I....can.....do.....this

I am determined to push myself and see where this passion of mine will finally take me.  I want to stop talking about what I love and start doing what I love.  Photography. I ordered (and just received!) my business cards, made a facebook site, got a business phone number and created a business email account (the email and new phone number are tied into my cellphone so I know what is work and what is personal... have to stay somewhat organized).  I can't make up my mind on the website so I think I will hold off for a couple months.  The time will also allow me to hopefully build up a current "digital" portfolio so I have photos to put on the site.  I am loving the new camera... so much to learn when you change cameras let alone mediums you are using.  It has helped me so much to have sold cameras for the last 8+ years, but with that knowledge it has also held me back too.  You get caught up in the consumer side of things were you tell yourself you need the best camera, the best this, the fastest that, but really you need a solid knowledge of photography and your gear and with that you can get amazing results.  When I did sell cameras I had some of my best sales and customers when I helped them realize they didn't need a camera, but that they needed an accessory whether it was a lens or a flash or a filter and to learn their gear better.  What I am trying to say is I have held myself back long enough and I need to put this stuff that is raddling around in my head and make it come alive in photographs.
Right now I have downloaded Lightroom 3 and am teaching myself the side of digital photography that I have been dreading... (duhn, duhn, duhn!)... editing.  I have really impressed myself that I haven't needed Cameron's help (he is good at the tech stuff) and I have created some finished products that I am happy with. 
If you are already my facebook friend I am sure you have seen them already (I originally posted the photos with no edits, but I deleted those and re-posted the ones with the edits).  Check out Tondre Photography on facebook.  I will post photos from shoots as well cool stuff within the photography industry.

 

Photo taken at Tumwater Falls April 23, 2011

Clay Muffin Pan

Here is the muffin pan I made in the class Shalisa and I took in Shelton.  Haven't used it to actually make muffins yet and it turned out a little shallow so it will probably will be a muffin top pan, but it still turned out cute.

Stormy Weather and To Do Lists

     Well it has turned out to be a pretty stormy day today.  Lights are flickering because the wind is blowing so hard.  But none the less it has been a great day so far.  It started with Cameron bringing me a coffee in bed as he was heading out the door to work.  I woke up and snuggled on the couch with coffee and current book in hand.  You would think I would have more me time since being unemployed, but my day never seems to turn out that way.  So this morning was much needed and a very nice start to my day.
      Yesterday I got a bee in my bonnet to do some "light" cleaning.  One thing lead to another and I emptied 5 more boxes from the office room, hung up a painting, vacuumed the whole apartment, did the dishes, all the laundry, rearranged/tidied the bedroom and then made dinner.  All in all I felt very good about getting some projects crossed off my list of to dos.  Today I am trying to get motivated to put some things on Craigslist that I have been meaning to do for the last few weeks, but keep putting it off.  My next big project I want to tackle is setting up a filing system for our import paperwork.  I am tired of the endless paper piles.  You check the mail and then you have another one!
     Update on the crazy robin that was diving into our window:  As long as shades are down it doesn't fling its self into the window anymore.  If shades are up then he is back at it.  Weird.
     Any who..... anyone want to come for a visit?  See the new place?  We miss everyone and love visitors.
(I made almond poppy seed muffins for Cameron a couple days ago and this is the coffee he brought me)

A birthday boy and a get together

     On Friday it was Cameron's 31st birthday.  Where does the time go?  I took Cameron to The Spar which is a McMenamins for lunch and then he went to his first ever boys game night with his brother in law Ryan.  Game night is where they play board games of all types (and I am not talking not chess and checkers, the games they play can easily take an hour to play) and can go into the wee hours of the morning.  And on Saturday we had the house full for a birthday get together with his parents, Shalisa and Ryan and their two girls and Brian and Shannon and their four girls.  It was cozy, but it worked out just fine.  Great meal thanks to Martha and Shalisa.  I baked the cake and 7 layer bars which were a hit as well.  Thanks everyone for making Cameron's day special.

      Cameron and I watched the girls afterwards while Ryan and Shalisa went out.  The girls picked out the movie we watched and then had snack time.  (last picture is of us watching a movie)  It was so much fun being silly and spending time with them. 

      

   

Olympia

     Ok I really am no good at this blog thing.  Writing whether blogging or commenting is not my strong suit.  I am afraid of sounding stupid or frustrated because I can't get my thoughts to come out right.  Well lets give this another go and hopefully I will be a better blogger both posting and commenting.
     Well we are in Olympia where there are a lot of ...... well lets say interesting people so I don't offend anyone.  Trying to get the lay of the land and getting settled in has been keeping me busy while Cameron is at work.  I have been cooking dinners every night.  So far I have mastered the crock pot (made beef, carrot and potato stew), made killer asparagus and chicken stir fry to name a few.  Cut Cameron's hair for the first time (yes he still has hair).  Started doing puzzles again.  It has been different switching rolls from full time worker to house wife.  It has been an adventure.
     Before we moved we went to the Harry Potter exhibit thanks to his parents for Cameron's early birthday present.  It was snowing the night we were loading up the truck and the day we were moving in.  After we got everything moved in it ended up snowing 7 inches.  Now living on a hill made it a challenge to go anywhere so we got a lot of the boxes unpacked the first couple of day we were here.
     We miss our friends the most.  We aren't that far away, but it feels like it is worlds away from what we know.  I also miss knowing where everything is and where I am going.  The GPS has never gotten so much use before.
     Cameron is enjoying his new store.  Very different from what he is use to, but he is settling in quite nicely.  Thanks to those of you who have called and texted to check in on us and keep in touch. 

Winter is here

     Well winter officially came the week of Thanksgiving when we received snow and single digit tempatures.  I worked the Monday it started coming down and I take the bus into work so like any other work day I planned to take the bus.  I dressed really warm and brought my work clothes to change into.  All was well going into work, got there safely, worked a full day... then I tried to make it home... 7+ hours later with the snow going sideways I finally made it home.  But not before Cameron had to come to my rescue.  I couldn't make it all the way to my car so Cameron had to walk to the park and ride where my car was then he had to navigate the snowy roads to come and get me.  By the time Cameron and I walked in the door is was almost 3am.  Cameron was such a sport and couldn't have made it home without him.  Needless to say there are a lot of people out there that don't know how to drive in the snow.  Here are some pictures we took when it snowed.  Cameron and his dad Bill made the snow man.

Pumpkin Patch

     A couple weeks ago Cameron and I went to our first pumpkin patch together.  We picked one of the patches in Snohomish to go to.  It was pretty packed, but there still was a good selection of pumpkins to choose from.  We got lucky and had good weather to take a bunch of photos.  Enjoy!