Well Hello There.

Hello kiddos. A very happy Sunday to you all. What you are seeing up there is the very first picture taken by my brand new friend, Rebel T3i (!!!).  T3i this is my blog and its lovely readers, readers Rebel. Say hi…I feel much better now that you’ve all been formally introduced because you’re going to be seeing a lot of each other around here I’m sure.

My new friend there was a reward/gift for myself. For graduating and getting a big person job mostly but also because I did a much deep clean of this apartment on Friday/Saturday. So I decided to pop out yesterday afternoon and pick up my new little friend here.

For those of you who have been following my little blog here for a long time you’ll know how thrilled I am to finally have myself a nice DSLR because I have been toying with the idea on this blog forEVER. However, the ridiculously excited face you see there is twofold. First and foremost it is because of my new camera (which I have yet to name…so if you have any suggestions I’d love to hear them) but second of all it is because tonight I will be going to see the Backstreet Boys. That smile is the 11 (or so) year old in myself that used to dance around to Black and Blue with my cousin in her bedroom. We just decided to see if there were still tickets available last night and when there were and we confirmed the payment, I only screamed a little bit. Needless to say I’m listening to Backstreet Boys as I type, brushing up on the lyrics so I can sing along to all of the songs.

So yeah, that’s what I’m up to this evening. How was your weekend?

Just for Fun

Its interesting to see how people change over the course of only a couple of years. In keeping with the family pics I posted yesterday I thought it would be fun to post our last family photo with the new one. October 13, 2008. October 11, 2010.

Almost two years to the day. Everyone seems so different. Its so strange/humorous for me to look at these two pictures together. It is especially strange for me to look at myself – personally I’ve come so far in the past two years, this year especially. Just becoming who I want to be, you know being true to myself and really going for my dreams/goals in life. I dunno, its just weird.

So here’s a fun little activity – take a loot at a picture of yourself taken pretty recently and then look at it beside one from a couple of years ago. Its quite the experience both humorous and surreal at the same time. Better yet, blog about it then link me up.

Happy Monday!

xoj

ps. i love you  This photostream (via Elsie) is suuuper pretty. Seriously, check it out.

Kroes Family Portrait Session

When I went home for thanksgiving last month my family asked me to take some pictures of us to update the portrait on our wall (the one I took at thanksgiving two years ago) and to have one for Christmas cards this year. So before we headed off to my Aunt’s for dinner we had a quick (like 15 minutes quick)  tripod, self-timer portrait session. Ok you say, its now the end of November and we haven’t seen any of these pictures yet? Well my family came to visit me yesterday and said the same thing. So needless to say I finally got around to editing the pictures today – which was actually a much needed break from the day to day homework routine that I have found myself in the past few weeks.

So, here are a few shots from the session.

The one where my dad is blowing in my mom’s ear? Yeah that’s the way he can usually be found in pictures – doing something to someone else to make them mess up the photo or making some really strange face himself. I’m pretty sure my grandma (who probably takes a hundred pictures each time we get together) does not have one ‘normal’ picture of my dad because he always makes some kind of a face. And love it about him. I’m actually super surprised that this went as well as it did given his usual antics.

Anyways given our short length of the shoot I was a little worried about not having anything usable even though in those 15 minutes I probably took close to a hundred pictures – but I think its safe to say there are a least a few usable shots from the day.

Now, to choose one and develop a Christmas card from it.

xo Jer

PS. I love you These photos by Natalie Franke of the super sweet Haddox Fam are so perfect. I’ve looked at them like 13 times today. Katie and Steven are one of the sweetest couples I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting and these pictures capture them so well.

A Small Goal + A Dare.

So a while ago, Elsie posted a little challenge to make four small, fun goals for yourself. You can see that here.  I don’t love making goals for myself at the best of times and at that specific time I had just returned from India and was starting back to work and I didn’t have the emotional energy or capacity to make four goals for myself. Then the girls at the Dares started back into the fall routine and I thought it would be fun to make a little goal for myself to do all of the prompts that are posted over there (I’d been a long time follower of the Dares but only participated two or three times in the past).

So I made the goal for myself but decided not to blog about it. First reason: I only had one and I was supposed to make four. Second reason: I hadn’t really gotten back into school yet and what if once I got back into the routine I didn’t have the time or energy to do any dares but I had already told everyone I was going to do EVERY. SINGLE. DARE.

Well now I’m sharing the goal with you and you’re probably wondering why the change of heart. Well last night after an extended homework sesh, I got out all my stuff and cranked out a page for the latest dare and I realized that a) I need to make more time to scrap during the school year because it (along with lots and lots of coffee) helps to keep me sane. Also, I am going to do every dare this year. I will. Its a simple as that. I may not get them done in a timely manner, I may not even love the pages. But I will do them. So there. My epiphany.

And because I’ve just bored you with the inner workings of my goal averted, procrastinating soul. I’ll share my layout with you.

Dare 168 – Scrap a soundtrack to a memory.  From my drive to York the past weekend. 20 hours of driving time = just as much listening time. But for the record it shouldn’t have taken 20 hours, close, but not that much – except there was construction in a number of places and a nice detour courtesy of my gps that took me nearly to Syracuse and 3 hours out of my way. Anyways its all good.

So check out the current dare, the super talented and always lovely Steph Wheeler is hosting, and as always the effers are killing it.

Jer

Ps. I love you. Speaking of Steph, she has an amazing photography project going on right now called On the Table. She puts her camera on various tables and takes a picture of the scene. Its sweet. Aaaand she takes reader submissions. So check it out to see how you can get involved.