My personal resolution(s)

Happy New Year everyone! (well, I'm a little early ... but this still counts!)

I've been talking with friends, family and co-workers about New Year's resolutions for 2008, and this year, I decided to do something a little different. Inspired by a few photographers who have developed their own lists, I've created my own 101 in 1001.

What is this list, you may ask? Well, it's 101 things I want to accomplish in the next three years. Yes, this appeals to the side of my overachieving personality that is WAY too Type A. But I LOVE lists — and the joy that comes with crossing things off them. (surely I'm not the only one!)

Anyway, what I love about this list is that are some big goals and lots of little ones. It took me about an hour to compile, and yes, I had help coming up with some of these ideas. If any of you guys want to join me in making your own 101 lists, I'd love to hear about it. And if you need some inspiration of your own, just type "101 in 1001" into Google and you'll be set!!!

What do you guys think of this?

Have any of you heard of Google's "Street Map" function? Well, if any of you have used Google Maps for driving directions or to find an address, this function takes it one step farther and shows you, at street level (hence the name), your home.

Google brought its satellite cam truck to Indianapolis recently, and apparently decided to cruise around Muncie too because, lo and behold, here's Nick and I's home:


What's ironic about this is that, despite getting a bird's eye view of our house, they labeled our address wrong (they say it is "approximately" 672 N. Brentwood Ln. Umm ... well, I live there, and last time I checked, the numbers over our garage read 608!)

My understanding is that, eventually, Google wants to take "Street View" everywhere. So what do you guys think about this feature? Is it a gross invasion of privacy? Is it a way for us to all feel "closer," as a Ball State professor says in this Indianapolis Star story?

I don't really know how I feel about the function yet, but I do see it as a sign of the times that, with today's technology, there's no such thing, really, as privacy. (and I'm just glad Nick and I weren't out working in the yard when this shot was taken -- apparently, there's a Web site out already of odd things and or people caught in unflattering "Street View" images. You can check that out here.)

(On an unrelated note, if any Mac users out there ever need to know how to do screen captures like the one above, I found this Web site to be a big help with this post and some other fun Mac tricks!)

Merry Christmas everyone

Nick and I opted for old-school Christmas lights on the rhododendron tree this year!

Hope everyone has a great holiday week!!!

(and because I posted this image -- and a few others -- to Flickr long before the computer glitches, I still have some Christmas shots to post!)

And the frustrations grow ...

I wanted to be able to share a lot of photos from a recent shoot I had with Nick and I's good friends, TJ and Tammi, and their little girl, Riley.

But remember all those comments about the speed of our computer? Well, if it were in a race right now with a slug, the slug would win. I think even the slime on the slug would beat the 'ol trusty Dell ... I'm serious.

So after spending nearly an HOUR getting Photoshop open long enough to edit one photo from the shoot, I said enough is enough and now I'm calling it quits for the day.

My hope is that anybody who checks this blog on occasion will hang with me (through what may be some sparse postings ahead!!!) until Nick and I can work out the financing of a new computer a bit sooner than we'd planned.

Because it's no longer possible for me to foster this dream of mine and do the work I need to do on a PC that's processing data like it's 1954.

In the meantime, enjoy a sneak peek of little Riley. Isn't she adorable?

When gifts give back

After a day at work spent mostly counting down the hours until I could go home (thanks to this awful cold I've got - just in time for Xmas!), I had a major mood-booster when I checked out Nate and Amanda's blog today.

Amanda, you are one of the sweetest gals I know and I thank my lucky stars my umpteenth random Google search for a wedding photographer led me to you and Nate all those months ago :)

And thank you SO SO much for a much-needed pick-me-up today!!! I needed one in the worst way ....

Early Christmas presents

I got to open a few presents early this year after a little get-together with my work pals, Michelle and Joy. I adore these ladies soo much, and look forward to this tradition every year.

