another day in court

i'm back in court today regarding my new alex's future. seems as though our department of human services is about the most disorganized, backwards, ludicrous organization on the planet.

the trial that was supposed to last 1/2 a day has turned into a 4 1/2 day event. each day filled with new drama..

the emotional toll its taking on everyone.. especially alex is enormous.

today the judge may make a ruling .. cross your fingers for a ruling of termination of mother's parental rights. that way alex can continue to focus on his future and eventually try to recover from his past.

in other news.. 3 more playing jobs til i'm done for christmas!!

my parents are arriving here this weekend.. although they said they are coming just for a short visit i wonder if my mother actually calculated how much time it would take to drive me insane before she left...... sorry to be to cynical during this holiday season.

bill's still traveling.... then again thats not new news.. is it?

sam loves basketball... his team is still undefeated

alex c (new alex) scored 1570/1600 on the SAT he's disappointed he didn't scored 1600 :/ and will be sitting for it again in the spring.

alex h. seems to have found his own way to make some money.. while continuing to sit on his rear end in front of a computer. a mom from the school asked him to look at her laptop computers.. neither of them were working correctly. alex was able to repair.. optimize and save her important work.... i told him he could charge her $20 she insisted on paying him 4x that amount and has started giving his name to people for computer repair... he's had several more jobs since then.. i'm flabbergasted.. i knew he understand all the ins and outs of computers.. but i had no idea he could do this. i suppose all those hours on the computer can be chalked up to training now ;)

i'm ready to put hannah in a small spaceship and shoot her to the moon. her attitude towards the world is really quite wonderful.. her attitude towards me .. well thats a different story.

thats it for now....
b

december...

i know.. its already well into december.. but a good friend reminded me that it would be a nice idea to let people know how things are going..

as a musician december is always my busiest time of year.. i'm not complaining.. i'd rather play music that do just about anything else i can think of. when december 25 arrives i will have played 23 different engagements in 30 days.

as most everyone knows i've been dealing with the department of human services a lot lately. a friend that i met thru my new son Alex is a foster mother. she works mostly with babies.. although she did take alex in as foster child when he was 14. that was alex's 3rd stay in fostercare..

anyway.. my friend marion currently has two babies in her care.. both will most likely be available for adoption in the very near future. marion asked if i would come to her house and take pictures of the children in the foster care system.. and the ones that are up for adoption.. for the department of human services.


these precious angels have had a very hard start in life.. but hopefully they will have a permanent family to love them very soon. the sweet little girl in pink is 9 months old and the adorable baby boy is just 8 weeks old. he was taken to the hospital when he was 7 days old.. bruised head to toe.. he's been in foster care for 7 weeks and is developing normally.. i'm sure he will be a blessing to someone who has room in their hearts and home.



not all foster care stories are bad.. sometimes things work out very well. when i was shooting portraits i was able to meet a young mother. she had a baby when she was 16 and was unable to care for him... he was placed in fostercare and she was given counseling, finished her education, got a job and just married her son's father. the court reunited her with her now 2 year old son a short time ago. foster care allowed her to grow up a bit and understand the responsibility of being a mother... she had regular visits with her son.. and has a very strong bond with the boy's foster mother. its going to be a tough road for her and her young new family.. but things look good. she wanted a picture of her and her son to give to her new husband as a christmas gift...

besides the portraits and music jobs i have been trying desperately to settle things down within my own family. life has not been easy....

i know this is a temporary situation.... i wish i didn't feel like i have to hold my breath until it settles down...

life or something like it

i've been quiet on here since my return from england...but it has nothing to do with my trip.

there is so much going on in my life.. that i haven't really felt comfortable sharing until now.

due to some really sad and horrible circumstances i've been blessed with a new child to my family. yes i'm a mom again :) and no.. i'm not pregnant.. good lord.. please parish the thought!

over the past year i've been aware of a situation with a friend of one my own kids. i knew the situation in his home was dismal, his biological mother is mentally ill and he has never known a father and doesn't have any relatives that he knows of.

over the past few weeks thing have come to the boiling point and without going into all the details... i decided to take the steps to stop it.

this child has fallen thru every single crack our social services has.. he has been overlooked and ignored. he has asked for help, even been removed from the home on several occasions but until now.. has been placed right back into the same unacceptable living situation.

the schools, the police, the local social services have all failed miserably at their responsibility to this child.. i'm sick over it. knowing that there are 1000s of kids that are probably falling thru the exact same cracks in the system.

anyway.. like i said...i'm not going into all the details.. i just wanted to let everyone know i'm now a mother of 4 :) looking at all our options to make sure that everything is legal....

my newest child is 16 years old and is named alex. for those of you who know my family already you're probably asking... how many children named alex that are 16 does she have??? :) the answer to that is two :P

well the actual ages are this.. hannah 16 (17 in 2 weeks) alex 16, alex 15 (soon to be 16), sam 12.

lets not forget the 3 aquariums, 3 cats and a dog...

considering ordering a sign for the door that says "enter as your own risk"

although this isn't the way i thought our lives would ever turn out... i couldn't be happier.

there will be a huge adjustment period, and i'm not sure how personal i'll get in my blogs.. but keep an eye out for some new pictures soon ... alex gets to meet his cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents today at a family birthday celebration.

to anyone that reads this blog.. i beg you to be aware of the community around you. watch for things that don't look right, ask questions.. do not be afraid to say something... its ALWAYS better to be safe than sorry.

falling

its happening already, some leaves are starting to fall... they haven't even properly changed colors yet, and they are falling ...

this is by far my most favorite time of the year... cool nights, clear blue skies, no humidity, apples.. kids all settled in school... its the most wonderful time of the year (some people think that is christmas time... not me!)

things have been a bit out of hand since i returned from england..in all honesty i wish i was still there. maybe its because of how overwhelming life can be sometimes.. when you aren't on a holiday... maybe its because it was really great being with such good friends.. maybe its because of my obsession with castles and cathedrals (still wish i could play my flute in one)... maybe its just because i love fish n chips so much :P

other pictures had to get moved to the top of my priority list... but i still have my UK pictures to work on and post.

