Amanda's Brite Idea

Midsummer Day & Evening

2011-06-26T00:07:00.005-05:00

Today was a good day. Long, a little crazy but really good. The kind that makes you thankful. And tired. Earlier I was just thankful but it's getting late and now I'm tired. But I'm thankful for my nice new organic wool bed so I can be both thankful and tired. . .

Rambling. . . . I know I'm a little crazy. But I think I like it that way. Here is the collage . . . . individuals;)

Old Cars

2011-06-10T23:03:00.001-05:00

We literally were out driving last Autumn to enjoy the colors and here on a hill, by the side of the road sat this car. I happened to have my camera (I think I brought it on purpose for the drive) and serendipitously here was this awesome pink car. My children were aghast that I would not only stop but get out of the vehicle to take photos of it and I heard them from inside the vehicle that they would be ducking down if anybody came. As a general rule, I'm not exactly bold but there was no one in sight and for all I know the car ran out of gas.

It was a beauty of a car though. I am partial to old trucks (mid 30's - late 40's) but style is style. One day I'm going to get me one of these antique relics, leave the cell phone at home and just go for a cruise with the windows down and nothing but the hum (or clankity clank) of the engine. And then I'm going to hire my fabulous friend Steven (of Steven Buri Photography) and be all dressed up like I actually lived in 1935....

Crazy, maybe but it would be fun to pretend for a day!

Fabulous Fridays

2011-06-10T15:14:00.009-05:00

It has been a while since I've posted any blogs here. I had to do a little work to get it going and I thought this might be a good place for some girly design things that I like to think about, even if I don't get to work on them. So here goes....

Orchids... I've had this pair in a pot for a long time - they send out a bloom shoot about once a year. A few times it started some bud shoots and one or all of my children cut it off before it actually bloomed (aka learning how to use scissors - unauthorized ). But they are getting old enough to know that this would bother me greatly so they left this one alone. Before I bought this orchid, I was sort of in awe of orchids because I heard they were so hard to grow. However these two apparently thrive on neglect because they tend to just do their thing on their own. I like low maintenance plants that are pretty and still are blooming after almost 2 months.

Today they are cheering me up because it's generally been a chilly grey day in June - which is sort of ironic considering it was over 100 degrees just two days ago. So what I'm saying is that if you see those $20 orchids as you are checking out somewhere, they might be worth picking one up and setting next to a window in your bedroom. Mine make me smile!

Spring:)

2010-03-17T10:37:00.004-05:00

Although I would encourage you to read my new blog - I realize many of you are pretty busy so I'm going to post our Spring Sale here also:) Hope you are enjoying the warmer weather.

Spring - New Blog to Read

2010-03-08T23:38:00.003-06:00

Not sure how to best direct you to my most current blog so I'm checking on this one. I've been sort of busy with home and business projects so blogging has been on the back burner but I am updating my Shady Elm Farm blog every so often if you care to check it out. Hope your Spring is progressing quickly and may the snow melt and sunshine be abundant!

Changing my main blogging posts

2010-01-30T21:54:00.001-06:00

As a part of simplifying my life, I'm going to be updating only one blog for a while. This one will go on a short vacation or perhaps, a long one. My Shady Elm Farm blog is slightly more personal but has a nice format and makes me always post at least ONE photo every time so that makes it a little fun.

Cold, Cold, Cold and indoor games

2010-01-07T16:02:00.003-06:00

So today has been a typical winter day. The wind is blowing severely, there is two or three inches of fresh snow outside and I believe the highest I saw the temp go to was 6 degrees. Delightful. So besides my outdoor chores of loading up our furnace, shoveling off the boardwalk and car and feeding the animals in the garage . . . I have not ventured out of doors today. Doug's commute this morning was a lovely 3 1/2 hours. And I am working on our finances so I can file our taxes at the end of the month and uploading photos to sell things on craigslist.

I did get to play Memoir 44 with Josiah for the first time although his instructions seemed oddly in his favor and I really didn't know what was going on for most of the game. I may want to do a little research on that before I play and get beaten next time.

