Old Photos, New Twist

In an effort to learn more about editing photos in Adobe Lightroom, I re-edited some old photos I took of Toby almost a year ago.

I still have tons to learn about editing photos, but I've definitely learned a lot in the past year.

And, boy, has Toby grown like a weed! I can't wait to compare his one-year photos with his two-year photos (scheduled to be taken in a week or two). Stay tuned...

Gettin' Hitched

Congratulations, Ryan and Ashley! I can't wait to hear the whole story (because you know the girl's version is always better than the guy's)!

We're so happy for you two :)

Stranded

So...

I'm on vacation until Tuesday and had lots of plans for hiking, camping, and participating in other fun activities that involve driving around or out of the city of Charlotte.

The gas shortage, however, has me stranded at home. In the past two days, I've robbed two spare lawn-mower fuel tanks (the Waller's and ours) of every last drop of gasoline. I'm sure that the Escape doesn't have more than half a gallon of gas in its tank at the moment and the gas light has been on for almost two days straight. My mother has called me three times in the past 24 hours to see if I've been able to fill up my gas tank yet.

I ventured 2 miles away from the house this morning (with the bright red spare gas tank in the trunk - just in case) in search of fuel but found only one station with gas...and a line of cars a mile long waiting to fuel up. My measly half-gallon of gas would burn off before I got to a pump, I'm sure. I really didn't want to break down in line at the gas station and have lots of panicking, moody, rushed drivers become violent with me (because, believe me, people have been getting violent).

Aaron's 4-Runner has half a tank of gas left and it's our only transportation at the moment. With the news that the gas shortage in Charlotte may continue into the middle of next week, we're conserving as much as we can.

In the meantime, I'm taking some time for myself, walking wherever I can, and enjoying the beautiful Fall weather. Sometimes when the Lord wants you to slow down and take it easy, he takes away distractions (i.e. - cars full of fuel) that keep you from doing just that.

I'll keep you updated on our fuel situation...

Letters of the Alphabet

I realized a few months ago that Toby was beginning to learn the letters of the alphabet. I thought it seemed a bit early for him to be recognizing letters, but decided to encourage it. What could it hurt?

For the past month or so, Toby and I have been practicing letter flashcards during our daily "learning time" and we sing the "ABC song" every now and then. He LOVES flashcard time and insists on sitting in my lap as we flip through the letters. We go through the stack of cards 6...7...sometimes 8 times before he gets tired of it. The only letters he has a hard time with are D, R, V, and W. It's really impressive to watch.

I had about 20 minutes to fill before it was time to pick Sam up from school this afternoon, so Toby and I stopped by the new Marshalls in Uptown Charlotte to pick up a baby gift for some friends. I put Toby into a cart and headed to the baby section. As I was looking at a jacket that caught my eye, I heard Toby begin to recite letters.

"U...O...Y...K...N..." he was saying.

I looked down to see Toby pointing at letters on the handle bar of the cart and reciting each one...even though they were facing me and UPSIDE DOWN to him.

"A...H...T...Yay!!!!!" he concluded, clapping for himself and grinning from ear to ear. I caught myself looking at him like he was an alien from outer space. My eyebrows were scrunched together and I'm pretty sure my jaw was on the floor, too.

The child had just spelled "THANK YOU" backwards and read the letters upside-down. How many not-quite-two-year-old children do you know who recognize almost all of the letters of the alphabet right side-up and upside-down? HUH?

After a few seconds of processing his newest feat, I said, "Good boy, Toby!" and kissed him on the cheek. There's nothing like a little positive reinforcement to encourage new talents :)

As we were sitting at the stop light at Charlottetown Avenue and Third Street on our way to pick Sam up from school, Toby started spelling again.

"S...E...C...U..." he declared.

I looked to my left and saw the State Employees' Credit Union. The child is amazing.

Now...if we could just get this potty-training thing rolling, I'll be really happy.

The First Day of Fall

This evening, I went on a date with my handsome husband.

What could be better than sitting on a blanket at the Winthrop lake on a Monday evening after a long day at work?

