Sometimes..

it's fun to be silly. :D

The Last Holiday Party of the Season

Tonight was the last Holiday Party of 2009 (well, I should say FOR 2009).  It was a family friendly and casual event.  The highlight of the evening was karaoke. The best part was watching a boy about the age of 9 win the "Champion Trophy" after belting out his rendition of Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall.  Boy he thought he was hot stuff! *so cute*  Anyway, I wanted to put up another image of Steve and I together but I just couldn't resist this photo. :D  Here is a shot of the guys having fun with the karaoke....I think we all have a bit of rockstar in us. ;)

Feeling a Little Cocky

I had a shoot today with Lynette. I fell in love with those peacock feather earrings she wore this afternoon.  I need a pair!

Who knew?

Without further delay (because my sister, Sara, is waiting for me to post and that is NEVER a good thing. *just teasing, sis!*) here is my print for today.  I present to you  Spring Has Sprung.

Imagene + Jackson Street Booksellers =

Old Market FUN!!!  Today I went downtown to the Old Market with Lynette.  She wanted to take in a couple galleries (which we did) for her class.  I brought along Imagene (for those of you who don't know and wonder who Imagene is, why that's my lovely 7D Canon DSLR!). I love shooting down at and around the Old Market.  I prefer the street photography side of things in lieu of the architecture but hey- it's all yummy in the end!  Anyway, right before we left I begged Lynette to go into the Jackson Street Booksellers bookstore. Poor Lynette didn't have a chance; had she said no I probably would have pushed her into the oncoming traffic or tripped her as we were jaywalking.  Plus, I had conveniently parked in front of the bookstore *wink wink* so it only made sense to take a looksee. Right? 

Thankfully for me and luckily for her, Lynette agreed and we went inside to browse the ENDLESS shelves of books.  Now, you have to understand...aside from God, my husband, children, family, Imagene and an assortment of other photography related items I LOVE BOOKS!!!  Seriously.  Remember that 365 blogpost about my affinity with perfume?  Well, I like to read whilst spritzing fabulous scents on my wrists. (not really but not a bad idea).  I seriously love love LOVE books.  I think it is because of the endless knowledge that can be gleaned from them, the places they can whisk us away to and the history they hold.  It's all very romantic.  *sigh*  Anyway, here is my image for today.  Thank you Jackson Street Booksellers for having such a ROCKIN' bookstore!

8th Grade Confirmation Preparation...

almost complete! :)  Becca has been preparing for her Confirmation now for a couple years.  She will be confirmed in February and after many service hours and whatnot she is turning her packet in tomorrow.  One of the things she was responsible for was making her own banner with the Saint's name whom she has chosen to take as her Confirmation name.  She finished her banner this evening.  Here is a photo of it.

Splish Splash I Was Taking a Bath...

long about a MONDAY night! Bathtime was particularly interesting and might I add FUN this evening!  You may think we added a few too many bubbles but I believe we got it jusssssst right! :)  I just have to say I think this definitely puts Becca on the "COOLEST SISTER EVER!!" list.  She was the one to share her bubble bath. *sidenote*  Admittedly, I was a *tad* concerned that we were going to end up with bubbles throughout the entire first floor. ;)

 

View from the top....

of the Marriot Hotel.  Well, at least from the 6th floor. :)  I snapped this real quick before jumping on the elevator when we left this morning.  (Becca was nice and let me take her p&s with me to the holiday party.)  We were up early and ready to go by 8:00 am after a late night out but our car wouldn't start.  Thankfully, Joe Sipich from Enterprise Holdings (Enterprise Rent A Car) was able to pick us up and give us a ride to Cedar Rapids, IA to the airport and got us a new rental so we could get back home.  Talk about above and beyond!    Anyway, here is the photo. :)

Holiday Party :)

Steve and I went to Coralville, IA and checked into the Marriot Hotel for the company Holiday Party.  It was a great time had by all.  We enjoyed dancing the night away and visiting with all of the other employees.  It was fun to meet new people and touch base with some we haven't seen in awhile.  Here is a quick snapshot of the two of us right before we went downstairs to enjoy the festivities.

Architecture Fun :)

I went with Lynette today for a shoot she was doing for her large format class.  She was busy shooting with a 4x5 camera and of course I brought along Imagene. ;)  Here is a shot I wanted to share with you on the blog; my attempt at architecture.  I kept the shot it in color.  I did debate whether or not I wanted to turn it black and white but in the end I decided to go with color; I really enjoy the red in the image.  *sidenote*  While Lynette was setting up a shot I thought her feet were in the frame...turns out I was wrong; I am not used to looking at an image upside down and backwards!  Seriously, it made for a good laugh and I wish that you could have been there to laugh with us.  Anyway, here is my photograph today.