Not an ideal day maybe. I'm trying to be more positive in 2010 so even though my jaw is still hurting from my sinus infection and we are all stuck at home (at least it's warm indoors) I'm thankful for little things like indoor games and puzzles. I do need to clean the house too. I'll get organized tonight and do a run through tomorrow maybe;). Have a nice weekend.

New Year!

2009-12-31T13:35:00.002-06:00

I am way behind on blogging and updating photos and laundry and writing and . . . . the list is endless. But I've been enjoying some quiet time at home, resting from my end of year cold (an annual event apparently) and I will get back to work in the new year . . . at least that's the plan. Happy New YEAR!

Bathroom!!!!! & Laundry:)

2009-12-06T19:20:00.004-06:00

Well, it begins. We have only been on our sabbatical about 2 weeks and we are beginning another project. I've decided we like projects and are especially good at demo construction work so we started to remodel our current laundry room into a new laundry and bathroom. Once that is done we'll have plumbed for an upstairs bathroom also. I can't really write down how excited I am - whooo hoo. And I'm pretty aware of the work ahead and still excited to start the process. By the time we actually finish our house to the picture in our heads, I'm thinking we will be pretty skilled laborers.

But like I mentioned, we are better at demo so I plan to hire out the things we know we dislike and are not all that good at like the plumbing and sheetrock and probably the tile work as I want it done right;). Here is a few beginning photos. As you can see the boys like the demo phase as well!

Random summer memories as it's snowing

2009-12-04T12:58:00.001-06:00

A little retro fitting on this one but fun mud photo nonetheless.

workout Insanity

2009-12-04T08:42:00.001-06:00

Doug's new workout . . . the boys decided they want to do it too.

Ten things I learned about fixing old windows with plexiglass

2009-11-25T15:48:00.004-06:00

10. Waiting until November when it is cold and rainy may not be the best time to get all ambitious and patch up windows

9. Boys should not break windows but if they do, you might want to wait until they are out of the house before replacing the windows with glass

8. Measure for your windows before you go to the store and buy the plexiglass and pay the extra few dollars to have the people at the store cut it to size

7. Plexiglass is not easy to cut and generally if you are cutting it yourself you'll want to buy twice as much as you think you need because 50% of the time the cut will not be right or the side you are cutting will shatter

6. Plexiglass does shatter. Especially if you drill it too quickly or score it and have your 7 year old help you hold it when breaking it off. Drilling slowly and being very, very patient is necessary for success.

5. If you choose to cut the plexiglass yourself - think again and refer back to #8.

4. Be prepared to have lots of "extra small pieces" that didn't break right or because you didn't really measure - don't fit anything.

3. Clear caulk is a nice idea but you really want an opaque color that matches your window frame so the glazing points don't show

2. Caulking well is definitely a skill that cannot be acquired in three hours while your hands are half frozen.

1. It will inevitably be the very last glazing point you are putting in the window frame that not only makes you slip the screwdriver into your hand but in doing so you crack the edge of the plexiglass. Thankfully caulk fills gaps:)

**And #0 - although plexiglass on your broken windows may be a good short term solution, you probably want to start saving your money to just tear off the porch and old windows and rebuild it new . . .

Have a fantastic Thanksgiving and enjoy the long weekend!

Since we are on a break

2009-11-23T21:56:00.005-06:00

I'm going to post some of the many, many, many family photos that never got posted because I've been living in this sort of crazy existence of working, driving, homeschooling, moving, parenting, learning . . . well it's a long list.

So now that I've taken a few things off my plate for awhile I think I should look through the archives and post some photos and say things I haven't said but thought (only the good ones).

These photos are some random ones at the studio . . . I do miss it sometimes and I look forward to getting our home one up and functioning with the same ease as our RF one.

