mouse

hannah found a baby mouse i guess we're keeping it.....

when it doesn't work

what happens when you try everything and nothing works?...... should you give up? keep trying.. what? how do you know when enough is enough.. when you've given/done as much as you possibly can?... when you need to accept the fact that that somethings ...even though they seem like they are in your control.. aren't. can we really control anything? or just try to minimize the effects of the unpleasant side effects and try to hold on to the joys??

i know.. way more philosophical that i need to be......

obsessed

my son alex is having kids over today to celebrate his 16th birthday. a house full of teenagers.. i know they will be playing video games.. specifically guitar hero....

since i'm still on the mend from my kidney stone ordeal.. i've been laying low.. taking my meds and gaining energy back. that means... while no one is looking i've been practicing guitar hero :)

i know... obsession isn't pretty.

last night on my social distortion song i hit 99% on medium with a grand total score of 220,041!!!!!! ok.. for those of you who aren't video game savvy.. thats a decent score. good enough to have beat that bouncer who came in at the last minute last week and took my glory.

i've learned 2 other songs now.. i'm building my repertoire.

today will be the test... my nemesis.. people who sit around in their mother's basement in their underwear playing video games. (just for the record, every time i've played the video game i'm totally dressed and ready to run out the door in case anyone asks what i was doing) its a true obsession.. but i'm a closet video game player... and since my house is nearly always full of people.. it keeps my obsession at bay.

omg... i hear something right this minute.... its MY SONG>......... who is practicing..

i'm horrified.. its Bill! he is so competitive!!!! he just got booed off the stage ;)

i'm off to costco to buy pizza and snacks for the party.. i'll save my self for when it really matters.. when the boys are in the basement i'll walk down and say.. "hey can i try?"

i'll keep you updated.

obsessively yours,
b

heros

i have 3 teenage boys in my house.. that means i have video games.. i have several different gaming systems often going on several different TVs at the same time. my house is the house where kids go after school.. i'm within walking distance of the high school so that means its a good place to hang out between the end of school and anything that might be happening at school that night. i have one daughter.. who really doesn't mind that our house is the place where there teenage boys enjoy hanging out.

at least once a week my husband and i go out to our local pub .. its a neighborhood place, close to home. they often have bands, DJs, or other events..

last thursday we went to the pub and there was a radio station there holding a contest.. .for Guitar Hero. i have never in my life even held the controller to guitar hero.. but i do understand the game.. (seeing as its often going on in multiple rooms of my house at once)

Bill decided it would be a good idea (after i'd had a few beers) to sign me up to play...

so there i was.. signed up with 6 other contestants to play guitar hero.. the grand prize - concert tickets to some bands that i thought were extinct.. Def Leppard, Styx and REO Speedwagon. whoo hoo anyway.. the other contestants consisted of one couple, - boyfriend/girlfriend, and 4 guys that were about 25 years old who all looked as if the main part of their day was spent sitting in their underwear in their mother's basement.. playing video games. i figured i'd be booed off stage..

a few other players played.. some did really well.. some did not... it was my turn. i got up.. was instructed on how to hold the "guitar" and the song began. i was booed off the stage.. not by the crowd in the bar.. but by the video game itself.. how EMBARRASSING. (i am a musician remember.. even though i'm a flute player, classically trained) i think it actually hurt me that i know how to play a little guitar...

i got home that night.. with a booby prize of a tshirt.. and a strong will to learn how to play that silly game.

i talked to my 16 year old son... he showed me the basics.. the next morning when the kids went to school.. i practiced.. for the next few days i practiced.. then i had my kidney stone and forgot about the guitar hero.

last night was thursday .. valentine's day.. i was just starting to feel like a human again after my kidney stone ordeal.. when bill suggested we go to the pub for a salad. (they have great food) the event at the pub last night was supposed to be a band starting at 9pm and buzz time trivia.. the radio station that did guitar hero last week was at another location.

when we got to the pub.. much to our surprise.. two scantily clad girls advertising Guiness Beer on their tiny tshirts were setting up .. yes.. you've guessed it.. GUITAR HERO.

apparently.. Guitar Hero competitions are popular now.. for all kinds of advertising campaigns. Guiness was giving away an electric guitar.. if you won this competition then there is round two at a different pub tonight...final winner gets the guitar.

last night.. contestants were.. 4 college boys.. and me.. 43 yr old mother of 4. scoring was on total points.. not percentage of correct notes... i made sure to clarify. first guy up played.. i was nervous.. he sounded pretty good... hitting all the notes.. but something was strange.. i realized he had the game on "easy" there are 4 settings.. "easy, medium, hard, expert" he finished his song with 93% of the notes correct.. but a score of only 28,400. the next 3 college kids got up to play.. all on easy... they all scored about the same, in the 90% range.. and 25,000-35,000 points... if you know guitar hero... you know thats a really really low score.

i believe these guys looked at the somewhat older crowd in the pub and decided that since they were already drunk anyway.. just play it easy and one of them would win.

i thought to myself.. hmmm i've never even tried a song on easy.. my own son set me up starting on medium... you get more points the harder the setting is. i have even played some songs on "hard".. should i play the song i know really well on easy and try to beat their measly scores?? i'm the last contestant. no...i'm not going to play it safe.. thats not me.. i'm a musician.. play what you practice.. (remember i've had 3 days of practice and then a kidney stone that kept me from doing anything for the next 3 days.. so up i go. i change the setting to medium and choose a song from Social Distortion.

it starts... damnit.. i miss the opening lick.. the boys figured they have it in the bag... then i get in my groove (refers to a previous blog) i'm hitting every note in a 50 note stretch... then i get the "star power" bonus.. my points are racking up... i'm over 50,000 now.. i know i've won it.. but still want to do my best.. the song is 3/4 finished when it comes to the bridge of the song... the hardest part... i flub a bit.. but don't totally fall apart.. then its the ending.. i nail it.. i even used the whammy bar a few times to increase my points even further.. i end up with a score of 110,228. :) see what a little practice can do??

i was very proud of myself.. the scantily clad girls were impressed... the college boys said nothing but went back to their drinking.. but i had my own personal victory. i was moving on to round 2... the next pub.. gonna win my son the electric guitar.. when.. all of a sudden... out of no where.. the bouncer in the bar walks up to the girls..

i didn't give it much thought.. i was still trying to not gloat too much about my win... then he took the guitar... and i saw it.. he moved the setting to "hard" i was in trouble.. this guy obviously spent the hours when he wasn't working as a bouncer at the bar.. playing video games in his underwear in his mother's basement!!!!!!! he finished his song with a score of 129,300... :( enough to blow me out of the water.

bill wanted to protest.. he didn't think employees should be allowed to participate.. but the bouncer wasn't an employee of the company holding the contest.. and besides.. its only a game.. right???

so i walked away with 2 tshirts.. the girls felt sorry for me... mr bouncer gets to go to round 2 .. and i'm on a mission.

learn more songs.. on harder settings and find another guitar hero contest for next thursday. at the very least i'm going to end up with a wardrobe of tshirts that advertise alcohol products.. (what every mom needs in her closet)

i'm feeling that tiny nag that tells me i'm a little obsessed... i know it will pass... AFTER I WIN!!!!!!!

12 months later

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