that red dirt road

You know you gotta....

2008-10-02T10:54:00.000-07:00

watch this video:

I know politics is an inflammatory topic so I'll stay out of it here. But one thing I can say with the utmost certainty, regardless of whether or not I agree with you on the issues at hand, I want your voice to be heard.

Common Ground

2008-09-09T07:11:00.000-07:00

Just recently I've had the pleasure to come across a photographer by the name of Scott Strazzante. He is a photographer for the Chicago tribune and you can find his work HERE Sit back and enjoy :)

After you finish browsing his blog, take a look at this video display of his work COMMON GROUND

You have to see this, HAVE TO.

YES, it's that good :)

July 21, 2008

2008-07-21T21:56:00.001-07:00

The smile...the one I never get with the camera around. He was having too much fun playing in the water with Dad.

July 20, 2008

2008-07-21T15:46:00.000-07:00

Summer.

Do you remmeber your childhood summers? Running about all day swinging, playing in the sprinkler, eating popsicles, not caring whether or not your hair has been combed? I promise, we comb it but this was taken at nearly 8 pm, it had been a while :)

July 19, 2008

2008-07-21T15:41:00.001-07:00

The bean, take two.

Look! Another self portrait. At this point those two patient, handsome, wonderful men are in fact in the background asking how many pictures I actually need of the bean.

The second patient, handsome, wonderful man is actually my BIL. My SIL at this point was in the hotel, sick. She's pregnant and has all day sickness, poor thing, she's got it twice as bad because she's having TWINS!

July 18, 2008

2008-07-21T15:15:00.000-07:00

Chicago

I think I love Chicago.
I think I'm going to move to Chicago.
I think my husband is going to take issue with my move to Chicago ;)

This actually classifies as a self portrait. See, there I am standing next to those two very patient, handsome, wonderful men, one of which will take issue with my upcoming move. You would actually be able to see me had I taken care to leave some detail in the shadows.

Sorry about the bean being so dirty, I was fresh out of Windex that day.

July 17, 2008

2008-07-21T14:42:00.000-07:00

Sunset ala Ford? How bout we just call it 'I suck at titles' :)

July 16, 2008

2008-07-21T14:25:00.000-07:00

I admit sometimes our house revolves around sunrise and sunset. This was one of those days and we didn't have time to dress her! I was too busy grabbing equipment to head to the outlaws house for sunset. So, excuse our only a diaper clad subject. This is more off camera flash practice. Not perfect but getting better :)

Oh, yeah...can we pretend that I cloned out the light pole and power lines? Good :)

July 15, 2008

2008-07-21T14:06:00.000-07:00

Oh wait, I can get another angle of him, lol. This was off camera flash practice. I know probably doesn't look hard. It's not rocket science, but it's more than just clicking the shutter :) While practicing, beggars can't be choosers so excuse the content :)

July 14, 2008

2008-07-21T14:01:00.000-07:00

More gummies, aka the only way I can take a picture of him.

July 13, 2008

2008-07-21T13:48:00.001-07:00

Gummies for breakfast (not my choice)

July 12, 2008

2008-07-21T13:43:00.000-07:00

Been fishing?

July 11, 2008

2008-07-20T13:24:00.001-07:00

Moon, moon, moon
Taken back in June

July 10, 2008

2008-07-20T12:32:00.000-07:00

The Map...or so he calls it. It is actually instructions for turning a transformer into a car/truck from a robot. I'm sure the conversation was going a little like this:

C: "yeah, and grandma, you just turn this around, put it here, and then you take this other thing and clip it there, and........

I think anyone around him knows it's not quite so easy!

July 9, 2008

2008-07-20T12:22:00.001-07:00

Hover?

July 8, 2008

2008-07-20T12:21:00.001-07:00

A fave from a recent session...

July 7, 2008

2008-07-20T12:05:00.000-07:00

Bursting with color...wish I had seen the dead leaf before I took the shot :) I like to leave myself with room for imrovement :P Yes, that was sarcasm.

July 6, 2008

2008-07-20T12:00:00.000-07:00

Not Annabelle..., but the blue one :)

July 05, 2008

2008-07-20T11:59:00.001-07:00

HONK

July 4, 2008

2008-07-20T11:56:00.000-07:00

Bang...

July 3, 2008

2008-07-03T21:42:00.000-07:00

Aloof, isn't that what all cats are? Working the high key here.

July 2, 2008

2008-07-03T21:38:00.000-07:00

ROOOOAAAAAAR! This is what dinosaurs looked/sounded like. If they wore heart sunglasses and ate blue suckers while posing for Mommy for studio shots :)

July 1, 2008

2008-07-01T20:09:00.000-07:00

Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and follow where they lead. ~Louisa May Alcott

This makes my heart burst

2008-02-04T11:01:00.000-08:00

I also giggle a little too. On the days when the boy goes to school, Dad gets him up and they try not to wake me up. On days they succeed, I roll over first thing to this:

Duckie, tucked in tightly so he may snooze with me until his boy gets home. NO, I don't sleep until noon...promise ;)

heh...that lasted long :)

2008-01-30T20:57:00.000-08:00

Back to my old tricks again with not posting. I've been putting my new website together and it should be ready soon :)

Here's a threefer...

Time out:

and Diesel by late afternoon light, lol.

TFL :)

1-1-08

2008-01-03T07:47:00.000-08:00

So, my friend Renee has challenged me to do a picture a day for a year. We'll see how far I make it, lol. I know, I'm starting late but I was sick yesterday. Here we start the picture a day :)

I name this ZZZZZzzzzzzzzz.

