Dawn Beirnes Photography

Big Brother gets his own post

2011-09-10T08:22:00.000-07:00

This is my grandson, Kaden, and a new "big brother" to Mahalia! He's already awesome, so we know he will be an awesome big brother!

Beautiful little one

2011-09-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

We are so happy and excited to have a new addition to our family! My daughter and son-in-law had a beautiful daughter born on Sept. 6. May I present to you, Miss Mahalia Mae Pollard....

and the handsome guys holding her? Those are my two babies, and Mahalia's uncles. I will apologize right now to you, Miss Mahalia....you have 2 crazy uncles! But always know this.....they both love you very much!

Football Season 2011

2011-08-13T15:22:00.001-07:00

2011-07-21T15:15:00.001-07:00

Our protector (posted up)

2011-04-17T18:14:00.000-07:00

This is our bunny. He has been with us for quite a few years. He has a friend that sits close by. A squirrel. But our bunny takes care of our front yard. He's pretty cute and brave. Although he's not actually a "real" bunny, we love him. And he helps me get alot of practice shooting!

Spectacular View from our backyard

2011-04-02T04:53:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share this photo with you. I LOVE my new Sony. The colors are awesome. Just check out the view that we get to see EVERY TIME we go out on our deck. Beautiful woods, sometimes we'll get lucky and spot a few deer. They have been in the subdivision for a long time (yes, it's a rural subdivision), so they basically just stop and look and continue on with whatever they were doing. But back to my camera.....check out the beautiful greens! What did you ask? What is that heap of fencing, metal, torn tarps? Is it THAT obvious? It is? Really? I never really noticed. (insert sarcasm here) In case you're interested in the heap, there are normally three dogs inside the heap. Right now, at least two of them are running amuck in the neighborhood. Yes, I'm sure you are jealous that you don't get to see one of these masterpieces when you go outside. What is that saying? "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder"? Well, this eye ain't seeing no beauty.

P.S. for you brave folk, click on the photo to get the full impact. You'll be glad you did. Maybe. Maybe not so much. Actually, you might not like me if you do. Never mind. Just stick with the small version and we'll let it go at that.

TYFA 2010 Single C State Champs!

2010-11-14T16:11:00.000-08:00

My grandsons football team went 11 and out......as in 11 wins 0 loses (whoa, who let the dogs out?), and won the state championship this past Saturday. This is Kadens 3rd year to play, and the 3rd year that the team he has been on has won the state championship. The boys had a blast, made some good friends, developed a bond that comes from coming together as a team. I know they will miss the 3 nights a week practices and games on Saturday (been going on since July!), so I know as soon as the holidays are over, all the boys will be ready for July 2011!

P.S. Yep, I shot the photo! Kind of proud of it....first time ever using a flash (besides the on-camera flash). I got ALOT of practice this year! I was the unofficial team photographer.

change is gonna come

2010-09-08T16:40:00.000-07:00

I've been doing some consideration on how to make my blog better, more interesting, and to be honest, not so dang boring! I follow alot (and I mean ALOT) of photographers blogs, and my blog gets left in the dust...underground....into the depths of hell! So here's the thing, I am going to post more personal posts, more about my life, so hopefully I can get a few more followers. Although some of even my personal posts might still be boring, well hey, that's my world so welcome to it! Here's my first of my personal posts.

My husband loves martial arts. He takes martial arts, he does weird martial arts exercises that include some strange sound effects, and watches martial arts movies constantly. Yes, Bruce Lee and I are one. But does anyone, male or female, consider the "grappling" martial arts fighting weird? I narrate these things when my hubs watches them. I'm sure he wishes I would be entertained and enjoy them as much as he does, or probably just wishes I would shut up. Here are my issues with grappling

1. grown men that roll in floor for a LONG time with their heads buried in places that heads should not be buried

2. I always ask questions....why can he not kick him between the legs? why can't he just grab that and pull (I know, gross)? wouldn't he get him on the ground if he did? can they goose each other? always worked for me if someone had me in a head lock.

3. and the shorts they wear....some are way too tight and skimpy to be doing what their doing (see #1), and some look like they could fall or be pulled down at any moment.

I could go on and on. My hubs can vouch for that. I watch, talk and narrate the match too much, and the match ends. At least until the next one. And people, don't even get me started on the Bruce Lee or any of the dubbed over martial arts movies. Seriously, you don't want to go there with me. I will end this post with the sound I've grown to hate, but have to endure quite often around the homestead......WAAAAHHHH!!!! (just channel Bruce Lee and you'll get it)

Peace

Pre-season (Corey Fleming football camp)

2010-07-17T11:43:00.001-07:00

Kaden went to a football camp today put on by Corey Fleming, former NFL (Dallas Cowboys) player. And yes, that is Kaden going one on one against Corey. Kaden is a beast. 2010 season fast approaching.

FYI Corey now is on the coaching staff of the Nashville Storm that play on Saturday nights at Stratford High School

we had a visitor

2010-07-13T15:52:00.000-07:00

normally I enjoy having guests, really I do. But ones that slither, not so much. Yes, this is our FRONT porch! The one of him (I'll call him Bob) crawling off into the grass was after we took pictures, and I'm guessing he's not much into pictures. This visitor was SO NOT COOL......and it does warrant a second SO NOT COOL. Bob was trapped and carried away by our neighbor (who's house he went to visit after ours) and was released. Run free Bob, run free.

bringing the fierce!