This year, we all seemed to have made a point of buying our gifts from local merchants and I LOVED everything gifted to me!

First up - so this is total random, but for the longest time, I've been looking for a cute apron for when I cook. Joy remembered and bought this ADORABLE creation from a local gourmet kitchen shop, Casella's. This thing is so cute, I may just wear it over a top because I can't bear to get grease on it! (Joy also bought me AMAZING Andy Warhol coasters - she knows me SO well! :)

And from Michelle ... this cool necklace she found at our local cultural center made by a Kenyan woman participating in the Imani Workshops. By purchasing this piece of jewelry, money goes back to their families, helping them afford drugs to fight HIV/AIDs. How awesome is that?

Note: I have some SUPER cute photos from a recent shoot that I need to post and edit, but our computer is being SO wonky I'm afraid I won't get them up any time soon. Stay posted ... and I'll add this is just ONE MORE REASON we need a Mac in 2008!!!!!!

Deck the halls

Wanted to show off some of the festive greenery in our house for the holidays.

One of many paper whites lining our kitchen windows. I LOVE these guys!

An extreme close-up of the beautiful poinsettia we bought from a local non-profit

The festive arrangement my wonderful mother-in-law got us this year. She adores snowmen, so this definitely seemed fitting! :)

Better than a Christmas card

Getting my 2008 IKEA catalog makes for a happy day in the Werner household.

But not as happy as I'll be when THIS gets finished!

Favorite blog Friday

One of my ABSOLUTE favorite photographers right now is Tara Whitney. She's a California girl and her work (especially of children) is just some of the sweetest stuff I've come across.

Amanda and I talked recently about how yummy the light is on the West Coast and how it just seems different from what we get here in Indiana - all the more reason I want to make a trip to California!!

If you ever need a little pick-me-up at your desk, or inspiration for better photos, Tara's blog is a cute site to check. She actually first made a name for herself in the scrapbooking world, and you can still see that influence on her life when she blogs about her personal world (and her four sweet kids). And if you want to, give her Web site a look too if you get a chance!

A sweet tooth no more ...

This week we had a Christmas cookie exchange at work. Feeling motivated, I thought it'd be a blast from the past to make homemade cookies, the kind mom used to make dozens upon dozens of when I was a kid and that my brother Mark would make his sole food group through January.

What was I THINKING? I knew there would be work involved here, but I have a whole new level of respect for all those years my mom made these sweets (and better understand why she's less inclined nowadays to make them!) Making the dough from scratch, rolling it out, cutting the shapes, baking the cookies (only one out of eight dozen burnt!), making the frosting and then frosting them -- I think this may be a once-every-five-years kind of treat!

You can tell by this photo that I was making these late at night
(and at that hour, there's no such thing as natural light! :)

Half-way there!

A sea of cookies (and sadly, as good as they turned out - they don't even make my mouth water at the moment. I'm still suffering from that 72-hour, I-just-made-too -much-of-something-and-if-I-look-at--or-taste-another-one-I-may-hurl" feeling. Does anyone else every get that way after cooking a big meal?)

If anyone wants the recipe -- let me know - they really are super good and perfect for dunking in milk!

Daisy sports her holiday bling

It's a snowman, but his name's not Frosty

While I spent a chunk of my weekend thus far backing up files on our dying PC (a Mac replacement is in store for 2008 :), Nick and our friend Chris (who is a photographer at the paper) spent their Friday night building a GIANT snowman outside our office.

Hours later, they came home as excited as little kids about their accomplishment.

So, without further ado, meet ... Barry. As in, he's so behemoth in size he's the Barry Bonds of snowmen. "It's like he's on steroids," my husband says.

(Is there a clause somewhere for wives that states, on occasion, our husbands revert to 12-year-olds? :)

***I figured out a way to make my photos bigger on here -- which is a very good thing and hopefully just one of many improvements to come for this blog!

