July 12 of 12

Even tho’ July 12th has come and gone I am still going to post my 12 of 12. It’s Chad’s thing and we do love him for it. Make sure you go and check him out.

We were at our place in Gladwin on Sunday, so this month you get Sheryl chillin’ and hangin’ with the fam

8:49AM The morning view from the deck… this NEVER gets old.

9:51 AM Bug the Badass, as my dear friend Meghan says.

10:15 AM Sidetracked on the way to breakfast. Looking for some hunting property, there was a “For Sale” sign down this trail… I wonder how much teepee’s are going for now?

1:21 PM Hunter (from above) and I going into the yard to play.

1:31 PM I didn’t last long in the yard(hehe), Mom eating a fresh tomato… man they were yummy!!

1:37 PM See? Don’t they look yummy?

2:11 PM The view of the water from the back of the boat. I thought it would make a cool texture for some pics.

2:38PM Hunter checking out the view at the back of the boat.

3:03 PM Fishing with Dad.

3:04 PM My man and the proud Dad.

3:10 PM Family portrait time. They may be nothing more than snapshots, but I love being able to look back shots and enjoy the memories again (except for the memories of my hair – ugh!)

3:20 PM Hunter driving the boat.

Bonus shot: Not mandatory but I’ll include it anyway. Me and Hunter as taken by my wonderful husband.

That wraps up July’s 12 of 12. Holy guacamole is the summer flying by.

I also spent a wonderful evening with some friends reminiscing about our friend Brian, I will try to have those shots up in a couple of days.

~S

June 12 of 12… the anniversary edition

Seriously, you should know the deal by now. Chad, the gracious host can be found here, as well as numerous other 12 of 12 participants.

This June 12th was my fifth anniversary. Welcome to my day:

8:17 AM - Yea… I’m late for work, what else is new. It’s casual day so I dug out my old Bob Probert jersey to show my support for the Wing’s game seven in the championship series.

8:43 AM - Several co-workers volunteered to help clean up the weed beds around work. So I stopped to take a few pics. You know, generally, people don’t seem to like having their picture taken.

5:21 PM - I heard a cool song on Sirius Alt Nation so I took a picture to remember the names.

5:31 PM - Picked Hunter up at daycare. His first question to me was : “Mom, what you got?” I try to have some fruit for him when I pick him up… and he knows it.

6:06 PM - This was cute picture I captured of Hunter, but it was terribly out of focus so I did the best I could with photoshop.

6:05 PM - Sharing french fries with Grandma. Grandma came over to watch Hunter so Kev and I could go out to dinner.

6:12 PM - I was setting up the tripod so I could take a nice picture of Kevin and I on our anniversary. Of course Kev had to be Kev… yo yo yo! Apparently I married a PMF (punk mother-fuc.. .uh.. you get the idea).

6:14 PM - I am thrilled with this picture of Kev and I. Can’t wait to hang it in our home. Kev didn’t like the vignette on this one, so I took it off.

8:05 PM - Leaving Longhorn. As I was taking this picture another couple was pulling in the parking lot… the guy asked if I was a private investigator. LOL

8:08 PM - Ok, so it’s getting later in the day and I know I don’t have enough pics… so here is Kevin’s dream car… a Grand National.

9:17 PM - We went to Game Works to play a few video games. Every game I touched had credits on it still… it was weird.

10:12 PM - Home watching the last hockey game of the year. It didn’t really end the way we had hoped. I think my Probert jersey is jinxed.

Obviously, I have been doing some Photoshop homework. Playing is really the easiest way for me to learn. I’ve been collecting tips and techniques from podcasts, you-tube, books and other online crap. But you can listen or read all day, but for me, it just doesn’t sink in until I actually do it. I think I have the vignette thing down pat.

Go and check out some other 12 of 12’s, they really are cool.

June is uber-busy for me, I will try to keep up on crap-o-rama.

~S

Myrtle Beach

Last week we took a family vacation to Myrtle Beach. Kev, the Bug and I hoped in the car and drove to South Carolina to camp with Grandma and Grandpa (Kev’s Dad & Mary).

Our first stop? Chapel Hill area of North Carolina. We stayed with the wonderful and generous Meghan and her family. Hunter got to play with his new friend Xan.

And I got to play with my friend, Meghan.

It was tons of fun. It was great to hang out, drink a few brews and chat over some pizza. Meghan is an amazing photographer and it was a real treat to watch her take and process pictures.

Thank you Meg for allowing us to hang out and invade your weekend… it was a blast!!

Then on to Myrtle Beach. It rained the whole drive from North to South Carolina. It was cold and rainy for the first couple of days. But after a trip to Wlmrt we had warm clothes and were able to literally chill at the beach. lol

This was Hunter’s first look at the ocean. The contemplation on his face is very similar to how I feel when I visit the ocean.

One of my favorite shots from that first day:

These next two shots are hilarious. Hunter was throwing sea shells back into the ocean… then the waves came in and he came running back…

The family vacation shot. I really dig the way this on came out. It might be a little tight at the top, but I still like it.

