Easter Weekend!!

******THANK YOU!!!********

For those of you who have graciously supported Rachel financially in her MS150 quest, she is very thankful as are we!  She has met her goal and has surpassed it with the generosity of many!!   It's not too late to make a donation to help fund the research for MS150 treatments and cures.  Click on the big MS150 Texas Flag Button on the right to go to Rachel's page.  She's very grateful for everyone's support!!  She'll be riding next weekend and I'll post pictures here when I can!!  

*****THANK YOU!!********** 

Now on to the regularly scheduled program......

As I sit here, it's early Saturday morning.  It's a little cool outside still and cloudy.  I've been up since 5:45 am!!  And good thing too as I had to wake up Miss Rachel who was supposed to have been awake at 5:30 am to be leaving at 6:00 am to go with the parents of one of her BFF's to Georgetown this morning for the Girl's Varsity Soccer State 4A Championship game to be played there at 11:00 am!!  (Make sense??!!)   Go Mustangs!!

Once I'm up... I'm usually up.  My brain starts going and there's no getting back to sleep for me.  I really wish I could just plop back in bed and go to sleep.  It just doesn't work for me.  I start thinking of all the things I want to do or need to do and a list starts forming.  Sometimes, there are so many things my brain starts going through, I forget the first one that started the whole thing!!  BUT .... just the mere fact of knowing there are so many "to do's" forces me up and out of bed.  Of course... the first thing on the list is coffee.  That's a must.  I do so much better with a cup of coffee flowing through the veins.  Not sure if it's the caffeine or just the comfort factor of a warm cup of coffee that really does the trick.   Next it's usually my computer time:  Reading news, emails, blogs, writing a blog, working on my blog design (which is still in progress because I'm trying to learn and design at the same time!).  Eventually, I'll get dressed and run a few errands I need to do before the big day tomorrow - Easter!!   

Baseball Update:  There was one game this week and I couldn't make it because it coincided with Rachel's flute lesson on Weds. night.  Stephen did well... had a couple of hits and brought a couple of runners and himself in for a score.  Still playing outfield mostly with not much coming out to him to field.   No games this Easter weekend!  Pick up again next week.

Photography Update:  This week has been really full in Karen's photography class.  We learned about composition rules this week.  Our assignments have been to look at our pictures (past and present) and think about how they do relative to the rules of composition and then spend some time taking pictures of willing subjects with certain compositional rules in play.   I've noticed a few things about my photos - 1) I tend to put the subject in or near the middle and not along the Rule of Thirds consistently, but do like the picture better when it follows the Rules of Thirds.  2) I'm not getting good consistent focusing at the right places and 3) Compositionally... i'm doing ok, but not getting a great compositional photo but maybe 1 out of 3 shots.  So.. that's what all the practice is for.... want to get a better ratio of great photos to not great ones straight out of the camera.

This one I like a lot.... (and not just the subject).

I have no shortage of willing subjects around here..... first and foremost is Rachel who basically is just a camera hog right now.  Teenage egocentricity!!!  I think she wants the pictures for her Facebook really and views this is a bonanza!!  Stephen tolerates it but then she's doing it and wants to join right in because he doesn't want to be left out.  The only one not terribly amused to be a subject is John.  Although funny enough, he semi complained about NOT being a subject yesterday.  So, maybe we'll see him show up in some practice shots later.

Here are some of my favorites.  If you want to see all the bazillion others I took, just click on my Flicker box on the right and you'll get to them.  Remember... I was practicing and not all are very good.

Rachel and Jesse the puppy.... 

Jesse posing for the picture.....

Rachel's so silly.... but this is her personality!!

Not sure what to call this one.... note the huge sunglasses..... 

Stephen's so handsome.... a rare calm moment.....

He was playing along with me... as I went around in a circle and took photos.

Thinking about baseball.....I think he discovered perhaps this wasn't a ball he should be playing with.  I believe it's signed by someone.... someone important.....

Couldn't stand his sister being in the tree and not him......

Have a Great Saturday all!!

MA