the other pictures are photo shoots i did last week.. the first is for a music group. they wanted something fun, casual, inviting... for flyers and postcards for advertising.. the problem is there are 14 people in the group and they all have ideas of what "should" be done and how it "should" be done.. and it was nearly impossible to get a shot without someone talking :|

this is one of the ones they went with.. it was taken at the last minute as they were all complaining about the heat.. and walking back inside.. they were gathered in a group.. i was above them and said.. "Everyone look up here and shut your mouths" :)

i had 3 rehearsals last week.. still working out concert orders... and deciding on call times for the upcoming christmas season.

on friday i was able to drive up and see my friend robin. she has a son who is a senior and graduating for high school this year. he isn't what i would call a very traditional kid.. he seems to blaze his own trail in this world.. which i think is very cool.. especially for a 17 year old. he was very adamant that he didn't want any "formal" clothes or shots.. he wanted lots of different locations around his town.. and a few shots with studio lights.. but all shots that would express his personality... he is an artist and likes to meditate.. and has lived in the same small town his entire life. there is one main street in his town.. and its very popular with tourists... he had an artshow in the middle of town this past spring.. so taking shots of him around the town was very important.here are a few of his proofs... he seemed very happy with the results. it was the most unusual senior photo shoot i've ever done. i did at least get him to change into a few different outfits :P even tho they were all casual.. at least he has a few looks to choose from.

since i was already up at robin's.. and she does have 3 other kids... i spent some time shooting them as well. i even put robin in a picture or two.. now she has a new family picture to put in her new home :)

i have some more traditional senior portraits to process.. and a few more picture related projects to finish up.. but i'm really hoping to design my family album again this year .. and have it printed before the holidays.

every year i take a lot of pictures.. (are you surprised?) i pretty much document my kids lives... and my own.. in pictures.. and for the past couple of years i've designed an album that is like a year in review. this year will look a little weird... the moves.. all 3 of them...and everything else i've been thru... i want to make sure it all printed for history's sake.

castles, cathedrals, the north sea and more

its been a long time.. as a friend politely reminded me .. since i've blogged.

i returned from my trip to england.. and i have to say it was one of the best holidays i can ever remember. it was great to see markus and malcolm again.. its been one full year since we've been together.

this time two new people joined us for some of the outings.. paul and jon. it was great meeting them.

malcolm made sure i saw some castles :) some in ruins and some that were nicely restored. markus documented every single second of our week.. even the parts where we weren't feeling very photogenic

paul put up with us for 3 days.. then went back to work to recover.. and met with us again on thursday night for curry night at the pub.. and friday night for an evening of touring the local pub scene in consett, and on saturday he cooked us an amazing meal in his home.

jon was able to stay the first 3 days.. and had to leave to go back to work.

i stayed in a lovely bed and breakfast called the knitsley mill. it was exactly what you'd expect from a quaint english bed and breakfast. the farmhouse i stayed in was over 100 years old and malcolm insisted that it was haunted. it may have been.. but i was so exhausted at the end of each day that even the ghosts couldn't wake me up.

the pictures in this blog were taken by markus... cuz he ALWAYS had his camera :) thanks markus. the images i took haven't even been sorted thru yet... but i will post them as i get to them

this picture was taken while driving to the lake district.... yes.. its me.. yes i'm sleeping .. apparently i didn't miss much scenery tho.. because markus found it more fun to take pictures of me sleeping than of the countryside ;)

the last time my friends saw me i looked a bit different than i do now.... but the greatest thing about good friends is that they like you no matter what you look like... thanks guys :)

i noticed a difference in the way i felt this time.. after losing some weight. the last time i went to durham (2 years ago) climbing the cathedral stairs to the top nearly killed me... approx 365 steps i think.. this time.. i was the first one up :) and never had to stop to rest. i couldn't believe how quickly i got to the top...

i still have a way to go before i'm fit enough to climb the mountains in austria.. but at least i think i will have a good chance making the summit next time :)

anyway.. just wanted everyone to know i'm alive and well.. and dreaming of england.

bye bye summer

well..here we are.. the summer is officially over for all practical purposes. today was the first day of school. my kids, and i all had a restless night. you'd think after experiencing the first day of school as many times as someone my age has... i'd handle it better. remember just a few short months ago when i was impatient for school to end?????

i guess the reason the first day of school is so stressful is due to the unknowns.... for the kids and for me.

i wanted to post a few more pictures from my trip last week to the ocean.... one night i was there a storm blew in from the mainland.. it came up so quickly.. and it was fairly violent. the storm itself only lasted about an hour.. the view you see here is from the condo.. looking out over the atlantic ocean. (its actually looking directly towards england :D )

speaking of england.... only 4 nights left until i'm on a plane flying to see my friends!

this past weekend.. i took my boys fishing a couple of times. sam turned 12 last week, and although he ONLY wanted video games for his birthday.. i decided to get him a new fishing pole and a tackle box full of everything you could possibly need to catch anything that would bite. i even got him his very first real knife.... the count down on is now to when we head to the ER for stitches :|

anyway... so far we've only done catch and release.. mostly because 1) we haven't caught anything worth eating and 2) i really really don't want to clean any fish. if sam decides he wants to eat them.. i'm going to have to teach him how to clean his own fish with his nifty new knife.

we've had the best luck so far at a local lake. the biggest he's caught so far is a 2.2lb bass. mostly he keeps catching little perch and sunfish..... i'll have to do some research to figure out the best fishing holes near here.




alex is less than excited to go fishing. i suppose being a 15 year old boy is by definition a time when the only things that excites you are girls.. and computers. i actually caught him nearly smiling.. so i quickly took a shot.

hannah thought the entire idea of fishing.. or in her words "causing undo pain to innocent creatures) was barbaric.

she is still a vegetarian... but not quite as strict as before.. she used to be vegan (no animal products at all)

at some point i suspect she will outgrow this.. but i respect that she at least has something she believes in.


i have a ton of work to do so that i can be ready to enjoy an entire week in northern england. i just got word that markus arrived safely. i will leave here saturday, arrive sunday, and probably be walked to death by wednesday.

holidays ahead

i made it home from south carolina realitively unscathed :) the trip there was more about tying up loose ends and making sure my life is heading in the right direction rather than your typical beach vacation. i tied up loose ends and confirmed my current direction in life ...