My boys are growing so fast . . . it's hard to believe it:)

Coming into winter - studio sabbatical

2009-11-20T07:23:00.004-06:00

It has been a gorgeous November blessing us with warmer than usual days and lots of sunshine; both rare things this time of the year. As we approach Thanksgiving, we have begun our sabbatical from studio portrait work until Spring. I'm enjoying the break to refocus on our family and personal goals. My children especially enjoy the extra time we have to simply relax and enjoy family and friends. I'm looking forward to doing some winter hiking in the afternoons after morning school and challenging myself creatively with my photography and indoor decorating.

And as always, Thanksgiving gets me thinking about being thankful, which honestly can be a challenge sometimes. But the other evening while driving home with the loud din of the three boys coming from the backseat, it occurred to me that it is pretty easy to find things wrong in the world. We live in a fallen world and you don't have to look far for discouragement. And unless you are that very rare sort of optimist who sometimes drives people a little crazy with their enthusiasm, finding the good can take a little more effort.

Which makes it all the more worth looking for. And more rewarding and exciting when you find it. AND once you make a habit of looking for things to be grateful and thankful for, well, you start to begin to see that even in a world full of brokenness, hope exists light a piercing beacon of light in the darkness. For that, I am very thankful:)

PET CALENDARS are HERE!

2009-10-06T08:38:00.002-05:00

St Croix Animal Friends now has their calendars for sale! Please contact them via their website OR email to order yours. These would make a GREAT gift for the upcoming holidays so get yours soon!

Back Home

2009-10-02T01:23:00.002-05:00

opening night at the studio - 2 years ago

This week has gone by quickly with lots to do here at the farm and trying to catch up on errands and appointments. It's also been a week of reflection, beginning with Yom Kippur and just a time of transition for our family in general as we approach Succos. Looking back at photos from our opening in River Falls 2 years ago, I am sort of stunned to see how much changed there and with our family. Our boys have grown so much and we've learned a lot of things but none so poignant as gratitude.

I think I look at the road ahead of me with a playbook all ready to go and G-d seems to like to change it up a little and challenge me to walk outside of my safe preplanned path. Although following Him seems to bring out both the most joyful mixed with sorrowful moments, I can't look back and say I would change anything . . . because I am only where I am at in this moment because of the road I have walked. And though I don't always anticipate what might occur in the future, I can meet it with hope.

I like to think I have grown more humble and grateful as I age. In approaching my middle 30's I look at the people in my life who have sacrificed and walked before me in awe at their courage because I am beginning to understand some of the greatest challenges in life are those we fight in our own hearts and minds. When I look at them, I am humbled and grateful. How blessed we have been in our journey.

A special thanks to Steven and Kareen Buri who took our family portraits yesterday! As always we had a wonderful time with you!

God Bless!

HOME

2009-09-24T19:37:00.003-05:00

After a crazy week, we moved 99% of everything from the studio to our home yesterday afternoon and into the night. So after a little housekeeping duty tomorrow we are officially moved. Now we'll have our on location sessions through mid-October and then begin our sabbatical/planning through early next Spring.

It feels good (other than being really really sore) to be home again and planning for the future. I'm excited to see how everything comes together. And today we got our fiber optic internet (12MB) and all that fun stuff so we are pretty well wired for anything I would think (at least within reason of the farm).

Congratulations to my brother Lee and his wife Melissa and my nephew Ellis . . . they welcome a new little son/brother into the family: Shepard Wilson Ullom. Busy week for all and I'm looking to a few moments of relaxing this weekend between church, weddings and our family photo session with Steven & Kareen Buri.

God Bless!

Beautiful daughter of Bridal Couple

2009-09-18T00:05:00.001-05:00

Frisbee

2009-09-09T23:11:00.002-05:00

Even our dog loves to play. . .

13 years ago

2009-08-31T18:04:00.003-05:00

Was my wedding day. That time has gone by pretty quickly. It's been a great time. I'm amazed to look back and think how we've gone through good times and hard times but still are best friends. Pretty special;)

Quick Preview

2009-08-26T23:37:00.004-05:00

But here's a quick preview of one from today's senior.