2010-07-10T11:56:00.000-07:00

Yep, here's my grandson, Kaden. For anyone who has taken a look see at my blog, you might recognize him.....no helmet or shoulder pads, but you can see the awesome-ness that is Kaden.....just saying.

J* words of wisdom

2010-06-14T16:58:00.000-07:00

Yep, I follow her blog....ALOT. I read for advice, her humor, honesty, brush up on my gansta slang' (word up G), but I go there mostly for encouragement. Which is what I need so much right now. If it came in an IV, sign me up! My dream is to one day be a photographer. To be able to wake up in the morning and do something I love and am passionate about is what I am hoping for, striving for. But dang it, sometimes it's hard and scary, and intimidating! For those who you who might not know who J* is, she is Jasmine Star, a fantastic wedding photographer in California. Her post today was today was so human, so real, and I believe she was writing it to me (HEY Jasmine girl... SUP!". But she wasn't. She was writing to all of us "newbies" who are just getting started into photography, intimidated by all the fancy smancy photographers, equipment, blogs, web sites that are out there. She's been there, so she "feels" us. She let all of us know not to let go of our dreams, We might have to start out small, but we can still dream BIG. Never let others define the person we are working so hard to become. Waking up every morning and being truly happy is a large part of why I want to pursue photography, but it won't happen in a day or even months. But ultimately it will happen. It has to in my world. I'll keep practicing with my one camera and 2 lenses, oh almost forgot I have a pretty cool camera bag too! One day I'll have a better blog, nice web site. Maybe one day I will be able to encourage photographers like Jasmine has helped me and so many others.

Me

P.S Oh, Jasmine, if you ever stumble across this post, you are a true photography BALLER!
Peace Out!

summer lovin'

2010-06-02T15:40:00.000-07:00

Here's a little eye candy of some flowers (ONLY flowers) in our yard......Enjoy

P.S. 1/800 of a sec
evaluative metering
ISO 800
aperture 5.0
AV
(GO Me!)

Hello again blog world!

2010-04-28T15:19:00.000-07:00

Wow....how long can one person wait in between blogs? Evidently, a heck of a long time! We have had ALOT going on, so it has been kind of crazy around here. We have had alot of painting going on, some yard work, putting up a pretty big storage building, and also finally got 2 new rooms of furniture!! I mean seriously, how long can you have ply-wood under the cushions? Since spring and summer are fast approaching, I hope to get into my photography big time. That includes hitting the books again (New York Institute of Photography) and getting out to get ALOT of practice! I'm hoping to get enough experience and courage to do some actual photo shoots. I have no idea who might be taking a look at this blog, but any fellow photographers out there, I would LOVE to get some advice, hints, and just some good ole' encouragement!!! Anyone who's checking this out, leave some love, whoever you might be!!

DawnB

Jan. 2010 snow pics

2010-01-31T11:40:00.000-08:00

here are some pics from over the last 3 days during Tennessee's winter storm! Some were taken at night, and I took some of the cars to show how much ice we had. The last 4 photos were shot with my new 50mm 1.8.....yes, I am in love!

Snow + Dogs = funny stuff

2010-01-30T05:34:00.000-08:00

Tennessee has never been known for getting much snow....mention guitars, honky tonks, big hair (picture Flo off the old TV show Alice), cowboy boots, rednecks....now THAT"S what I'm talking about! But yesterday morning it started....and kept on through the night. The weather guys are saying me might get some more today. MORE SNOW??? Wow. I ventured out this morning very early, still peaceful and quiet, to take a few pictures. Underneath the snow is ALOT of ice...so much that when you walk it kind of caves in and then leaves a sheet of cracked ice where you just walked. On the driveway, I was a good inch OFF the actual driveway! If I would walk gently (which I have been known to fall in the past) I would be walking on top of the driveway. I hope you can imagine this, but it was really weird. And to wrap up my ice story, did you know that dogs don't like to poop when their walking on the ground that has inches of ice? Who knew? I didn't get any pics of Cheyenne yet, but here's DJ and Tahiti yesterday when it was just snow.

Yeah!

2010-01-18T08:51:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited! After having my camera for quite awhile, I finally was able to order a new lens! Holllla!!!! It's not a big, fancy lens, but hey, it's another lens! I ordered a 50mm 1.8. Practice shots coming soon!!!!!!!!

Granddogs.......Brody and Champ

2010-01-02T12:04:00.000-08:00

Theses crazy boys are our granddogs......their not too crazy about getting their pictures taken, so it took quite an effort just to get these two shots!

Christmas Parade

2009-12-06T18:41:00.001-08:00

Today was a great day for a Christmas parade as far as the weather goes.....COLD! This was probably the biggest Smyrna Christmas parade that I've been too. It was fun, and hopefully will help me get into the Christmas spirit. This was Kaden's first parade to actually ride on a float. I think the boys had fun...most of the boys won't be seeing each other until football starts up again in July.

Merry Christmas!

Don't think that you're seeing things..yes, that is a cement mixer in the parade. That's how we roll in Smyrna!

TYFA 2009 Championship Game

2009-11-15T04:20:00.000-08:00

Well folks, another youth football season has come to a close, and what an awesome close it was! Smyrna Triple Pee Wee boys played an awesome game and came out on top with another "goose egg" 26-0 over Mt. Juliet. Shout out to the dads that cooked for our after the game tail-gate celebration. Kaden played great...Jimmy told him at halftime he had better "get him the ball", and not long after that in the 3rd quarter he caused a fumble, recovered it, which led to a touchdown on the next play. Thanks to all the coaches for an awesome year (we now have back-to-back championships, and this year we went for an overall record of 16-0).

