Planck's Place

As visions of sugar plums danced in their heads...

2008-12-24T22:28:00.001-08:00

Sleep tight, come soon Santa!

Christmas Cupcakes

2008-12-24T15:36:00.000-08:00

Here's a little preview of our great cupcake experience this afternoon, YUM! Enjoy...

Christmas Eve

2008-12-24T13:04:00.000-08:00

Emily got to pen up one present this afternoon, it was a cupcake baking set, so her and Daddy went to it right away... Happy Christmas Eve everyone!

Snooooooooooow fun

2008-12-22T17:15:00.000-08:00

Here are some shots from today, we have about 10 REAL inches of show today, way cool! This may never happen again where we live! It's rare for sure, usually we just get a light dusting. The city has officially announced that all vehicles on the road are required to have chains on, WOW!

Snow Day!

2008-12-14T10:25:00.001-08:00

Time gets away from me these days, I haven't blogged here in forever! We had our first snow of the season today, and weather reports say we are in for a few day so of it. Here's a couple shots taken only minutes ago.

IT's that time again...

2008-08-24T19:28:00.000-07:00

Rain, here we go into fall, a wee bit early this year it seems, hopefully things will dry up and give us a long dry fall. I just took this out the back door as Emily played.

Sorry it's been so quiet around here, I have been working my tail off! I will try and post more often as I slow down into winter.

Cheers!

New bike!

2008-07-05T13:15:00.000-07:00

Time flies it seems between posts these days. Summer is in full swing, and we have been out having fun so far. The neighbor came out with her old bike in tow the other day and asked Emily if she would like to have it. She is thrilled, she was in much need of something bigger, her knees were touching the handlebars on the old bike. This one fits, and best of all, NO training wheels finally!

Birthday Fun

2008-06-22T10:22:00.000-07:00

Well, the big day was here. Emily turned 7 yesterday, YAY! The only thing she has asked for the past year is a Nintendo DS. Caviar taste to say the least :) taking after Mum and Dad there. After we opened prezzies from the family, she had a birthday party at the local roller skating rink, fun for all, Mom even skated! All in all it was a great day. Here are the snaps of her opening her "BIG" gift.

Here's a couple of her thank you to Grammie and Grampie for the gifts they gave her too...

Tony's New Toy

2008-06-15T21:28:00.000-07:00

Well, life has been busy around here, my business is going great, we are all working hard, and summer is finally here. It's been a while since my last post. I'm just going to jump in where we are now instead of playing catch up. So here is the latest edition around here.... This is Tony's new toy, brand new, only one to the show room floor.....

So, OK, I admit, I know nothing about motorcycles, but I am told this is a cool one. All you fanatics will know I am sure. What matters is he loves it. A mid life crisis? Well, at least is isn't a 2 seater sports car, right? Stay tuned for more...... Emily thinks her Dad is sure cool now!

Congrats to my Honey!

2008-04-23T16:26:00.000-07:00

This morning Tony took his US citizenship test, and passed with flying colors. They did a short ceremony this afternoon. So it's official, I can't call him a South African anymore. Congrats honey! Here's some photos to share...

Recently boxing

2008-04-07T09:59:00.001-07:00

Some of you know about my letterboxing adventures, here's a shot from one the other day I thought I would share.

Easter Eggs 2008

2008-03-22T14:35:00.001-07:00

Happy Easter to everyone, we colored our eggs today, and EMily is excited for the Easter Bunny to come and visit!

Create a Free Slideshow

Morning walk

2008-01-20T12:19:00.001-08:00

I went on a really long walk with the dogs this AM, and grabbed the camera as I ran out the door. I was glad I did! Here are a few shots from the morning. I have to say, yes I am biased, but these are the best two dogs in the world! Check out my business blog for some more recent dog shots.

I have some stuff I need to go through to post of Emily so stay tuned, she has been a lot camera shy lately!

Mid winter beach trip

2008-01-14T13:52:00.001-08:00

Here's a couple shots of the dogs running at the beach yesterday, EMily was in no mood to look at the camera as she was too busy digging and playing. I will post more soon, and maybe a mini video if your lucky, we got a cam-recorder for Christmas, just have to figure the editing part out.

Here's a couple shots of the dogs running at the beach yesterday, EMily was in no mood to look at the camera as she was too busy digging and playing. I will post more soon, and maybe a mini video if your lucky, we got a cam-recorder for Christmas, just have to figure the editing part out.

Happy New Years!

2007-12-31T15:29:00.001-08:00

Dog Blog

2007-12-28T13:34:00.000-08:00

This is indeed our family blog, even though it seems lately it has become the "dog blog". None of my family members want to jump in front of the camera these days, so, the dogs have no choice and make great subjects. I would imagine as the weather warms up this spring we will be out more and posting more people pictures. I will make an effort to keep them coming.

Emily and I took the dogs to the park today since it's been a week. They had a blast and ran and ran, but we froze! The wind was up and it is about 35 degrees out today. NOT real fun! Here's some stuff I shot, Emily was careful to stay out of the way of the camera of course.

Day after Christmas

2007-12-26T20:52:00.000-08:00

So Emily is fine today, we just hung out and played with new toys.

The dogs enjoyed our company and their new goodies too, while I played with my newest lens and focal points...

Did I mention Emily lost her second front tooth also? (Her first lost tooth is posted here) So far there's no getting near her with the camera, but keep an eye out in the near future, stalker Mom is on the prowl!

Christmas 2007

2007-12-26T11:26:00.000-08:00

Can you believe it is that time of year again already? This Christmas had the potential to be a bummer, Emily came down with the flu Christmas Eve, got sick once on the eve, got sick Christmas morning, and had a fever of 103 both days. She's a trooper I tell you, she made the best of it and never whined once. She spent a good amount of time sleeping in between doses of Advil and Pepto Bismol, but she did find times to perk up and enjoy herself as well.