Cousins

2009-08-24T21:30:00.003-05:00

Celebrating a little birthday (Marcus) with his cousins and some ice cream at Great-Grandma & Grandpa's house. Then they got to spend a few hours just enjoying the perfect summer day! Naomi and Elijah start school tomorrow - best wishes to them both!

A few things I've been doing

2009-08-21T10:13:00.004-05:00

These are pretty random but things have been busy as we prepare to move the studio (in about 5 weeks!) It's been a strange summer - gone by pretty fast and we are rapidly approaching school season. I've finished up the school schedule and am excited to try a few new things this year as having the studio nearer will allow me some extra time to plan. This Autumn we plan on doing on location sessions through October and then take a sabbatical until the spring. I think that might give us some time to reformulate our plans for the farm and see what works best for the business. Exciting and busy times . . . thanks for all your well wishes and advice!

using my 30 year old film yashica camera . . .

birthday madness

Josh

Josh G

Ryan M

family fav

2009-08-14T07:14:00.002-05:00

One of my family favs . . . the only thing was this one we did without their new baby girl (because she can't stand up yet - she's only a few months old:). but I really liked the concept. And I gave it a little extra grunge which I'm pleased with as well.

sneak peak (3 minute edits too late at night)

2009-08-13T23:45:00.007-05:00

just a quick few images from a couple senior sessions . . . i just had 10 minutes to cut out these from the raw files - i still have to edit the rest for Ryan & Josh later this weekend!

it's been busy

2009-08-12T22:07:00.005-05:00

Almost a year

2009-08-04T16:35:00.001-05:00

Funny Mood

2009-07-28T21:21:00.002-05:00

I'm in a sort of funny mood - not really ha ha funny but more like, I need something funny to make me laugh.

Anyway, since this is my "post a picture blog" here is a family that we photographed on Sunday. I love how it turned out!

Daniella

2009-07-20T18:39:00.002-05:00

Cutie Pie

2009-07-14T11:16:00.003-05:00

Because of my schedule I don't always get to post photos from sessions up . . . but now I'm going back over older sessions and picking out some new samples . . . this little girl is so cute:).

my walk

2009-07-06T23:26:00.001-05:00

too sweet not to send out a sneak preview

2009-07-06T10:03:00.002-05:00

. . . we waited for a long time for this sleeping pose:)

Lensbaby Day

2009-06-30T23:39:00.002-05:00

Every once in a while I have a string of days when the world feels a little upside down. Maybe it's the lack of sunshine, too much to do or worry about or whatever but everyone is a little crabby, no one gets along very well and you really just want to start the day over:)

That is a LensBaby day . . . I rarely use it (although I should more) for client photos but I think I need to break out of the rut I've gotten in lately and try some new things.

Thought (not my own) on small businesses

2009-06-23T15:08:00.004-05:00

Lexie Barnes

Something to remember as we "retire" our storefront in September. Of course we are transferring our business back home but I like the way she put things . . . I was about to say just about the same thing:).

Camping

2009-06-22T23:11:00.003-05:00

was lovely . . . more on this later.

"Dad, I think the shed fell down"

2009-06-14T21:04:00.004-05:00

So Marcus is playing outdoors after we got home from the studio and he comes in all serious to Doug, "Dad, I think the barn fell down!" Now Marcus is known to exaggerate but he did look pretty serious. Sure enough . . . our "barn/shed" that we had started to take down because of the bad roof decided to go a little early. We'll have to get someone with a tractor to push the rest down so no one goes in it - it was still creaking when we came outdoors! Good thing we had warned the boys not to play near it anyway.

Dogs-Dogs-Dogs & one lovely Cat

2009-06-14T20:46:00.004-05:00

Today was our first annual Pet Portrait Contest to benefit St. Croix Animal Friends. It was a great day and we had around 30 dogs and 1 lovely cat come in and spend some time getting their photographs taken. . . . I'll be adding some of my favorite crazy photos soon and in a few days we'll have the gallery up on our website: www.briteideaphotography.com

Interesting color choice

2009-06-10T01:20:00.005-05:00

The neighbor to our studio painted his door red . . . I snapped these as we were leaving for soccer.

