Focus

Focus
Originally uploaded by buneluvr

My son is just learning to read and was excited when I told him about the secret about In-N-Out Burger and the bottom of their cups...



Sometimes, all you need is a gentle reminder about what is important

Moments

I took the day off to attend the Women's Conference and was going to be staying at a friend's house in Huntington Beach.  I was suppose to meet her, but since she was running late I decided to grab my camera and run to the pier.  

I've been burning the candle at both ends and just needed a mental break.  I just sat and watched the sunset when these birds started to walk in front of me.. I took about 50 pictures and blew the exposure in a number of them..  (I am STILL trying to learn manual exposure :(   I need a mentor! ...Anybody want to volunteer or go on a photowalk?).. But this photo came out golden.

Love that Shot...

Hi there.. I just got back from vacation and I decided to enter a contest, since it's been a while... and I REALLY want to win some Florabella goodies.  I really love the textures, they are beautiful...

This picture was taken of my son just before he went to play in the ocean.  We rented a bungalow for a few hours in the Princess Cays and I knew as soon as I saw it I would have to take a few pictures in front of it.. Thank you for looking :)
No processing was done, just straight out of the camera (Most of the time I just crop and fix exposure on Picasa.  I don't really use Photoshop because I haven't totally figured it out and it takes me a long time :-/)

Photo blog

I started to breakout my camera again and decided to start another blog of just photos... (Not so much pressure to write since I never know what to say... ) .. Let's see if I can keep up the posts ;)

I would like to write a little blurb and explain what I was thinking when I was behind the camera, but those may be lofty goals.

Here is the new site if you are interested :
Manually Exposed

Thanks and have a wonderful weekend !

Wow -- Has it been four months?

Geesh, I did it again.. Life's been pretty crazy lately and I stopped taking photos for a little while there... But, luckily I started to take time to play again. Here are a few recent shots.... I promise to get back into the swing of things shortly and update!

Make-Believe

This week's theme at I Heart Faces is "Dramatic B&W" Photo...
Here is a shot of my little guy playing dress up!

Thanks for looking ;) I'm #1238

Miracles?

I've been thinking and contemplating a lot about this one word lately. I have a necklace that I wear everyday in honor of my mom.  I have been praying for a cure for my mom for a long time.. and then one day I started thinking---
Have we been so accustomed to seeing miracles in our everyday life that we don't recognize one when it happens right in front of us?

I hope that I never take for granted the miracles that are within my life and what I have witnessed. It truly is a miracle that my mom is doing as well as she is... {Happy Birthday to my mom} :)

Play

Just wanted to share a few random shots of the boys enjoying the warm weather outside... Have a wonderful week!

All Bundled Up

This week's challenge over at I Heart Faces is called "All Bundled Up"...  I took this picture when we were prentending that we were having snow in the backyard.  Luckily, my little guy was a willing participant and played along... { He was all bundled up in 75 degree weather }

PS I'm #546 {WOW}

King for a day....

Well, it looks like I'm not doing so well in the blogging dept (again) :( .. I have so many thing to share, but not enough time to get it on the blog. I haven't had a lot of time to play with my camera either.
I just wanted to post a little collage I made of my little guy. I have a dress-up box for my boys and after Halloween I usually buy costumes on clearance. This outfit though, I bought for a USC game, but my guys never wanted to wear it... until now. I think everyone should be able to be King for a day ;)

Bubbles, Baseball & Silly String

The weather was absolutely beatiful last weekend -- 83 degrees beautiful...
After I took the boys to get haircuts, we spent a lot of time playing outside. We went to the park and they played with their remote controlled cars.  My little guy was having such a great time outside that he broke out into a little dance.
My favorite part --- introducing my boys to silly string... and watching their silly string fight.

--Bubbles, baseball, and silly string -- sure sounds like Spring is around the corner ;)
Have a great weekend

Happy Friday

I have a little secret ;)  Want to know what it is?  Then you have to go here.  Someone you know is a Guest Blogger today ;)

A Funny thing happened on the way to the dentist...