"Just wishin' and hopin' and thinkin' and prayin'..."

...that my children would come out of school already! ugh.  Inevitably I sit in the parking lot at school for at least a half an hour.  I am not as bad as I used to be when I would get to the parking lot 30 minutes before school would even be dismissed.  Nope, that stopped after a couple years.  Don't laugh.  I would obsess about being late for Becca and how upsetting that would be for her.  Not to mention what a nightmare the parking lot is at the school.  Don't get me wrong, they have it choreographed like a synchronized swim team's performance at an Olympic event. There are just too many of us trying to collect our rugrats at the same time!  Now, to add fuel to the fire, I have two children whom are dismissed at different times. *sigh*  Anyway, a girl's gotta keep herself occupied.  Today, I brought my camera.  Yes, I did photograph Lela on her trek to my spot in the lot but that is not what I am sharing with you today. Nope, that would be too predictable.  I wanted to share with you how boring it really can get waiting for the afterschool pickup.  Can any of you relate or is it just me?

Fine! I'll dust you already...*sigh*

So, my day was exciting. *read with dripping sarcasm*  I just couldn't get motivated after a restless night.  Lack of sleep does me no good.  I really wanted to take a nap but never got around to it.  How lazy is that?!?  So, while lying on my bed watching t.v. (if you know me at all you realize that most days I couldn't care less about whether or not the darn thing works, unless of course, it is to watch a rerun of Criminal Minds with Becca.)*wink*  I noticed that my ceiling fan needed to be swiffered. YEA! *more sarcasm*  So I managed to work up enough energy to do some dusting.  Once I finished I promptly returned to my prone position.  Here is an image of my fan. 

Criminal Minds

Becca and I have a little guilty pleasure...Criminal Minds reruns.  We watch them together quite regularly.  She says she would like to be a forensic specialist..."I would even work for the FBI if it came to it."  She also thinks she would like to be a profiler.  Either way, she is one smart cookie so I don't doubt she will be great at whatever she chooses to do or course of study she embarks on in her academic career.  So now that you know one way we like to spend our time in the evenings, without further delay here is my image for today. *grins*

A Lunch Date at Olive Garden...aka A Doctor's Appointment

Today Becca had an appointment; well, truth be told Becca and I had an appointment.  She wasn't aware of it but I had it in mind to take her to lunch.  We had a rough morning today and it just didn't sit right with me.  With the risk of sounding cliche, growing up is hard to do.  We don't always see eye to eye and that was pretty much the gist of it this morning.  I picked her up from school and asked her if she could pick anywhere to go for lunch where would she choose?  Olive Garden was her answer.  I had a hunch this would be the case.  It's her fave place to eat.  Soup and salad..mmmmm.  Amazing what can be fixed over a great meal followed up with a divine chocolatey dessert!

Anyway, we had a great mom/daughter date..excuse me...appointment.  We hashed things out and had some great bonding time.  I think it was just what the doctor ordered. ;)  Of course, I stole her p&s before leaving the house because I knew this would be what I wanted to blog about tonight.

A Playdate and Sugarbert :)

Q.  How do you make a playdate even better?!?  A.  Sugarbert!!  This afternoon, Daphne and Lela had a playdate....which means so did Michelle and I. :)  It is always great to get together with them. The kids have a ball playing and Michelle and I have a great time chatting (Michelle + me + chatting = free therapy).  It's a win/win situation all the way around for everybody.  This evening, we had to have some sugarbert (as my little sister used to call it; it is more commonly known by us boring adults as sherbert or sorbet if you want to be fancy).  Michelle loves the camera but only when she is behind it. I don't always get a chance to photograph her.  This was a great way to sneak her into the image.  Anyway, as always, we were being silly.  Michelle told them to link arms while eating the yummy treat and they didn't quite get what we were trying to tell them to do so Michelle had to hop up to help them.  I took the opportunity to snap a picture.  It brings a smile to my face every time I look at it.  Hope it does you, too.  Enjoy!

"Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall......"

