"Old School" Photo Albums

Do you know what I miss? You may laugh at me, but I miss photo albums .  Don't get me wrong, digital photos are great.  There is nothing better than instantly seeing that you look horrible in a picture.  You can share them online, and store them in your computer.  You can even burn them CD's to keep them safe. But, there is nothing like sitting down with an actual photo album and flipping through it, holding memories in your hands.  I have an entire bookshelf in my bedroom filled with photo albums.  The last one I made was of Brandi when she was a baby.  In fact, I have albums for each of my kids.  It's something I can one day hand down to them so that they can show their children.  


I need to start printing out some of my digital photos, so I can make more photo albums.  

Picmonkey

I am sure most of you know that picnik, my favorite photo editing website, will be closing down this week.  They suggested trying picmonkey to edit photos, and I love it! Right now, everything is free, but I have a feeling they will soon implement a membership, just like picnik did.  I was playing around on picmonkey, and they have a lot more options.  I love the way the picture above came out!

Researching Camera Tripods

Last February, I bought a new camera.  I did a lot of research before I decided on the one I wanted, and I have been more than satisfied with it.  I was always interested in photography, so investing money in a decent camera seemed like a good investment.  Up until a few days ago, I hadn't used my camera for more than point and shoot pictures. 

My kids got a new dance game for the Wii for Christmas, and Brandi and her friend Brianna were playing it the other day, and I used my camera to take a video of them.  When I went to download it onto my computer, I could not do it.  No matter what I tried, I could not figure it out.  Thankfully, my dad was able to figure it out for me, and I was able to watch it on my computer tonight.  It came out okay, but my hands were a little shaky, so the video is a little shaky. Fortunately, you can still see how much fun the girls were having.

I think I need to do a little research on camera tripods so I can take better videos (and pictures).   Now that I know how to get the videos off my camera, I will probably make more videos of the kids.  They grow up so fast, and I want to document as much of their childhood as I can.  Pictures are great, but capturing their personalities on video is priceless.  I want to be able to look at these videos one day and remember how cute and funny they used to be.

I am going to post the video of Brandi and her friend on here and on facebook as soon as I figure out how to do it.  I may need to get my dad back over here for that.

Turkey!

I saw this turkey in the parking lot of one of the businesses I deliver mail to everyday.  Of course I had to get a picture of it, because I am sure in a few weeks this beauty will be on someone's table for Thanksgiving.

Here It Is

 

 This is the picture they used for the Bank Of America write up in their annual report.  They sent me this and two other pictures, as well as a frame to put one of them in as a thank you.  One of the pictures they sent was a family portrait they took, which is pretty useless to me right now.  

But don't I look pretty awesome?

The BOA Shoot

Here I am, all prettied up.  I have to admit...I think my favorite part of the entire day was having the makeup artist do my hair and makeup.  She was so sweet!  Every time they posed me, she would pop in and fix my hair, making sure everything was perfect.  I was really nervous beforehand.  Like, seriously nervous.  I was worried they wouldn't like my house, or my clothes.  Turns out, I worried for nothing.  There were six people here, and each one was nicer than the next.  I loved Jackie, the woman from Bank Of America.  She was so outgoing.  The photographer and designer put me at ease, and they said I was a natural.  Go figure.  The girl who hates having her picture taken is a natural at it.  

They arrived around 9:30, and while I was getting all prettied up, the photographer and shoot designer (I think that was her title) staged my kitchen.  They removed a lot of things, and rearranged things, setting the scene for me to sit at the kitchen table on my laptop. I never realized how much stuff I have until they were trying to get it all out of the way! lol. Then they took tons of pictures. 

My girls were supposed to be in some of the shots, but Kasi ended up being sick (pink eye and the beginnings of the flu) so they only used Brandi.  Turns out, she ended up being just as sick as Kasi, but that was after they left.  Here's a shot of her getting all prettied up by the makeup artist:

The photographer ended up getting some awesome shots of her.  There was one, where I was sitting at my desk and she was looking out the window...she was in focus and I was just background.  I hope they end up using that one.  When they were done, the photographer took a shot of my entire family, just for me.  I thought that was really sweet. 