Having fun (in the rain)

2009-06-01T13:08:00.003-05:00

Beautiful . . .

2009-05-28T00:12:00.002-05:00

This is a dear lady that we've had the honor of photographing twice now and this is one of her portraits planned for her children. I was so excited to be able to do this portrait session with her!

Future Plans

2009-05-19T22:51:00.002-05:00

Despite the huge sign in our front window (put there without our approval) stating our building is FOR SALE OR LEASE, we will not be moving the studio until our current lease expires at the end of September 2009. The large sign is apparently a miscommunication with the realtor and should be changed to a small "discreet sign" in the side window that we agreed to with our landlord earlier to give him time to find someone for it when we were done.

After September 15th we will only be taking on location sessions until we complete our indoor studio at Shady Elm Farm.

Thanks to all - sorry for any confusion the sign may have caused!

-A

Happy Birthday Grandad

2009-05-05T11:43:00.001-05:00

April Showers?

2009-04-05T10:22:00.005-05:00

Yes, this is what it can do in April in Wisconsin. It will probably be melted in a few days at most but still hilarious. Happily this is the best kind of snow for forts, snowmen and snowball fights (the rest of the year it's too cold) so the boys are having a blast. At least it's not mud:)

I'm not up on adding photos

2009-03-29T23:20:00.003-05:00

I know the rule is post all your sessions and yada yada but lately I've been a little media'd out and avoiding my blog, facebook, etc. I've had a lot of work to do - photo sessions, marketing stuff, planning for the future, preparing for Pesach/Resurrection Day and schooling the boys. I've had a lot of internal conversations trying to sort out what I should be doing and all that good stuff. So, it's been sort of . . . quiet on the cyber front. But, here is a sweet photo of a baby that is just too adorable not to post. She was sooo good too - her mommy should be very proud (and daddy of course too!)

Seriously behind on Blogging

2009-03-25T23:47:00.002-05:00

Wow, what happened to the last two weeks. Well, anyway, I'm going to try and do a little better with this blog thing . . . with all the happenings of the past month I guess I've gotten behind here. Well, I got a new iMac and vacuum (previous post), I've been working hard on our Senior Portrait specials and Summer Kids specials, making sure the boys are caught up on their schoolwork (we home school) and getting Jayden started on some pre-school since he wanted to be included, cleaning out the house and redoing the boys bedroom. And this next week we'll be really cleaning to prepare for Pesach and the Resurrection celebration . . .

Whew. Well life can be busy sometimes but I think it's going ok . . . :) At least Spring is trying to break through the wintery days . . . that always cheers me up!

Love at first sight.

2009-03-12T14:24:00.003-05:00

My husband is going to laugh at this post but it's true. This week he has blessed me with both a new iMac (for work) and a Miele vacuum (for work and home).

With both it has been love at first sight. The iMac is awesome . . . more on that later but the Miele just arrived. I had waited over a year for that vacuum. I've had less expensive ones that broke down within a year or two or never really did much of anything except make noise. This one out of the box is, well awesome. The slogan is "anything else is a compromise" and it boasts German engineering (like my BMW) but even I'm overly impressed. It is quiet - I mean really quiet. I have three boys so I know what quiet is . . . this is quiet. And it picks up dirt - and with an old house, on a farm with pets and children - I know dirt.

So with my iMac and my new vacuum, gosh, I'm pretty set. Now I don't have any excuses to stay away from work or clean my house:).

I should be in bed but . . .

2009-03-04T23:43:00.002-06:00

These children were too cute to not post their photos.

Early Morning Fire - Neighbors House

2009-03-04T11:48:00.004-06:00

UPDATE: News bite on the fire
This morning at 5 am as Doug was leaving for work he saw our neighbors barn was on fire. When he drove down to see what was happening the fire department hadn't arrived yet . . . as he came home to call again they came but it looks like the barn and all the cows were lost. Channel 18 (local news) was filming when I stopped by at 10 am this morning.

