I'm Still Here !

Wow! It's been so long since my last post. Our time here in Corpus Christi is really going fast. Before we know it, it's going to be time to pack our things (for the 8th time), say goodbye to the Navy, and head home to Michigan. Ryan is getting ready to take the LSAT in a few short weeks. It's been hard to find time for him to study between the kids and the flying. Thank goodness he's smart!

We are getting pretty deep into the adoption process, and things are going smoothly at this point. It's looking like we might end up with a Hispanic child. We should have guessed it considering we are only a few short hours from the Mexican border. Many Mexican women will sneak across the border to give birth...hence the abundance of Mexican babies available for adoption. We are still thinking we would like an 18 month old little boy. It's so exciting!

I've been taking lots of pictures lately! I'm learning more and more about layers in Photoshop. Here's one of my latest creations for the life book I'm making for our new little boy.

Christmas Cards

I'm making Christmas cards for the family. This one of my brother and sister in law is my fav.

Cheers!

My Watermark

I came up with this yesterday on photoshop. It's weird to see one of my photographs look professional. Actually, the picture isn't spectacular, but the watermark makes it look like I really know what I'm doing. Ha Ha!!! I do like the picure. My nephews expression is cute, and he's got those greenish eyes. It's funny how my sister and my son's eyes have changed. They both started out with blue eyes.

I saved the watermark to a brush. Sooo cool! It's just like a brush stroke and my name is pasted onto the image. I can't get enough of this stuff. If only I had more time. Wish I had John Gruden's sleep disorder (the NFL football coach..you know...Chuckie). He only requires about three to four hours of sleep per night! Imagine how much you could get done!!!!!

High School Football

Here's me a few weeks ago at a west Michigan high school football game. It had been a while since I had the pleasure of attending one. The air was fresh and crisp, and I had the opportunity to photograph my brother in law (one of the coaches). My dad was a high school football coach. I was a bit of a daddy's girl, and spent a lot of time in the locker room sorting pads and keeping him company while he put logo's on helmets and puttsied etc...
While I was down on the sideline, the smell of the turf and players brought me back to those times I spent with my dad. I realize now that the time I shared with him shaped me into the woman that I am today. He gave me such confidence. I knew he was proud of me and at times liked to "show me off"! Yup, even to his players! A relationship between a father and his daughter is so crucial to every part of her life. Especially when it comes time for the daughter to find a husband. I feel so blessed to have a husband that understands this concept and is going to do everything he possibly can to influence our girls positively. I'm so happy to have such wonderful men in my life.

tired streaks

I go through tired streaks. One day can knock me out, and with three toddlers it takes four days to recover. Last Thurs. I went to the grocery store with the kids in the morning and cleaned my entire (2470 sq ft.) home in the afternoon. Yup, it took all weekend to recover. Fri and Sat I woke up so sore I had to get into the tub. Is this normal for an almost thirty year old woman?? I've decided that if my husband accomplishes his dream of becoming a patent attorney I WILL have a cleaning lady. This pretty much goes against everything that I stand for, but I refuse to do this to my body for the rest of my life. I'm absolutely not willing to let my house go. It's just not an option. I have to have a clean house! Maybe it will be easier when I don't have three toddlers. HHHMMM something tells me there will be something else to take their place that will make me tired. The good news is is that I think I caught up on my rest, it's Monday morning, I've had my coffee, and the girls are still in bed. I'm even getting a chance to write a little. I'm NOT a morning person.
As far as my photography...I've made some ground in photoshop this past week. I can tell my work flow is faster, and I'm not referring to my book for every edit action. It's so encourging to realize progress! I'm hoping to order some Christmas card templates so that I can make Christmas cards for my family. Hopefully, it won't take me the entire month of Nov. to figure it out!
Today I'm going to enjoy my kids and not do much around the house. Maybe I'll take em outside with my camera. It's finally cooler out! Yeah!

behind my sisters house

michigan fall. i'm missing it. well...actually, we visited mi. a few weeks ago, but one week doesn't cut it. this picture was taken behind my sister's house in hudsonville. it was beautiful, and the kids had a ball!

I want to be a photographer someday. Not too sure how long it's going to take considering I have three kids to raise. It's a full time job in itself, and my babies seem to use most of my time. That's okay. I'm living my first dream. Photography is for the next chapter.