A few photos of the lake...and my son fishing in it.

Sorry I don't have a photo for this. Try and picture it in your mind although it may not have quite the same effect. Anyway, my 8yr. old daughter has been having some trouble with the putting her head under the water and she said maybe it would help if she had a nose plug.

So we went to WalMart and got a pack complete with ear plugs, nose plug and goggles. We were getting ready to go to the pool and she came out all smiles, "I'm all set!"

All I could do was laugh...she had the ear plugs individually stuck into each nostril. She totally thought those were the nose plugs! It was hilarious! When I corrected it, she just giggled and said, "Oh, I didn't know! Oops!" And off to the pool we went.

Needless to say, I threw the "ear" plugs away after being shoved in her nose. I'm just glad we caught it BEFORE we got into the water!

So the 4th is in two days, we're having about 20 people to our house for our annual 4th of July party, and I'm not prepared for it. Yesterday, the kids and I spent the afternoon at the pool swimming and me getting too much sun (ouch!) and put off the grocery shopping until last night. Which really worked out better because then my hubby could come along and help stock us up. We are in charge of the burgers and brats and grilling them so today the fridge is full of meat, ready for Friday. After the shopping, we decided to be adventureous and hit the firework stand. We stocked up on smoke balls, artillary shells, tanks, firecrackers and roman candles and a bunch of other stuff I don't even know what they do. My hubby is like a kid in the firework shop. He said his brother used to love shooting off fireworks and I think it's true for him too. It really turns out to be a fun-filled night with our friends. And it's nice the 4th falls on a Friday this year! Although, I am running a road race Sat. morning about a half hour from home so I'll be up early...I figure by the time I get home, everyone else will still be asleep! They won't even know I'm gone. So the 4th should be a good one this year, spent with people we care about, lots of good food, fireworks and a road race to boot!

The best thing about my business is meeting all kinds of people. I have met and befriended people I never would have if it weren't for my camera.

There are so many personalities and everyone wants a different style of photos...casual, fun, posed, natural, traditional...one thing I totally enjoy is the challenge of capturing the exact picture each person is looking for. I try and capture the personality of each person, whether they are a child or adult. It's fun. Once I start looking through the eyepiece, I see things that I wouldn't see normally. And I snap away, capturing pictures that truly represent each person. People ask me how do I do that and actually, it is what my business is all about. People having fun. Once they're relaxed, I can get any photo I want from them. I don't know what I would do without my camera.

Last week we decided to "upgrade" our tv. Five years ago we bought a 48" big screen but only a few months later, the flat ones came out. Darn technology, just can't keep up. We had this big box that took up a lot of room. But we used it and enjoyed it for 5 years. But lately we had been itching for the new flat tv's that took up less space and had a better picture. So I thought I would try and sell the old one on a whim last week, not really expecting to sell it right away. I put it in the local paper and kind of forgot about it. A few people called, one couple came to look at it. Then this young college guy came over, bought it on the spot, hauled the thing up the stairs and away it went. Enter the new flat screen. The color is amazing, the screen size is a little smaller, 42", but it's just so compact. We're a little slow on the technology thing, but this one stays, no matter what new and improved TV comes out next.

We did it! My son and I took the Bowhunters Safety Education Class yesterday and we passed the test! Yes, I said test. Something I haven't done in 15 years so I was nervous. The class was ALL DAY...7 a.m.-5 p.m. I listened intently, taking notes in every chapter. (I wish I would have been so diligent like that when I was in college!) Anyhoo, it was so cool to be taking it with my boy. We had a good time. It was a long day, but we had a lunch break and met up with the rest of the family for food. That was a nice break. We were sweating bullets when they handed out the test...turned out to be much easier than anticipated. Must have been all those scratch notes I was taking. (Again, wish I would have been more like that in college, but mug nights were much more important then...hehe!) So after 10 hours of learning all about bowhunting, we passed, got the cards and now we are able to apply for game tags. My hubby was pretty excited about it. He loves teaching us, coaching us. We celebrated by relaxing over a bonfire and made plans for future trips. I have to tell you, I am pretty excited to go deer hunting. My son is not quite strong enough yet but he will be by next year. I really think the best part about this is that it's growing in to a family sport for us. We'll be able to experience the wilderness as a family and have so much fun doing it. And that's what's most important.