Favorite Blog Fridays

I'm starting something new on this blog. Once a week, I'll share with all six of you (ha!) who check this blog some of the other blogs I check a lot. Okay, more like stalk.

You may already be familiar with the concept of "blog stalking," best defined as constantly checking a person's blog to see if there is a new photo of their dog, their kid, their client, their house ... you get the idea. Trust me, it's addicting. And now that I live in a house with no cable, blog stalking has replaced those mindless hours I used to spend with the witty Joel McHale and his Talk Soup.

For the most part, these mentions will focus on other photographers whose work I admire. But on occasion, I'll give a nod to some other kinds of blogs/sites I've come to appreciate while navigating this crazy thing we call the Web.

First up? Dooce.com. A few of you may already know about Heather Armstrong and her popular blog, but I'd never heard of her before this summer, when I randomly (which is how we find most things on the Internet, right?) stumbled across it.

Then, I couldn't stop reading it -- for hours on end. Heather's sarcastic and self-deprecating sense of humor really caught my attention (as did her hilarious daily photo opps with her dog, Chuck). Nowadays, she writes a lot about her daughter, Leta, (as she notes, rhymes with "pita") and her newsletters (which you can find via a search at the bottom of her home page) are some of the most refreshing yet touching musings on motherhood I've ever read.

This DVD made my day!

This is SO awesome! I came home the other day to find a package waiting for me: Beyond the Green Box: Understanding your Digital Camera, the second DVD from the wonderful Me Rah Koh, a professional photographer from the West Coast.

Me Ra and her husband, Brian, have an amazing and inspiring story of how they became photographers, and I've been following her blog for months now. The twosome have created this DVD series to help aspiring photographers and moms capture better moments with their kids on camera. Their first DVD is called Refuse to Say Cheese and offers up tips on framing and composition techniques; the second teaches you how to use your camera manually to take better photos. I think this pair is REALLY on to something with these DVDs (and I wouldn't be surprised if they find a national distributor for the product in 2008). So why is this such a big deal to me?

A few months back, Me Ra put out a query on her blog for photo submissions to be included in DVD 2's insert. I submitted some photos and was THRILLED when Me Ra's assistant contacted me and said they wanted to use one of mine. I gave them three shots, so I didn't know which one they'd used until I opened my (free) copy.

Can you spot it?

How about now that you see the originial? :)
It's my niece, Emily!!!! I call this "The Stinker" shot.

Here were the other shots I submitted.

My friend Heather's daughter, Gabby

My nephew, Sam

Baby love

Meet Cyenna, the adorable daughter of my childhood friend, Kristen. Born a little more than two weeks ago, this little girl didn't come easy into this world. Matter of fact, she put her mama through a lot of (post-op) pain.

But as Kristen can attest, it's been worth it to hold a little bundle like this in her arms.

Let's start with Cyenna's tiny little toes. I'm a sucker for shots like this!

And on to that beautiful little face. Doesn't she look so peaceful?

Not even a month old and already she's stylin'!

Mother & daughter
(this is my FAVORITE shot! Doesn't Kristen look beautiful?)

Kristen's been out of the hospital little more than a week and
already she's making Cyenna feel at home for the holidays!

"A baby is God's opinion that life should go on." -- Carl Sandburg

Congratulations Kristen and Billy!!

Side note: Tonight I went with my generous friend Michelle to catch the traveling Broadway performance of Hairspray! at Emens. It was FABULOUS! Lucky for me, I had a free ticket, but I would have gladly paid my admission it was so good!!!

Hollow inside

That's the best way to describe how I feel right now.

I know I said I'm keeping this blog for photography, and I mean that, but sometimes I feel the need to express myself in words only.

Today is one of those days.

I just returned from an assignment inside the home of a woman who has had NO HEAT FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS. Stop for a minute and imagine that ... To have to rely on dangerous space heaters and your COOKING STOVE to keep yourself and your family warm.

