Photoshop Progress Report BHITG

This is for Jana. :)

Here is the Straight out of the camera shot

The light was flat and it seemed a little hazy.

I was able to enhance it by increasing the color saturation and adjusting the lighting. It actually looks MORE like the Grand Canyon than the first I think. I still wish I could have had a really awesome blue sky behind it. I have another picture of the watchtower that I will post soon that did have blue sky and the contrast between the red rock and blue sky is incredible. Still learning. :)

10 Things I learned on the way to {and from} A{e}r{o}zona...

1. That big hole in the ground is something magnificent! Even if I didn't have photographers luck.
The first time we saw it, most of it was in shadow (photoshop really DOES help!), The second day was entirely cloudy...no contrasting sky color. And the third time we 'just' missed sunset by 10 minutes. :( Better luck next time?

2. A{e}r{o}zona is where Aero lives...according to Ethan. (For those of you out of the 3 year old little boy loop, Aero is a Fisher Price Geo Trax train/Engineer and hero for all those train aficionados under 5) We searched and searched and finally found him....SHE was named Wendy and drove the The Grand Canyon Shuttle Bus.

3. When you visit Sedona...DON'T Drive an R.V. to visit this place. Yes, yes, it is something ugly backing up a 25 foot R.V. in front of an audience of compassionate tourists and gruntled locals. (At least they weren't disgruntled.)

4. Don't expect HEAT in the second or third driest state of the Union in April...or even dryness for that matter. Do expect snow and buckets of rain. :)

5. Driving a R.V. will make your husband a bit reckless or fearless. :) Even so far as parking in the opposing turn lane to support his wife's photography hobby.

6. You will get a bit nutty from being in the same vehicle with 5 kids for that period of time.

7. People might look at you strange for getting gussied up in a campground...but at least they will take your picture. (However, just as at home there is no need for EVERYONE to smile and look at the camera at the same time.)

8. Petroglyphs Rock! (Look for another post on this soon)

9. It is ALWAYS awesome to spend time with your dear cousin whom your kids adore (pictured) and her kid friendly husband (not pictured--imagine someone intensely studying the bones in the forearm.) for a weekend.

10. Blow holes that indicate the rise and fall of barometric pressure (And blow your hair nearly off your head) at ancient Indian pueblos are totally cool!

And a bonus...

11. Making memories is priceless!

Little Red Riding Hood

It's official, since I have so much extra time today I decided to register for a bike race. :)


If anyone wants to join me its June 6 in Wellsville. UT.
(Already roped my sister into it...it will be fun!)

Wish me luck it is somewhere between 35 and 38 miles that I will be dragging my spiffy Target Special Mountain Bike through. (Distance changes depending on which website page you are on.)


All proceeds go to Breast Cancer Research.

Little Red

To-Do Lists

So when you are going on vacation and are not ready and you still have shopping, packing, cleaning, laundry to do before departure and meanwhile you have to still create purchase orders, call 3 vendors, finalize a TV spot, confirm a convention demo, and a hundred other little things for work, and your life feels like a run-on sentence so you tend to write that way too.

Do you write to-do lists?

And when you do, does it make you feel more in control or does the vast quantity of individual lines of things that MUST get done in the next 48 hours seem overwhelming so you head to the Internet and waste time blogging about it?

Yeah me too.


AAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!

Urrrggghhhh! There's monkeys in my bed!

As I was helping Ethan to bed tonight we peeked in his room and there on his mattress was his sock monkey. He tensed all up got a disgusted look on his face then said, "Urrrggghhhh! There's monkeys in my bed!"

Don't you just hate it when you are already to fall asleep and you find monkeys in your bed? Me too. Apparently so does Ethan.

I think everyone should have a 3 year old. They are very useful.

• Three year olds are wordsmiths.

Ethan, "Mom, is it raining outside?" "No, it's not raining."

Ethan, "Is it snowing?" " No, it's not snowing."

Ethan, "Is it darking?" As I look out to our backyard as night falls, I say "Yes, it is darking"

Darking should be a word, very descriptive and useful. It is now fully ingrained in our vocabulary.

• Three year olds are compassionate.

Savanna was tired and having some trouble (crying uncontrollably) getting ready for bed. Ethan noted that and commented, "Savanna's being weird" with a suitably concerned look on his face. I said, "No, she's just tired" He thought for a minute then said, "She needs a president." "A president?" I say, "What kind of president?" "A blue one." "Really", I comment. Then I remember to him, presidents are boxes with wrapping paper that contain really great things. He adds," A big one". "What should be in Savanna's president," I ask. Thinking, he says, "A wobble bopper." I'm not sure what a wobble bopper is, but I was impressed with his gift giving mojo. There is some lucky little girl out there that will get a great gift giver as a husband.

• Three year olds are enthusiastic!

