from my boredom to yours...

the one drawback to my new camera is that the files are a great deal larger, so a few of my editing steps take a bit to apply. So I sit here a lot staring at a screen. So, instead of staring and getting annoyed, I'm going to write one long bullet-y blog while i wait.
you're thrilled, i know. :)

11:47pm - babies are by far the hardest to edit. their baby skin is so...challenging.
11:49 - but they're really cute so that helps.
11:50 - I got stung by a wasp during a shoot today! It hurt! But only for a bit. I just felt silly, really. Shoots, man. They're full of surprises.
11:53 - "shoots man"? did I really type that? sheesh...
11:56 - I bought a white skirt the other day because it was on clearance. White. really? Was that the best idea? no...no. Clearance racks make me do stupid things.
11:58 - But I did buy a black and gray skirt. those were good ideas. you win some. You lose some.
12:00 - one shoot done! now onto another family of beautiful girls.
12:02 - If I had a little girl, she would always be in braided pig tails.
12:06 - beginning slideshow.
12:11 - dang it! I forgot to edit a whole section of these people's pictures! aw...geez. i hate it when i'm stupid.
12:19 - wasn't that bad. I only had to edit two more.
12:28 - completed slideshow is now attaching.
12:39 - i'm sleepy.
12:46 - it annoys me when I chop peoples' toes off. Big time annoys me.
12:53 - this is by far the worst post ever.
`12:58 - I ran today. 3 miles.
1:02 - like i said, worst post ever.
1:03 - do you think we should paint the trim on our house Navy Blue?
1:04 - why do I check the pantry, freezer, cabinets and fridge a dozen times when I know nothing will be in there. Oreos don't magically appear in cabinets.
1:09 - aren't chubby toddler hands the best?
1;14 - I'm starving. And I know that's a semi colon over there in my time. I don't care.
1:15 - wouldn't it be cool if oreos DID magically appear in cabinets.
1:16 - you're still reading this?!
1:18 - lets revisit the navy blue trim - I'm talking dark navy. And just the trim on our white brick house...how much does it cost to get a house painted. Cuz, yeah, i'm not doing it.
1:24 - remember the wonder years episode where...oh my gosh! what was the main guys name?...where "main kid/narrator" said yes to painting his hot teachers house with his friends. But he did all the work?
1:25 - no. there was no point to that last one.
1:27 - Troy just saw me for the first time in an hour. He told me to type that. We're night owls.
1:28 - Troy didn't bring me oreos...just in case you were wondering.
1:30 - I changed my mind...chubby toddler shoulders are the best.
1:31 - Or their pouty lips...
1:34 - have we covered the hunger issue? starving...but what can I eat at 1:38am!!!?
1:35 - I'm going to bed. without re-reading this to see what mistakes i have...this did help me pass the time. But I apologize for the five minutes you lost from your lives while reading this...

For such a time as this...

Bullets are needed.

• i've started running again on a pretty consistent basis. It feels good. Really good.
  
• I am dying to know more about my new job. I know I've been offered 4th grade, but I don't know for sure what subject, what my room looks like, how many students I'll have...anything. I wanna know!
  
• After sending out that sprinkle email (the one posted on sprinkle's blog), i got swarmed in emails and phone calls. the result - my next available date isn't until NOVEMBER 21st! Can you imagine such a thing?! I've been really proud of myself for being firm in sticking to just thursdays and Saturdays. I have to be!
  
• We took the boys to Brown's pool yesterday. It was so fun! A little ghetto-ish, but so cool. They have a 2-3 foot wading pool that is perfect for Grant. He loved it!
  
• After seeing Megan Fox in Transformers, I began laying out. And, now that I think about it, that was about the time I started running more. Hmmm...I think I might be jealous of her. If you haven't seen the movie, you really can't understand her hotness. Really. It was ridiculous.
  
• Every once in a while I get this sick butterfly-ish feeling when I think of teaching. I'm nervous!
  
• I want my classroom to be super cool! I'm thinking photography is going to be a big part of the decor. shocking, i know!
  
• Kylah's going to have a baby in like a month!!!
• I'm going to be a teacher in like a month!
• mason is going to be in first grade in like a month!
• August is going to be a big deal!
  
• I am supposed to be cleaning house. Clearly, i'm not.
  
• my favorite word that grant says is "bug-gee" for bug. So cute. And "buck-et" And baw-baw for strawberry. really I just like any word he says.
  
• He found a sharpie the other day and colored himself green. That wasn't so cute. Eh, who am I kidding? Even that was cute.
  
• While I was trying to transform into megan fox in the back yard (get it?transform...), Grant found blue sidewalk chalk and colored the coffee table, couch, and many many walls.
  
• That brings me back to cleaning house.
• why does Grant cry every time Mason gets close to him? Despite mason's claims of "NOT DOING ANYTHING!" I'm starting to think he just might be doing something.
  
• Grant just said bug-gee. Cutest thing on this earth.
  
• Don't you think I deserve some new teaching clothes? I thought you would!
  
• but i should probably clean house first.
• This post isn't really so much bullets as it is stream of consciousness writing. Which writing teachers hate.
  
