Two quick, funny things....

First, my daughter Carli....She is 8....and a half. Can't forget the half. This weekend while in Muscatine for my oldest daughters soccer game, we were driving around looking for the fields. Mostly because I know me and at 7 a.m. I won't be awake enough to try to find fields so I am better off finding them the night before then going half asleep in the morning with a little clue of where I am headed. That and I won't sleep all night if I didn't actually see them before I went to bed. I have neurotic tendencies. Anyway....I digress....

Wherever we are, we always find a good radio station to listen to...preferably christian rock. We found one and as we were driving the announcer guy is talking and he says something about salvation and Jesus' sacrifice. He then says this "When they nailed Jesus to that tree...." Carli says to all of us in a very commanding voice, "IT WAS A CROSS, NOT A TREE. Where did they get this joker?" Dead silence in the car for a full 3 seconds. Then Alli and I just busted. Once I explained what he meant, she was like...."Geez. Why didn't he just say that?? What a joker." The poor guy was just not gonna catch a break with her! Out of the mouths of babes.... :)

Earlier Saturday I was hired to take actions shots of a little boy (6 or 7 years old). Soccer is clearly not something he really cares too much about at this age so the pictures have turned out pretty cute regardless. Just saw this one....I LOVE IT. He had fallen and bonked his knee. He wasn't too hurt and got up pretty quickly but in this photo I think it looks like he is praying. Maybe something like this...."Hey God. Please help me be a good kid, play better soccer...oh...and that we have good treats after the game. Thanks big guy." :) If you have any better suggestions on what he might have been praying, let me know!!!

JC is my BFF....

Soccer stars....WATCH OUT MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER!

Here is what turned out from the shoot of 60 soccer stars and their teams Monday night. Learned a few things and it's your lucky day....I'm gonna share them!

1) 9 year old girls are WAAYY more well behaved than 9 year old boys. I guess I knew that before but only having girls, I truly am clueless as to the difference in maturity levels between them at that age! Only wanted to hurt one kid.... JUST KIDDING....sorta....

2) If you try to be organized, you won't be. I only know about 6 of the 60 kids so I was seriously worried about matching Johnny So&so's order with his cute little picture so I wrote each frame number by their name on my roster. Only thing is...I didn't figure out that was the way to go until I was over half way done. Der...have I told any of you lately that I am blond?? And proud of it, by the way, but blond none the less.

3) If you do it, they will come. Really....my dream of a photography business is NOT lining up a bunch of kids in poses and charging their parents reasonable fees to do something they certainly could do themselves. It appears that the "posing and printing" business is a good money maker, though. Huh...while I'd rather be taking shots of the beauty in our world, God has given me several opportunities lately to do shoots that make me money to pay the bills. Who am I to turn that business down (ok...truth is I asked for this gig)? God has a plan, God has a plan, God has a plan....that's my battle cry these days. :)

4) Yes....I have mad skills on PhotoShop. DO NOT ASK ME FOR TIPS. I just closed my eyes clicked here, clicked here and the above "Memory Mate" appeared. God is soooo good to me. :)

That's it. All orders are printed (I pick them up today) and will be delivered to parents next week. I still can't believe how smooth this has all gone. AND...I got to hang out with all the little future MLS stars. I will be keeping these on file so when they are famous maybe I can get a gig taking their posed photos then too. :0

JC is my BFF....GOOOOAAALLLLL!

Stadium shots -- 2 seniors and a little sis....

Yesterday we finished the senior pictures for Steph and Kelsi at the Waukee Stadium...it's pretty new and I think the pictures turned out great. Kelsi's mom has had me take action shots of her youngest son Trevor and figured since Kelsi and Trevor had some pictures, she better get some of her 10 year old daughter Hallie too! I love families with lots of kids. :) See below my favorites of Steph, Kelsi and Hallie....

Tonight it's me and 60 or so soccer super stars in the VSA of Waukee U9 Academy program! I get to (yes...I consider myself lucky to get to do this!) take the team and individual pictures of each of the Academy kids. These are kids, boys and girls, who have a love of soccer and talent above the regular recreational level but too young to play at the competitive level....meaning they are talented (yes...my Carli is one of them!). They are learning like crazy, getting better and better each week and will someday be playing some where in Major League Soccer....I just know it. Lucky for me to get to shoot them when they are little peanuts! :)

Meet Hallie....



Homecoming was last Friday at Waukee...the stadium hadn't been cleaned up yet (it was yucky) but Hallie sure had fun!

CAN YOU SAY SASSY?!?!?



Have I said yet how much I L.O.V.E. black and white???



My favorite....how sweet and innocent can a kid look??


As always....JC is my BFF!

Steph C. -- UPDATE

So I already posted on this shoot a while ago and said I'd update photos when I got them done. After the computer fiasco, and God's wonderful, miraculous fix (hee hee), I am ready to show you some of my favorites of Steph. She is a beautiful girl with a bright future ahead of her. She tried so hard NOT to smile in the serious ones....made me laugh when I reviewed them because she just can't help but smile....and then I can't help but smile!!! Here goes....

Steph trying not to laugh.... :)

Steph and Kelsi are best friends...

Yes...she has a cast on her foot and yes...I made her climb down steep rocks







I L.O.V.E. black and white....



My personal favorite of all the pics of Steph. I don't know why and can't really explain it. She just looks so...OK with who she is maybe??


THANKS, STEPHANIE, FOR BEING A WONDERFUL MODEL!!!!!

JC is my BFF!