although it was an emotionally draining week, i did manage to enjoy myself ( you didn't think i was going to head to the coast and not have fun did you????)

every morning i made a point of taking a nice long walk... sometimes on the beach, sometimes near the marsh. i'm very familiar with the area... i've been visiting there since BEFORE i was born

i have a healthy respect for the ocean and for the wildlife that lives in the area.

alligators tend to live in fresh water, not salt water. they often settle for the water traps on local golf courses.

one of the place i love to go while i'm in south carolina has a salt water marsh on one side of a causeway, and a fresh water lake on the other. the only things that separates the two is a road. the area is in a federally protected park. when the tide is high the water from the marsh often seeps into the lake, and when the tide goes back out some of the fresh water from the lake goes into the marsh...

the variety of shore birds and raptors that call that place home is amazing. every time i go there i see new birds that i've never seen before.

one morning while walking along the causeway in the park.. i noticed something highly unusual. i was the only one around.. the sun had just risen above the horizon. there was a young-ish gator walking around the salt water marsh. the tide was out, so there was a lot of mud, and a few tide pools left ... but still the gator wasn't where he should be.

i followed the gator up and down the marsh has he marched back and forth .. i assume looking for a way back into the fresh water. my thought was that he must have crawled out of the lake and into the marsh while the water was very high... because there is a wall of sharp rocks that line the causeway. in 43 years of visiting this place i have never seen a gator climb over those rocks... i've seen them pull their bodies up on the edge of the rocks and sun themselves.. but never pull their entire body onto the rocks. i guess i assumed that they couldn't climb the wall....

anyway.. the gator was starting to get anxious because the tide was coming back in.. and he was beginning to get surrounded by the salt water... he went to the edge of the rocks.. and pulled his body up a bit on the bottom of the rocks... i kept myself safely at the top of the rockwall... at least i believed i was a safe distance.......

the gator was not happy i had been stalking him, but they aren't aggressive by nature. the way i could tell he wasn't happy was because he stopped moving every time he realized i was watching him.. and he would wait until i walked a few yards away to start moving again.

once he was pulled onto the bottom rock.. i decided to get a bit closer. i took several shots i was probably 5 feet from the front of the gator.. but remember.. he was at the bottom of the rock wall ....

after taking all the shots i wanted too... i started walking backwards to see if i could get a different perspective..... and in a blink of an eye.. that gator ran up the rock wall and onto the sidewalk where i had been standing just moments earlier :|

my heart nearly stopped..... but.. it was clear that gator wasn't interested in eating me, or attacking me.. he just really really wanted to get back to the fresh water.

after he darted up the wall.. he took a leisurely stroll across the road.. never even giving me a second look. you can see.. he is only about 4ft at the most. his 12 foot momma was sitting in the fresh water lake across the causeway.... and i will NEVER stand at the top of the rock wall when she is sunning herself below

it was a great morning, and i learned a thing or two about gators that day

now i'm home.. back in michigan just in time to get the kids prepared for the start of school next tuesday.

i have a real vacation planned for the week after they start school. i will be heading to the UK to visit with my friends and to see how many castles i can explore.

vacation

va·ca·tion : /veɪˈkeɪʃən, və-/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[vey-key-shuhn, vuh-] –noun

1.	a period of suspension of work, study, or other activity, usually used for rest, recreation, or travel; recess or holiday

there needs to be a word to describe this situation

1. a period of time when emotions run high and there are too many people in too small of an area all with different expectations of who will do what work, and how time will be spent; total chaos

its in the mail

i got a confirmation email from the passport agency.... my passport is being processed at the charleston processing center and should be mailed to me shortly. i'm gonna take that as a good sign .. i have 3 weeks before i travel to europe... i'm starting to feel like i need to hold my breath.

my publicity work is getting out of control. on one hand its going great! we've booked 14 gigs between oct and dec :) on the other hand... i have to make sure the venues have the proper materials to promote the concerts. last year was a hard year for us. it was my first year back after being gone for a year, and the concerts are usually booked 6months in advance. so... while i was gone nobody really took publicity seriously..... we didn't have enough bookings last year.

i don't think i'm particularly gifted in the area of promotion.. but at least i understand what needs to be done.

also in the past we got into some bad habits of negotiating our fee based on ticket sales. that was a really bad business deal. i was spending so much time promoting our concerts i didn't get to enjoy the rehearsals and performances.... now we get a flat fee, with an agreement to have a sales table and the venue is in charge of filling the house :D

anyway.. i'm trying to get all the publicity work for the first few concerts done this week.. because on thursday im driving to south carolina. i'll have enough on my plate there .. i don't really need to be worrying about stuff here.

hannah is ready to see her mom :) she called and asked if she could stay with me when i came to visit... she has been staying with my parents for the past several weeks. so hannah, the boys and i will be on the ocean and bill says that he isn't going to work at all that week....... i'll believe that when i see it ....

the zoo of animals will go to the vet for shots tomorrow then to the kennel on thursday morning. i'm not sure exaclty how i'm gonna get 3 cats and a dog into the vet......all at the same time. it reminds me of trying to take all 3 kids to the doctor when they were still in diapers... somehow i managed and i will tomorrow too.

all this work to go on vacation... hmmm something seems wrong about getting exhausted while preparing to travel for fun.......

passport woes

i called the passport agency and actually got a live person on the phone. this person was so nice.. and compassionate... but i think she read the script that was put before her. it went like this...

