Updated Photography blog...

Ok, I'm finally making the switch. Starting right now all of my Photo business pictures will be posted on my photography blog. Instead of having just slideshows on there I've decided to post my pictures like I did on here. The slideshows are still there, but they're on the side and are much smaller. This blog will now just be my personal blog.

I appreciate and LOVE everyone's comments on my photography! It has helped me have the confidence to continue on with this business. THANK YOU and MUCH LOVE TO YOU!!!!

-Shan

My life is now complete...well almost.

You know when you try to pull some foil out and the roll comes out of the box Then you have to put the roll back in the box and start over. The darn roll always comes out at the wrong time.

Fret no more dear friends and family. There has been a roll lock option there this WHOLE TIME!!!

So my words to you are....enjoy using Saran Wrap, Aluminum Foil, Wax Paper, Parchment paper to whatever your hearts desire!!

Life is good again.

Help!

I need a blog face-lift! I'm not the smartest in the bunch when it comes to HTML codes and all those technical things. I want to be able to keep my pictures large like they are, but it seems that no blog template sites support the 'minima stretch' template that I currently use.

Any suggestions??????

List

I stole this from Kendra's blog...he he.

Instructions: Take the following list and bold the items you have completed or experienced.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (does Orchestra count?)
4. Visited Hawaii (lived there for 10 years and visited)
5. Watched a Meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a Praying Mantis (no way!)
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee Jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch (piano & guitar)
15. Adopted a child (let's hope this will be bolded before the end of the year)
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hicked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (don't tell)
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon (hopefully before the end of the year)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice (what's up with all the Europe questions?!)
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a Cruise
33. Seen Niagra Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (some of them)
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Gambled
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke (won a competition with Erin, in China)
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt (and almost got struck by lighting - way to listen to the spirit, Ryan)
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been on television ("Good things, Utah" - model for Lane Bryant...fun!)
51. Gone Scuba Diving or Snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud (mud pit in China - good times!)
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China (I was so close to going - dang gall stones!)
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a Soup Kitchen
61. Sold Girls Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy (I'm sure I've got those barbies somewhere)
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar (no thank you!)
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job (ILP - they didn't need me anymore)
76. Seen the Changing of the guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle (crazy drivers in China)
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car (it was brand new to me...but actually 1 year old.)
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper (when I was younger our family got photographed when the Easter bunny came to the University Mall)
85. Read the entire Bible (I've tried...honestly I have)
86. Visited the White House (does taking a picture outside the gate count?)
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (nope - but I'm pretty sure people in Chile did it for us for almuerzo)
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous (shook Harry Connick Jr.'s hand)
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby (*sigh*)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a Law Suite
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Totally copied a post from someone's blog to your own (Thanks Kendra!)

Kalin the B-Ball player

My oldest nephew Kalin (14) is an amazing basketball player!! His uncles taught him from the time he was just a wee lad.

Kalin had a game yesterday at Timpview High School. Man, he did a great job! This kid has got some SWEET moves! He will seriously go PRO someday. He's got all the right skills for it, and he'll keep getting better and better. He's amazing - seriously!

Kai (8), and Uncle Seanie watching the game

So, they didn't win. But it was because they were exhausted. They had played another team just before this game, and won! This is the face of an unhappy player, after the other team won.

Kalin, getting some words of comfort from Sean.

I liked how to coach took him aside after the game to give him some words of advice. This coach knows how amazing of a player Kalin is.

Winter Frost

This is my favorite part of the season! I do LOVE snow, but I especially LOVE the frost as it clings to everything.

I took these pictures this morning, as soon as I opened the blinds and saw the beautiful white stuff everywhere. So, I pulled on my boots, put my coat and gloves on and went all over the place taking pictures. I LOVE FROST!!!

Jenn & Derrick - Open House

something to share...

I came into work this morning and found this at my desk, with a note from one of my agents thanking me for helping her with some issues.

That's right! Twilight Adhesive Bandages - woohoo!

I know you're jealous that I have this, right? C'mon admit it! LOL!!!

sick

Today is the second day I've been home sick from work (sick on Friday). I don't enjoy being at home alone.

Being sick for me means having weird things happen in my mind. Something happened this morning that I will forever laugh at. It brought back many memories of being sick as a child. Again, I laugh now...but it was terrifying this morning. Here's the story...

I woke up at 7:00am, sat straight up in a major panic, realizing it was Monday and that on Saturday I missed a VERY important event. I grabbed my cell phone and flipped it open scurrying to check what the date was on Saturday. Saturday the 3rd was the only date I saw (my mind wasn't all the way there), which was Jenn Craven-Louder's wedding reception, in which I was to be the Photographer.

A loud cry came out of my mouth thinking I had missed it! Tears started welling in my eyes, the word "NO" was loudly spoken over and over and over, as a few things ran through my mind...

