My life...just not on the road I expected (but it's still dang good).

SuperDad.

He was SuperDad today.  I was MediocreMom (as usual.)

We started off the day by taking the kids to a Memorial Day ceremony.  And when we came home, I got busy working while SuperDad took the kids to the mall (even though he hates the mall) in order to kill two birds with one stone...

1. Dead bird #1:  Let the kids spend the money they earned so they'd quit pestering us about it.

2. Dead bird #2: Find something for all of the picky kids to eat for lunch in one location.

And then he brought everyone home and patiently dealt with their fighting, complaining, pestering, whining and tattling while I kept hollering, "I'm so sick of all this fighting, complaining, pestering, whining and tattling!" without ever taking my eyes off of the computer.

And then, SuperDad tuned-up all the bikes, pumped up all the bike tires, adjusted the height on all the bike seats and loaded all the bikes in the pick-up truck to take us riding.

And he didn't lose his cool the entire 3 mile ride.

 

Not even when Annie had a melt-down and refused to pedal any further.

Me on the other hand?...I started lecturing them about how unappreciative they all are when they started whining about being thirsty and complaining that we never take them to Sonic for lime-aides anymore.

And then we headed home and SuperDad started dinner (fish tacos because he just caught a bunch of fish at the beach) and I went back to work.

And he never lost his cool the entire night, even amongst all the fighting, complaining, pestering, whining and tattling.  (Not even when they started whining about having to eat fish for dinner.)

I lost my cool though.

And then I cleaned the kitchen and he played basketball with Cole in between running a bath for the girls and washing their hair.

And I went back to work.

And then I decided I'd done enough work for one day and headed out to the street in front of our house to play Monkey in the Middle while the sun went down, alongside SuperDad, Coley, and a couple of wet-headed girlies in pajamas.

And felt like SuperMom for doing so.

Brookings (Part I)

We picked the kids up from school on Friday and headed straight to the beach.  (Josh's parents go over there every year for Memorial Day weekend and we usually try to make it too.)

 

Didn't make it over there until after 6pm, but the weather was still lovely.  (Lovely by Oregon coast standards.)

From left to right; Brooke, Courtney Lee, Tate and Annie.

Tate just got a brand-new helper (prosthetic leg) and this one can go in the water.  (A very big deal for a three year old.)

The girls were all about running from the waves.

 

And this guy (always outnumbered by girls) was all about throwing rocks.

And sword-fighting.

And then we loaded up everyone in the car and drove 1/4 mile to our hotel to go swimming, hollering this song at the top of our lungs.  (Their current favorite.)

By the time we got everyone in their swimsuits, it was too dark to do much shooting, but I did manage to get a few...

 

Will post the rest soon.

And a big thank you to all of our service men & women and their families.  Your sacrifices are deeply respected and appreciated by my family.

Where Did The Week Go?

I know I said I was going to post pictures from Ross and Cali's prom dinner this week...but somehow, the week got the better of me.

And I have a feeling next week is going to kick my tail too.

I don't even have a photo to add to this post. (I know, I stink.)

Oh, but I do have this.  (Thanks Addie for sending it to me!)

Last year, we took the little kids on a jet boat trip down the Rogue River and apparently, the guy behind us was filming what the trip looked like from his seat (and since we were in front of him, he ended up filming us.)

And if you don't recognize me, I'm the girl with the barrette in her hair. (And if you still don't recognize me...look for the double chin and the camera.)

Here's the photos I posted from that trip.

Have a great Memorial Weekend!  (We're off to the beach!)

$1.00

My Uncle Donnie gave her $1.00 and told her she could spend it on whatever she wanted.  (Something I remember him doing when I was a kid too.)

And much to my mother's dismay (My mother started spouting of statistics about the percentage of $1 bills that have trace amounts of cocaine on them along with a slew of other disgusting information I never wanted to know.) Annie wouldn't let that $1 bill out of her sight. 

She held it tightly in her hands, she folded it up into all kinds of shapes, she brushed it across her face, she held it while she ate and she took it to bed with her.

And then she lost it. 

Not once, but three times in the course of 24 hours.

And she cried each time. 

