{add.flat.tire.to.the.list}

UGH. Well, as I'm driving to a meeting tonight, I get freaked out by a guy who looks like he's coming at me and swerve as I'm making a left. And you guessed it. I was blessed with a front, passenger side flat tire. I wish I could have seen it as a blessing, but, in my very nature, I was trying to suppress FREAKING OUT, which is something I do so wonderfully well. Because I have two wide eyed blondies in the back, I'm trying to suppress the tears, yelling, and words that may come out of my mouth. Sadly, the girls know the routine, as this will be our THIRD flat tire within a month. Yahoo. They were all geared up for "the man" with "Christmas lights," which is code for the guy with the tow truck with emergency lights that we encountered just prior to Christmas. Thankfully, we didn't need "the man." Willy is THE MAN.

BUT, where I would usually throw in some humor, I want to tell you instead of God's provision tonight. Once I got the flat, I just immediately assumed that the meeting was out of the question. Oh how the girls cried, as they were so looking foward to playing with some of their friends and, more importantly, a snack that they were sure would be a part of it. But, just as it happens, one of our sweet friends was going to the same meeting and got a call to pick us up and SHE DID! Not only that, I had another sweet friend that was on her way to tennis (it's freezing, girl, REALLY??). Anyway, she was also coming to pick us up. DOUBLE BLESSINGS! So, we gladly ditched the van, leaving the emergency lights on (they're on most of the time anyway due to some quirky electrical deal) and got to go to our meeting after all. AND, my sweet friend had a booster seat and a regular car seat for the girls to ride in! Is God not AMAZING? Have you ever tried to unhook and then hook back up a regular car seat? You need five degrees from prestigious schools. Seriously. So, while I was not a huge help at the meeting, totally bumming about my newest flat tire, it was, at the same time, so refreshing to be there and have the girls totally forget about what just happened.

So, no one stole the van while we were gone. (Sadly.) And, Willy fixed the tire for us while we were in the meeting and then came and picked us up!!

God is good all of the time. All of the time God is good. Don't forget it.

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{must.have.new.car}

Have you ever tried to drive with ONE of your windshield wipers (the RIGHT one - NOT the one on the driver's side). And, at best, that windshield wiper is working at, oh, say, 20 percent capacity. That's what I just did. And, though I tried to be brave (and praise God for his infinite strength and calmness that is SO not in my nature), it was not a pretty sight. Here's what happened. It is POURING down rain here today, and so, as we hopped into our beloved blue van, soaking wet because Delaney sees no need to hurry regardless of the weather, I crank up the car and begin to turn on my windshield wipers. Within a millisecond, the windshield wipers literally start to explode. I don't know how else to desribe it. The wipers started crashing together, rubber starts flying and before I know it, the windshield wiper on my side has clearly lost the battle, and the other windshield wiper is down for the count. At this point, I CANNOT SEE ANYTHING. Given my stellar driving skills, this is NOT GOOD. NOT GOOD AT ALL. I am now scooting over as far as I can to the right so I can see out of a tiny, tiny circle where the windshield wiper (WIPER, yes, not WIPERSSSS) is being halfway effective. My girls have never been so good and quiet. I am seriously praying outloud the whole way home and, praise God, He led us all the way to our driveway so I could breathe again. Passing out was going to occur in the next five minutes otherwise. This wouldn't be so bad except that this isn't the only thing that has gone wrong lately . . . See list below.
*My gas gauge hasn't worked for quite some time. One minute my tank is full and the next minute, it's way past the E. It goes up and down and up and down CONSTANTLY, dinging and dinging. It's enough to wear on your nerves, as if two preschoolers in the back didn't do it for ya.
*My car leaks severely any time it rains. The moment you back up after it's been raining, you are hit with an avalanche of water. It's quite delightful and refreshing, except that it's not.
*Sometimes one of the side doors work and somtimes not. You just never know. And sometimes, you'll close it, and it reopens. Just because it has an attitude.
*There is a large, lovely rust polka dot on the front of my car, where it looks like someone torched it. A lot. Unsuccessfully.
*The right turn signal no longer works when your lights are on. Go figure that one out. Not cool, especially when you're talking to someone who makes it a point to only make right turns. (That's another post for another time. Sadly, I'm not done with this list yet.)
*The emergency blinkers come on at random times. You know, just whenever. Although, tha tmay not be a bad thing. I should really probably ride with them on all of the time anyway.

*The horn has been known to go off just because. Nobody hit it. It just beeps. It clearly needs to be in New York City or something. Not freaking out Sun Cityers.

*The cruise control will cut off anytime you turn on the left blinker. It's fabulous on the Interstate. You should try it.

*Every time we've tried to replace a tire on the van, there is at least one lug nut (sp?) that won't budge. At all. And then we have to call somebody. Like we did just before Christmas as we're freezing to death on the side of 95.

*Sometimes the back up sensors work and sometimes they don't. Not super helpful if you're the neighbor's cat.

