Pics

I figure if i have something to do with my pictures i may not be so afraid of taking more of them. it sounds ridiculous but the more i want to learn about photography, the more i want to capture moments, the more afraid i am to pick up the camera and just click away. i know that you only get better by doing but i'm afraid to just do. as part of my 2008, i am ready to make a difference. i am ready to learn.


a shot of my handsome little man from last fall. i'm still amazed at how grown up he looks...only 3½ in this pic.
it was just the two of us (and the animals, of course). we skipped out into the backyard to run, romp, and just enjoy that last flavour of the crisp fall air before it got too cold out. I love the look in his eyes, his perfect lips.

Plugging away

I've actually picked up my camera and taken some shots of our wedding bands in "P" mode [hip hip horray!]. I can'ts say i've quite figured out what the mode did yet but i'm excited that i actually got pictures in something other than "auto". I also learned that i suffer from camera shake. Yes, the dreaded camera shake! I now know what i have and want to figure out why. Am i pressing the shutter release too fast? Am i breathing the camera in such a way that it makes things worse? Am i not standing in a stable position? Am i doing something that i havent' figured out yet? So many things to consider and try different. I'm excited by this discovery because i know it's something i can work towards fixing.

Another major discovery was learning that my doggie, Shadow, freaks out when i take the camera out. So long as she didn't see it, pretty dog, happy dog. The second she realized I had it out snapping shots, POW, psycho dog BARK BARK JUMP BARK JUMP BARK BARK. You get the point.

Spectaculr proud momma me. Steven is learning to spell and print his name. Standing ovation for my boy!

I need to kick my tail feathers up and get moving on the course i'm taking. Procrastination is not doing me justice. I am a touch behind. Let's go, I'm ready.
Baby way, i'm getting a big belly. I know every pregnancy is different and blah blah blah. But i never expected to be growing this fast. Doctor appointment is next monday. Hip Hip Horray! Hopefully, my little cricket will cooperate and let us hear a heartbeat. C'mon darling, cooperate. COOPERATE.

I plan on putting together a dinner plan for us next week which i hope to post tomorrow. Simple, sweet and tasty, that's the goal.
Now i'm off to bed, another day awaits in the morning.

Off i go, i'm ready.

A week in time

One whole week of this year has past. I already feel as though i've accomplished much. Mike and i have been to two, yes two, movies in theatres. I have spent more focused one-on-one time with Steven...playing games, reading books, watching shows. We didn't fuss about laundry that needed doing or dishes that needed putting away. We sat together, played together, laughed together and didn't once taint our time with anything but a focus on us. Chalk one up on the board! i am ready.

I am determined to learn more about the dslr i own. it has a pretty black case and a couple different lenses. i know that i've snapped some pretty shots with it in AUTO mode. every time i've felt brave enough to turn the dial to anything else, weird things seem to happen, i get scared, and right back to AUTO we go. I am ready to overcome my fear of the camera! i am ready to learn more.

I will also read more. I've managed to misplace Angels & Demons by Dan Brown which i was quite enjoying just before christmas. i'm hoping that once all the hoopla settles and life returns to normal (read: all xmas decor is back in boxes and under the stairs again) that the book will magically reappear. i know i set it somewhere thinking i'd be right back to pick it up. now don't we all know how these stories end? So, in place, i've picked up At First Sight by Nicholas Sparks - a favorite author of mine. This evening, while out at the bookstore with Steven and my sister, i picked up Birthing From Within by Pam England and Rob Horowitz, one midwife, the other a psychologist. i'll post a review once i've read through it.

Let's get to it now, i'm ready.

Words

Ever stop and wonder how really important words are? Having become a recent blog reader, i'm seeing more and more a focus on picking a word for the year. So this got me thinking. What do i want my word to be? What will inspire me, challenge me, soothe me, encourage me, push me, calm me, keep me focused?

This, of course, led me to persevere and ponder on what i envision my year to be. Who am i?
I am a mother, a wife, a professional, a student, a friend, a daughter, a granddaughter, a sister, an individual.

I tossed around a few words, phrases, thoughts and came to my word...READY.

let's go, i am READY.

Rolling along

Our annoucement at Christmas was wonderful. Everyone was very excited for us. I can say if there is one thing i didn't miss from being pregnant is the nausea, the headaches, the feeling like crap all day long but i do know that it's all worth it in the end. I'm elated to be adding a new person to our family!

i am on a mission to make 2008 the very best year of our lives. already we're on a great start with our new addition coming but more so i want to live more wholely, more passionately, more successfully. I don't just want to be good at what i do, i want to be great at it.

my mission also includes learning new things. Patience. i am going to try to be more patient - appreciate every minute i'm given to live. i'm going to learn to capture raw moments with my camera. i'm going to capture memories for people...or perhaps only for myself. i'm going to read more. i'm going to walk more. i'm going to smile more.

so now i'm off to start doing all the things i'm going to get done. i'm going to sit with my Steven and i'm going to colour.

Cin Cin!