Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Mom, this one is for you :)

Click on the arrow to play, if it doesn't show up....

I knew you'd enjoy it!

Monday, September 20, 2010

Saturday's Wedding

On Saturday I felt really lucky to second shoot a wedding for Dominique again. I love shooting for her, she gets such unique clients with amazing venues for their weddings. This one was in Red Wing at the Round Barn B&B. Click on the link to watch a video tour of the place.
On my way there, my GPS took me through Prescot Wisconsin, and then back over the river into Red Wing. BIG MISTAKE! I got stuck in the middle of thousands of bikers and felt very awkwardly out of place in my baby blue mini-van. There was a Fall Flood Run and I'm not kidding when I say thousands of bikers. Eeeeks! Luckily I got out of there without hitting anyone with my van, as they would just pull out onto the road willi-nilly and never used blinkers.
It was a cool fall-feeling day, the ceremony was out in the back yard by a trellis of flowers. The bride was so adorable! She reminded me of my neice Carla, but her disposition was more like my sister DeAnna. Often she would catch the attention of someone and say, "Thank you! I don't know what you are doing, but I just know you are doing something!" She was so generous with her appreciation to everyone who was making her wedding day happen.
After the ceremony we moved into the barn for the reception. The barn is amazing! They seated everyone upstairs and each table was an eclectic gathering of vintage-looking centerpieces and each serving plate, water and wine glass was different from any other. After the dinner and toasts there was a space cleared for dancing and boy did they dance up a storm! I was downstairs running a photo-booth that Dominique wanted to try out, and I could hear everyone stomping at the same time to Cotton Eye Joe and I thought the place was going to fall down on me!
Later I went up for some dancing pictures because the photo booth was running dry and they did some jewish dance holding the bride and groom up in chairs and breaking glass, while playing Hava Nagila, even thou' the ceremony seemed to be Christian. But they all had good fun.
Luckily I got some great directions to get home a different way and avoided the bikers.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Memory

Mine is not excellent these days. Especially since I have had children. I really do believe that they suck the brains out of expectant moms, we just have yet to prove it. My memory was horrible while pregnant with each child. My recoveries have been less and less each pregnancy.

I'm learning about memory in my psychology class this week and it's been really interesting. It's also been a little irritating. I really think that they should just stick to the facts when teaching people. For example, nobody knows exactly what deja vu is. I mean we all know what it is, but they don't know exactly what causes it. The book I am reading from is very vague about what people think, but the explanation they give definitely doesn't fit my experiences of it. For example, I have remembered exactly the first time I saw the scene as it was happening the second time around. I have at times remembered the exact day I had dreamed it first, or day dreamed it first, when it was happening the second time. However, the book explains it as if I were to meet this guys mom, brother, sister, kids and then meet him and have that feeling that I've met him before (because of the similarities he has in looks and mannerisms to his family). But that's not deja vu, that's just feeling like something is familiar, which is entirely different.

It also fascinates me how they think the brain works. I had to take some tests online for the class and apparently my brain is not typical because I didn't get the same results as they were expecting from the average person. Most of my results didn't bother me, except for one test. I had to stare at a + on the screen and then 9 letters would flash really fast (like 1/100 of a second) in front of my eyes, and I was supposedly supposed to be able to see them all, however, my eyes didn't. The computer program wasn't very patient with me and told me several times that I needed to try harder, or concentrate better. Rude. I wanted to wring it's little wires. Other tests gave me a string of words and supposedly I was supposed to be able to remember only the first and last words, but my eyes didn't see the first few flash in front of them and so I mostly remembered the middle ones because by the end is when my brain had a traffic jam.

The other day I had forgotten to put a new can of shaving cream by my tub, and when I went to shave, I realized I didn't have any and used soap instead. I was thinking to myself, "I know I am going to forget to put a new can out when I get done here, how can I remind myself?" Then I noticed the lid for the old can, and thought, "I should toss it over by the sink so when I go to throw it away, I'll remember to put a new one out. Brilliant!" But that is where my memory goes blank. Later, when I'm at the sink I get out my deodorant and the lid looks very similar to the lid of the shaving cream and I think to myself, "Oh yeah, shaving cream! I forgot to throw the lid, but thankfully this deodorant lid reminded me." As I go to get a new can of shaving cream out, I see the lid to the old can on the floor by it... but, I have NO recollection of throwing it! NONE. So weird how the brain works. So eerie I don't remember tossing it after thinking about tossing it.

I'm telling you, I'm losing my mind, and maybe my eyesight too.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

"No" is not a word I use very often with people (besides my kids). I hate asking people for something, so when I know someone has the courage to ask me, I try to say yes if I can. Sometimes this gets me in over my head. Like when I wanted to help out on the neighborhood association, but also wanted to help out photographing the wrestling team for the high school.
My friend Michelle, the other day, helped me work through some feelings I was having about not being able to say no. I really have to work on it. As I do, I hope people don't get mad or feel offended, but I really have to practice saying "no" more. Starting today.
If you have a problem with it, take it up with Michelle. Hee hee.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Beginning a new chapter

I feel like I'm beginning a new chapter in my life, a really big one. This is the year all of my kids are in school. I'm older and moving onto the mommy of older kids stage. I love babies, so don't get me wrong, but when I watch the mommies of young babies, I am so glad to not be chasing kids around, carrying baby seats, being sleep deprived, wiping butts, taking everything but the kitchen sink in a bag every time I leave the house, carrying babies all day long, etc. anymore. I'm happy to be moving onto this next stage. Someday I will enjoy grandbabies so much, but for now, I am enjoying my kids being older and all the things they can do.
I'm excited for the new school year and anticipate excitedly all the places they will go and the things they will learn, the art they will make for my kitchen wall, the songs they will sing to me, the books they will read, the math they will grasp, and yes, I refuse to feel selfish about the free time I will have. It won't be much because of my studying, but after 17 years, I have earned a short rest each day and I'm going to enjoy it and make the most of it!
And secretly, I do look forward to the day I will have tons and tons of grandbabies :)