I heart James Taylor ...and I heart Lynette, too. :)  Today I am going to share with you a photo of her.  I snapped it on Becca's point and shoot (I salivate over those little point and shoots.  I truly need to just bite the bullet and buy one for myself soon).  Anyway, Lynette is a great friend.  We share a lot of things in common (age not being one of the them) and always have a fun time together.  I feel blessed to have such a genuine person in my life that I can call a true friend.  Today, we ran some errands and had lunch at the house with Becca.  I snapped this picture of her as she was attempting to put on her boots before leaving. I suffered the wrath but I like the photo.  I would do it again....especially if I had my own p&s...imagine the fun!

"They say there is always magic in the air.....On Broadway"

Okay, so yesterday, January 15, 2010 was my "Broadway Night Out"...aka BNO.  About four times a year, four of  us, myself and three of my girlfriends, take in a Broadway show.  We start the evening off with dinner and drinks and then off to the Orpheum we go to see whatever Broadway Series we have purchased tickets for that particular season.

If I were a Broadway critic, I would have given last night's performance two thumbs down.  I wanted to like "Little House on the Prairie", I really did....but no dice.  Even Melissa Gilbert as "Ma" was a real disappointment.  We cut out of there at intermission.  When I say "we cut out", it should read "we ran like lightening".

One thing that wasn't a dud was the evening  out with my good friends.  We had a ball.  Our Broadway nights are fun evenings filled with lots of laughter.  I am always a little sad when the night comes to an end.  I don't want the fun to stop!

Thanks Frenchie, Queeng and "Yea, well I met Archie Bunker".  I had a ball! 

"Celebrate Good Times- Come on!"

Tonight we went to The Fox and the Hound to celebrate a promotion for one of Steve's employees.  They are moving up to the next level and out of the NE area but staying within the group.  Congratulations!- You know who you are!  It was a fun night and we are really excited for the new endeavors and adventures this employee will be embarking on with his promotion.  Here is a photo of Steve and me out this evening helping celebrate the good news. 

Christmas Presents in January?!?

My girls were so excited today!  Our neighbor had dropped off their Christmas gifts.  Unfortunately, with all this less than desirable weather, we haven't had too many playdates recently.  Don't worry, we've got one scheduled for tomorrow!  Here is a silly image of my girls opening their gifts.  They loved them!  Thank you, "M" Family!!  We love you guys! xoxoxo

Just a Lil' Cat Nap

That's what I told myself this afternoon.  I don't know if the late nights and lack of sleep are finally catching up with me or the fact that the weather we have been having is inviting my inner animal to hibernate!  (Seriously, I think it is the latter.  You know it's a problem when you walk outside with no gloves, scarf or hat on and the only thing protecting you from the elements is a haphazardly donned unzipped winter coat. You do this with full knowledge that it is only 20 degrees out and the first thing you say to your husband while he is shoveling a Mt. McKinley's worth of snow is "Gee, it's not too bad out.  Matter of fact, I'd say it's kinda warm.".  True story.) Anyway, whatever the reason may be, I knew I was taking a nap today.  Here is an image of the bed that was calling my name with promises of warmth and comfiness.

It was a great nap. The bed did not lie and fulfilled its promises. I woke up feeling engergized and ready to take on the evening! ;)

The Coveted DS

Lela had a playdate today!  She was so excited to have Megan over to the house.  The girls have been begging for awhile now to get together but it always seems something is going on to keep the playdate from happening; whether snow days, meetings, holidays or whatnot it just hasn't happened.  Anway, Megan's mom called the other day and we marked it in ink on the calendar for today after school.  The girls were estactic.

Now, I remember playdates from when I was a child.  We most generally played with Cabbage Patch dolls, barbies, dressup or the karaoke machine (my mother had to love that little noise maker).  The point is we used our imagination.  I mean, a karaoke machine was pretty darn hightech and we still had to pretend to be a famous singer or band.  Heck, we might have even jammed out to some 45s (you know, those disc shaped like things that played music with a needle and required a record player...that's right, records!) or maybe a cassette tape or two (I do remember 8 tracks but now I am REALLY showing my age).

Playdates are different nowadays.  It's all about the Nintendo DS.  Megan even brought a game of her own over to play on Lela's DS.  Are you kidding me?  Lela, as well as Megan, I am sure, could play with this little contraption any ol' time they wanted to, especially when bored at home without the company of friends.  Alas, this seemed to be the hot toy of the evening.  As a matter of fact, they couldn't put it down while eating the brownies we made as an after school snack.  Don't believe me?  Here's proof.