On a positive note, this story I'm working on is about a group of students from Ivy Tech who are installing ductwork and a furnance for this woman. "An answer to a prayer," Marcia told me of the men who bustled around the cramped confines of her decrepit home this morning.

It is moments like this that stop me in my tracks. That remind me of how much I take for granted in my life. How, as much as I think I'm doing my part (tithing at church, giving food to a local mission), I am disconnected to this gorilla in the room we call poverty. And how easy it is for us all to pretend people like this ... well, we know they're out there, but "out of sight, out of mind" is all too easy to adhere to, right?

I am happy for Marcia, who is getting a Christmas present this year beyond the realm of anything I'll be asking for or need. And I am humbled to think I've been given so much in my own life that my prayers ... yeah, they've gotten nothing on Marcia's.

It's finished!!!

I love to knit. It's only been in the past year (thanks to the wonderful, wonderful ladies at Danner's, our local gift/book/yarn shop) that I've progressed beyond basic scarves and hats to bigger (and better) projects.

Here's a peak at one of those BIG projects. I decided to make an afghan for my mom this year for Christmas. The same mother who, until this summer, had the same living room furniture she'd had since I was in diapers. And I decided the avocado green/gold/orange/brown color-scheme of the beloved afghan my grandmother made my mom (pre-me-in-diapers) would no longer (ahem) complement her new stuff.

This pattern was REALLY easy (a good thing because the one I started with was NOT) and if anybody out there is a knitter wanting to tackle a similar BIG project in baby steps, drop me an e-mail and I'll get you the pattern.

I can't WAIT to see the look on mom's face when she opens this Christmas Day (and no, I'm not worried about her seeing it on here because my parents don't have the Internet - and yes, they've accepted the fact they are among possibly the last few people on the planet who don't!)


One final note: You know you are addicted to knitting when the only shop you hit up at 6 a.m. on Black Friday is a yarn store!! (but hey, I wasn't alone!!!)

More nieces and nephews to come ...

I went home again this week ('tis the season, I guess) for a belated Thanksgiving dinner with the family and for a birthday party for my niece, Grace, who turned 10.

I'm working on something fun I did with the kids -- a sort of VERY impromptu photo shoot (with bad lighting to boot!) but I HAD to post one of the images I'm editing from the evening. This is my niece, Emily, 2, and nephew, Jake, 4. Both of whom, if you couldn't tell, are the BIGGEST HAMS ever! And I LOVE IT!

Holiday 'fixin's

I love the holidays and while everybody else I knew this year was busy eating turkey on Thanksgiving, I came home from work :( and decided to get a jump start on the season and get our Christmas decorations up early this year. I know, I'm crazy right?

What's better than a little tree trimming while watching the Colts overcome the Falcons?

First I tried to get Daisy in on the action (ala Dooce's Chuck,) but she was having none of it:

We have an artificial tree, which I know some people say boo! to, but it's just so much easier. Here's a few stages of the process:

Time to top things off with a star!:

I love pulling your holiday decorations out of boxes and discovering what it was you tucked away last year (I think this stems from childhood). Last year, I scooped up what is probably my favorite holiday collection I'll ever own. This is one of a series of holiday plates done by Saul Steinberg. I love his creations and his ingenuity, so when I spotted these, I knew I had to have them. I don't know if they'll ever be worth much, but, some day, I want to hand them down:

Time for ornaments! I love that both Nick's mother and my mother bought us each Hallmark collectible ornaments over the years. Now we have a great little Keepsakes collection. Here's one of my favorites:

Anyone else still have baby ornaments handed down to them? The "1983" train on the left is Nick's and, to the right, is my first baby ornament from 1982.

