We left bright and early on Wed. morning. The boys were up, dressed, and ready to go at about 5 AM, but we didn't actually leave the house until about 8. I was impressed with their patience as Andy and I got a little extra sleep, showered, ate, and packed up the truck.

From here to Kentucky Down Under takes about an hour and 40 minutes. The majority of the trip is a 4 lane divided highway, with the last 30 miles or so on Interstate 65. The boys actually enjoyed the drive, pointing out the sights along the way and asking questions about various landmarks. I think they only asked "are we there yet?" a hundred or so times.

Kentucky Down Under was our first stop. We spent about 4 hours there. We petted kangaroos, fed lorakeets and other birds, saw various wildlife exhibits and plant exhibits, walked a million miles, and went in Kentucky Caverns. The cave was a big hit with the boys. I wondered a bit about that, but my fears were for nothing--they did wonderfully in the cave, even when another little boy of about 5 freaked out and started hollering that he wanted to leave. Drew even asked several very intelligent questions.

After Kentucky Down Under, we headed a few miles back down the interstate to Cave City and got a hotel room, and then decided to visit Guntown Mountain. To get to Guntown Mountain you have to ride a ski lift up the mountain. Again I was a little apprehensive about the boys riding the ski lift, and once again I underestimated my kids. They loved it. At the top we watched a magic show, a wild west shoot-out, and visited a small petting zoo. To Andy's dismay, we did not stay for the Can-Can show.

Then there was a small nap, some shopping in the kitschy little souvenir shops that are plentiful in Cave City, and supper at the A&W. Swimming in the hotel pool and some time in the hotel game room rounded out the evening.

Thursday morning we got up and, after breakfast at the hotel where the boys got to make their own waffles (they were thrilled, let me tell you) we meandered towards home. We stopped and visited a rest area (another big hit with the boys--I think we need to get out more) where I let them get brochures and a drink from the vending machine. We stopped and visited the Shaker settlement at South Union (Shakertown, you may have heard it called). We stopped at the Jefferson Davis Monument. We had McDonald's for lunch. And then we came home.

All in all it was a nice trip. The boys had an excellent time, and Andy did, too. I did have a good time while we were actually at the attractions, and I really enjoyed Shakertown. I don't really travel well, and much prefer to be in my own environment, so coming back to my own house was a relief for me, but I am glad that we went. And I am glad to be home.

...go here for some of the photos (89 of the 200 that I took). I will talk about the trip tomorrow. Right now we are tired. I will tell one funny story to tide you over until then, though.

On the way home we stopped at the Jefferson Davis Monument in Fairview. It's only 20 minutes from here but we never actually visit, and since we were on vacation and playing tourist we decided to stop. If you're not familiar with the Jefferson Davis Monument, it looks just like the Washington Monument in D.C., only smaller.

Anyway, you can see it from a fair distance away, and as we were driving towards it Andy says, in all seriousness, "Who is Jefferson Davis, anyway?"

OK, well, I guess not everyone knows who he is. I do, and most people around here do, especially since we have that big monument and everything. But I thought he was joking, and after I realized he wasn't I said "He was the president of the Confederacy, Andy."

Andy just looked at me for a minute. The boys were suddenly asking all sorts of questions from the back. "What's the Confederacy, Mom?" "Is he dead?" "Is he still the president of the Confederacy?" and on and on and on. And then the light bulb came on over Andy's head, and he said...

...and this is a direct quote...


...."Oh! You mean like J.D. Hogg! Jefferson Davis Hogg! The mayor of Hazzard County!"

Was he joking?

You be the judge!

Tomorrow we leave on our "vacation"! In case you just happen to know where we live, don't be getting any big ideas--we've got plenty of people watching the place. No robbing us blind, OK? Anyway, so I won't be around for a few days. I hope you won't miss me too terribly much.

