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Hi again!! Long time no see!!
If you're wondering what has inspired me to come back to this nearly forgotten place, I'll tell you . Those of you who are close to me already know I've been working toward fulfilling my dream (that thing I never had as a child and didn't feel until I became a mother & realized "ahh ha! I do have a calling").. Breastfeeding (or in other words, becoming a Certified Lactation Consultant)!.. You all know, that taboo & socially unaccepted thing women do to nourish and comfort their babies? Well, the dream I have is to counsel these women and encourage them so they might have a positive, successful and fulfilling breastfeeding experience & at the same time, help to normalize this act and educate people on the endless physical, physiologic & economical benefits of mothers milk! What could be more important?.. after all, the very future of our society begins in the arms of a mother! Also, in addition to this very exciting endeavor of mine, I still really enjoy taking photos. In a perfect world I would have my certification in Lactation Counseling and photography would be a sidekick to my career. I envision taking a class(es)- so I might understand the never ending complex world that is pictures- and then specializing in home/hospital births, newborns & breastfeeding mommas (yes, some of us crazy ladies want those intimate moments to be captured by a professional photographer & treasured for life). But, this is not a perfect world so I have some work to do.. the road is long and I must start with one thing at a time so photography will remain a hobby, for now. With all of that said, I will be using this blog to help me not only share my photos but also, in time, I would like for it to be used as an informational resource for breastfeeding mothers. A chameleon, if you will. ;)

So, lets get started!!
I'm sharing w/ you a few photos I took recently of my good friend, Natalie, and her sweet- chubby cheek-full of energy-giggly little bundle of mischievous wonderfulness-baby boy, Chase! It's obvious there is no avoiding falling in love w/ this child!! By the way, this was my 2nd attempt at an official *amateur* photo session w/ Natalie. A few weeks ago I went to her house to take photos of her & her husband + their 3 boys.. and I, for lack of a better word, bombed it!! I learned that my previous attitude of "go with the flow" picture taking does not work on a family of 5! You need to show up prepared w/ ideas and have experience interacting w/ a larger group! Plus, have a camera that doesn't freeze up on you (naturally, I've never had that problem until I was taking photos for someone else's family)!! Good thing I'm not excepting money for my amateur services!! But, I learned a lot, to say the least, and was so glad for the practice, at her expense. :) She was a trooper!

I also have a new challenge that has been introduced to me and  has transformed what was once a fun & easy going little hobby of mine into a bit of a headache, to put it lightly. That is........ photo editing! Ryan got me a program called Corel Paintshop Pro that is slightly comparable to Adobe Photoshop and almost as impossible to learn!! There are all of these strange things called layers and curves and I have only begun to understand the very basics of it. So, all you photo editing knowers out there... be sensitive to what you're about to see!! :) And thank you to all of my dear friends who have given me such support and encouragement.. it means the world to me!!

 

 

 

 

Day 8- Technology

 

 

 

 

"One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man." ~Elbert Hubbard

"Some people worry that artificial intelligence will make us feel inferior, but then, anybody in his right mind should have an inferiority complex every time he looks at a flower." ~Alan C. Kay

"For a list of all the ways technology has failed to improve the quality of life, please press three." ~Alice Kah

Okay, okay.. I'll stop there, because we all know I enjoy my computer time as much as the next person. But, it is true.. technology has taken over and replaced the organic experience of life. Instead of meeting your future husband at the local coffee shop or, the good ol' fashion way, in a bar, we are using internet dating sites or social network. When we're upset with a friend, instead of calling her up and letting her have it, we update our facebook status. She knows youre talking about her.. and, for the record, that is the most cowardly thing a person can do!! If you really care about your friend, family member or whomever it may be, have the courage to call that person up and work the problem out!! Also, it is rude to talk on your cell phone when you're having dinner, in the car, at a movie... etc. (duh)! With that said, I'm guilty of relying on technology for many things. I use my cell phone as an alarm clock. Every morning, when the house is still sleeping, I sit at my computer w/ my coffee and read emails, then check facebook and if, for some reason, the boys wake up early or we're having a storm and the computer is down, I feel a little out of sorts. The Internet feels a lot like a life line for me. I live so far away from the ways of the world yet, with one little click of a mouse, I am connected. I can read the thoughts of others, share thoughts of my own. I can live vicariously. It's most definitely an escape & form of entertainment for me. However, nothing takes the place of real life experiences. We should all think about how technology has effected our lives and how differently our children will grow up as opposed to how it was when we were young.. back when life was simple, before Facebook and Twitter, The Kindle or iphones.. if you had something to say you wrote it down on paper or picked up the phone or said it in person.. Before the Wii, when kids played outside and used their imaginations.. when we read to our children & there was no such thing as 'an app for that'. Back when people used maps and paid their bills by mail... although, I must say, I don't miss that.. I still always seem to get myself lost and online bill pay is just fantastic. But, you get my point!!

Okay, moving on... I was very frustrated with this challenge b/c I could not get my settings right. I wanted to make the computer blur and the background stand out but, for some reason, it wasn't happening so I just played w/ the effects and thats that. I will keep trying. For tomorrow... Faceless Self Portrait.