After eating the yummy brownies, they continued to sit at the kitchen table and wield their DS skills laughing and giggling the entire time.  I guess that is one thing that hasn't change about playdates. :)

Sundays Are Family Days

I enjoy Sundays with my family.  We try to make it to church regularly.  Sometimes we are better at it than other times. :)  This is a photo of Steve carrying Lela into church.  Becca is slightly ahead of him.  She is carrying her new purse that Lela picked out for her for Christmas.  Sundays are our 'lazy days'.  It just happens this Sunday Anna and Ben will be coming over for linner (sort of like brunch only lunch + dinner = linner.  Admit it, linner is more fun to say than 'late lunch' or 'early dinner').  We are going to have Anna's favorite: fried chicken, mashed potatoes and other calorie filled, fat packed, scrumptious food that is nothing short of yummy.  I better get to cooking!

I have a jewel of a jeweler. <3

Becca was in her room creating an original piece of jewelery.  She loves making custom jewelery pieces and I really enjoy watching her be so creative.  Her pieces are gorgeous and each one is an original piece of art.  I decided I had to photograph her at work on her latest creation.  I find the different tools she uses, how and what they are each used for during the process, all the colorful beads and different types of wires and clasps fascinating.  Who knew so much went into making jewelery?  I find it to be an impressive creative talent. 

Becca finished her project while I was updating the blog.  She made me a gorgeous, one-of-a-kind, black, multi-beaded wrist bracelet.  I love it and must say it looks rather dashing on my wrist. <3 ;)

My perfume, my Obsession

I have an affinity for perfume.  Not just the yummy lucious scents but the bottles as well.  My perfume of the day is usually an extension of myself.  It tends to reflect my thoughts, mood or agenda.  Don't get me wrong, I have my standard favorite fragrance of the moment but that doesn't mean that I don't like to switch it up now and then; especially when I am feeling particularly ornery.  I must admit I even find myself on the perfume hunt with every change of the seasons. I have to find the right combination of scents: summer is citrusy, fall is musky, winter is crisp and clean and spring is soft and subtle.

I think my obsession with perfume started when I was a little girl- probably around the age of 4- when my mom and dad gave me my first bottle of perfume for my birthday or Christmas.  Although I cannot remember the name of the perfume (My mom recently made me throw away my coveted perfume bottle collection about 10 years ago; you might say I am bitter.) I can remember it was made by Avon and had a yellow cap with butterfiles on the bottle.  Anyway, I have secretly been building my perfume bottle collection again.  (Don't tell my mother- she'd probably roll her eyes in disgust and then we'd have to have a conversation about it not being necessary.)  The bottles intrigue me. Like the different scents they hold inside, the bottles are also all shaped differently.  Their shapes I find unique and interesting.  They are pretty to look at and hold a place of honor on my vanity. 

Why am I so intrigued with perfumes and their vessels?  I think it is because no matter what scent I put on my wrists or dab behind my ears it belongs to me.  You could be wearing the same perfume and it is still all my own.  My chemistry intermingles with the perfume and makes the fragrance different on my body.  Unique. Sole.  It belongs to me.  That unique scent belongs to me.  I guess perfume is just one way I like to express myself.  Kinda like this blog. :)

Drifting Snow Again? Ugh.

Of course, another day of school was cancelled for the girls.  I have to tell you I am OVER snow days.  Don't get me wrong, I love my children.  I love them being in school almost as much; they go stir crazy after awhile of being at home!  Cabin fever is not pretty.  I am assuming the frigid temps (that would 2 degrees + 25 mph winds from the NNW = FRIGID) and the drifting snow is what prompted the school districts into calling yet another snow day because the snow was finished long before this morning. *sigh* Do not confuse the snow being finished with the snow being melted. It would be the farthest thing from the truth. To be completely honest my biggest fear right now is the snow will still be here in July and I will be sporting earmuffs in June.  Anyway, the north side of our home really gets it bad when it comes to drifting. One of the windows always ends up wearing a skirt of snow. Even though I hate the snow I happen to like the lace-like pattern it leaves on the blinds.  Here is my image for today.

"Baby It's Cold Outside".....