Please pray for the family during this time of hardship.

Looking for Models

2009-03-03T14:59:00.004-06:00

We've got a great new program developed for Juniors interested in getting great deals on their senior portraits while earning credits toward their prints. We can only take a limited number of students for the program. Call 715-425-9899 or email: douglas@briteideaphotography.com for more information.

(website: briteideaseniors.com coming soon)

Some of Texas

2009-02-17T21:39:00.005-06:00

I'm just getting around to photos from Texas today . . . and of Isabella, and the trip home and Josiah's birthday . . .

Whew . . . vacation wears me out. - I'm going to post the photos first on facebook so if you have my profile - check that out first.

-A

Birthday

2009-02-12T22:00:00.004-06:00

I'm here in a hotel in Texas celebrating the 8th year of Josiah! He is extremely excited to be growing older!

I can't upload any photos on this laptop but when I can I'll be sending up a photo!

Out of the office

2009-02-02T06:02:00.001-06:00

I will be out of the office until February 16th . . . please email from our website!

Is your child America’s Cutest Kid?

2009-01-26T10:35:00.003-06:00

Brite Idea Photography is participating in the National Charity Model Search to select “America’s Cutest Kid” and to raise funds for charity.

We’re looking for cute children ages 18 months to 14 years old to model for a portrait to be entered into the contest.

Models Search Special:
$35 entrance fee, which includes a 30 minute model session and one image submitted to the national gallery.

Finalists will be determined by online votes. Anyone may vote. Each vote is $1, and all proceeds from votes benefit the non-profit Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep.

Grand prize national winner will be determined from the 50 city finalists. Winners selected by photography and modeling industry experts.

If your child is selected the national winner, you’ll receive many prizes, including a $5,000 US Savings Bond and a Canon PowerShot G10 digital camera.

If you’re interested in entering your child(ren), please call our Studio at 715-425-9899.
For more information about the contest, email us at douglas@briteideaphotography.com.

winter can be fun

2009-01-20T17:06:00.001-06:00

Birthday Birthday Birthday

2009-01-19T15:58:00.004-06:00

opening gifts
waiting patiently

great grandma taking care of me

cake & sherbert

friends and brothers

cupcakes

lunch

new cars sheets

singing happy birthday

My favorite photo of my hubby at his sister's house

2009-01-13T21:13:00.001-06:00

COLD

2009-01-13T20:52:00.004-06:00

I know that I was born in Wisconsin a mere 15 miles from my current home but I really don't like the cold all that well. It seemed fine when I was a child and my only responsibilities were doing like a few chores and playing. Now -10 (or -20) below makes it really hard for me to want to go outdoors and do my chores (wood, feed animals, clean driveway). I really just want to hibernate.

Anyway, on a good note, I did get my vehicle back from the shop for a second time even though it took most of my day today:). Ah well, be serendipity right?

Here's some photos of MISC. life from the past few weeks.

2009

2009-01-01T01:28:00.006-06:00

Hope 2009 is a wonderful one!

Video:)

2008-12-16T00:13:00.001-06:00

Check out Doug on his blog.

He is going to be doing video blogging - kinda crazy but cute too. Anyway - Check it out!

what a look!

2008-12-15T00:57:00.000-06:00

he was such a quiet little guy but oh so sweet!

Fall . . . seems like such a long time ago

2008-12-11T00:48:00.000-06:00

We had this session way back in October and I'm just getting around to sharing it now . . .

Thanksgiving

2008-12-07T23:25:00.000-06:00

I was getting ready for a family session (someone else's) and had the boys sit for a minute on my new bench. I had to laugh . . . the expressions on their faces are so THEM.

Real Snow

2008-12-03T08:20:00.000-06:00

I woke up this morning to real snow - photos later.

I'm not great at this blogging thing and this has been a busy holiday season for us . . . eventually I'll post my favorite photos from our sessions when I get to bed before 2 am:).

