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

Registration.

Registration for the online Photographers' Workshop is this coming Monday, March 2nd at 9:00am Pacific Time at snapshotsofagoodlife.com for the following courses:

The Photographers’ Workshop running March 30th - June 7th, 2009
The Photographers’ Workshop running June 8th - August 16th, 2009

A few really important notes:

The registration page will NOT be visible the morning of March 2nd, until exactly 9:00 am Pacific time (if you aren't sure what time that is in your neck of the woods, just use a time conversion calculator like this one - I'm in Oregon).

The website almost crashed just a few minutes prior to the last registration due to hundreds of people simultaneously hitting the 'refresh' button on their computers right before registration.  Unfortunately, in order to prevent the site from crashing on Monday, the web guy has the site set up to block any ISP addresses that are repeatedly hitting the refresh button prior to 9:00 am (having your ISP address blocked will prevent you from accessing the website).  So log in at 9:00 am sharp, don't hit the refresh button repeatedly and you'll be in good shape.

In order to complete your registration and reserve your spot in a class, you have to complete the payment process, paying the course tuition in full $275 US).

Even though the site says it accepts American Express...it doesn't (I'm trying to get this matter resolved but I don't think it will be resolved by Monday).  The site accepts Visa/Mastercard/Paypal.

Classes sold out in under 2 minutes during the last registration.  I have no idea what will happen this time around.  I know it's frustrating for people who keep trying to register unsuccessfully.  Please know that my plan is to keep teaching this same class over and over (and over) again until every person who wants to take it has had a chance to do so.

If you do not get into a class on Monday, you can increase your chances of getting into a future class by getting on the wait list (you can get on the wait list by going through the regular registration process).  I will be offering early registration for students on the wait list for all future classes (allowing wait list students to fill up 75% of the seats in the class, leaving only 25% of the seats to students who are not on the wait list).  If you're on the wait list, I'll send you out an email a few weeks prior to the next early registration with all the details (probably sometime in June).

Registration day is always a really crazy day for me.  If you email me on Monday, I will get back to you as soon as possible but please know that I may not be able to get back to you right away. 

Ok, and some general information...

The class runs for 10 weeks, which includes a 1 week intermission halfway through the course.  I am only taking a limited number of students per class and registration is on a first come, first served basis.

The Snapshots of a Good Life website has a forum devoted specifically to the online Photography Workshops.  There is a new lesson posted daily, Mon.-Fri. and assignments posted at the end of each week.  There is a Q&A board, a Photo of the Day board and a Photo Critiques board where I evaluate composition, camera settings, focus, lighting, white balance, exposure, etc. on photos posted by students. 

If you want to check out some of the comments from past students, you can read them here.  And if you want to check out the class syllabus and other class info. you can find it here.  I am working on putting together a testimonial page from previous students but I'm not done working on it yet.

Here's how the process will work...

At 9:00 am Pacific Time on the snapshotsofagoodlife website, registration will begin.

 

From the Home Page, click on the icon in the top bar that says 'photography classes' as shown above which will take you to the Photography Classes page shown below.

  

From the Photography Classes page, select 'register for a class' from the top toolbar as shown above which will take you directly to the Registration page as shown below.

From the Registration Page, I recommend ONLY filling in the required fields to save yourself time during the registration process (if you take the time to fill in the unrequired fields, you may lose your spot in the class - once you are successfully registered for the class you can come back to complete the unrequired fields).  The following are required fields:

1. your full name  2. your full address  3.  your country    4. your country    5. your email address    6. which class you would like to register for    7. your username (preferably your first and last name to help students get to know each other better in class)    8. your password   

Once you have filled in the required fields, click on the 'click here to complete your registration' icon which will immediately take you to your shopping cart where you can provide your payment information.

If you are successfully registered, you payment will be processed and you will receive a confirmation email.  Do not lose this confirmation email as it will contain your username, password and the date your class begins.

If the class you are trying to register sells out while you are trying to register, you will be redirected to the registration page and asked to select a different class.

If both classes sell out while you are trying to register,you will be asked if you would like to be placed on the master wait list. If any spots become available in a  class, I will contact people on the waiting list in the order they signed up.

And to answer a few more questions:

1. It is recommended that you have a film or digital SLR to take this class (if you have a point and shoot or advanced point and shoot style camera and would like to take the class, please email me at karencrussell@charter.net so we can discuss it in advance).

