1 more day

Here is a shot of the garage with everything jammed in.  This was taken on Sunday and I just hauled another truckload over tonight....   Take a quick peak around and make note of all the fun stuff.   It's going to be a super hot day but these cool colors will make it worth the stop.   

Jazzed Up Junk starts Wednesday afternoon and again all day Thursday, see you there.

Early Morning Shopper

Those darn early Black Friday shoppers.... why are they so excited and nervous about the whole idea of getting up super early to get the best deals of the season, stand outside in the cold, fight the crowds, haul those huge boxes around just to stand in a check out line that wraps all the way around the store.  I just don't get it.... I am one of those early Black Friday Shoppers but I'm so relaxed about the whole thing.

Here I am getting a really restful nights sleep.

Okay so I sleep in my clothes on the couch, tie my alarm clock to my belly and hummmmm Christmas carols all night until the first chime on the alarm wakes me and sends me flying around the house getting ready before my sisters pick me up to spend the early morning hours shopping for great deals that I need none of but it's so fun I just can't miss it.

As we're walking into Target I slam my face against the glass and beg for Gayle to take my picture so I can send it to the Target commercial lady (she's my idol).  Well no picture, they just walk away from me like I'm crazy..... who knew?

We shop and as I'm walking out with this huge box and 7 target bags wrapped around my fingers.  I peak over the box to make sure I don't trip over anyone and I see this guy I eyeball him up from one end to the other.  I can't take my eyes off his... you know what...... it's GINORMOUS.   He notices me, our eyes lock and it's love at first sight (well for me anyway) I have all I can do to hang onto this huge box, my purse and the bags cutting off the circulation in my fingers, I think I might have to accidentally run into him just so I can have it touch me..... but then it happens....... he talked to me.  I still can't take my eyes off his......... 

Canon camera with a really, really nice lens. 

Guy with really ginormous you know what - "Excuse me, may I take your photo"

Me - "What, are you kidding me I didn't shower this morning, my hair is a mess, I can't see over this box, and my fingers are a deep shade of purple" breath "Sure"

Guy - "Great just keep walking and ignore me"

Me thinking - {Yeah right you have a really huge.....}

Me - "Okay, where do you want me to walk"

Guy - "Where ever you were going to go"

Me - "Okay, this is weird"

Guy - {500 beautiful shutter sounds}

Me - "Wow you're taking lots of frames per minute, what kind of camera do you have"

Guy and Me - {Lots of camera talk that I won't bore you with as it's only 10 degrees outside and my sister Gayle is freezing}

Guy takes a notebook out of his pocket, you know the kind like in the movies with the spiral wire on the top and he flips it open grabs a pencil from his ear, taps it onto the notebook to force it down into his fingers for writing - "What is your name and where are you from"

Me - "Oh boy, where are you from?"

Guy - "The Marshfield News Herald"

Me - "Oh great, if you put me on the front page without a shower that will not be a good thing"

Guy - {laughing}

Me - "I wasn't kidding"

Okay so let's skip to Saturday night about 5:00 - My girlfriend calls me on my cell phone and says "Connie Hemmer I hope that big gift is for me"  Oh no you're kidding me....... Front page and she says like an 11x14..... I haven't seen it yet but at least on line it's really small.

Now if only I would have gotten that guys number.....

Here's the link to the story, only one picture.  I'm not sure what he did with the other 499.  here

Inside the Bag

Okay girls you asked.... here is the inside of the camera bag. I have to figure out how to arrange the dividers but everything is so cozy and comfy in there no matter how you do it. The bag looks wide in the photo but when you zip it it's no bigger than a purse..... of course bigger than any purse I have ever had in my life.

Now the question is how did I take a photo of the inside of my camera bag when my camera is in the bag...... that some creative photoshopping!! Okay, it's my 2nd camera, 1st SLR, that I still have, I have my first camera a 35mm too, they have taken up residency on my closet shelf. I'm on my 4th camera and dream of a 5th.

Happy 28th First Date Anniversary to me....

Many of you know that I have been looking at buying a new camera for quite some time. I've looked it up online, read everything there is to read about it, cussed my ESO XTi out many times, wrote down all the pros and cons for replacement with all pointing to BUY IT, but I have what we call "buyers anxiety". During hunting season when we went shopping and I touched it for the first time, yep I held the 50D in my hands and fired away a few hundred shots of people in the store. I fell in love, with a camera that it. I couldn't get this camera out of my mind so I talked to John last weekend about it, thinking he would bring sense to my non-sense. Nope he says "go buy it today".... what???? husbands are suppose to talk sense into our heads about large purchases not encourage us. I stood my ground and didn't go buy it, he can't talk me into buying it I won't do it!! No matter how nice he is and how much he wants me to have it I won't do it, no sir-e, I'm not buying a new camera.