A new victim :)

2007-12-30T13:36:00.000-08:00

Meet Diesel, our new puppy:

the boy keeps calling him Spencer, lol. (That is a close friend's pet's name) I sure hope he is as mild mannered and sweet as Spencer.

JUMP!

2007-12-26T10:52:00.000-08:00

More from my trip to Nashville. I know, yesterday was self portrait Tuesday but it was a *holiday* LOL.

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas :)

do a dollop

2007-12-20T19:56:00.000-08:00

of sour cream, that is. Mom and C making sour cream cookies last weekend.

Self Portrait Tuesday

2007-12-18T13:25:00.000-08:00

So, my friend and mentor Wendy does this and I think it's cool so I'm stealing the idea. Besides, there are very few pictures of me and I'm sure my kids will want them someday. We'll see if I manage to get this done once a week (probably not)

So, Renee, where is yours?

I must have done something right

2007-12-12T11:09:00.000-08:00

because Santa sent me a 5D! THANK YOU SANTA CLAUSE! I promise, one day, you'll get a bass boat;)

Here she is, just out of the box. I think I'll call her Noel :)

I had to snap a few but my subject just had shots yesterday..and...well...you'll see

Santa, this was taken at 3200 ISO, fyi :)I really didn't do much editing. A little defog and an action from VIBE called Fruit Juice.

Do you think she's trying to tell me something here?

This edit included the moody bnw preset from VIBE

Rumor has it my dear friend Renee Oakenfull of VIBE
is getting ready to launch another part of her business. Rumor has it's AWESOME

Smooch :)

2007-11-25T18:01:00.001-08:00

It's hard to believe two close friends have daughters so far apart in age.

[don't blink]

2007-11-23T21:10:00.000-08:00

I can't...because when I open my eyes, I know she'll be grown.

Sneak Peek

2007-11-22T13:42:00.000-08:00

I spent last w/e in Nashville. It's nice to work with people that hold still for a change!

I really enjoyed my trip. As usual, it wasn't long enough.

TFL

Days End

2007-11-04T21:02:00.000-08:00

Shared History

2007-10-31T21:34:00.000-07:00

As I was cleaning out hello files tonight, I noticed that the window you use to either delete or view files is named Shared History. Hmmm, interesting. I've only known these friends that I chat with for a little more than a year. Funny how a chat program gives you....shared history. Renee and Stephanie, I just can't imagine life without you. I've had the best time getting to know you. Hopefully, someday we'll meet. Thanks girls :)

For Halloween, C was Thomas and Gramma bought him a lantern to carry. The lantern is a big hit and I think it makes an amazing light source for sleeping pics!

Happy Halloween!

For my dear friend Stephanie

2007-10-28T09:01:00.000-07:00

a bnw of Union Station:

Union Station St. Louis, MO

2007-10-27T14:47:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of staying here a couple weekends ago. It's a gorgeous place. I hope to go back to capture more of it :)

I wonder what she's thinking

2007-10-25T05:52:00.000-07:00

I snapped this of her the other day. I wonder what she's thinking while she's looking at grandma.

Ride by?

2007-10-22T23:14:00.000-07:00

I was snapping pics of Miss C last week and he had to get in on it, lol. I love the goofy smile he has on his face.

No internet :(

2007-10-10T16:44:00.000-07:00

Oh, the joys of living in a small town. I've recently had a lot of trouble with my internet provider. Unfortunately/fortunately the have let me out of my contract early at no charge. I'm in contact with another company and waiting for them to finish up their new tower in my area. I should be up and running again next week. Until then, lol, pray for me :) My house is the cleanest it has been in a very long time. Heck, I might even catch up on editing.

A pink raincoat and a yellow lollie

2007-09-27T21:02:00.001-07:00

Would you believe this coat was given to her 9 months ago? We thought it would fit in the spring, lol. Well, she's a tiny thing and it fits now so when it was overcast a couple days ago we headed out for the park.

Is that a lollie or a microphone, the thought of this girls teen years SCARES me.

trying to make her look big, she's the kinda girl you can shoot up on :)

Playing with my wide angle lens :) He's learning to work on things or at least act like it!

TFL!

10 favorite songs

2007-08-31T05:52:00.000-07:00

I was tagged by my friend, Sheila, to list 10 of my favorite songs. I'll do a couple at a time and hopefully by the end of the day, I'll have 10. I've always loved music, finding only 10 will be difficult. This reminds me I have got to get an ipod, I rarely listen to my own music these days.

#10: U2-Where the Streets have no Name. I still get chills listening to the baseline :)

#9: Guns n Roses-Paradise City. I remember stalking MTV waiting for the release of this video. I watched it for the first time in a friends living room, we were both so excited we couldn't sit still. Ahhh, to be this young again, I was a senior in high school when this song was released. I still love the black and white footage at the beginning.

#8: Rio-Duran Duran. Really showing my age here. This one's for Gina ;) John Taylor was the hottest, lmao.

#7: Everclear-Santa Monica Although this was released several years before, when my ex and I split up I listened to it a lot. It helped me realize that I really did want out of that relationship. I thank God every day for helping me see that.

#6: Violent Femmes-Blister in the Sun

#5: The White Stripes-Seven Nation Army

#4: R.E.M.-Loosing my Religion

#3: Smashing Pumpkins-Bullet with Butterfly Wings

8 things

2007-08-29T17:41:00.000-07:00

I've been tagged by Reneeto list 8 things that you may or may not know about me. I'm not sure I'm that interesting. Here goes:

1. I was baptized Lutheran in my early twenties and while I am spiritual, I do not attend church. I should change that and take my kids.