-I was going to have to give Jenn her money back because I wasn't there to take the pictures.
-Why didn't she call me to ask where I was?
-I was going to have to call her and apologize profusely to her and hope to still have her friendship.
-this would ruin my reputation as a photographer; the fact that I didn't show up to a reception.

How was I ever going to show my face again. I know I forget things but how could I have missed THIS!

I immediately started to search for Jenn's phone number saved in my call list so that I could call her and tell her that it had JUST occured to me that I missed her reception. What was I going to say??!!!

The fear, anxiety, and pain all of the sudden went away as I realized that last Saturday was not the 3rd but the 10th.

I WAS at Jenn's reception - I have the pictures to prove it.

PHEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah, I'm laughing now...but I thought I was going to have a heart attack this morning. I don't know if this happened because I'm wasn't feeling well or what. But this made me think back on the funny things that have happened at the times I was sick when I was younger...for example...

I was probably 10 years old, had the flu along with a fever. I got out of my bed in the middle of the night, went into the living room and sat on the couch and cried.

After a little bit my mom came out of her bedroom to check on me and found me crying. As any loving mother would do, she sat next to me and held me tight, comforting me, and in her most soothing voice asked me why I was crying. This was my reply...(in my best crying voice)

"These people keep asking me to sew dresses for them and I just can't do it, they won't leave me alone."

Yes, I was having a dream, a hallucination of sorts. As I talked with her about these people who were making me sew for them, things started to seem more clear in my head and I realized it wasn't real. It was just the fever taking over.

Oh the joys of being sick!!

Rewind

Let's go back to December 25th 2007. Ryan and I had Shane & Sharon as our pixie for Christmas, which meant that we had the pleasure of getting a gift for them. We ended up getting them a gift card to their favorite restaurant, Outback, and a few coupons for babysitting including a free weekend with the boys while S&S go out of town.

Fast Forward to December 26th 2008. We finally get to keep their boys, Owen (4) and Aidan (2), for the weekend as S&S took a little time for themselves.

We had fun being with them for those 2 days and 2 nights. They came over with matching backpacks that held their camouflage sleeping bags, and waterbottles. Our guest bedroom has a day bed with a trundle for them, so they were really excited to lay out their sleeping bags on the beds.

Bed time stories were read.

Last minute potty breaks were attended to.

And a few tears were shed - they sure do love their mommy and daddy.

Saturday we took them to see the movie 'Bed Time Stories', which they loved. There were some really funny comments that those boys made while in the movie theatre, for example...Just before the movie started and people were trickling into the theater Owen looks over to see these young girls walking by and says, "oooh - who's that?" Yeah, he's only 4, and already taking an interest in girls.

After the movie we stopped by the Harley Davidson store in Lindon. The boys were in awe at all the cool motorcycles they had. We thought it would be ok to let them try on some helmets, but man they were heavy! (Excuse the picture quality - they were taken with my cell phone)

(and yes, that's a XanGo scarf Aidan is wearing)

Owen & Aidan hiding in the Harley Davidson store

On the way home Aidan makes this comment..."My tummy hurts...I think it needs a sandwich".

Me. "Are you hungry then?"

Aidan, "no."

We then went home and decided to make some lunch...individual Pizza's!! We put pizza sauce on some bagels and let them put their own toppings on it.

Aidan wanted just cheese, but I talked him into making a smiley face with some of the other toppings.


Owen went all out and piled his with meat. While the Pizza's were cooking Owen finished off the bowl of olives. If you look closely at this picture you can see the Olives stuck in his teeth.




Later on that day I wanted to go clothes shopping and Aidan decided to come with me. While I'm standing in line at Lane Bryant I see Aidan looking closely at the bra's they had. He then says, "Hey my mommy has this, we need to get this for her." Mind you it's a red bra with black lace that he picks up...too funny.

Sunday S&S come back to pick up the boys. Man, they were happy! I think overall they had fun, but it just goes to show that they really, really LOVE their parents.

We say our goodbye's and give them hugs, to which after Owen pats my chest and says, "Mom, those are HUGE!...they're GI-NORMOUS!!

Yes, thank you dear Owen. I'm not small chested to say the least.

Love these boys!!!!

you've got a friend

High school friends back together for Jenn's wedding open house. Aren't we cute?! :)


I made someone snap a picture of all of us with my camera, while I was taking pics of Jenn's open house (which I'll share later).

L-R:
Jaimi T.
Wendy S.
Jennifer L.
Marin R.
Me
Kristine H.

Love these girls!!!! I'm so especially happy for Jaimi who just adopted their second baby while they were in town for the Holidays. They left AZ thinking they were returning with the three of them, but instead will go back with one more addition to the family. So awesome!!! Congrats Jaimi!!!

Jenn & Derrick

I've known Jenn since High School and I'm so happy she found her man. What a gorgeous couple they make, don't you think??