The boys are beside themselves with excitement. I'm not quite sure what they've used to formulate their ideas for what a vacation is, probably various sources including television, movies, and friends. Apparently I am not one of their sources. According to my children, on vacation we are going to do whatever they want. No matter what it is, no matter what it costs, no matter how far away or how dangerous or scary or expensive or outrageous, if they want it we will do it because it's vacation and family vacation is for the kids. And so, even though we are visiting locations no more than 70 miles from our home, and we're only going to be away for 2 days, Disneyland and Sea World and the beach and the jungle and an ocean cruise and petting a tiger are all on our list of things to do on our vacation.

I sure hope they're not too disappointed.

On another note, last night after Andy left for work the boys turned the television in the kitchen on to find that Andy had left it on BET. Never mind what Andy was doing watching Black Entertainment Television (I was kind of wondering that myself), there was a music video on, and the dancers were dancing all around. It was a very elaborate choreographed dance, and Drew immediately began dancing along, spinning around and jiggling and being all fancy. It was, quite possibly, the funniest thing I had ever seen. And the entire time he was singing under his breath "yeah, I'm breaking it down, I'm breaking it down..."

I had no access to the video camera or you'd be watching it right now.

See you guys when we get back!

I am crabby. I am so, so crabby.

I am incredibly unpleasant to be around, and no matter how much I hear myself and tell myself to shut up, I can't seem to stop.

I don't know why.

I don't know how to fix it.

My poor, poor children.

I know I wouldn't want to be left in my care.

It's not often that I include a photo of myself, is it? I took it on a whim today with the baby camera (that's what it's been christened), and as it's actually not a bad photo I thought I'd share. I may take it down later, but for now there it is.

Over the past few weeks I've gotten several e-mails from readers (I still can't believe that I have readers. I mean, wow! Readers!) asking for me to share some photography tips on the blog. I'm slightly reluctant to do so, because hey, I'm no expert. But I'm going to do it anyway, based on the theory that I can just tell you what works for me and if it doesn't work for you the most you're out is a few minutes of your time. But first, you should go and check out some of the blogs of some of the people on my sidebar. There are some really talented photographers over there, and some of them post photography tips now and then. For starters, look at Picture This, The Land of K.A., The Farmer's Wife, Behind the Lens, and I Wish....

Ok, now, for my basic tips on how to take better photographs, no matter what type of camera you have:

1. Get close to your subject. Are you close? Alright...get closer. Fill the frame with whatever it is that you're photographing. Get as close as your camera will focus. Obviously there are times when this is not the best move, but more often than not the less amount of negative space in the photo the more interesting it will be to look at. What would you rather see--a photo of a cute baby in a swing, or a photo of a cluttered room containing, somewhere, a swing and a baby?
2. Turn off the flash. In my humble opinion, if it's to dark to take a photograph and the only option is the on-camera flash, the photo isn't worth taking. Flash just adds such a harsh, unnatural light and color to photographs. Probably not the best option for most people, right? OK, then, if at all possible don't use the flash. Find a bright window or an overhead light, or if your camera has the capability, up the iso so you can shoot in dimmer light. Which brings me to my next tip...
3. Read your camera manual. Really. You'd be surprised at what even your $100 point and shoot digital camera can do if you just fool with a few settings. Don't believe me? Go to Flickr Camera Finder and look up your camera. Scroll down and view some of the photos taken with your camera. I guarantee you will be surprised.
4. Take LOTS of photos. They're digital--it's not costing you a dime! Take the shot, and then take 5 more just to make sure you've got it. See something that might be interesting in a photo? Take it. What could it hurt?
5. Learn to look at the light. See the shadows. Realize that if the sun is directly behind your child, when you take a photo their face will likely be mostly in shadow. Know that the light is most flattering before 10 AM and after 6 PM, that it is crisp in the morning and warm and flattering in the evenings.
   
6. Don't pay attention to the photographs you see in magazines, or on the internet, or in studios, unless you love them. And even then, unless it's your "style", you don't have to photograph like that. Take images your way. Do you like them off center? Do it. Overexposed? Alright. Way bright, or always black and white? Go for it.

