Another first for me

I'm really ashamed to admit this. But I have lived in Utah for 9 years and not once have I really gone downtown to just take pictures of the temple. I've gone for the lights and to conference, but this is the first time I've really taken pictures of it. Sad huh?

Well after our family portrait shoot the other night, Jen and I went to take pictures of the temple. This one is my favorite one from my first batch. She convinced me to try and shoot in RAW, but now I need a converter to look at the pictures. So I had to settle for one of my JPG shots. I messed with it a bunch of different ways, and thought I would get opinions on which one you guys like.

Thanks Jen for taking me! (Well I guess technically, I took you since I drove!) It was so much fun! And the bakery was deeeeli-sh! I'll have to go back for the yummy turkey again! So much easier to take pictures of a building than a screaming-fighting-stubborn-bribes don't work for- 3 year old! I think I'll take more pictures of things! I think it's official...I've got the photog bug!


This one just has a few retouches

This one has some awesome photo overlays from Cat Scraps

Here is the same overlays but in Black & White

Different arrangement of overlays



And this one has a few more textures and blending modes. Kinda gives it a canvas feel!

So which treatment is your favorite? I'd love to hear. Then when I get the rest of my pictures, I will share them as well!

Everyone's invited!

As some of you know I am a HUGE fan of Jessica Sprague, and the classes that she has taught! Well she has announced that there will be a new class offered next month that will be amazing! For one it's FREE! That's right. FREE! So if you've ever wanted to try out digital scrapping, just to see if you'd like it. Now's your chance! This class is not just about scrapping, but also about the stories that you can tell. Whether you want to have better journaling on your layouts, or just write better in your personal journals, this class will teach you tools to get results that you may be lacking in your writing. And even though I just took the Type+Writer class, I still plan on taking this class as well! She's just so amazing, I can't imagine missing any classes! (Yah, she's THAT good!!)

So here's the information on it. Hope to "see" you all in the class!

(click on the link above to go to her site, then you can register from there!)

Registration opens on Monday!

Random Fun-Ness!

We went to Nikelle's last volleyball game of the "season" (it was only 5 weeks for us!) tonight. We got there in plenty of time, so in order to entertain Carissa, we walked the halls of the school. In doing so, I saw a pretty common high school scene that is pretty normal for most, but at Paradigm, they don't have the lockers installed. Someday maybe when the school is "finished" they will eventually get them in, but for now....nada! So I thought it would be fun to take a shot of the line of lockers! Just trying to think outside the box when it comes to taking pictures of things other than people!

The girls did really well. They lost to the first team (which was the home team), and then they won both the sets for the second team. They always play better for the second team, like the first one is just a "warm-up"

Then when the game was over we were walking out to the van to head home, when we see this GLORIOUS VW bus! Not only is it pimped out, but it is BLUE! And one of the girls' nicknames is "Smurf", so we had to stop and take pictures of the BUS! And then I got carried away! But who can resist the 1962 VW Bus???? (NOT ME!) My kiddo's call them "hippie-vans"!

So here is the back end of the van.....YUP....the crazy guy is selling this beauty!!!!

And I was just messing around with this one, but really LOVE how it turned out! HOw's that for "ARTsy"?

And anyone who has a "Vote for Nathan Petrelli" sticker in the back window has got to be my new BFF! (Anyone who doesn't watch "Heroes" won't have a clue what that means!)

I may have to do a search to see if I can find one of these.....seriously cool for the die-hard "heroes" fan! Guess I find myself in the "see-it-gotta-have-it" category!

Are you KIDDING me?????

That's about ALL I can say about October 11th! SOooooo NOT ready for winter yet! I was practically in tears looking for winter shoes....and then I had to wear SOCKS! Whaaaaa-aaaaaa!

Fun idea

Just thought I would put up a few pictures from a fun reception I went with Nikelle to. We got an invite from her first Oakcrest councelor, and of course she wanted to go. Because this gal is such a "fun" person, they had a "celebratory carnival"! I was a bit concerned about how this was going to work with the cold weather, but I needn't have worried. They moved it inside and everyone had a great time! They even had a big blow-up bouncy house inside the cultural hall at the church!

It was a fun little "carnival" with the works: cotton candy, popcorn, cupcakes (with little pinwheels...so cute!) snow-cones (yup, even though it was FREEZING!) and yummy treats! It was really a fun little time! Nikelle even got her face painted!

But the highlight was the "balloon ARTIST"! This wasn't your ordinary balloon-animal-maker guy. He was extrodinary! (AND......he had the coolest PURPLE shoes to go with his TUX & top HAT!!) I've NEVER seen anything quite like it. He told us that he made over 300 different things, including 7 different princesses! We saw him make a sumo wrestler, a ballerina (on point ), horses, giraffes, dragons, sunflowers, and crowns. So Nikelle tried to throw him off and asked for a penguin.....but of course he could do it! And isn't it the cutest one EVER!