Long time ago

2008-11-25T21:27:00.001-06:00

My brother and I in front of Grandma's house. As a fun little break from constant work, we went through a bunch of my great grandparents slides from their travels and this one was in there.

Snowfall

2008-11-08T00:18:00.000-06:00

Jedi

2008-11-03T21:01:00.001-06:00

I took a little break from client work to play around with some jedi photos of the boys. I am going to surprise them with them (so don't show them this blog) when I get the prints so we'll have them framed and put in their room:)

Grandpa's Birthday

2008-11-02T01:18:00.000-05:00

Happy 82nd Birthday Grandpa - this is the fun photo:)

Cutie Pie

2008-10-31T11:19:00.000-05:00

A little sleepy but still really cute:).

Autumn Lomo

2008-10-21T22:02:00.000-05:00

We took a break to play in the leaves and I set aside my fancy lenses and picked up my lensbaby for some crazy shots. We had fun - I love it when the leaves fall off the trees and you can make a huge pile!

Autumn

2008-10-21T21:48:00.000-05:00

Helpers

2008-10-10T11:26:00.001-05:00

Last night we had a friend come out for a photo session on our farm and I had a little helper sneak in one of the photos. I still have to go through the rest of the photos but I thought I'd be a good blogger and post this one. Thanks Ginger and family for a fun time:)

Birthday

2008-10-03T23:59:00.001-05:00

Thanks to my parents, grandparents and friends for all the birthday surprises and wishes:).

I love you all!

Learning

2008-09-29T22:05:00.000-05:00

As usual I haven't been able to blog regularly and so have several client sessions that haven't gotten up yet. I'm getting there. As some of you know we home school our boys so the last month has been busy with new curriculum and work to do. We are really enjoying this year of school as the boys grow older and learn more. It's pretty exciting.

sweet16

2008-09-29T17:32:00.000-05:00

Winner!

2008-09-23T22:26:00.000-05:00

Lindsay and Matt won our iPod from the Pierce County Fair - Congratulations!

Way behind on Blogging

2008-09-19T00:21:00.001-05:00

Moments that pass too quickly

2008-08-21T21:22:00.001-05:00

I am trying to write an article for our family newsletter and I am drawing a blank . . . I seem to have lost my writing skills with the onset of motherhood. Or I feel I have an obligation to write non-fiction, something that I wasn't entirely good at to begin with.

But anyway, I also had to get a few photos of Jayden for a promo and I wanted Marcus' photo also as he is now six years old.

And I am almost crying when I look at this photo. He isn't my little boy anymore - he looks so grown up. Oh I know, they are supposed to grow up but wow, does it go so fast. I know everyone says that but it seems like they are these little ones running around and then you take a photo and the littleness is gone. They somehow grew out of the drooling stage and the tantrum stage and the toddling stage. Even Jayden has been talking so much lately learning new words everyday . . .

Oh the heart of a mother. I guess that is what I should write about - something we all know but sometimes it takes a photograph to realize how precious every moment is.

STAR WARS

2008-08-20T21:54:00.000-05:00

We went to see the Star Wars exhibit at the Science Museum today as well as all the other cool "science" stuff. And ate at the cafe - I got sick in the OmniTheatre like I always do and Jayden sat on the weather satellite for 1/2 hour while the other boys explored other weather sites. Then we did a little shopping and went to Outback for dinner where Marcus got a free dessert for his birthday. We finally arrived home at 8:15 and had a mini party with Grandma and Papa (who were tired also). We have photos but we are partied out . . . It was a fun day.

Oh did I mention we stopped at the studio and it smelled like natural gas? So we reported it to our gas company in town and they were like "what do you want US to do about it?" We said, "ah, maybe check it out . . ." anyway, tomorrow when I go in hopefully they resolved the problem.

School, Work, School & Parties

2008-08-19T17:01:00.000-05:00

Whew, I'm not sure really where to begin. I really should be working on photos & album designs or the fall newsletter or toddler tuesday promos or the price list design or getting the office set up for schoolwork . . . .

