Feeling Exposed...

I recently read a blog post over at Pioneer Women's website that was posted by Miz Booshay, a guest writer/photographer about getting exposure right the first time. I've really been working in Manual on my camera lately and I do say that when I get the exposure right, it feels good. I won't necessarily claim that the pictures have perfect exposure but I'm slowly getting there.

So on my quest for great pictures SOOC (straight out of camera - no editing), here is what I captured.I love the magical feeling to this picture. I think taking pictures from different perspectives and having those special touches (sun glare in the back) really can turn out fun.

Let me know what you think about my SOOC pictures. While I think it's decent stuff, if you consider yourself a bit of a photographer, I would like to know what I could do to take better pictures!

My Husband

This is Jason, he's my husband. He's also a lot of other things: my best friend, my baby daddy (haha), my handy man, my motivator, my shower cleaner and vacuum-er, my supporter, and much much more.

Jason is a unique individual. He's a tad OCD which works well for him in his line of business. He's one of those "if you don't do it right the first time, then don't do it at all" types of individuals. He likes to hand-water the grass before the sprinklers turn on, just in case the sprinkler doesn't do it's job. Like I said, a tad OCD.

He also is a big goofball that likes to make people laugh (and he's kind of a center-stage hog). This makes people love or loathe him. I happen to love him. Through all of my moodiness and grouchiness and nagginess (I sure love making up words), he's the one that makes it his mission to make me laugh. And he always succeeds whether I want him to or not. He has a hearty laugh, a big spirit, and most always a smiling face.

His son is the center of his world and he loves to play with him. Partly it's because he's an overgrown 3 year old but mostly it's because he knows that one day Lawyer will look back on growing up in this house and know that his dad loved him more than anything. And Lawyer and Jason are two peas in a pod. They do everything together and all of Jason's quirks, idiosyncrasies, and habits have been passed down to Lawyer. Right down to how Lawyer sits and crosses his legs when he's lounging, it's SO Jason.

Thanks Jason for being the backbone of our family and always knowing how to make a girl laugh. It was that spirit that made me know I was going to marry you the first time I met you. We love you lots!

Summer Breeze, Makes Me Feel Fine

First off, how old do I make myself when I can put down those lyrics. Now I know I wasn't born when Seals & Croft came out with that song but the sheer fact that I know it and can sing the next line "blowing through the jasmine in my mind" makes it utterly obvious that I was born in, if not the tail end, the '70's.

Anyways, I digress. Wanna know what goes into a fun summer around here? Here's a little of what we've been doing...

Swimming

Bug-Catching

Sand Box Playing

Puppeteering (I made this word up)

Night Light-Sabering (another made up term)

Outside Eating & Napping (notice the strategically placed bug in the second picture)

We've also managed to cook together, go on bike rides, play a little catch, go to a Rangers baseball game, get on a waverunner (where Lawyer fell asleep...how do you sleep while going 30 mph on a wavy lake?), watch fireworks, watch movies and just play.......AND it's only the beginning of June. We've done well, danielson.

Last Game

Lawyer finally finished his last game of Blastball for his team, the Rockies. And while it was a "rocky" start at the beginning of the season with Lawyer sobbing because he wanted to play at home rather than go stand around with a bunch of kids his age, he slowly grew to love the game.

This game was a real nail-biter, just ask Lawyer.

Remember kids, you don't need to fight over the ball, y'all are all on the SAME team!

I have no clue what he's doing on the field.

Knock it out of the park!

Yoohoo Lawyer, I'm over here!

Surprise, you're on candid camera!It needs to be noted that this kid HATES his picture being taken. I usually have to take about a hundred pictures and then sift through them to see if there is at least one that looks like he meant to look at the camera. This picture was a covert operation where I did a surprise attack by calling his name so that he would see where I was...and I hit the gold.

Also, some pictures I take are really worth clicking on so that you can see the bigger picture (and I don't mean metaphorically). The picture above is one of my chance photos that I think took me by surprise that I got it right.

Gators in the Mangrove

Alright, I know I've been horrible about posting the past few weeks but I sincerely have had legitimate excuses. Enough is enough, though and I do plan on getting better!

Here are, yet again, more pics from Florida. This time we took a little excursion on an airboat through the mangroves.This picture needed a little spooky mystery about it, thus the ghostly black and white effect.

Butch was our guide and he was exactly how you would expect a guy named Captain Butch would be out in the mangroves maneuvering an air boat. He's pictured there behind my sister-in-law. There's Kev-Dog and Hantie on the left...they are the newlyweds that had the great idea to get married on the beach and let us be a part of it for an entire week! Oh, and that guy on the right, that's Nano. Neon Nano, I might add.