Play-Off game #2

2009-11-07T13:13:00.000-08:00

since being #1 in our division (holllla!), we had a bye in the 1st round of play-off games. This game today determined who will go to the championship game. We kicked it...beat Murfreesboro 14-0! This was the last game that we will play at our field this season. Doesn't seem like we've been going at this since July! It's been fun, and I think the boys had a blast, made some good friends, and learned a heck of alot. Props to the coaches...giving up 4 months of your personal lives to coach these boys requires dedication and a love of not only football, but also a love of these boys. Thanks for a great season! See all of you next year in the C's???? (hint hint).

From the photography aspect....I took a shot of one of the fields in the early morning....Kind of a "end of the season" shot, and the fall colors were still evident in some of the shots. Hopefully my photography will move along, and I will be able to do photo shoots soon.

Game 8 (final game of the regular season)

2009-10-25T07:36:00.000-07:00

This was the last game of the season....ending record of 8-0. If you count the pre-season games, we went 14-0! Out of 14 games, we were only scored on 3 times for a total of 18 points. Winning our division undefeated gives us a bye for the first round of the play-offs. Score of our last game.....30-0!

Game 7

2009-10-18T05:33:00.000-07:00

Bulldogs 18 Brentwood 0 Bulldogs are 7-0 for the season, but after yesterdays game, have won their division! I usually don't post pictures that have ooops blur in them, but the picture of Coach Duffy and Big Reggie was just too funny not to. I think Reggie is happy.....THROW THEM THINGS TUNK BOY!

Sunday....Random & Smyrna Homecoming

2009-10-11T17:16:00.000-07:00

did alot of reading today in my camera books.....today...depth of field. Later on in the day we went to the football field for the homecoming festivities.

Game 6

2009-10-10T12:37:00.000-07:00

The bulldogs battled it out agaisnt the mustangs and came out on top....18-6. Two regular season games left to play and then off to the play-offs! 6 and 0 and hanging tuff! P.S I love the action "blur" shot!

game 5 rest of the story

2009-09-27T13:40:00.001-07:00

Game 5

2009-09-26T16:10:00.000-07:00

the boys played in the rain and mud, and had a blast! We stomped Franklin Mustangs in their house, 25-6. I'll post some more photos later, but for now I leave you with this......REAL MEN PLAY FOOTBALL! Record so far....5 and 0 baby.

almost forgot....this picture was taken at half-time, AFTER Coach Jimmy had to wash Kadens face so he could see. And yes, you bet cha' he stripped down to underwear when he got in the car after the game!

Posed Photos

2009-09-24T05:53:00.000-07:00

J and I had our pictures made for our church directory last night. For someone who has NEVER liked having her picture taken, this was a big deal. I think my love of photography has grown so much over the last couple of years, mainly because I have discovered that photography doesn't have to be the posed, cued up smiles, and odd poses that I had been familiar with. I never realized how much I hate posed photos! Following as many photographers as I do through their web sites and blogs,it gives me a passion for what I'd call "real-life" photos! I know photography companies that do this type of work will always be around, but I am one future photographer that would never want to do that type of work! So thanks to all the awesome photographers out there that give me inspiration and encouragment. If you're wondering did we purchase any of the photos.....are you kidding? N to the O, NO! And this was the very first pictures that J and I have ever had made together!!!

Game 4

2009-09-19T11:01:00.001-07:00

We played a pretty good team, but not quite good enough to beat the Bulldogs. Mt. Juliet 0 Smyrna 6. BOO-YAH. First set of photos is of our only touchdown run....Hope you like these Coach Duffey!

Game 3

2009-09-12T17:05:00.000-07:00

We're like Sprint or Motorola.....no service OUT OF YOUR RANGE!

This game was a tough one......but we played.....showed up....and had some Eagle meat! 32-6 I'm just saying....

Game 2

2009-09-05T14:02:00.000-07:00

Pulled off another goose-egg today. 40-0. The boys played awesome! Kaden got to run the ball today....almost scored a touchdown but there was a face-mask called on the player that tackled him.

Game 1 (regular season)

2009-08-29T11:12:00.000-07:00

First game of the 09 season. Traveled to Murfreesboro and pulled off a goose-egg as Coach Duffey likes to call them....19-0

Help!!!

2009-08-28T16:50:00.000-07:00

Ok, before you start asking yourself, "what in the heck is all that mess growing in that huge pot?", let me explain. This pot full of mess began a few months ago as a project with my grandson. He wated to plant flowers, but we don't have any area in our yard that we can plant yet. I had purchased a kit at Lowes, which was called "patio flowers". Ok, so what would you think? Put them in pots to sit on the patio or deck, right? These started as seeds that you grow, then trans-plant them into a pot. These went from the growing tray, to a small pot, which they outgrew. I already had this huge pot, so I thought this would be the last time I would have to plant them. Ummmm, notice the size of these...the stems? So do I plant these in the ground now? I'm sure my neighbors think I'm some kind of weirdo! I thought about planting them up agaisnt our privacy fence wall on the side of the house. Oh, there are actually 4 kinds of flowers in here...sunflowers, marigolds, and I can't remember what the other two are and of course, I threw away the packets.

pre-season game 6

2009-08-24T14:46:00.000-07:00

this was out last pre-season game....yep, we do it NFL style and play six.....cause that's just how we roll. This was a pretty one-sided game (33-0) and our guys played some smash mouth football! You'll have to excuse the glare. I had to shoot the entire game straight into the sun!

ooops! Ok, I stand corrected. My son pointed out to me that in the NFL, the teams play 4 pre-season games, not 6. Can I just also add...big whooo.

pre-season game 5

2009-08-22T15:29:00.000-07:00

this game was a little too close for comfort. The boys did pull off a 7-0 win over Mt. Juliet.