"your passport is nearing completion and i'd be surprised if you didn't have it within a week"

i'll keep you updated

tomorrow i'm having all of bill's family to this house.. for the first time. we've lived here about 8 months and no one from his family has ever even made an attempt to visit. all but one of his siblings and his parents, live within 20 miles of here.

anyway.. no i'm not moved in yet.. not totally anyway. no i haven't painted the rooms that were renovated. no the pool area and garden aren't in good shape. yes the house is cluttered, dusty and full of animal hair (i do have 3 cats and a dog you know!) but....

yes.. i have a great meal planned and lots of things for the kids to do

i suppose i'll see if they are coming to celebrate those who were born in august.. or if they are going to point out how human i am. (i already know the answer to the question of what they'll do, but i like to give the benefit of the doubt.. who knows.. maybe after 20 years of this.... someone will surpise me)

on the menu:
*salmon grilled on ceder planks
*grilled mushrooms and asparagus
*sliced tomatoes
*spinach salad with dried cherries, apples, red onions, toasted pecans and pureed raspberries mixed with balsamic vinegar (my own version of raspberry vinaigrette)
*fresh michigan sweet corn
*fresh melon (honey dew, watermelon, cantaloupe) all locally grown

beer (the kind i know my brother in law's prefer)
wine (the kind i know my mother in law drinks)
lemonade aid

someone else is bringing a traditional birthday cake and my mother in law will bring a veggie tray for snacking before we eat

of course i have plenty of hotdogs and hamburgers for the kids.. cuz i'm pretty sure a piece of grilled fish isn't what they call "party food"

we'll be eating outside around the pool, the weather is supposed to be nice. i have some nice paper plates and partyware.. considering i don't have plates to serve 28 people.. and wouldn't want to wash them anyway.

this is a hard crowd to please... i bet they would be much more happy if i served bratwurst and doritos, but that isn't gonna happen.

can you tell i have a wee bit of anxiety over this party? maybe i'll sample the wine before everyone gets here ;)

project complete

ok.. so i'm not very good at blogging when my daily routine is tossed out the window.. but here is whats been going on :)

i've been traveling.. as you know. canada has become one of my most favorite places in the world. it isn't that far from me.. .the people are friendly, and its a beautiful country. i can see myself spending much more time there in the future.

i did finish the real estate pano project i was working on. i learned a lot in the process.... i learned that doing 360 panos indoors is HARDER than it seems. straight lines are a nightmare. outdoor panos are easier. also doing a 360 pano in a space that has a lot of blank walls makes it very difficult. i learned how to take the images and layer them together so that the view out the window was visible... i learned how to manipulate control points so that the "auto" part of my stitching program could do a lot of the work for me. i learned that i have wonderful friends who are willing to help me with technical things.. just cuz i asked them for help.

here are the links to the real estate panos.. i realize there are errors.. but overall it was the learning experience that made the project so valuable to me.

http://beth.imageination.co.uk/kitchen.mov
http://beth.imageination.co.uk/masterbedroom.mov
http://beth.imageination.co.uk/livingroom.mov
http://beth.imageination.co.uk/basementbedroom.mov
http://beth.imageination.co.uk/basementlargeroom.mov

i still need to come up with a way to market my photography....maybe the studio stuff is what i'm better suited for.. when it comes to making money. i enjoy studio work... i just don't have a place to work from... maybe thats where i should be concentrating my efforts.

i'm working towards exhibiting and hopefully selling some of my work at an artshow next summer. deciding which images to frame, mat or make into notecards. i'm glad i have several months before the first artshow...i think once i do one or two.. i'll know understand what people are interested in a bit better.

my passport was stolen about 10 weeks ago.. i've applied for anew one, but it still hasn't come. i should have expedited it... :( now i'm getting worried about my trip to europe in september... the US govt said my passport would arrive in 10 weeks..... i still have 4 weeks before i travel to europe. please keep your fingers crossed for me.. cuz when i call the government i get nothing but recorded voices.. when i track my passport online.. it says "being processed"

i have a family party here this saturday.. and then a trip scheduled to visit the ocean (near my parents).... you'll hear more on this subject i'm sure ;)

i woke up with one of the worst migraines i've had in a long time today.. the medicine is finally making some progress so i think i'll take my shower and start the day.

b

busy busy busy

the above pictures are some that i took at my last photoshoot. the girl with the dogs is my friend's daughter. her name is Jen... she has been going thru a really hard time lately and she traveled across the country with her dogs to spend a few weeks visiting her mom and dad and collecting her thoughts. her dogs mean the world to her.. they have been her source of comfort during these horrible times.

i found that letting Jen and the dogs just play in the garden was the best way to take pictures of them. posing 2 HUGE dogs was never going to work.. besides that... i really like the spontaneity of the images i did end up taking. Jen is happy with them too... the collage above just shows a few of the pictures we took that day.

now i'm off on another adventure... not nearly as big as the last one ;) i'm going with a friend to canada for a few nights.. to a lake. its called lake simcoe. we wont be doing much hiking, just more laying around on the beach and reading :D and having a few nice dinners i hope.

i'll have my computer, and internet.. so again.. you may see me online

be back in 3 days!

monday

ok... so i've lost track of the days... and thats a good thing :) its monday morning, but the only way i knew that was because i saw the date on a sign.

we've been hiking several times, and took one drive to see what we could see. all of us prefer hiking over driving. there is nothing like turning a corner and seeing a beautiful waterfall or an a wolf or coyote? i'm not sure what this creature is.. i'll have to look it up when i get the chance... but luckily he wasn't angry that we were there.


the weather here changes so fast its weird. we can be driving with perfectly sunny skies and within minutes a storm comes up out of nowhere... here is what one of those rain showers looks like from about 12k feet.

the same thing happens when we are hiking but we've been lucky so far and the rains haven't lasted more than about 15 minutes at the most.

this last image is of Mill Lake. we hiked there a couple of days ago. the hike was extremely challenging. the altitude and the steep climb sure helped us sleep well that night.

we're having a great time... actually we are on our way to hike one last time today before we pack up and start the drive home tomorrow.

i'm not sure of the route yet... maybe thru wyoming and on to south dakota and eventually back to michigan :)

i'll update you from the next stop!

days 3 and 4

yesterday was kinda yucky weather wise.. rain cold.. wind.. lightening... but that didn't stop us!

we got in the car and drove up a dirt road that is only open for a couple of months in the summer the rest of the time its closed due to the snow. the boys ended up with headaches after we reached the alpine tundra (above the treeline) but they are doing fine now.

here is just a couple of shots from the rainy day on the mountains...


alex had my camera set on iso 800 :| but its fixed now.. so todays shots will be much better i hope!

also the sun is shining today.. .and we have a 4 mile hike around bear lake planned. (hope to see something other than a bear)

this picture is alex.. actually helping sam out of a sticky situation... see??? miracles can happen.

the clouds were so low most of the day it was hard to see the tops of the mountains.

malcolm.... .for google earth.. check rocky mountain national park... .bear lake :)

its just a bit north of estes park, co.

