Happy Memorial Day

Yesterday during our Jeep ride Gayle calls me and says "Hey are Jeeps are Red, White and Blue".  Cool huh?  Wally and Elaine lead the entire time so we were out of order Blue, White and Red with Tom and DiAnn bringing up the rear in the Trans Am. 

This was our destination stop and many more were after this. 

Happy Memorial Day

My peeps on a Jeep ride

We went for a Jeep ride today, it was a fabulous day so we decided to call the troops and head out for some fun.  I have my Photography Club Meeting this Tuesday and I have not done any of my homework so my mission was to accomplish some of it.  I had to use my imagination with one of my words and this is really stretching it but it's fun.  The word I needed to photograph is "Peeps" {the words were created at Easter time}. 

So these are my Jeep Peeps and since I had to take the picture I used a stand in that looks just like me..... ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.  Stop laughing I am going to gym every morning I might just look like that...... I know I have blonde hair and I don't own a black swimsuit otherwise it's a perfect match!!

From left to right {Elaine, Gayle, Me :), and DiAnn}

So we get to a place in Phillips and I take my camera out for a walk while the others quench their thirst.  I got stopped by a guy driving by that says "you should have been here yesterday there was a doe and her fawn drinking out of the river".... hummmm yeah I wasn't but thanks for the tip.  I almost get run over since I was standing in the middle of a curvy road.... thank goodness John yelled at me.  I got the crap scared out of my when I walked by a duck house and the sucker flew out almost taking off my head.  Okay I'm done I think I'll go drink with the rest of them.

The next stop we are sitting at the bar and I get up and Elaine says {insert very calm voice here }  "oh Connie stop" and she picks something off my back, "you have a woodtick"  {insert screaming girly panicked voice here}  "OMG a woodtick, on me.... check my legs, check my hair, check under my shirt.... up my shorts..... please someone check me for ticks".  That thing crawled on me for the last 30 miles...... yuck.   The next stop I have a bee on the floor of the Jeep..... "Elaine come get this out" and she did.   

Another fun story for you..... a guy at one of the bars is playing the juke box and I'm sitting right there, he asks "what are you guys doing"... I answer "we're on a Jeep ride", he says "what".... I scream a little louder "we're on a Jeep ride"..... he gets this puzzled look on his face and says "I don't know that song".  What he really said is "What do you guys want to hear".  So then he hangs around and talks to us for awhile and says to me "how old are you"..... me "you seriously can't ask me that"  and he says  "you are obviously in your early 30's"....... me "yep you're right I'm obviously in my early 30's"...... "or my daughter is almost in her early 30's".   See I told you I look just like the photo.  hee hee hee........   Fun times, we already planned our next ride.

Superstition Iris

My favorite Iris, my sister Sharon brought this to me about 5 years ago.  I wasn't an Iris fan but I planted it and WOW it's beautiful.  The purple is so dark it's almost black and it's huge.  It's right outside my front door so every morning I step out the door to say "Good Morning Superstition, it's a beautiful day"

Long Weekend

Long weekends are great.  About two weeks ago we looked at a camper and really thought about buying it so we could go camping.  Spend the weekend at the lake, doing nothing but relaxing all weekend...... we were this close.... and then reality finally hit me.  I love my house, my gardens, my firepit, my bathroom, and my bed to much to spend weekends away from them.  We decided to pass on the camper, we weren't sure that was the correct decision but it's the one we made for now.  

So Friday I'm driving home from work for a 3 day weekend and I think..... now I could be rushing home to pack up and go camping for 3 days or I could be rushing home to spend 3 days working around the house, which would I rather be doing?  Work around the house won hands down!!  

Now I know we made the right decision, I'm not sure I could relax for 3 days, lawn chairs and me don't get along very well .... right now camping is not for me, unless I can do it in my backyard.  This photo shows what I need to do..... my flower beds are out of control, what would they do without me?

Flower Fireworks

How about a flower pic again.  My flower beds are getting really ignored by me so far this spring.  They better learn how to grow without me, and they do!!    I had a couple come over Tuesday night for plants, I had about 14 people so far this spring and there are tons left, it may be time to get out the wheelbarrow and compost pile.... if that hurts you, gives you a little pain in the tummy, you feel bad for them, you have lots of space in your gardens, you love plants and can't bear to see them die..... than get over here and take some off my hands. 

