Aperture 1.4 {focused blur}

busy,busy, busy!

So much going on here. Grant had spring break last week and I gave the boys a list of activities that they could choose from, we spent a lot of time at parks and the activity they chose off the list was to go to the Natural History Museum. 

   Ummm....they were not amused or impressed.  Look at their faces in this picture. And no, that is not meant to be the Whatever W it's supposed to be three horns.  Get it? I think after seeing the movie A Night at The Museum they were expecting talking and moving things.

It was so big though that we haven't yet been to the space section or the children's exploration room so hopefully they will like it better the next time.

And they did really, really like the Water exhibit and I actually enjoyed it too.  I learned a lot for example Did you know that Americans use around 510 gallons of water a day while people in the UK only use 120.  Ummmm that's a big difference and it makes me sad that we waste so much water.  We will be working on that around our house.

    We also explored a few cupcake bakeries.  Which was an activity well loved by everyone. I'm thinking a fun family Saturday would be to go to a few different cupcake shops and vote on our favorite.  There are a ton here.  Sadly though New Yorkers seem to really like dry cake, and ummmm can I just say yuck.  This pretty cupcake below....dryer than cardboard, but still photographs well. lol.

Other than that I passed this on my way home from a business lunch. Don't mind the picture, I was trying to take it while defending myself from some guy who told me I had the most beautiful dimples he had ever seen and could we get coffee to which I held up my left hand and then he said and I quote, "I'll be your dirty little mistress".  To which I said, "Ummm lines from Grey's Anatomy don't work on me.  Thanks but no thanks." All of this went on while I was struggling to get my camera out of my purse so I could hurry up and take the photo. I think I'm a magnet for crazy. 

  Anyway, the late night show...with taxi's in front.  What's more NYC than that?

   And then I went to Tinsel and Trading Company. Hello, vintage trims, vintage flowers, and German glass glitter?  I think I'm in love. 

Here is a photo from the outside looking in.  See all those colorful things on the wall?  They are sample flowers on the wall of boxes and boxes of vintage goodness.

 

Photo Information

I received a few comments and a lot of emails asking for the technical information for the photo below of the couple kissing in Central Park so I thought I'd share a little bit.

The Camera:  Canon 20d ( It's not the camera that I normally use it's my old back up camera but I've been using it here in New York because I feel comfortable carrying it around I'd be more nervous to be traveling around New York with my more expensive new camera.)

The lens:  A lot of people asked me this one, it's a Tamron lens, specifically  the 28- 70 2.8.  I've been doing some work with them and I love the lenses that I've gotten to try.  The 17-50 2.8 and the 28-70 2.8 are almost constantly on my camera right now.

What actions do I use?:  I've been getting this one a lot too.  I actually don't use many actions for color.  I have gotten to the point where my own post processing is in tune with what I want it to be. I almost always use an action for my black and whites though because I have found a source that I love.  It's Barb from Jinky art's itty bitty actions.  Her actions have long been a favorite of mine but you do need to understand layers in photoshop for them to really work.   

  There are so many great actions out there though and there are a lot I have been dying to try I just haven't gotten to them yet.  But I will soon and I'll be sure to write about it here when I do if I find any that I really love.

  I can honestly say one of the best things I've done for my photography in the last few years was to learn adobe camera raw .  I've always shot everything in raw and it is amazing the options and the control that adobe raw gives you.  I love it.

The photo was shot at 1/500 at 2.8  I wanted to make sure to separate Emily and Jacob from the background, which was pretty but very busy.

Hope that answers everyone's questions!

   

I'm in love again.

It's true and I owe it all to New York I suppose.  So at least New York and I have that if nothing else right now. My camera and I seem to be back in tune, and it's making me so, so happy. I love photography again. For a while there I was worried I was so burned out on taking pictures I would never want to again.  And in case you haven't figured it out if a photographer doesn't want to take pictures it's sort of bad for business. But no, my camera and I love each other again and all is right with the world.  I think it's all the new back drops.  What do you think?

Umbrella series number 2

Spring is here!

So, it's been a while since I did a "things making me happy" post so I thought I'd throw up a list. 

First up, these pins made by, you guessed it, one of my BFF'S Sarah.  I love these pins so much I haven't even taken them out of the packages she made for them.  I have them on my bookshelf in my room so I can look at them each time I pass by.

Hello Twilight pins? Could anything be cooler? She actually made these for another friend but Chloe, Emily and I saw them and BEGGED her for a set.  ( I should note that she doesn't sell these, they were just for personal fun use.)