I actually got up one morning at 5AM to shoot the sunrise. I’m either really trying to be a photographer or I am just bat-shit crazy… either way… I hope you enjoy the pic.

All of these shots are sooc (straight out of camera). I just haven’t had the time to do proper adjustments… and if I tried to wait, I would have never gotten around to my vacation post.

The vacation was wonderful. But I am also a firm believer that even a crappy day at the beach is better than a great day at work. Hehehe I love being at the ocean. It rejuvenates my inner peace.

We got back on Sunday morning (around 1AM) Kev drove all the way through coming home. Hunter was amazing in the car, I couldn’t have asked for him to be better. The plan was to get home and chill on Sunday and Monday and head back to work Tuesday.

However on Sunday afternoon I got a phone call that was horrible news. A great friend of my passed away suddenly. The heartbreak is almost unbearable… but that is another post. Probably tomorrow.

More vacation pics on flickr… just click on one of the pics above to see them.

Is it bad that it’s only Wednesday and I am thinking about when I can go on vacation again. Lol

~S

An Easter 12 of 12

The idea is to take 12 pictures on the 12 of the month and post them. Then send the link to Chad so he can put them up on his website. It’s quite cool to see everyone’s day and I am sure the 12th of April will be no different. Here’s a peek into my Easter, 2009:

8:14AM - a sickly little boy. Hunter hasn’t been feeling very well… I hope our holiday’s are not going to be plagued with the stomach flu.. so far Christmas and now Easter.

8:16 AM - My morning coffee.

12:02 PM - Coloring Easter eggs. Like I said Hunter was sick, so we did our eggs today. He doesn’t seem to mind.

12:02 PM - More coloring… I’m just in awe of how quickly he picks up the concept of things. No need to help him out… Mr. Independent.

12:24 PM - Strawberry Shortcake (sugarfree) is done. I always try to make this for special occasions.

2:13 PM - a family portrait. SIL-Kathy, her Dad-Grandpa Mel, my nephew-Billy, Hunter, Grandma (my Mom), Kev and Bill-my brother.

2:14 PM - another family portrait with the photog in the pic. Grandpa Mel, Billy, Bill, Grandma (my Mom), Kev, Hunter and me - yep.. that’s me in a picture.

3:51 PM - Even though it was cold outside, the sun made it beautiful. So outside we went, for a minute anyway.

3:54 PM - My nephew Billy riding the 4 wheeler around the yard.

5:10 PM - Hunter on the couch with Grandma. No he doesn’t have pants… but remember I said has some kind of stomach flu and the last diaper did his pants in.

5:11 PM - Everyone is gone and we have packed up the table and chairs.

5:14 PM - Even the eggs have been put away.

8:01 PM Happy Easter!

There you have it… my Easter 12 of 12. I hope you enjoyed it. I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter.

One historic note: I am actually posting my 12 of 12 on the 12th…

I know I’ve been MIA a bit. We went on vacation and work has been crazy. I hope to be back to my regular posting soon. I also hope to get a chance to post about our vacation to Vegas.

~S

Happy Birthday Bill!! (9/26)

Last Friday, September 26th was my brother’s birthday. My Mom always tries to take us (my brother and I) out to lunch on our birthday. Last Friday was no exception. Since Hunter’s daycare was closed, I didn’t work so I went with them.

Why wouldn’t Hunter even say Happy Birthday to Uncle Bill… but then continued to sing it all weekend, when Uncle Bill was no where to be seen?

It was so nice to have a family birthday lunch with all of us together. And of course I took my camera… and yes, I took some pictures.

This is my brother and my Mom. Now my brother is going to be mad that I didn’t’ post the pic of my Mom making a face, but since my Mom reads my blog, I didn’t want her to leave a nasty comment – Hi Mom!!

This is my brother and Hunter… two of my three favorite men in the world!

My brother and I have an amazing relationship. I was the baby of the family and I’m sure they will both tell you; I put my all into being a “little sister”. I know I drove my brother nuts… it was my job.

Since it was only the three of us (Mom, Bill and me), my brother often had to take on a dual role… big brother and man of the house. And he did that with grace and patience. He seemed to know when I needed a brother and when I needed more of a father figure.

My brother protected me, guided me and whether he knows it or not truly helped mold me into the person that I am today.

I wouldn’t change our family for anything in the world. I’m so glad I got to see you on your birthday. I love you Bill!

You are still my favorite brother. lol

~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Tomorrow: 45 things…

Festival firsts

This weekend we took Hunter to the Fenton Apple Festival. He has ridden rides with people before, but never alone. At least, until now… he loved the kiddie rides. It didn’t matter if it went around, or up and down or what, he seemed to enjoy them all.

Plus he got to have some fun with his older cousin…

And ride a real pony…

Even flyin’ by on the roller coaster of trucks… you could tell he was having fun.

The moonwalk was the only thing he didn’t like. I think it was because there were some older kids in there and he was having a hard time standing. I’m sure he will grow to love that ride also, but in the meantime we didn’t force him to stay.

Hope everyone had a great weekend too.