We enjoyed a picnic dinner of hummus & pita chips, cheese, peperoni & crackers, almond butter & apple jelly sandwiches (on hamburger buns!), sweet tea from a Nalgene bottle, and fruit snacks.

We laughed at the crazy ducks and geese as they quacked and honked for some of our food.

We reminisced about our college days when we used to play soccer and climb trees a few feet from where we were sitting.

We watched the gorgeous sun drift beneath the trees on this first day of Fall.

I'm so thankful to have a husband who still chases after me even though he's already captured my heart :)

The Best of Friends

It's Saturday night, and Aaron and I have just said "goodnight" to two of our best friends and a pair of the happiest, most free-spirited, loving little boys I've ever met.

I'm so thankful for the incredible people God has strategically placed into our lives. Friends to laugh and cry with. Friends to adventure with. Friends to learn from. Friends to pray and walk through life with.

You know who you are...and I hope you know how much we appreciate you.

Strike A Pose

Ok.

That's it.

From now on, "test shots" will only be taken after I strike a pose. More bad "test shots" from Saturday:

This could become quite the fun little wedding photography game...

Student Driver

Toby and I were on our way back from dropping Sam off at school this morning when I saw it:

A "Student Driver" car.

As I passed the white Ford Focus (adorned with the "Student Driver" teepee on top) in the right-hand lane on 3rd street, I glanced over to see a terrified teenage boy with a death-grip on the steering wheel and his hands at "10 and 2." I also saw a nervous instructor riding shotgun and two more teenagers giggling in the back seat.

Poor kid.

I felt kinda bad for him. I remember the days when my instructor made me drive on the most terrifying streets and interstate on-ramps in Charleston. I was a nervous wreck. I'm pretty sure I vowed never to drive again.

But those memories faded with time. And so will his.

If he thinks driving with the instructor is nerve-racking, he should wait until he goes to get his driver's license.

The Mean Police Officer-lady at the DMV (decked out in her snazzy navy-blue uniform, shiny gadgets, and clipboard) will get into the car and intimidate him by not saying "hello" (or any greeting at all for that matter). Then, she'll tell him to take a right turn out of the parking lot and he'll run over a curb for the first time in his life. When the time comes for him to show his parking skills, she'll tell him to "pull over" and find a place to park on the busy downtown street. She'll tell him to "move" because he has parked directly in front of a driveway. Then it will be time to put the emergency brake on...and he'll accidentally pop the hood instead.

For some unknown reason (pity, perhaps), Mean Police Officer-lady will allow him to pass the road-test on the first try and send him inside to pick up his license.

What? Me? That didn't happen to me. And even if it did, I would never admit it.

Keep practicing kid. And don't let Mean Police Officer-lady intimidate you.

Saturday

Shooting the Fox/Renner wedding in Charleston this past Saturday was fun. I hadn't shot a wedding with Sean in a few months and it was nice to pick up the camera again.

Taking photos for 10 hours on Saturday helped rejuvenate my love for photography. I realized that I've been making excuses for why I "can't" do certain parts of photography well.

There's no reason for excuses anymore.

If I want to excel and use my God-given gifts, then I need to learn what I can at every available opportunity, practice more often, and stop making excuses for myself.

And now for a "fun" photo from Saturday:

Sean: Hey, stand right there [in the middle of a one-way street] so I can get a test shot...
Me: Okay...

The lighting looks great.

I, however, do not.

Oh, the joys of being a photo assistant...

Your Votes Have Been Tallied...

This little photo contest has been fun!

Thanks to everyone who took time to vote for their favorite photos. We're going to have one photo contest each month, so come back soon to check out our next batch of creativity :)

Before the competition officially began on Tuesday, Aaron and I discussed how the "winner" would be chosen.

After much contemplation, we decided to take the top three photos, count the number of votes for each photographer, and turn it into a percentage. The photographer with the largest percent of votes in the top three wins (...and we should have put that in writing because now someone is trying to change his story...).