I hate conflict. I will do anything to avoid it. I just like everyone to be happy and get along. Sometimes I find myself agreeing to something, or not saying anything at all, even though inside I disagree. I'm just not good at dealing with conflict. But something has come up today with my husband that I feel pretty strongly about. He doesn't know anything about it yet. I'm debating whether to even bring it up at all or if I should just let it go. If I do decide to bring it up, I know it can't be right when he comes home from work, from experience, that is just not a good time. It's on my mind hard right now, talk about it, possibly bringing up a conflict or avoid the conflict altogether and not say anything. I prefer the latter but then I risk feeling resentment towards him and towards myself. That's not good either. To be honest, I struggle with maintaining that balance between knowing when to speak up and when not to. It all comes down to just wanting to make everyone happy. If only I had a little more confidence. So, I said a little prayer, asking for the right thing to do, the right words to say.

Help me to deal with conflict!

We were on a Tiger Woods high and hit the golf course yesterday. My son loves the game and lessons are really helping him. I, on the other hand, could use some of those lessons. Only 3 balls lost in the water and some pretty good shots were hit. Tiger would be impressed.

Pictures tell a thousand words...and more.

Vacation 2008 was, to say the least, awesome. And I fell in love...

...with the mountains. And the cabin life. I loved waking up every morning to deer in the backyard, the view of the majestic mountains and billions of trees, the crisp air at 6300 feet, the silence, sitting on the deck and watching the sky for endless miles, feeling so close to God, telling the kids how all these awesome mountains, valleys and streams were not man-made but created by God, being able to tell they understood that, feeling like we were tucked away in our own little corner of the world, the fireplace burning every night, a tv with only 3 channels and no one caring. Ahhhhh. It was refreshing and the memories taken from that vacation are priceless. We have decided that someday...someday...we want a cabin of our own. Someday.

We packed in a lot of stuff in a week...Mount Rushmore, Reptile Gardens (twice), Bear Country, 4 soccer games (2 goals scored), Spearfish Canyon, Custer State Park, Keystone, hiking up the mountain in our backyard and seeing what was over the ridge, 1 half marathon, and lots of quality family time hanging out at the cabin.

The race was a great experience. I loved the whole atmosphere. It was an early morning for us, 6:30 am drop off at the busses but no one complained. I rode up to the start line with a gal from Harrisburg and we instantly hit it off. That's what I love about these things...thousands of people and there's always someone new to meet. It was a beautiful morning but coooolllllddddd. The first 5 miles were awesome, although my toes were still numb from waiting for the race to begin! Then I kind of hit that "wall" and thought on no, the altitude is going to bother me. I just kept going through mile 6 and I felt great again. I saw the mile 11 sign coming up and I thought, wow that was quick! But my balloon quickly deflated when a race worker came running up with a mile 10 marker to replace it. No way, it was only mile 10. But I kept going, soaking in the beautiful surroundings. The last few miles were long, I was getting anxious for the finish line because I didn't know where I was going to end, who would be there, how many people would be there watching, etc. As I got closer, I checked my watch. I really wanted to come in at 2 hours but I knew it would be tough with the terrain, altitude and not really getting in a good run in 3 days before. The finish line was so exciting....hundreds of people clapping, cheering and there was my family, standing there, cheering with the rest of the crowd. I ran faster and finished in 1:55:54.

I then celebrated with an icy Coke and a couple of beers. :)

So now we're back in the real world, hubby is back to work, kids are back to summer acitivites and still relishing in the memories of the mountains. I seriously could live in the mountains and be very content with it. I just hope soon I'll be content again with living in the plains and the wind. Sigh. It was a great trip and we'll go back again sometime for another round.

The bags are packed (almost), the truck is full, the dog is on his way to the kennel, the dvd player is ready to rock, the kids are hyped up, the cabin is waiting for us.

Please pray for our safe trip, lots of sunshine, no mountain lions, my son's soccer team (go YK Sidekicks!) and for my legs to carry me across the finish line in somewhat good form. I hope I'm ready. I'll be thinking of you guys and I'll catch up with you when we get back next week with plenty of photos!