Photography is art, and art is an extremely personal thing. What one person loves another might dislike intensely. All you can do is your best, and if your best makes you happy then your world is a better place.

I think I may have blogged about this before, but I'm too lazy to go back and look so if I have, I apologize.

I got a new camera today. See? Isn't it cute? I spent my Ebay money on it. I've actually been thinking about doing this for awhile. I realize that most people upgrade from the point and shoot to the DSLR, but I went the other way. Well, really it wasn't an upgrade, it was an addition to my arsenal.

I love my camera. But it's big and bulky and heavy and expensive. And while I'd like to have one that's even bigger and bulkier and more expensive, sometimes it's just not convenient. It takes lovely photographs, and when my mission is to take photographs, that's great. However, sometimes the mission is not just to take photographs.

Sometimes the mission is to have fun. To spend time with family and friends. And while having photographic memories of the event is nice, it's not always worth the trouble of the big, bad DSLR. That was brought home to me while visiting the zoo a few weeks ago with my mom. Toting the Rebel around is like caring for an additional child. You have to keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn't get hurt or too hot or wander off. It's heavy, and breakable. It can be temperamental.

So, I researched and researched. I settled on this Canon Powershot SD800 Digital Elph for a number of reasons. It's a Canon, so I know it'll take great photos AND I will be familiar with the menus. I had an Elph in the past and loved loved loved it (until Andy dipped it in the ocean and ruined it. Remind me to tell you that story sometime--it's a doozy!). It's 7.1 MP, so the resolution is good. It's small, so it will fit nicely in my pocket or purse (where I plan for it to live), but not so tiny that it's unmanageable. It has a rechargeable battery (I SO do not like AA's!). It's got some manual capabilities so I can tweak the settings to my liking, but not so many bells and whistles to make it difficult to use on the fly. I want Andy and the boys to be able to use it easily, too, so that it appears that I'm part of the family. Right now I'm never in photos because they can't use my camera.

Next week is our little family trip out of town. A 2 day mini vacation. We are all very excited, as we've never been on a family trip before (unless you count going to my brother's wedding in Louisville when Nick was 6 weeks old). I'm not planning on taking the big camera, just the new one. Fun Family Photos only--no Photographic Images for mom. It will be hard for me to leave it behind, but I think we will all enjoy ourselves more without the care and feeding of the additional child.

Don't you think?

Hey, any of you guys ever sell anything on Ebay? I've bought plenty of stuff on Ebay--my first purchase was in August of 1999 and I've had 78 transactions since then. Until last week all of those transactions had been purchases, mainly clothing for the boys or myself.

On the last few days of my vacation one of my projects was to clean out my closet and get rid of some stuff once and for all. Hanging in the back of my closet were 2 cocktail-type dresses purchased back before I had children, short and velvet and sparkly. It's not like I ever had any occasion to wear them before I had the boys--as a matter of fact, one of them still had the tags on it. The other I think I wore once to a Christmas party. I knew I'd never wear them again--heck, I'd probably never fit into them again. They were a size medium, and if there's one thing I'm not, it's a size medium. If I want to be really honest, I probably wasn't a size medium when I purchased them in the first place, but when I was 22 I had a better figure and could pull off that skin-tight look a bit easier.

But anyway, I digress...

My first instinct was to toss them in a sack for the Salvation Army. I'm not so sure why I've been hanging on to them all this time, anyway. But then I looked at them again, the one with the $79.99 price tag dangling from the sleeve (don't worry, it had a $19.99 clearance sticker on it, too) and thought "hmmmmm, I wonder if I could sell those on Ebay"...

See, I've always balked at selling stuff on Ebay because I didn't feel like dealing with all the shipping hassle. But these dresses are thin and small and slide right into a padded envelope, and with Andy at the post office or the police station (where they have a postal machine) every day, he can mail stuff off for me. So I took some photos of the dresses on the hangars, took about 5 minutes to make listings, and I was selling on Ebay.