The whole experience was awesome.  I hope I like the pictures they decide to use.  They tried so hard to get me to smile with my teeth showing, but I hate my teeth, so the best they got was the smile in that picture up there.  I was told the report comes out some time in March, and that they will send me a copy. 

I honestly can't wait to see it.

After The Storm

We were driving home yesterday right after a pretty good thunderstorm.  The sun was trying to come out from behind the clouds, and it was absolutely beautiful. Don't you agree? I asked Junior to pull over so I could get some pictures, and he was such a good sport.  By now, he is used to me pulling out my camera and taking pictures of whatever strikes my fancy.

Great Shot, Jenn

I know I posted this picture on my picture blog, but only a couple of people visit that one, and I really, really love this picture!  We stopped at a local produce stand, and they had this beautiful garden of flowers, so of course I whipped out my camera and starting snapping some pictures.  I did edit this one a little bit, and I just love the pink against the brown. 

If you want to see more of the pictures I take, you can visit my world in pictures.  I know, it's shameless promotion of my other blog, but there are some good (and not so good) pictures over there.  I post a new one every day, so there is always something new.

Enjoy!

Oh, and I have never claimed to be a professional "picture taker"...consider yourself warned.

There's A Storm Coming

How cool is this picture?  To the left, stormy sky.  To the right, sunshine.

We were in the grocery store parking lot, and I just had to take this picture.  I have never seen the sky divided so precisely before. 

When Did He Get So Tall?

Me and the kids on Mother's Day.  I wish the sun wasn't in our eyes, but I still love this picture.  I can't believe how tall Ryan is getting!  At least my girls are still shorter than me.

For now. lol!

Remember Photo Booths?

 Check out this picture of Junior and I.  We look so young.  This picture was taken in 1995 on one of our first dates.  It's crazy to think that it's been 15 years since then.  Man, I was really rocking those bangs and huge eyeglasses!  It wasn't long after this that Junior grew his beard, and he hasn't shaved it off since.

We took this picture in one of those photo booths at our local mall.  You know the ones, where you jump in and close the curtain, feed it $2, and it snaps a picture. It wasn't one of the ones that gives you a strip of different poses.  This one gave you one Polaroid.

I haven't seen a photo booth in a long time, and got to wondering if they were still around.  I couldn't find one in any local malls, but I did find the traveling photo booth .  Unfortunately, they do not have a vendor anywhere in my area, but if you live where they do have one, imagine all the fun you could have.   I bet that if you rented one of these for your wedding day, your guests would have a ball.  Sweet 16 parties and proms would be great events, too.  I think anywhere teens are, one of these photo booths would be a hit. 

I wish I could find one to rent for Kasi's birthday.  Thirteen year old girls would LOVE this.

Your Pictures Are Better Than Mine

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Competico. All opinions are 100% mine.

I love taking pictures. For every 50 that I take, usually only one comes out half way decent. I do not claim to be a photographer, not by any means. But I am able to capture the moment, and that is really all I am after.

Take this picture of Brandi hanging ornaments on the tree. Do you notice the greenish tint to her face? It looks like she just got done being very sick. Not a very good picture, I know, but it does say "Christmas".

I recently heard about Competico’s Winter Holiday Photo Contest 2009, and immediately thought about all of you, my talented blog readers. I know how much better than me you are when you take your photos. I have seen your work. There are some of you who have an excellent shot at winning a photo contest. In fact, I know of a couple of you who actually have. So go right now and get some holiday pictures. Pick the BEST one, and enter it into this contest.

I bet you want to know what you could win, right? Well, first prize could be $50,000! I say could be because it depends on how many people enter the contest. From now until January 12, 2010 (at 9pm EST) you can enter your picture for a $100 entrance fee. But, if you enter before December 17, 2009 (by 9pm EST) you can enter two pictures for the price of one.

That's a pretty good deal.

They are going to take the money collected, and split it between first place (60%), second place (25%) and third place (15%). You can help your pictures win by having your friends vote for your photos. Of course, the judging panel will also be voting, so you can't win by friends alone.