And I reminded her each time that crying wasn't helping her find her dollar and that each time she'd lost it, she had found it again, to which she'd reply, "But this time I've really lost it."

But alas, we found it each time.

And Saturday morning, I took her to the mini-market on our way home from my mom's house and she went straight for the candy isle where she bought herself her very own pack of bubble-gum (sugar-free of course because her mom was a dental hygienist for 12 years.)

And then the clerk told me I wasn't allowed to take pictures in the store.

Which was just fine...because I had already gotten the shot I wanted.

Senior Prom

If you were hoping for prom pictures like last years...prepare for disappointment.

Last year it was sunny & beautiful. 

This year is was rainy & dreary.

Last year I got to shoot for over two hours. 

This year, I got to shoot for less than 20 minutes.

But that's just how it goes in Oregon.

 

Had a a little break in the rain before Cali showed up so I used the time to shoot Ross.

 

He's all about faces.

 

That's my favorite.  (Although, he looks like a man...and that's weird.)

More faces.

 

 

I like that face.

And then it got dark and rainy (again) and my heart dropped just a little.

Had another unexpected break in the rain around the time Cali showed up and though the light was crappy and everything was wet, muddy and soggy...my heart perked up just a little.

 

 

 

The only good shot I got of Cali by herself.

 

 

 

 

 

And then the rain started coming down again so we went inside and served them dinner.  (Will post those tomorrow or the next day.)

Friday Night.

Just me and Coley and Annie on Friday night.

So we went to Ashland.

 

And had dinner at the Black Sheep.

 

And then we went to see the movie, Babies.  (Annie and Coley are both, really crazy about babies so they loved it.)

 

 

I've always wanted to shoot inside a theater.

 

And just when they thought the evening couldn't get any better...we stopped for ice cream.

 

I took gobs of photos this weekend (including Ross & Cali's prom pictures) so I'll have lots to post this week.

Happy Anniversary Josh Downs.

It was his idea to write our own vows.

Just the thought of it made me nervous but I agreed.

So we said them during the ceremony and when we got back to our hotel room that night, we said them again, privately.

Unfortunately, I don't remember my vows anymore (and I can't find the paper where I wrote them down either) but he remembers his and started his own little tradition of giving them to me again, each year on our anniversary.

He's not here right now (gone with military stuff) but when I woke up this morning, his vows were in my inbox.

Karen Russell.
I Love and Adore You.
You are a special woman.
You’ve done an amazing job raising these kids by yourself.
You’ve built an unbelievable career.
You’ve got goals and ambitions.
You’re driven and motivated.
You’ve taught me what it means to Adore and be Adored.
You make me a better person.
You’re the woman I thought didn’t exist.
And, I want you to be my wife.
I knew from the day we met that we had something special…
and, I was right.
Today starts a whole new thing for us.
There will be challenges that we will struggle to get through,
but as long as we don’t forget we are a team we will get through anything.
Let’s build on the fantastic memories we’ve already made.
I want to enjoy every minute of my life with you by my side.
I want to grow old with you.
I will be your Rock,
Be good to you and these kids,
Be respectful,
Honest,
Loving,
Faithful,
Trustworthy,
Caring,
Passionate,
Romantic,
A Positive Role Model for the kids and will
Listen to your needs.
All I ask in return is that you:
Vote Republican,
Promise to Love the Beavs and
Be my Wife.
I need you.
We want the same things out of life…
Now let’s go get them.

Happy Anniversary Josh Downs. 

I'm lucky to be your wife.

Making the Shot

ETA:  A few things to add...

1. If you are a past student who did not receive email notification about Making the Shot, log in at www.snapshotsofagoodlife.com, go to 'resources' and 'edit your profile' to make sure your current email address is listed.

2. I touch extremely briefly on a few editing topics in this first issue.

3. I have no way of tracking the students who have taken my One Day Workshops (since the scrapbook stores where I taught were the ones booking all the seats - I just showed up and taught) so I'm kind of unsure how to handle this since some of you are hoping to purchase the first Making the Shot Issue.

Hmmmm...this is the only way I can think of handling this..........