2. I absolutely despise having hot feet, I wear flip flops most of the time.

3. I usually wear jeans and yes, they almost always have holes in them. I'm an artist, I can dress whatever way I want right?

4. I'm just absolutely tickled today. I belong to an online photography site that has monthly contests. For the month of July, I placed second. Here is the link for the July contest announcement page.

5. I am positively humbled by the fact that I was included with such a talented group of people in the above competition.

6. For a couple of months now I've had trouble with my external flash. I fiddled with it today and read the manual. HA! it was in manual, not ETTL mode. I'll blame that on my dh :)

7. I am going to master my flash by the end of this year. No ifs ands or buts.

8. I hope to have a small studio by summer of next year.

Now I have to tag 8 more people. I'm not sure I can find 8 people that haven't been tagged already! Okay, Meg, Sheila, Lyndsay, Marla, Lauren, Jenny

I think everyone else has been tagged!

In love with the light

2007-08-22T16:37:00.000-07:00

and that pretty much sums it up :) TFL...you can leave a message :)

Tomato juice

2007-08-21T13:04:00.000-07:00

Weekend before last, Mom and I canned tomato juice so that we will have it for chili this winter. Thank fully, Mom takes care of the tomato chopping part b/c raw tomatoes make me ill.

We had a little help.

Normally, she runs away but not this day she wanted in on the action. I had to take advantage of it :)

Like the little horns that the reflection on the microwave behind her make? She's so deserving of them :)

I love seeing her this happy:

and for the last shot of the day, tomato juice by sunset light.

Thanks Mom, I had a wonderful day :) and a wonderful week. Love you.

E-mail

2007-08-17T14:29:00.000-07:00

To anyone who has tried to e-mail me in the last few weeks, please accept my sincere apology. Apparently my ISP's spam filter is blocking nearly everything. This will be fixed soon :) Thank you for your patience.

I've been at my Mother's house all week, so lots of photos but no editing. Will continue when I get back home Sunday ;)

The Laundry Mat?

2007-08-05T12:48:00.000-07:00

YESSSS...where else would you go for family portraits? I understand this isn't what most people have in mind for family portraits. One thing I want to do for my clients and myself is to give them something that they can *feel* 20 years from now. I want you to look back on a portrait and say, "remember when we did this? We had so much fun!" It's nice to stretch your wings and try different things every once in a while :)

Special thanks to my sil for letting me do this :)

time...please slow down

2007-07-28T14:34:00.000-07:00

He's getting way too big and I want this to last forever. I love watching him sleep.

Blatant Defiance: A Test

2007-07-27T11:17:00.000-07:00

"so, Mom, are you actually going to put that camera down and stop me?"

Backlighting practice

2007-07-24T05:08:00.000-07:00

We spent last weekend at Gramma's :) The kids always have a blast pottering around in her yard. They also get away with certain things like wearing their pj's outside.

A month????

2007-07-23T17:47:00.000-07:00

So, my dear friend Renee says I need to post :) I apologize, Renee. I'm not as organized as you are. There just isn't enough time in the day. So, I'll post at least two times a week. However, posts may not contain words, lol. Does that work?

Okay, catch up time. My month in pictures :)

more from lighting assingment, I call this mechanics gone wild :o

My favorite shot for my composition assignment:

We went for a weekend get away in Chicago with our son. His favorite part was the train ride. I wish I had killer pics of the train station but the particular station we left from was quite *rural* :)

I loved the Shedd Aquarium...

I have more to post but it seems blogger is not my friend this evening...check back tomorrow :)

Summer is here!

2007-06-22T09:14:00.000-07:00

and we are busy but having a blast! My dh has two classes this summer. I am in a photography class and both kids are in a swim class. I am also booking sessions which is wonderful, it feels great to be working again. However, my poor blog has suffered. Here are a few recent favorites:

I had to bribe him for this:

I'm soon going to have to bribe her. Funny how my kids know how to get away from a camera ;)

I'm loving my class. Wendy is really stretching me and I'm trying things I wouldn't normally do. Dh looks kinda scary here but he isn't, I promise. He's lit by a computer monitor. Crafty, aren't I, lol.

Finally, last weekend I had my first maternity session with a friend. As you can see, she is nothing short of stunning. Why can't we all be this beautiful while we are pregnant?

Thanks for looking :) and thanks for the sweet comments on my last post :)

Self Portrait...kinda

2007-06-08T06:52:00.000-07:00

My mother is always complaining that she doesn't have any pics of me. I also needed a self portrait for a project I am working on with a couple of friends. Does it count as a self portrait if you set everything up and hand the camera to dh? Either way, he did a great job. Thank you honey :)

CRASH

2007-06-04T07:02:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of material lately. As many of you know, my computer crashed and was down for nearly two weeks :0. That was a rough two weeks, lol.

Update on my ds, his arm was not broken. Yay!!!

We had a blast over Memorial Day weekend. We went camping with a bunch of friends. I couldn't take my camera but I did buy a couple of disposable cameras. For any of you that claim a great photographer can take great pics even with a disposable, I beg to differ. For some reason the particular camera I bought had a flash that fired EVERY time. Maybe next year I'll be brave enough to take my camera...maybe next year I'll have a 5D ;) Actually, a couple of my friends may have some...perhaps they'll share :)

Not many pics to share, it was hard to empty my memory cards with out my computer. I did take this lovely shot yesterday of my dh on the slip and slide. We have to do this again, it was too fun.