ok.. hopefully tomorrow i'll have internet again so i can actually spend time writing in my blog :)




bye for now!

bye bye DES MOINE + S

i had to leave iowa because the people there were upset that i couldn't spell the name of the town i stayed in ;)

now i'm in colorado.. which i can spell.. and i'm on my way to the campground in just a few minutes

gemi.. now you can stop reading cuz its the same blog you've already seen *giggle*

the trip is going great!

although finding a hotel room in Ft. Morgan, CO (tiny town) turned out to be difficult. we continued down the road to Greely, CO where we were able to snag the very last hotel room available. apparently everyone gets tired after 700 miles of corn and looks for hotel rooms at the same time.

i was lucky to get the room i got. besides just being lucky.. my faith in human kindness was restored when the hotel clerk gave me the room for 50% off because i told him it was over my budget. he spent a few minutes talking to my boys about the trip.. asked them if they had been good on the trip.. and then told me that since it was after midnight he could cut the rate in half for me :)

now its morning.. my boys are grazing at the breakfast buffet and i'm about ready to hop in my last "clean" shower for the next 10 days. today the plan is to drive the last 90 minutes to the campground and stop before we get there to buy groceries and ice. the weather is GORGEOUS.

the mountain weather will be a lot cooler than what we've had in michigan. 40s at night and 70s during the day.

perfect for hiking ;) i made my boys buy some hiking shoes at a Cabellas in the middle of nebraska somewhere. although they are convinced that their skateboarding shoes are "perfect" for everything.. i know better

ok.. i'm off !

byeee

b

Des Moine

well i'm on the road... des moine, iowa to be exact. the boys are still sleeping in the hotel room.. and i'm looking forward to another day of driving before we arrive at the rockies. (no i'm not joking.. i actually enjoy the driving part of our trips)

its me, alex, sam and a van of way more things than we will ever need.

hannah is staying home with her dad for the next two weeks... spending 10 nights in a tent with 2 "smelly" boys wasn't high on her list.

we got a later start than i had hoped yesterday.. but that wasn't a big deal. we ended up leaving monday late morning and it took us quite a while to actually get out of the detroit area .

once we were on the road and looking at our mapquest route (3 pages worth) we realized that we will be on one road, I-80, for more than 800 miles lol..... so i guess getting lost wont be a problem.

we started in michigan, pasted thru indiana into illinios (south of chicago) then into iowa. just as we were passing into iowa we came into an extremely nasty thunderstorm. this thing was HUGE.

the sky turned black/green. ... the winds were blowing sideways, and we were driving on a flat freeway with nothing but corn fields on each side of us. i have to admit... i was a bit nervous. the radio said it was 70mph wind gusts and 2 inches of rain per hour. some tornados were spotted just east of where we were. there was NO WHERE to go. i did find a small bridge to park under and wait out the storm. there was NO way i was going to get any pictures.. so i didn't even try.

after about an hour wait... the winds stopped blowing the rain sideways under the bridge.. and we started (slowly) to drive west. we finally saw the sky begin to lighten up a bit towards the west and saw the big black storm behind us in the rear view mirror.

there is probably an anology in there somewhere.....

the sky in front of us turned pink/purple/orange... it was perfect. soon after that we all realized we were exhausted and decided to find a place to sleep. Des Moine was the biggest city around so thats were we are.

our camping reservations don't start until wednesday. i have about 600 more miles to go until we are in estes park. depending on the drive today, we will spend 1 more night in a hotel before we start camping.

the boys are being good.. very little bickering or complaining. lets hope that continues ;)

thats all for now... :)
b

on the go

i'm alive and well..even tho i haven't updated my blog. the kids are out of school, i've been travelling and working.

my current project is real estate photography. still working on finishing the panos i shot last week as practice for my new website (hopefully up and running by end of august)

i'll post links as they become available.. i've been given some really great suggestions on ways to improve the panos. now i'm just trying to figure out how to make it all work :)

also i've been camping in canada. mostly i stayed in an area just a bit north or niagara falls. i have some pictures from the trip, but it wasn't the most productive trip as far as photography goes. thats not to say that i didn't have an amazing time. i'm hopefully going to get a chance to return there before the summer is over.. there is so much more to see and do!

next week starts my across the USA adventure. i'll be keeping a daily log of our adventure and will update my blog as soon as i find a wireless connection each day.

the adventure will start in detroit (home) and take us..(the kids and me) to the rocky mountains. depending on time, and moods.. we will take several day trips from our campsite to see what we can see.

i have a concert on the 25 of july with 3 rehearsals beginning on the 22nd.. so that means i have to be back in town by then. if i had planned better i would have taken 3 weeks to drive from home to california and back again... i'll save that adventure for another time. i'm not sure the kids have that much adventure in them at this point anyway ;)

in other news... a few weeks ago i took my sister in laws kids to the park for a day of shooting. i put together a bunch of prints and this past weekend i saw her. i framed some of my favorites and gave them to her along with the loose prints. my sister in law's reaction was incredible.

i should explain... she and i are not very close, matter of fact i'm pretty sure she can't stand me. she is about 10 years younger than i am and when i married her brother she was just a kid. she has been extremely critical of just about everything i've ever done.. usually i just see her at family events and we don't really spend much time talking.

when i offered to take her kids to the park and do a photo shoot.. i'm pretty sure she was skeptical about my motives. i was very honest with her.. i explained that i understood how hard it was to find the time to get pictures of your kids when they are that little. her kids are adorable, and quite a handful. also i explained to her that i would appreciate her signing model releases so that i can use the images as stock. if i sold any of them or donated them to be used anywhere i would make sure she knew about it first... she agreed

when i saw her on sunday she had been having a very hard day with the kids. they weren't sleeping well, and the babies both have colds. she was exhausted. she saw the pictures and got very teary... her entire face turned red and tears started streaming down her face. she loved the pictures :)

then my mother in law came over and she also got very emotional. it made me feel really good.

i'm not saying they are the best pictures ever.. but i knew when i was shooting them that the kids were just being themselves. they were playing, fighting, crying, laughing... just being kids.

i prefer candid shots of kids.. ones that show the personalities. not shots where the kid has a huge fake smile trying to sit still in an uncomfortable environment. anyway.. for the first time EVER my in-laws took a moment to see what it is i do, and why i love to do it.

