This morning I took a beginner DSLR course. There was a groupon deal for Chimpsy DSLR classes awhile back and I jumped on it. I’ve played around with the setting on my own and taking quite a few pictures already. I’ve even read a lot of photog blogs. I even bought Scott Kelby’s book and have read through most of it. But hearing the information from someone who is a photographer by profession just made it click for me in a way that reading it didn’t. Plus, she gave us tips that I haven’t found anywhere online or in a book. Maybe because they’re such common knowledge? I don’t know, but I am so glad I took the class and I’m really looking forward to the advanced class I’m taking in a few weeks.

Our instructor, Leslie Hollingsworth, was adamant that the best way to become a better photographer was to take pictures. So I decided to go forth and take pictures at the zoo with my new-found knowledge.  I wanted to capture color and tropical birds are great for that, aren’t they? And such posers! It was a lot of fun even though it was approximately as hot as or hotter than the seventh circle of hell. (Note to self: invest in some shorts.)

I’ve got to say, I am pretty impressed with what I was able to capture after just a few hours of instruction. But! I’ve still got so much to learn and plenty of room for improvement.

Here are some of my favorites.

You can see the rest of the set over here.

Some things I can definitely see myself investing in sometime in the near future:

• more memory cards
• extra battery
• telephoto lens (I will need to save up for a while for this one)
• more classes
• making time to take more photos
• making a list of places/things to photograph

Where are some of your favorite places to go to take photos?

This August will be B’s and my 5th wedding anniversary. It’s special for both of us because it’ll be the longest either of us have ever been married to anyone (we’re both second timers) AND everyone knows that the 5th wedding anniversary is the Vegas Anniversary! I would say this is payback for B “updating” the anniversary presents for our first anniversary gift (the PS3), but this will also be a mutually beneficial anniversary gift. Plus, he’s my favoritest husband, EVER. And I KNOW I’m the best wife he’s ever had.

It’s also a mixed blessing that I do so much meeting planning and traveling for my work. Mixed in that sometimes it’s really tough to be gone so much, but the trade-off in points is kind of awesome. How so? Well, here are the things I’ve paid for with points so far:

1. Booked our hotel stay at the Palazzo with points – 3 nights.
2. Booked airfare for 1 round trip ticket with points.
3. I have $250 in spa credits to use for hair and makeup while in Vegas. Thank you points!

Things we have shelled out real money for:

1. Elvis Renewal Package at the Graceland Wedding Chapel!!!

Things we will probably shell out real money for:

1. New dress for me
2. Dress accessories (also for me)
3. Whatever B decides to wear
4. Incidentals while in Vegas
5. Food (in Vegas specifically)
6. One more round trip ticket (I have more points coming my way, but we’re trying to decide if we use or hold them.)

Things I am waffling on doing:

1. Making a brooch bouquet to carry down the aisle while being escorted by Elvis. Because really, why not? This will probably happen.

[SIDE NOTE THAT IS TOTALLY RELEVANT] I love Pinterest. I have a whole board devoted just to our 5th Anniversary and what we want to do. You can view it over here. [/END RELEVANT SIDE NOTE]

And another thing? This is honestly, my dream wedding come true. I have always wanted to get married in Vegas and now we’re doing it! Well, we’re renewing our vows, but in a way, this is even better. At least it is for me. We’re going to celebrate our love for each other by being silly and having fun and it really doesn’t get much better than that in my book. (Also, full disclaimer/disclosure: I totally wanted Bob Denver to marry us, but only as Gilligan. This, I have been told, is both ridiculous and also never going to happen since he’s been dead since 2005. I am totally cool with an Elvis impersonator as choice number 2.)

So in 100 days, B and I will be celebrating our life together. We’ll be getting some alone/grown up time so we can be ridiculous and silly and awesome. I can’t think of a better way for us to spend our 5th anniversary together. I can’t wait!!

1. Move furniture
2. Pull up carpeting
3. Pull up carpet pad
4. Remove carpet tack from subflooring
5. Remove staples from subflooring
6. Paint a bedroom

UPDATED: Lay down bamboo flooring.

Ever have one of those mornings where you start out in the hole and don’t even know it? One of those days where the universe is conspiring against you just because. Today was my day. Except that I guess the universe was like, “Let’s totally fuck with her!” And then got kind of remorseful about it so instead of it being epic things going wrong, it was more like a morning full of small annoyances. Except that kind of stuff just adds up. My day started out normally enough until it was time for B to take BAD Boy to school because that is when B discovered that he’d lost his keys. After 15 minutes of B fruitless searching for his keys, I decided to take BAD Boy to school so he wouldn’t be tardy. BAD Boy was freaking out because his English assignment was locked in B’s car so B promised that he would bring his English assignment to the school once he found his keys. I wasn’t done getting ready, but figured I had plenty of time to run him up to the school and get back, finish getting ready and be on my way. I probably wouldn’t even be late getting to work. No problem! I totally had this in the bag. Except that I didn’t realize I had left my phone on the dining room table.

Turned out BAD Boy was freaking out for no reason because his English project was not due until tomorrow (WTF, KID?!) which I didn’t get out of him until we were almost at the school. Right as he’s getting out of the car to go into the school, he asked me to call B to NOT drop off his English assignment that is not due until tomorrow. This is when I discover that I had forgotten my phone. Hoping against hope that B has still not found his keys and has resorted to drinking first thing in the morning, I make a mad (but still within the speed limit) dash back to the house only to pass B on the way home. B was, obviously, heading to the school. I flashed my lights at him and was waving my hand at him like crazy, but he clearly didn’t get the telepathic message I sent him to TURN AROUND AND GO BACK THE WAY HE CAME. And since I couldn’t call him (WHY DID I LEAVE MY PHONE ON THE DINING ROOM TABLE?!), I had to find a place way down the two land road I was on to turn around and drive back to the school to tell B NOT to leave the English assignment at the front office because BAD Boy didn’t have to turn it in until tomorrow. I catch up to B, we all get on the same page about the freaking English assignment and I finally head back to the house to finish getting ready for work, grab my lunch and get on with my day.

Except. This is when my gas tank (that admittedly was already low) went straight to E. So now I am driving on the longest winding two lane road on the planet hoping to get to the gas station that is PAST my house without having to get out and PUSH my car to the gas station. Up hill. Both ways. In the snow. (Shut up. This is my story.) Luckily, I was able to make it just fine, but you know, after everything else, that scenario just seemed more and more likely. After leaving a kidney at the gas station to cover the cost of gas, I finally, FINALLY, headed back home.

You would think that at this point, I would be able to head back to the house, finish getting ready and head in to work.

You would be wrong.

I walked into the house through the garage to the downstairs only to discover that one of the cats has only mastered peeing in the litter box because there was cat poop NEXT TO the litter boxes.

SERIOUSLY.

Because talking a middle schooler off the I-forgot-my-homework-that-is-due-tomorrow-and-now-the-world-is-ending-ledge, normal-speed car chasing my husband before 8 in the morning, driving on what feels like a road to nowhere with my gas light on and my tank on E and hoping to make it to the gas station without pushing my car up a hill both ways clearly wasn’t enough. Now I have to clean up cat shit, too.

Way to stay classy, Universe. Way to stay classy.