Every now and then when you ask Ethan a question, he assumes the position of a thinker with his eyes locked on a far off object and his pointer finger firmly planted on his chin. He then says, "Hmmmmmm, I've got a great idea!"

• Three year olds are logical (not).

In answer to the age old question...Who...(spilled the milk, spread play doh all over the living room floor, stuck the cat in the closet---your pick of questions) I hear:

"I DID didn't do it!"

Soooo..are you guilty or not? Do I see a law degree in his future?

• Three year olds are affectionate.

Nowhere more so than church. As we sit listening to the speaker, often Ethan will sit on my lap and make an attempt at a make out session. It is INCONCEIVABLE that a little boy should kiss his mom anywhere but the lips. Try to slide a cheek in and you will get a quick head correction. Lips to lips that's the only way. And one kiss is never enough. Rapid fire kissing is the only way to go.

• Three year olds are sweet as can be and a surefire way to melt a Mommy's heart.

One night as I was doing my nightly check Ethan's blanket had slid off. As I gently placed it back over him he lifted his head a little and groggily said, "Thank you Mama"

No...Thank you Ethan.

My favorite customer

I have a favorite customer. His name is Carmelo. He's from Peru and has a cousin's nephew's niece's, second aunt's neighbor's friend who is in the homeland . She is the pride of all who know her and is diligently studying at a fine culinary school. Carmelo, because he is in the U.S. has been designated as the go to man for everything culinary. He takes his job seriously.

I think I'm his best friend. I'm not saying that because I have a big head or anything, its just that IF he were to have a cell phone I'm pretty sure I'd be in his fave 5...I'm definitely on his speed dial...well if pay phones had speed dial I would be.

You see, he thinks SO highly of me that he knows that I will be sitting by the phone awaiting his call. Say at 9:30 Friday night, or 9:32, or 9:34. Or if I'm not available then, then I certainly will be at say 7:38 Saturday morning, or 7:40, or 7:42. You get the idea. And he always leaves me such great messages.

"Hellooo, It's me, Carmelo. Do you remember me?"

Honestly Carmelo, could I forget you?? You are ingrained in my cerebral cortex and woven into my heart from the 20-30 times we have conversed on the phone. Our relationship now spans many months and multiple updates of the culinary challenges that lie in wait.

Carmelo's cousin's nephew's niece's, second aunt's neighbor's friend WAS studying cake decorating but she has progressed now to candies. I wish her all the best. I know she will do well because, how could you not with Carmelo's support.

And, if you truly DO love me Carmelo, how about sending me some of those delectable delights?

Angels?

Granted, my kid's guardian angels work overtime some days. Sierra's was especially busy between the years of 2 and 4. She was the one that would climb on the table, strip and dance running very close to one edge and back to the other. Or she would manage to climb up and pull the butcher knives out of the knife block at the very back far corner of the counter top, or she liked to start the blender up and make a little honey and pepper smoothie. Emily, Tim, Savanna and Ethan have all had their moments...but once in awhile, you know, the angels have to call in back up.

Yesterday, it snowed...like it has just about every day since it became Spring. Yes the weather got stuck in some unnatural time machine and threw us back to January 10th at the season change. And, when it snows...my driveway which faces north and sits at a 38 degree angle (give or take a few degrees--see the not-so-steep bottom of the driveway here bottom picture on the right)gets snowy...and it doesn't melt. And when it snows and thaws for a couple of days in a row it gets icy and slippery and in short treacherous.

I had taken the big kids to school and had parked my van at the top of the hill, parking brake intact as always. Ethan was shoeless so I carried him in the house while Savanna negotiated getting out the driver's side passenger door. She was just climbing over the last hurdle to get out of the door as I dropped Ethan off inside. To my horror the car suddenly slid down the driveway. Somehow, miraculously, it stopped at the sidewalk rather than rushing across the street to the neighbors. I screamed, Savanna froze. As it stopped she climbed out with a scared look on her face. I made sure she was alright then we re-parked the car and went inside.

That's when it hit me. Savanna was probably 15 seconds and maybe a foot away from climbing out of the car. Had she been doing that when the car slid she undoubtedly would have been slung under the car where she would have either been seriously injured or even killed. Additionally, the car should not have stopped where it did. The front half of the car was still at a serious angle and despite having the parking brake on it was not a natural way to stop.

I started to shake, then cry, then dry heave. I was inches away from losing my baby, my girl, my sweetheart. I literally shook and cried for more than half an hour. It was a involuntary, yet natural physical reaction to the situation. I have never before experienced quite that feeling. You always have the thought that 'things like that' don't happen to me. But they could.

Apparently it was time for another reminder, a wake up call, a scary nudge from beyond...remember the things that are important. Don't let them pass you by.

If the question is...Do angels exist?

My unequivocal answer is...Yes!