Ugh!

That game last night was so freakin' frustrating! Geez, get your heads out of your butts guys!

GO COWBOYS!!!

Beat the Giants!!!

Cruise Pictures

Finally....here they are!

http://sweetpphotography.smugmug.com/gallery/2041318

Happy Birthday Justin

OK, so I should have posted this last Thursday -- Happy 13th Birthday Justin!

You are growing up to be such a strong, independent, young man! You are so caring and compassionate. We are lucky to have you in our lives. We love you!

We had a get-together to celebrate Justin's 13th B-day. I was too busy visiting, playing volleyball and getting food ready to take many pictures; but I did get one of him blowing out his candles! I really didn't feel good yesterday. I had a sore throat and headache. I was so ready to go to bed by the time everyone left last night. We had a great time though. Thanks to all our family and friends who helped us celebrate. Justin was glad you were here.

Whew...

I can breathe a sigh of relief. I just delivered all of the preschool pictures that I took. I only have one left to deliver because she is out sick today; and about 4 more checks to collect. All in all I think it went really well, and everyone was pleased with their pictures. I think they turned out really cute, and I should get some additional work out of it. Yeah!

A special thanks goes out to my good buddy Christine for all her help. She even had blisters on her knee's to prove she worked hard (at least that what she says they are from!)

So, now to the next task.

Sweet Baby Jada

As promised, here are pictures of my sweet, brand new baby niece, Jada Grace.

The Land of the Living

I know some of you are wondering if we are still alive over here. We are, and a lot has been happening. Here's a quick run-down.

We just returned from a wonderful 7-Day Western Caribbean cruise. We went to Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Montego Bay, Jamaica. All three places were beautiful, but I just seem to have some connection with Mexico. It was beautiful, and we had such a good time!! It seems like all we did on the cruise was eat. I swear, I gained 6 lbs. Yuck!! But man, was that food good!

My photography stuff is going well. I took pictures of the kids at P's preschool just before we went on vacation. I sent the proofs out to all the parents and got a really good response. I also have several Christmas sessions lined up. Santa, I hope you are listening because I have a long Christmas list this year!

P is back in MDO. She seems to be having a good time. It's great for me to have the two days a week to get stuff done, and make all my work appointments. Things are OK on that front as well.

I have a brand new niece!!!! Jada Grace is here, and we are so excited. She was born on Oct. 8, and weighed in at 8 lb., 10 oz. She has a head full of dark hair, and looks just like her big sister Emma looked when she was born. Welcome to the world Jada! When I have some more time, I will post some pictures of her.

That's it for now; gotta get back to work. I'll post more soon!

So how long can I stretch this out?

As you know by now, my 30th bday was yesterday. I have had a great "birthday week". I had the party last Friday, then on Tuesday my Dad took me to dinner. Last night I had class, and Brooks brought me balloons, and tonight, Jeff is taking me to Kobe Japanese Steakhouse! I mean, what a week, huh? I also ordered my bday present today - from Jeff. A new lens, a filter, some reflectors, a new SD card, and a softbox! Woo hoo!! I'm really excited, can you tell?

He Pulled It Off!

This coming Wednesday is my birthday....the Big 3-0!! UGH! Anyway, I've been moping around for a couple of weeks about it. A combination of being sad about turning 30, and feeling sorry for myself thinking that he wasn't going to do anything for me. Well, he surprised the crap out of me Friday night by throwing me a party and getting all of my friends together at Mi Cocina. There were like 30 people there; friends and family. I had such a great time! I honestly had no clue that he was doing it. I'm so proud of him for actually planning something, getting all my friends there, and keeping it a surprise! He is such a wonderful hubby, and I love him so much!

