Always, Alli

Every morning I love checking my google reader and usually check out what the Shutter Sisters are up to. I find inspiration from the photos as well as the words.

Yesterday’s post was especially inspiring since we are leaving tomorrow to travel to The Lake for the weekend. If you check out my flickr, I have 14 sets in my Lake Martin collection (I made it this morning). And of course I will be adding more pictures to the collection in the coming months.

But, I want to make sure I get something different. I have been internally pouting over the fact that I will not have a coveted DSLR camera this summer and trying to keep the romance alive with my Canon Powershot S3. The Shutter Sisters blog post was a boost in the right direction. I need to find a different perspective with my picture taking, especially since I get a lot of the same Lake Martin shots every time we go.

But think of this as a challenge for you to do something different…a different perspective of a great memory that you can look back on and relish. The colors of the area, the locals, your children’s hands and feet constructing, or searching for that most perfect shell. The way the sunlight glowed at sunset in the face of your loved one, or, the first cup of coffee in the morning, wrapped in a blanket, watching the sunrise.

There are changes at The Lake since last summer- the kids are bigger and the water is higher. I’m sure I’ll be able to find the different perspective I’ll have to capture.

Technorati Tags: digital photography, Shutter Sisters, Canon Powershot S3, DSLR

Just a quick update:

Today has been the busiest day. I am thrilled that I have all day tomorrow to focus on my house and getting ready for Friday’s car trip to The Lake for the weekend.

I let a lot of things go last month when I was down and out. And now it is catching up to me, in the form of dust bunnies, clutter, and piles of clothing I need to sort before swapping out the seasonal stuff.

I know “to do” lists are never finished, but they sure help me stay focused. Tomorrow’s list is about two pages long, so I better stay focused. And if I don’t, then I guess when we get back on Tuesday, I will have three pages of “to do” to complete.

The summer I was ten, my parents scheduled my sisters and I in several summer programs. Tennis was one of them, because it was my sport of choice and it was just a continuation of my lessons with some extra group activities thrown in. And then there was the photography class.

I liked the photography class because it was in an air conditioned building (as opposed to the sun scorched tennis courts). I honestly don’t remember much about the classes that would be of use to me today. I remember we had one camera on a tripod and everyone lined up to take pictures of one person, then we would switch out and a new person would sit in front of the camera and the rest of us would file by and press the shutter button. Did we learn about aperture or shutter speed? Did we learn about focus, depth of field, or ISO?

Got me! I don’t remember those technicalities. I think this class was simply on the magic of the darkroom, where the negatives were transformed into images on Kodak paper. I remember the smell of the chemicals, the giggling over the darkness (we were 10!) and trying to tell if we were doing it right.

Of the ten or so I still have, the picture above is my favorite. It reminds me of my goofiness, that everything doesn’t come out perfect, and we have choices in the direction our art takes us. Today I use Picnik and photoshop to “develop” my pictures and sometimes I still giggle, as if I was ten and in that darkroom again.

For more other best shots, visit Tracey’s blog and look over the comments.

Technorati Tags: kodak, best shot Monday

A few weeks ago I was given a list of books from HarperCollins to pick from and review on my blog. I could have passed on the list, but I saw the title Tao of Fertility and replied, “I would love to review this book, since fertility is a subject near and dear to my heart.” Or some such nonsense.

The book arrived and I started reading it with a kind of hard heart, not really wanting to open my heart to the subject matter at hand. With our background of infertility, I wasn’t ready to read a “to do list” of things I wasn’t really used to. And as is the formula for infertility books, I wasn’t really ready to read the happy success stories of infertile couples. Or maybe I was just hormotional.

Since I was just reading the book to review, not to make major life changes, I dug in.

Dr. Daoshing Ni (Dr. Dao) practices traditional Chinese medicine and has earned renown as an expert in fertility. He comes from generations of Taoists, the basis for his methods in traditional Chinese medicine. His approach to fertility isn’t just clinical, but also deals with the mind and soul.

The beginning of the book was enlightening just in the area of Chinese medicine, a topic I never really looked into. I knew what acupuncture was, but never had it really explained. I read about herbs, acupuncture, exercise, and just preparing your self for a journey into wellness. And it made me want to take the fifty steps out my back door to see the Chinese Medicine doctor in the building behind my house.

(Yes, there is a young man who practices Chinese Medicine in the building behind my house. I keep wondering if this book was pointing me toward something.)

Section two goes more in depth with discussing a plan for fertility; include diet changes and self acupressure. It was well laid out and I feel like I could take ownership of this direction for fertility. One of the biggest pluses for this book is the real idea that I could do something to take charge of my fertility. In section one, Dr. Dao mentions how in China, patients have their own medical records, and patients are partners with their doctors. I have never really felt like a partner with any of my doctors.