Then of course we had to get the Ariel one to bring home for Carissa! Wish I had some pictures of her playing with it when we brought it home, but she had just gotten out of the bath, and wanted to "swim" with her in the living room. (this is of course before the pj's got on! which explains the no picture!)

So here's a picture of Nikelle with her councelor from her first year.

Then her second councelor got there and they got to catch up for a bit.

So fun to meet some of these special gals that work with the Oakcrest program! They are all so special! Nikelle will always have fond memories of those camps!

Volleyball

Since starting high school, Nikelle has joined the volleyball team. She enjoys playing and is working hard on her serving. I was lucky enough to go to her game last friday to see her in action. She loves to be in the center front position where she can talk smack to the other team's

center. I thought it just looked so cool with the two of them talking right before the serve!

Then I snapped this picture at the end of the first set of games (they lost...bummer). We have a team of about 15 girls, all at different skill levels. Some are just starting to play this year for the first time (Nikelle) and others have several years experience, which is nice cause this is the first year Paradigm has had a girls volleyball team. They mostly play other private/charter schools, so we travel quite a bit. The closest game is in Eagle Mountain, and the farthest one is in Price.

The Announcement(s)!

Well the "announcement" that you're all anticipating, (well like 5 of you!) and the one that I seem to be having a hard time admitting to myself! I am currently living in two different worlds. The teenage world.....and the toddler world. Sometimes they just co-habitate, and sometimes the universe aligns both worlds and I have two ginormous events happening simultaneously. This is one of those times.

I'll start with the "toddler" world. I've had a whole week to think about this and get this post put together, and I just don't seem to be able to put into words exactly how I feel about it! Everyone knows and accepts that their kids grow up.....eventually. After all, I have 2 older kids that have "grown up", so I should be able to grasp this concept. But I have been in total denial with my little "baby"growing up!

I had made the appropriate arrangements to get her into preschool, and got her on a waiting list. (Just at one school. After all I'm in denial right?) When I never heard back from the teacher, I just assumed that I wouldn't have to deal with it until next year. But then 3 weeks after school began, she called and told me that a space had opened up. Of course I was interested! But was I "ready" to send this little stubborn, and very outspoken little 3 year old off to "school"??? I decided to try it, with the understanding that if she isn't ready, then I'll be able to pull her out. She has now been to "school" 3 times and yesterday was better than the last time, and that was better than the first time. So I definitely have some hope that she will someday be able to go to school without me. The bad news is that I haven't left her there. Just haven't been brave enough. She always comes looking for me, and I fear not being there, and she has a melt-down.

The other reason I have neglected this post (and this is a stupid, but valid reason!) is that she was so uncooperative on the first (and second, and third) day of preschool, that I didn't get one good picture. She wouldn't stand still, wouldn't look at me, wouldn't do anything but run away. So these are the best of the first morning. After all, even though the pictures are lousy, they completely explain her right here, right now! Hopefully it will get better, but for now, I just have blurry pictures to show for her "first day of school" experience! And someday when she's looking at the pictures, I will be able to explain to her how STUBBORN she was on the first day of school, (Payback....yup!) and have the proof of it!!

(Should I tell her now or later that the binky has to stay in the backpack?)


Here she is showing Andrew the project that they worked on in school. She was pretty proud of the pictures that she picked out.


I did get some cute pictures the day we went to the store and picked out her backpack. And she also picked out an umbrella, and I could just envision all the cute pictures to be taken (assuming she will cooperate!) so of course I had to get it! Isn't it adorable?


She had already decided that Tinkerbell needed to sleep in the pocket of the new backpack!





Look at the cute little "attitude" in these two shots!! Just makes me smile!

My second world is the oldest. He took his road test for his license tonight!

Waiting (patiently :) for the tester to come out!

Andrew was the one that had the privilege of taking him for his test, and I made him come all the way to get the little camera, and wouldn't you know it, he didn't get a shot of him holding his new (temporary) license. But he did remember when they got to the school to pick up Nikelle from volleyball practice. Not the same, but I guess it will do. He did manage to get a picture with the road tester gal, cause she used to work up in the building he works in now. Thanks hon, but I don't think I NEED a picture of the tester! But nice try!

And here's the official document to show he is "legal"! It was really weird not having to take him to work tonight. He got quite the lecture about the rules, and hopefully won't screw it up in the first 24 hours!

I'm gonna miss hauling him around everywhere. Over the past couple of years, he and I have spent more time in the car than I think I ever was with my parents. And I actually have come to enjoy our conversations. And even his ROCK music! (I've even downloaded some of our favorites on my iPod!) It will seem weird to not have to pick him up from school (but a HUGE blessing) and have that time to talk to them about school and homework and other things. Just doesn't seem that this day is really finally here. I've known it's been coming for awhile now, but I'm in denial that I can actually have a "teenage driver"!

So the universe can return to normal. I guess the next biggest universal clash won't happen for me until 2010. That's when he'll graduate from high school and Carissa will start Kindergarten that fall. Seems like a joke when you think of it like that!