What's in a Name

2009-08-18T14:40:00.000-07:00

I haven't had alot of followers on my blog, at least yet anyway, but I hope to soon. I've been following so many blogs from fantastic photographers...ones who have been in the business for a long time, some for a short time, and some, like me, who are brand new. One common aspect that I read about ALOT when just starting out in photography is confidence. I sat staring at my blog for quite some time, and finally got the nerve to change my heading to a (although scary) more appropriate one....check it out! Mind you, I've never even done a real photo shoot and am still learning the in's and out's of my camera, but I'm getting there. Soon I hope to do a shoot of something....my husband, my kids, our dogs, or maybe I can con some friends into a shoot! Up until now, my blog has been mainly my grandsons football games. But I want to branch out, let people get to know ME. Talk about my life, my fears, my dreams, and of course, my love of photography! I hope to gain some followers who will travel on this journey with me....for support, advice, or even a "you so crazy" comments when I post random happenings in my life! So please leave me some comments and let me know you're out there!
Dawn
Dawn Beirnes Photography

(ok, is that just cool looking or what?) Maybe a contest on how to pronounce my last name, hmmmm????

pre-season game 4

2009-08-17T14:56:00.000-07:00

this was our first travel game of the pre-season. We headed over to East Nashville for another shut-out...37-0. Check out the pics and you can make out Kaden (or most of him) on the line, usually at the bottom of the pile. Took 2 and 3 guys to attempt to hold him, but just like a true "player", he was unstoppable! (don't hate....Mee-Maws can say things like that)

practice

2009-08-13T18:46:00.000-07:00

once again I repeat...you do not want none of 44!

This has been a strange season. Since Tyler played football for quite a few years, I've been around youth football before. Already this season I've witnessed some things I never thought I would see from six year olds, but the most aggravating things I have seen is with the parents. Just tonight we had parents getting upset because their kid was switch to a different position or taken out, which led to them making comments about the kid that went in for that position. Coaches are there to coach, parents are there to watch. Parents that sit in their chairs during practice and make comments about the coaches, really need to get a grip. Let them teach your sons, and let your kid enjoy playing football. OH, and have some class!

Back to the picture of 44....better watch out for the "little guy" (as some of the dads seem to like to call him) dynamite comes in small packages.

New TV

2009-08-12T15:13:00.000-07:00

check out the new boob tube....as you can see, Mike Shanahan is giving us a wink...I think he likes it too.

pre-season Game 3

2009-08-09T06:23:00.000-07:00

All I can say about this game is "it's hot up in here"! It was almost too hot to even take pictures. The boys played good, not up to speed, but who can blame them? It was just BAD. We did pull off the win 13-0. This was another bowl game, so they did a trophy presentation after the game.

pre-season Game 2

2009-08-02T16:41:00.000-07:00

Back at the field on Sunday. We played Old Hickory and won! 26-0 Kaden got to play a different position....forced two fumbles and caused a "dead ball" play. Probably doesn't need repeating but....you do not want NONE of #44.

Pre-Season

2009-08-01T09:51:00.000-07:00

2009-08-01T09:23:00.000-07:00

yep, even the little guys call their scrimmage games the "pre-season"! We won our fist pre-season game 18-0 WOOT! It was hot, and for this up and coming photographer, horrible, harsh lighting. I think I still got some pretty decent shots. Since we won today, we'll play again tomorrow. Check out the uniforms, Yo! Added black to the normal purple and gold...just erase from your mind the first thought that comes into your head when you look at them, trust me, you'll feel better after you do. (hint, man, they closely resemble, hold on a minute and let me try to get this out....the Ravens. Sheesh that was rough, but it's ok now. Oh, just for FYI, you don't want NONE of #44!

It's football time in Tennessee

2009-07-26T07:12:00.000-07:00

Chris' new car (well, sort of)

2009-07-18T18:22:00.000-07:00

Chris got a pretty sweet deal on a 240sx, so it was delivered today. Guys and their play toys.....sheesh!

practicing shutter speed

2009-07-18T12:43:00.001-07:00

Tony Hawk....he's coming for ya'

2009-07-13T17:38:00.000-07:00

Champ & Brody celebrate 4th of July

2009-07-05T15:37:00.000-07:00

I like this shot of Champ & Brody....Champ in the foreground and Brody in the background a little blurred.

Random post

2009-07-02T15:00:00.000-07:00

I was off on vacation (hollla!) today, so after getting a few things done around the house, I took my camera out and took some shots. I'm getting some practice in AV (aperture priority)...need up....TV (shutter priority). Then after that, learning when to use which setting. Full manual...I'm coming for you! BRING IT!

awesome lightning

2009-06-21T06:27:00.000-07:00

Summer Evenings

2009-06-14T18:18:00.000-07:00

These are a little dark, but I thought they looked pretty cool. They were taken from our deck out back. The day will come when I'll be able to grab my camera and get the settings adjusted quicker....oh yes, that day IS coming!! But for now, I just liked the way these made me feel when I look at them.

not much happening Sunday

2009-06-07T16:42:00.000-07:00

It's been pretty quiet around the house today, which gave me some time to read/study. I recently enrolled in The New York School of Photography (hollla)! I was experimenting with spot mettering and exposure compensation. I took some shots of the beast (I use the beast ALOT when I'm practicing....he's starting to get the big head I think). One I shot at 1/125 4.0 regular exposure. The 2nd shot was 1/2500 4.5, and I darkened the exposure just a little. I think the beast looks pretty awesome. The last shot is of the emblem that the beast proudly displays that states he is turbo charged and has electronic fuel injection. This is waaay cool and pretty rare according to my son. Ok, whatever.