I was inspired by the third section. It discussed specific fertility problems and focused on case studies of women who had them. Dr. Dao explained his method of assistance, and the women added their voices to the experience. I was really impressed with how Dr. Dao’s Chinese Medicine worked hand in hand with the Western medicine.

When we were dealing with the emotional rollercoaster of trying to get pregnant, I had to throw all fertility books out. They were all driving me crazy, giving me the same information in different sentences and paragraphs, but never really helping me.

My heart was hard when I started reading the book, but my heart was softened by the last page. I really believe I read something different, and I could take a more active role in trying to achieve a healthy pregnancy. I would recommend this book to anyone trying to find more answers to fertility questions.

You can learn more about Dr. Dao and the Tao of Fertilty at the Tao of Wellness website.

Technorati Tags: Dr. Dao, Daoshing Ni, traditional Chinese medicine, fertility, Tao of Fertility

I have no idea what the cause is, but for some reason this week I have been exhausted. Yesterday I thought I was going to fall asleep on my feet, and it was only 2:30. Because of our schedule, I couldn’t take a nap.

Today, our schedule was staying at home and watching the rain. When the afternoon’s quiet time rolled around, Fuller was cranky (he had been up since 6:30) and I pounced on the chance to turn quiet time into nap time. It worked out. Fuller took a nap and woke up happy. And I took a nap and woke up happy.

I really prefer not to nap, using Fuller’s quiet time to complete things like emptying the dishwasher or take a shower. Tonight the dishwasher is full of clean dishes, and I didn’t shower until 5:30. But it didn’t matter, because I had rested.

Shopping therapy can be a way to relieve some of the stress of depression. Since I don’t leave the house much, I tend to stick to online window shopping looking at things like handbags, shoes, etsy, and ebay.

When poking around Ebay, I like to stop and look at the unusual stuff too. I remember watching Ellen when she bought a potato chip with the smiley face from ebay. It was so strange, and now there is a rather large section in “Weird stuff” of potato chips for sale.

Like this one with a “buy it now” price of $1,500.00. It seriously boggles my mind what people will 1) sell and 2) buy on ebay.

I like to stick to the normal stuff. Ebay is where I purchased two of the clocks on my living room wall. One looks like a door knocker, the other is a pewter plate.

Our experience with selling stuff on ebay has been ok. We sold off the parts from our wrecked scooter, and almost every thing sold. I was happy to get it out of my house, but Damon had an interesting time figuring out shipping stuff.

Chattanooga doesn’t have an iSold It store, but the concept could have helped us with that project. We could have dropped off our stuff and they would have created the auction, done the photography of the parts, and ship the item(s) to the auction winners. They then mail a check to the person getting rid of their stuff. Or, you can ask that the check be sent to a specific charity, making it easier to auction things off for charity.

All the items that go through an iSold It store have to have a value of $75 or more. And because iSold It does the hard work, they get a cut of the final price. Your check will be anywhere from 55 to 75% of the final bid. I found a great FAQ on the website of one of the individual stores.

It all sounds fine and dandy, and for someone like me who doesn’t really want to go through the hard work of auctioning off her stuff, a store like iSold It sounds fine. If you have any experience with this type of business, let me know. I might want to see what this old camera of mine will go for.

Technorati Tags: iSold It, Ebay, auctions, shopping

On May day Fuller decided he was Batman, which for some reason translated to him wearing a red cape. We had to head out to take some pictures, so I let him wear the cape. He got a lot of comments, and the various bus drivers thought he was cute. And of course, I took a lot of pictures.

Yesterday was Mother’s Day and even though I have been blessed and thrilled to be a mom, I admit I haven’t been feeling as super as my kid looks. My monthly depression (the one that comes in the days following ovulation and usually lifts during my period, leaving me to believe it is a hormone induced depression) coincided with the day devoted to me. Unlike other excuses for self-centered celebration, I didn’t really communicate how I wanted to celebrate.

When Damon realized he forgot the holiday, he felt badly. He obviously doesn’t watch enough television.

Sarcasm aside, I’m not upset that he didn’t remember. I usually tell him exactly what I want and how to celebrate. I just wasn’t that into it this year, so he’s really off the hook. DO NOT GIVE DAMON GRIEF, got it?

He did make it up though: making lunch and sending me out for ice cream with Fuller (which I think should be our family Mother’s Day tradition). And this morning he renewed my Flickr Pro account. Except he won’t know about it until he reads this blog post or checks the bank account.

But non-super Mother’s Day celebrations aren’t all I’m talking about. This hormone-induced depression needs to be addressed. I spend about two weeks a month feeling disconnected, several days on and off crying, and just being generally pissy. And every month it seems to get a little bit worse.

