Still Here

For those of you who may have been wondering, yes, we still exist. :) It's been forever since we've done anything on here, I know. Of course life has been happening during our lack of writing, and we are all happy and well here.
Jeremy has a crazy schedule this fall semester, and is barely home at all. He is gone from morning until 9:00-12:00 most nights. Fridays are our date nights (family date nights), because he gets home at 5:30 -- woohoo!!! :) Sundays he is home, too, so we are all able to go to church together and then to Nanny's house for family time and dinner. It's been rough for all of us getting adjusted to him being gone so long, but we are settling into a routine now. And we certainly treasure the moments we are able to share! Arianna has taken to waking up every morning, and immediately saying, "Daddy working". I think it's been especially hard on her getting used to him not being around as much.
Arianna is amazing! I love this little girl so much. You know, Dad used to always say how his love for us (me and Andreas) just grew and grew with every passing day, and each new stage of parenthood brought even greater joys. Now I am understanding this, I think. Every new experience we have together, every new discovery and accomplishment that Arianna makes, just brings greater joy to my heart. I LOVE being with her! She is like a little embodiment of everything that is good. Having her around always reminds me of what is important. She helps me remember to really appreciate the MOMENT we are in, to experience everything fully and then leave it behind and move on to the new moment and experience at hand. And I love her eagerness to learn every possible chance she gets! Wouldn't we all be so much better if we kept this desire to learn and grow throughout our lives? I am seriously just amazed by her all the time, and am so incredibly grateful to be her mother. What a beautiful blessing she is!!
When I last posted on here, I had just begun my new photography adventures. Since then I have had some sweet moments with my faithful camera companion, and have begun to more fully explore this art I love. It all seems to be happening so quickly, but I'm riding along to see where we go here. I have learned a LOT in the last couple of months, and am having fun! I have been able to photograph at the Earl and Palmer reunions, do sessions with Mindy and Craig's beautiful little family and Caleb and Logan, capture some special moments at Lea and Daryll's wedding, and all the while continue working with my favorite little subject, Arianna. :) I have purchased an editing program (Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 -- maybe someday I'll be able to invest in the all-powerful Adobe Photoshop, but for now I at least have something to work with that's decent), and have learned a lot about editing (though I still have a LOT to learn, I know). We've decided it will be worth it for me to purchase a backdrop stand, a backdrop and some lighting, as I will be offering portraits for the students at All-Star Karate. And I've decided it's time to finally make up some business cards and start offering my photography services. I'll be starting out offering a great deal compared to all the other photographers I've been able to find around here, just because I'd love to have the experience, and I feel weird charging as much as they do when I'm just getting started. I'm pretty excited about it all! If you live nearby, you'll probably be getting an e-mail about this soon, because I'm obviously going to need some people to take pictures of. :)
Okay, it's late and tomorrow is an early morning. Maybe I'll be able to get on tomorrow to post some of the pictures I've taken over the last couple of months...

A Beautiful Piece of Equipment

We finally decided to take the plunge and invest in my new camera! Why, you ask? Well, my cousin Lea is getting married in a month, and has asked me to photograph the special occasion for her. With this in mind, we decided it was time for an equipment upgrade. So on Wednesday, July 16th, we went to Circuit City and bought a Canon EOS D40.

It was quite an investment, and while it is incredibly exciting, it is also a little scary. It's a whole new ball game now. Do I really have what it takes? We'll find out... I have a LOT to learn, but am eager to begin! :)

Pretty nifty, eh?

The whole package: The camera, lens, carrying case (our old one was too small), plus an Epson Stylus Photo printer (not seen here - it came for free with the purchase). So exciting!!! :D

And now I embark on this new journey of photography...

Photographs & Memories

Last Saturday, June 7th, was quite a special day for us here. First off, it was the day Remick Underwood (some of you know him - he's a very dear friend of our family) and Amelia Yates (another good, though newer, friend of our family) were married! Yay for them! They were sealed together for time and all eternity in the Detroit Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

And second, it was the day of my first ever paid photography job. Yes folks, I was the official photographer at their wedding. It was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed it immensely.

This has actually got me thinking about the possibility of pursuing photography more. I have always loved taking pictures (Springer can attest to that)...but what if other people actually enjoy me doing this, too? I mean, maybe I could actually pursue this, have a blast, and make a little extra income for our family at the same time...

So, I've decided to become more educated on the whole subject. I'm going to be getting some books from the library, and doing whatever I can to gain as much knowledge as possible about photography and digital editing and all that great stuff. AND, I've started looking into some new camera options. So far we're looking at the Canon EOS D40 or D400 or Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi. They're pretty expensive, but if I actually find more people who want to pay me to take pictures... :)

Anyway, it's all very exciting!!

And, after getting sidetracked with the photography thing for a bit there, let me just reiterate that Remick and Amelia are married! Whoa! It's pretty crazy to think that Remick is all grown up now... He's like my little brother, only not so "little" anymore, I guess. I'm so proud of him and the choices he's made in his life lately. It was awesome to sit in the sealing room and watch as he and Amelia knelt across the altar from one another. Congratulations you two, and may your life together be filled with joy and love and laughter! We love you both so much!