Here are the results:

1st place: photo 4 (Aaron) - 26 votes
2nd place: photo 6 (Allison) - 23 votes
3rd place: photo 3 (Allison) - 21 votes
4th place: photo 1 (Aaron) - 17 votes
5th place: photo 2 (Allison) - 13 votes
6th place: photo 5 (Aaron) - 2 votes

Allison's photos: 57 votes (56%)
Aaron's photos: 45 votes (44%)

As you can clearly see, the top three is composed of one of Aaron's photos and two of mine. I received 63% of the top three votes and Aaron received 37%. Best overall winner? That would be ME :)

I'll give you credit, Darling. I thought I would easily sweep the top three...but you gave me a run for my money. You get all the glory for having the "favorite" photograph (by a mere 3 votes)...but I'm still the "best overall photographer." Oh, yes I am.

As much junk as I talk about how much better I am at photography than you, we're actually pretty evenly matched (in this competition, anyway). I can't wait until the second round of the Fowler Family Photography Contest next month!

While we're on the topic of photography, I'll have you know that Aaron and I are going to Charleston this weekend to help Sean photograph a wedding. I'm Sean's second photographer and Aaron is, well, the assistant. I'm just sayin'... :)

I love you, Sweet Pea! Don't be grumpy because I won...

Vote or DIE!

Ok, people. The photography contest is way too close to call at this point. The polls close tonight at midnight, so get your votes in NOW!

To those of you who "just read" blogs and "never comment"...we need your opinion! Don't be shy. We want to hear what you have to say.

Thanks to those of you who have already left your votes and comments.

This is fun!

Fowler Family Photography Contest #1

I bet you didn't know that Aaron and I are insanely competitive with one another.

Okay. Never mind. I bet you did know that.

Anyway, one of the subjects we've been most competitive about recently is who has more skills in the photography department.

Ever since I was a very little girl, I remember looking at professional photographs and thinking, "I'm gonna learn how to take pictures like that someday...". I started learning about photography at the age of 13 and fall deeper and deeper in love with it as the years pass. Taking a good photograph is the only artistic gift the Lord has blessed me with...and I'm okay with that.

Aaron is a million times more "artistic" than I am. He can draw. He can paint. He can sculpt. He can shade. He can pick out perfect color schemes. He can even take a good photograph every once in a while (but not quite as well as I can).

Aaron is a "jack of all trades." I'm only good at one.

I haven't mastered the art of photography, but I learn a lot from this guy and like to think I'm pretty good at it...or at least better at it than my husband is :)

Aaron and I have been talking about having a little "photography contest" for a few months now. After work yesterday, I proposed that he and I pay a visit to the beautiful Anne Springs Close Greenway by our house and throw down.

The rules are simple:

• two Nikon cameras (a D70 for me, a D80 for Aaron)
• two identical 50 millimeter lenses
• one Gigabyte of memory per camera
• no staged photos
• all photos must be taken on the premises of the Greenway
• only cropping and toning allowed when editing photos in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom

You're responsible for settling the dispute of who the better photographer really is. Our photos will be anonymously mixed together and numbered 1 through 6. We need you to pick your 3 favorite photos and leave the numbers in a comment at the end of this post. Don't worry if you don't see your comment post immediately - there's a safety feature on Blogger that allows me to screen comments before they post to the "comments" section.

Can't figure out how to leave a comment? Send an e-mail to aafowler85@gmail.com with your 3 favorites listed.

PLEASE play along with us! Aaron said he didn't think anyone would respond. Let's prove him wrong :)

May the best photographer win...

(Click on each photo to get a better look)

(1)
(2)

(3)

(4)

(5) (6)

Breakfast with Toby

I've been at work for 30 minutes and heard the word "sin" 173 times. Toby can only pronounce the last syllable of my name. Tragic, I know.

We're sitting at the breakfast table and Toby feels the need to call my name over and over and over and over and...well, you get the point.

I have no idea what he wants. All he says is "Sin? Sin? Sin? Sin? Sin?"

Then I look at him and say, "Yes, Toby? What do you need?"

