Jameson: CM Senior Rep

A. Football player

B. Tuba player

C. Wrestler

D. Announcer

E. Actor



Jameson is all of the above. One of the biggest advantages of going to a smaller school is getting to try... well, everything. And Jamie, who is now officially a senior, does it all. Which includes being my senior rep for Collins-Maxwell High School for 2010! I'm thrilled... because not only is he super outgoing and fun, he's such a handsome guy too!



Despite the heat, humidity, and mosquitoes... we had a great time taking his senior photos around Maxwell, Iowa. His mom and sister Kasey were along and helped get him to laugh, drawing out his "real" smile. Seems like I always have to work a little harder to get guys to smile for some reason. Jamie's Dad brought the family's gorgeous Victory motorcycle for a few photos. I only spent a couple hours with the Hudson's, but you can just tell there's a lot of good natured teasing and laughter in their house.



Anyway, enough of my babble... onto the photos! I had such a hard time narrowing them down I ended up making three posts. It was just too hard to decide.

Jamie is such a good looking guy...

I just realized Jamie probably hasn't sat in these stands for a few years considering he's always out on the field.

Yeah. Very good start to my 2010 seniors. Jameson has certainly set the bar high. Have a great summer, Jamie! Can't wait to see what your senior year brings.

Jameson: CMB Senior Rep

I had so much fun with the Hudson's this evening. The goal was to take Jameson's senior photos. But I think we managed to have a lot of fun. Or at least, I did! And I couldn't wait to see them. So I downloaded them as soon as I got home.

Here's a little sneak peek to tide you over until the rest of them are ready.

Can't wait to show you the rest. They're awesome. If I do say so myself. :-)

Arthritis Walk 2010

Did you know that more KIDS have juvenile arthritis than have juvenile diabetes? Did you know there are over 100 different kinds of arthritis? I didn't. And I've been volunteering for the Arthritis Foundation for three years. The first year I was a walker. The last two years I volunteered to take photos.

It's my way of easing a guilty conscience for thinking my sister was just "milking" it the first few years she was suffering from RA. I've blogged about it before, should you want to read more about how horrible I was as a big sister back in the day.

So I volunteer. And the walk is such a great event. Held at the Blank Park Zoo it's more family friendly than some of the other run/walks. The zoo not only provides plenty of space for the event, but it also offers some great entertainment.

Like the ostriches. This little guy was determined to see them running around.



I think there were over 600 walkers this year, raising over $40,000.


He wasn't too sure about getting a tattoo, but obviously changed his mind.

It was a gorgeous morning! The best weather in the three years I've been coming to the walk.

Hopefully some day they'll find a cure for arthritis, and we won't need the blue "survivor" hats anymore.

More photos posted on the Iowa Arthritis Foundation's Facebook page.

Already looking forward to next year!

Erasing a bad day

Ever have one of those days when you're just kind of annoyed... with the world? Everything goes wrong. Or everything irritates you for no reason. That was me yesterday.

The idea of getting the mail grated on my nerves because it was going to suck another ten minutes out of my night. Even though it's something I do every day. I'd planned what to make for supper but discovered I didn't have the key ingredient. It was a gorgeous evening, but I had zero motivation which made me feel extremely lazy. There wasn't anything good on TV.

Ryan sensed my mood was a little... sour and asked if there was anything he could do. But by the third time he asked if he could do anything for me, his good intentions were starting to annoy me too. And then we started to bicker. I hate it when we bicker.

I decided to call it a day and went to bed at 9 pm. That day just needed to end.

I woke up this morning feeling good - and extremely well rested. There were a couple of times I felt my good day slipping away, but I was determined not to let that darkness creep in. So when I got home I suggested we take the dog to a pond just outside of town. Gus so loves the water. Ryan really likes reinforcing what he taught him as a puppy. And I like to watch the two of them together.

It was a great way to erase that bad day off the books.

Weekend project

This was my project yesterday...

We bought it for $10. I spent Saturday sanding and staining. Believe it or not, but it was actually fun. I can see how people get into refinishing old furniture. It was fun to watch it transform. We have a few more coats of polyurithane to apply, and then I'll post an after photo.

Also coming up this week... Jameson's senior photos Thursday night. He's my senior rep for CMB High School. I'm excited to shoot in a new location, and it's supposed to be a gorgeous day.

Next Saturday is the Des Moines Arthritis Walk. I walked in my first Arthritis Walk three years ago. This will be my second year taking photos. Hanging out with the kids and their families at the zoo is a great time. You'd never be able to tell they live a life of pain through the laughter and smiles. I'm really looking forward to it.

Kinda forgot

I just scanned through my recent blog posts and uh... I kinda forgot something important.



Baby boy Schlater is due the end of August! I can't believe I haven't posted it yet. We found out shortly after Christmas but waited to tell people for a couple months. Seems like a long time ago when you think about it that way. Feels like it's only been a few weeks.

So far I feel great! Minus a little lower back/hip pain now and then. If that's all I have to deal with, I'll consider myself extremely lucky. But I reserve the right to change my mind when I'm positively huge in August and it's like a million humid degrees out. Here's to air conditioning and frozen yogurt!

Our lives have changed considerably already. What used to be the office now has a crib, dresser, and rocking chair. Baby doctor appointments are the highlight of each month. And soon they'll switch to every two weeks.

We're both really excited to meet this little guy. And I've no doubt you'll get sick of seeing his photos plastered all over this blog... for awhile anyway. :-)

#Fail

I'm a blogging failure. Seriously! April 16. My last post. Just ten days shy of one MONTH ago. A whole month. CaRAZY.

But honestly, life has been on... auto pilot the last few weeks. Pretty much the same old thing. Nothing exactly blog worthy in my life, and I'm not the type to make up a bunch of fluff to just to fill a page. I wouldn't submit you to that nonsense. But in my life coma, I forgot a few pretty significant events in other people's lives.

I have been shooting (photos I mean), but it's been all fun and games. And what's more fun than a two-year-old enjoying their birthday cake? Even better... my niece enjoying her birthday cake.



On another note... I'd like to wish a very happy, belated first anniversary to Mary and Jeff. One year ago, on May 1st they were married at Prince of Peace Lutheran church. I'll always remember listening to Mary sing while she walked down the hallway. And the smile Jeff wore all day is burned into my brain. Congratulations and all the best.