The funny parts; I went to Austin on Thursday, and was set to fly back on Friday night. He was going to pick me up at the airport. Well, with all the hype going on, and tons of files, I decided to rent a car and drive back. Well, this threw him off a little. So, I got home a little early, and he was stalling me. He had told me that we were going to go to dinner with an old friend of his that was in town. It was either going to be Mi Cocina or Uncle Julio's. So, after like hanging out in a parking lot waiting to find out where we were going, he told me to just go to UJ, and get on the waiting list. So I go there by myself, have a margarita at the bar, and wait for them. Later he calls and says, oh, they are at Mi Cocina, and they already have a table. Well shit, I could've gone there an hour ago...why didn't they let him know??? So, I start heading to MC. He calls and tells me he runs out of gas in my car. Lovely...he has Payton with him too; so that made me mad. Anyway, all this to stall me so I don't get to MC too early; and it never even crossed my mind that he was planning this! Wasn't that sweet of him?

Oh, and my mom got me Cowboy tickets --- well, is getting me some. She said I could pick the game! Woo hoo!!

OK, Christine, here they are

My landscape pic's for class tomorrow night. I like them better in color, but BFGW prof wants them in b/w. What do you think?

Just some pictures I wanted to share..

A Fun Weekend

Is it already the work week? Ugh! I swear, the weekends are TOO SHORT and go by TOO FAST! We had a fun weekend (aside from hurting my back). Saturday night I went to a boudoir party (don't tell Jeff, it's a secret/surprise). I had an awesome time. I went in very nervous and self-conscious, and came out feeling like a hot, sexy mama, with a ton more self-esteem! I can't believe how much I enjoyed it. I cannot wait to see the pictures. We had an awesome photographer who made us feel so comfortable. I had never met her before that night, but I was so relaxed with her. She did an awesome job!

Yesterday, we went to Red River ATV to ride motorcycles with Chris and Traci. It was a very last minute thing, but we had a really good time, heat and all! It was weird, I didn't ride much, but when I did, my back didn't bother me! So weird, but like I said, it hurts in some positions, but not in others. Anyway, we had a good weekend. When we got home last night it was dark and smelled like rain. I think it poured all around us, but we didn't get a DROP! Ugh! We must not be living right! :-)

I still haven't taken my landscape pictures. I need to get on that...what to do???

What to do for a hurt back?

Saturday morning, after gymnastics, I was helping Payton go potty. When I stood up, WHAMMO, my lower back was in some serious pain! I could barely walk out of the bathroom. Well, I have been in pain all weekend, sometimes worse than others. In some positions it feels fine, then in others it's awful. For example, when I have been sitting, then stand up, it kills and is really hard to walk. I don't know what to do! If I go to a doctor, what kind of dr. should I go to? I don't think my GP could do anything about it. I have never been to a chiropractor, but the thought is crossing my mind. I don't know..but it freakin' hurts and I need some relief. Any advice? Any of you out there dealt with this before?

Yay! I got a good grade!

On my pictures, that is! My BFGW professor really liked them! I'm so excited.