That's all I can think of for now. Don't get me wrong. I'm grateful for a vehicle. But when safety is jeopardized and your windshield wiper is whipping in the wind and barely making a visible hole, I have to draw the line. So I'm drawing it. It's time for a new-to-you car to make an appearance at the Powell home. Any ideas?

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{I.heart.faces.family.entry}

It's family week over at i.heart.faces, and I SO love to photograph families! I love to see the chemistry of a family through my lens and capture the "realness" of it all. Here's one of my favorites from this past month. I think it really shows how much fun they are all having wihtout worrying about that perfectly posed shot. (Thank goodnes . . . with all of those kiddos, I don't think we got one!!) Don't forget to head on over to i.heart.faces to see some more incredible families. You can just click on the link above!

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{happy.birthday.to.my.addy}

On Friday, my youngest turned THREE. Yes, THREE. It's crazy, but it really seems like she already looks older. We begged her to stay two (I know, I know, do I REALLY want the terrible twos to last??), but she insisted on growing up, so we had to agree . . . as long as she doesn't grow up TOO fast. So, here's to my little girl who . . .

*hugs you with so much affection, you can feel her joy radiate out of her

*loves life and reminds me to love the precious moments and not worry so much about the not-so-precious moments

*loves to be tickled, even when she insists that you stop

*has a unique style (see pictures above!) and isn't afraid to be who she was created to be

*tests the limits, just to be sure you really mean it

*marches to the beat of her own drum, and I'm pretty sure that drum is part of a rock band

*has one of the most contagious laughs that, even when I'm super mad at her, I can't help but laugh right along with her

*is a blonde bomb shell, if there ever was one (see pictures above!)

I could go on and on. Isn't God AMAZING in how he creates each human being so uniquely and special? We are so grateful that God has entrusted us with Addy. She is a most precious gift. Happy Birthday, Addy-Roo. Your momma thinks you're the coolest.

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{i.heart.faces.best.face.week}

It's best face week over at i.heart.faces, and, it just so happens to be their birthday! Here's the face that I decided to post, after much deliberation. This shot was taken just a few days after Christmas, and this little one was not particularly thrilled with my camera. But, at just the right moment, I snapped this, and I was captured by this frame. Happy Birthday, i.heart.faces!

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{irrational.behavior}

Have you ever had one of those days where you totally realized that what you were doing was irrational, and, yet, it was as if you couldn't stop yourself? (I know, I know. I COULD have stopped myself. Thank you.)

So, here are a few examples of my irrational behavior.
1.) I am vacumming the floors, and I see a light bright. I loathe the light bright that I bought for Delaney for Christmas. (Yes, I bought it. I know. Stupid purchase.) I find at least 4 light brights a day on the floor. And I step on them. So, instead of picking it up, I vacuum it up. Just like that.
2.) I begin to sort through the basket full of mail and coupons. I'm overwhelmed. I begin to throw piles away rather than sort through them. I come to my coupon envelope and am totally aware of how poorly I have done in collecting coupons. So I throw the whole stinkin' envelope away. Just like that. (Some Coupon Moms have just passed out. Don't worry, already. I'll get another one. Next month.)
3.) We load up to head home after yet another fun filled trip to Michael's. Again, I repeat. NOT A KIDS' STORE. AT ALL. THEY MUST TOUCH EVERYTHING. MANY THINGS ARE BREAKABLE. I'm starting to back up and the light flashes, accompanied by beeping, to alert me that one of the doors is ajar. I continue to back up and ignore the warnings. (My van is a whole 'nother post. It's the quirkiest car I ever met.) I just want to go home. And then I realize that, gasp, it's one of the side doors that is more than just slightly ajar. It's got a slight breeze coming through. I go to shut it, completely frustrated, and I slam it. Hard. And then I kick it. Hard. And now my foot hurts. Just like that.
4.) I get playdough out for the girls and our precious friends to play with. (That's irrational in and of itself, as the playdough must be inside because it is FRIGID outside.) Delaney drops some of her playdough on the carpet, and I rapidly collect everyone's playdough and decide to throw the whole container away. I can't take anything else falling on the floor. So, I hurl the entire tub o playdough in with the coupon envelope. Just like that.
5.) I am frustrated that I have accomplished very little of my chore list and decide to start vacumming WHILE THE KIDS ARE STILL EATING. Clearly I will have to return, but, at the time I don't care. And then, I get all huffy when I have to come back and re-vacuum. Like I didn't realize I was going to have to come back, given the fact that Dorito's were one of the fine choices on the menu.

Sadly, that's just a portion. But you see what I mean. It's irrational, people. I need serious help.

