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366 in 52 [2016] ~ Week Two

I’m enjoying picking up my camera every day and challenging myself to capture more of our every day life. Though it’s hard for me to let go of achieving technical perfection and ensuring compositional techniques are followed, I am being more present in the moment with my camera and asking myself, “What would my children like to see when they are older?” I know I need to get in more photos and I will work on that this year.

Day Eight ~ Ready for School

Anna’s favorite color is purple, can you tell? She recently has started noticing that the typical girls in middle school (like the cheerleaders and dancers) wear hair bows and a little makeup. So we had some fun picking out some bows and I got her some light makeup for Christmas (though we haven’t yet played with it). I’m pleased she is noticing things like this but there is a downside as well… she is noticing that she has a hard time with some of the academics. When things were really bad at the beginning of the school year (see my 2015 in Review post for more detail), Anna was calling herself stupid. That part breaks my heart. Is it worth her keeping her innocence in exchange for her growing up and being independent? Of course not, but it hurts.

New Braunfels family child special needs girl photographer

Nikon D750 | 85mm | f/1.8 | 1/125 | ISO 2800

Day Eight ~ Sky Bird

This is the parakeet Anna won at the Comal County Fair a year and a half ago. Sky is a sweet budgie but no matter what we’ve tried, he will not get tame enough to even touch. Anna’s interest in him has declined over time and Sky’s chirping and singing and chattering annoys Curtis to death. So for the last six months or so, he’s been living at my mom’s house. Anna’s 15th birthday is coming up and she has her heart set on getting a cockatiel (she thinks a cockatiel would be easier to train) but Curtis doesn’t think it’s a good idea. Do we keep Sky or re-home him? Could we handle a bigger bird? I don’t know!

New Braunfels animal pet bird budgie parakeet photographer

Nikon D750 | 85mm | f/5 | 1/250 | ISO 12,800 | -0.33 exposure

Day Eight ~ Backyard Sunset

Every once in a while, the sun peeks through the gloomy skies that have prevailed this winter… and I’m running for my camera. This is the view from my mom’s side of the backyard toward the side street.

New Braunfels nature sunset landscape photographer

Nikon D750 | 85mm | f/5 | 1/250 | ISO 1000

Day Nine ~ Ball Moss Blob

We had a whole sunny day, the whole day! I ventured out and loved the way the light was hitting the ball moss in the trees. This particular blob of moss was only partially lit and I adore the light and shadows… so much depth and dimension.

New Braunfels nature ball moss tree photographer

Nikon D750 | 105mm | f/5.6 | 1/320 | ISO 400

Day Nine ~ Field of Dreams

This was taken in the field/lot next door to us. Last year, we purchased this lot and I am SO grateful. We’ve had an explosion of growth here in River Chase and this land is going to be a great investment… plus it keeps people from building right next to us. The deer come every morning to eat (yes, I feed them, but I am responsible about it… they get deer nutrition <not corn>, they are fed in troughs so the feed is off the ground and doesn’t get droppings in it, and they get fresh water daily as well) and we so enjoy the natural setting that I’m happy it will forever be protected. Or give us money in an emergency if we needed it.

New Braunfels nature landscape field photographer

Nikon D750 | 105mm | f/5.6 | 1/320 | ISO 125

Day Ten ~ “Tasty” Win

Curtis saw one of those cooking videos on Facebook about Sloppy Joes cooked in a muffin pan using biscuit dough and wanted to try it Sunday night. I love it when he gets a hankering to cook (it doesn’t happen often, ha!) and he gets super excited about it. I’m not eating meat anymore (2.5 years now) so I didn’t try them, but Curtis and the kids said they were delicious. Here’s a link to the video: Sloppy Joe Cups.

New Braunfels food photographer

Nikon D750 | 105mm | f/4 | 1/320 | ISO 8000

Day Eleven ~ Crumb Snatchers

Anytime Dominic or my mom or Curtis has a snack or eats a meal, the dogs line up and wait patiently… crumbs never hit the floor in our house. This was after school Monday and Dominic was on an accelerated time schedule. Snack, homework, dinner, then off to Boy Scouts, all between 4:30 and 6:00. Mondays are busy!

New Braunfels boy child family pet dogs photographer

Nikon D750 | 35mm | f/2.5 | 1/200 | ISO 1250

Day Eleven ~ Growing Up

I love Dominic’s blue eyes. We all have the same color eyes, especially me, Dominic, and Jenny. These piercing blue eyes. He is getting so tall and has matured a tremendous amount from last year to this year. He’s 11.5 years old now. Crazy!?!