Then because I'm so good at begging, she surprised me with an extra set with quotes and pictures of things we have said or loved. So things like, "I love Jane Austen" or  " Sarah loves James McAvoy"  and the ever classic "I'm still growing as princess." from the awesomest show ever, American Princess. And they are all in fun colors and remind me so much of my friends that I laugh when I read them. 

   

Next up is my new t.v. obsession-   When we moved to Athens for Gradschool three and a half years ago it was so depressing to me.  It was tiny ( by tiny I mean they had a university, a walmart  and a few farms, that was about it)and in the middle of nowhere, and I didn't know anyone.  Mark was gone all the time for school and plays so it was just me and two very little boys.  I started watching Gilmore Girls.  I think it was in it's fourth season.  My sister had all the d.v.d's from the first 3 seasons. So I would watch a few episodes every night while I was home alone.  I wasn't working for CK yet so that left a lot of very boring late night hours.  It was the perfect timing for that show in my life.  I started seeing the quirky Stars Hallowness in everything I would do and see in Athens.  You know quaint odd little eastern city with lot's of characters to fill the town.  It really made me open up and look around and I made some very good friends there!  Anyway, the point is it was the perfect show to fill my hours in Athens and now I've found the perfect show for here.  Another WB/CW classic that has gone the way of the dinosaurs but still great nevertheless.

Veronica Mars

Veronica Mars is the perfect New York show for me.  She is peppy, vibrant and not afraid of the bad guys.  Plus I really loved Nancy Drew and lets be honest...no Mom? Great Father figure?  Cool best friends?  She is the modern version of those books. So I'm now going forth into New York with the same spirit of investigation and wit.  Or at least I'd like to think I am...

Next up, cleaning.  I mean we all have to do it and it's no fun so we might as well find things to like about it.  I found this:

Method dish washing soap in French Lavender.  It seriously smells like you are walking in a field of lavender in the south of France.  Okay I've never actually walked through a field of Lavender in France but if I ever do I'm sure it will smell like this.

And lastly spring time in NY- at least we are here for a few weeks of prettiness and nice weather instead of starting out in the heat of summer or the freezing winter.  And it's the perfect time to act out the final scene of you've got mail.  You know the scene where it's spring in central park and Meg is waiting and hoping that the guy is Tom Hanks? And it is then that some of the cheesiest lines of romantic comedy history are uttered.  "Don't cry shop girl".  It's true, I love cheese but even this is a bit strong for me. Still, sigh, I love that movie and now I can go and see right where it is filmed.  Good times people.

For my sisters...

I saw this Saturday and it reminded me of you.  Can you guess why?

I don't know?  Maybe because he looks like Daryl from Adventures in Babysitting! Hello the outfit is almost exactly the same! And in other news while looking up a photo of the movie cover I found a link to Disney saying that they are remaking the movie with Raven and the Hanna Montana girl....What?  Disney are you trying to make me throw up in my mouth because I think I just did.  How can you refilm an 80's classic staring Elizabeth Shoe with teeny boppers!  Yuck!

  Anyway, my sisters and I used to watch this movie over and over and it's a total classic in our house.  We almost had to disown my brother-in-law for not liking it.  That's how much we like this movie.  I mean "Babysitting blues", "get out of my house/you just moved", " that was my Dad's!"?  How can a movie get much better. lol.

  And for those of you who haven't seen the movie Daryl is the guy at the bottom.  Scroll back up...see how similar he is?

Although I must say he does have a little breakfast club in him too.  Don't you think?

Oh Happy Day! Or errrr... weekend!

So, you know it's going to be a good happy time when one of your besties fly into to town to see you. Sarah decided to take quick whirlwind trip and come visit for the weekend!  Heavenly Father must have known how hard being apart from Mark was going to be when he blessed me in Utah to have the best girl friends ever.  They were so great all those difficult months and they are still being great now and the fact that I get to see two of them this week is awesome!  Chloe when are you coming!?!

  Anyway, Mark took the boys for all of Saturday and told us to head out and have fun.  It was really nice to put on the tourist hat for the day and explore the city without the pressure of figuring out where we were going on a deadline or carrying groceries for 12 blocks.  It was fun to just go where ever we wanted to go.  We visited Pratt, we explored union square, window shopped at stores I wouldn't dare step foot in for lack of funds, saw the empire state building ( we didn't go up though, Sarah has already been and I wanted to go up with Mark on a date ala Sleepless in Seattle or An Affair to Remember), we passed the flat iron which I have always wanted to see outside of an art history book, we sat in Madison square park and walked down Broadway, in a last second decision we decided to walk into the lobby and buy the cheapest tickets we could at Legally Blond the musical ten minutes before it opened and then because it was half empty we were able to switch from our cheap back row tickets and sit in the 120 dollar center row balcony seats for no extra charge! Yay!  It was a really fun day and we ended it totally exhausted.  Here are a few pictures:

This is Sarah at Pratt.  I came up with this, brilliant idea, at least I think it's brilliant to solve the problem of the big huge wall against our apartments stairs.  I want to fill it with photographs that we take of everyone who visits us here.  The rules are the photo has to be with their favorite umbrella somewhere cool in the city.  I think it will be really fun. I have this strange obsession with umbrellas lately and this will be a fun way to include it in the apartment. 

