My Son; the Adventurer

I took this interesting test online to determine what kind of talent Jamie has... It was interesting... :)

Jamie's talent is Adventure!

What is your Child's Learning Talent?

by Montessorimom.com: Educational Resource

This is definitely the kind of little boy he is!
Here are their suggestions:
"Your child has exceptional charisma and physical ability. You may be living with the next great athlete, Tiger Woods or Serena Williams. These children can even grown up to be actors. Don't be surprised if your child is the next Richard Burton or Nicole Kidman. Your adventurous child may even grow up to be the next Sally Ride or Neil Armstrong. Your child loves to move, climb on things, and loves activity and adventure. These children are sometimes labeled hyper active when they don't have outlets for their energy."

OMG Yes, this is my child to a "T"! anyway, it goes on....

"Here are some ways you can nurture your child's talent.

Any type of sports, group or individual, such as soccer, karate, and dance. These children usually love large motor activity. Some ideas for their physical activities are jungle gyms, balls, tricycles, and skates. Also they may like active handwork such as clay, playdough, sewing, and finger painting.

Some other great activities would be wall climbing, playing in the children's play area at your local fast food restaurant, the slides, pools of balls are great free activities for your child. "

Newest Goal & Seattle Engagement

Once the house shopping and the moving is squared away I vow to take a photography class or workshop! There's so much I still need to learn. It's funny how you think you know something until you get thrown a curve ball and are immediately humbled by how much you really don't know! I admit, I'm a little terrified of discovering JUST how much I need to know!

Today I got to shoot an engagement session for Shawnta and Ronald; Michelle's co-worker. It was quite a struggle... I had only met them once prior to discuss ideas but at the time, I was still recovering from the wisdom teeth ordeal (I know, will this event ever go away??)and couldn't talk much. Today I could sense they were stressed out and disapointed over the lack of sunshine but wanted to press on anyway towards Seattle. We followed their Seattle-familiar friends to a great location in Alki Beach to get some space needle skyline shots. Down comes the rain but luckily not in buckets. I tried my hardest to help them see the potential and to think outside the box. Not only were they stressed, Ronald was having allergy problems and Shawnta had 2 broken toes from a recent trip to California. I felt horrible! I was only able to capture a few good shots of them, the rest were out of focus or in partial focus. Eek. Luckily, they want to try later this week if the weather improves. We're gonna go closer to home at good old Pt. Defiance this time. All of the beautiful flowers should be in bloom :)Maybe this time I'll push them to get a few drinks beforehand to loosen up! hehe
Seriously though, these guys tried so hard and have such wonderful, quirky personalities. Maybe next time we'll get more of their personalities :)

"become the friend you have been waiting for"

What a perfect moment to stumble upon this photog's blog. I found this inspring quote on Jesh De Rox's blog after he wrote a thought-provoking entry. I don't normally frequent his blog since it's mostly fulled with contests but I'm glad I did today.
I've been feeling quite lonely inside for awhile. No one's fault of course. It's just the way I'm wired. I tend to keep to myself and hold back. Rarely do I express any true emotions right as they happen. I generally wait until I've had a chance to assess them and then edit what I don't like. Does that make me a fake? Probably not...
I've been wanting to make some personal changes in my life. Changes to better myself, emotionally and physically. Be a better parent, wife and friend. What better way to start than by selling our house?

I'm going take another good look at my goal list and attempt another one soon. I don't know which one yet. But I'm going to do it for myself, not because I want to be someone else.