Now, on to the next assignment -- landscapes. Anyone have any good suggestions? We have to do b/w landscapes, with our lens out as wide as it will go.

~~~~~~~~~
He made a slight modification to the b/w one, but I like it. Here you go. He said that all my pics were good for printing! Woo Hoo!

Pictures for Class

Well, I didn't get out and take pictures like I wanted to. I really wanted to find some unique "thing" or landscape, but for one reason or another, I didn't. So, I took some pictures of Payton (I know, big surprise)...and I hope the BFGW professor likes them.

It's Official

No more pa pa's (paci's) in this house! Woop!!!

Can Someone

Please tell me how to edit the links on the right side of this page? I don't know why, but I can't freakin' figure it out, and it's driving me crazy!

The Greatest Show on Earth

Friday night we took Payton to the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus at the AAC. We had a GREAT time! Payton just loved it. She laughed and danced and just had a grand old time. I am so glad that we took her. Oh, we even bought $10 cotton candy! LOL. Here are some of the pictures I took.



Isn't this Arabian Gorgeous?



My Silly Goose, and the hat she got with the cotton candy.




I must admit, I thought the ringmaster was a Hot T! He had a rockin' bod!

Update on Class

As I told you earlier, last night was my first night of Photography Class. It was GREAT! I really enjoyed it, and learned a lot in three hours. Our instructor, who Christinenamed "the big fat greek wedding instructor" is really good. He has many many years of experience, as does his wife who has shot the likes of Patti LaBelle and Oprah. It was great to hear their advice and pointers regarding peoples' photo's too. I am really looking forward to the next 5 classes, and sit here wondering if that will really be enough?

We do have some assignments based on our class last night. We are instructed to tape our lens at 50mm, and only shoot at that setting. Yikes, that will be quite different for me. But, I'm willing to give it a try. We are also supposed to use the Rule of Thirds for all of our pictures, and shoot in RAW format; which I have never used. It kinda scared me before! :-) I guess now I will be thinking about how to get my hands on a copy of Photoshop CS2, as he says we all need to have it. Hmm, anyone out there want to buy it for me? Anyway, I will post my assignments here for your viewing pleasure, and you can let me know what you think! I've been trying all day to think of something really interesting to shoot, but haven't come to a conclusion yet. It's too hard to shoot my 2 yo, she's way too busy!!

Starting Tonight

I will be a school girl again! Hee hee. Too bad I don't look like a school girl again! :-) Actually, I signed up for a photography class at the local community college, and I'm really looking forward to it. I really hope to learn a lot, as I only know a little! I have this very nice, expensive camera that I am not taking full advantage!

I have a couple of friends taking the class with me, so it should be fun!

So this begs the question, should I really go back to school for my Masters? It kills me that I didn't just keep going after I got my Bachelor's....

Work Stuff

I really don't talk about my job much on this blog, but here goes. I have a great job. I work in sales for a very large corporation, and I work out of my home -- which is the best part. It's very flexible, and I'm able to do other things I need to do as well; long as I'm selling stuff and meeting my objectives. Well, I have quite a huge quota that is kinda daunting. I have some good accounts, and some great opportunities pending, but some great stuff that I have lost for this reason or that. Well, I am waiting to hear back this week on a big account that I have been working on for a while. I started out cold-calling this customer last year, and after many many unreturned phone calls, she finally agreed to meet with me. It was a good meeting, and she was very open with us. She told my bosses (who were there with me), that we wouldn't even be sitting there if it weren't for my persistence. Good, right? So anyway, we finally got the opportunity to bid on their business. What's funny is, they weren't even looking at this stuff before I started calling them, now they've got at least three companies bidding on it! Anyway, I know that our pricing was very competitive, and some were below what they are currently paying. One of the guys accidentally sent me their current pricing when sending me their usage info (oops! good for me though). I am hoping to hear something this week. This account is worth about $500,000 and I REALLY need to win it. I love this job and want to keep it! So, please everyone keep your fingers and toes crossed for me! And if you're the praying kind, that wouldn't hurt either!!!

Oh, and, if I am 110% of my quota come Dec. 31, I get to go on an all expenses paid trip to Hawaii in Jan. and bring Jeff with me. That is HUGE, and I SO freakin' want to go. So, if anyone has any connections with restaurants or retailers, have them call me so I can sell them some paper rolls.

The Cows