If you have taken the One Day Photographers' Workshop with me and want to purchase this first issue, here's what you'd need to do:

1. Sign up for the waiting list to take the class (if you're not already on it) by filling out all the information here.

2. Go to www.paypal.com and select 'make a payment', using my email address (karen@snapshotsofagoodlife.com) as the recipients email address to pay for the issue ($35)

3. Email me to let me know you have done these two things AND be sure to include the store name, store location, approximate date when you took the class and your FULL name (first and last) and I'll manually add the issue to your account.

4. After you get a confirmation email from me, you can access the issue by logging onto www.snapshotsofagoodlife.com and the issue will permanently show up on your home page.

Just keep in mind though that some of the topics discussed in this issue MAY NOT make complete sense to you since you haven't been through the full, 10 week course.

And now back to our regularly scheduled program...

I recently released the first issue of Making the Shot to my past and current students.

It's a 46 page PDF file that also comes with 70+ minutes of audio detailing everything I did to create Cali's senior portraits.  (This issue is $35 though each issue will vary in price according to the size of the issue.)  You can see all the images I posted on my blog here & here.

I chose to only make this available to my students for several reasons:

1. My students already have a similar foundation of knowledge and already know how I shoot and why I shoot that way.

2. I often refer back to certain lessons from the workshop.

3. I feel loyal to my students and wanted to offer something that is available to them only.

I've read a few comments on message boards from non-students who nicely and not-so-nicely stated that I should be offering this to the general public but this is a decision I have made for my students and I feel comfortable about that decision.

So as for now, I have no plans of making it public (though maybe I'll change my mind in the future.)

Anyhow, I know a few of my students were wanting to see a 'preview' of the first issue to get a feel for what it includes so I chose to post a three page excerpt from the issue as an example.

If you are a regular or auditing student of a past or current class or if you are a regular or auditing student who is already registered/paid for a future class, you can download this lesson by:

- logging on at www.snapshotsofagoodlife.com using your email address and password

- selecting 'go shopping'

- adding the first issue of Making the Shot to your shopping cart

Once you've completed the purchase, you will permanently find the issue on your 'Home Page' each time you log in.

And if you've already purchased the issue, feel free to leave your feedback in the comments section (because I'd love to hear what you think!)

The reviews I've received so far have been great (thanks!) so I hope you all enjoy it!

 

Crazy Hat Day.

Today is crazy hat day at school.

I tried to talk her into tying all sorts of crazy stuff to her hat (plastic forks, miniature dolls, fruit, etc.) but she was having none of it.

She just kept saying, "It already has a cute, pink flower on it."  To which I replied, "Ya, but that's not crazy."

And that's when she announced that it was 'crazy OR cute hat' day.

And she chose 'cute'.

And one more thing I don't want to forget...

Josh was getting ready to leave for Hawaii (military stuff) the other day and invited Annie to go with him to run some errands.

Annie decided she didn't want to go, but as Josh walked out the door I said to Annie, "Daddy is getting ready to leave for Hawaii and he just wants to spend some time with your because he's going to miss you."

She quickly threw on her boots and started hollering, "Wait for me Daddy, I want to come with you!"

A few minutes later, Josh called from his cell and said, "You realize the only reason Annie wanted to come with me was because she thinks we're going to Hawaii instead of the store?"

Productivity.

Josh worked from home yesterday (something her rarely does) but neither one of us got all that much work done.

Instead, went to breakfast in Jacksonville at MacLevin's where we split an avacodo & tomato frittata, a couple of Latke's and some Challah french toast.  (I can't remember the last time we went out to breakfast on a weekday.)

If you live down here and haven't been to MacLevin's, you have to go.

 

And then we spent the afternoon sitting across the living room from one another, talking more than working.  (That old suitcase you see in the background is where I keep all my camera gear so it's easily accessible - in fact, you can see my 70-200mm in there.)

 

And then we decided to take a break from all our working (talking) to walk down to the coffee shop to get a couple of passion teas (no sweetener please.)

I did mange to (finally) get caught up with my email inbox and managed to get a few other miscellaneous things done, but all in all, it wasn't a very productive day.

But then again, I guess that depends on who you ask...

My boss (me) didn't consider it a productive day and will probably fire me if I keep it up.  However,  Josh's wife (me again) considered it quite productive.