A boring life is starting to sound good.

2007-05-15T09:49:00.000-07:00

It certainly has not been boring around here! Here's how my Mother's Day weekend went:

Friday, the zoo. Cool turtle shot, lol.

Saturday, I spent the day with Mom riding around in the car playing with landscapes. I nabbed this cool sunrise. Thanks Mom, I had a blast!

Sunday we had a picnic for my brother in law who is leaving for Iraq in a couple weeks. Please keep him in your prayers.

Here is a shot of Cole from Sunday, one of the best I've been able to get of him recently. He has PCS, photographer's child syndrome, and absolutely refuses to look at the camera!

That arm is now in a sling, Moments later he fell out of the tree. It scared both of us as well as the other people that were standing around. The doc thought it might be broken but could not make a definite diagnosis. Poor baby just got a new sandbox that he can't play in for at least a week, let's hope it's only a week ;)

TFL!

Sooc, first edit, second edit

2007-05-09T22:36:00.000-07:00

It always amazes me what editing can do to a photo. I'm certainly no expert at editing but I'm learning a lot. Here's an example:

Straight out of the camera: :o

and after my first edit:

and after my dear friend Renee urged me to try finding some data in all that white in the sky:

Thank you Renee!!! For those of you who have never met her, here is her blog: just so Random Check her out, she's super talented :)

Engaged....for quite some time

2007-05-07T19:55:00.000-07:00

who knows when they will get married, lol. J and K were such a fun couple to work with, I had a blast and hope they did as well. She really knows how to work it for the camera and he just rolled with the punches lol., hopefully I'll get to work with them again. Here's your sneak peek you two. I hope you like them ;)

Blog Stalking

2007-04-25T09:20:00.000-07:00

I do it regularly. I stalk friends mostly but I have a long list of my favorite photographers that I watch closely as well. One of those is Cup of Joe Photo he is a wedding photographer in California. If you have a chance, take a peek, he is a very inspirational man and I love his work.

This is what caught my attention today. A couple weeks ago he posted this. I am a huge Harry Potter fan and I thought this was hilarious!

Hope you enjoy!

A babe in the house is a well-spring of pleasure

2007-04-23T12:58:00.000-07:00

Meet Miss G. I had the pleasure of photographing her this past weekend. She is so easy to work with and such a cheerful happy baby. I couldn't get enough of her! Here are a couple from the day. I played a bit with texture on this first one. I aged it a bit. What do you think?

Beauty and the UPS man?

2007-04-13T05:10:00.000-07:00

Although very rugged and masuline, he certainly isn't a beast. He is however one of the men I stalk when I order new equipment :o Actually, they are close friends of ours, thankfully...she doesn't mind the stalking, lol. We hoped to do this outside but it was 30 degrees and windy...hopefully soon we can reschedule an outdoor shoot for more candids. Isn't she beautiful? Very easy to photograph.

TFL!

Honky Tonk Badonkadonk

2007-04-02T12:20:00.000-07:00

I had a blast in Nashville with a few of my photog friends. I can't get this song out of my head but I thought it fit nicely with these photos of Miss H ;) We had a session just before I left town.

I haven't been able to edit many but I wanted to give her a sneek peak. Hope she likes them!

BOO!

2007-03-28T08:25:00.000-07:00

Scared ya, didn't I? Well, meet Boo, one of my mother's cats.

This cat is my arch enemy. She absolutely has to be in the middle of everything. Trying to cook dinner, this cat is always laying at my feet. One doesn't dare to wrap a gift without her. Although quite aggravating, she's quite pretty as long as you aren't superstitious.

Here is her sis, Sissy. For as mischievous as Boo is, this one is sweet. I guess she feels the need to make up for her sister's bad behavior, lol.

However, I don't think she was into being photographed:

I think I caught her at nap time.

TFL :)

Three days in a row...Wooo Hooo!

2007-03-21T13:02:00.000-07:00

No pics today but I wanted to tell everyone that I now have a blog for proofing clients and displaying my gallery. I am officially portfolio building :)

You can check my new blog out at:
just julie photography

Thanks to everyone who has helped me proof and to my dh for understanding that I could not rip myself away from my computer :)

I know the three of you are really concerned that I may stop blogging here, lol. But not to worry...the other is strictly for business. Red Dirt Road will be for what I do best-run my mouth!

If size matters,

2007-03-20T20:41:00.000-07:00

this lens has it made. It's big but it kicks butt. I didn't have much time, much light or a willing subject but these are my first few shots.

I've found my new addiction, L glass ;)

The three best words in the English language

2007-03-20T05:58:00.000-07:00

OUT FOR DELIVERY. Yep...my new lens will be here today. I am having trouble sitting still. Now, if I could just get that sun to peek out for a while after it gets here then we'll be good. Hopefully, I'll have new pics to share.

I've been tagged by Renee...for out takes. Let me see if I can dig some up. LOL, this shouldn't be too hard;)

oh...these two are some of my faves

In this you can just tell she's thinking "oh, what is this crap?"

I just love this one. This was one of the first times he actually agreed to have his photo taken...all in the name of keeping little sis from getting her taken. Hey, it works :p

So, I'm tagging three people....

Sheila, Stephanie,and JBu lets see your out takes!!!

Is this a sign?

2007-03-13T14:02:00.000-07:00

that maybe someday I will have someone to help with the laundry? She loves to play with clothes. I know it isn't anything compelling but look how happy she is...where's the wub smiley when you need it? I just had to snap the pic.

