I Heart New York

Hubby and I were supposed to take a couples' trip to New York with some friends of ours.  That didn't quite work out and we ended up going alone.  We made a great trip out of it and had a blast!

We stayed at The Manhattan at Times Square hotel and had a view of the Times Square ball!  I would recommend this hotel to anyone travelling to the Big Apple because of its great location.  It's easily accessible to some of the most popular attractions without the high cost of the most popular hotels.

One thing I wanted to do in New York was spend some serious time photographing the sights.  Last time we were there, I took a small, borrowed camera that I could fit in my purse.  This time, I took The Beast and carried it around my neck for three days.  (If you must know, my back did ache for a few days afterward.  Ridiculous.)  Hubby supports my photography hobby and was more than patient every time I wanted to stop to shoot something.  I've been wanting to hang up some of my own work in our house, and what better than New York photography?  When we fixed up Son #1's room, we decided that black & white urban shots would look perfect in his industrially themed room.  Now I have the photos...I just need to find the frames.

We ate some serious pizza in New York.  The day I craved a bagel, there was not a vendor in sight for blocks.  I finally asked a local what the deal was and he explained that bagel carts are only available Monday through Friday.  Shaft!  We saw and heard Cher sing (very briefly) outside the Today show.  We also ran into some sports guy that I recognized from TV and Hubby went nuts over.  I have no clue what his name is.  He's the sportscaster who wears the crazy suits & ties at basketball games.

We spent lots of time in Central Park.  I love it there!  I enjoy the street musicians, the stunning trees, and the calm, green grass in the middle of that bustling city.  It's really kind of mind blowing.

Every neighborhood you go to has some sort of activity going on.  We enjoyed checking out some of the less touristy sights and getting the feel of what New York really is.  We got lost on the Subway, walked countless miles, did a little shopping, and paid far too much for a bottle of Diet Coke.  It was a fantabulous trip!!!

A Neat Thing

I don't check my blog email too often.  I just forget.  It's the address that I enter on all my couponing websites, my survey sites, and anything else that I worry about getting spam from.  Logging on once or twice a week is pretty common for me.  If I'm blogging a lot, I try to check it every day. 

Because of this lack of being on the ball (does that mean I'm off the ball?), I miss out on stuff from time to time.  For example, I just lost a $10 Shutterfly coupon that expired June 30.  Duh!  I really could have used that too for the $80 project that's been sitting in my cart for some time now. 

Today, I logged onto my email and almost deleted something important.  The subject caught my eye because it had the word "tuba" in it.  Typically, very little spam about tubas is sent out.  I opened it with caution and read an email from a middle school band director.  Through a Google search, he stumbled upon my photo of Son #1 playing his tuba last year.  This band director is making a website as part of his Master's project and requested permission to use my photo!  I doubt that most people ask permission for something that doesn't have a watermark splashed across it (something that I've avoided doing because of how it ruins the look of photos on my blog).  This man also said he would give credit to my blog. 

I shared this information with Son #1, who was thrilled about being featured on a website.  I was quite thrilled too and sent him the full resolution image. 

I just thought that was kind of neat and wanted to share it.  I will also admit that, moments before discovering the email, I was Googling "how to sell stock photos."  I have been thinking lately about trying to sell some of my better work.  I enjoy taking and editing photos and would love to earn a wee bit o' spending money for them.  Can anyone point me in the right direction???

Something funny I just noticed- this photo was taken with what Son #1 calls "The Junky Tuba."  The poor thing has been beat up and dented horribly.  The photo would have turned out much nicer with "The Good Tuba" he brings home for performances and auditions.  Oh well! 

Shutterfly Photo Contest

I'm a little behind the times, but I wanted to tell you about a Shutterfly Facebook Photo Contest before it's too late.  If you've read my blog much, you know how much I love Shutterfly!  I'm especially a fan of their hardback photo albums and custom Christmas cards. 

Right now, Shutterfly is hosting a photo contest and the grand prize is a trip for four to The Bahamas with a professional photo shoot!  How many of us would not love something like that???  Sadly, the first two weeks of the contest are over, but there are still three to go.  This week's theme is "Water Fun."  I know I've taken so many photos of my kids and family and have thought, Wow, that could probably win a contest!  Well, now is my chance! 

There are also instant prizes just for submitting a photo and weekly prizes, including a $500 Shutterfly gift card!

If you would like to check out the contest, visit Shutterfly's Facebook Page. 

Maybe you'll soon see one of my photos as a featured winner on Shutterfly's contest!  (Fingers crossed!)  If you end up winning, I expect some sort of souvenir from the Bahamas!  :)  Good luck, friends!

Christmas Photo Shoot

I finally found time to gather my kids together and snap their photo for our Christmas cards!  This is a huge relief for me!  Now, hopefully the printing company will get them done and shipped to me very quickly! 

It was 34 degrees outside when I attempted this but I really wanted outdoor shots.  My camera takes much sharper pictures in natural light.  Also, I didn't want them to wear coats.  So I put my kids through severe abuse to get good photos!  Baby Girl frowned in the first few because she was cold.  I told her I would give her a donut if she smiled pretty and she perked right up!

I thought it would be a unique idea to carry my loveseat outside for the photo.  Great idea, lots more work than I imagined!  It didn't fit through the doorway so Son #1 and I had to flip it on its side.  It ended up falling sideways onto the porch which scraped up the leather all across the back of the couch.  Oopsie!  At least nobody sees that side when it's against a wall.  (Don't any of you dare tell my husband what I did!)  The couch was heavier than I thought and we could not get it back into the house.  I was totally out of gas.  Son #1 got our buff 20-something, Army vet neighbor to help get it back in the house.