So today since I didn't go down South for my nephews wedding (bad weather) John and I decided to take back a few items to a couple of stores before the snow hits here. I thought that I could control myself in the store that I had to take an item back to but I just needed to touch it again, it was like calling my name....seriously I heard it. So I take another hundred photos and reviewed the previous photos that I had taken a month ago.... they seriously were still on there. The sales guys says "can I help you with something?", I ask a few questions about the camera, he brags it up, of course. I look at John and say "what do you think?".... "buy it or you have to shut up about it". What???? that is what I told him when he considered buying or not buying the Jeep, he can't use that crap on me, I won't let that threat make me do something I don't want to do! So I bought it!!!!! Seriously I don't think I could have shut up about it. The sales guy gets the camera out of the locked cabinet and carries it with him. Then the sales guy tries to talk me into a camera bag, extra battery and lens filter all of which I already have but I go to look to see what they have, but the sales guy leaves my camera sitting on the counter... I stood there like a pointer dog just pointing my nose at the box "Ummmm sir you can go get them I'll just stand here and watch the box"... he grabs the box and walks over to the bags and since my BUYERS ANXIETY is in full force I knock over 2 stacks of camera bags, yep not just one but 2 stacks.... I can't think.... the sales guy is talking and trying to sell me things and I can't focus or comprehend what he is saying. I tell the guy... "the camera is all I can handle today". For some reason he stops his sales pitching... I must have been white as a ghost. The Canon 50D is mine with a image stabilizing (28-135) lens. I walk out of the store with very, very weak knees but my heart is so freaking happy I can hardly breath.

Here is MY new camera, I still can't believe it!!

It is our 28th Anniversary to our first date, that's an okay reason for a present, right? Here is the first picture with the new dream machine. It was just faintly snowing but you sure can see it with the 15.1mega pixels.

Now here's the test One of these pictures is taken with the new camera and the other with the old camera, same settings, same distance, and no photo shopping on either one. Can you guess which one is which?

I am very, very happy with my purchase, I think I might of even wet my pants (just kidding) but why do I feel so guilty? My old camera has taken 16,755, pictures for the last 4 years. it still is a very good camera. My film SLR was about 4 years before that one with hundreds of rolls of film ran through it and the 35mm before that.

Pajama Wine

Today Starla, Gayle and I went shopping again, it's our annual shopping trip that we used to do with the girls. Kristi, Lynn and Shannon would come along with us and we would have a really good time entertaining them. We would see a movie, eat lunch, shop, laugh, and just enjoy our time together.

There are a few highlights from those years that we will never forget, like the year Lynn whined about wanting a Charlotte Hornets Jacket and I wouldn't buy her one (really I did but it was a present so I couldn't tell her). Going to see "The First Wives Club" and those darn girls giggled through the whole movie because the actresses reminded them of us. Starla was Diane Keaton, Gayle was Bette Midler and I was Goldie Hawn and their story lines even matched our personalities. The lost child in the town that shut down all the restaurants so we couldn't find a place to eat. Purposely parking in the very back of the parking lot due to all the harassment about having to walk so far. Having the only spot in the truck without a package was one cup holder.

The first year without the girls was tough on all of us, it was a good thing Kristi and Lynn moved away the same year and Shannon had a baby so none of them were able to go without the others and we either had to stop the tradition or continue on without them.... well that year we filled that truck more than ever and there were only 3 of us. We sure do miss them but there is never a dull moment.

We have outgrown the movie but this year we stopped at the winery on the way home. A new tradition has started!! The winery has a new wine and it's name is "Pajama Red" with a name like that you have to know it's good. I snatched up a few bottles before closing their doors for the season.

Early Morning Black Friday

We get home late from our Thanksgiving Feast and I have to sleep fast, my alarm is set for 4AM. Yep it's early but not for shopping on black Friday, my niece Shawna is leaving at 3AM to be there in time to scope out the shelves so she can be in the right spot when the sale starts. We are crazy but it's so much fun. I don't need anything and neither does Starla, Gayle or Lynn but we're heading to the nearest town with stores for the door busting sales. Sleepers still in our eyes, gulping down the caffeine, and talking a mile a minutes with excitement. Here's the view of the check out line at Wally world. We snuck out in automotive and didn't have to wait in this unorganized mess. When we returned to the front of the store to leave we would have been in the same spot had we not found a faster route.

And a bonus picture just because it's my favorite store and their idea of organized chaos was much more my style. We started in the line at the back of the store, they were formed on each side of the store and just about joined in the back but it went way fast. This was before 6:30 AM and we're at our 2nd store.