I realize that this sounds like the opening to a joke and it's a little long, but bear with me--I may not be a concise writer, but I think it's a cool story :)
  Last month, I was reading one of my favorite blogs and I jotted a little note to the author telling him that I loved his books and how much they have inspired me (see previous post below). I normally don't do this, but I really loved the 5 book so much that I wanted to let someone at Compendium know how I felt.
  Unfortunately for me, this was the week where we received the storm of the century and I had a dentist appointment.  It rained 8.5 inches in one week at my house!  If you live in California you know that a slight sprinkling is enough to cause havoc in Southern California because, well -- to put it mildly, people don't know how to drive in the rain.
  I drove to my dentist appointment in the pouring rain and couldn’t find a parking spot that was close by.  I had to settle for a spot that was a block and a half down and across the street. Luckily, there was a crosswalk nearby.  As I was crossing the street in the crosswalk (Note: it had a FLASHING LIGHT!), one car stopped for me, but the car next to it did not.  The car sped through the crosswalk and almost hit me.  Apparently he didn't see me, the car that was stopped or the HUGE umbrella I was holding.
To be honest, the experience weirded me out a little bit. When my appointment was over, I decided that this time I would walk an extra block to cross at the signal and be safe. Unfortunately it was still pouring rain and overflowing driveways + walking in the rain = I was SOAKED up to my knees.  
When I made it back to work, I got in an elevator with a really attractive man.  I figured that he was probably an up and coming actor, in the building for a casting call. He looked at me and then  made a joke at my “lovely” appearance.  I'm sure that he was probably just trying to be clever, but I was a little emotional already from my crosswalk experience, and this just put me over.
  When I got back to my desk I was on the verge of tears. I tried to distract myself and checked my email to see if I missed anything important, and to my surprise there was an unread message from Dan Zadra!
  He wrote me a nice note and we exchanged a few email messages.  I let him know that I was really looking forward to reading his One book, as soon as I could find it.  And you know what?  He asked if he could send a copy of One to me.
  I can't explain the feeling I had when he sent this to me.  He didn't have to reply to me, but he did.  He didn't have to be so kind, but he was.  He has no idea how much his email lifted my spirits.  It made my day.   It was a moment that really struck a chord with me. It was one of those "heart warming, deep breath, take it all in kinda way moments... It still brings a smile to my face as I write this   ;)
  The moral of this story - NEVER underestimate the power you have to brighten someone’s day. A little kindness goes a long, long way. Sometimes it’s the little things that make the biggest impact……a smile, a hello, a nice note.  Thank you again Dan Zadra.  Your books inspire and so do you :)

P.S. If you haven't heard of Compendium Inc, please--please peek at his website and see all that they offer.  You will not be disappointed.

Is the Universe trying to send me a message?....

First, I get a fortune cookie that says " You may soon change your line of work"

then I see this quote on Compendium's Facebook fan page:

The first step is to find out what you love--and don't be practical about it. The second step is to start doing what you love immediately, in any small way possible. --Barbara Sher

hmmm. is the Universe trying to tell me something?

A Picture is Really Worth...

Shutter Sisters had a post up today called "A Picture Really is Worth a Thousand Words." Everytime I see these two pictures of my son it makes me giggle and it makes me very, very thankful.  I know they are blurry and the exposure is a bit off, but still~ they are my favorite.

You see, as some of my friends already know, my mom was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer in November of 2007.  It truly is a miracle that she is doing so well.  She still walks and is very active even though she is in the middle of chemo....She is a very strong and a remarkable woman and still tenacious as ever.

These two pictures were taken almost a year and a half ago, a number of months into her treatment.  At the time of this picture, she had recovered from her lung surgery, had completed brain radiation and was almost finished with chemotherapy.  My young son (nickname: Mr. Mischievious) had grabbed Grandma's wig from inside, put it on and started to do the "You can't get me wiggle/dance"... Luckily, I had my camera with me...

A Photography Contest

It's the new year and I am trying to get back into photography... and on my resolution list is to enter more contests.
This week's I Heart Faces theme is your Best Face Photo (taken in December or January).

This is an idea for a Christmas card that I didn't use...I dressed my little guy up in a ton of winter clothes (even though it was 75 degrees outside.. You know Southern California weather) and had him run around the yard while I shot photos.. It was pretty funny to watch & he had a ball--
Wish me luck!  I am # 694 (YES, almost 700 entries WOW!!)

Have a great Tuesday!

Christmas Photos

Christmas tree
Originally uploaded by buneluvr

I was looking through some photos over the weekend and thought I would post a couple of pics that I took at Disneyland~

The first is a picture of the Christmas tree on Main Street... and the second is a picture of Jack from the Nightmare Before Christmas

The Secret to Happiness

I found the secret to happiness.  Where do you say?  I found it HERE and I'm carrying it with me everywhere I go (it's in my purse).  Would you like me to share it with you?

Five Simple Rules For Happiness:
1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less

How wonderfully simple & perfect, huh? I LOVE it!
Enjoy today...

*If you are in Burbank, please drop by Mindful Nest.  It is a WONDERFUL store.  Very inspirational and filled with one of a kind items that are made by local artists.  I spent over an hour in there!  You will not be disappointed ;)

What Are You Afraid Of?

I've been finding myself seriously thinking about freelance work as a photographer, maybe doing something on the side, but there is one thing holding me back.. Fear. You see, I'm a big chicken.  Recently, I've had a few people ask me to take their photos and I've had a friend ask me to do a little freelance work, but I've declined.  When I seriously think about it, I get scared and nervous. 
  As I drove into work this morning, I found myself asking... What are you afraid of?... So I thought I would write what my fears are, no matter how stupid or silly they sound. 
I'm afraid of the WHAT IF's

....I screw up and the client doesn't like the photos?
.....The only good photos I can take are of my kids?
......I can't tackle manual exposure?
.......I don't have the right equipment?
........I don't have the $$$ to buy the right equipment?
.........I fail?

What are you afraid of?