iMac baby!

Well, I did it, I got my new computer! Let me tell you, it's such a beautiful machine and I'm already so happy I made the switch. BUT- it's been a whirlwind past two days and I'm trying really hard to get caught up on everything so bear with me! I've got my email transitioned but I still have to migrate all of my prior messages and files over and that will take some time. I actually have both computers hooked up so I can go back to my old one as needed. My biggest thing on the Mac is that I keep moving my mouse pointer over to the very left of the screen, where my Taskbar once used to be! It's definitely relearning EVERYTHING and at times I feel a little computer illiterate as I try to navigate around the new system. The switch was not made in vain, my PC was crapping out and just couldn't handle what I needed it to do. After not having accesses to certain things, I had to go out and get a new system ASAP. So, now I'm really behind and my schedule is not letting up. So again, bear with me!

Me and the boys spent the day at the State Fair yesterday with my friend and her son. We decided to take the bus there from a park and ride and what a mistake that was! It was so stressful trying to make it there and back in time to catch the bus since they only run once an hour. On the way there, we all had to share a seat and on the way home we had to stand! I didn't mind standing but it would have been nice if someone offered a seat to my boys! They tried to sit on the floor and were flying around all over the place. This lady that was sitting kept looking at them as if being by them was such a huge inconvenience. Ugh, I was so crabby! Next year I will definitely be driving! After the Fair, I went to the Mall of America and got my computer at Apple. We stopped by my sister's house and she got my iMac all configured for me since I've never really worked with one before. I got some pointers and then we headed home. We were so wiped! We got home late and I was too tired to even play with it.

Two random pictures from the Fair and a shot I took tonight while emptying the boys' pool for the summer:

Jon and Nick

My cousin Myra came down to visit me today and we had a photo play date with her sons, Jonathan, who is 5, and Nicholas, who is 3. The boys had so much fun! Imagine four rowdy boys in my tiny studio! It was a nice visit as we really only see each other during holidays or birthday celebrations.

I fell in love.

I will soon be making the jump from PC to Mac because of this little beauty! I must be one of the only photographers who uses a PC and I can see why! I got to test drive one today at the Apple store and man, these things are incredible. The color is so amazing, I can hardly wait to see my photos truly come alive. Of course there's going to be a huge learning period but I know the change will be completely worth it.

Amy and Ryan

This was almost the photo shoot that never was! After rescheduling a couple of different times, we finally got around to taking these belly pictures before baby is born! Ryan is my husband's employer, I was supposed to shoot their wedding in September and then they found out that someone had a different agenda! Instead of a wedding, they will be welcoming a beautiful baby boy. I'm so excited and I can't wait to meet him!

A little too much Mother Nature, thank you!

We survived our second camping trip of the summer! We went with our friends Randy and Kim again and we stuck a little closer to home. We even pretty much remembered everything! We had a great big site and the area all to ourselves, not to mention the most glorious weather! Well, after all of the rain and then beautiful sun, it must have spawned off a gazillion flies so our picnic table was completely overrun with dozens and dozens of flies and a handful of bees all day long. It was so irritating! The closest bathroom was a Biff and in there, lived these three ferocious spiders! I'm not kidding you, these suckers were HUGE woodland spiders, not the kind that you occasionally see in your house. Whenever I opened the door, they would take their stance and look at me. Thankfully, they only came out at night. The first night, my husband went in there and killed them all for me, but they were soon replaced with three new ones. I am such a fraidy cat when it comes to bugs so it was very stressful to have to use the bathroom! The mosquitoes were really bad too.

Sometimes I wonder why I go camping, but I do actually enjoy it and the boys LOVE it! I like sleeping in a tent and sitting by the fire. I am a campfire control freak. I always have to be the one adding wood to the fire, poking at it, flipping the logs over, etc. No way can I just sit back and relax like everyone else! Everyone that goes camping with me knows this and allows me to do it. But to me, that is relaxing!

So, home sweet home. I did have a relaxing weekend (minus the bugs!), and only took about 3 or 4 pictures all weekend long! Can you believe it?! I took a few pics of the site after it was all set up and then put my camera away. I missed a lot of great moments (like the guys trying to cut down this huge dead log and hanging from the tree), but I was kind of taking a vacation from "work" I guess.

Chips.

Archer Farms Maui Onion kettle-cooked potato chips...

My new favorite! Do yourself a favor and try them!

Mason

Tonight, my friend Marissa brought her son in for photos at the studio. Mason is 3 now and I could hardly believe it when I saw him! It's been so long, I felt like an old grandma that only sees her grandkids once a year and can't stop talking about how big they've grown! Mason was so much fun! Marissa had sent me a picture she had taken of Mason in his skating gear and I emailed her back and said YOU HAVE TO BRING THAT TO THE STUDIO! I've never seen a skateboard so small, it was so cute! I was so in love with his fishing get-up too. I love photographing fun outfits!











































































What a mischievous look!

Ellie, Brie, and Evan

I shot these kiddos yesterday at a wonderful park in Lakeville. Ellie is 4, Brie is 2, and Evan is 11 months. How fun! The girls' personalities reminded me a lot of my boys and it's so interesting to see how birth order comes to play. The kids were so great and we ended up missing a rainstorm by an hour. Thanks guys, it was great meeting you!