2. You do not need any sort of photo editing program to take this course as photo editing is not a part of the course curriculum (the class is focused on getting the best pictures straight out of your camera without photo editing).

3. If you are unsure what time registration is in your neck of the woods, there is a time conversion chart here (you can use Salem, OR as my time zone).  Please remember that this is 9:00 in the MORNING, PST.

4.  If you are unavailable on the registration date, you can have someone else register for you.  They will just need your payment info. and all the required fields info. listed above.

I'll be working over at the new, old house all weekend but if you have any questions about registration, leave them here and I will get to them Sunday evening when I get back home.

I hope the registration process goes smoothly for all of you who are hoping to sign up (be sure to stretch out your fingers and type quickly)! 

Registration for the online Photographers' Workshop is this coming Monday, March 2nd at 9:00am Pacific Time at snapshotsofagoodlife.com for the following courses:

The Photographers’ Workshop running March 30th - June 7th, 2009
The Photographers’ Workshop running June 8th - August 16th, 2009

A few really important notes:

The registration page will NOT be visible the morning of March 2nd, until exactly 9:00 am Pacific time (if you aren't sure what time that is in your neck of the woods, just use a time conversion calculator like this one - I'm in Oregon).

The website almost crashed just a few minutes prior to the last registration due to hundreds of people simultaneously hitting the 'refresh' button on their computers right before registration.  Unfortunately, in order to prevent the site from crashing on Monday, the web guy has the site set up to block any ISP addresses that are repeatedly hitting the refresh button prior to 9:00 am (having your ISP address blocked will prevent you from accessing the website).  So log in at 9:00 am sharp, don't hit the refresh button repeatedly and you'll be in good shape.

In order to complete your registration and reserve your spot in a class, you have to complete the payment process, paying the course tuition in full $275 US).

Even though the site says it accepts American Express...it doesn't (I'm trying to get this matter resolved but I don't think it will be resolved by Monday).  The site accepts Visa/Mastercard/Paypal.

Classes sold out in under 2 minutes during the last registration.  I have no idea what will happen this time around.  I know it's frustrating for people who keep trying to register unsuccessfully.  Please know that my plan is to keep teaching this same class over and over (and over) again until every person who wants to take it has had a chance to do so.

If you do not get into a class on Monday, you can increase your chances of getting into a future class by getting on the wait list (you can get on the wait list by going through the regular registration process).  I will be offering early registration for students on the wait list for all future classes (allowing wait list students to fill up 75% of the seats in the class, leaving only 25% of the seats to students who are not on the wait list).  If you're on the wait list, I'll send you out an email a few weeks prior to the next early registration with all the details (probably sometime in June).

Registration day is always a really crazy day for me.  If you email me on Monday, I will get back to you as soon as possible but please know that I may not be able to get back to you right away. 

Ok, and some general information...

The class runs for 10 weeks, which includes a 1 week intermission halfway through the course.  I am only taking a limited number of students per class and registration is on a first come, first served basis.

The Snapshots of a Good Life website has a forum devoted specifically to the online Photography Workshops.  There is a new lesson posted daily, Mon.-Fri. and assignments posted at the end of each week.  There is a Q&A board, a Photo of the Day board and a Photo Critiques board where I evaluate composition, camera settings, focus, lighting, white balance, exposure, etc. on photos posted by students. 

If you want to check out some of the comments from past students, you can read them here.  And if you want to check out the class syllabus and other class info. you can find it here.  I am working on putting together a testimonial page from previous students but I'm not done working on it yet.

Here's how the process will work...

At 9:00 am Pacific Time on the snapshotsofagoodlife website, registration will begin.

 

From the Home Page, click on the icon in the top bar that says 'photography classes' as shown above which will take you to the Photography Classes page shown below.

  

From the Photography Classes page, select 'register for a class' from the top toolbar as shown above which will take you directly to the Registration page as shown below.

From the Registration Page, I recommend ONLY filling in the required fields to save yourself time during the registration process (if you take the time to fill in the unrequired fields, you may lose your spot in the class - once you are successfully registered for the class you can come back to complete the unrequired fields).  The following are required fields:

1. your full name  2. your full address  3.  your country    4. your country    5. your email address    6. which class you would like to register for    7. your username (preferably your first and last name to help students get to know each other better in class)    8. your password   

Once you have filled in the required fields, click on the 'click here to complete your registration' icon which will immediately take you to your shopping cart where you can provide your payment information.