Oh lovely Nebraska.  How I so do NOT adore thee this time of year.  Old Man Winter really has it out for us, I do believe.  What have we done to upset him so?  I haven't the faintest clue but he has successfully chilled me to the bone. *brrrr*  I am shivering now as I update this blog.  I was contemplating sharing an image of the front of our igloo- I mean  house- but my fingers were almost frozen off in the process.  I decided if I didn't have fingers I wouldn't be able to do a number of things, one of them being this 365 project.  I dashed inside and decided the best plan of attack to give Old Man Winter the finger (whilst keeping it attached to my hand) was to de-ice myself and get the blood flowing back into my frozen digits.  I accomplished this by sitting in front of the warm fireplace.  I do love a warm fireplace; especially when it is "14 degrees" outside. (That tidbit of icy information is according to the last time I checked the hourly weather update...I think they forgot the " - " in front of the 14 or are just very skilled in lying or perhaps they are in downright plain ol' denial.  Regardless, they're not fooling me!)  Hope you stay warm and cozy tonight. Btw, little Lela kept me company while I was warming up. <3

Bragging on the blog. There's no shame to my game!

Becca came home from school today and looked so darn pretty I just had to photograph her.  She had earned a 0-2 dress down day at the school she attends; in other words, she hasn't received any marks on her conduct card and she got to break ranks from her peers and 'dress down'.  No uniforms for her today!  The school may consider this type of attire casual but I think she looks pretty darn smart!

"I'm going to miss my flight".....

That's what my mom told me this morning at 4:30 a.m.  She was in TX  leaving to fly back home to IL and could not figure out where to return the car rental. It wasn't just her, either.  4 of them couldn't figure it out and so they called here and wanted to talk to my husband who is employed by the industry's leading car rental company. At 4:30 a.m. .... *grins*  Luckily, he was able to help them figure out what to do, albeit a tad confusing.  They made their flight.  Steve went back to sleep.  I ...well, I was awake.  Once daylight came I knew what I had to photograph for today's entry.  Thanks, Mom, for the inspiration. <3 I am so glad you made it home safe! xoxo

Late Nights Are For the Dogs....

Talk about an extremely lazy day today!  LMR and I were up chatting into the wee hours of the morning-as in THIS morning. Between facebooking, watching happyslip videos and lots of laughter the night slipped away and before we knew it the clock was chiming 4:00 a.m. .  I am absolutely exhausted!!  You would think I would realize that I am getting to darn old to pull an all nighter but apparently I am in denial.  Of course, the bout of insomnia that I have been battling doesn't really make matters any better AND I was up bright and early at 8:00 this morning.  4 hours of sleep + me = sloth.  Which got me thinking that I could have given the greys a run for their money in the sluggish department today.  If I were a betting woman I would have placed all my money on me.  I was convinced that I would have placed first in LAZY until I started looking around at my greyhounds....who were all lying around looking perfectly content to stay in one spot.  Etta, my youngest greyhound, was up late last night hangin' w/ the big dogs ( ....that would be Lynette and me....) and look how well she fared today.  I don't think she has moved once ...other than to eat. Wow.  Maybe I do have more in common with my hounds than I realized........

Barefoot and in the Kitchen....

My very good friend and fellow photographer, Lynette, came over tonight for an evening of wine and good cheer.  She and I have went out and about on several occasions with our cameras, Imagene and ...well, okay so Lynette doesn't feel the need to name her camera (poor camera)...anyways, I digress- She came over tonight.  She is doing a 365 Project, too.  We figured we would fool around with the cameras this evening and get a photograph from our festivities to include on  our 365 blogs.  She came up with idea to photograph her barefeet w/ the Barefoot wine bottle.  You can view her image here:  Lynette's 365 Project.  I decided to photograph her photographing her feet...it was a toughie to decide which image to use but in the end I knew which one I had to go with...   I am a sucker for short depth of field and I loved the light.  Take a look-see for yourself. :)

Welcome to E. Vining 365 ~ A year in Review

Welcome to my 365 Project! Today is the first day of 2010 and also my first day of the project! So Happy New Year and without further procrastination..because there is no way I will finish a year project with that on my back...here is my first post! 

So, I bring you this image.  She is smiling up at her big sister.  I explained to both of them that I was doing a 365 project; they weren't all to impressed, really. *gasp*  I think it might be because they knew that I would rope them into -probably sooner than later- allowing me to photograph them.  Of course, they were both right; just wrong about the amount of time that would lapse before the nagging would ensue!  Besides, I really really really wanted to shoot at least one of the girls for my first image because I am a proud mom and I love them dearly.  I unabashedly admit they are my favorite subjects.  Anyway, much to my chagrin, I had to bribe both of them to cooperate and in the end it was worth it. I knew if I waited long enough, the fake smile would disappear and the camera would be forgotten and then I would capture my lil' one as she is today...and I think I did just what I set out to do.