Things That Make Me Smile

Well, true to form, I have proven to be incapable of keeping with a weekly schedule, with this little blog, so i'm officially giving up.  I'll write when i can write - which isn't often, but at least it's something.

And now, some things that have made me smile lately:

I HAPPY that my house is really super duper clean. --I mean *really* clean.  Over the last couple weeks, we've been doing my first spring cleaning ever.  (we've never stayed in a house for more than two years.  Moving has always been my "spring cleaning" --but this house, we've been in for four years.  It was really needing some help).  My poor kids have been working like crazy with me, and aren't allowed to do anything but sit on the floor, for fear that they'll mess it up,  but at least the house is clean, doggone-it!

SMILING that i hear classical music coming from my boys' room.  As a result of our cleaning process, The boys got an old CD player in their room, along with a case of all our CD's.  I'm amused that their regular choice of music is classical.

 ENJOYED our much needed family vacation to Joshua Tree National Park.  our vacation was several days, but the day in Joshua Tree was the highlight for me.  I have to admit that I was not looking forward to spending my vacation in the desert... but it was full of all kinds of interestingness.  I took tons of pictures with my new camera & will hopefully post them some day, if I can ever finish edditing my latest wedding photos. 

Which brings me to how much I LOVE my new camera!!!  A few weeks back, I sold all of my Pentax camera gear (which was very hard to part with), and bought a new Canon camera & a few lenses.  I had 2 weeks to learn how to use the thing before my next wedding shoot.  eek!  I felt like I was cramming for a test.  But learn it I did, and I'm loving the results!  The pictures are beautiful.  So long, Pentax.  You'll always be my first love.  Here's one of my very first pictues from the new camera:

Along the lines of my new camera, I had lots of FUN being a wedding photographer for the third time.  This time, for Chris' business partner, Adam.  A sweet, simple wedding in a tiny little chapel up in the wine country.

You can see more of the pictures as I edit them on my facebook photo page.
In other news I'm PROUD of Evelyn for  learning how to ride her bike while we were on our vacation.  Yay Evelyn!!

Also, I can't tell you how THANKFUL I am to have Chris in my life, to help me deal with the tough stuff.  After the brutal death of one of our mice few weeks ago, and then amputating another one's tail last week, I've come to 2 conclusions:  1) I don't handle gore very well, and 2)  Chris really is my hero.  I don't know what I'd do without him.

And finally, I'm EXCITED that I was recently a finalist in a photo contest!  It was very fun & I won all kinds of great stuff.  --and to make it even better, it was one of my favorite pictures of my grandma, right before she died.