i doubt that anything in my relationship with my in-laws will change significantly because of this.. but it was still very satisfying to me.

father's day

today was father's day. i'm not sure if it is all over the world... but it is here in america.

the day didn't start out very nice, unfortunately, but i think it ended up just fine. we actually did our big celebration of the day at my in-laws yesterday, and that was unexpectedly pleasant. often my inlaws can be a bit over bearing, but yesterday i held my own :)

tonight ended with a great meal of grilled shrimp, roasted veggies, and baked potatoes. after a nice meal and a bottle of his favorite beer, bill went to the basement to watch horrible movies, and i haven't heard from him since :) so i think he had a good day.

while it was quiet this afternoon, i decided to practice for my photo shoot tomorrow. i haven't done many inside 360 panos.. not nearly enough to feel totally comfortable with what i'm doing. that may not say much about my skills but more about my mindset. i do need more confidence. i think after i do a few more of them i'll be ok.

http://beth.imageination.co.uk/mykitchen.mov is a link that will work for a couple of days. its just my practice pano. i know the typing in the black dot is off center and the overall image quality isn't as high as it should be. i used reduce sized images just so it wouldn't take forever to render.

i'm expecting 2 photo orders back early this week, i'm excited to see them. one is a new book that i've put together using some of my nature images, and another is a bunch of candid portraits taken for my sister-in-law.

i talked to my dad the other day, he is traveling today.. so i didn't get a chance to wish him happy father's day. he is due to have surgery soon, to remove his gallbladder so hopefully he will get home safe and sound and get the surgery over with so he can start feeling better soon.

thats it for now
b

do what you love, love what you do

8 nights to go until i'm in canada :)

today was extremely stressful but also very exciting.

it started off like it often does this time of year. dragging 3 tired kids out of bed to attend the last couple of days of school is just about one of my least favorite things to do. they are grumpy, and rude, and demanding. its a horrible way to start the day.. everyone at their very worst. one day more day of this and then its officially summer holiday.

the kids have exams all this week.. which makes things even worse, they can't concentrate. alex is just now realizing the expectations i have for his grades aren't going to change, no matter what he actually achieved this year. alex is a chronic under achiever. he has the capability of acing every class with very little effort. it might actually take great effort to do badly in his classes. most of the classes he had this year were not new to him. its not the academics that gives him fits.. its following rules.

i have a rule in my house. you have to achieve a 80% or better.. bare minimum or... give it a 100% effort and then we can worry about the grades as they come. there is no mercy for slacking off on school work and then bringing home crappy grades.

growing up.. my parents didn't voice any expectations for my academic achievement. matter of fact i can't even remember them ever attending a parent/teacher conference, or commenting on a report card that i got. i was blessed with a talent in music that helped me get into a college.. and then the grades mattered to me, so i did what i needed to do to be proud of myself.

i know that ultimately the grades aren't what matters in life. its your effort and rewards for your efforts, and consequences for your lack of effort that will probably shape your life much more than what a silly report card says.

that all being said... alex will probably have a very long summer of having to answer to me much more than he would if he would have taken responsibility for his own behavior.

alex has made great strides in the social arena tho.. he has the sweetest girlfriend and has a group of loyal friends that are in the band with him (gotta love those musicians!) in the past, i always thought alex would be struggling socially for the rest of his life. academics came so easily to him.... he never ceases to surprise me. he is so very talented in music.. and seems to realize it. maybe thats the direction he'll take in life.

hannah has worked her butt off this school year. she had a very hard transition from kansas to michigan. she didn't fit in with a group of friends right away (for a teenage girl that could be the worst fate of all) so, hannah did concentrate on her school work. she also made a huge effort to get involved in the community volunteering her time. about 3 months ago she stared a journalism class, and then was put on the staff of the high school yearbook.

this has turned out to be the very best turn of events for her. she really excels in journalism. she gets so excited about stories and writing them that her enthusiasm is contagious. she was made financial manager of the yearbook next year, which is a huge honor for someone who isn't even a senior yet :)

sam did great in school this year. 6th grade is the first year where the kids typically get letter grades and he really likes to see tangible evidence of his efforts. so he was very motivated for grades. he earned a 4.0 or all perfect grades this year *mom smiles proudly*

he will be so happy when he is able to be on the basketball team next year. they didn't have a 6th grade team. basketball is HIS sport. sam and i love to go to our local professional team's games as well. thats something that we share a lot. even if we can't get tickets for the game he and i will sit, glued to the tv and cheer the Pistons on :P

oh.. darn.. now i remember why i started this blog :/ i got a very exciting phone call today. i've been trying really hard to figure out a way to earn money doing the things i love to do. music and photography. music is a hard business to earn a living at. i love to teach, but building a teaching studio takes time, and the best advertisement is word of mouth. before we moved to kansas i was teaching 25 students a week. now i'm just working on building that up again. i play jobs, but often they are for the church and even if they are paid jobs... they just aren't steady enough to depend on at this point.

that means turning my efforts to photography. portraits always sell, i mean.. who wont by a picture of their kids ;) but.. i don't actually have studio space. i have all the studio equipment i need, and its fairly portable (with a small army of helpers) again.. just working out of my living room booking friends and friends of friends for portraits just isn't steady work. the occasional wedding or party helps, but doesn't really come along that often.

i've been working on some new photography skills. my friend markus from austria is a real whiz with the camera. i swear he knows more about my cameras than i do.. and he doesn't even own the same camera! markus got interested in doing panoramas and then going one step further doing 360 degree panos just for a hobby.

i thought it was so cool that i just wanted to learn out to do it too. i bought a nodal ninja ... no its not a fighting guy.. its an attachment for my tripod that helps the camera stay in the right place to reduce the distortion when i take the pano images. anyway.. after doing a few panos i realized that this could really be a marketable thing.

because i have moved so many times, i know how important it is to weed out the unsuitable houses before you ever take a trip to see it in person. seeing a house on the inside, by way of a virtual tour, or 360 pano is a great way to see whats going on behind those 4 walls and a roof.

i've been milling this idea around in my head for a while now, but today i actually did something about it. i got a call from a sister of a friend that is selling her house on her own. she was looking for a better way to market her house, and then she was told about my photography.