My list is long but I'm taking a quick break to reflect (and wait for some things to upload). And we have the proverbial end of summer parties happening.

AND tomorrow is Marcus' birthday for which dad has a big surprise for him. He sometimes gets lost in the midst of all this end of summer rush and we wanted to do something extra special. I think he'll like it. Photos and news on that after tomorrow!

a fun day

2008-08-10T13:35:00.000-05:00

Kids playing

2008-08-10T13:33:00.000-05:00

Ryan's house has all sorts of places with playing adventures

More . . .

2008-08-10T13:29:00.000-05:00

More Party

2008-08-09T21:23:00.000-05:00

Papa & Jayden

Birthday Cake

Ryan

Bradley

Party at Ryan's

2008-08-09T21:21:00.000-05:00

Jayden just waking up

Jayden taking a photo of grandma

Cousins

Grandma & Grandpa

What a cute Baby!

2008-08-08T10:53:00.000-05:00

This is a little guy that came in yesterday - he was so happy and full of expression. This time goes by so fast.

My adorable husband and his many faces

2008-08-06T14:08:00.000-05:00

He's just too cute not to celebrate:). What a willing subject - my dear sweet husband! He is so going to find a crazy photo of me now. .

Busy week this week - a pretty senior

2008-08-06T10:36:00.001-05:00

Simple and pretty
Attitude (but a good one)

July is cruising by . . .

2008-07-15T20:59:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe the summer is flying by so fast. I've taken a little sabbatical from blogging and reading blogs to enjoy the excellent weather we've been having as well as doing a little soul searching.

I want to also thank Joe & Vanessa for the privilege of being a part of their wedding on Saturday - it was if God planned the perfect weather for their outdoor wedding. Sharing their special day was awesome!

Going to be a senior this Fall?

2008-06-28T10:53:00.000-05:00

No, not a senior citizen :). We just got our new samples for our front window and will be putting them up this week. I am so excited! If you know one of our senior models, ask them about their 'zed' cards (model cards) and you can get some sweet deals at the studio. Summer is going fast.

Awesome Wedding

2008-06-24T09:56:00.000-05:00

I'm still going through all the images from Saturday's wedding but I want to say thanks to Shannon and Aaron for a great day. They are a wonderful couple and are so in love! This is just ONE image that I had mostly completed.

Adorable

2008-06-20T17:27:00.001-05:00

More Seniors

2008-06-15T20:13:00.000-05:00

We have had the privilege of meeting some awesome seniors during the course of the last month. Not only do they look amazing:) but they each were a pleasure to get to know a little better! I'm impressed with this class of 2009!

Fidelity (a departure from work-related posts)

2008-06-10T07:05:00.000-05:00

"Well, anyway," Detective Bode said, " all I know is that the law has been broken, and I am here to serve the law."

"But, my dear boy, you don't eat or drink the law, or sit in the shade of it or warm yourself by it, or wear it or have your being in it. The law exists only to serve."

"Serve what?"

"Why all the many things that are above it. Love."

--Wheeler Catlett (Fidelity by Wendell Berry)

:) Glamour

2008-06-04T23:40:00.001-05:00

It's Time to Have a Little Fun!

2008-06-04T21:46:00.001-05:00

I think she has a sense of humor so I'll post her having some fun - I'll post some of the gorgeous shots in my next post. Thanks Michelle (& Kirstin)!

June Already!!!!

2008-06-02T17:08:00.000-05:00

I can't believe June is here already. We are finishing up some more of our Senior models and I'll be posting their images on the blog soon.

If you are interested in Senior Portrait Specials - give us a call 715.425.9899 or email me: apboyce@briteideaphotography.com and I'll send out one of our booklets with some great deals for unique portraits that celebrate this time in your life. It goes quickly . . . 2009 will be here before you know it!

Be You

2008-05-27T20:32:00.000-05:00

Class of 09

2008-05-27T20:29:00.000-05:00

Seniors

2008-05-27T20:15:00.000-05:00

Senior Season

2008-05-15T14:18:00.001-05:00