Summertime

Bring on summertime.

More wedding photos + Happy Tuesday

Doing some editing tonight and I didn't think you would mind a few more pics from the wedding this weekend. 

This photo is so right for the weather we are having.  I actually love the heat but most of the population could use a cool down time and this was the bride during her cool down moment.

If you didn't notice the bride is wearing two different dresses..... the first dress was worn until she hid away to change and make her second appearance in "her" wedding gown during the grand march.  Both dresses were beautiful but it could have been the girl inside the dress : )   The unique details this bride brought to her wedding were remarkable, she wanted their day to be special and that it was.  I enjoyed the entire day and loved watching the beginning of a long marriage.

Weddings make me happy and I have 4 more this year..... :)

Miss El is Seven today

Our little girl turned 7 today.  She is such a sweet little girl, tonight after soccer we stopped at Subway for sandwiches to eat at our house.  Her mommy and Garrett went home since it hot and late..... Garrett needed his space and his bed.  We are eating our sandwiches and Elly says "Grandma I really like it when I have mayo on my sandwich but that's okay if there's not any, I'll still eat it"...  she's such a polite little girl. 

For dessert of course we had Subway cookies, who has time to bake a cake with my crazy schedule!!

and one more of our little girl and little Miss Mallory in the background.

Sneak Peek

What a weekend!!!  A fabulous day, great couple, good company and lots of photos.  I was very honored to share in Rachel and Eric's day, they had such a care free attitude about their day and everything was perfect.   Here are a couple of pics and hopefully my days get back to normal this week.  Rachel and Eric are such a fun couple and great friends.   Skip the normal and get right to the FUN shots.

What a day, what a week, a bear???? oh my!!

This week has been extremly busy for me.  Having 3 photo shoots, decorating for a wedding, a quality audit at work, and I end the week with wedding photos.  All are exciting and scary, I know how to do all of them very well so why should I be nervous?  Because I am, because that is what I do....if I wasn't there would be something wrong with me.  As of tonight everything is done except the wedding photos.   Today we passed our audit with no findings, that's huge!!  We finished the decorating by 7, that's huge!!  and then while watching Greys a bear walks through my flower beds next to the patio door.

Yep a bear

I thought it was a bunny rabbit that caught my eye outside the patio door, I turned to see a bear running through my flower beds, scrambled for my camera that was sitting next to me on the couch.... lens cap flying and I only had my little 50mm lens on so it will have to do, no time for changing the settings so whatever is set is gonna have to work.  I rush out on the deck to take pictures and then all of a sudden the bear looks back at me and I think "what's behind me?"  I slowly turn around to see........ no more bears.  Thank goodness! 

So Lynn and Shannon you didn't want to hang out at the hunting cabin because there were pictures of bear on the deer camera...... do you want to come over here for a campfire???

For those that don't know where I live..... that is not my house in the photo, it's an eyesore we live next to and we do not live near a woods, so where this bear came from and where he was going is crazy. 

Soccer game

I watched the girls soccer game tonight and loved it, the action that happens in this sport rocks!!  Last year watching Elly's soccer games were fun and I could have watched them every night but these girls know their sport.  So many times they took a really fast hard ball to the gut, their head, their chest and kept on moving, I'm not really sure but pretty sure that one of those balls would have hit me I would have been in the fetal position with a white flag waving above my head.   John knows their coach very well and you can just see it from the side lines that he lives, breaths and talks soccer.  What he has done with these girls is rewarding for all of them and himself.   You have to wonder when seeing the coach give the half time speech what is really happening over there, too bad I don't have a mic on this lens.

Now for some action shots.

I was working really hard to capture a shot to the head and I got it, wrong team by hey I'll take what I get.  Our girl kicked it right at her, now look how close they are..... don't tell me you wouldn't be on the ground with me waving your own white flag.

Soccer makes me happy and I can't wait till next week when Elly starts.

Shiny coats in Step back Monday

A good friend of mine let me come practice on her horses.  She wanted some photo squares for her laundry room and what better than photos of her own horses.  Horses are so big and scare the beejezzeeze out of me when they are too close but I didn't get scared once even when they were running crazy fast around the pen with me inside.  They are beautiful animals as long as there are people like my friend to take good care of them. 