Birthday cookout

2009-05-31T08:05:00.000-07:00

My middle spawn turned 25 on May 26, so we had a cookout at his house yesterday. Burgers, dogs, grilled corn on the cob....doesn't get much better than that! Played some badminton, volleyball, which I am paying for today. Happy Birthday Chris!

hair

2009-05-24T17:03:00.000-07:00

Kaden has decided to let his hair grow out

Summertime

2009-05-21T17:13:00.000-07:00

It's been a great week as far as the weather goes, and after all the rain we had, it's about time. With it being the ultra-fabulous Memorial Day weekend, I hope it stays great. Summer is all about ice cream, stars at night, 4th of July, freash cut grass, smell of food cooking on the grill, and since we live in Tennessee....HUMIDITY! School is almost out for my grandson (get ready for pics of football starting up in July!). How awesome would it be if adults got the summer off?? I'm looking forward to lazy days...at least until August when I'm pretty sure I'll be blogging about how stinking hot it is and how much I'm waiting for Fall! And because I've learned from other photographers that posts are SO much better with pictures....here's a couple for now.

Graduation Celebration

2009-05-17T05:52:00.000-07:00

Wow...my baby has graduated. Alot of emotions to go through, for a Mom especially! I'm so proud of him....not only for achieveing his diploma (and a Hope Scholarship...hollaaaa!), but also for the person he has become. There are some sad emotions I'm feeling. A huge chapter is over, that chapter has so many memories for me. The long rides in the car to doctor appointments, orthodontist appointments, the talks, getting schooled in rap music...how can I ever forget my first time ever hearing "they call me George Foreman cause I'm selling er'body grills" I can see a curly head boy that was so funny, so sweet, and SOOO full of life. But I also know that a new chapter has opened for him, and I hope this same sense of humor and child like heart that he has always had, will stay with him always. Tyler can do whatever he sets his mind to do, and I know that he will. I'll always be there along the way, supporting him in whatever he does (cause I'm just good like that!). There will be rough spots along the way, but those rough spots only make you stronger. With the person he has become, I know he will be able to handle anything that comes his way. Congratulations Tyler! Love you!

P.S.
John Deere (aka the lawn mower) says congratulations too, and looks forward to some man/machine bonding over the summer!

2009-05-17T05:49:00.000-07:00

This what you get when you mix a football freak, a stud, and a guy about to graduate from high school....what else can I say??

2009-05-17T05:46:00.000-07:00

Tyler considering a run for political office or head coach of the Tennessee Titans....it's still up in the air.

2009-05-17T05:43:00.000-07:00

Me and Tyler before we left for graduation. I DO NOT like photos of myself in any shape, form or fashion, but I figured what the heck!!!!

2009-05-17T05:39:00.000-07:00

Here's all of my kiddos and my cutie pie grandson (rare photo, trust me)

2009-05-17T05:37:00.000-07:00

Tyler's good friend Daniel came to hang out

2009-05-17T05:34:00.000-07:00

yep, graduation was rough (and hot, and long) on Tyler!

2009-05-17T05:31:00.000-07:00

strutting

2009-05-17T05:23:00.000-07:00

If you look close you can see Tyler in the crowd leaning forward a little. He wouldn't look at us in the stands....he would have given us the stink eye anyway.

Saturday Happenings

2009-05-16T07:03:00.000-07:00

Here's what we will be doing later on today.....LHS graduation

Aftermath

2009-04-12T13:39:00.000-07:00

For those of you who might not have heard, not far from where I live was hit by a EF3 tornado this past Friday. One actually went by the window where I work, so we spent about an hour in the hallway in the center of the building. We drove up to the Murfreesboro area and drove through where we could. The tornado went threw residential areas, as well as some businesses. There are NES trucks everywhere trying to get electricity back up, huge trucks hauling debris, just a total mess. You can't get into the areas that were hit the worst, police are everywhere blocking off streets. It is amazing that there were only 2 deaths after this. Houses were completely leveled, cars were tossed, and many homes were badly destroyed. I snapped a few as we were driving through Murfreesboro, mostly of businesses since we couldn't get into the subdivisions. Click on the pictures and you can see just how powerful this thing was.

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T09:34:00.000-07:00

Here is the rockin' Kaden in all his awesome-ness as we are leaving for church. Yep, he's the man!

Saturday Happenings

2009-04-04T17:53:00.000-07:00

It was a gorgeous day today, so I wanted to make the most out of it. While the hubby was gone to a meeting, I mowed the grass. Not the greatest things to be doing, but hey, I was outside! Tyler was gone to take the ACT. You can see apicture of him when he got back home. Yep, his brain was hurting. Later on we went to my oldest son's house to check out his new toy! It's a pretty awesome beast of a fuel powered/remote control truck. Took some shots while he was driving it in the field across from his house. It was a good day, and I was so thankful for the weather. But as the weather goes in Tennessee....rain tomorrow and possible snow flurries mid-week. My flowers that the kids got me last mother's day are coming up, so check them out! And finally, the picture of the sign you see is across the street from our house! Man, now I can't go hunting by my house! P.S. That's a photo of my son's house.

