Love Her

Q: how many pictures must i take of my toddler indoors with no flash before getting one that wasn't too blurry?

day 9: someone you love

A: 100.  seriously.  she sure moves fast!
i know, i kinda took an easy way out with today's challenge.  of course i love my kids.  they're the most adorable ones i've ever met!

Oh, Elliott...

it's the 8th day of my self photo challenge.  though i sometimes forget and have to do two in one day (like today) i'm really enjoying it.  today's challenges reminded me of why i usually just take pictures during naptime... molly's not exactly cooperative.  she likes to be held.  it's hard to take clear, still pictures while holding a squirmy 1 year old.  sheesh.
anyway, i managed.

day 8: a bad habit

elliott bites his nails.  it's gross.  i started biting my nails when i was little but stopped immediately when my  brother told me (lied to me) that it would give me worms.

DIY Photography Technique

day 7: fruit

a sad looking bunch of bananas and this lonely little pear is all the fruit i have in the house.  pear it is!  i got to try out a new technique i just read about: DIY studio quality product photography.

it was so fun i couldn't help but take a few pictures of elliott's toys, too.  i'll probably post them to facebook.
hey, does anyone even know i still have this blog?

From Below

trees always manage to make me feel so small.

day 6: from a low angle

From Above

day 5: from a high angle

a high angle shot of a sleeping toddler on a sunny sunday afternoon stroll.

Nature, Of Course

day 4: something green

thank you for your help, handsome model.

"A cloudy day is no match for a sunny disposition." William Arthur Ward

day 3 of my challenge:

day 3: clouds

this turned out to be a perfect day for this challenge.  it poured buckets of rain this morning and then the sun came out around lunchtime, but the rain-loaded clouds were still looming.  when the picture is full size (just click on the photo) the detail in the clouds even better, clouds are pretty awesome.

Buckle Up

my next in this series:

day 2: what you wore today

do i take a picture of my clothes laid out on my bed?  nah, too wedding.

should i click a shot of my outfit in the mirror?  no way, not another chance of my face being in the shot.

i know, lets get specific.  today i wore my favourite belt.  i wear it every day.  i've probably worn it close to every day since i bought it about 6 or 7 years ago (minus the last half of my first pregnancy when i bloated up so big it wouldn't fit even on the very last hole).  it's brown, brown is a neutral and can be worn with anything.  it has enough detail in the imprinted design to not be boring.  it's broken in and worn.  and i like it more having never met anyone with the same one.

Ugh

my least-favourite challenge (i guess that's why they call it a challenge, huh?) - a self portrait.

day 1: self-portrait

shh... i'm sleeping.  i find it very 80's album cover.  like sarah mclachlan or something.

Self-Challenge

i'm not a photographer, though i wish i was.  i know too many way talented photographers and i don't have the brain power to compete.  my camera isn't fancy but i like it, i don't have to worry too much about it and it fits really nicely in my purse (aka. diaper bag).  i want to be better at picture-taking, though, and what better way to get better than to practice!  so starting today i'm challenging myself to this:

i'll post them after.

I Do (and I Always Will)

i'm going to go on little ride down memory lane.

great quality photo, huh?  we were actually comparing our cell phones to see whose took better photos.
i don't remember whose won...

on june 9th, 2005 i was invited to a "doves" concert for my friend joel's birthday.  i would have rather stayed home, had snacks and watch a chick flick but i thought to myself, "maybe i'll meet the man of my dreams tonight," and i went.  during the evening (complete with a limo ride, a fun dinner out at the rugby club in vancouver, and a great concert at the commodore ballroom) i started to hang out with joel's younger brother colin who was really sweet and lots of fun.  i wondered if he was too young for me, though he seemed wiser and more mature than any 3.5 year younger guy i'd ever met.  actually he seemed wiser and more mature than any guy my age i'd met!  so we tried out dating, and it was the way dating is supposed to be, he was so funny, had similar taste in music and movies, had the same interests, a great family and a very similar upbringing, liked cats more than dogs, and went to my church.  it was meant to be!

6 months later, on christmas day in 2005, colin's gift to me was a remote control.  he said, "push forward!" and a car drove out of a box on the other side of the room, and as it came towards me i saw a little wrapped box on top with a note that said, "will you marry me?"  duh, obviously YES!

another 6 months later was our wedding day.

our wedding was perfect.

it took place on saturday, june 17th, 2006 at 2:30 in the afternoon in colin's parents' park-like back yard (which became our first home together that day as we moved into their bright, spacious basement suite).  it was minimally decorated by us and some family members, and both of our extended families and some of our closest friends attended.

there was a light rain coming own all morning long which made us glad that we'd rented tents for our guests to sit under, until the clouds parted and sun shone through at exactly the moment we started the ceremony, which made made us glad that we'd rented tents for our guests to stay in the shade under.

my bridesmaids (my best friends, sharon & arlynn) led the way for my dad and i down down the aisle towards a most handsome colin and his groomsmen (his brothers, joel & ryan) to the song "one and only" by teitur.

the ceremony was short and light, performed by our church minister at the time, jim, and a prayers from each of our dad's.  we managed to shyly make it through our vows and i surprisingly didn't cry (though i do admit i teared up a little at the end of colin's vows when i could see him fighting a happy tear or two as well).

our friends and family congratulated us and we had pictures taken and mingled with great finger-food provided by my dad and other family members.  it began to rain lightly again around 4:30 or so, which is when we were planning on kicking everyone out anyway.

then we went to the sonoma grill for an incredible dinner with our parents, colin's grandparents, our siblings and my bridesmaids.

we stayed that night at a hotel on the beach in white rock, and went to vancouver island for our honeymoon.  i highly recommend brentwood bay resort, it was quiet, romantic and beautiful.

happy 5 year anniversary, colin, it's been incredible and i love you!