Experimental Photography

My mom and her friends belong to a "singles" group at their church and they had their annual Christmas party this past Saturday...Guess who their photographer for the evening?!?! ME!! My mom called a month or so and asked if I would do it for them basically just donating my time, they did buy me a new memory card for the event so that was great! I was a bit nervous when I asked her what the lighting would be and she said a fire and Christmas lights! I was in a bit of a bind with that because my lens doesn't have a low enough aperture for that..So I ended up purchasing a new lens and I love it!

So I arrived Saturday night to find out that the room also had "can" lighting (you know the kind, recessed into the ceiling) which was not good for me LOL!!! WOW talk about challenging yourself right out of the box! I have not done any "photography" other than family and friends so yeah I was freaking out!! On top of never having done this before there was well over 60 people!! It was pretty tricky but I think I got quite a bit I can use for them....

What a great group of friends they are!!


Don't they all look so sweet!?!?



NOT!!! They are a hard bunch to control LOL!!



I love them all!! They are so great to me~



This is one of my mom's friends whom I just adore!

Amazingly Funny, She is!!!

Friday was my big brother's (only sibling) Birthday!! He is 4 years older than me and I love him to pieces!!! He has always gone out of his way to try and protect me and especially since my Dad passed away he really takes care of me...I love him very much!!! So what he wanted for his Birthday?!?! You'll never guess, because I'm pretty sure I've never heard anyone request this before....He wanted our whole family to get together and have a Monopoly tournament party!! So that we did!!

OK so the party was today and we of course were an hour late....Hubby is in TX at a reunion for his family and friends from his whole life...Yes we should probably be there but to be honest I couldn't bear to miss my bubby's Birthday. The last Birthday party I missed was my dad's 50th Birthday party and I missed it because we were in TX at a family reunion for Hubby's family...SO when my dad passed away just 3 months to the day from his 50th Birthday I just felt and still feel guilt from missing his party, I know he wanted me there...But I also needed to be with Hubby and his family as of course they are very important too!! His Grandma is the greatest lady, I wouldn't have wanted to miss it. But this time I just really needed to be here for my bubby, he doesn't do much for himself and the fact that he planned this whole party with prizes included LOL!!! Well that means it meant something to him..

So anyhoo, you all know I LOVE my family!! They are the greatest group of people on earth to me!! Friday was actually bubby's Birthday so the rest of the family went to dinner at this local Italian restaurant, we didn't get to go to that as DD had a rodeo...So when my mom was heading to the dinner she mentioned that she was going to get my Granny, and I said WHAT?!?! She's going to his B-day dinner but she wouldn't come to mine?!?! Well Granny didn't like the place I had chosen but she loves the place bubby chose so she went (it really didn't bother me, she had a party for me at her house afterwards)!! So I told mom to tell Granny I wasn't feeling real loved right now!! So when I get to the party today I walk in and she has cotton in her ear....And when I say cotton I mean pouring out of her ear....She held the door open for me and I noticed the cotton and thought "OH NO, she must be having dizzy spells again from an ear ache or something", she wouldn't really look at me so I thought WOW she really doesn't want to be here!! So finally I get everything unloaded and head to find her sitting on the couch so I go over and put my arm around her and I say "Granny, what is wrong with you?!?! Why do you have cotton in your ear"?!?! Somebody else says "she has an ear infection" I'm like "really"?? Granny finally says WHAT?!?! Like she couldn't hear with the cotton in her ear and so she pulls it out and then reaches to her other ear and pulls out MORE and she says "well I was afraid my ears would hurt"....I go huh?!?! She says "well your mom told me you were upset with me for going to bubby's dinner and not yours, so I put the cotton in until you would be done giving me a hard time....But I see it didn't work because your to busy being worried something is wrong with me" LOL, LOL, LOL, OH MY GOSH!!!! Everyone is rolling laughing and she said that she had been waiting for me to get there so they could play this joke on me but when I got there she couldn't look at me because she was afraid she might laugh LOL!! So I told her she's definitely gonna get it now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My J and ornery Granny!!!



So now all's I need to do is come up with a back at her plan LOL!!! Man I love them!!!

Busy Day!!!

So this past Friday I celebrated my 31st Birthday!! And I am so blessed with my Birthday because my family and friends always try to make sure I have a wonderful day!! I am such a Birthday freak LOL, I love them and I don't care that it makes me another year older!! My friends and I used to go to this country music festival called Country Stampede it's held in Manhattan KS. And never fails it always landed within my Birthday week, so the girls always allowed me to go from "a Birthday day" to "a Birthday week" Ha who wouldn't love celebrating their Birthday for many days LOL!!

So Friday I had to get my hair colored, I'd had a bit of a hair fiasco....My hair is generally dark red w/some blond highlights (my natural color is blonde, but I LOVE red)!! Well I was having some shampoo issues because I have used the same product called Grund, which I absolutely love but I can't use the same product for over a year because then my hair gets oily when I wash it EVERY day!!! So I had gotten some different shampoo from my stylist but this shampoo has color in it, it's called "watercolors" and it actually deposits color when you wash your hair!! Which I of course picked one called "crimson red" because I want red...Right?!?! Well I knew I was risking turning the blonde pink but I had hoped it would get red after a couple of washes, well after wash # 2 I decided I wasn't going any further.. My blonde was officially pink LOL!! So I wore a hat all week and got it fixed Friday!! I didn't do any blonde this time it's all dark red with dark brown lowlights.. Hubby really prefer's my hair to be blonde but he says I still look pretty LOL!! So that problem fixed!!

So Hubby had been out of town all of last week and got home on my Birthday, Friday. He was so sweet to bring me Birthday presents, even if he stopped at my rival's store to buy them LOL!! He said "well I had to check out the competition, right"?!?! But the thought was nice right?!?! So he got me the cutest sign that says "Horses Are Like Potato Chips You Can't Have Just One"!! We always joke about the fact that I need that shirt that says "I do not need another horse, I do not need another horse, etc"!! it's kind of true :~) And he got me the prettiest Brighton bracelet that is called "Love Rocks" oh I just LOVE it!! So then of course Friday night we had DD's rodeo and my Mama brought out a delicious Banana cake for us to eat!!

So sweet!! And OH SO true LOL!!



I just love this cute bag that my bracelet came in!!



Here it is!! My "Love Rocks"!!



So then Saturday night we went to my favorite restaurant called Strouds, I know my KS girl's know what I'm talking about?!?! Some of my family was there and it was so much fun, unfortunately DD was gone to camp so she didn't get to come:( Sadly I for some reason just couldn't eat so I did not enjoy their lucious food like I usually do as I only ate a little :(

Then we went to my Granny's and had cake and ice cream and more family time!! It was so much fun, I love my family!! We always have such a blast together and EVERYONE in my family made my Birthday fantastic!! I hope everyone is as blessed as I am!!

My Bubby and his GF!



My MIL, J, my nephew SB, and my Granny!!



My Granny, my Mama and I



My handsome Hubby and I!! And yes he has a horrible tan line :( He was on a rooftop in the 100 degree weather for a week!!



My J and I!