I'm up to my old tricks again...my typepad isn't what I had envisioned so I am dragging my feet. I have learned some very useful info for posting pics to the web so I am going back and working on my portfolio. This is just not an inspiring time of year. Everything is still brown and dead outside and I have found that the light coming in my house most of the time just doesn't cut it. So, I have taken a few steps toward enlightenment and inspiration:

1. I bought (or should I say my very loving supportive dh bought) a new lens. L glass baby :) and I can't wait.
2. I need a break so I am doing what most girls do. I'm going to Mom's house, she's got great windows, lol, and I miss her company.

Sorry about being such a bad blogger...I promise to be better.

Been busy, obviously...

2007-02-20T07:35:00.000-08:00

I bet you thought I would never post again, lol. I've been working on a typepad blog to use for displaying my gallery and for proofing clients. I'll give the link whenever it is finished, hopefully sometime this week :)

In the meantime, we had a blast playing in the snow over the weekend at my Mom's house. It was nice to get away from posing and get back to just capturing the moment. Here are a couple from our trip....

This old barn belongs to a neighbor of Mom's. It is a lovely old structure with lots of texture and character. I have fond memories of this barn from my childhood, it was always so fascinating and housed many differnt animals as well lots of stuff up above the stalls (probably many snow shovels ;)). I had to wade in nearly thigh deep drifts to get a couple snaps of it.

I promise to be a better blogger now :)

Six things that make me really happy...

2007-02-07T18:07:00.000-08:00

1. The sound of my kids laughing. Cori actually giggled tonight while she was in the bath with Cole...she's very sober and doesn't laugh often. That little giggle was one of the best things I have ever heard.

2. Going out for a nice quiet dinner at a place called The Depot with my husband. It reminds me of an entirely different place where we had more options than Applebee's for a sit down dinner. Thankfully, now we have The Depot and they have this incredible feta dressing with dill...tdf!

3. Sleeping late on a weekend morning

4. A great cup of coffee and I'm not talking Folger's here people ;)

5. Cooking dinner for my family and watching them enjoy it and love it.

6. Listening to Cole sing and seeing Cori dance.

Okay, off to find six people that haven't been tagged...

Tagged again by Sageg!

2007-02-07T05:26:00.000-08:00

Wow, that really makes a girl feel included. I gotta run right now, Cori's waking up but I'll be back to post my list of Six things that make me really happy and tag six more people.

See you later this afternoon.

I've Been Tagged!

2007-02-06T16:36:00.000-08:00

By Marla to post 6 weird things about me. This will be quick, lol.

1. I wash my hands probably 50 times a day and if I'm sick, that number is likely to double.

2. I don't like for my food to touch on my plate and usually eat one thing at a time.

3. I can't stand it when people "double dip"

4. I love salsa, ketchup and pasta sauce but I absolutely loathe fresh tomatoes.

5. I like to receive footrubs but I don't like people to touch my toes.

6. When I saw a cadavar in lab during school, the one thing that bothered my was his toenails, long toenails make my stomach turn.

Do you see a trend? Time for a psych eval. :o

Let's see....I'll tag Meg, Sageg, Lyndsay,Amy, Noel, and mrs obie If you have a business blog and don't want your customers to see, you know where to post ;)

More posing....

2007-02-05T17:54:00.000-08:00

A few recent faves....other than that I am stuck here in rutsville. This weather is just not good for photography. I'm starting to feel like a true disturbed artist! I've been flat out grouchy these days. I despise not feeling like I am "growing."

Okay,

/whine :)

Party!!!!

2007-01-30T09:14:00.000-08:00

Yeah, well, it took me forever to post these but here they are! I had trouble with my flash but these are the best of the batch :)

Finally some snow!!!!

2007-01-25T14:57:00.000-08:00

It snowed last weekend, just enough to load up the 4 wheeler and head out to a bean field...we tied a saucer sled to the back and drug the kids around. They had a blast.

Here is what I captured from the day :)

Cole was so bundled up he never got cold and he did not want to head inside afterward.

My bil just before he was thrown from the sled:

My favorite from the day. I wish I would have thought to have him turn that darned hat around ;)

I also wanted to update those of you who were concerned on Cori's little fainting episode. Since our visit to the doctor she has held her breath until she nearly fainted FOUR times. So, no worries about seizures. She just doesn't like to get hurt and she likes to get her way! See, I told you she was stubborn...she gets that from her Dad's side ;o, at least that is what I tell myself.

A girl can never have to many friends

2007-01-22T12:36:00.000-08:00

Especially when she needs models for class :)

Here are just a few, I should have more done tomorrow. I hope you like them!

The reason you leave your camera in P mode:

2007-01-18T13:05:00.000-08:00

Cori took her first steps today. These aren't great but at least I got them!

ETA: For some reason blogger is giving me trouble with these pics, they aren't in the right order!!!

A little scare

2007-01-16T14:04:00.000-08:00

Today as I was cleaning, Cori was playing about 10 feet behind me and fell from a standing position. I heard her hit, she didn't hit hard. I did the typical Mom thing, I waited for the big wail before I rushed over but it took longer this time. When I got to her, she was beet red with her eyes tightly shut. As I picked her up, her eyes opened for a split second then they rolled back in her head and she arched her back. I held her up to me and patted her on the bottom and rubbed her back pretty aggressively and she finally started to whine and wimper. I checked her head, no large bumps or anything. She was pretty mellow and lethargic for about ten minutes as I called the doctor and got us ready to go. I was really concerned that she had a concussion or had in fact had a seizure. The doctor said to watch her but that she had probably just fainted from holding her breath trying to cry.