If you are successfully registered, you payment will be processed and you will receive a confirmation email.  Do not lose this confirmation email as it will contain your username, password and the date your class begins.

If the class you are trying to register sells out while you are trying to register, you will be redirected to the registration page and asked to select a different class.

If both classes sell out while you are trying to register,you will be asked if you would like to be placed on the master wait list. If any spots become available in a  class, I will contact people on the waiting list in the order they signed up.

And to answer a few more questions:

1. It is recommended that you have a film or digital SLR to take this class (if you have a point and shoot or advanced point and shoot style camera and would like to take the class, please email me at karencrussell@charter.net so we can discuss it in advance).

2. You do not need any sort of photo editing program to take this course as photo editing is not a part of the course curriculum (the class is focused on getting the best pictures straight out of your camera without photo editing).

3. If you are unsure what time registration is in your neck of the woods, there is a time conversion chart here (you can use Salem, OR as my time zone).  Please remember that this is 9:00 in the MORNING, PST.

4.  If you are unavailable on the registration date, you can have someone else register for you.  They will just need your payment info. and all the required fields info. listed above.

I'll be working over at the new, old house all weekend but if you have any questions about registration, leave them here and I will get to them Sunday evening when I get back home.

I hope the registration process goes smoothly for all of you who are hoping to sign up (be sure to stretch out your fingers and type quickly)! 

I totally forgot...The Beach (Part II).

Look at all these shots I forgot to post (I'm really bad about that)...

Annie (singing happy birthday after she presented me with my birthday cake). 

I remember thinking that my schedule was just way too busy for a weekend at the beach when Josh first suggested it...

And just a reminder that registration for the online Photographers' Workshop will be this coming Monday, March 2nd at 9:00 am Pacific time.  I will be sure to post everything you need to know about registration this Friday (the 27th).

Riding.

Walked around with the kids while they road their bikes for awhile the other day.

Unfortunately, Annie gave up riding early so I had to drag her bike behind me while she pouted (that's her pathetic look).

Courtney Lee started riding without training wheels a couple years back but after a few good falls off her bike, she decided she'd rather ride with the trainers again.

And apparently, if you're in a puddle and line up your training wheels just right, you can create a huge spinning wheel of water to spray everyone with (though within a few minutes, after all the water soaked through her jeans and sweatshirt, she realized that her plan to soak everyone else had backfired and that she was the only one who was soaked).

 

And Annie can't pass up a puddle either.

We headed home (after Coley took a spill off his bike) with everyone whining; Cole, because he fell off his bike and the girls, because they were soaking wet from all the puddles.

Good times.

I love it.

I've always loved her artwork.  Lately though, I can't wait to see what she brings home from school. 

Not sure if it's the way she draws her clouds or all the great little details (like the rays coming off the light fixture on top of the bus), the colors she picks or how she purposely chooses not to color certain things (like the dog).

Or maybe it's just that she loves to put hearts all over everything.

I love it though.

(And I love that smile she's trying to hide too).

Planting trees.

We planted 9 trees over at the new, old house this weekend; 5 Thundercloud plums (not really the fruit bearing kind), 2 Sugar Maples, 1 Red Maple and 1 Plum (the fruit bearing kind but I forgot which kind it is specifically).

Still wanting to plant 2 apples, 1 pear and 1 peach.

And about 100+ Red Tipped Photinia evergreen bushes (they'll get really tall, really fast) around my entire backyard to block things like school buses.

Lucky for me, my Mom went through Master Gardener's classes and there's nothing she would rather do than spend the day planting stuff.

And lucky for me also; Ross owes me money so he had to dig most of the holes (he was digging holes for wild asparagus in this shot...and those are earphones dangling from his ear).

Coley dug a hole for one of the Sugar Maples though.

And Annie was in charge of sprinkling bone meal inside all the holes.

Taking a break from sprinkling bone meal (I  love that you can see Coley hanging from his shovel in the background).

Taking a binkie break (she stole that binkie from one of her baby dolls).

We're working on the beds in front of the house too.

My Mom literally hasn't been able to sleep at night because she's so excited about all the ideas she has for the backyard.