Yes, we live out in the country. Yes, I see cows everyday when I am come and go to my house. But, though we have 2 acres, we don't have any cows of our own. Yesterday as I went outside to feed Bella, she was barking like crazy at something. So, I peek around the house to see what it was, and sure enough, there were about 15 cows in my front yard. Nice! See, I have not a clue who these cows belonged to, or who the heck to call to have them come get their darn cows! For those of you who don't know, we have a pond. A pond that Jeff has spent a TON of time on, and lots of money on. When we first bought this land, it was pretty much just a big hole that would fill up when it rained, and dry up when it didn't. So, we have spent a lot of money, and Jeff has spent a lot of time getting it to hold water. He tried everything from rock salt to sodium bentonite. Finally, we bit the bullet and bought a HUGE fish safe plastic liner. This baby wasn't cheap. So, when Jeff heard about the cows, he was like "You cannot let them get in the pond." Easier said than done, right? Well finally the owner shows up, and tells me he has family members on their way to help round up the cows. Meanwhile, here I am trying to get the cows away from the pond. While I grew up on a ranch, I was no cowgirl. I haven't quite learned yet what cows respond to, but it's not "Hey!". Those damn things just straight up ignored me, and one of them walked through the pond anyway. I was freakin'! I still have no clue if it damaged the liner; there's no way to really tell aside from strapping on some scuba gear to take a peek. I am just crossing my fingers and toes that they didn't. Those damn things weigh a ton though, so I don't know how it 'couldn't. Ugh, anyway, I got the guy's name and number, just in case. We'll see!

Stuff

Justin and I took Payton to her first real movie last week at the theater. We were going for a $1 showing of Curious George, but after waiting in a monstrous line, they had sold out two theaters. So, we opted to try Cars. Payton did pretty darn good for a 2 year old in a 2 hour movie. She definitely got antsy towards the end, but all in all, did great. I don't think she was that thrilled with the movie though! LOL.

Next, we had a playdate at my friend Krysta's house last week. We had a great time, as always. There were a few new folks there, so that was exciting. Payton played with her friends and we ate and talked. See pic's below.




Miss Sassy Britches


Oh, what her daddy would say if he saw this!




We decided to go on one more vacation this year, not that we should be, but you know how that is. Anyway, we are very excited! We are going on a cruise with Traci & Chris the first week of October, and we can't wait. Payton is going to stay here with Nana, so hopefully we'll get some good relaxation while we are there.

Payton got the pleasure of going with me to my annual gyn appointment. Fun, yes, I know. She was a very good girl though. She chatted up the doctor and nurses, and learned a new phrase, "pap smear". Yes, she will know that all too well one of these days. Anyway, it was so cute, the dr. asked her something about her friends, and she said, "My friends are Jacob, Lucy, and Ashlyn". Awww...

And last, but not least, my 2.5 year old now has a 4-wheeler. Not an electric, buy at Wal-Mart 4 wheeler, nooooo, a REAL one. It is really cute though!! Jeff got a slammin' deal on it, so he couldn't pass it up. We are going to keep it boxed/locked up for a good while though. Probably until she's at least 4. It's really cool though--it has an alarm (not sure why), and it has remote start and stop. So, if she decides to head for the creek or something, we can kill the engine with the push of a button! Oh, and did I mention it's pink camo? So Cute!




So, that's the excitement for us lately. I'll "try" to post more often! Anywho, here are the pics.

My BIG Girl!

For about the past 2.5 weeks, my BABY has been going on the big girl potty. I really thought this day would never come, but WHAMMO! She just decided one day to do it, and a week later she was even pooping too! Now she is wearing big girl panties everyday, and very RARELY has an accident. I'm so proud of my big girl!

Fourth of July

Happy Birthday America!

We had a great 4th of July weekend. We left on Saturday morning, and went up to Grand Lake in NE Oklahoma to spend the weekend at Jeff's family's lake house. It is so beautiful up there, and I love hanging out with Jeff's cousin's and their family's. They are so much fun! We took our tent (equipped with A/C), our blow up bed, and camped for two nights. We spent the days on the lake, chatting with family, and eating. Man, do they have lots of food up there. I bet I gained at least 5 pounds. Thanks a lot guys! Payton had a great time as well. She really liked sleeping in the tent, and she got mad when we took down her trampoline (aka bed). Here are some pics from the long weekend, as well as some from the weekend before when we went to the Allen USA Celebration (I'll post those first).








This is the "lake house" where we stayed. Isn't it pretty?










Danny, Bryan & Justin getting ready to go out on the "Doo"


This is me, hanging on for dear life!



....And the wipeout -- I think I did about 4 barrel rolls!


This is her "model" pose


Walking with Daddy


This is about 1/4 of the crew