Weekend Pics

The weekend's beautiful weather called us outdoors for much of it which worked out perfectly with my photography class assignments! We hit 80+ degrees today! Little A called it "HOT" which maybe was true compared to what we've been used to.

Last weekend I picked up a new lens for my camera with the help of some Be8t Buy Rewards points we had earned. It's such a great lens especially for portraits, and I've been getting some decent shots out of it.

The weekend began with A's second track meet. She participated in the 200 and the 4x400 relay. The morning was pretty cool but warmed nicely at noon when the sun finally appeared.

It was such a great, relaxing weekend!!

Model A on the steps of the Capitol

Framing A for a class assignment

Rule of thirds portrait with Haymarket statue

 

A's second track meet (with her 4x400 relay team) - East High

The hand off

Basking in the sun that finally appeared after a cool morning at the track meet

Neighborhood ducks at the park

By far the easiest one to work with!

Working with depth of field on the magnolia bush perhaps??

Excuse Me, Can You Help Us Find Spring???

Ahhh! I just realized that my snowy blog could very well be responsible for creating this bizarre spring weather we're experiencing. So I did everyone a favor and changed it to my favorite color...green. :)

Little A is anxiously awaiting her Kindergarten field trip to the nature center tomorrow. It's really too bad that the weather is not cooperating since they will be outside for part of the day. Her lunch is packed and her excitement has made E sad that she cannot go as well. E always thinks she's missing out on all the Kindergarten fun and enjoys going to school events with Ava when the opportunity arises.

A few months ago I volunteered (all too quickly) to be the committee chair for the craziest week of the year at work. So between work and school and home life, I'm feeling the stress. But it's definitely been a fun, learning experience!! Excited for the work celebration next week AND for the after party that comes next Friday evening! :)

Chris is prepping for his final class on Sunday before he is officially ready for graduation! His hard work has paid off and was commended by his professors on having the "best school improvement project" they've seen. One year and about 85 pages later, the project is bound and ready for presenting. He gets to present it once to his class on Sunday and then again the following Sunday to a newly formed cadre about to start on their projects. He also has been recommended for and encouraged to start an Ed.S, PhD or Ed.D program which would be the next step towards Specialist and Superintendent certification in the field of education. We are so proud of him for his dedication and desire to improve his knowledge and experience in the school system!!

Lastly, Estes Park is officially booked!!!!! After a stressful year, we are pumped to get away for a week and not think about any school!! We are also looking forward to celebrating with my dad as he hits the big 6-0! WOW.

Weekend Wrap-up

Despite being a full-time employee, full-time student and parent, we managed some family time today. After finishing up the semi-annual Neat Repeatz prep on Saturday, I took the girls to the park this morning and shot some photos to complete my photography class assignment. Not only have I learned the most out of all my classes thus far, but the homework is fun and I get to incorporate my family. They have driven me around town so I don't have to drive, park, drive, park constantly. We are working on exposure compensation this week, and I was assigned to purposely under and overexpose various shots. The frustrating part is getting some really cute photos that are way overexposed. :( Here are some photos I've taken up to this point:

Overexposed Elsie

Yes, the wind was 3,000 mph today!!

Love!

E was refusing to have her picture taken

Using this little tree and working with depth of field...
no idea what structure is in the background ;)

Pom helped with the shutter speed exercise!

This afternoon the whole family headed to the North Y for a workout and a family swim. Sometimes the extra driving is worth it for their really nice pools. They offer a kids pool next to a lap pool, and the kids LOVED it because they could touch the bottom. It starts at 1.5' and goes up to 5' with two slides at the deeper end. The large whirlpool is also a nice feature that we don't get at our neighborhood Y. We were successful in wearing them out, but they were so excited about going to the "new" Y.