Halloween, Samhain, All Hallows Eve...However You Address It...

I love Halloween, just love the fun and excitement surrounding the holiday, the basic meaning of Samhain and the start of a fresh year, Witches New Year's as it's commonly known in the Pagan community, a chance to begin all over again.  I like that aspect of it, enjoy the ability to say, Hey World this is my time to Start Over! And, I am hopeful the next year brings with it some balance and stability - too much has gone wrong for us in the last several months that I am so ready for some stability.

Of course being a Mom also set us up for some Trick or Treating and Pumpkin Carving.  I missed the actual carving aspect of the pumpkins, but have some pics of the final product for everyone.  Let me also say this, I do have two kids, you all have seen my son, he decided early on he wasn't going to go trick or treating so no costume was bought, no bags were taken with us and therefore the standard pics of him in his costume were not taken.  BUT not 10 minutes after we started trick or treating he began to change his mind, got very upset when we told him he had to have a costume on, meltdown ensued, Daddy took him back to the car to cool off, came back about twenty minutes later smiling and happy because Daddy had assembled a makeshift costume using one of his PetsMart shirts and nametag and made him a PetsMart employee! At this point it was pitch dark black and I didn't have my camera with me so no pics were taken of him in that costume, but it was adorable.

For my girl though, she dressed up as a Vampire Princess and we went all out for the jewelry and make-up, enjoy below:

The necklace

The Ring

Trying to get a Pic of the Earrings but Alas that didn't take - but this beauty emerged instead

Following Them Around...

Ok so today I took the kids outside to ride their bikes and play, it was a beautiful day so I figured why not, ha ha!! So of course the camera went with me, and some magic happened today!

To bring all up to date, I use a Samsung HZ50W a very basic point and click with some of bells and whistles of a DSLR Camera, but much simpler.

So here's what happened today!

Of course I took the family dog with us, a Rottweiler-Shepard Mix named Nixon and here's some of his shots.  He's so very easy to photograph, I bring out the camera and the charm comes on with him, he just loves having his picture taken as will be seen with some of the below where he appears to almost be laughing.  As I've always said, some may think a dog lacks personality, those of us owned by a dog will know different, Nixon brings it to the forefront with these - they ooze personality!

Coming Back from an Absence...

Always seems very surreal doesn't it? Like when one leaves for a medical leave at work and they return they feel sort of lost don't they? You never know what has been happening in your absence, nor what changes have taken place or how comfortable someone is in their job after covering your job and tasks.  It sort of feels like this when I've been away for quite some time, I've taken on a new hobby in addition to my photography and that has sadly pulled me away too much as of late and my photography has suffered.  So, please excuse me if the below are less than stellar, I am trying my darndest to practice more...wish I could though.

Excuses, Excuses, Excuses, right?  Where did we leave off, oh yes the end of the summer and getting ready for school.  We are now closing in on the end of the first 9 weeks and I have to say school is going well for the kiddos.  We've not had any major life events happen, nor have we had any reason to make any huge announcements or pronouncements but life being quiet can be a good thing.

That being said, I do have some photos to share with everyone!

This one is special, I just pointed the camera and clicked and got something simply amazing!  This shot of my daughter has quickly become my favorite!

And recently another local photographer looking for inspiration requested other photographers post their galleries on her Facebook page, I posted mine and she had something very wonderful to say about this one:

This was taken using my Dad's Cannon Camera, but I was behind the lense, and here's what she had to say:

"This is one of my favorite poses for wedding formals (aside from the bride and groom, obviously, lol) I love the way they are framed with those amazing trees, great depth of field on your subjects, and genuine expressions. The side view, with them not looking at the camera is so REAL...great shot!"

To say I am flattered is a major understatement, but all the same!!! Thanks Rose Gallery Photography for the Awesome Compliment!

That's all she wrote for now! Enjoy!!

End of Summer, Time for School!

WOW is it really that time already? Time for school books, yellow buses, girl scouts and teacher?!?! It can't be that time already, but alas it is.  Amazing how quickly the summer has gone by for us.  I am completely blown out of the water - while we didn't do anything overtly exciting, we leave our excitement to the small things.  For us though, the summer brought a wonderous adventure to the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair in Gaithersburg, MD.  A memory harkened from childhood and shared with our little ones.  Some of my fondest memories from my own childhood stem from going to the fair, first with my parents as a child, seeing the animals, riding the rides and getting some home made ice cream from the dairy barn - to the early teen years volunteering at the church food booth serving food to hungry fair goers in an effort to raise some money for the church - to the teen years spent cruising the carnival for boys! ;-)  This time around though it was taking the kids to the fair, showing them the sites, sounds, and rides my husband and I enjoyed growing up! You do know the camera went with! See the below and enjoy!

From a short vacation to Back to School...We've Had a Busy Summer!

1st Day of 2nd Grade!!!

1st Day of 4th Grade!!