I made an obstacle course for our kids in the backyard. Our eldest was having a grand old time. Perhaps we have a future tough mudder on our hands.
Monthly Archives: February 2014
Magic Carpet Ride
Monday marked the first time our little one went skiing. She was very apprehensive at first but she warmed up to the idea of skiing. I was told that she did a great job. After spending the morning on the slopes, I checked in on her after lunch. I didn’t see her on the instructional slope. I was picturing her screaming, and uncooperative with the ski instructors. I entered the Wolf Pup lodge and I see her eating her lunch. The people told me that she fell asleep during lunch and had just woken up from her power nap. I was so relieved. I went back out to the slopes and came back to watch her and videotape her on the slopes.
I also have to include our eldest child zipping down the beginners hill. It doesn’t show it in the video, but for some reason she felt more interested in eating snow than anything else. Maybe she is getting board with her level and needs to be bumped up to the next one.
Fake It Till You Become It
So this is interesting because I have never felt powerless. I’ve never had to fake it. In fact, I’ve always felt “tall.” One of my friends actually had to tell me that I was actually kinda short. That was a surprise to me! I don’t even think about my body language. I would be interested to see how some of my friends who feel powerless would feel about these poses and this science.
~the Wifey
Tips for shooting landscapes..
1. Get up early!
I’m not very good at this one but it definitely does pay to get that early morning light when the sun is low in the sky and the shadows are long. Evenings are also good when the sun is going down but dawn light can be unexpected and often spectacular.
2. Look behind you!
It’s easy to see what’s in front of you but it’s also easy to miss that spectacular shot that’s going on behind you as the light hits the trees. Be aware of your surroundings and try not to miss it.
3. Plan ahead.
Software is available that will help you plan your shoot. The Photographers Ephemeris can show you any location in the world and where the sun will be in relation at any given time.
The Sundroid app is simple and will tell you, for any given location, what time sunset…
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Framed
Last week the topic for my weekly photo challenge was framed. Wifey, the creative GENIUS, came up with the idea of using one girl to frame the other girl. Anyway, what do you think.
I’m reminded of a story from when I was either two or three years old. I had a pair of scissors and I cut a patch of our carpet. My mother was about to spank me for cutting the carpet, but I said
“you mean it won’t grow back”
I adverted trouble, because I was so CUTE and thought it was grass.
“With great power comes great responsibility.”
No secret I’m a super hero movie freak! I’m also a girl. There aren’t a lot of prominent girl superheros. However, I’ve noticed one thing: whenever the super hero man needs a boost, many times, it’s the kiss of his lady that gives him that confidence to go out and take on the world. This is not a myth.
We as women wield great power. Our power isn’t just that with 10 seconds and a teaspoon of man juice, we can replicate human DNA. Although that is an awesome super power, it’s not the one I’m talking about. I’m talking about the power of love (and not he 80’s power ballad.) Women can give a man confidence. Like magic, when we say something, do something, show our man he is THE MAN, he can go out and accomplish great things because he is going out in confidence.
Inversely, with this great power comes great responsibility. We are responsible for taking that power from him if we choose. Every time we disrespect him, cut him down, refuse to extend our love and assurance – we are abusing that power. Be careful, ladies. It’s a great thing we have an awesome responsibility we wield.
It’s not like our man doesn’t have power on his own. It’s not like we don’t either. But together, we are a complete superhero!
~the wifey
*all images were found via google
Skiing Time
The almost four year old was very nervous at first. She didn’t want me to leave her side. But once she started outside, I snuck away. I’m about to check in on her this afternoon. I hope she is having a good time.
Off to the Slopes
Today marks the first time our soon to to be four year old hits the slopes. I’m hoping she has a good time. She likes to do her own thing, hope that doesn’t cause frustration with her ski instructor. I’m looking forward to the skiing and hopefully taking our soon to be six year old off the bunny hill. Updates to follow.
Negative Space
Why do we spend so much time talking about what we DON’T like or want? Why is there more emphasis on what we hate than what we love?
This is an issue when we are criticizing another human being – when we as parents spend more time admonishing our children than praising them or when we as teachers only have time to speak with our students when they are misbehaving, or when we as spouses only speak to each other to suggest or voice “concerns.”
However, I truly believe we as human beings come by it honestly. We are our own harshest critics. Without getting into how hypocritical we can become in this art, I see it like this: negative space is the white in a photograph or the black in a velvet Elvis. Negative space is what is cut away from a sculpture or what is noticed by artists to make the subject more prominent. In essence, negative space is what is not there that reveals what is. (In the above picture, most would say the photo is of the moon, but there is less moon subject matter than the sky. The huge “negative” sky reveals the solitude of the moon.)
From what do we learn more – what we WANT to be or what we DO NOT WANT to be? It’s just easier to see and remove what we don’t want from our lives. Inversely, we do need to add stuff back in so we don’t become empty shells but removing what we do not want is something that makes it easier to see who we want to become. By removing judgmental-ism, it is easier to see the acceptance. By removing the media addiction, it can be easier to see what our time could and should be spent on. By removing the hate, it is easier to see who we need to love.
Family Tradition
So, our three year old is definitely an Adams child. She has joined the ranks of her father and uncles. We spent hours in the ER as kids with all kinds of cuts which required numerous stitches. We knew the hospital staff by their first names, and they knew us. I think we made our mother embarrassed, because she worked at the same hospital we frequented. I’m surprised they didn’t name the hospital after us. But we have fond memories, and great stories to tell.
Life and Photos by Andy 