The up side of things.

Sometimes, when I tell Josh (Sally Sunshine) my opinion, he says something like "Well, that's one way to look at it, but if you want to look at it from an optimistic point of view...".

Absolutely cracks me.

I'm not a pessimist by any stretch of the imagination, but standing next to Josh, I look like a total pessimist (Gandhi would have looked like a pessimist next to Josh).

It's what I love about him.

But it's also what drives me crazy about him.

Because I'm always the troublemaker in our relationship.

If there's a problem - I'm usually the cause of it. 

If there's a disagreement - I'm usually the cause of that too.

This post is actually about some computer problems I'm having though.

Not Josh.

Or our relationship.

Or Gandhi.

I downloaded some photos from Cole's wrestling meet on Saturday.  I looked through them briefly.  Deleted the losers and figured I would get back to editing them later.

Went to edit them yesterday only to find that about half of them are gone.

The folder is still there.  The pictures from his first match are still there.  The pictures of Annie playing on the bleachers are still there.  But the pictures of his second and third match are gone and so are the pictures that I took of Annie playing in front of the High School.

I did a search through my whole computer.  No luck.

Checked the recycle bin.  No luck.

Downloaded some photo recovery software that a friend recommended.  No luck.

It's killing me that I lost them.  I hate losing photos.  I had plans for those photos.

But, I guess that "if you want to look at things from an optimistic point of view"...

I did stumble across a whole folder full of pictures of Annie that I took back in October of 2006 that I had never even seen and were about to delete.

And this one just made my heart race.

Comments

[Terri B in Oregon]

Ah Karen, you crack me up! My husband is like Josh. And he is Mr. Goals, drives the kids nuts! Gotta love them though, makes for an interesting relationship!! Merry Christmas! And the "old" photos of Annie are adorable!

[Juel]

Awwww, that is a photo that needs the cute little Angel wings I'm seeing on layouts these days.

[Mary Lou]

Karen, you just found a Christmas present you tucked away for yourself!! Annie is just adorable in this picture.

[Cyndi]

Oh, my, if that doesn't send the ovaries into overdrive!! Good job looking on the bright side. ;)

[tara pollard pakosta]

oh man,
that photo makes my heart race
and i am not even her mama!
glad you found those!
i hate losing photos too!
i once lost an entire memory card full
at a park got home realized it was not in my pocket,
ran back to the park and found it right in the parking LOt~!
i was never more happy in my life!!!!!
are you sure yours are gone?!
man, i HOPE you find them!
tara

[Shannon]

What a great picture. Thank you for all your great photo advice that you give for free on your blog. Thanks to you Santa brought me a new 50mm lens (early) and I've really tried to remember some of your tips while shooting my family.

[Jennie]

Karen, what an amazing picture of Annie!!! YOUR WORK is always so beautiful and inspiring! Have a wonderful Christmas.
Jennie

[kristina]

So sorry about the photos you can't seem to find, Karen, but that one you did discover of Annie sure is a cutie! ;)

[megan]

I am sure you already thought of this, but are the pictures still on your camera's memory card by any chance or did you already delete them? sometimes i panic when i think i've lost pictures and my brain can't think of all the possibilities! i hope you can find the pictures. can't believe how much Annie has grown! those cheeks look sooooo soft!

[Tanya Webster]

coming from another sally sunshine there is NO optimistic way to look at lost photos...just no way...so dont feel bad about being upset because it is a big deal....but you knew i would understand now didnt ya :)

[Penny]

Loosing photos is like loosing a tiny part of yourself. Since I've been working in Photoshop I look at all my old photos (those taken Before CS3 and RAW came into my life) with brand new eyes.

My husband is the optimist (bordering on pollyanna-ish) and I'm the realist, as I like to say. Ha. But I love him for it. Keeps a balance. At times it starts a heated discussion though.

[Davean]

Aww... what a sweet picture. My computer crashed a few weeks ago and I thought I had lost everything!! Luckily, a friend was able to recover and I copied everything over to an external hard drive. I hope you find your other pictures!

[Jen M.]

That optimistic point of view is sometimes hard to do -- especially when you lose photos! That's such a heartbreaker. I lost all the photos of my youngest son's first haircut when my computer crashed, and that's the only haircut so far in his life (he's 3 now) where he hasn't cried hysterically. That photo of Annie is a beautiful one though -- glad you found it!

