Sisters........

These two beautiful young ladies are like my family......... my nieces. I've had the pleasure of watching them become the amazing girls that they are. They are both unique individuals and have their own special gifts to offer. I enjoy the time I get to spend with them. They always greet me with hugs and put a smile on my face. Love you guys!

My Kiddos.....

I got to spend an afternoon with my beautiful nieces and nephew...... My brother wanted to surprise my sis-in-law with these for Christmas. We had to be verrrrrry sneaky. We even pulled the kids out of school during lunch to do these so my sister-in-law wouldn't be suspicious. And it worked! She was totally surprised!

Mine............

This is my subject... You would think that being a photographer, I would have tons of pics of my own kid all over my house, right??? WRONG! First of all, I have to pay him to let me take pictures of him. Yes, pay.....money! And he bargains until he gets the price he wants! And even with doing that, I still can't get a straight face out of him! He won't hold a pose for more than a second and he complains the entire time. AND, he won't stop making the goofiest faces EVER! I even threatened to do a bloopers post of all his goofy faces so everyone could see what I have to deal with............didn't work.

But, even though I can't get more than one good picture out of him, I'll take the goofy kid that he is because it's who he is and he makes me laugh and smile every day...... I'm the luckiest mom ever!

N.F.L. = Nutrition & Fitness For Life

We had an exciting weekend this past weekend... This past year, my son attended classes at Virginia Mason called "Nutrition & Fitness for Life". The class is sponsored by the Seahawks who fund the class in an effort to teach kids and their families a balanced, healthy way of living. Each NFL season, a few kids are picked to be a junior co-captain at one of the Seahawks games and this season they chose my son as one of them because they just saw what a great kid he is. As a junior co-captain, we got club level seats, VIP parking, and a jersey of his choice. When we got there, we were led onto the field where we got to spend the hour before the game watching warm-ups!!! I could reach out and touch the players!! They are HUGE!!! GIGANTOR! What I want to know is what their mamas fed them when they were growing up! Who makes people that BIG!? (Anyway, I was in photography heaven down on that field!) Then, after both teams took the field for the game, my son was taken to the sidelines with the Seahawks players where he first met and shook Pete Carroll's hand. Then Pete took him around and introduced him to other players on the sidelines like Marcus Trufant and Tarvaris Jackson. After a lot of hand shaking, he stood on the sidelines with Trufant until it was time for the coin toss. Then my boy got to go out on the field for the coin toss with the team captains!!! While he was running out onto the field, the announcer introduced him while they put his picture up on the big screen. It was SOOOO cool!!! It was quite the experience for him..... Something he'll remember for the rest of his life!

A few of these shots were taken by the Seahawks' photographer... I am so thankful he took them and sent them to us because I wasn't positioned on the field in the right spot to capture them. The rest are shots of the fun I was having on the sidelines during warm-ups. I'm thinkin' I need to do this for a living!! I could handle being down on that field capturing all the raw moments that happen during a game. Can anyone hook me up???????

And for you menfolk visiting my blog, don't worry, I didn't forget about you......

Selena.....

Yes, I am not afraid to admit that I went to the Selena Gomez concert at the Puyallup Fair last night..... me and a thousand screaming little girls! I guess I shouldn't comment on the screaming little girls since I was one of them at an Andy Gibb concert when I was about 11 or 12. I screamed the entire concert and at one point broke down into a sobbing pile of mush...... I just remember my mom looking at me like she was going to have to haul me off to the looney bin. But ya gotta admit, Andy Gibb was pretty darn hot! And when he took his shirt off.... well, that's about where the looney bin came into play. I did keep my composure last night though. No screaming or tears. I was very proud of myself.......... so was my mom.

Selena put on a great show. She's very talented and very sweet. But, I mostly enjoyed watching her bass guitarist, Joey Clement. He has this fire red hair complete with matching guitar. And, he loves whippin' that hair around. It was AWESOME!!! So, I just had to share some pics I took last night. I know.... you wish you were there with me, singing along to "I love you like a love song, baby....."

"Peace out....."

The Other Side of Me

Hiding behind my camera is one of the things I do best. I'm not real fond of having my picture taken, so there aren't a lot of them laying around. Since I'm quickly approaching that "spot-on" mid-forty mark, I thought I better get on the other side of the camera before the sagging starts! (Or maybe I'm already there, but nobody has told me yet!)

Honestly, I had a REALLY hard time leaving my thirties. My fortieth birthday was a really hard one for me. But what I have found is that at age 44, for the first time in my life, I am the most comfortable I have ever been with being me. I feel good about myself and the person I have become. I'm happy with what I've accomplished in my life and where I am today. So, while I was really depressed about turning forty, I'd have to say that the forties have been my best years so far. They say the forties are the new twenties.......I'd have to agree. The 50's??? I say, "Bring it!"

Love........

"Success is waking up in the morning and bounding out of bed because there's something out there that you love to do, that you believe in, that you're good at - something that's bigger than you are, and you can hardly wait to get at it again."

What is it that you love to do? Or maybe it's not a "something", but a "someone"................

The Seattle Mariners!!

Have I said that I LOVE BASEBALL????!!!! We decided to spend a beautiful Seattle evening at the Mariners' game last night. I was most excited to go watch Dustin Ackley play!!!! to find out that he was spending another game on the bench because of a minor injury. He is my FAV Mariner, so I was very sad.... (can I get an "Awwwwwwww!!!") I pouted the whole game and my hubby just laughed at me and said I was worse than a kid! But, I guess that means we'll have to go to another game....or two, darn it! Fister did an amazing job pitching for us and ended up pitching a complete game! The shot below of his pitching stats was taken right after he threw his very last pitch of the game! He did face one batter that should've had a 2-2 count on him, but there was a mistake on the count and they had him at a 3-2 count and the next ball resulted in a walk on an actual 3-2 count, and a walk against Fister. It was the only walk Fister had all night and that batter scored the only score of the game. Might have been a different ball game if the mistake had not been made... They need Kelly Baxter to sit in the dugout and scorekeep for them! HA! Of course, with all those ballplayers around me, I would probably be a little distracted........... Hope you are all enjoying your 4th of July weekend! Play safe!!!

52 Fridays, Week 24: "Growth"

When I was trying to decide what to do for this week's theme, I knew the perfect thing! A couple of years ago, I had gotten this really creative kit from a marketing/branding/design firm called "think2a". I've been holding on to it and often read it for inspiration. I think it's just the ticket for cultivating and growing your dreams..........

52 Fridays, Week 23: "Looking In"

"I won't be happy until we have every boy in America between the ages of six and sixteen wearing a glove and swinging a bat." -Babe Ruth

Now head over to Hannah Mayo/West Palm Beach FL Lifestyle Portrait Photographer to see her take on this week's theme!

52 Fridays, Week 22: "Simplicity"

Just thinking how this one simple dandelion only needs a breeze to spread its seeds and create an abundance of new life............

Head on over to Krista Keller/Bay Area Photographer to see her beautiful 'Simplicity' images!!

52 Fridays, Week 21: "Abstract"

I am playing catch-up this week, so this is last Friday's post. I didn't make it in the loop with the other gals, but I still wanted to challenge myself and get out there and try some abstract photography......... I've never tried this type of photography before, and I must say I had just a little bit of fun as it stretched my creativity. Hope you enjoy.........