WE'RE OFF!

Hope you're not tired of yet another baby picture...

We're leaving on Wednesday for you trip to the hills and I feel like I have so many things to do. I can't wait to leave but getting ready for a vacation is really a lot of work. Not only do I have to pack for a week but I have picture orders I need to get out before then and a whole list of "little" projects that need tending to around the house. I also need to fit those extra runs as race day countdown is on. Ugh. So I suppose you are wondering why I am finding the time to blog with all these things needing to be done. I am wondering too. But then again, there's always time to blog and it's much more fun. And it's a reason to procrastinate.

The guilt has set in. I must get to my list. Pray my list gets lots of checkmarks today. And pray I keep my sanity at the same time!

My husband and I celebrated 14 years wedded bliss last week. So it's been mostly bliss, haha! Anyhoo, here was my gift...yep, you guessed it. A bow. I'm not aiming at a deer by the way, just a target at the archery range. After being with my hunting-man for all these years (18 total) I have learned a bit about the great sport of hunting. If I start learning now, maybe in a few years I'll hike along on the trips to find that elusive critter we have hanging all over our walls. With the awesome weather this weekend, it was great to not only spend time with the love of my life, but to do something we enjoy together. Yes, I actually liked shooting and didn't do too bad considering it was my first time. Watch out deer...this hunting duo will be ready to rock in a short time and we'll both be loving it and each other.

By the way, there was a romantic gift of perfume too. So i'll smell good while I'm hunting!

It's been BABY week at my house! A splurge of little ones have been needing their pictures taken, from roly-poly 6 months old to just a few days old. These are the best appointments...I get to hold babies, take their pictures and make new friends with the mommies. This newest member of the world is Meagan...isn't she precious?

Nothing better than a girls day at the spa. Our toes look so

pretty!!

Yesterday was the last day of school! The reactions were totally oppposite let me tell you. First the kindergarteners came out and about 10 of them were in complete tears! Including mine. Us parents eagerly waiting for them were in shock...they weren't happy to be out of school at all! I thought taking my little one's picture with her favorite teacher would help bring a smile but as you can see, she still felt sad. It made me feel sad too for her. On the other end, my fifth grader and all his friends let out a huge holler as they left elementary school for the last time. This made me feel sad too. Middle school is just a few months away now. How do they grow up so fast? My second grader was just low key, happy for summer but would be happy to be in school too. She'll see her friends a lot I'm sure as she keeps up with the social events. So here we are, first day of summer and it's cold. Looks like a good day for pedicures!

Isn't she beautiful?

I always loved the eyes of arab women and I got the chance to photograph this senior girl over the weekend. She lived in the country of Jordan for two years before coming back to Yankton. I just can't get over the eyes and the story they tell. Pretty cool for a 17 year old.

The month is May has officially become one of the busiest months for our household. Which explains my lack of blogging. But finally, I have a precious few minutes to catch up a bit. The big dance performances were last weekend and they were a hit. We have had practices, rehearsals, games, etc literally every night of the week for the past month. So combining that with school projects, my race training and people needing picture appts, the month has flown by. The girls played soccer too this spring and seemed to really enjoy another aspect totally opposite from dance. Now things are calming down a bit and school ends tomorrow. Then the real fun begins!

OH MY GOSH...IT CAME!

I opened my mailbox to find the return addressed envelope I sent to Brett Favre and here it is! Signed, sealed and delivered. It even smelled of the sharpie marker still. 4 months later and Brett pulled through. I was so excited, I called my husband at work and said, "Guess what came in the mail today?" He answered, "Our check from President Bush." I said it's better than that, it's Brett Favre!

So tonight we are going to give this big surprise to the biggest Packer fan I know. And I gotta tell you, after all this anticipation, I can hardly wait!

Scheew. It's been crazy around here! With all 3 kids in soccer, one in track and 2 in dance, there is always something going on. And my appointment book is really filling up. My name is out there and people keep calling. That is a good thing and it's good I can schedule around the rest of the families schedule. Anyhoo, this weekend I only scheduled one photo shoot to get caught up on the rest of laundry and to have some good 'ol fashioned playtime. My husband and I decided to take the night off of cooking and go out for supper. And just for something really off the wall, we drove to Vermillion to this great little chinese restaurant. "Chae's" if you're wondering. It was a great evening...good food, good service, good little eaters.