Tyler and Jr.

2009-03-26T05:56:00.000-07:00

Today my baby (being the youngest of my 3 kiddos) is 19.....How did that happen? Turning 19 AND graduating in May...sheeesh, how much more can a mom take? Tyler is just an awesome guy, and I am so very proud of him! And just to get in a little jab at him, this picture is the bag with his gifts inside, but the "jab" is that he hates Nascar, and there is definitly no man-love for Junior. When I saw this bag, I couldn't resist! We'll be going out for the traditional birthday "get your grub on" this weekend, and I will TRY to post some pictures. Tyler is not a fan of the camera folks, so it is almost impossible to get any of him without screaming (like a little girl Ha Ha!) and covering his face. And America, if you could have seen him on senior picture day last summer....not a good day. Hopefully I will get some at graduation, unless I'M crying like a little girl! So Tyler, if you don't "work it" for the camera on May 16th, Mom will have to bring the thunder.....HARD!

Yep. it's still all football...all the time

2009-01-25T18:45:00.000-08:00

Here's what it's like around our house this weekend...anyone else watch highlights from ALL the past Superbowls????? Cheyenne is awake, but lying on the couch after waking up when she heard my flash, DJ is asleep on the floor beside me when I shot down at him with his eyes closed...and Jonathan, well, ZZZZZZZ.

#2 Template

2009-01-20T10:14:00.000-08:00

for anyone who might run across my blog, I'm deciding on a new template. I didn't get any feedback on the 1st choice....I'm guessing people are waiting for me to put up another one! Duh. For reference, my 1st blog (before I decided to change it) was pretty dark, and to me anyway, made it a little hard to see my pictures. So I'm REALLY hoping that some people remember that first background, remember the one I put up last Friday, so they can compare to this one. I'll change it again in a couple days. Cast me some votes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

New Template

2009-01-16T09:41:00.000-08:00

I'm wanting to change the look of my blog around. Not sure why....maybe make it look more "professional", maybe attrack more bloggers (hope too!), but I believe that the dark on my previous blog was a little TOO dark. I even had trouble looking at my pictures and especially reading my blog entries. I think I will try a couple different layouts, and I'm counting on anyone viewing to let me know what they think. I'll leave the newest one up for a couple days, then change it. I'll post when I'm trying the last one, but it probably will only be 2-3 different ones. This isn't American Idol or anything, but get those votes in!!!

practicing with the Canon 40D

2009-01-02T18:13:00.000-08:00

I was practicing with the color tones setting on my camera. It's pretty cool to see how the differnet color tones can change the look of a black and white photo.

Anyone have any input???

2008-12-30T06:44:00.000-08:00

I'm hoping a few other budding photographers will stumble across this blog and help me out with some ideas about this....I mentioned in my last post that I'm considering signing up for a photography course. I (so far) have heard only positive comments about the school, but I haven't gotten alot of comments to fully commit. If you or someone you know has taken the New York Institute of Photography correspondence course, please holllllaaa back with your opinion!

Oh Yea!!!!!!

2008-12-25T18:31:00.000-08:00

Check out the gift from the kids for me and Jonathan! Bring on the spring! Chris will be starting his lawn mowing/landscape business this spring, so I'm hoping we can get the yard looking good.

Christmas 2008

2008-12-25T17:55:00.000-08:00

Another Christmas is over. After all the self-imposed stress, worries about finances, getting everyone really cool stuff, and will there be money left over, I survived it. NEVER again will I shop for the majority of gifts on Christmas Eve! Stores were out of everything, and when you're crunched for time, it's hard to come up with ideas on the fly, AND become a walking calculator as you're standing at the register. My dad's presents that were shipped to him were stolen off his porch, had to get gift cards instead of gifts because the stores were closing and we had to get back for Christmas Eve services, had no cookie cutters for cookies, so we had to settle for slice n bake for Santa. I was stressed the entire day on Wed., and it was horrible. But my oldest son made my Christmas so great and put things SOOO into perspective on Christmas morning...you'll see in the pics a toolbox/workbench kit. That was his "big" gift, and he had no idea I was getting it for him. He was so excited. As he was leaving, he gave me a hug and said "Mom, you never cease to amaze me at Christmas getting such awesome gifts". I told him "well, this year pretty much sucked as far as I'm concerned", and he replied "don't sell yourself short, you did awesome". Is my son freaking awesome, or what? We got Tyler the new cell phone he wanted, which I snuck and called to get it activated on Christmas Eve, so this morning he was all "my phone sucks, I can't send messages, can't make calls, anything!" Too funny. I stuck with gift cards mainly for Ashley, but she really liked the picture of Kaden I had enlarged and put in a frame for her. Kaden had a blast! His dad dropped by (who he is just getting to know), so that was pretty neat for him. I meant to get a picture of him and Kaden, but he left before I had a chance to. Honestly, it wasn't that bad of a Christmas, but I hope next year we are better off financially. I'm still toying around with the idea of enrolling in a photography school, so getting that going is one of my biggest goals. I just want to be happy, not stressed out all the time, and not worry so much. We saw an AWESOME movie tonight....7 Pounds with Will Smith. It is great, and I highly recommend seeing it (Bring Tissues), but there is a short line in the movie where he tells a person "Live Abundantly".

Happy 6th Birthday Kaden!

2008-12-13T14:39:00.000-08:00

Kaden's two uncles (my very handsome sons!). No, Tyler isn't actually picking
his nose!

