A website is an ever-changing presence… especially when you have no clue what you’re doing!

I have been wanting to have a slideshow section on my site, but that has required not only learning how to make slideshows, but also learning how to add them to my already existing site. Well, luckily I was born with a fair share of brains (thanks, Dad!), and I have finally figured out how to do both.

Granted, the list is a bit lacking at the moment, but it will be growing steadily, so check back often for new additions!

Here’s to website design. And getting Dad’s brains. Cheers!

My oldest daughter, Morgan, was Japanese in a previous life. Really. Those of you who know her know that I’m not kidding. She listens to Japanese music, watches Japanese films and tv shows, and even teaches herself the language. It is her goal to one day visit Japan. I’m not sure how it started, but the girl loves the Japanese (and most other Asian) cultures. Hey, I’m just glad that she studies something with such passion!

She is also very creative. She loves photography. Can’t imagine where she got that. So imagine my surprise that she knew all about bokeh, which of course comes from a Japanese word. Bokeh is simply the blurring of out-of-focus points of light caused by a shallow depth of field. My fabulous lens on my fabulous camera does this quite well, and Morgan discovered it on our recent Chicago trip.

Here are some of the cool (at least I thought so) bokeh shots that she got during the nine hour ride home.

One other cool fact about bokeh: if you cut out a piece of paper to fit over the lens, leaving a shaped cutout in the middle, the bokeh effect takes on that shape. Morgan had to try it out when I told her.

And there’s your Japanese/photography/what-to-do-when-you’re-bored-in-the-car lesson for today! Cheers!

• It’s amazing the transformation an almost-six year old makes when he gets an extra hour of sleep. Putting Alex to bed at 7:30 rather than 8:30 has turned him from a whiney-baby (yes, that’s my technical term) into an excited, happy child ready for school.
• It’s amazing the amount of things I can get done in a day if I don’t go back to bed after the kids go off to school (I admit I do this once in awhile!).
• It’s amazing how hungry watching the Food Network can make you (even if you’ve just had dinner)!
• It’s amazing that I am actually ready for the summer to end and cooler weather to come.
• It’s amazing that my mother doesn’t like cilantro. Seriously. It’s like, the best herb ever. Mom, you’re just weird.

And the photo of the day: my Jessie girl on her 11th birthday. Yes, that’s silly string, and yes, she’s covered in it.

Here’s to being covered in silly string. And being okay with it. Cheers!

Life is back to normal. Whatever that is. Back to getting up twice in the morning to get 4 kids off to 3 schools. Back to hurridly making school lunches and rushing to make the bus. Back to after school snacks (does anyone else’s children prefer their cereal after school rather than before, or is it just my weirdos?). Back to the “aw, mom”s that follow the announcement of homework time. Back to early bedtimes and earlier dinner times.

Most children carry books, pencils, and notes to school every day, along with long faces and laments over a summer now gone. My girls are mostly living up to this famously. When asked about her first day of school, Morgan simply said “no.” Helen offered little more, adding that it was good to see her friends. Jessie was a bit perkier. She is starting middle school this year, and is excited about a new school and changing classes.

Alex? Alex got up two and a half hours before he needed to be at school. He talked of nothing else. He dressed himself, ate breakfast, and had his teeth brushed before I could even drag myself out of bed to take him to his first day of Kindergarden. Some of you may remember our failed attempt at Kindergarden last year. Needless to say, he only lasted 2 weeks before we decided to pull him out. I now know it was the right decision, because he is a different person this year. He assured me more than once that he will be fine, and this year, I believe him.

I can’t believe I have a senior this year:

My middle schoolers:

Backpack and all. He was ready to go!

Looking a little more trepidatious in the classroom, but not needing mommy to stay (sniff sniff).

Here’s to getting your learn on! Cheers!

My girls started school yesterday. Where has the summer gone? I was sure we had at least one more week at the beach coming! Oh well. I must have missed it. The little man is a Kindergardener this year, and is at school today for his one day this week. He will start full time on Monday. That leaves me in a house all by myself. All. Day. Long.

While I do miss their laughter, I need the time to catch up on work stuffs. Ew. I know. But fun, photo-filled blog posts coming up as a result! And as a little tease, here’s a photo from Sherri and Nathan’s wedding that I will soon cover in more detail:

Here’s to catching up! Cheers!

My Jessie Girl loves to dance. Loves. It. And I love that she loves it! The girl is a true performer, let me tell you. Yes, she gets nervous. Yes, she blushes and giggles. Yes, she’s always worried about making a mistake. But she gets out there and does it anyway. I adore that about her! And, oh yeah, she is so very good at it!

She was a munchkin in the Wizard of Oz ballet production. How completely, totally, and absolutely adorable is that costume???

Not only does she do ballet, but tap as well:

Not only does she do ballet and tap, but jazz as well:

Not only does she do ballet, tap, and jazz, but hip hop as well:

The girl can dance, I tell ya! I am one proud parent. I also took a few shots of some of Morgan’s friends who were also in the recital.

Thanks, Jessie, for making sure that we all get our culture on! Here’s to dancing, whether or not someone is watching. Cheers!

I’m a photographer. I take photos. LOTS of photos. There is nothing more meaningful to me than capturing the important memories. Forever. For myself. For my clients. For my family. For future generations. Sometimes this responsibility gets a bit stressful. Sometimes I place too much emphasis on the art aspect of the process, rather than the memories. Sometimes I have to reel myself in.

Not every photo will be perfect. But every photo is a memory. Good or bad. My own family photos aren’t usually as technically or as artistically “good” as those that I do for clients. But they are just as important to me. They are real life. They are MY life. They are glimpses into a moment that I will want to remember. Forever.

I want to remember forever the beautiful eyes of my daughter, and the cheeseball grin of my son. This is real life.

I want to remember forever simple things, like sitting outside while waiting for a table at a restaurant. And the way my kids look at me with that uh-oh-mom’s-taking-photos-again look. This is real life.

I want to remember forever the simple joy on my nephew’s face when he didn’t know I had the camera pointed at him. This is real life.

Some call it photojournalistic. And it is. It’s a photo representation of life. And I love it. Here’s to real life. Cheers!