 

Sarah treated to Max Brenner's, heavenly place of chocolate that it is, here is a picture of Sarahs dinner:

And the view coming out of the theater after the play.

The next day was Sunday so we went to church in the morning and then Central Park in the afternoon. Wow, I knew Central Park was supposed to be amazing but, seriously it is so beautiful.  We were there for hours and only saw about a fourth of it. 

Here are a few pictures of the day:

Remember the Cole being nervous on the train picture?  I think he is over it.

Here is Sarah in front of the fountain that is in basically every New York chick flick movie.

And here is Grant hanging out in the park.

 

On the way home Mark asked Cole if he could sit as still as a statue because he was wiggling around so much and he said he only knew how to stand like a statue.  Here is what he did:

He said it was what all the statues were doing in Central Park. lol.

And thus we learn that good friends can make anything better! Love you Sarah!  Come back soon!

My life in Brooklyn or the number of times I've heard "You're not from here are you?"

I think I might need one of those little counter bars that people add to the bottom of their posts online.  You know, how many day's till their baby is due, how many pounds they are down, the amount of time until their big vacation.  Only mine will count the number of times I get asked "You're not from here are you?"  It's quite the common phrase in my life right now.  It's become apparent that we stick out like a sore thumb by the way we act, dress, speak, clutch subway maps for dear life while waiting for the train, pretty much anything. I even realized it myself today while waiting for the train.  I looked around the stop and noticed that literally everyone was wearing black but Cole and I.  And I was wearing a sweater from Anthropology called the Red, Red Rose sweater coat( don't you just love their names?)  and it is just that, about as bright red as you can get.  I was bright red in a black and white world and that my friends pretty much describes my life right now. Here is a list of some of my favorite times so far:

1. Standing in line at Lowe's to buy paint:  A woman begins speaking to me by yelling rather cloudy( I think it's the only way NY'ers know how to communicate) " Look at you with your purse open like that, you need a zipper!  I could steal your credit cards right now if I wanted to.  You're not from here are you? You really need to get a new purse." Then she turns and starts yelling at someone else who cut in line.  Ummmm....thanks I guess?  Seriously I was holding my purse over my shoulder with my arm over it in front of me, but I'll uh, work on that.

2.  Waiting for our first bus with the boys.  Cole yells ( he's learning from the people here) "MOOOOOOOM, pigeons, they have pigeons here!  I LOOOOOVE Pigeons!"  Then the old man next to us yells while laughing, "You're not from here are you?"

3. On the train today,  Cole starts yelling in this sing song voice while standing on his seat,  "Watch out Manhattan here I come!  I'm on my way Manhattan! Just you wait!"  The whole train starts laughing collectively and then someone says, you're not from here are you?  "Uhhh, no, I said, but apparently we are headed to Broadway.  And everyone laughs again.  I find that there are very few times people here connect or do anything collectively on a train, most of the time is spent looking down or trying to ignore what is happening around you here so the fact that Cole was able to bring all those people together just goes to show the amazing showman quality he carries with him everywhere.  Maybe if Mark doesn't end up on Broadway Cole will.

4. Seriously who am I kidding, this list could go on for days.  At first I tried to look like I was a part of things I'd try to hide opening maps on the subway or actually opening my mouth which clearly shows I come from no where near Brooklyn but now I'm sort of reveling in it.  If not being from New York means doing things like saying hello to stranger on the street when you pass by, or having your children be excited about the simplest things in life, or wearing a red sweater makes me stand out then, that's okay.  I'd rather be known as the weird happy girl down the street than a rude New Yorker.  And so I've begun to cherish the shocked expressions on peoples face when I stop them to ask for directions.  Or the smile, (well more like a smirk, I'm not convinced people fully smile here) they get when Cole waves to them on the street.

  At church recently we had a lesson.  It was a special meeting in which they combined everyone to talk about "Having a positive attitude in a negative world"  I guess it wasn't just me, the new girl, struggling with the gotham like atmosphere.  The lesson was great and it made me realize that yes, I'm different, I will probably never be mistaken for a native New Yorker and I may just hear, "You're not from here, are you?" for the rest of my days.  But I'm starting to realize that maybe that's okay.