Kaden and mommy (my daughter)

Today we celebrated Kaden's birthday....Wow did 6 years go by fast. He racked up in the gift department! Happy Birthday Kaden! We love you!!!

Goodbye Comcast. HELLO................

2008-12-07T14:02:00.000-08:00

We've had comcast for a very long, but geez they are expensive. We decided to switch our cable to Dish Network, but keep Comcast internet (for now, anyway). We had 2 guys really nice guys doing the installation, which took 6 hours!!!

Thanksgiving (although a little late)

2008-11-29T05:05:00.000-08:00

Whew....seems like forever since I've even checked my blog, much less posted anything. My dad came down from Atlanta on Tuesday, so we've been hanging out around the house and getting ready for "the feast". My husband took this picture (which would explain why he's not in it). This is the first picture of me that I've had on my blog......don't judge......I had been cooking for hours!!!

Bummed

2008-11-23T13:30:00.000-08:00

Hoping it wouldn't happen, but the Titans lost their first game today. I know, 10-1 isn't a bad record, but sure do with they could have pulled this one off.

My Super Bubble Birthday

2008-11-17T15:43:00.000-08:00

I've never been much on celebrating my own birthday, but I guess this is sort of, kind of a........OK, fine, it's big one, but only because I'm 50! Wow, that actually looks pretty old when you actually see "50" sprawled out on the screen. Birthdays can bring some odd emotions sometimes, and it's pretty strange. Let's see, I'm 50, still in the same old job (30 years next year), but I'm still trying to gain some experience and knowledge in photography so hopefully one day I can do something I actually enjoy. I stay encouraged from all the awesome photographers blogs that I read on a daily basis! (and you know who you are!) Who knows...maybe 50 won't be as bad as it sounds (geez, just saying 50 is weird). Maybe me and trusty Canon 40D will bond and things will take off! But I leave with a card that Kaden (my awesome grandson) gave me this morning...he worked hard on it last night. After I got him up this morning, he got dressed, brushed his teeth, ate, and all without having to be reminded! SWEET! For those who might have trouble reading it:

Happy Birthday This gum is for you I love Mee Maw

Big Pimpin'

2008-11-15T18:01:00.000-08:00

the jr. pee wee champs had their banquet today, and got to ride in style! Check out the stretch limo! They deserved it after such a great season. We left the park and headed up to Sports Com in Murfreesboro for the banquet. Great fun, and the boys loved their trophies. Thanks to the coaches for a great season.

Direction

2008-11-11T09:23:00.000-08:00

Since the football season is over, I haven't been shooting anything.....ANYTHING. Direction on how to get a photography business going would be great about now. I know most photographers will advise to SHOOT, SHOOT and SHOOT some more. I've looked into classes, and would really liked to have enrolled in The New York School of Photography courses, but then there is that pesky little problem of $$$. I'm still reading blogs, hoping the direction I so desperately need will smack me in the head or something. To become a photographer has been a dream of mine for quite some time, but things never worked out or the timing wasn't right to pursue it. I refuse to give up (again). Surely this will work itself out and I'll figure out which direction to go. Right now I'm lost and seeking out something.....anything to help me achieve this once and for all.

T Y F A 2008 Championships

2008-11-08T16:24:00.000-08:00

Wow. What a fun and exciting (and long!) season this has been, but to finish out the season as #1 in our division was a great experience for the boys. For anyone who might have been reading about each indiviual game over the past season, you might recall that we lost ONE game.....this is who we played today in the championship game. We took it to the house.....49 to 19! Murfreesboro Mustangs just couldn't hang with the Bulldogs today. We had a great year, great coaches, the boys had fun, made alot of new friends, and hopefully learned alot about football. So this is my last post about football (except for our banquet next Saturday) see you next season, JULY 2009!

Smyrna Bulldogs Jr. Pee-Wee White Tennessee Youth Football Association 2008 Champions!

Play-offs...Game 2

2008-11-01T09:28:00.000-07:00

This was our last home game of the season....and we pulled it off again! Once again we showed our good sportsmanship by clapping for the Brentwood Blaze as they received their medals. Next week we're off to Mt. Juliet for the championship game agaisnt whatever Murfreesboro team wins today. Final score...Smyrna Bulldogs 43 Brentwood Blaze 13 Bulldogs rock!

Alien on the loose in our neighborhood

2008-10-31T16:09:00.000-07:00

Here's what I found on our front porch this evening......Now sure how he got here, but he sure did have a small resemblence to a certain 5 year old that lives around here!

The aliens mom got in on the fun too!

Play-offs...Game 1

2008-10-25T12:45:00.000-07:00

Smyrna Bulldogs 44 Franklin Cowboys 0

Enough said

I took a shot of our last touchdown. Pretty sweet. And the the losing team also received a medal for making it to the play-offs. I took one of our fine young men watching them receive their medals. Great sportsmanship!

Smyrna Bulldogs Rock....I'm just sayin'

Game 8....Smack Down

2008-10-11T11:30:00.000-07:00

This was our last game of the season until the play-offs....we went to Springhill's field and basically had "raider meat" for lunch! Our record for the season is 7-1 overall, and 4-0 in our division. First game of the playoffs start on Oct. 25. Final score Smyrna Bulldogs 30 Springhill Raiders 0......we had a "parents line" for the boys to run onto the field this time. We've never done that before, so that was pretty cool. check out Kaden blocking in the one photo! #66

yum yum

2008-10-10T14:15:00.000-07:00

My husband hates hotdogs.....nothing personal towards the good ole' American dog, he's just a health nut. He'll eat one once in a blue moon. When those rare occurances happen, it's worth documenting! HEEEEE HAWWW, that there is some good eating! OK, work with me...we are in the south!

shooting in manual

2008-10-08T17:17:00.000-07:00

this evening my handsome model (Kaden) and me went to the Smyrna Rec park for some playtime and practice for me shooting in manual. It's not as scary as I thought it might be, and considering these are my first shots shooting in manul, not too bad. Here's just a few I shot.