Their pasture was so big and beautiful.  The sun shining onto the open field lighting up her shiny coat.  I have to admit I could have spent an hour or two just watching the horses and soaking up the sunshine.  They have a very peaceful home in the backyard and a owner that loves them very much. 

Thank you Miss Wendy for letting me come into your backyard and play with my camera. 

Sneak Peek El and Gar-Man

Elly is turning 7 the end of this month and Garrett hits his 18 month milestone.  We went on a photo shoot today to see if we could capture this momment and hang onto it forever.  Both kids did really great, El is not a fan of the camera but she worked it today.  Shannon and her watch Top Model so Shan kept yelling out comments from the show and she reacted, it was so cute to see that connection between the two of them. 

Garrett on the other hand was a boy on the go, there is no time for pictures.

Garrett says CHEESE and his eyes squint into little slits. 

Elly trying to work the dress.

Elly with her serious look..... our next Top Model

Garrett is so done with pictures, but this probably my favorite.

Our Last Graduate

As we were walking away from the school I asked John if he ever thought we would have helped all three of our children through post-secondary education.  Had you ever dreamed of the day we watched our youngest child walk across the stage to recieve his dipolma. 

Yes his dipolma is upside down, he did that on purpose.  I did catch it and took a few with it right side up but this is Adam, always a jokester.

Beautiful Trees

Ouch! Excuse me while I pass out

I would pass out but my legs hurt too bad that I can't.  Seriously I've been going to the gym for 7 weeks and by now my leg muscles shouldn't hurt so bad, but they do.  I have to stop doing the squats, step, knees, or whatever else she shouts out that we do over and over again.  I grab my legs, make a stupid face that I see in the mirror while I try not to pass out and then I think about Friday morning and the 1 milliontrillionzillion squats we will have to do..... I'll save the passing out for then. 

So after class I ask Jenn why my legs hurt so bad and when that will go away? Being the nice person that she is standing there all sweaty asking me lots of questions about my hurting legs she politely beats around the bush until I finally get it and I say "I'm weak, my legs are weak". Are you kidding me? Somehow our conversation goes into what I eat..... well that may be the problem. Jenn says I need to eat fruit and vegetables, who has ever heard about that? Like eat them everyday??? Like apples, oranges, broccoli, and carrots..... who eats this stuff? And...... yes there is more.... I should eat lean meat, more than just meat on pizza and add whole grains. I know I eat wrong (I didn't think it was that wrong) but this morning Jenn somehow made me believe that I need to change some of my everyday eating habits. I seriously eat the same thing all the time. Last week when I went out for lunch the waiter said "ohhhh Connie going out on a limb today" when I order a Chicken Taco Salad, it wasn't my usual Chicken Ranch Wrap.

Tonight for supper I had turkey, broccoli & cauliflower and then this for dessert.

along with about 7 others.  We'll give this eating lifestyle a try but the day I pass out during squats someone please prop me up and feed me a Special K Bar because I am probably going through withdrawals, I've eaten 1 every morning for breakfast for the last 3 years.  : )

Proud Parents

This week is Adam's final week of school and he passed all his classes! {insert loud squeal here} He graduates this Saturday and I cannot tell you how proud we are of him. The person he has become is amazing from what we were told by the teaching experts of the school when he was in grade school and middle school. When he entered his Freshman year of High School he could read at a 2nd grade level, the chances of him graduating were slim, another scare was that he would turn 18 before his Senior year and with the frustrations of not being able to read and write like other kids his age he would probably drop out and there was nothing we could do about it. We plugged on with our love, support and guessing parenting skills, even though this was our 3 child they were all different and your skills have to change with everyone of them. Our excitement came when Adam got a D on his report card vs an F. We rewarded him for C's, tried to discipline the best we knew how about the food fight he started, dealt with the bus issues (I'll never forget the bus driver chewing me out in the credit union about how horrible my son was and all the customer staring at me), and gave him space to grow. It worked, he graduated and attended technical school in the welding program. Technical school hasn't been a bed of roses either, many bumps in this last year. Failed a class the first semester, ran our of money, difficulties with friendships, living alone away from home, missing the girlfriend, and lack of cooking skills he lost the freshman 15 instead of gaining it, and he didn't have it to lose. Today he called me while taking his welding test to ask me to make him a haircut appointment, we chatted and then he said he needed to go back to taking his welding test, I said " I love you sweetie, and good luck" he says "I love you too". That made my day even if he didn't pass his test, but he did and he's graduating in 4 days. The buttons are popping off our shirts, we are so proud of him....... but...... there is always a but....... my baby is growing up, I need someone to take care of, someone to need me, someone to come home and say "mom I'm home, mom I'm home..... MOM I'M HOME".   Anyone want to move in with us?