We are keeping a close eye on her but, Lord, did that scare me.

What a ladies man....

2007-01-11T14:36:00.000-08:00

just look at him....

playing with the camera.....

I know these aren't technically good but they make me laugh. Especially when I think of how long I have begged him to just glance at the camera.

I've been sort of in a rut. I am tired of black or white backdrops and ready to head outside for shoots this spring. Guess I'll have to wait a couple more months.

Tomorrow the class I am taking at PPSOP starts. I am giddy I tell you. Girls with Cameras are you ready?

One year....

2007-01-07T07:49:00.000-08:00

already. Boy has this year went fast and she is still so little that it is hard to believe she's 1. Her birthday was yesterday and we did it up right, we went shopping with Gramma! She got her first pair of real shoes. Finally her feet are big enough (she wears a size 2, lol).

I must admit, this has been a trying year. This little girl is spirited. The first night she was here, a nurse brought her in to me at 1:00 am (not too long after being nursed) and said, "she has the entire nursery crying, can you please take her for a while?" That is our girl, LOUD. She's not all that mild mannered to boot. She is mellowing somewhat and really likes the freedom of being able to crawl and cruise around to play. But there were times, I thought I was going to loose my mind. Thankfully we have friends and loved ones that gave us much needed breaks. That being said, I couldn't love her more. She's a lot like me :)

Her party is next week as she has a couple of cousins with birthdays near. But here are the best from her birthday shoots:

Happy Birthday Cori!

100 things about me

2007-01-04T15:35:00.000-08:00

I really enjoyed reading Amy's post, 100 things about me. This was fun but challenging. I'd love to hear yours!

100 things

1. I am nearly obsessive/compulsive about washing my hands.
2. I took Microbiology in college and really enjoyed it but came out of it a germophobe
3. I spend way too much time on my computer
4. I am usually confident but when it comes to raising my kids, I feel a lot less confident.
5. I love drinking coffee when it is cold outside
6. My favorite condiment is salsa and I like different kinds of salsa depending on my mood
7. I am an only child
8. My husband and I married after dating for only 6 months
9. We lived at least 10 hours apart for at least 5 of those 6 months
10. Marrying him was the best decision I have ever made
11. I really miss living in Texas
12. If I lived in Texas, I would really miss my family
13. A couple of my online friends are fast becoming some of my closest friends
14. I played the clarinet from 5th grade until I was a senior in high school.
15. I didn’t get very good grades in high school
16. I made awesome grades in college
17. I have a bachelor’s degree in Biology with I minor in Chemistry
18. If I could go back, I would probably major in Chemistry or something photography related
19. I used to be very, very shy
20. My dh is six years younger than me
21. I miss the social aspect of having employment in sales.
22. My favorite candy bar is a Snicker bar with almonds
23. I wish it would snow more often
24. I am happiest when I have something difficult and challenging to learn
25. I get frustrated with my daughter because she is demanding and moody
26. My daughter is a lot like me
27. I am assertive and not easily intimidated
28. My husband is one of my dearest friends
29. I don’t normally mind what people think of me
30. I can’t wait to go to Nashville this Spring to meet some friends
31. I could live on Tostitos, Ortega taco sauce and cheddar cheese
32. I don’t care for people that try to push their opinions on me
33. I am married for the second time and although the first marriage may seem like a huge mistake, I learned more from that experience than any other in my life
34. I am a night owl, always have been, always will be
35. My son sleeps with us nearly every night and I am tired of it
36. I love Lancome cosmetics but if I really want to indulge I go for Christian Dior
37. When I was pregnant with my son, I would go to Paciugo almost every day for gelato
38. I don’t like being pregnant and I don’t like having C-sections but I love falling in love with a new baby
39. My husband and I are celebrating our fifth anniversary with a trip to Hawaii this year
40. Sometimes I can’t believe I am actually 35 years old
41. I really enjoy getting catalogs from Pottery Barn Kids
42. I stress about spending money and getting the most for my money
43. I do at least two loads of laundry a day but I am awful about putting it away
44. I *love* eating out
45. One of the best meals I have ever had was Filet Mignon at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse in North Dallas
46. My husband loves to cook and I should let him more often
47. My mother loves to iron, I don’t even know where my iron is
48. I want a Mac, I have been breaking it softly to my dh so in a couple years when it is time to replace my pc, he won’t be blind sighted by it.
49. If I had a dime for every book I owned, I could probably make a large dent in piece of L glass
50. I love lilies and tulips
51. My son’s name is a combination of the only two names my dh and I could agree on
52. One of my best friends paid me a surprise visit last night
53. I love going on ATV rides with my husband and our friends
54. One of my favorite home cooked meals is baked ham with pineapple gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans, and scalloped corn.
55. Did I mention I could eat my weight in salsa?...never the store bought kind though
56. I am not as patient with my children as I should be
57. I’ve made my dh promise to never take my daughter hunting with him, I just don’t think it is ladylike to kill animals
58. I hope that the people I encounter feel empowered by our exchange
59. I rarely watch television but I like to watch Miami ink
60. My husband and I are talking of getting matching tattoos….something to do with our kids. We’ll see, I don’t know if I can do it
61. I am super excited to take a class at ppsop in January
62. I love to people watch, sometimes I have to comment
63. My daughter’s name is Corissa, but we call her Cori for short
64. I have terrible seasonable allergies and the only medication that helps makes me too sleepy to function
65. I love old barns
66. I led a very sheltered life when I was younger
67. I gave my Mom a run for her money when I was a senior in high school
68. I rarely wear hairspray anymore, I wore enough for a lifetime in the 80’s
69. I really need to be cleaning house but this is fun
70. I can’t wait to take pictures outside this spring
71. After seeing tlmnightowl’s post of her daughter on 2ps, I am going to have to have that 100 mm 2.8 macro lens
72. I love to read…..love, love, love to read.
73. I have anxiety attacks every once in a while
74. My son is attached to a duck, I love his duck as much or more than he does
75. My daughter starts whining and fussing, sometime screaming around 4:30 and doesn’t stop until here Daddy comes home. While this is becoming quite irritating, I love the she has a special bond with her Daddy
76. I adore watching my husband play with our kids
77. In my wildest dream, I will shoot weddings
78. Sometimes I get really frustrated with the small town mentality of the people where I live
79. I don’t like Barney, he is terribly annoying
80. I run the vacuum everyday, I can’t stand the thought of my baby eating something off the floor
81. My daughter ate cat food this morning…ewwwww
82. I am really concerned about my friend that stopped by last night, her life is difficult right now and I wish I could do more for her
83. I nearly passed out cold giving a toast at my sil’s wedding last fall
84. I once drank a whole fifth of Southern Comfort and was sick for 3 days
85. I still drink a bit but not nearly that much
86. I have one of the most supportive and loving husbands I know
87. I don’t like being around negative people
88. I need to eat more vegetables
89. It really bugs me that my husband has deer meat in the freezer
90. I wish I could learn faster and know more
91. I sleep really well when I can hear rain hitting the window and roof
92. I am my own worst critic
93. My favorite kitchen gadget is a microplane
94. I have yet to frame or hang an image that I have taken with my camera
95. I am amazed at how many msn screen names LadyRen has
96. I drink 2 or 3 cans of diet pepsi a day. I need to drink more water
97. I have to have the television on to go to sleep and I prefer to watch the Animal Planet
98. I think the comedian/ventriloquist that has puppets named Jose jalapeno and Peanut is hilarious but I can’t remember his name for anything
99. I despise cleaning. One of the first things I will do when I start working again is hire someone to clean the house
100. I can’t wait to read everyone else’s 100 things