Game 7

2008-10-04T10:10:00.000-07:00

well, this was a tough one, and we lost our first game. One of our best runners was sick and had to leave, so we hope he's going to be ok. If you look at the picture with the players, you might can tell how tall a couple of them were! (that's Kaden next to Number 3.and Number 9..he comes to their shoulders!) Kaden got to start this game, and he had to block them! He was awesome! But we're still 6-1!One more game next Saturday (against an undfeated team) before the playoffs. Final score...Smyrna Bulldogs 7 Murfreesboro Mustangs (white) 25

update....last night we went to watch the Smyrna Jr. Pee-Wee Gold team play the undfeated Springhill team that we will play next week. The "Gold" boys pulled it off to beat the Springhill Raiders 12-6. Sweet!!!! So what this means is we won't be meeting up with an un-defeated team on Saturday!!!!!

Chris' landscaping

2008-09-27T18:01:00.000-07:00

we just got back from going up to my son's house and hanging out. He has been working like crazy on his yard, and it has really paid off! He has some beautiful grass starting to come up. He is wanting to start a landscape/law mowing service next spring, so I'll be posting about that next year. I took a couple shots of his yard. This grass has only be coming up for about a week! He's going to have some carpet when it comes all the way in! Want a reliable person to take care of your lawn? HOLLLLAAA! The peppers? They were just cool looking to me!

Game 6

2008-09-27T10:06:00.000-07:00

We had to travel a bit for this one....but came out on top again! Smyrna Bulldogs 46 Murfreesboro Mustangs (Blue) 6

I'll always remember 5:15 a.m.

2008-09-21T14:10:00.000-07:00

I'm guessing everyone has had an experience with relating something that happens at the same time something bad happens....you know the kind of things that happen together, so now you relate the two. In my case, hearing the phone ring at 5:15 a.m. on Sunday Sept. 21, 1986 and hearing my dad tell me that my brother Chris, was gone. Drunk driver mixed with the Atlanta interstates just don't mix, add a tractor trailer speeding.....you can only imagine that accident. He was only 34 years old, but geez did he enjoy life! He had alot of bad experiences in his life, but he loved life so much that he never let things get him down. Looking back at the months before he was killed, I truly believe that God was preparing people for his death. He knew how many people's lives he touched, and how badly he would be missed. A few months before he died, my dad had heart surgery, and the two of us drove to Atlanta. We spent time with my mother, which was a very rare occurence (going to eat at Dairy Queen and laughing our heads off). Only my daughter, Ashley, remembers him. My oldest son is named after him (Oh yeah, did he get the big head over that!) and looks so much like him when he was younger it's almost freaky, and my youngest son, Tyler, was born 4 years after he died, but is built just like his uncle. I still miss him today as much as I did back then, but I have so many memories of him. I have a grandson now, and he would love to go to his football games like he use to come to my track meets and softball games. I miss you, Bro'... Keep 'em laughing up there!

I love portrait mode!

2008-09-20T18:14:00.000-07:00

if you haven't looked through my older posts, you might not recognize this guy (without a football helmet on and sweat pouring off of him), but I wanted to post a cool (non-nastiness) picture of Kaden. Does he not rock? Very GQ, don't you think?

Game 5

2008-09-20T12:10:00.000-07:00

Thanks goodness this game wasn't as hot as last week....We came out on top again. 5 and 0 baby!!! SWEET!!!!!!!!! Final score Smyrna Bulldogs 25 Franklin Cowboys 12 (and for all you Cowboy fans, T.O. wasn't there today.

Game 4

2008-09-13T13:58:00.000-07:00

This was a HOT one (judging by Kaden's face after the game you can tell exactly HOW hot)! So the Smyrna Bulldogs are now 4-0 for the season. 4 more games to go until the championship games start. Final score...Smyrna 19 Gallatin 6

Random Photo

2008-09-13T06:19:00.000-07:00

I took this driving down Sam Ridley Parkway. Pretty cool shot.

Life Advice

2008-09-11T18:14:00.000-07:00

I saw this on Becker's blog (awesome photographer in California). This was written by Mother Teresa. Update...just noticed on Becker's blog that a reader kindly let him know that Mother Teresa didn't write this poem, a guy named Kent Keith actually wrote it.

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered
Forgive them anyway

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives
Be kind anyway

If you are successful you will win some false friends and true enemies
Succeed anyway

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you
Be honest and frank anyway

What you spend your years building, some could destroy overnight
Build anyway

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous
Be happy anyway

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow
Do good anyway

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough
Give the world the best you've got anyway

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God
It was never between YOU and THEM anyway

Marvelous Monday

2008-09-08T09:24:00.000-07:00

ok, marvelous was a bit of a stretch, but we might as well make the best out of it! I received a comment from a way cool photographer, Natalie Norton. Her blog and web site rock! So much cool advice and "how to" articles. I loved it! So without further a'due....I will start posting my photos larger (hopefully). Thanks Natalie! Check her out......www.natalienortonphoto.com