He Passed

I have to spread the good news, well, depending on your perspective that is. Jamie took the written part of the driving test today. He passed with flying colors on his first try. The ink is barely dry in this photo. He is quite proud. We are too. Now we actually have to let him practice driving. Oh my. His first attempts have been in the woods with Mike. Definitely a good place to start. The good news is he has lots of time to practice before he goes it alone. Many of his friends are already driving their parents all around town and beyond. He and Mike are looking at older cars as possible modes of transportation. The current favorite is a '68 Chevy Impala. I have not been able to talk him out of that one yet. I took the kids shopping for school clothes today. Jamie informed me of several state laws and guidelines I have apparently forgotten. He is now a walking manual. I learned a lot.

I included a picture of Dean just for fun. He was calm for one whole minute. Don't be fooled, he's a killer.

Photo Editing

I have been doing some online photo editing courses. This is one of my favorites. The subject here was eye emphasis. This little girl has some of the prettiest eyes I have ever seen. They are truly gorgeous. I am posting the before and after. The first one is just a quick snapshot on the front porch. The class teaches subtle and believable edits.

Summer is winding down here. The kids go back to school on the 19th. No one here is ready for that. We are scheduling hair cuts and dentist visits. Jamie is studying to take the written part of his driving test. I am going to blink and he will be graduating. Mike is working in St. Louis this week. I tried to talk him into taking us with him but no such luck.

Garage Sale Math

I am amazed every single year. One week + lots of junk= $1,000.00. I finally got around to my big sale. As I was setting up, I was thinking there is noooo way I will make more than a few hundred if I'm lucky. Once again the people showed up with cash in hand. I really lucked out because it rained all week long. Friday was beautiful and breezy. Thank you God!

Garage sales should be studied by sociologist for human behavior. Shoppers come in every size, shape and color. Each one is on a treasure hunt. The serious ones strategically map out a plan. These are the ones who ring my doorbell the night before. This year I posted invitations early on facebook. I sold over $100 to them alone before the doors opened. I begin the sale at 7am knowing my first customer will arrive about 6:30. I did not even have time to drink my Pepsi One this year. I literally roll out of bed and open the garage door. This of course means my morning workout is sacrificed. The customers come in and quickly scan for that certain item. If you don't talk to them they will breeze on out the door. Unless there is a crowd, then they will carefully examine each table. I engage them in conversation as long as possible. I swear people have bought things just to be nice. Lots of lonely older people come to these things.

The things I think are great deals are still sitting on the table or argued about. The stuff I think is junk flies out the door with no comments. I can't give away my fitness stuff. Jamie's video games are the most sought after items. I have to pry these from his hands. One person interested in an item often stirs up a frenzy. Suddenly everybody wants that one item. They haul their purchases away any possible way they can. This year a lawnmower left with the hatchback of a car open. The new owner held on tight hopefully all the way home. One very nice bonus of my garage sales, they make Mike really happy. He now has a super clean garage and money to put in the bank.

CPR 2009

I have to post about Creative Photography Retreat. It was a 3 day event in Dallas. The workshop is designed for moms with DSLR cameras. It was Disneyland fun for me. Seriously. I had the best time. I learned so much my head is spinning. I sat in classes from 9 am till 7 pm daily and LOVED every minute. The experience of watching and listening to a real pro photographer was priceless. It was a small group of about 150 students. The teachers spent time with every single one of us. They were patient, generous with advice and extremely encouraging. I met many wonderful ladies. It was a great experience all around. The pictures are just a few of my teachers from live classes. The wedding shot is my favorite shot from the weekend.

Each class had a specific theme such as lighting, editing, and posing. The focus remained on how important our family memories are. Priceless photos and stories were shared thru the weekend.
The photographers shared their different styles and philosophy. It truly is an art. Hearing each one of them inspired me. They discussed everything from what equipment they used to why they became professionals. I am thankful for them all.

Mike and the kids picked me up at the airport yesterday. I crashed about 3pm. I ran non stop all weekend and my brain was done.

Thank you Mrs. Pam for hanging out with me. You made the weekend even better if that were possible. Thank you Mike for making it happen for me.

Magic Springs 2009.

Our first trip of the season. It was a lovely summer day. We enjoyed the park along with all of the central Arkansas day cares. Seriously. It's enough to make a Mom nervous. Hallie had more fun in the puddles than the pool. We needed a video camera to get her dancing in this. She wore Dawn out today. Keeping up with a 2 year old at a water park is work and then some. Jamie and Alyssa rode the big kid slides and avoided their parents as much as possible. Sarah modeled the outrageous hats for sale. My only complaint: we stayed waaaay to long. The kids rode several rides before we left. Including the Big Bad John roller coaster. Even the little girls loved it. O.K., I am done for the year.

July 4th.

We had a fun 4th of July. We ate, swam, and blew things up for hours. There were a few nervous moments of cloudy skies. Jamie was about to panic. The rain thankfully held off until we were done. The kids had a great time. I consumed way too many calories. Mike and Shawn put on quite the fireworks display. We were all very impressed.

I really like the pictures with the flag. We captured some good facial expressions on everyone. The picture of me is even good. How rare is that? Also, evidence we are doing our part to stimulate the economy. Seriously. Every day we do our share and then some.

All American.

Just a quick picture. I love this fence with the flags. The people who live here put these out every year. We plan to swim and grill burgers tomorrow. Jamie has already purchased a large amount of fireworks. He is just itching to blow something up.