If you decide to enter a photo, let me know and I'll give it a vote. In the meantime, I am going to try and get a better picture of my own.

The Generator

For the past couple of weeks, a generator has been making it's way through our county. This is no ordinary generator, though. The thing is huge!

It's being pulled by several different trucks, and it can only go, at the most, 5 miles per hour. Needless to say, it's been a slow journey, and you are cautioned not to get behind it, or you could be stuck for a while.

Junior and I thought the kids would like to get a look at it, so on Saturday we set off in search of it. We knew the area it was parked in, just not the specific street. It didn't take long to find it, though, because it's not like you can hide something this big. I was, however, surprised at the amount of other people who had the same idea we did.

The moving company handed out stickers to all the kids, and everyone was taking pictures. I wish I could have gotten a better angle so you can see how huge this thing is, but it was on a road with woods on both sides, and there was no way to get a good shot.

Ryan and Brandi loved it, and to be truthful, so did I. It was pretty interesting seeing how they were moving it. It is supposed to come a little closer to us, so we might try and find it again so I can get some better pictures.

Don't worry...I'll share if I do.

Junior And I

I have very few pictures of Junior and I together. Brandi took this one at Missy's house tonight, and I think it came out pretty good. I had having my picture taken, so it is rare that I willingly allow it. But, since it was for Brandi, I did it. And the end result was a pretty decent picture.

Playing On Picnik

I love picnik. They have these really cute holiday frames for your pictures, like the lights on that I used. I just use the free stuff, and trust me when I say there is tons of free stuff. Of course, if you pay for a membership, you get even cooler stuff.

Oh, and that's a picture of my elephant shelves all decorated for Christmas, courtesy of Brandi Rose.

I Do Have A Son, Too, Ya Know

It seems like the only pictures I ever post over here are of the girls. Usually whenever I pull out the camera, Ryan runs. But yesterday, as he was relaxing on the lawnmower, I sneaked a shot. Of course it came out a little blurry, but he wouldn't let me take another.

Must be a boy thing....or a teenager thing.

Twilight Football

Watch this:

The first thing I have to say is that these guys are a little insane! Who in their right mind would get in the ring with a bull to kick around a soccer ball? The second thing I am going to say is that the video is totally awesome! Did you see the way the guys were jumping over the bull? Talk about acrobatics. It's kind of like Ultimate Harlem Globetrotters, with the risk of death. Very cool. I wouldn't mind watching this in person, although I have a tendency to cover my eyes when there is a chance of people get hurt, so I probably wouldn't see much of it anyway. I wonder how many times these guys got the horns?

On September 22, 2009, Twilight Football games are going to be played in Italy, France, the UK, Spain, Argentina and Australia. They will show how Exmor R™ CMOS Sensor technology can capture incredible detail and fast-moving action in low light filming conditions, which is one of the toughest challenges in digital camera photography. The Twilight Football grand final will be held in South Africa, the host for the 2010 FIFA World Cup TM. The matches will take place at waterfalls, castles, deserts and glaciers, which will make for difficult terrain for the players.

I am excited to see the beautiful photographs that will be taken. I mean, how can you not get gorgeous shots at castles and waterfalls?

My Beautiful Daughter

I posted some new pictures on my picture blog. They are from our trip to the park this afternoon. We stopped this afternoon and got our free milkshakes, then headed to the park. The kids played for about 30 minutes before the thunder started, and we headed back home. I know they had a good time letting go of some of their stored energy from being in school all week.

Oh, and I think Kasi looks especially beautiful in this picture.

More Vacation Pictures

I have posted more vacation pictures here and on facebook, so make sure you check them out. I didn't realize that I took so many pictures of the sky and water, but they all came out gorgeous. At least in my opinion. This is one of my favorites. It has the sun setting, reflecting on the water, and the kids.

Beautiful.

Cool!

Check this out. I was editing the pictures from our camping trip to post on my picture blog, and I came across this shot I took of a bubble the kids blew in the water.

Can you see my distorted reflection? How cool is that?