Oh look, another family portrait...the fiery pit below has for sure frozen over yet again!

And my boys...

Alright so I know you are probably wondering what we saw, right? It was definitely all about the wildlife and whether or not we were going to get to see a gator, because why else would we travel to the middle of nowhere to have a big boy named Butch steer us into the middle of a mangrove! Here were some cool things we saw:

This guy flew right onto the front of the boat. Why hello, what's your name? I could lift my hand and touched him if I had wanted to, he was that close to us.

The pelicans are so ancient looking, it really looked like I was peering into the eyes of a prehistoric pterodactyl. Oh and this could only have been taken with the telephoto lens that I rented. Love it!

And the best part of it all? This ridiculous gator lurking in the mangrove. What can't see him? Exactly the reason why I wouldn't play hide and seek with a gator in the mangrove!

I would venture to guess he was 6-7 feet from tip to tail and his head alone had to have been 2 feet long.

I can't help but think of the alligator (or was it a crocodile?) in the Peter Pan movie with the clock-ticking music and his eyes jumping up and down.

Ol' Butch was a-hootin' and a-hollerin' (I'm from Arkansas and reserve the right to talk like that on occasion!) for the gator to come to the boat. And boy did he come to the boat...that over-exposed bottom right corner? That's the boat and he, too was within touching distance!

Reflecting on Memorial Day

While I'm sitting here typing away, editing pictures and thinking about the delicious food that is in my immediate future for today, I quickly was reminded about how much I/we/Americans take for granted these simple luxuries that have been bought with other's lives.

Take a moment to thank God, a veteran, and a member of the armed services for the fact that we Americans get to live in a country where we have so many freedoms. While there are so many contradictory hypocratic idiosyncrasies (whew! that was a mouthful and does that even make sense?) in this country, I am proud to call myself American and thankful that there are others making the sacrifice for our freedom.

It also makes it even more clear to me how much more that Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for our eternal freedom.

Please be safe and respectful of others today while out celebrating this important day of reflection. Have a Happy Memorial Day!

Saving the World One Turtle at a Time

Last weekend, after our return from Florida, we discovered a little visitor in our pool return. It was a sprite, little fellow that obviously loved water but I'm sure was not thrilled to be spinning in the trap...I hope he wasn't there long!

Lawyer was very excited because he's into the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (FYI...scroll to the top of my play list on the right side of this screen and I have the theme for the TMNT) and had to check out the real deal. He quickly found his brand new bug catcher that Granny got him and he thought he was going to get to keep this little guy.

Aww, isn't he so cute? Carson, as Lawyer immediately named the tiny turtle, was very curious about us and didn't mind that we were all up in his face. He even gave a few tiny yawns like he was bored and had been around our "type" before.

Now, it needs to be pointed out that Lawyer was NOT HAPPY about letting the turtle go. A huge tantrum full of tears, stomping and shouting "NO, MOMMY!" ensued and it was a battle of our wits to figure out how to let the turtle go and get the child calmed down.

Jason quickly thought to take "Carson" down to the park to let him go find his mommy. The tears subsided and the stomping stopped but Lawyer wanted to secure the fact that he would get to hold the turtle all the way down to the park.The two turtles near the edge of the pond were dubbed the "Mommy & Daddy" of Carson the Turtle so that's where Lawyer was headed.

The release was exciting. I'm gonna miss that little guy (tear)!

Lawyer watched as Carson was able to stretch his wings and fly, er, I mean, stretch his webbed feet and swim.The tiny turtle is directly straight out from Lawyer's toes...what, can't see him?Ahh, there he is, that's better. Carson the Turtle kept poking his head up and looking at us as if he was just as sad to go...judging by that nasty pond water, I don't say I blame him.

It was sweet getting to watch Lawyer release the turtle because this was such a valuable lesson that we were trying to teach him: Just because we find something, doesn't mean it's ours to keep (I have philosophy on this subject but I'll save you, once again, from the nonsense in my head).There he is popping his head up again...goodbyes are always so hard!Thanks for saving me Lawyer, come visit me!Bye Carson, I'll never forget you!Goodbye!Bye!

And with that, there's not a dry eye in the house after that emotional departure...oh, look green ooze!Wait, isn't that how the Ninja Turtles became the ninja turtles...the green ooze? The baby turtle is headed right for the ooze!Okay seriously, if a 5 foot tall, nunchuk-wielding, eye mask-wearing turtle shows up at my door talking like he's from the Valley, I might freak out. Oh and then I'd take some pictures to post here. I really need to get out more. And watch movies that aren't about talking turtles with mad ninja skills.

The End.