i agreed to go to her house on monday and shoot 4 rooms 360 style, and then give her the links to the panos.. and she is going to use them for advertising.

i wont make a lot of money on this particular job, but its a foot in the door. once i get a few of these under my belt, then i can take my services to the larger real estate companies and show them what i have to offer.

i have a temporary hosting site, thanks izz ;) but will eventually get my own domain name and website to host the images. i'm still figuring out how it should look and how it will work, but i'm pretty excited about it.

markus agreed to be my technical support although he swears i don't need it. i think its all in his plan to eventually come to the united states and visit his friend in colorado

this is something i've wanted to do for a long time, and i really think there is a need for it. its only a tiny foot in the door.. but i have big plans :)

a very dear friend gave me just the moral support i needed to take the steps to get started with this. i'm not sure this will be the thing that makes my life more financially secure, but at least i'll love it while i'm working on it.

"do what you love, love what you do" (its not just a company kippy, its a way of life!)

for anyone that hasn't tried a brand of clothing called "life is good" you should.

sorry for the long rambling blog.. without pictures :| soon you'll see at least a few 360 panos here tho

one day after school

I have 3 beautiful and healthy children, i'm so blessed. Even though they are growing up, they still need their mom. Everyday they find little ways to show their love to me. Today was no exception.

My middle son, Alex, is 15. He went thru a huge growth spurt just recently and is over 6'2 now.. and still growing. He can put on a tough act.. but as a mother, i know his true heart ;)

We live approx. one mile from the local high school, the school district will only send school buses if you live more than a mile away. That means the kids either have to ride their bikes, walk, or get a ride to and from school.

Because i'm often teaching or busy when school is out, i expect the kids to walk home after school. They always get a ride in the morning, because its just so early.

2 of my kids have come to accept the fact that after school, they will just gather their things and walk home..... but Alex always has other expectations.

Nearly every single day at 2:30 in the afternoon i get a text or a call from Alex saying "are you going to be here after school today?"

now.. you may think he is just being lazy.. but i had a sneaking suspicion he just wanted to see him mom ASAP! Some days i was able to grant his request and show up after school with a big smile to tell him hi.. and ask about his day. but there were many many days where i had to say... i'm sorry alex, i just need you to walk today. the disappointment in his voice was always heart breaking.

well, today i thought i'd surprise my dear son :) soooo.... knowing that he'd be expecting to see mom at 2:30, i went ahead and walked up to school to surprise him as soon as class was over!

now... my daughter hannah, 16 1/2, saw me arrive by foot .. she was still in class but managed to send me this text "what are you doing here????" and i replied "why are you watching me?????" she was obviously horrified that her mom appeared at the school door eagerly waiting to surprise her brother. hannah never responded to my text and apparently escaped out the back door of the school and walked home.

i sent my dear son a text "if you don't want to walk home alone today, i'll be here at 2:30" he received it.. but because he is sooo clever he knew something was up.. but just couldn't put his finger on what was going on.

i walked into the school and smiled at all his friends.. they all greeted me... "hi mrs henson" i could tell by their faces they were feeling so happy that alex's mom showed up to meet him after school :)

then... i saw my sweet son.. and said "hi.. i'm here to meet you after school" he had this look on his face that was nearly indescribable.. but if i had to put it into words i'd say it was a "wtf" look

he said.."what are you doing here" i said.."everyday you ask me the same question... will you be here after school.. and i just know that it has nothing to do with getting a ride for a short mile walk.. and that you really miss your mom.. so, today i thought i'd surprise you and walk you home" again.. the look on his face... just priceless.

here is a pictorial guide to our walk home....
1. alex, filled with joy at seeing his mom in front of all his friends
2. alex collecting his things... so that we can walk the entire mile together and talk about his day
3. alex looking lovingly at his mom on the walk
4. alex threatening to throw himself into traffic if i ever did this again
5. alex looking longingly at a school bus as it passes, but then he remembered how fun this walk was
6. alex and his mom.. just as we arrived home... can't you just feel the joy and the love???

i'm the luckiest mom in the world to have such thoughtful kids :)

school daze....

its nearly holiday time for my kids (and me) the last few weeks of school are always so hard. school in michigan goes until the middle of june.. when the kids are out of school my life gets much less complicated. no getting up at 5:45 to make sure everyone is up with lunches made and breakfast in their tummies. no fighting 3 kids to get them in bed by a decent hour, and NO worries about teachers calling home....

my middle son just can't seem to keep it together at the end of the school year... every year since he started any type of schooling, the end of the year has been the same. he is very smart, but tends to give his teachers fits. this year is no different... i've already received calls and emails regarding his behavior... i think he alone causes me more stress than anything else in my life at the moment. i keep telling myself, he wont be 15 forever or 16 or 17 or... then its college :) (if he survives that long)

i went shooting yesterday.. but forgot i had set my iso high on my 5d, so that i could shoot the babies at my mother in laws house with no flash.. so pretty much i hate every shot.

i have been able to make some summer plans, all camping so far. in about 10 days i'll go to canada to go camping and shooting near niagara falls. actually i'll be camping on a lake called lake niagara, and from what i can tell online it looks a lot like northern michigan. i'm very excited.

this trip will be without my family, just me, my cameras and a group of people who love shooting as much as i do :D i'm very excited.

i've also made reservations for a camp ground in estes park, colorado. i have to play a job on july 8th, so i'll head out after that. i think sam, and hannah want to go for sure. Alex CAN NOT stay here alone all day while his dad works.. he'll surely get into trouble. so if he decides not to go, then i'll have to find someone to take him in for a week or so.

driving to colorado will be a real adventure. we'll stop probably 2x along the way, and will probably stay in hotels when we stop over night. its just too much trouble to set up camp and tear it down again for an overnight stay.

once in colorado i'll be staying at the same camp ground i did last year. its a small family owned piece of land... i really liked it. it was a great home base for all the hiking and day trips the boys and i took. i have to be back in michigan by july 21 because i have another job, with 3 rehearsals prior to it. so... maybe i'll take a few extra days on the way home from colorado and see wyoming or even the grand tetons. i'll just play it by ear as i go.