Now for the POTD, of course it's about Adam and what else would it be but his pride and joy.

Yep it's still in our yard and it runs, the stacks on the trunk work they blow black smoke which he thinks is cool, Michelle says keep the windows open cause the inside fills up with smoke too. If this isn't my brothers rubbing off on him I don't know what is, sometimes I think I'm still a kid living at home with my brothers. So let's tell a story about my brothers and cousins. So Wally, Rusty and Loren had this car that they cut the roof off to make a convertible. They drove around town in their new convertible and it was painted kinda like Adam's car and they thought they were cool. Later that night they parked the car by the highway with a NOT FOR SALE sign on it. I woke up and wondered why they would burn that car so close to the road but they do stupid stuff so I watched it for awhile. I then decided I should ask Wally about it so I wandered out to his garage bedroom and asked about the fire....... FIRE!!! Let’s just say the fire trucks greeted my mother and father as they returned home after working at the bar.  All us kids sat on the steps and watched it burn.   The car wasn't supposed to be on fire but a spark from them cutting off the roof got into the seat and hours later started the car on fire. Wally still tells this story to everyone along with calling me by my nick-name that I won't mention on here. A couple weeks ago I see him in the bar and he yells __________. How embarrassing.... this is my Adam, he is all Wally!!

He even has a girlfriend that helps him be Wally...... and we love her for that.

Congratulations Adam we love you and are very proud of you.  Also thank you to Michelle for helping him believe in himself, without you this may not have happened.  We love you both.

My cuties

All 3 of the grandkids are getting so big, it's amazing how fast they grow. 

Elly is the oldest and by far the teacher of the other two.  She gets their sippy cups and blankets without complaining, she plays with them and loves to make them giggle.  She needs the most attention from Grandma but her and I have a special bond that I don't believe will ever be broken.  She was like our 4th child for almost 3 years and a special place in our hearts will remain hers.  Yeap she's wrapped around my little finger.

Garrett the middle grandchild is a momma's boy.  He's starting to run to me for a kiss and hug as soon as he gets here.  We started going on walks to look at the pond and riding his trike so I became his best friend and he never forgets what we did the last time he was here.  He babbles like we all know what he's talking about, when they turn into real words we are all in trouble.  When this little guy comes running with those beautiful blue eyes and a big ole smile I drop everything.

Mallory the youngest (for now) has been very different than the other two.  She is not a snuggler, she is not an easy laugher (you have to really work for her giggles).  You can see that her eyes, hands, ears, and mouth are always learning, there's a lot of her looks and personality that reminds me of her auntie Shannon.   If you want her to come sit on your lap just open a book and start to read, she'll be there in two seconds.

I know it's step back Monday but with these cute little faces I'm sure you will forgive me.  :)

1 Year Photos - Sneak Peek

A little girl needed her 1 year photos taken, I was so happy to do this for her but really couldn't believe how that year has gone by so fast.  

There are many more but those will have to wait until after this little cutie turns 1. 

Tulips

If it's cold and snowy outside you have to bring spring inside.

I used to not bother with Tulips, they are fussy and don't seem to mulitply very fast for me..... I learned the trick and what a difference it makes.   You have to let the tulips die back completely before you remove the stems and leaves.  The bulb needs energy to produce flowers the next year and the way they get that energy is from the stems and leaves.  They are really ugly while they die back so I would just cut them down to the ground level, now I plant something in front of them so you can't see them and what a difference it makes the next spring.  I have to say I am a Tulip fan again. 

My door looks pretty darn good back there too.  :)

That bad four letter word.....

SNOW in May, what's up with that?