It sounds so cheesy but this is such an amazing time in my life right now.  I am constantly excited and my brain is constantly spinning with ideas (which is a hard thing to keep up with for a task-oriented perfectionist like Josh Downs).  And there's nothing I would rather be doing than working at the new, old house.

 Except for maybe taking pictures of all the work that's being done at the new, old house.

Baby albums + business stuff + other stuff.

1. I just wanted to remind everyone that the general registration for the next two Online Photographers' Workshopswill be on Monday, March 2nd at 9:00 am Pacific time.  I'll be posting more specific details prior to registration day  but the two class dates you will be able to register for are:

The Photographers’ Workshop running March 30th - June 7th, 2009
The Photographers’ Workshop running June 8th - August 16th, 2009

2. All kits have been mailed off (I have none left) and you should have received your project instructions via email.  If you did not receive the instructions please check your junkmail inbox and if they're not in there either, please email me at karencrussell@charter.net.  Just let me know which kit you ordered and I'll resend the instructions.

3. Just wanted to share these new albums that released at the CHA Winter show.  This was a collaborative effort using the concept and ideas of a friend of mine (Jodi) and some of my artwork.  Really excited about these.  If you are a retailer, you can contact Creative Imaginations (800 942 6487) to order these.  And if you're a customer who is wanting one, be sure to ask your local scrapbook store if they'll be carrying them.

 

4. I shot all of the pictures I posted of Annie yesterday with a Canon 50mm lens.  A big variety of settings - mostly with apertures of f2 or wider and an ISO of 100 (various shutter speeds though based on the amount of light).

5. Same editing as normal; I edit in Adobe Camera RAW and then usually use Totally Rad Actions I, Derelict at 10% opacity, Boutwell's Magic Glasses at 25% opacity, Oh Snap at 25% opacity and Vignette and Blur at 30% opacity.  I don't veer much from those.

6. Annie's orange shoes from this year's birthday post were from Gymboree (she's just about to wear out her size 7's but since I got them when there were on sale, I went ahead and got a size 8 too).  Last year's orange shoes were Pip Squeaks.

7. I don't have a clue where Courtney Lee's green sweater came from (I tried to check but the tag is missing).

8. That toystore from yesterday's post is a local toystore in our downtown area.  I live in a really small town so the closest Toys R' Us is about 35 miles away.  I love small local business's anyhow and try to shop at them whenever I can.

9. I had seen that pink door before but had never taken any pictures around it (I was excited to see it again when we walked by it though).

10. I'll have to check out the paint color/brand next time I'm over at the new, old house.

11. I promise...I really am going to post pictures of the new, old house soon (spending the weekend over there again this weekend and I can't wait).

Have a great weekend.

Hanging out on her birthday.

Annie and I just hung out all day on her birthday.  Didn't even get out of our pajamas until almost noon and then we headed into town to go to the toy store.

Parked in the alley so we could take some pictures on our walk to the store.

Yes, I cut those crooked bangs.

And just as I suspected...she picked a new baby.

And then we had lunch at Circle J (a peanut butter & jelly sandwich, minus the jelly for her and a M.I.M. sanwich for me).

And then we headed back to the car but Annie decided she wanted to walk around and take some more pictures (this child has NEVER once volunteered for pictures before...I was quite happy).

Probably my favorite picture of the day.

How old?

Ok, that one might actually be my favorite.

And then the birthday girl took a nap (which is precisely how her 2nd birthday ended too).

And it wasn't until just now when I looked at last year's birthday pictures that I realized that the last two birthday's in a row now, Annie has worn orange shoes, a jean skirt and a cream sweater.

And I'm not sure why all my skin tones are so grey again (this happened about a year or so ago before I realized that shooting in Adobe RGB was causing grey skin tones anytime I posted on the internet).  Well, I'm not shooting in Adobe RBG so I'm blaming it on the MAC I switched over to awhile back.

The party.

We had Annie's birthday party over at the new, old house (the first big, family get together we've had over there).

Annie and Grandma Bev.

We got all the kids books for Valentines Day.  Cole got one of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books and didn't put it down all day.

Have I mentioned that my nextdoor neighbor's backyard is full of old school buses?

The boys on top of the roof of the garage.   My Uncles (who were notorious for leaving me and my sister and my aunt all stranded on top of many a roof when we were growing up) were to blame for this.  In fact, they were throwing tree branches and rubber boots at them (because that's safe).