He says, "A-dunnnn!" (All done!) and throws his hands up in the air like his favorite football team has just scored a touchdown.

He's not 'all done.' He hasn't eaten anything yet.

So I tell him, "Toby, you're not all done. You haven't eaten anything yet."

He proceeds to make horse noises and scrunch his nose: "Heeeee-haaaaaw! Heeeee-haaaaaaw!"

I say, "Toby, eat. You're going to be hungry when we're playing today."

"Peeeeeeeeeeeeas, Sin! A-dunnnnn! Peeeeeeeeeeeeease!" he whines.

I duck my head behind the laptop screen and giggle. He knows he's cute. "You're not getting down until you eat 3 pieces of banana," I tell him.

"Otay!" he exclaims. He puts one slice in his mouth, pushes the bowl away, and announces, "A-dunnnn! Dowwwwwn! Tank ou (thank you), Sin!"

I'm not sure why he's thanking me...but I'm considering taking him out of his booster seat and giving up on food until lunch time.

Then I sneeze.

And Toby starts "fake sneezing" (his newest thing lately). "Ah-shoo! Ah-shoo! AHHHHHH-SHOOO!"

And now, of course, he's eating. And saying "Sin? Sin? Sin? Sin? Sin?" between every bite.

He hears something over by the laundry room, stops eating, and turns his head. "Sin?"

"Yes, Toby?" I answer.

"Sat, Sin? Saaat? (What's that, Allison? What's that?) Shhhhhh!" he proclaims as he raises his eyebrows.

We listen.

"I think something fell in the laundry room," I tell him.

"Awww main! Awww MAIN! (Ah, man!)" he replies.

Oh my goodness. I've been waiting for the day when Toby would start talking and expressing himself...and now that it's here, I don't know how I lived without his crazy personality and cute little voice.

I could do without having my name called 47 times in a row, though :)

Oh, and by the way, Toby just finished every bite of banana and cheerio in his bowl. Somehow I won that battle...

Our First Wedding Anniversary

Exactly one year ago today, I married you - the love of my life.

We promised to put God first in our lives, to be honest, faithful, and loving to each other, and to work through hard times together - even when we didn't know how or want to.

The past year has been a whirlwind, My Love. I can't believe twelve months have already passed since I saw you at the end of that aisle. I couldn't wait to get to you. I cried tears of joy, anticipation, and love as I walked closer and closer. All I needed was to be next to you.

As we stood before God, our family, and our friends, I said my vows:

I, Allison, take you, Aaron, to be my husband and today I choose you above all others. I promise to honor, respect, and encourage you. With Christ's leading, I will strive to fulfill my role as your helpmate. For as Christ is Head of His Church, so is the husband head of his wife. Aaron, I submit myself to you and will follow you as God leads. I promise to laugh with you in good times, cry with you in sorrow, and encourage you in times of strife. I covenant with you and with God to uphold this vow every day of my life, regardless of the circumstances.

Then you said yours:

I love you, Allison, and today is the day that I tell the world that I choose you above all others. As Christ is to His body, the Church, so I desire to be to you - a loving, faithful husband. As Jesus gave Himself up for His church, so I will serve you, putting your needs and desires above my own. Today, I covenant with God and with you to take you as my wife. I will do my best to number my priorities with Jesus Christ first, you second, our children third, and our ministry fourth. I promise to love you with His love, to provide for your needs through His enablement, and to lead you as He leads me as long as He gives us life together, regardless of the circumstances.

Then we exchanged our beautiful wedding rings. I look at them today and see scuffs and scratches on the gold.

Don't worry, Love. Scratches build character. The scuffs are symbolic of our love. We're not perfect, but we're learning more about God and life together everyday. I'm sure there will be many more scuffs and scratches in the future. As long as the Lord is leading us, I say "bring 'em on."

Here's to a hundred more anniversaries with you, My Darling. There are no words to express what you mean to me...

Ba-Ba-Ba-Chicken

This story from Angie Smith's blog made me laugh out loud when I read it earlier this week. She's such a wonderful writer...