I didn't want to get off the couch while snuggled in front of the pellet stove wrapped in a blanket to take my POTD but I did just for you.  I also didn't want to take a POTD of what was happening outside but I knew that a year from now someone would ask...... remember when it snowed 2 inches in May and then I'd be able to go back and find out exactly when it did.  I seriously go back a year or two looking for what we were doing a year ago, when "X" happened, when the tulips started blooming, and what the weather was like.  Without this POTD my family would forget a lot of memories.

We planted this flowering crab tree that we got from the kids for Mother's and Father's Day, this year it has tons of flowers and with the weight of the snow the top can't even stand up but it's so pretty.  I secretly even like it with the snow, it wasn't that cold outside when I walked around taking not only 1 POTD but 34 POTD's, my camera was a little wet by the time I came in.

Pink Puff Tree

This is the bush that caused me to stop the other night, I go by it at least twice everyday and I've watched it start as tiny dark pink balls into light pink puffs. 

Black Cat

 So I don't like cats.... I try to avoid them but for some reason they like me.  If there is one in the area it will find me and rub all over my legs while purrrrrrrrring and wrapping it's tail sixteen times around my leg.  YUCK,  that gives me the willy nillys just thinking about it.   I'm very, very allergic to them also, one day we had a meeting with a bride and her mom, about 20 minutes talking to her I started to sneeze, eyes swelled and watered had to get up and leave the area..... she has a cat and I was sitting next to her.

So last night I'm on my way home and see this beautiful pink blossom tree and decide to pull over and snap a few photos from the sidewalk.  I'm there for about 5 minutes and just before I get back in the truck I decide to walk across the street and take a shot right down the front of the walkway.  I walk across the street, look through my camera and YIKES a black cat is looking back at me.  Was the dang thing sitting there the whole time?  Does a black cat crossing your path give you bad luck?  Did he cross my path if he just sat there and stared at me?  But the best question is should I take a photo with him in it or shooooo him away?  I decide to let him sit there only because if I started to shoooooo him my luck the thing would come running towards me to rub on my legs and then I'd be grossed out so I'd run and a car would go by and run him over since I was standing in the middle of the road.  Now I don't like cats but I don't want to see them smucked by a car either because someone does love him.  So tonights photo is not something I would ever think of taking but for some reason it really worked for me, I can't imagine it without him and I know he can't rub on me anymore.  

Looks like the UPS man was there to drop off packages.  Don't you just love UPS packages?

Happy Club Time

Tonight was our first Photography Club Meeting......  so we are calling it.  There are just a few of us that got together to talk photography, cameras, lens, settings..... and it was so much fun.  We learn from each other along with enjoying each others company and having a girls night out doing what we love.  We spent about the first hour talking and then headed outside to practice metering.  Here is my favorite photo from the night (love the blur).

The next two are the different metering shots the shot on the left I metered off the sky which makes the exposure very light.  The shot on the right I metered off the barn which darkens up the sky and makes the barn a really dark red. 

Both photos are SOOC and both I would considered good photos but what a difference. Wanna come have fun with us? Send me an e-mail and I'll share the details.

For Happy Tuesday - Photography Club makes me happy and I can't wait for the next one.  Now it's time for a couple glasses of home-made wine to counter act the glass of soda I had.

Living The Good Life

We have went the back way over to Lynn and Jesse's a hundred times but this Saturday we were coming home and seen this......I have no idea why we didn't see this the 99 other times.  Funny John didn't see it, Miller is like a magnet with his eyeballs. 

Today this makes a great Step Back Monday Photo as we're "Living The Good Life".

Eyebrows

The kids all came over for a cook-out today.  The highlight for the girls was to wax and tweeze eyebrows, I know we're a strange family.  After Shan was done I grabbed the camera to take a picture and Mallory fell down and started screaming so this is what I got, not the right settings at all.  I actually forgot I took it until I uploaded the photos tonight.  I don't get many pictures of Shannon so here she is sporting her glamorous eyebrows, she can make a wrong settings photo look fantastic. 

Wild hair in this wind

Today is a blustery day, John and I got the Jeep out, took the top down and just sat in the driveway.... okay we didn't but it would have been the same thing.  We took a drive and I found this guy who should have been wearing a hat more than me.  I was feeling pretty after this :)