It's all about the SHOES

Lately, I've been noticing shoes. This could be due to the coming change of seasons, when I start to think through what horrid capri's and dress barn casuals are in my closet (not that there's anything wrong with dress barn!). But I'm gonna be real honest with you, I'm tired of flats. I've worn flats all my life, only breaking out of the rut about once every 5 years to throw on a pair of toe crunching, arch ripping heels. It's just that if I do, I would be a towering 6'1" or even 6'2" wearing a pair of Christian Louboutin's with the signature red sole.
*sigh*
For those of you who wish they were tall... it really is kinda nice. I can reach for the peanut butter on the top shelf and inadvertently find a stash of someone's chocolate. So, it does have it's benefits.
But, shoes. Oh, those shoes... I've decided to go try on a few new pair tonight. I'll let you know if you should find another hiding spot for your chocolate.

(By the way, these shoes are not my shoes... They were kicked off by a sweet young Mom during her photo session...They just got me to thinking.:))

Winter in the Water

With all this cold around here, the last thing most people think about is having a little fun in the pool. Well, these girls have spent most of their winter with their face in the water. Pushing each other in when it's just too cold, countless miles of lap after lap, mile after mile of driving to the pool, trading swim meets for time hanging out with their friends, pasta parties, etc... It's all just a glimpse of this brand new Logan-Rogersville Swim program. And it's quite a story. Just one year ago, we didn't even know if there would be an organized team. Last weekend, they took to the starting blocks at the STATE High School Swim meet in St.Peter's, MO! TWO of our swimmer's qualified in individual events, and the relay team qualified in 2 relay's! Not bad for the first year of even having a team. I could go on and on - I am a proud parent, ya know. (My girl was on the relay team) However, I cannot close without a huge, gigantic SHOUT OUT to all of our supporters. This community came together and raised over $30,000 in 5 short months to make this happen!!! With all the budget cuts, there was no way for our school system to fund a new swim team. Hopefully, in the future, the success of the teams will encourage school funding for swimming to be permanent, and this opportunity can be there for all the little girls and boys just now learning to put their face in the water.

NOW ABOUT THESE PICS:

I had to beg, plead, and offer my right arm to go through approval of getting a media pass for MSHSAA winter sports. This allowed me to be right down with the action, on deck to capture all the Springfield and area swim teams. Me being a parent was an automatic kickout. However, I took all these images for a publication called OZARK PREPS ILLUSTRATED. That made it legit for me to be down there, and after the "you are MEDIA not a PARENT" speech from the coordinator, I got my pink tag! YEAH! Sports photography is always such a rush for me! And no, I did not jump up and down when my own daughter dove in the pool. The KC Star, and St. Louis Post Dispatch personnel would've looked at me funny.

THE LENS. WOW> THAT LENS WAS AWESOME. I used a Canon EF L 70-200 f/2.8 zoom lens which weighed more than my car. I think it's totally worth it!

TWINS!

Awww, the yumminess of a little baby - only DOUBLED! This session went very well, with the lttle girl, Hattie, sound asleep and little Walter wide awake the entire time. Hey, I was just thrilled he was happy! Full tummies just do that.

Thanks to my helpers... Ally, big brother, grandma, Aunt Shannon... Everyone just jumped in and did a little something to make this happen! THANKS GUYS!

Winter Hike

I have so many, many pics of this snow - and frankly, I think we are all a little tired of them. But it won't be long till the big MELT and it will all be MUD. I say, let's enjoy it while it's so pretty and worry about our nasty cars later.
So last Saturday, I woke up and immediately headed outside with my incredible husband! I love that we both love to do things like this together. We headed out the back door, checked on the horses watering source, and went to our neighbor's house. Armed with the highest snowboots, 2 cameras, extra lenses for fun, a dry towel, and chapstick - we headed off! And let me tell you, it was a work out!!
Enjoy these shots, I know I sure enjoyed the process of going to find them!

At the Piano

This was what I was born to do. Music, play it, sing it, write it, share it...

If you know me, you know there's always that tune in my head, kinda annoying, really. And a bit distracting, especially if I'm trying to do normal things, like give directions to my house or tell a joke.

So I made a goal to enter a photo contest once a month. This month's challenge was "self portrait." I think every contest out there begins January with a self portrait theme. But honestly, I kinda struggled with this. For one, the time got away from me. No problem, I'm good at procrastinating, and can pressure it right in tonight. Before the snowmageddon11 hits. Before I lose power out here in the sticks. But also, I just seemed to do all these overly posed sets. Yuk. No one really likes a shot of themselves, but especially not one that's slightly blurry and dorky. So, here is my feeble attempt at being creative... while I create. Music, that is. I combined the first thing I ever really loved to do, with my second favorite thing to do (don't worry - FAMILY is still my first love and highest priority!). Hopefully, it's a good rendering. Cause now there's a new song stuck in my head.