Downtown Photo Shoot

I am taking a photography class.  I was on the waiting list for the class for 9 months and am so excited to finally be participating.  It is a real challenge for me.  I have always shot pictures in total auto mode on my camera.  In this class we are learning to shoot strictly in manual mode, learning all about f stops, shutter speeds, iso's etc.  It's like taking a science class and it has pushed my old brain into gear.  I am also learning about photoshop at the same time - information overload!!

So I have to take different types of photos each week.  Today I am going to share some of the photos I took for this week's assignment.    These photos are SOOC or Straight Out Of the Camera - a new term I just learned .  No photoshop involved.

Tessa got to be my model.  After we had breakfast downtown we did a little photo shoot.  We found a vacant parking lot and it had this fun Mexican food cart in the corner that we used for a few of the photos too.

 We had such a fun time!  Hope you enjoy them and I hope my teacher likes them too!!  I must admit it is hard to take a bad picture when you have such a pretty model!

And then we had to get some fun and crazy shots in too!

This Week....

This week was full of appointments - seemed like there were 3-4 appointments/meeting every day last week!

I'm also feeling my age!

My right elbow has been really bothering me, sore and tender since Thanksgiving.  I just kept ignoring it  thinking I had just strained something taking the Christmas decorations down out of the attic.  Finally decided after two months I should go to the doctor.  I did and I now have a wonderful, very attractive wrist brace on my right hand which makes typing and all kinds of other things a little more difficult, so please excuse any typos!  I was diagnosed with tennis elbow - I guess I better cut down on all that tennis I play!

I guess tennis elbow is caused by over use of the wrist but it causes pain in the elbow.  I get to wear this nice brace for two weeks, take lots of motrin and ice it and then see how it does.  Physical therapy will be next!

Since I was in the doctor mode I went in for a bone density scan.  Was informed that I have the beginning stages of osteoporsis in my left hip.  I guess I am getting old!

Had Book Club this week where we discussed The Hunger Games - a great book if you haven't read it yet.  I listened to it on CD as I have been sewing.  I did a lot of that this week too - 7 more black tops for the musical and I'm also making a bunch of reuseable grocery bags that I'm going to be selling in an etsy shop soon!

Saturday Tessa and I went out for our Saturday breakfast adventure.  Jim had a training meeting in Salem all day Saturday so he had to miss out.

This week we went to the Bijou Cafe in downtown Portland.  It was great and we had a yummy breakfast.

It was Brioche french toast for Tessa and I had oatmeal panckes which were really yummy but oh so filling - I think I ate about 1/3 of it, good thing I ordered the short stack.  Tessa also had some hot chocolate that looked better than it tasted unfortunately.

Despite the face we really had a nice time.  We missed Jim but had some good girl bonding time!

Saturday night I drove down to Salem for the awards ceremony/dinner at the end of his meetings.  They had a fun auction with fake money you earned by doing different business.  We ended up with a car full of stuff - most of which we are taking back to Costco and getting cash!! 

She Did It!

Last week was an exciting one at our house - Tessa got her driver's license.  She had an appointment Tuesday morning at 8:20 - didn't want her to miss too much school.

She passed with flying colors!  I can't believe I forgot to take my camera to the DMV - can you believe it?!  I always have my camera it seems but not that morning.  Fortunately I had my phone though, the pictures aren't great but better than nothing!

Here she is, signing her name to the official paper work!!
Outside the DMV

And showing off her new license - it is just a paper copy - you have to wait to get the real one in the mail.

And ready to drive herself to school for the first time! 

And yes I made her call me when she arrived at school to make sure she got there o.k.!!

I can't believe my baby has her driver's license.  I think Logan took it harder than I did - it freaked him out that his little sister can now drive by herself!!