AHHHHHH

I am so not ready for CKU. I spent most of last night scanning and digging for pictures to use. I have none printed, but that is because I don't have time to order them. So I will have to stop along the way and print them off. I am going to buy a nice photo printer though when I am on my trip so I can print off my own pictues when I need them. Now to decide what kind to get. I am not sure how much I would use a larger format one that does the 12 x12 prints although man that would be sweet.

Tonight I will be finishing my homework for my albums class by scanning and burning a disk with my pictures on it. Yea I have finished the dorm center piece or most of it anyway.

3 days and counting.

In just three short days I will be on my way to Wisconsin to see my dad!! I haven't been out to see him since I was there in August 2004. I am leaving Friday night after work. I get to stop off and have a little fun along the way. I am finally getting to met my friend Shevy IRL. I have known her for a couple years now online. I can't wait to meet her. Than I am hanging with my neice Tina and her boyfriend that afternoon before heading over to hang with my dad for three days.

Than I will be off on my adventure to Chicago. I get to go to CKU-Chicago which is an albums. I can't wait. I am meeting up with another online friend, Beth while I am there. Than going to pick up Ann, a friend I met last year at CKU in Minniapolis. We are roaming together at CKU this year. It will be so great to see everyone. I am in the junkits album track and will post pictures of my albums when I get back.

My new laptop.

My new toy!! I got a new laptop on Friday and I love sitting on the couch hooked up to the wireless just yacking it up with friends and surfing the net!! This thing is amazingly fast.

One thing great is it will let me sit in a motel and watch dvd's or the kids can when they are on the road!

Becoming a girly woman

Well I have officially done it!! I had my nails done for the first time. I have never been much of a foo foo girl, no primping and pampering for me. I finally decided I needed to take better care of myself and so my daughter and I went and got acrylic nails yesterday. I am kind of enjoying them but working to get use to them. I even got them green this time in preparation for st pats day celebrations next week.

Today is the day. I am going to spend the rest of the day doing homework and preparing for my albums class at CKU-chicago that I do the end of the month. I have waited till the last minute!!!

My photography class

I am taking a photography class at www.betterphoto.com and I am loving it. At first I thought I knew enough about digital cameras that I really didn't need to take a beginners class. Boy was I wrong, I have learned to many things, mostly I have learned the reasoning behind the things that I have been doing through trial and error. This week we were working on taking action shot pictures by adjusting the shutter speed on the camera and changing the apature. Oh man I love this picture of my son.
http://www.betterphoto.com/gallery/dynoGallDetail.asp?photoID=1705691

I am learning so much and really enjoying it. I am actually looking forward to taking more classes.

The joy of winter.

Pictures will have to posted later!

I love winter. I absolutely love this time of year when they heavy wet snow comes down. The trees are all white and hanging there covered in snow. It is always so pretty for the first couple hours after a snow fall. We are getting dumped on with snow today and it is in the pretty stage. I am sitting here looking out the window of my office at work seeing the trees covered in snow. The ground is still so white and pure. We are suppose to get about 4 inches. Hopefully it will still be nice enough after I get off work to go out and take some pictures. Only one more day of work this year!! I am so looking forward to another long weekend.

Resolutions

Okay we all make them. I am bad about making them and breaking them right away. This year I decided I would do a layout about my resolutions and hang it up in my house so I see it every day and have to think about them. This way maybe I won't be so apt to break them right away. I journaled about my resolutions and things I want to accomplish this year. I will see how far I get. My main goal is to get healthier than I am by watching what I eat and exercising. I tried to set realistic goals.

Okay on a totally different topic, I am getting so excited about the new year. I signed up for 2 different classes this year to help me with my scrapbooking. One is a photography class that will help me expand my knowledge and challenge me to take better pictures. I am taking a digital photography class at betterphoto.com. I can't wait till it starts on the 4th of January. On January 1st my year long scrapbooking class with Donna Downey from Big Picture Scrap booking will start. I am so excited about this class and can't wait. I set my goal to scrap at least one layout every week. I should be able to meet that goal with school and everything else going on in my life.

Back to work tomorrow. My three day weekend went way to fast.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Yea it is here. Christmas morning. I love the holidays, the excitement, the sense of togetherness. Well we have that all year long, but it seems more intense during the holidays.

Christmas is such a great time of year. Things are good. We are about to embark on a new year. I have to start giving some thought to what that new year will bring.

I finally broke out my wishblade yesterday and used it. I bought the thing clear back in September, but was so busy with school that I didn't even have time to try it out. I finally got it out yesterday, hooked it up and used it to cut out some letters for new layouts I am working on. Merry Christmas all.

2 days and counting

Only 2 more days till Christmas. I love the holidays. I love looking at my tree and enjoying the warm glow it casts over the room. I could sit for hours and just watch the lights twinkle. I think this intense joy of the holidays comes from the fact that I never had Christmas till I was 19 years old. I grew up in a house where Christmas was not celebrated and the holidays were just another day.

I love sharing the joy of the holidays with my kids, but I don't like the commercialism of it all. I am not a shopper so I don't enjoy that part. I love the meaning and the feeling in the air of the holidays. I love the reflection time it brings about. I scrapped a page last night about my first Christmas in 1987. It was alot of firsts, because not only was it my first xmas, but also Amanda's first Christmas and the first Christmas we spent with my husband Sam. What a great holiday. It is a time to be with family and friends. Merry Christmas all.

Waiting for January....

I can't wait till the new year. I am so excited because yesterday, I signed up for my first photography class online. I love taking pictures and have decided that I want to take my photo experiences to the next level. I want to expand on my knowledge behind the camera. I just got my new Minolta Maxxum 7D and I love it. I am going to be listing my Minolta Dimage 7hi on ebay this week and hopefully I will get enough I will have a great start on a new lense for my camera.

It is amazing to think that Thanksgiving will be here next week and than on to Christmas. I am looking forward to the holidays this year. I will be done with my classes in just a couple weeks!!!!! Happy day to all.
Mary