Two years ago, Nick's mother had these glass-blown angels made for all of us by a local glass blower in Brown County in memory of Nick's grandmother, Shirley. She loved angels, and she was such an amazing woman, that this has become one of my most beloved ornaments to hang:

Struttin' her stuff

Last Friday, I made my first trip back to my high school in years to attend a fund-raising dinner for my niece, Erin, a senior, and her show choir group. It was a tad surreal to go back, get a meal through the lunch line again, and discover so many changes to the school (like finding our junior high gym -- where I spent days during gym class my freshman and sophomore year "sweatin' to the Oldies" -- turned into practice rooms for the show choir.)

I was also so proud of my niece, who did an amazing job. It feels like yesterday Erin was watching me go through my pivotal high school moments -- state competition for marching band, getting ready for the prom, crossing the stage at graduation -- so it's a reminder to me of how fast time flies that I'm now seeing her reach her own senior year milestones.

I can't wait to see what comes next!:

The theme for the night, with tunes that covered the oldies,
country and Broadway (how could a show choir forget Broadway, right?)

Warming up

I snapped this photo as the girls were horsing around with the guys before showtime. Technically, it's not the best shot (the focus could have been sharper) but the expressions on their faces is -- to me - just priceless!

A prayer before they take the stage

Getting action shots of the group while they were on stage was pretty difficult because we weren't allowed to use flash. This is one of my favorites from the night - I LOVE the flare of her skirt!

Another favorite

Congratulations Erin! Aunt Gail loves you!

Baby oh baby!

What a busy weekend! I was all over the state this weekend, from Friday's trip to Fort Wayne to see my niece in her show choir dinner theater (a blog entry of which is to come!) to today's trip to West Lafayette to attend the baby shower of my cousin-in-law Julia.

It was a fun day, filled with plenty of the laughs, oohs, awws and coos typical of most baby showers. Julia and her husband, Dan, are expecting a little boy, Zayne, on Christmas Eve! Talk about the best kind of Christmas present!

I'm so happy for them both and I have no doubt this baby is going to be a cutie!

Julia had toys from her childhood there with her for the day -- including this baby Pooh!

Julia loves frogs -- which means Zayne likely will too!

We played the game where you "guess" how big the mom-to-be is
(that's Julia's mom, Aunt Jacalyn, on the left)

My guess was RIGHT on the money!

She has that beautiful pregnancy glow!

Isn't this cake AMAZING? Made by the cake decorator who made Julia's wedding cake ...
(if you look closely -- even the blanket the bear sits on is made of fondant)

And I couldn't finish this entry without a photograph of Stewie, the pit bull pup that belongs to Julia's brother, (cousin) Christopher. What a face!!!

Fall's fading fast

Fall is hands down my favorite time of year. And October my favorite month (maybe that's why I decided to get married in it ;) This year, we had predictions fall colors were going to be yucky because we had a bit of a summer drought.

When Nick and I paid a visit to Brown County last month, I didn't think the trees could be any prettier than what I saw there. But I was wrong ...

Even though November has crept up on us (a month known as much for Thanksgiving as the onset of that lovely shade of color known as "winter drab"), our neighborhood in Muncie has had the most BEAUTIFUL pop of color -- brilliant reds, yellows and oranges -- that's seemed to come overnight.

I knew there was a good chance the colors weren't going to stick around long enough for the weekend. So I took my camera during lunch break yesterday and this is what I caught standing in our front yard (okay, the one of the hedges is right around the corner, and it's not a spectacular shot by any means, but the color is so vibrant I wanted to share with everyone what I've see on my way to work every day this week.)

Too bad fall couldn't last more than a few weeks, huh?


The tree right outside our den's front window has dropped the most vibrant colors of leaves and, while they're a total pain in the rear for Nick and I to rake up -- they're too beautiful to complain too much about:


Our neighborhood has some of the most mature, beautiful trees in the city. This is looking out to our neighbors' yard. Had I time to take a "nature walk" of the 'hood, I would have had countless photos like this:


What is it about gold and blue that works so well together?:

Here's those hedges I was talking about. Do you suppose the person who planted these 30 years ago had any idea he would one day stop traffic with these guys?: