Wicked Woodlands

we were trapped in the woods today….

doesn’t it look scary?! it started out innocent enough….go out for a quick hike, and a hunt for some bugs, because yes, people, I like bugs. It’s weird, I know….but they happen to be one of my favorite things to shoot. (and just for the record—I scream like a little girl if they crawl on me…I don’t LIKE them like them….I just like to shoot them- weird, I know.) SO….back to the wicked woodlands. We set off to bug hunt. We headed to a local preserve, and made mistake number one- deciding we were WAY to cool to need a map. Who needs a map? NOT US. Why? Cause we are waaaaay too cool. I mean really, there were little wooden arrows all over teh place…how tricky could it be? HA!

I began contemplating eating the berries….

      We were wandering aimlessly for hours! Hours I tell you! I was famished!!! *public service announcement- please don’t eat the berries. please.
It was getting hot. There were no bugs. I was told that I could never be a National Geographic photographer, because apparently, I make much too much noise. hmph. My argument? bugs don’t hear (I have no clue if this is true), but apparently the world does not revolve just around me (yeah, I know! I was shocked too!) and hubby wanted to see some wildlife. So I tried, really, I did. BUT, I think it is not in my genetic make up to be quiet. It just isn’t.

Oh! The hunger pains! Where were we going?! It seemed like we were walking for days! Were we just going in circles? My vision started to blur

      Clearly, I was dying from waaaay too much exercise. And then it happened. I started hallucenating. Yes, that’s right, I started seeing things…..and not just anything, oh no….what I saw was moving poop. You read right, poop. moving. right across the path. WAIT! It’s a bug!!!! A dung beetle! Yaaaaaay, finally a bug!!!!! So, being the rude photographer that I am, we tore the hard worker away from his task at hand, and asked him to do a quick model shoot

And then……then the clouds seperated, the sun broke through, and I swear, I think I heard angels singing…..

Okay…so I have been told that I may be a bit overly dramatic……so here is what really happened:

yup, we were too cool for a map, and found ourselves on a VERY long trail. Does it count for anything that it FELT like we were never getting out alive? Is it my fault The Blair Witch Project continues to mess with my head whenever I am in the woods? We were not lost, according to hubby. We followed the arrows. It’s just that there were A LOT of arrows! I was tired and sweaty…and I suppose, just a teeny bit whiney. So NO, it did not take days to get out, just an hour and a half. Details, schmeetails.

Oh….and the park forgot to put up a very very important sign up….BEWARE OF MESQUITOS!!!!! They were absolutely gynormous…I feared for hubby’s safety. *a downfall to being married to a photographer coming up……NOW

poor guy! I made him endure another bite, just so I could get photographic proof of his misery!

LESSON OF THE DAY
always take the free map when going into the woods. and pack bug spray.

Target vs. Salvation Army

I am going stir crazy. I am off work…and have stuff to do, I just don;t feel like doing it….so I am avoiding it, and in the process, going stir crazy! So I went out and about today with hubby. We headed off, with no real destination in mind. We quickly found ourselves driving in circles. "wanna go to Target?" hubby innocently asked. drumroll please………"no" was my reply. We shouldn’t be spending, and Target=$$$ out of my pocket and into theirs. So, amazingly enough, I did not go to Target. We ended up near the Salvation Army. oooooooh. fun! "let’s go to the salvation army!" I said…..to which hubby gave me "the look". the look that said, ummmmm, NO. let’s not. whhhhhhhhhhhhhhhy? I whined. Apparently, going into the salvation army will cost him money, because I will see things, I will want things, and I will make him buy me these things. HUH? "yeah, but you invited me to the danger zone, to Target!" Well….ready for the photographer’s husband’s thinking? this is good!

Target:
– I will find things, I will want to buy things, and these things will be things that most likely hubby will have some sort of interest in as well. these things will be things that he can play with and enjoy too.

The Salvation Army:
– I will find things, I will want to buy things, and these things will be things that I will want to use in a yet unplanned photo shoot. these things will need to be stored. they will take up space in the shed, taking away from the precious space a rake or wheelbarrow may need. these things will be heavy most likely, and they will need to be lugged around, and hubby will be nominated as the thing-lugger-arounder.

SO, in the battle, clearly Target is the safer bet. Who would of thunk it?!

Merry and Bright

the day after Christmas…….I hate it! Is it not the weirdest day? After all the hoopla that goes into the holidays, just poof! it’s gone. just like that. I don’t get it. why does it need to end so soon? Where did the cheerful christmas music go?! again, poof! gone. darnit.

Well…..I have decided to just keep on celebrating, even if that means I sit here alone, eating chocolates. whatever. Wanna know what I did on the day after Christmas? you do, right? I brought my pugger to the pug-doctor. my poor pugger has a urinary tract infection. awwww! how in the world does a dog get a uti? I have no freaking clue, but if any dog is going to get it, you better believe it will be my Punky. I am beginning to suspect that she is making herself sick just so she can go on car rides to the pug-doctors, because we have been there a LOT. but don’t feel too bad for her. She gets to take some medicine….wanna know why that is a good thing for her? she is smart. little miss smarty pants. she will. not. take a pill. no way jose. and here is the kicker….being a pug and all, she doesn’t have a snout, and no snout means no way for mommy to implement her pill-giving tactics. So know what that means? peanut butter. and lots of it. that is the only way she will take a pill. what a stinker!

