End of Year Musings Part II { and This Man Says Your Faith is a Joke }

When i denounced the mormon organization (and christianity in general), i fully expected to be "unfriended" on Facebook (and in life) by many mormons.  What i didn't consider was whether other "christians" would do the same.  I noticed one today.  Obvious hypocrisy aside, what does that say?  I think this man makes several good points:

Beef. It's What's for Dinner

Not really.  We had baked ziti.  But i ran across this photo of Bryce chowing on beef (which he calls "snake" and is his absolute fave food) and i just had to post it.  This kiddo makes me laff.

Is it Pulling Teeth, or is it Photographing Your Own Chitlins?

 I swear, my kids are the biggest turdbuckets when it comes to letting me make their photos.  TURDBUCKETS!  They won't sit still, or make "NORMAL" faces; they have to be gooftards.  Oh well, that's probably a good thing, really.  When i look back at these in the years to come, i'll remember their personalities more because they shined through so brightly in their photos.  They're still turdbuckets, though.

Everyone's an Ocean Drowning.... { End of Year Thoughts }

I like renewal.  I like closure.  I like that this year is coming to a close and a new one is starting soon, and even though one day rolls on into the next regardless of a date on a calendar, i like the symbolism of the New Year.

I had some of the best times of my life this year.  Working and playing in Virginia for 5 weeks (late May through June) and partying with old friends was phenomenol.  Girls' Night Out with the 540 crew; Cheesecake with Ang; X-Lounge with Amy and her sil, James, Monica and Scot; visits with people i haven't seen in nearly forever; cultivating a better relationship with my mom and brother; watching Bryce's wonder and amazement at all Virginia has to offer: bugs, beetles, birds, trees, flowers, moss.

My photography trips to Portland, OR and New Orleans and the friends i made there who have become such integral parts of my life...those were exhausting and amazing trips. 

There were sad times, too.  I made and lost one of the best friends of my life this year.  It's funny how quickly the winds can change direction.  It's sad how people can let themselves be ruled by hatred, fear and jealousy.  But i have great memories of those months...lots of laughs.

I finally came out publically as an Ex-Mormon (although we left that church over a year ago).  That was both difficult (facing the persecution, judgment and hatred many of them innundate "apostates" with--i even got dirty looks at a funeral), and yet the most empowering and pro-human thing i've ever done.  Words can't express how happy i am to have learned the things i've learned this year.  I finally have true peace.

I've learned a lot about my family this year.  It turns out when you let go of all the religious dogma and pretending, you can really get to know people and they can really be themselves.  I love Todd and the kids more than i could ever imagine.  I love who they really are.  They are awesome people and i'm lucky to have them in my life.

We've had bad times with type 1 diabetes this year.  Allie was hospitalized 4 times with DKA.  She's still not on board, but we're still doing everything we can to help her. 

Zane has grown inches...he's my height or slightly taller now.  Unreal. 

Bryce continues to develop as quite the character.  I have no idea how he comes up with the hilarious things he says.

Miracle of all miracles: i finally ordered a family portrait for the empty 24x36" frame that's been hanging on our living room wall most of the year. It'll be here Thursday.

All in all, 2010 was pretty okay.  I'm looking forward to 2011 and have certain hopes for this year. 

Us, On Xmas Day 2010

We had a nice, relaxing day today. Ate tons of food, watched a couple movies with the kids, went out and snapped some pics, ate more food, then ended the night with a drive around to see lights one more time.  I fell asleep during the second movie, hence being wide awake at 2 a.m.  Fun, fun! But i got our pics edited, and got mostly caught up on email, so....



Eating Habits

I'm not talking about what i eat, but more how i eat it.  It just occurred to me that i'm pretty picky about which foods get eaten with what utensil and from what container. 

Examples:

Spaghetti must be eaten from a bowl, never a plate.
Cake must be eaten from a bowl with a spoon, with milk poured over.  Otherwise, why bother?
Ice cream must be eaten from an 8-oz. glass (a cup is okay, too, but not plastic).
Actually, i prefer any food in a cup vs. on a plate, if it can be reasonably eaten that way.
If it can't be eaten in a cup, i'll try a bowl before resorting to a plate.
Don't give me a large spoon or fork.  I'll take the kids' sized ones.
Mayo straight from the jar with a spoon?  Yes, please!
Ice ruins drinks (except for liquor, unless it's mixed with juice).
I hate eating at a table.  Couch, floor, bed, standing...anything but a table. 

Conclusion:  i'm weird. 

Happy Festivus!

Yesterday FAIL! { and Little Motel }

Kayso, i said i was gonna edit those last 75 photos, post them to a gallery, etc., yeah?  I soooo failed.  But in my defense, there was a LOT of head-swapping to be done in Photoshop.  With a shoot involving 22 kids, there's gonna be head swapping here and there.  That's just life. 

So, here i go, back to Photoshop (oh how i love/hate you). 

I'm feeling a little manic today, so here's the song to calm me.  It's even mellow enough for buffalos.




"Little Motel"




I hope that you like it in your little motel

And I hope that the suite sleeps and suits you well

Well I can see it as time and a sight through smell and

Thats why its nice to be by yourself



Cause thats what I'm waiting for

That's what I'm waiting for

That's what I'm waiting for, aren't I?

That's what I'm waiting for

That's what I'm waiting for

That's what I'm waiting for darlin'



We treat mishaps like sinking ships and

I know that I don't want to be out to drift

Well I can see it in your eyes like I taste your lips and

They both tell me that we're better than this



Cause thats what I'm waiting for

That's what I'm waiting for

That's what I'm waiting for, aren't I?

That's what I'm waiting for

That's what I'm waiting for

That's what I'm waiting for darlin'



We trade tit for tat like that for this

And I don't think that there was an insult that was missed

I can see it in your eyes like I taste your lips and

I'm very sorry



Cause thats what I'm waiting for

That's what I'm waiting for

That's what I'm waiting for, aren't I?

That's what I'm waiting for

That's what I'm waiting for

That's what I'm waiting for darlin'



It rained and its over a shooting star

Landed directly on our broke down little car

We fold and we had made a wish

That we would be missed

If one another just did not exist



Cause thats what we're waiting for

That's what we're waiting for

That's what we're waiting on, aren't we?

That's what we're waiting for

That's what we're waiting for

That's what we're waiting for darlin'



That's what we're waiting for

That's what we're waiting for

That's what we're waiting for aren't we?

Sleepin' In { and When I Look at You }

Wow, i've been sleeping in super late as of late.  Late late!  I woke up at 8:30 today.  If you know me, you know i'm an unwilling early riser.   It's the norm for my eyes to pop open at 5 a.m. as if an alarm had gone off.  I dunno what it is lately...winter?  Stress?  Carb bingeing?  Being exposed to unpleasant vibes?  Meh, no matter.  I'm too busy to worry about it and it will all work itself out anyway. 

Until then, i'm going to edit 75 photos (today!), post them in a gallery, deliver an order, fill a couple last-minute orders and close my doors for the holidays. 

{ P.S.  Chris, i will answer your email after i close my doors for the holidays...i haven't heard of your electronica peeps, but i love electronica.  I'm rather into dubstep right now...Oscillator Z, Inspector Dubplate, Vaski, Rusko...let's chat it up for sure! }