Josh's Grandpa having a discussion with Josh's Dad about the tasty strawberry martini drink I gave him (Josh's Grandpa and I like the same fruity drinks).

Josh's Dad however is a beer man and has no interest in my fruity drinks.

My Mom working on a blanket for Annie's babies (oh, and that's the color I painted the dining room in the new, old house).

My little cousin Jesse's droopy drawers.

The cake (not too many good cake shots this year).

Licking the frosting off the candles.

Sorry Shell, but since this is the only smile you'll give me...I had no choice but to post it.

My very first reupholstering project and Annie's birthday present (found this little set at an old junk shop but it had leopard print seats...and I have an aversion to leopard print).

Annie getting ready for her surprise.

Ok, I actually kind of like the school buses (I just don't think that I want them in the background of every single shot I take in the backyard for the rest of our lives).

Surprise! (I have no idea what she's looking at...but it's clearly not my reupholstering job).

Probably my favorite shot of the day.

We never have to get the kids very many presents because the rest of the family brings more presents than I think any normal kid needs.

Ross and Cali and Annie playing with some of the new birthday toys.

And when it was all over, we lined up four sleeping bags in the girl's room; one for Tater Tot (who was all geared up to stay the night until her Mom showed up to say goodnight and botched my plan), one for Annie (who insisted that she and her babydoll sleep in the new, matching birthday dresses that Aunt Alicia got for them), one for Brooke and one for Courtney Lee (who you can't see - but she's back there in the corner).

Happy Birthday Yannie.

Annie is three this morning.

She just finished up her birthday muffin, is wearing big-girl undies (because she's been saying that she's not going to wear diapers when she turns three) and now we're all glued to the television, waiting for Ron Brown on channel 12 to wish her a happy birthday (Josh sends in pictures of the kids to a local T.V. station on their birthdays each year).

And she & I are going to hang out together all day.

Harriet & Valentine.

 

That's one of my favorite pictures that Josh and I took when we first started dating.

Tomorrow is the 4th anniversary of us meeting on an airplane out of Atlanta, Georgia (and though most of you have heard this story before, someone recently asked about how we met...and I never pass up a chance to tell that story).

He was in Atlanta for a fraternity meeting (not a partying fraternity, but a smart, geeky fraternity - the kind where you don't live together - which Josh is quick to point out whenever he mentions being in a fraternity).

I was there for the Crafts & Hobby Association trade show and had just had a conversation the night before with Karen Burniston about how I was never going to date again (it had been about 3 1/2 years since I had been on a single date...and obviously that date didn't go so well).

I had tried to reschedule my flight, but the airlines couldn't get me on another flight.

When I got to the airport, I ran into my ex-husband's sisters (who are also from Oregon).  We talked for so long that I was was late boarding my plane. 

When I got to my seat, someone was sound asleep in it (and even though I really, really, really wanted that window seat which I had specifically requested so I could take a nap, I couldn't bring myself to wake them up so I sat in a different seat instead).

I sat down next to Josh Downs.

About 30 seconds into the flight, he asked me what I was doing in Atlanta.  4 1/2 hours later, we were still talking. 

I called my best friend in the whole wide world (Jill) as soon as I got off the flight and told her that I had just met the coolest guy ever.  She immediately asked "So are you going to marry him?" and I said "I'm totally going to marry him." (we have that kind of sense of humor).

He emailed me that night and sent me a picture of him and Courtney Lee feeding ducks at the park.  It was the day before Valentines day so he closed his email with "Happy Valentines Day" (and so I called Jill and said "He wrote Happy Valentines Day in his email!" to which she responded "He totally wants to marry you").

And he has referred to me as 'Valentine' ever since.

So we emailed eachother a lot.

The first quote he ever sent me was from Harriet Beecher Stowe; When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you till it seems you could not hold on a minute longer, never give up then for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.

And I have referred to him as Harriet ever since.

He also sent a quote that said Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy, which is disputably from Ben Franklin...but that one didn't feel quite as meaningful.

A few weeks later, we went on our first date (he is from Oregon too and was living just a couple hours north of me).

And one year to the day that we met on that airplane (please don't do the math on this one because it doesn't make me look very good)...Annaliesa Belle Downs was born.

February 13th (tomorrow).