A Sunday Drive...

up the Ogden canyon led us to the Pineview reservoir. What a gorgeous fall day! The air was cool and at 63 degrees a little chilly, but we welcomed the change and enjoyed every goose bump we received as the wind picked up a little. And to top it off, the photo opportunities were in abundance. The following photographs are a sample of today's journey up the "hill"...

And because Jim thought I needed to have my picture taken as well:

Facial Expressions

This kid has the funniest facial expressions! No matter what he is doing, something is always going on in his face; tongue moving or sticking out, eyes scrunched or wide open, mouth always on the move... Here's a few funny ones from tonight's mud pie festival in my front yard:

This should also serve as proof that I do let my kids get dirty! I sort of have the reputation of being a clean freak and that I don't allow my children to get messy or dirty, may this accusation be stricken from the record, I plead not guilty!

A Fair amount of Fun

Everything I need to know I learned at the fair:

"Sheepishly" engaging in fun is unacceptable,

One must take his "licks"

and not get too down in the dumps

One must reach for what he wants,

live larger than life

and reach for the sky

But most of all:

live, laugh and love

Round 2: Fruits and Veggies

Thanks to Dana and her daughter's birthday fruit kabobs and her wonderful vegtable garden, I have new subjects to practice on. My favorite is "Little Black Bug" (a shot within a shot):

Ok, I will try...

isn't that all it takes? A change of attitude? I have been moping around my house for the past month being jealous of all the wonderful photographers out there (um, Kim) and spending most of my time just staring at the pictures on their websites and wishing I could do the same. For some reason, something hit me tonight - why are you sitting here? You aren't going to get any better just wishing, get out and take some pictures. So I dragged my kids outside as the sun was setting and attempted to get some good lighting shots. Lighting is my enemy. So is focusing. I think I might need to get my eyes checked or something, because I think a shot is in focus and then when I get it on my computer it isn't. Very frustrating. I don't think I could live without the auto focus. Even then I never know, I think I am on Kendrie's eyes and wind up on the fence behind her. All challenges that I am determined to conquer. So here you go, experimental photo shoot - round 1:

Subjects: a very over dramatic Kendrie and a reluctant Kort.

Look what I found....

For those of you who read my blog, who knew me way back when, this entry is for you. While going through some pictures to scrapbook today, I came across these pictures. I hope you enjoy the memory as much as I did.

January 8, 1992 - What do you get when you mix Corvallis 3rd ward youth with egg carton-pig-noses and a pile of spaghetti? One of the messiest and funnest mutual activities I can remember. Show us how the piggys eat, oink, oink!

And let's not forget the wheelbarrow-while-blind-folded-chocolate-pudding-drop-from-a-ladder obstacle course:

Jayson & Kassi

In the early morning of August 16, two families came together to witness the marriage of Jayson and Kassi in the Logan, Utah temple. The following photos are the best of 150 pictures I took. Lighting continued to be a challenge for me, as well as batteries dying and memory cards getting full. I am so glad I was not the only one taking pictures, I would have a very disappointed bride on my hands if I was. Despite of the camera challenges, it was a fabulously beautiful day. I am so happy and excited for them as they start their next chapter in life together. Oh, happy day!

a new do

I used my new haircut as an excuse to give myself a "self portrait" and to play around with photo editing using dodging, burning and contrasting. I have decided that I prefer myself in black and white (you can't see all the wrinkles and sunspots, agespots, whatever). You can, however, see that I gave in and chopped off almost 5 inches off my hair. I was not sure about it at first, I have not had good experiences with cutting my hair short, but I think it turned out ok.

Hazel in Black and White

My friend Tammy had her baby girl, Hazel, last Tuesday. While in Mesquite this past weekend I was able to visit and take advantage of a photo opportunity with her. She is so tiny and precious. Congratulations, Bingham family and thank you for letting me practice my non-photo skills on Hazel.