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{happy.birthday.to.my.bestest.friend}

I don't mention my bestest of bestest friends on this blog much, but I totally should. I also happened to be married to they guy. His name is Willy. And it totally fits him. He's not a Will or a William. (Side note, he tried to be Will when we first moved to Bluffton, trying to be a little more professional and all. It didn't stick.) He's Willy to me . . . and so many others that are privileged to know him. Today he turns 31, so he's now officially older than me for the next 6 months. So, I wanted to give a quick shout out to the man that makes it all happen. There's no way I'd even be writing this blog, filled with so many pictures of not only our own precious family but so many other precious families without him. He is my encourager, my biggest fan, my reminder not to take life so seriously or too fast. He is the one who makes me laugh when no one else can, the one who will take the girls to Chic-Fil-A to get "tatoos" when I'm overwhelmed, the one who works incredibly hard so I can stay home with the girls. I am most grateful to have such an incredible, Godly man with impeccable character who has the least number of enemies of anyone I've ever known. (He hates confronation, so that may be why, but, you get my point.) Happy Birthday, my bestest friend. I love you more than my camera. And that's a lot.

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{my.two.girls}

With such a crazy holiday season filled with so many sessions (I'm still so very grateful and amazed!!), my own family got totally neglected. Totally. I have pictures from MONTHS ago that are still hanging around, waiting to be edited. So, I decided to pull at least a couple each day and work on them so my girls aren't 18 and wondering if their photographer mom ever took any pictures of them. This particular collage is filled with a few pictures I snagged of the girls after I came home from a session, and they insisted that it was THEIR turn. They were already dressed in their ladybug outfits, they insisted on me finding barrettes that matched, and Delaney completed her outfit with her red sparkly shoes. (Doesn't every girl need a pair? They go with everything, right? Oh, I also want to make a note concerning Addy. You'll notice that she is wearing purple crocs in these pictures. She has sparkly shoes too, so don't think she's neglected. The thing is that Delaney put HER sparkly shoes on, so why would Addy do the same? Addy doesn't go with the crowd. EVER. You know the old trick like, well, your friend Hannah is going to wear her jacket. Don't you want to wear yours? DOES NOT WORK FOR ADDY. She could really care less. Even if it is -20 degrees. So, long story short, that's why she has on purple crocs that clearly don't match. ) OK, back to the story. So, I happily loaded them up in my van, and we scouted out a place for their session. We found this cool looking fence with horses, and the girls insisted that this had to be the place. So, off we went. And above is the result.

Girls, if you ever read this blog one day when you're really, really, really, really bored, know that I love you to pieces. Even if you do make me want to staple my head to the floor. Daily. Sometimes hourly. Like I say in our prayers each night, you truly are my most precious gifts.

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{changes.changes.changes}

Well, like most people there are things I'd like to change in 2010. There's always the lofty goals of working out more (I will say that I am bustin' it with Tony Horton - the P90x guy - so watch out world), eating less (if only I didn't like food so much, particularly items that contain large amounts of sugar), remaining calm (though it's in my nature to PANIC, which I do extremely well. I could almost go pro), not losing my temper (again, I'm extremely good at this), working less (however perfectionism and working less seems to go hand and foot), among other things.

There are some changes being made to Silly Goose Photography that I wanted to make sure everyone was aware of. First, I will no longer be offering a CD of an entire session. I know that no one aside from other photographers can fathom the amount of work that goes into editing a session, but, trust me, it's HUGE. And, if you're paying for a professional photographer, shouldn't you want professional prints? I have nothing against Snapfish and the likes, but they don't do professional photography justice. It's just not the same. In addition, I have adjusted some of the print prices slightly, but I have left the most popular size, 4x6, at $1.50, which is an insane price for professional photography. Insane, I tell you. But, I really am trying to be the photographer that families like my own family could afford. Finally, I am offering mini sessions, which are $25 for 15 minutes. And, if it stays this cold, everyone will be doing mini sessions! For Bluffton, this weather is crazy cold. I don't even want to go outside. At all. Please see my website (www.sillygoosephotography.smugmug.c0m) for a full run down of changes.

I am also starting a new facet of Silly Goose Photography called "Silly Goose Style." This includes, but is not limited to, birthday invitations, graduation announcements, business cards, notecards, landscape prints, storyboards, photo books, wedding invitations, collages . . . oh my goodness, the possibilities are endless! I am LOVING the design opportunities, so send your requests my way! Here's a link to just a sampling of my work: www.sillygoosephotography.smugmug.com/Family/Silly-Goose-Designs.

Here's to keeping your New Year's resolutions! (At least through January!)

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{so.much.fun}

Well, I have finished the final family photo shoot of 2009, and it couldn't have ended on a better note. I had SUCH a blast with this precious family, and all of the kiddos could not have been more GORGEOUS. Please take note of the stunning eyes on all of the kids, and the yummy legs on the little girl. I am truly overwhelmed by the number of doors that God has opened during this past year in this little photography business called Silly Goose Photography. I have truly loved meeting each sweet family and capturing a few precious moments through my lens. I have learned SO much this past year, and I cannot wait to learn even more in 2010. Thank you to each and every client and anyone who has supported me in this adventure - You are such a blessing in my life.

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