Happy New Year!

2007-01-02T12:40:00.000-08:00

I can't seem to welcome in the new year without thinking of the past year. My life has changed so much this year. I have a new *hobby*. LOL, is that what you call something that completely consumes you? I just can't get away from it, even for just an hour. I have met a lot friends through this hobby, many of which are in my sidebar for inspiration. There are several that do not have blogs and some that choose to keep theirs private. Anyhow, you know who you are...and thank you for sharing your knowledge, lending support and helping me learn. I totally appreciate it.

Well, I waited to post my favorites hoping that I would have a few sneak in just before the new year and guess what...I did!

Here are my ten favorites for the year:

Growing so quickly:

Good morning:

Playtime:

Peaceful:

Pat-a-cake:

I'll go nowhere without duckie:

Not gonna smile:

Is that a new lens?:

Singing in the Rain:

Good old boy:

Sorry so long! TFL!

Do I have blue eyes?

2006-12-31T13:57:00.000-08:00

The other day, while I sat at the computer working on a pic of Cori, Cole walked up and said, "Cori has blue eyes." I replied, "yes, honey she does, doesn't she?" He looked up at my and swept a stray lock of bangs out of my eyes and said, "Mommy has blue eyes." I agreed and just before I said the obvious, he looked up at me and said, "do I have blue eyes?"
My reply: "Yes, baby, you have some of the most beautiful blue eyes I have ever seen."

Flash....

2006-12-22T09:33:00.000-08:00

Wowsers am I overwhelmed. I am getting some help from some very nice people though. Here are the only examples I have as of right now. These were taken basically in automatic, I am verturing into manual with reading the histogram but I haven't got anything I am willing to post yet, lol. On the other hand...I have one more of my 26 things! Only 19 left to go.

The last two of dear nephew are soft but I was happy with little shadow...forward progress:)

If I don't get back before Christmas, I wish everyone a very blessed Christmas.

An explanation...

2006-12-20T08:41:00.000-08:00

for Mom. She comes here and takes a peek every once in a while. She didn't understand the blog name. She has never heard the song That Red Dirt Road. She doesn't listen to Country music. So for those of you unfamiliar with the song, here are a few bars. Read my first post and it will all make sense...

It's where I drank my first beer ,
where I found Jesus,
where I wrecked my first car,
I tore it all to pieces.
I've learned,
I've come to know,
there's life at both ends
of that red dirt road.

Okay...so I didn't wreck my first car here but Matt did and he did tear it all to pieces. You get the idea though, don't you?

I should have had this all together at once but I am figuring it out as I go. Custom blog header coming soon, then the pieces will all fall together Mom ;).

More of my 26 things....

2006-12-18T09:17:00.000-08:00

Just recovering from our trip over the weekend, doing laundry, and trying to get some housecleaning done before Christmas.

Remember to take these....

2006-12-15T12:53:00.000-08:00

A friend, mentor, and continual source of inspiration lost a pet the other day. She reminded me to capture my pet.

This old girl, Boogie, has been with me through thick and thin, stayed with my mother when she couldn't stay with me, and still sleeps at my feet every night. Her life is not so quiet as it used to be, she now has a three year old and a one year old to contend with but she rarely complains, she just loves them as much as I do.

I am headed to my Mother's house this weekend. Hopefully I can catch up on a few of my 26 things...I am down to just a couple weeks. Yikes! Have a great weekend.