I was a little nervous, because I had them up on 7 day auctions and for the first 6 days there was nothing! And as it cost me $.95 apiece to list them, I really wanted them to sell so I wasn't wasting my money. But sure enough, on the final day, I got a few bids and they sold! The winners paid up right away into my Paypal account and I was $40 richer just like that. I even required that they pay their own shipping. I put the dresses in the envelopes and mailed them out and went in search of more stuff to sell.

I'm limiting myself to things that I can fit into large padded envelopes. Clothing, purses, books, and cd's are all fair game. I listed 4 of my previously used (but in excellent condition--I get tired of them quickly) name brand purses and instantly got bids. Now I'm just watching to see how much I'm actually going to get--it's already more than I was expecting! There is a small bidding war going on over one of them, which is just too funny for a used purse. And I made it clear it was used!

Of course, I'm not actually making money, because I'm selling items that I paid for in the first place, and I bought them new. But I'm getting cash for things that would otherwise just be sitting around taking up space, or that I would just give away or throw away. Nice, huh?

My Daddy is, without a doubt, the greatest daddy on earth. There's not much more to say than that. We butt heads often, but that's only because he raised me to be strong and independent and to know my own mind, just like him. I couldn't have asked for a better role model.

Father Number Two, the boys' Daddy:


The boys love me, but they adore their daddy. Andy is perfect for all the things a daddy is supposed to be perfect for. He wrestles with them, plays video games, feeds them pb&j for supper, and lets them get filthy as often as they like. He's a cop, which is a super-cool profession if you're a little boy. He's got a great imagination, and he can lift them up and fly them around and throw them in the air. For some reason they think he's big (he's not, but we'll let them keep on thinking that) and that's cool. He reads stories and plays games and takes them to the playground. He takes them to he fire station and the dollar store. Andy is a great dad. The boys (and I) are lucky to have him.

Happy Father's Day!

In the comments section of the Photo Sunday post last week, Nadine asked me if the boys were good friends. She said "it looks like they adore each other".

My first instinct was to say "NO! They fight all the time!" But really, that would be wrong. They actually get along very well. Of course, they squabble over toys and such, but all in all they're great friends. Drew pushed a boy once for not letting Nick play with them and calling Nick a baby. Nicky pinched a little girl at the babysitter because she said Drew was mean. But really, the proof is in the pictures. And a I had a hard time selecting just a few:

See? They love each other!

And, on a totally unrelated note, this morning on the way to work I saw a dead fish in the road. Yep, a fish. A good sized bass, right on the yellow line. That's a first! I'm used to opossums, and raccoons, and deer, and the occasional dog or cat. But a fish?

*something i read on the blogger help site makes me think that the problems may be related to your particular server. that would be why some of you are having issues and some of you are not. if that is the problem hopefully it will be resolved shortly. i apologize, and hope you'll bear with me :-)

I can't remember right off-hand if I ever told you guys about the Nintendo Wii that we got Andy for his birthday. His parents and the boys and I got him a Nintendo Wii, because really Andy is 12 years old at heart. And he does love his video games. The PS2 we own was woefully outdated and he didn't have many games to go with it, and only one of those games was appropriate for the boys to play.

I am not completely anti-video game. Drew has a Gameboy, and Nicky has a Leapfrog brand learning video game. Both of them play them on car trips, but not much otherwise. They would much rather be playing outside, or making elaborate plans with their Hot Wheels or Power Rangers or Transformers.

But the Wii. Oh, my. Not only is Andy in love, the boys are in love. We got some kid friendly games (Wii Sports, and 4x4 Monster Truck Rally) and I am quite sure they'd play all day if I let them. In case you're not familiar with this particular game system, it's controlled by your hand motions by a wireless remote. So, when you play golf, you actually swing the controller like a club. Tennis? Swing the racket. Trucks? Hold it like a steering wheel and drive.

So, once again I totally underestimated my children and assumed that they'd need an adult to turn it on and boot it up for them each time. This is not the case. One time watching and they can turn it on and navigate the system like pros. They are better at the games than I am (of course, I'm terrible at video games. But still...), and they actually share and mostly get along when they're playing.