The "ba-ba-ba-chicken" story reminded me of Sam.

Enjoy!

School, Storytime, and SLEEP

Today was Sam's first day in his new 4-year-old preschool class! He says he had SO MUCH FUN! I think this is going to be a great year for him :)

While Sam was in school this morning, Toby and I went to Picnic Storytime at ImaginOn. Since the school year has already begun, there were only 6 children in storytime as opposed to 46. It was so nice to be able to actually hear the stories and songs!

For lunch at Picnic Storytime, I packed a normal lunch for Toby (bologna sandwich, carrots, cheese, and milk) and hummus, carrots, and celery for myself to eat. I wanted to know what Toby thought of the hummus, so I dipped one of my celery sticks in it and gave it to him to eat. Hummus and celery quickly became the only foods Toby wanted. Who would have thought?! I love that Toby likes to try new things.

I got 11 hours of pure, silent, uninterrupted sleep last night! I don't think I got that much sleep in 2 nights on vacation...

Wrap It Up

Now I understand exactly why overnight airplane travels are called red-eye flights. Jeez. I look like I haven't slept in 3 days.

Don't get me wrong - I'm glad we took a late flight out so we could spend more time in Oregon, but I can't wait to crawl into bed as soon as I get home from work today.

Here's the final wrap-up of our trip:

• We drove a total of 1,182 miles around Oregon in the Toyota Yaris in 10 days.
• Favorite quote of the week: "You can sleep when you die." -- Sean Lyon
• Favorite moment of the trip: Making it to the top of Mt. Thielsen
• Worst moment(s) of the trip: Aaron and the ducks :) Enough said...
• Best coffee of the week: McMenamins Kennedy School
• Most beautiful scenic drive: the Oregon Coast
• Best restaurant: The Historic Drift Inn in Yachats
• Official album of our Oregon vacation (according to me and Sean, anyway): Give Yourself Away by Robbie Seay
• Most inventive moment: Realizing that we forgot to put sunscreen on before our hike up Mt. Thielsen and using SPF 15 Chapstick all over our faces instead (yes, it works!)
• Most forgetful moment: Aaron leaving all of my favorite clean, white laundry on top of the dresser in Seaside
• Favorite photos: ALL OF THEM! (Thanks again, Sean!)

And so our travels come to an end...until next time...

Leavin' On A Jet Plane...

The guys and I are sitting at McMenamin's for one last Oregon meal (and coffee!).

We're taking a red-eye flight from Portland to San Francisco to Charlotte tonight. Our estimated time of arrival in Charlotte is 6:30 tomorrow morning.

This should be fun...

We'll Be Back

Our Oregon adventure ends today. I'm still not ready to go home. 

Here are a few more of my favorite photos from the past week-and-a-half. I wish I had the words to explain how incredible our trip was...but I don't. I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

8-mile hike in Seaside

Our traditional group photo (Seaside hike)

Aaron jumping a fence on our drive along the coast

Watching the waves crash at Heceta Head Lighthouse

Dinner at the lighthouse :)

I love this photo of Sean

Enjoying the sunset

One of my favorite moments in the past 10 days

Mt. Thielsen

Our steep trek to the top

Somehow, Sean managed to capture every feeling I had at the top of Mt. Thielsen in this one photo... 

Check out the rest of our vacation photos at Sean's SmugMug site. Check out his snazzy website to find out how to hire him.

Sean - Thanks for being our tour guide, photographer, coffee & beer connoisseur, coach, and leader on this amazing trip. Most of all, thanks for having the patience of a saint, being an incredible friend, helping us make memories that will last a lifetime, and taking time away from your precious family to show us around the beautiful state of Oregon. YOU ROCK.

Aaron - We've made so many memories to tell our children about someday! It's hard to believe that in 6 days, we'll celebrate a year of being husband and wife! I fall more in love with you each day and I'm so thankful for you. This trip with you has been a fairy tale...

Adios, Oregon. Your beauty and adventures won't soon be forgotten. We'll be back.