Well over a year ago my counselor suggested I try some natural remedies and my response to that was to quit my job. Now that I’m happily ensconced in the stay-at-home role, I’m looking at the herbal remedies section of the pharmacy with more interest. I know it isn’t the complete answer, but it is a start. And, it looks like I am about to enter into a real-life relationship with someone who struggles in a similar manner (not just someone I met on the internet!), so know I am taking this seriously.

I’m not super (and sometimes I feel worthless) but I am thankful for my husband, son, parents, and the relationships God has put in my life. I might not wear a cape, but there are plenty of others out there who lift me up.

(Sidenote: I find writing a lot easier than talking, especially about the topics of depression, infertility, and weight loss. If you know me face to face, I have to admit, I don’t really want to talk to you about this. So please, don’t. If I want to talk about it, I will bring it up.)

Technorati Tags: depression, infertility, best shot Monday, Mother’s Day

If you travel this summer and plan on flying, how do you think you will get around town? Do you have friends to chauffeur you? Borrow a car? Or do you plan on renting a car?

We have only ever rented cars when it was part of our honeymoon package or after a car accident. But I can see how some folks might want to fly somewhere and then rent a car that might be smaller than their car at home. It could have better gas mileage, so they could save some money there. Or some car rental companies have hybrids, which is even more exciting to me. Save some money, use less gas… it all sounds good.

Advantage is a car rental company with an easy to use website. You can check rates quickly and have 34 types of cars to choose from (no hybrids though).

There is a specials page you should check out to see if you can find a good deal on a van rental (more space is pretty comfortable). One special allows you to rent cars from $19.99 a day.

The prices are comparable to other car rental companies, so I would make sure to include them when you are searching for a rental car.

Technorati Tags: car rental

I have no idea when it started, but I have a definite obsession with Zach Braff. I know it started after Scrubs started airing, but it has recently been much more intense. There are at least seven opportunities everyday for me to watch Scrubs reruns on TV. I don’t, but I know the opportunity is there.

Don’t worry, I have no plans to head out to California and get all Nurse Betty on Zach. For now.

In case you were not aware, Zach Braff has a blog. It is rarely updated, but I’m fine with that because when he updates, he is the one updating the blog. He does the writing. He doesn’t have a lackey do it. It makes me feel closer.

Mr. Braff updated last week, giving what little information he could about the next season of Scrubs. But the part that was interesting is the next music video he is directing.

Music is one of the things that makes Zach Braff really interesting. He put together an amazing soundtrack for Garden State and The Last Kiss. Most of the artists on those soundtracks I now have in my music library. Zach Braff has directed a Cary Brother’s video, Joshua Radin, Gavin DeGraw, and even the music video for the Scrubs themesong.

The next video he is going to direct is for Jay Clifford. And he needs some help making it:

I came up with this idea to make a music video by cutting together clips of people from all over the world singing the song and shooting the video themselves as though it were their own song. I’ve been talking about doing something collaborative with all of you since I first started writing on here. Well I finally figured out how.

The deadline for submissions is May 30th. Check out the website, download the song, print the lyrics, and film yourself singing.

Or just watch the video for Scrubs:

Technorati Tags: Zach Braff, Jay Clifford, music video, community involvement

While I was in Ohio, my mom and I went shoe shopping twice. McMom wanted to buy me some nice shoes, to give me a more complete look. I wasn’t about to turn her down because my summer shoes have been giving me problems with my feet and hip.

The first store we went to was in Kettering and it was soooo depressing. They had really nice shoes, but were really crappy about keeping in stock my size. I found cute shoes, but they didn’t fit. Too big, too small, or too narrow.

I commented to my mom that I prefer shopping for shoes on the internet.

For instance, Infinity Shoes, is a decent online shoe store. They have a good variety of brands like seychelles shoes , minnetonka boots, and tsubo shoes. But there aren’t a lot of shoes in each brand, which would probably lead me to go searching for more styles at other online shoe stores.

Also, the prices are much higher than I would want to pay. The shoes I did end up buying were Clark’s brand (which Infinity Shoes carries) and were $30.

But, if I were to buy my sister a pair of shoes for her upcoming birthday, I would be able to find the Eric Michael Bonnet shoes at Infinity Shoes online store. They are so cute and I think my sister would like them. I know I would! And maybe paying that much for a pair of shoes as a gift isn’t as bad as buying them for yourself. Right now they are offering free shipping on shoes over $59.98, which those shoes qualify for, so I wouldn’t get screwed there.

However, I think due to higher prices than I would normally pay, and being used to more options (especially in sizes, which I didn’t see a lot of 9 1/5 sizes on Infinity’s site) I wouldn’t pick Infinity Shoes as my first choice for online shoe shopping.

Technorati Tags: Inifinity shoes, online shoe shopping