So with all the practices, games and rehearsals and marathon training, my husband and I were especially enjoying the night together. And a little something, something called a romantic moment even occurred after supper. We all got a fortune cookie and read each out loud. Mine was kind of silly, the kids didn't understand theirs but then my husband read his...

"Happy life is just in front of you"

He looked up and guess who was sitting directly across from him....me.

It was a really sweet moment, kind of gushy almost. Aaawwwwww, was all my daughter could say. She loves the romantic thing too. My hubby put the fortune in his pocket and I set it up in our bedroom, reminding us that even with all the chaos of everyday life, we are so happy.

So there you go, a little romantic story for you, one I won't soon forget.

My son turned 11 on Tuesday...Happy Birthday! I may a little biased but...isn't he just HANDSOME? I look at this picture and stare in disbelief at how big he is getting. He's one awesome 11 yr. old. I love him to pieces...

Just a quick note to say......

WE'RE OFF!

Looks like God listened and didn't give us as much snow as predicted. Still windy as heck but with a little help from above, we can handle that one too. Thanks for the thoughts and prayers. See ya when we get back!

As i'm sitting here waiting for my Shrimp Bisque to come to a boil, i'm also watching the snow come down and wishing it would go away. I've had myself in a bubble all day, not wanting to face the fact that my weekend is being washed away. But it's hitting me straight in the nose now (sorry, Karen) It's snowing and blowing and my dad has already called to say he doesn't want me on the roads. My husband has no comment at this point. I think he was looking foward to a weekend without us girls, I was looking forward to a weekend WITH the girls. I asked him ,"Why do we live in South Dakota?" His answer, "The hunting." Grrrrr. Not the response I needed. So, my bisque is simmering nicely now and I'm remaining optimistic. You just never know what could happen. This is South Dakota afterall.

This blasted snow they're predicting is ruining our weekend! Carey and I need some prayers, anything, in hopes the moisture comes down as rain or the whole thing just shifts southward. There's shopping and lots of girl-time at stake here. And, of course not mention our sanity! But like my son said on the way from practice tonight...if it's meant to be, it's meant to be. He's got the right idea. That calmed me for a minute or two...

...but there will be tears shed if this blasted storm keeps me home!

the sun feels so good. I am sitting in it right now, absorbing the warmth before I venture on a much-needed run. I've been looking forward to this run all day...time to myself and time to zone out in my own little world. This is my favorite day of the week. When i get back and cleaned up, it's out to eat. We have made it a tradition that Friday nights we give me a break from cooking and go out to eat. i'm looking forward to that too. I hope you are all enjoying the sunshine too and doing something you've saved up to do for when the weather gets warmer.

Here's to a warmer and sunnier weekend!

I cannot wait to go to bed tonight. I mean I really can't wait. You see, I had one of those parties over Easter break where you invite friends over, have some food, buy some things and reap the rewards of being a hostess. My good friend started selling for Private Quarters. There are only 4 reps in SD so it's a fairly new business which ended up being great for both of us. So the company sells bedding that 4 star luxery hotels have, down comforters, feather beds, blankets, towels, robes, pillows...all the things that truly help you have a great nights sleep. They specialize in the 7 layer bed. AAAAAHHHHH. Well, my party was a great one. LOTS of fun and the show was so awesome. I learned you are never supposed to use fabric softener on your towels. It builds up and eventually has a waxy feel so the water isn't absorbed as well. Anyhoo, with the total sales from my party, I got a whole new bed. Literally. Spa sheets and 600 counts sheets, a down blanket, a mattress pad that rocks, a new down comforter, a sarong for me and another awesome blanket for the basement. So all these boxes came from UPS today...it was like xmas. I made my new bed and it is like 5 inches higher with all the stuff on it but oh, so comfy. I'm not expecting my hubby and I to be jumping out of bed in the morning too quickly...I think it's going to be just too relaxing. But it will be so worth it. There is nothing like a great bed.

Off to bed I go...I'll let you know exactly how hard it was to get out of bed tomorrow morning. ZZZZZZZZZZ........................