I snapped pictures as quickly as I could since it was freezing.  When I wanted to change shots, I had the kids put their coats back on.  At the end, I allowed Baby Girl to keep hers on.  I think we were outside for a total of four minutes.  Several of the shots were blurry due to my shivering and attempt to be quick.  But I think we got some descent results.  What do you think???

Did you notice Son #2's nasty tennis shoes?  I checked out everyone else's shoes but his.  After the pics, #1 asked "Why did he get to wear tennis shoes and I didn't?"  Crud.  And that's what seems to be the most noticeable thing to me in the picture.  Which one do you think I ended up using?

San Francisco

I know vacation pics tend to be boring so I'll only share a few.

Baby Girl's first plane ride.   Can you tell how pumped she is?  She wouldn't sit with the Captain to get her picture taken so he took our picture in his seat.  That was my first time sitting in the cockpit of a plane!

The kids really enjoyed watching the seals at Fisherman's Wharf!

We ate dinner at The Stinking Rose.  It was a really neat experience!  If you don't like garlic, you probably won't like this restaurant!

The Redwoods in Muir Woods were spectacular!

I loved this tree at Stinson Beach so I had to capture its photo.

Tuckered out

This is the Bay Bridge, not Golden Gate.  I just really liked the photo.  I may frame some of these to display at home.  What do ya think?

This was taken through the window of a moving train.  I can't even imagine how beautiful the photo would have been if I was standing still and NOT looking through glass.  For some reason, they were not willing to stop the train every time I wanted to take a picture.  I don't understand why...

We had an awesome time and I cannot wait to go back again soon!

Through the Eyes of a Child

Day at the Zoo

Over the weekend, we went to the Big Zoo with my parents.  It's an hour away and Hubby hadn't been there since the 5th grade.  We have a small zoo close to our house and the kids and I have a membership there.  The small zoo doesn't have elephants or giraffes.  Big Sis was so excited to see a giraffe for the first time.  She even took her stuffed Giraffey with her.  The expression on her face when she first saw the giraffe was priceless!

The zoo was holding a photo contest so I was all too excited.  Sadly, I didn't come home with anything worth submitting.  To enter that kind of contest, you have to set up at one area with a tripod and wait for the animals to get into the perfect position.  I was more interested in enjoying the zoo with my family. 

The primates were by far my favorite.  I could sit and watch gorillas and orangutans all day.  Grammy had to spoil the kids, of course.  So she bought a blue monkey for Big Sis and a purple frog for Baby Girl.  When we saw the little monkeys, Big Sis decided to show her blue monkey to them.  We snickered but were amazed at what happened.  All the monkeys crowded up to the edge and stared at that blue monkey.  A stranger next to us was tickled and said the monkeys were thinking Why are we not blue?  Baby Girl had to follow suit and held out her purple frog.

Big Sis did the same thing when we saw the giraffes.  They didn't seem to care like the monkeys did.  Maybe they're a snooty animal?  They do hold up their heads awfully high.

We reached the orangutan display a few minutes before closing time.  They must have been super excited about the day's end because they were showing off like no one's business.  They were swinging and jumping, but I just couldn't get a good shot.  The glass was thick and scratched and wasn't conducive to photos.  So I decided to try to get one of the active guys to come closer my way.  I lightly drummed on the glass with my fingernails.  When I did that, he charged at the glass and hit it right where my face was.  I nearly wet my pants, jumping back and screaming!  Everyone laughed at my expense.  The orangutan was apparently amused and continued playing with us.  He screamed right at Big Sis and played around with Hubby.  (Maybe he saw a resemblance there?)  But before I could get any good pictures, the zookeeper kicked us out.  We will definitely visit that display first next time.

The kids also rode a camel!  (They get to do a lot more when Grammy is there.  She doesn't know how to say no.)  We ate Kettle Corn, toured the Butterfly House, and walked a few hundred miles - a perfect day at the zoo!

Summer Is...

Losing track of the day of the week

Sleeping in until the Baby decides to get up

A midday rainstorm to cool things down and give nature a drink

Having at least one dinner a week that was prepared on the grill

Fragrant flowers, shady trees, green grass

Kiddie pools

Realizing it's almost time for bed, even though it just got dark outside

Having skin that is beige-colored instead of pure white

The smell of mulch, the smell of charcoal

Mosquito bites and lightning bugs

Zoo trips, picnics, days at the park, bike rides, long walks

Having feet that are stained on the bottoms from running around outside barefoot all day

What does summer mean to you?

A Colorful Post

We finally got a long enough break from the rain for me to get outside with my camera.  As I was taking my last shot, it began sprinkling.  So I timed it perfectly.  I had mud on my toes when I was done, which was pure bliss.  The smells outside are so fresh and clean...I'm so happy Spring is here in all its glory!

Here are some of the beautiful sights around my home.



She is totally in her pajamas with messy hair...but still precious!

Just Pics

I know you're probably sick of my vacation pics, but these are some of my favorites.  It shows how much fun we had.  The one of the two boys goofing off together is my ultimate favorite!  A documentation of them actually touching each other is very rare!  I told them I'd give them a dollar if they pretended to like each other for the camera.  I guess it worked.  No, I didn't actually give them a dollar.  I guess I won that one!

Signs of Spring



The Magnolia Tree is Blooming



The tulips I planted in the fall have broken ground



The Daffodil I planted to honor a young
boy's lost battle with cancer is growing tall



My tomato plants are emerging (and are not yet dead)



Misplaced toys litter the yard

What represents Spring in your neck of the woods?

Elegant Beauty

Have a fabulously elegant day!

"It Wasn't Me."