Lately, I've been in a really sour mood. Rightfully so, eh? This is definitely something I've never experienced before and to be honest, I am really unsure of how to deal with it. I get angry because I perceive people to be completely insensitive. Even those who don't even know me or what has happened. I've been okay enough to go to work but then I encounter pushy customers and I have to literally talk myself out of screaming at them to shut up about this book that they so desperately need THAT day or why Borders Rewards is beneficial to them even though they spend less than 10 bucks a year. Yes, I was locked into trying to convince a customer this...he was determined to make me repeat the whys over and over... "So let me get this straight... I don't have email so I can't get those coupons but I can get the coupons through your registers but yet I have to spend at least $10 dollars to even be offered the coupons?" Let me tell you... I was really ready to just tell him to forget and go to Barnes & Nobles. Ugh.
Then of course I stay angry and grumpy all day long and end up with saying crap that I really don't mean. If I've said anything mean to you and you're reading this: I'm sorry. But please, just give me some time and be understanding. If you were in my shoes, you'd be the same way.
Anyway, eventually I'll move on and I'll feel better. But until then, please be gentle.

It turns out that this pregnancy wasn't meant to be =( I ended up miscarrying. But the good news remains that the fact that I have a 4 year old means I can still have more children :)
Thanks for the support and enthusiasm everyone has shown me :)

Wow THREE weddings booked!

I'm just shocked at the positive responses I've been getting about my photography! I've gotten 3 weddings booked so far! The most recent comes from my previous district manager with Borders as her daughter has just gotten engaged! Lucky for me the wedding won't take place until August of 2009. Just enough time to recover and get into a routine with a new baby. Not to mention, I will have gotten previous wedding experience!
I admit that my focus was more on the family and children side of photography but weddings will definitely be a nice added bonus. I hope that the bookings continue since I'll need any added income to support my photography addiction! :)

To be Seventeen again...

Last Saturday my brother, his friend and I went to the very edge of Bonney Lake to take some amazing photos for his senior invitations. My mom freaked out when I told her it was a cliff... She's worried about a 17 year old falling? Ha! Anyway, it's not technically a cliff but a very steep hill. Anyway, we got there around 6 o'clock and the sun (the one day it was 70 degrees) was going strong. Almost immediately, Tom was sweating! I tried a few different positions and finally got some amazing light and shawdow play! Enjoy the photos!

I think I'm nuts.

I swore as a kid watching my mom suffer though cloth diapers that I would never EVER use them when I had children of my own. Well guess what... I'm considering them. They're cheaper than disposables and yeah, kinda cute too. Here are the ones I'm considering: Bum Genius. Has anyone tried cloth diapers recently? I know all about those old fashioned, pinned ones... I'm just curious if anyone has tried the newer kinds? Is it worth the trouble?
We considered buying a pack of diapers everytime we found ourselves at Target (unfortunately, that would be a lot) and keep sighing as the prices are just so high. I've already determined that we won't be using formula this time around to save a few bucks as well. Besides, I want to try it anyway. I'm not anti-formula at all. I haven't seen a clear distinction between formula fed children and breastfed children. Seriously, I've known some interesting breastfed kids in my day.

Anyway, just some random thoughts I thought I'd share. :)

Thinking towards the future

As most of you know, we're trying to sell our house. There's good reason behind it too. First off, manufactured homes just don't stay warm; especially not in the winter time even with the heat cranked to 70. The mortage is expensive for what we have, just not worth it. The neighborhood is...how can I put it... white trashy? It's true that they're trying to control it with a Home Owner's Association but they can only do so much. Our only option at this point is to use the money from the home sale to free up at least $1000 a month and move into a rental home.
With a new baby on the way we've decided that it's the best decision for me to stay home most of the time, maybe work 2 nights a week? Daycare will cost more than what I make in a month so it just isn't worth it. I'm not going to ask my mom and mother-in-law to watch a baby again in addition to a 5 year old when he gets home from kindergarten. It's too much to ask. I personally would rather spend more time with the new baby because there are new things I want to try this time around. Jamie did just fine on formula and sleeping in his own crib but I think this time I'd like to try breast feeding and co-sleeping (they have co-sleepers: if you want to get us a baby gift... lol). Every child is different.
Besides, this way I can try to get my photography business going next year with more free time (theoritically). :) Anyway, just wanted to share my thoughts.