New Braunfels boy child family lifestyle portrait photographer

Nikon D750 | 35mm | f/2.5 | 1/200 | ISO 1250

Day Eleven ~ Lola Palooza

My sweet little Lola. She has recently taken to jumping up on the backs of the couch and chairs. It’s so cute! I think she learned it from my mom’s dog, Cricket. I have so many nicknames for my sweet Chorkie-Pie. Lola Lulu, Lola Lou, L.O.L.A. Lola (the song!), and my fave, Lola Palooza. She is a doll, maybe 7 pounds. She desperately needs a haircut but she’s never been around anyone but me, so I think she’d freak out at a groomer. I’ll try to trim her up myself.

New Braunfels pet dog canine Chorkie Lola photographer

Nikon D750 | 35mm | f/2.5 | 1/200 | ISO 1250

Day Twelve ~ Car Wash

My Enclave was filthy and I had some time to kill after a long day in San Antonio spent at the Apple Store (Dominic’s 2nd brand new iPhone 6 has already suffered a shattered screen… btw, do NOT get AT&T’s mobile protection plan, it’s a total scam and waste of money), so I took my car to a local drive through wash. Something about the light coming through hitting the suds made me pick up my camera, and I’m so glad I did. Love this!

New Braunfels car wash photographer

Nikon D750 | 35mm | f/1.4 | 1/200 | ISO 400

Day Twelve ~ Green Light

Mom put a green light in her back porch light for Christmas and I love the effect. It illuminates the huge mesquite tree that shadows the pool, so you can see the reflection in the pool. So freaking cool. I had the crank the ISO to crazy high numbers and it was windy, but I like the artsy effect.

New Braunfels pool night tree photographer

Nikon D750 | 35mm | f/1.4 | 1/60 | ISO 12,800

Day Thirteen ~ My Mom, My BFF

The kids got out of school early yesterday, and my mom made them a snack at her house. So after chores and homework, we went over for cheese and crackers (Anna), peanut butter and crackers (Dominic), and orange bell peppers for all. Her house is flooded with light all the time, it’s a beautiful space and one of the main reasons we purchased this property. I caught her a little off guard (she wanted to go fix her hair), but this smile is so beautiful and genuine and filled with love for me and the kids, that I had to capture it right then and there. She always has been my best friend and will be forever.

New Braunfels portrait lifestyle senior mom photographer

Nikon D750 | 35mm | f/2 | 1/160 | ISO 800

Day Fourteen~ Frequent Flyer

Because of Anna’s neurological issues, she does not wake in the middle of the night or in the middle of a nap when nature strikes. Consequently, I have to wash her sheets more frequently than the rest of us. I’ve invested in the best medical-grade overnight products (eSpecialNeeds is a great website) and the best mattress protectors and pads available but nothing is foolproof. I like white sheets, they are easy to bleach, and feel so crisp when you slide into bed. This is a task that I do quite often and since I’m trying to capture more of our every day life, I thought it might make for a good picture. I set up the tripod and used a slower shutter speed to capture the movement in the sheets.

As a side note, I haven’t done a self-portrait in a long time. Since my thyroidectomy and hysterectomy, my health has slowly been getting better and my stamina is returning. I’m back up to 45-60 minutes on the elliptical about 5 times a week, and I’m eating better. But… I’ve gained another 15 pounds, within a very short time frame. I’m so discouraged. Add that to the 5 pounds I gained when selling our old house and when Jenny got married, and the 10 pounds I gained when we moved and got settled in our new house… you can imagine that I’m extremely embarrassed and self-conscious to post anything. I found out today that my thyroid levels nearly doubled in the last 2 months and I cannot tell you how relieved I am. Normal thyroid ranges are anywhere from 0.4-4.2, and my doc wants me in the 1.5 range. It was normal before surgery, at an 88 after, then down to 7, now up to 16. So up we go again on my levothryoxine dosage. I pray this helps this weight come back off. I’m pretty freaked out to be creeping up the scale after getting soooo close to goal 2 years ago.

New Braunfels self-portrait black and white lifestyle photographer

Nikon D750 | 35mm | f/2.8 | 1/80 | ISO 800 | tripod with interval timer

Two weeks in, it’s been fun so far. I’m trying to not do so much macro and nature stuff but that is definitely a passion. Thanks for looking!!!

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