I'm Not Michael Phelps...I'm Steve!

This video is priceless...and funny as hell. This is a real video (not a joke)...He also happens to be a swimmer but watch how this unfolds! OMG I laughed so hard when I saw this the first (and second) time...Let me know what you think!

I.

I am…a very strong willed person. It’s both a blessing and a curse.

I want….to reconnect with a few of my friends. There are 2 in particular that I really miss talking to.

I have…developed a strong addiction to the Olympics. I have not missed one single swim that Michael Phelps has been in.

I wish I could…have the time to truly devote to photography. Additionally, I wish I could wake up tomorrow morning and be a pro at Photoshop.

I hate…that our troops are still being sucked into the black hole of a meaningless war.

I fear….losing my baby boy.

I hear…that they just found Big Foot’s dead carcass. It sure does look freaky too!

I search…for answers to some of my questions all the time. Especially with Google. You can find anything with Google.

I don’t think…my ankle is every going to heal. Even though I hear they eventually do…it’s taking FOREVER! Hmmpphhh

I regret…the relationship that I have with my paternal grandmother. Even though it was beyond my control, it sucks.

I love….kissing my boy’s cheeks and giving him hugs. There is something amazing about the love you can feel for your child.

I ache for…the day when I’m finished with school. It seems so far away!

I am not…as trusting as I was when I was younger. I guess the older you get the more cynical you become.

OK, now I tag Erin, Jen G, and Jen M.

Cousins at Play

Today was an eventful day! We spent the afternoon at my parents house and then Boo came home to spend the night with Ethan. We decided to go to the park to finish off the day.




Notice how easy Boo makes this look. He glided on the swing as if he had been doing this forever.

I'm not sure what the attraction to the swing was, but it sure did entertain him for a few minutes.

Doesn't he look like a future Olympic star? You should have seen him on the monkey bars...not that I got pictures of him in time.


Can you see his mini Mohawk? It suits him, doesn't it? Notice he's up high- he spent the entire time at the park (minus the time on the swing) climbing on every thing he could...he is so agile!

Ethan spent an equal amount of time climbing too but he's not quite so agile. As a matter of fact, he tried to do the monkey bars once he saw Boo doing them and promptly fell to the ground. He hurt his wrist again...and we are watching it.

Do you know my Brother Barry? No? Well, he looks just like this...only bigger. Actually- this is exactly how my brother looked when he was this age. It's weird looking at this picture..I could be back in time.

See? Look how far ahead Boo is of Ethan. I tell ya...he's part monkey. That boy sure can move.

Hand down, this is Ethan's favorite thing to do at the park. The red thing rotates and he swings about half way around before dropping to the ground.

I totally love this picture. Jerry was helping Boo across these modified monkey bars (these are not the ones that he was doing by himself). Note Ethan helping him out. This shot cracks me up.

Ethan didn't get farther than this. He leaned out to grab the second bar only to realize that it was a long way down...and he had already fallen off of the other ones. Isn't this a cool picture? I changed it to black and white and then introduced just a little bit of color back in to it.

And for your viewing pleasure....Ethan's very own Andy Warhol collage. It's snazzy, isn't it?

On a side note...did you see the Olympic Swimming today!? Whew! The US men whooped some Olympic butt today! Michael Phelps broke the world record in the 400m.

I Heart Photoshop

I have a new passion/hobby...an addicting hobby that I just can't leave alone. Have you ever tried Adobe Photoshop? Whew! It's hard and confusing but man does it make a nice editor. I have only been doing this for a few days but with lots and LOTS of help from two friends, tons of online tutorials, and general googling "how to" sites, I think I've really made some progress.

See this first picture? It' s one of my all time favorites. It was taken on my Minolta Maxum 35mm (real film) camera then scanned on to CD...this is the SOOC (straight out of the camera shot).

This is the edited version...granted...it's a little bright, but it sure does pop, doesn't it?



This next picture is another of my new favorites...it's just about perfect except the color is a little off.


BOOM...KABLAM...SWISH!! Just look at this version:

This is a silly shot of the boys back in Jan. Up until a few days ago, I would say nothing is wrong with this picture...

But then waaalaaa....look how Joey's orange shirt pops. Nice, right?

This last one was a picture just for fun...it was a full color picture taken at Boo's birthday party on the train ride. I ran something called an action on it..two actually...and ended up with this masterpiece.

Now, while I have literally only scratched the surface of what this program can do...I must say....I heart Photoshop!!!!

School Pics and Brother Pics

Every year Ethan has "beach" pictures done at school. They always turn out so cute. We also got the boys pictures done while they are here. You can click to enlarge. Enjoy!