P.S. They both play soccer...Steph not so much these days with a broken foot...so I thought it would be fun to play off that. This is as mean as I could get them... :)

Kelsi J. -- UPDATE

Kelsi is the BFF of Steph (see post below)...She was fun to shoot because the girl just knows how to pose...a complete natural. She was leading me half the time on what she wanted and where. She had great ideas and picked out some things she wanted to do when I was shooting Steph so it was great and made it easier for me! Another great kid with a bright future...if only I could keep getting shoots with kids who are smart, beautiful, funny (you will see what I mean in the pictures below) and naturally a model!!!

BFF's Steph and Kelsi...

Yes...we were standing in the middle of the road and we had to move out of the way when cars came. It's a busier road than I thought!

Headin' down the road of life...



She could NOT wait to get on this!!!

Inside the covered bridge at the park...kinda different...

Yes...she is hanging from the rafters. I swear...I don't encourage this behavior! (I do laugh though....) :)

See...a natural.

And my favorite of Kelsi....

THANKS FOR BEING A WONDERFUL MODEL, KELSI!!!

JC is my BFF...

My birthday presents...

I spent most of yesterday worrying about my computer that crashed the night before. How am I going to fix it in time for my two shoots in the next 5 days? How am I going to get the senior pictures off of it to give to Steph and Kelsi? Ugh....worry, worry. I finally asked our IT guy here at work if he could look at it for me...he said sure...and he could do it on a rush. So now I have my fingers crossed that it is not totally dead and an easy fix. Birthday present #1...

So this morning I get out on I80 headed to work and the sun is coming up with some very pretty puffy clouds around it. I think to myself, "Thanks for the awesome birthday gift, God"...as if He made it just for me. I pulled off the interstate (yes...along the side of the road with a ton of traffic....not exactly my smartest move yet today) and grab my camera. I took a few shots and thanked Him for the beauty He has shown me AGAIN. Birthday present #2...

Then I pity partied..."If only I had my computer...Photoshop could do some cool things with these." Oh poor me. It then hit me to be thankful that I am alive, healthy and realtively normal. Shush...I said relatively. Give me a break people, it's my birthday! Birthday present #3...

See below the pictures I took this morning (I can take them off my card and on to a CD at work so all is not totally lost on that end). We really do live in a beautiful world....stop and look when you get a chance. You'll be surprised at what is around you...

There was a lot of fog this morning and

you can see it in this picture...

JC is my BFF....

** UPDATE -- BIRTHDAY PRESENT #4!!!! IT guy said all I need is more RAM (whatever the heck that is) so he sent my computer home with me along with a PICTURE of what I need from BestBuy (smart, IT guy, smart) and showed me how to do it myself!!! Oh!!! life is good! OMG...this is so silly. I am basing my HAPPINESS on the functionality of my stinkin' computer. I will rephrase..."Oh!!! Life is good 'cuz GOD HAS MY BACK! Yes huh. He does. WHOO HOO!" :) As my daughter Carli would say "Silly goosey!"

More I want to share....

Sunday I was out and about and on my way home I had some interesting things happen. I saw a cool rainbow...see picture below. I was heading out of some storm clouds into the sunset. I stopped along side the road and got out to take a picture of the road behind me and then the road ahead of me. It was pretty cool...God kinda showed me "where I've been" (storm clouds) and "where I'm headed" (beautiful sunset...no I'm not dying....just showing me the beautiful future). See below...

Road already traveled...


The road up ahead...


The rainbow I just told you about (check out my blog at http://www.thechristianwoman.com/blog/ from yesterday explaining the significance of this rainbow).


As long as I have been on this earth, I have lived in Iowa. I grew up in the city but the last nearly 13 years I have been in the country. I never noticed until this year the beauty that you can see everyday in Iowa....if you just pay attention. The soybeans are absolutely gorgeous this fall. The corn (I know, this is crazy) is sooo pretty. Just look at the pictures below and maybe you'll see what I mean.

Beans with the sun shining on them...



Beans with the dark clouds behind...

Beans a bit closer to my house with the sun behind some clouds...


Corn tassles....


Check out the moon set as I was pulling out of my driveway yesterday morning...

There....I'm done. Just wanted you to see what I saw the last two days. We live in a very beautiful place.

JC is my BFF....

Funny stuff....

So this might not be funny to you....but it made me and my daughter laugh! Alli (she will be 16 in a few short weeks....I KNOW) is goalie for a two soccer teams....yesterday she played in Johnston with her high school team. Most of you don't know my daughter but she is a NUT. I mean that in the nicest way possible. She has a personality that I happen to love very much....she is a lot like me. :) We are both (mostly when we are together) goofy and cracking each other up with stupid comments, faces, etc.

She has a knack for using her two front teeth in bad ways. She once, while playing hide and seek at her friends house a few years ago, tripped and landed with her two front teeth IN THE GROUND. Not kidding...totally true story. We thought it was a freak thing, but evidentially she has a talent for it. A week or so ago, while trying to get me out of the drivers seat so she could drive, she ran SMACK into the drivers side window...WITH HER TWO FRONT TEETH. I never laughed so hard. Then yesterday, while in the goal, she came flying out to stop a ball, landed on her face and spit out dirt and grass. I KID YOU NOT. She really does have a talent for it. Below are photos.....You gotta love that kid. Her response to the whole thing? "Grass and dirt don't taste as bad as you'd think, mom"....that makes me feel better. At least she will never go hungry. :)

JC is my BFF!

Butt up, face down....graceful little thing, she is, but she does get the job done...

She got the ball...and you can see by her face she is reacting to the grass and dirt...I bet with a little ranch dressing she'da swallowed it. :)


Her teammate explaining what she saw....

And Alli's reaction when I told her I caught it on camera....At least she can laugh at herself!