[Beth Williams]

This photo is breathtaking! Thank goodness you found it-it's one in a million.
Speaking from a more "senior" moment-in later years it's this kind of picture I treasure. I have 4 sons and 2 grandsons-sporting event pictures to fill Fort Knox, and birthdays, and Christmas,etc.-but oh-photos like these that really make me remember the really special times-namely everyday life-are way too few.

[Camilla Gjerde]

What a beautiful photo!!! I think all of your photos are, but this one was really special. Love to follow you and your family.. you'r a great teller, and photographer!

[Deneen]

It is so fun to find older photo's that you had totally forgotten about! Sorry about the other ones though.

[Andrea]

i love how you explain how Josh is the "positive one".. that is exactly how my husband is. i can identify with being the "pessimistic" one.. lol.. sometimes he is so incredibly upbeat and positive about life it drives me crazy. but i love it. i wouldn't change it for the world. i feel totally blessed to be around someone so positive all the time. what a gorgeous photo of your daughter, she is adorable!

[Angie]

Ouch! Sorry you lost some photos. But what a treasure, that photo of Annie is OMG it's stunning.

[Nickelle]

Sorry to hear about your lost photos but the picture of Annie is gorgeous...does she still have the two different colored eyes goin on or are they both one color now? I can never really tell from the photos of her...

[sarah sabri]

love the "sally sunshine"....because I'm more like you...and tend to get the "don't be such a negative nancy!" haha. more sally and nancy! Love the picture of Annie....and hope that those other photos resurface somewhere...

[carolynn]

HI Karen....it is pictures like this one of Annie that I want to learn how to take! I have twin grandsons that need to be in pictures...Have a wonderful day.
cb in Michigan

[sara]

i love josh downs and i don't even know him! i think it all started with the post that showed him on the treadmill with annie in the carrier. so sweet. i feel blessed to have a positive...glass half full type of husband myself. i can be a true debbie downer at times. i am a bit of a worrier. we just had our first baby one month ago today and my worrying is worse than ever!
been reading your blog since a little before annie was born...i love it. mostly i love the kind of mom you are. to all of them. especially courtney. a wonderful stepmom is hard to come by. i know from experience. keep blogging. i love it. stop by my blog for a peek at our little one.
ps..i cracked up that ross is perpetually "cleaning his room" and can't come with! hilarious.
i also cracked up that annie wipes her bananas on you. (btw, i totally just sun that gwen stefani song to make sure i spelled banana correctly.)
lastly, my little brother used to go crazy if the seam in his sock was "bothering" his toes. He is all grown up now...into a wonderful young man...but he wears flip-flops almost year round--to avoid the sock seam thing.

[tammygraves]

I don't know much of anything about computers, but it seems like if you KNOW you didn't delete them, they've got to be there, right? That is so strange! I sure hope you find them! Keep us posted! And that picture of Annie is scrumptuous! I have always wanted to 'pinch' those sweet little cheecks! Adorable! Merry Christmas!

[Kirsten]

What a treasure! I'll tell you: my husband works on computers and he gets more and more frustrated - they get worse and worse. And you'd be surprised where the files will pop up sometimes.

[tiffany w.]

I have 3 kids (3 1/2, 6, and 10) who I swear are going to sen me to an earLy grave. My oldest son (now 10) has alot of the same characteristics that you have given of Cole in the past. I could never figure out him until this past summer when he was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome (a very high functioning autism) I have always explained him as extremely intelligent but just doesn't get it. He has a dislike for different textures (we had to finally buy him ankle socks to stop the complaining)He has a memory like a steel trap. He will talk to you about anything even if you don't want to hear about (if it is important to him, he thinks that it should be important to everyone else) I do yoga with him now and it seems to helP as well as his occupational therapy and diet. As mothers we share a unique bond and are never alone although we may feel like it from time to time!
Peaec be with you,
Tiffany W.

[Barbara Zea]

Sorry about your pics. Off topic..thanks for sharing all of those photography tips. I keep re-reading them..quick question - what type of lenses do you recommend for landscapes, etc. I know that you stated that a lens is better w/o a zoom...and you should just walk towards the subject etc...but what if you can't.. what kind of lens do you recommend for this situation? and lastly, what about taking pics of pets or kids/adults running/playing around..hope all of this makes sense. Thanks!

[jovanni]

Happy Holidays!!!
from
http://www.singpinoy.com

[Basia]

Merry Christmass Karen :)

[Sherri]

Just stopping by to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a great New Year!

[Christina Witkowski]

Merry Christmas!