The Brady Bunch

2006-12-14T10:45:00.000-08:00

Okay, I'll admit that while I didn't have a stint as a private dancer, I did watch the Brady Bunch, a lot! Found this on Stephanie's Blog

You Are Bobby Brainy

Ultra competitive, you will do almost anything to win. From pull ups to pool sharking, you're very talented.
And while everyone is aware of your victories, they still (affectionately) consider you to be a little brat!

What Brady Are You?

So, Which Brady are you?

Which reindeer are you?

2006-12-11T15:39:00.000-08:00

I know, two posts in one day. Who would have thought. I couldn't help but play this game off Renee's blog. Santa's Dancer....too funny. I have done a lot of things but private dancing, lol, isn't one of them.

You Are Dancer

Carefree and fun, you always find reasons to do a happy dance.

Why You're Naughty: That dark stint you had as Santa's private dancer.

Why You're Nice: You're friendly. Very friendly.

Which of Santa's Reindeer Are You?

So, Which of Santa's reindeer are you?

I love lilies....

2006-12-11T08:24:00.000-08:00

and my husband remembered. How sweet of him. I don't receive flowers too often anymore but he bought me these. I have admired these all weekend. I have taken snap after snap. Here are a few.

I also had a practice shoot for Cori's first bday pics. Here is a sneek peek:

A Few Recent Shots

2006-12-06T14:08:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not I am done Christmas shopping except the small things that I pick up at Wal-mart that go on the grocery bill. Now, I just need to wrap it all.

Not too much going on here. I took several shots of the Christmas tree last night. First round I left my ISO up on 1600 (ISO, ISO, ISO Julie...you would think I would remember, but no...lol) I did reshoot a couple but I am going to work on it again tonight to see if I can get more angles. Here is what I have so far:

26 Things....

2006-11-28T20:07:00.000-08:00

I have until January 1st to gather a photograph of a list of 26 things. I have been slacking a bit lately....not exactly keeping up while I try to put this blog together but I do have a few of them:

#3: Reality

#6: Low

#21: Stop Sign

Okay, the reality pose...overdone, I know. I needed a pic for myspace though, lol. Then I got to thinking...when I took this I had no makeup on, my hair wasn't done and I was trying to get a spot in the bathroom mirror where there were no toothpaste splatters. Pretty much reality for me, lol.

Thankful...

2006-11-26T19:45:00.000-08:00

It has been a really busy Thanksgiving weekend. Yesterday we visited some close friends for another wonderful Thanksgiving feast. After that we went out to a local bar with a few friends for a few drinks. Had tons of fun, good thing Melissa, Sherry and I didn't get into it with the hooker...for some reason she thought we were enough to gag her. Too funny, she was the one licking her own boob. I still can't believe her man had on a wife beater...looks like she's in for a great life. Did I mention that life in a small town is sometimes a hard adjustment?? LOL.

Anyhow, I am thankful for many things. My children and my husband of course. Most of all....I am thankful for city sewer and the husband that dug the hole and hooked us up. Hallelujah.

Here are a few shots from the day...nothing great, just capturing the moment.

Practice, practice, practice

2006-11-25T00:32:00.000-08:00

That is exactly what I have been doing lately. I am trying to step away from the technical side of photography and work on creativity. I am striving to make my photos tell a story. This story had a happy ending...no paint on the carpet:)

Happy, Happy Birthday Baby....and a sincere Thank You

2006-11-13T14:17:00.000-08:00

Friday, November 10 is the Marine Corps Birthday Ball. I blew it off this year, sorry honey. I know it is important to you, we will definitely go next year. Happy Birthday!

Saturday, November 11 is Veterans Day. Thank you very much babe, I love you.

Tennessee

2006-11-13T14:01:00.000-08:00

It has been just a couple weeks since I returned from my trip to Tennessee to see my friend Gina. We had a great time. We took shopped, took pictures of her, her kids, and me and we went out for a night on the town in Nashville and drank waaayyy too much. I had a blast though and I really needed the break.

It was nice to have a subject stand still and not have to bribe them. Here are a few of the shots I was able to get of Hailey and Hayden.

That Red Dirt Road

2006-10-13T19:03:00.001-07:00

I couldn't think of anything that explained my life at this time any better than this Brooks and Dunn song, so I named my blog after it!

Why, you ask? My family and I moved from Dallas, TX to this small town in IL two years ago. My husband was raised here, in fact, we live all of four blocks away from where his parents live. I have had a very hard time adjusting to small town life. Being raised in Decatur then moving to DFW, I am a big city girl. Some days I am just like a fish out of water. That is when I have to remind myself of the positive aspects of living here. The biggest of these is my family. My mother was raised just a few miles away from here and her grandparents lived just down the road from them. This is Mom: cute, huh?

She moved away long before she had me but some of the fondest memories of my childhood took place very near to my current home. You see, when Mom and I visited, I was introduced to country life: riding in a combine, feeding horses sheep and goats, riding a 3 wheeler in the woods in the middle of the night, swimming off the dock at my aunts house and going to small town church for Sunday service. Most of my extended family still lives here and I know I am welcome to drop in to say hi any time. So, on the not so good days, when I would really prefer to go shopping at Stonebriar Mall for retail therapy or eat some fajitas at Pappasitos, I remind myself that there is life at both ends of the red dirt road. I just have to make a place for myself here. It isn't necessarily my red dirt road, but it is my Mother's. My Grandmother and my Great-Grandmother raised their families and lived their lives here, surely it is good enough for me.