In other news, thank you for all your comments, it's so nice to know that there are people out there who care enough to comment on some random girls blog and make her feel a little bit better about life. Upon a few days of carefully watching and talking to Grant and meeting his teacher I have found the school to not be quite so bad.  I think I was just given a very bad impression due to one really bad day for one untactful teacher.  The first day we were there to sign papers a teacher came in the office with a student and said. "He isn't staying on task or doing what I want him to do, I'm tired of him, turning to the student she said, I'm just so sick of seeing your face.  Go sit down, I don't want to see you for the rest of the day." And he did sit and he cried for the rest of the hour and a half that we were there and no one said a word to him.  He was only in second grade and quite frankly I am and was appalled.  I can promise you Grant will not be in that class next year as I just don't think that is an appropriate way to speak to anyone let alone a small child who looks up to you as a mentor.

  Grant's teacher however seems to be a very kind patient teacher and he has enjoyed going to school each day.  He even said that he made a few new friends this week so that makes me feel much better about things.  I wish communication between the school and parents were a little better but maybe joining the PTA will help with that.  Also after much emailing, calling, calling and calling we were finally told, at great annoyance by the counselor that Grant and Cole will be able to take the gifted and talented test this summer.  Previously they had told us that because they missed the test in February they would miss out on an entire year of the program. I swear the set up of the school system here is harder to figure out than taxes, and our healthcare system so that's saying a lot. lol.

  I'm a afraid that this blog is going to become one big mesh of complaints about the big city so I better stop now.  Just know that however much I complain or however sarcastic I get( I know that there are New Yorkers who smile, really I do, I generalize out of my need to be dramatic) I realize that I am extremely blessed in life, I have healthy children, a really wonderful husband and a job that I love.  I know in the end everything will be alright, and hey maybe by next year I'll be singing the praises of New York, Brooklyn, Broadway, and the school systems.  A lot can happen in a year right?  So here's to hoping!

This post is titled Brooklyn, New York

  We are here!  We made it.  It was quite the long drive but we did it. The boys were really great the whole way.  They are amazing little travelers. We were able to stop one day in Columbus at my sisters and it was so fun and a really nice break from the car.  Thanks Steph!

  So, we are now living in Brooklyn. I feel safe here, but it isn't pretty to look at by any means.  Pulling up the first time was a tear jerker. But I knew it would be this way so I tried to suck it up and move on. Grocery shopping for the first time was a shocker.  4 dollars for a gallon of milk?  Yikes! The school system here is a complete disaster.  We picked out the area we live in by the school reviews and test scores it was the best we could afford and the school is ranked a ten out of ten but taking Grant to register today has me singing a whole new song.  Let's just say even though I said I would never home school I'm reconsidering. There was much yelling and putting down of students from almost every classroom we passed.  I was shocked that teachers were allowed to speak to their students that way. I'm withholding my final judgement for tomorrow however, when I will meet the teacher Grant is assigned too I think the teacher makes the class so we'll see.   Let's all pray she is good.

  There are lot's of good things too though.  I met some really nice people at church one of which sent me a list of all the best/cheapest places to get groceries.  It has helped a ton. One of the stores is Trader Joe's, I guess because it's a chain the prices are kept the same as everywhere else. So I will for sure be going there.  I know a lot of people love Trader Joe's and have specific items they love.  If you go there what are your favorite things?

  As I'm sure everyone knows there are a ton of things to do here for children and families.  I found out that Mo Willams famed New York Children's author was going to be doing a reading of his new book at Bryant Park.  So on Tuesday I braved the subway on my own...first time ever and took the boys into Manhattan.  "Don't let the Pigeon Drive the Bus" is one of Cole's favorite books so he was super excited.

  Here is Cole on the train. They loved the bus ride to church so I thought that they would love the train too.  But that is a negative.  Look at Cole's face.  He was very suspicious of the whole thing and everyone around him.

 

I wish that I would have had my camera ready when we came out of the subway.  The boys were stunned by all the big buildings they walked around Bryant Park with their heads turned up to the sky.  I had to steer them over to the reading tent. 

They loved the story time.  Mo Willams is such an animated fun reader.

Mark came afterwards and met us.  Here are my guys standing together in the park.  I guess I just need to remember during all the insane moments here that I'm just glad we are all back together as a family. I really am grateful for that. 

Plus on the way back to Marks office we passed this and anyone who has seen Project Runway knows why it made me smile.

Anyway, I'm sorry if this post is disjointed, but that's my life right now.  Trying to unpack, work, adjust, help the kids adjust, unpack, organize, unpack you know all the good stuff.