Because they're so enamored of the new games, I've attached a 30 minute time limit per day to the Wii. And that's both of them combined (since they do everything together anyway) so it's only on for half an hour total. Andy only plays when they're asleep or not home. I really don't want them to turn into big couch potatoes--I much prefer the active, healthy little boys I have now.

Except.

Except on Sunday mornings. I've learned that if I'll let them play Wii they will leave me alone and I can actually sleep in all the way until 7:00 or 7:30. So on Sunday mornings, as a treat to myself, they can play for an hour or two. Or maybe three, if it means I can get a few extra minutes (ok, hours) of sleep.

Last week, when the boys and I were visiting my parents, there were several occasions when my dad gave the boys some $1 bills to put in their pockets. Each time we went somewhere, he gave them a few dollars to spend as they pleased.

Tues. night, before we came home, I did a load of laundry so that I wouldn't have to fool with so much when I returned home. When I opened Mom's dryer, several $1 bills fell out. I told them I thought it was great that their dryer gave out money!

Well, we've been home since Wednesday. I've done at least 3 loads of laundry since then, and possibly 4. Each and every time I've found dollars in the dryer. It's amazing!

And before you ask, no, I don't check pockets routinely before doing wash. None of us routinely sticks things in our pockets, so there's typically nothing to find.

I'm reasonably sure Daddy didn't give the boys THAT many dollars. Or perhaps he did, because I wasn't always there at the distribution of the cash. At any rate, there's nothing nicer than opening your dryer and having dollar bills fall out. It's like getting paid for doing housework!

It's that time again...the boys will be having a birthday in a month. I typically hand out the yearly portraits at the party, so I needed to get them done and printed. This is what I managed a few evenings ago, and these are probably what I'll go with. What do you guys think?

Drew will be 6 in July, and Nick will be 4. Amazing.

Let me begin this post by saying that I am aware that not everyone is a fan of Wal-Mart. Some of you may even refuse to shop there. Of course, some of you have that option...

In our town, unless you feel like driving 40 minutes north or 40 minutes south, sometimes you have to shop at the Wal-Mart. We do have a K-mart, but it's small. And we have a small mall, with a JC Penney and a Peebles. There is a Lowes, as of 2 years ago. But there is no Target, no Kohls, no Costco or Best Buy or H.H. Gregg or Circuit City. No Barnes and Noble, no Borders, not a single Bed Bath and Beyond or Ikea or Petsmart. And so, everyone ends up at Wal-Mart.

And, if you live in a small town, you may be aware of the social aspect. Because the shopping opportunities are limited, and because the population is not huge, it's nearly impossible to go to the Wal-Mart without running into someone you know. Or several someones that you know. Often, those who live far, far out will all come into town as a family, and it's not unusual to see entire families walking together through the aisles. Or clumps of people, where one family has run into another family that they know and they stand and chat for a few minutes.

The boys and I go to Wal-Mart on Saturday morning. It's a bit less crowded than on Friday night, and it gets us out of the house while Andy is sleeping. We go nearly every Saturday morning, and have for almost 3 years. And every week, we see several of the same people. One gentleman we know only because we see him there, but each Saturday he and the boys have a nice conversation--usually in the vicinity of the sporting goods department.

I've been thinking about this because when my brother and sis-in-law were here last week they went to Wal-Mart, and Kellie commented on some of the "characters" she saw there. Of course, Kellie is from the city, and this past week when I was in the city I saw several "characters" myself. It's all in what you're used to, I imagine.

I know that there are many negative aspects to Wal-Mart shopping. It's crowded, and often the products aren't high quality (depending on what you purchase, of course...). Some of the associates are rude (but many are not). It can be difficult to find what you're looking for in the bigger stores, and they're not all arranged in the same way to facilitate shopping in a Wal-Mart that's not "yours". I know people (hi, Mom!) who will do everything in their power to avoid shopping there.