i really really wanted to drive all the way to california this july, but this playing job came up, and if i didn't do it, the entire group would have missed out. we normally don't take summer jobs, but this one will be good publicity.

august is up in the air at the moment.. kids have commitments to band camp and journalism camp... so maybe i'll just hang around home and try to keep my garden going until the first freeze.

in september i have a great trip planned for europe. i'm meeting with markus and malcolm again, but this time in england. i was hoping to conquer a mountain ... but will settle for some cathedral steps instead :)

malcolm assures me the lake district is hilly and beautiful.. i can't wait to see it.

i sure wish i could take my flute and just play one sonata in one of those cathedrals. i bet the sound is incredible.

ok.. sorry for the rambling.. my brain is scattered lately... i need school to END!

babies

yesterday was a very very busy day for me. first an appointment with my neurologist, just a check up about my migraines. nothing has changed, i still get them, and he still prescribes the meds to help me try to get rid of them.

then i stopped by my mother in laws house on the way home. her house is only 1 mile from my doctor, and i rarely go on that side of town. i stopped because earlier in the week my mother in law and my sister in law were in a terrible car accident. they are both fine, just bruised and shaken up. i have 4 sisters in laws on that side of the family and they are all very tight knight. i'm kinda the outsider.

anyway.. laura, the one in the accident is waiting on word about a baby that she is trying to adopt from Guatemala. there will be more posts about that subject later.

yesterday my other sister in law, kristina, was visiting her mom at the same time i stopped by. actually kristina was staying there for a few days with her 4 kids. ben,3, besty, 2 and the twins jamie and tommy, 9 weeks. kristina is having a hard time doing anything these days.... as you would probably guess. so i invited her to the park which is very close by, just to take some pictures of the older kids while they were playing. i haven't had a chance to shoot her kids yet.

when we returned from the park, the twins were awake, so i was able to shoot a few shots of them as well. tommy, the bigger of the twins weighs about 13lbs and jamie who seems very healthy now, is about 9lbs. there was a scare during the pregnancy that the babies might not be ok... but as you can see from the pictures... they are as sweet as can be.

my own kids had a chance to hang out with their cousins, which they don't get to do nearly enough. it was fun seeing my kids interact with such young babies.

i took over 600 images yesterday, and have only begun to look at them. i'm planning on making a book for my sister in law, and another one for her mom. here is just a sneak peek of what i saw yesterday.

home

Well... this is where i live. We've been in this house about 7 months... you'd think i'd be totally moved in.. but yet i'm not.

To make a long story really short.... i've moved an awful lot in the past few years. This time we decided to choose a home in a community that would allow everyone to get involved in something if they wanted too. I'm within walking distance of our small downtown area. The schools are less than one mile away, and the city is packed with green areas, parks and trails.

The house you see in the picture was horribly neglected when we bought it, so was the garden and yard. upon moving in there were tons of renovations that had to be made.. just to make the house livable. The major renovations on the inside of the house are finished, but thats not to say i can sit back and relax now. the house still needs a lot of work but... at least its livable now.

the family that lived here before us had college age kids that were wild. the mom and dad moved on to california for a new job about 2 years ago.. and left the college kids in this house. So that may explain the extreme state of this house...

now that the weather has warmed up... i've moved to the outside garden. it is also a mess. lots of weeds... and a swimming pool that could use a ton of work... but... i love gardening.. so it will be fun to things how i'd like them out there.

the very back of the yard has a long flower bed that lines the fence.... nothing but weeds are growing there... so i've converted that garden into a vegetable garden. Its not pretty back there.. but.. there will be fresh veggies in about 6 weeks. next summer i plan to clean up those flower beds and make them into a proper vegetable garden.

the kids believe the best thing about this house is by far the swimming pool. its been open for about a week now, and there is rarely a time when its not full of kids. even in the rain :P

the pictures of the pool here.. show sam swimming during an absolute downpour.. and the kip, the dog, wishing he were swimming too. as long as there isn't any thunder, i don't care if the kids swim in the rain.. i mean... whats going to happen? they are already wet :)

i started pulling the jungle of weeds near the bird bath this week.. only to discover that wild strawberries were growing amongst all the weeds. there are a ton of little berries on the plants.... what a pleasant surprise :)

i decided to do a lot of container flowers ... just so i could start enjoying my flowers, and not worry about pulling something that i thought was a weed.. only to discover it was actually a treasure. after this summer i'll have a much better idea of what i want to stay out there.. and what is an actual weed.

anyway.. as soon as the rain passes, i'll be out there with my macro lens and you'll see all the bugs that live in my garden too ;)

hot hot hot

its thursday.. and unusally warm and humid for this time of year.

the good news is.. we actually got the swimming pool full of water :D the bad news.. the heater needed work.. but that was done today.. so although the kids swam yesterday (55 degrees F) brrrrrr today the water should be in the mid 70s ... much more civilized

this morning alex was getting ready for school.. and just fainted. very strange. he had another episode about 2 weeks ago where something similar happened.. although then he did not actually hit the floor. today he was standing at the sink one minute.. and laying on the floor the next.

i was very worried.. but after he rested a bit.. he felt fine. i took him to the hospital today for testing, and the doctor can find nothing at all wrong with him which is such a huge relief. i have low blood pressure and always have to be careful of standing up too quickly.

the doctor explained that sometimes, especially when your body has changed a lot in a short period of time, that your veins may just not respond quick enough to get the proper blood flow when you change positions... ie sitting to standing.. bending over and standing straight up. alex had his head in the sink getting a drink of water from the faucet...(i hate when he does that) instead of using a glass like normal people. when he stood up, that's when he fainted.

alex has grown another 4 inches since november, and actually has lost about 10lbs. he is still very sturdy ;) but his body has definitely been thru a lot of changes just recently.

for now i'm not going to be like a mother hen. and worry over every little thing.... i promise.

teaching tonight, and tomorrow i'll walk the paint creek trail again. this weekend i have a wedding party to attend. but nothing else exciting planned. i'm ready for summer to be here (school to be out)

the kids get so stir crazy this time of year.... just wanting school to be out. i'd love to not wake up at 5:45 everyday to get them up.

working on camping reservations in colorado, wyoming and maybe even the dakotas this summer... i'll keep you updated!