We sure were pleased to see that some kind neighbor blew the new snow off of our driveway, sidewalks and porch! Gotta' start the laundry now if I can tear myself away from these photos.

Love looking at these photo memories. We miss you already Watkins family!

 

Erin's Birthday

Last weekend, Erin turned two-years-old. She's our youngest granddaughter and such a little beauty. I'm so satisfied when I actually get a great capture of her deep, blue eyes and their kitchen has awesome light.

I am so ready to leave this frigid midwest weather. It's cold and stark, white here. Soon, we'll be heading for Disney World with Nic and Jason and parents and Bogie will be having a ball at the kennel.

Ruckus Last Night

I was up late watching the inDesign video from Kevin Swan and finally went to locate Bogie at about 11:30. It was odd that he wasn't already sound asleep on our bed but found him studying the backyard from the West Wing instead. He immediately started barking ferociously like - it was like his "there's a cat" bark but only louder. At first I couldn't see anything at all out there but then a large doe come into view with four smaller ones right behind. I'm sure they could hear this 19 lb maniac and so they only stayed for a few minutes. They were so beautiful in the full moonlight.

Here's his watch post in our bedroom


I'm heading over to take some photos of a school event in a little while. I've taken alot of Cosmetology students recently and the photos cycle through on my school's homepage.

Is Anybody Out There?

I've been working on the photography website and have had problems logging into blogger so that's the story - here's a photo we love of Bogie and Erin from a couple of weeks ago. She loves Bogie and he loves her.

Brand New Website for NmB Photography

I have a domain name! I decided to make the switch to an honest-to-goodness website for my photography and just see where it goes (if anywhere).

Tell me what you think.