But we do. We shop there every week, and purchase the majority of our household goods and a good portion of our groceries there. It's convenient, and fun, and we always see someone that we know. That makes me feel like I belong here, like I'm part of the community.

Who cares if it takes an extra 30 minutes to shop?

edited to add: our wal-mart is a 24 hour supercenter. however, we do not shop there at night, unless it's an emergency. you also should be aware that wal-mart provides a nice additional income for andy at his second job, and because he's an employee we get a discount when we shop there, and it was the bonus from them that enabled me to purchase that new camera equipment and that is paying for our little vacation in 2 weeks. so i may be a little biased.

We are back from visiting family, but I am still on vacation. I don't have to return to work until Monday. Isn't that nice? Actually, the reason we came back yesterday was that I did have to go to work last night for a few hours. I had to be there for an open house, to show the community what we do. It was all for this.

So, anyway, we're back. We had a very nice time. We went to the Louisville Zoo, the Bass Pro Shop, the Patton Museum, a birthday party for my mom, and Freeman Lake for a picnic. There was also some shopping, and plenty of playing. The boys spent the night with Doug and Kellie one night, and I got to sleep all night long with no interruptions. We had plenty of time to visit with family, and plenty of time to relax.

But, I am glad to be home. I am always glad to be home. Home is my comfort zone. I think the boys were glad to be home, too. As much as they love to visit their grandparents, they are creatures of habit and it's stressful for them to be so much out of their routines. Especially since we kept them going the entire time we were there, I think they enjoyed being able to just do nothing last night. They've requested to visit again next week, though...

Today I took them on to the babysitter, for more reason than one. Yes, I wanted them to get back into their routine. I wanted them to see their friends. But mostly, I wanted the day to myself. I lazed around for awhile, and then I did some yardwork--cleaning out plants with spent blooms, weeding the minuscule garden, watering plants. I paid bills and balanced the checkbook (THAT was depressing) and worked on plans for the upcoming birthday bash. I edited some vacation photos. I watched daytime television and sat in the sun for a bit. It was so nice.

And tomorrow? Tomorrow they're going to the sitter, too. And I only have one thing planned--a haircut at 9 AM. I imagine I'll wander through the mall after my appointment, and perhaps treat myself to a Blizzard from the new DQ. But other than that, I am free. Free to just relax, which is exactly what I plan on doing.

That's what a vacation is for, right?

Ya'll, I am on vacation! As of 3:30 this afternoon, I do not have to go to work. Not until Monday, June 11. Well, except for one pesky little required function on Wednesday evening. But other than that, I am free! Free as a bird!

Tomorrow the boys and I are attending a birthday party for a friend of Drew's. She's turning 5, and is having a princess party. THAT should be fun for two little boys, huh? It's at the skating rink, however, so it'll be entertaining. Then I believe we're having some company in the form of my photographer friend Jason and his daughter, Sara. The kids will swim in the pool and play on the trampoline and it will be fun.

And then, THEN, the fun begins. Either tomorrow evening or early Sunday morning the boys and I are heading up to visit my parents for a few days. Andy is working, as usual, and can't come with us, but it'll be a vacation of sorts for him, too, because he'll be able to sleep uninterrupted for as long as he likes.

I'm not exactly sure of the plans, but I do know that somewhere in those days there's a trip to the zoo, a ride on the Belle of Louisville, at least one birthday party (my mom) and possibly two (my brother), and a visit to the Bass Pro Shop where the boys can look for stuff for their hunting-themed birthday party.

Of course, I have yet to finish the laundry, or clean the house, or pack a single item of clothing. The birthday presents aren't wrapped. There's no gas in the truck. It's insane. But it's alright--everything is alright--because I am on vacation.

And so, because I'm on vacation, and because I'm going to be out of town for several days, and because I just flat out need a break, this will be my last blog post until at least Wednesday. More likely Thursday or Friday.

Of course, I hope you will miss me. But I promise that I will more than make up for my absence with an abundance of fun stories, witty observations, and lovely photographs of our time away.

Everyone, enjoy your week! I'll see you later...