• I'm going to be a teacher! what subject!? where's my room!? Do I need to be buying folders? How many? Can I staple stuff into the walls?! Somebody help me out here!
• I've had 13 shoots in the last 12 days. Yeah. 13. 13!!! That's like 3000 pictures that I"ve taken since the 1st of July! But the cool thing? A lot are really great. Very little editing required. My new camera rocks! totally!
• I need to stop typing and start cleaning! Ugh!
  

Family Get Together - The Details

In no particular order, because I'm really not in the mood to arrange them all, here are the detail shots from the get together. Most of these do have the photoshop touch... I couldn't help it.


Great old screen doors with great old handles. There's just something comforting to me about the sound of a screen door squeaking open...

what my mom dreamed of when we were kids - 10 burners. 10 amazing burners...
The stairs leading to the pier. That's a lot of stairs when you're carrying grant.

Sunset Shot.

This is Morgan's catfish - pretty nice catch, huh?

The old wooden stairs where many a good conversation took place. Don't they just look cool? all beat up and worn down?

Another shot of the big catch...

A lone fishing pole waiting for its moment.

There was an incredibly cool, incredibly old cemetery right in our little area. Some of the tombstones dated back to the 1800's. Is was pretty neat to read what was written on many of them. And it was also heartbreaking to read how many babies were lost back long ago...

This tombstone says, if you look closely, says that this doctor was killed in 1854 due to mexican violence and was slain for Gold. Straight of a Louis Lamour book, right there...

Plates were provided by mom and I, but every family brought their own cups and bowls. We're a green family. Uh-huh. No paper goods for us. Except plasicware...but come on! Do the math - 36 people! That's a lot of silverware to wash!

What? How'd a picture of grant eating Cracker Jacks out of a
vintage cracker jacks box get in here?! weird...

I have like 12 pictures of this fence. I don't know...

How would you like to be buried between your husband and your husband's first wife?

Our cabin...this was right before packing up. We're not that messy.

a bird on the early morning lake.

One of the cabins, with the dining hall in the background.

Cabin 1, the Wildes and Bekah.

This is what all the door knobs looked like. Too cool. The whole place was just the absolute best...

Family Get Together - the people.

In no particular order whatsoever, here are the best people shots from the get together. Unedited or cropped. Which almost pains me to post them, but I'd never post them if Iedited them. Enjoy!Game playin'

Uh, no. We would never have to break into a bottle of wine with knife and pliers...while young children were present. never. Just like I would never show up a whole day early!

My son the fisherman. See...look below!

And that's Morgan, who is responsible for catching the biggest catfish of the whole trip. Here she is trying to put Mason's catch back in the water.

Troy, Bekah, Rebecca, (yes, my family is so big we've had to double up on a few names!) and Bailey

Mason, TOTALLY thrilled that mom has her camera.

Troy didn't leave the pier except to eat or sleep.

Tweens legs. :)

Bailey - owner of the best laugh ever.

The wilde family minus one fisherboy. I look hot, huh? The humidity makes my hair do great things people. wowza. It was scary. Ever seen that friend's episode where Monica's hair just gets bigger and bigger...yeah. that was me.

Rebecca

McKenzie - she and Elizabeth did the Hannah Montana Hoe Down for the entire group. They have some moves!

Troy wants to kidnap Morgan. Don't tell.

Aunt Bekah and Grant.

Me and Grant. I know. The hair is nice.

A Few of the girls - Bailey, Kenzie, Elizabeth, and Grace

Grant and Dada.

Grant LOVED these bubbles. If Troy hadn't been holding him, I have no doubt that Grant would have run right off the dock after those bubbles.

Tammie, Tania, Jennifer and Mom planning and Plotting for next year's reunion.

This year we had a cook off. The entire group was divided into teams and each team was responsible for making a meal. Then we were supposed to have a vote at the end to see who won the prize. Unfortunately, we forgot to vote so email ballots will be sent out. But, let me tell you. We ate some darn good food! Man! Above, Amber, with a baby on the hip was making 10 pounds of taco meat with fellow team mates, Amy and Bekah.

Grant sleeping. Too cute!

Little girls choosing from the plethora of homemade goodies...there was no hunger the entire trip. Oh, and that's Josh and Jon in the background playing the bean bag toss.

Jess. Aw, jess. Sleeping on his cabins front porch during the misty rain. Classic. :)

The reunion coordinators - mom and Tammie.

The dining hall was huge, easily the size of a small fellowship hall. Mom, genius that she is, brought this little car, "ollie" for the kids to ride. Grant loved riding this thing all over that big room!

Troy and I...thankfully, most of my hair has been cropped out...

Tammie and Jess

Mckenzie and Elizabeth - cousins and best friends

I was setting up for the big family shot and these were my test subjects.

more test shots...

Grant loves his gema.

The Men in our family LOVE to play this game - settlers of Catan. It's like risk..sorta...I dont' really know. It looks really complicated. There's another one they like that has to do with WWII...anyway, they love to play it together...for hours. Boys.

Learning the Hannah Montana Hoedown.

Just a few of us on our own private pier.

Amber and Bekah

These three boys were like a blur the whole trip. They just would run by, grab some food and run off again. I barely saw mason for three days. They had such a blast together.

Those were the best people shots. Next will be detail shots. Then what moisture can do in texas or "jenny takes a hike with her camera" pictures.