Enjoy the remnants of your holiday!!!

Holy Hotness…..

Remember I told you I was working on something hot a while back? Yeah, well…..is this hot enough for you?

yeah, that’s what I thought!

I bet you would like to see more, right? well…hand over $10, and you can see all sorts more! am I a saleswoman, or what?! really though, these calendars are ONLY $10, seriously! Where else can you find hotness this cheap????? And believe me, it is worth every penny. I will soon have the link to the website for the Lehigh Acres Fire Department…but in the meantime, if you simply cannot contain yourself, which I know you can’t, email me!

Did I mention this is for a good cause? Well, it is. This calendar supports ACT Abuse Counseling and Treatment, Inc. They are a nonprofit agency provides a circle of support services for victims of domestic violence & sexual assault and serves Lee, Hendry, Glades, Collier and Charlotte Counties.

Now get those $10 bills out already!

Snapshots From My Day

SO, I have covered the good thing about being a photographer—seeing in a new way. The down side? Snapshots….I hate them. a lot. It is so ingrained in me to make sure exposure is just right, the composition is pretty, that the lighting is flattering. Makes it hard to take snapshots. But I am trying, because it is important to catch the everyday moments that make up our lives. Sometimes, if you are too focused on the details, you miss the moment. So today, I went with the intention of taking photographs, and gave up quickly and gave in to snapshots. I am so happy I did!!!

Today was Punky’s first day at the beach (technically, this is her second trip, but I have decided that the first trip didn’t count because a) I didn’t have my camera with me and b) we got rained out before we had a chance to enjoy it.) SO, today was her first day at the beach, got it?! And my goodness, the punky-doodle looooooooved it!!! She actually played with some other dogs, and daddy actually unleashed her! *gasp* I almost passed out when I saw him do that (he is beyond a nervous doggy owner). And she pranced and pranced and pranced.

Today was a good day to be a pug.

             look at her go! She was so excited!


           I think doodle left an impression on the beach 🙂
 

Twigs

The fun thing about being a photographer is that you see. You see things in a new way. You notice things that many other people would miss. You find beauty in interesting places and objects.

During a visit to our favorite nursery, Powell’s Nursery, I noticed these branch cuttings piled up for the garbage. I thought they were so interesting looking and couldn’t get enough of them. Well, as we were leaving Mrs. Powell grabbed one and put it in the car. Well, the procrastinator that I am, the poor little coveted branch sat on the ground for a week. All the berries/nuts/seed pods (I have no clue what they are!) turned bright red, and most fell off. The branches dried up….and I discovered I found the thing even more beautiful.

 

*sigh*

I love my Tinker Bell, I really really do. It’s just that sometimes, well,,,sometimes I need to be reminded. I mean, I know she is a cutie pie, just look at her!

   Look at her getting all snuggly with her bobo (for those not in the know…but is only the coolest dog toy ever! ever see the commercial with the weiner dog, with his fave toy, and when it gets too dirty he gets to go to the store to get a new one? that is bobo…..my dogs go crazy for them!)  So back to the story…she is a cutie. I know this. She is a sweetheart. She is a lover and the most happiest dog I have ever met….but I think she may need a few sessions with the Dog Whisperer. Because this cutie pie has a dark side……..

      one of the most exciting things about our new kitchen was that we knew Tinker would not be able to get into the cabinets. The other ones were so crappy, and never closed, that we eventually had to put baby locks on them to keep TInker the Stinker out. We were seriously excited that these new bad boys would keep her out. WELL—–apparently, for the past couple of months, sweet little Tinker has been scheming and plotting. I suspect there have been a few practice runs. I am sure she had a few alibis lined up….always blame it on the pug. She mapped out her plan. And today, she woke up and saif to herself "self, today is the day. today is the day that I am gonna make the big break. I am going in. I WILL find the garbage can, and I will pull it out. I will drag the garbage throughout the house in celebration, and when mommy comes home, I will proudly sit, sourronded by garbage. I will way my tail so furiously that mommy will never even notice the garbage strewn about".

Oh, and if all else fails….I will beg for mercy, and tell her the pug did it…..

And This One Too….

this is one of the first photos I took when I got my camera….

An Oldie but Goodie…

I am in the midst of building my website, determined to have it live by the new year, so I have been digging through some old stuff….always fun! It is like seeing this stuff for the first time! sometimes, after taking so many photos, I begin to forget about past shots….until I stumble upon them. and then I smile 🙂

psyche!

okay…so maybe that wasn’t very nice of me, teasing you with just a tad of hotness! you want to see a little more, yeah? well, I am weak, so here ya go! These images are NOT in the calendar….so, youstill need to buy one, just so you know!
*you may want to make sure you are not leaning over your keyboard, you wouldn’t want to ruin it with drool 😉