Here's some photos from both days.

Making herself at home already

2007-11-30T17:41:00.001-08:00

Here's a couple new shots. Summer is making her self at home now. Emily just loves her, she told me a few short hours after she came home with us, that Summer was her favorite, and she wants her to be her dog only, Did I write that in the last post already? So the next day she only wants Chase on her lap, and today she tells me she loves them both the bestest ever, and she thanks me for getting two dogs for HER, lmao. Anyway.... We love the dog park, love snuggling on the couch at night, (yep that's a sight to see, Millie and I and 2 dogs on top) and both dogs love each other already. Chase has really calmed down since Summer's arrival. She (Chase) even walks beside me now without running away, I think she is on her best behavior!

I took her to the animal shelter to have her microchip scanned, and they gave me the company's 800 number, when I called they said they could not give me any info that the last registered owner had the number marked do not disclose.

I called the Oregon Humane society, and they said she had been adopted out of their shelter in Troutdale in November of 2006, and gave me the info from her last registered owner. It said her name was Mia, that she was born Jan 2006 which makes her not even 2 yet, she was a registered German Shorthair Pointer, and said she was born in Vancouver Washington. I also got the owner's name, phone number and address from them, so much for privacy! We tried to contact the person, and so far, no return calls, crossing our fingers on that one, we have 30 days before we can transfer her chip number to our name.

It makes me crazy, because we have the Vet papers from who we got her from and the info is not the same, makes me wonder which is true? Why would their vet have different info from the same chip? Weird to say the least. I'm not really worried, we still love her.

Anyway, she's wonderful! And an early Christmas present to the family. It's funny how 2 dogs made things easier. They are great company for each other, share everything without problems, and are great with us, what else could we ask for?

November Surprise!

2007-11-25T17:12:00.000-08:00

I didn't want to say anything in case it didn't work out, but I have been looking around and keeping my eyes peeled for a second edition to the family if it was to come around. Well, today we found her. Our little family is complete now.

Chase has been such a pleasure, and we enjoy her so much, we have decided to adopt another.

Introducing: "Summer" our newest family member. She is a 3 year old Pointer.

The two dogs are getting along fantastically, they have played every since they got home. There's going to be some sleepy puppies around here later tonight I tell you. It's already great to have another to wear Chase out a bit. Summer seems so mellow compared to Chase already.

Summer is crashed out sideways on the rug, and chase is staring intently at her whining to come and play some more. Ah fun times!

Here's some pictures to share.

No pictures of me Mom, just the dogs today!

This is our new girl, Summer...

Chase is all excited and ready to play

Summer seems to be happy with the situation

Here's Chase begging Summer to play more, and Summer thinking she would rather rest a spell.

Happy Thanksgiving

2007-11-22T11:23:00.000-08:00

Happy Turkey day everyone. I got a new lens yesterday, and none of my family will pose for me today, maybe later... So I snuck outside and "shot" the dog instead. Hopefully I will have photos from the day a bit later.

Princess

2007-11-01T11:31:00.000-07:00

Oftentimes people have such high expectations of a "photo shoot" that they forget when things go bad to just keep shooting. These are the true moments that make up our lives. Some of my most cherished images are "melt down" photos. Perhaps just because they are not the usual 8x10 glossy smiles. Too many times we put down the camera trying to make everything all better and get those smiles back on those faces.

Well as last night would have it, these may very well go down in the history books as fuel for blackmail later, at the very least, that slide show during the reception on her wedding day!

Miss Mille absolutely did NOT want to pose in her Halloween costume before the festivities because "Evil" Mom made her wear a truly, ugly, terrible, jacket under her gorgeous ballroom gown, therefore ruining the entire effect, rendering it useless and conjuring up a complete and total meltdown.

Rest assured, peace was made, and all things went wonderfully in the end! I thought I would share the "moment" with you all, it really doesn't happen all that often when I think about it.

Can you believe this is the same kid?

Pumpkin Patch

2007-10-14T17:30:00.000-07:00

Our annual trek to the pumpkin patch was today. It was a last minute decision as it wasn't rainy and we found ourselves with time. Originally we were going to go next weekend, but as it often is around here, you can never count on the weather, so we seized the moment.

Emily has a pretty nasty cold going on, and the weather was gloomy, so it seemed to set the mood for the day. At least it was dry, that means no muddy shoes, yay! Believe it or not, there were actual moments of smiles and giggles, they just weren't caught on camera for the most part!

Here's some photos to share:

Family

2007-10-07T19:26:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, I haven't blogged in a while so I thought I would share a couple photos.

Miss Emily lost her second tooth of which the tooth fairy gave her another one dollar gold coin!

And Miss Chase is fitting in nicely and being spoiled rotten as you can see.

Play time

2007-09-17T12:58:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we took a trip to Pet Smart, and Emily picked out a seasonal "bo-bo" and another toy for Chase. Let me tell you, between the two of them, I have no clue where all this stuff will be stored around here. Well, at least the dog toys can go outside :)

Here's some photos from the day.

Morning good bye hugs

2007-09-17T12:56:00.000-07:00

Here's a hug before going off to school!

Doggie Park Buddies

2007-09-16T10:17:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday we discovered an off leash park near out home. Chase loves it, and so do we, since she can get her exercise! Here's a few photos of her and her new playground buddies.

A day late...

2007-09-05T10:06:00.000-07:00

So here is a photo of Emily's first day of school, when I picked her up. She came out to the front all on her own and when asked , told us "It was great!" with a big 2 thumbs up! An hour after being home, she said, "Mom I can't wait to go back!" This is a HUGE advance for those of you who know the hours of grief over getting her off to school in the past. The tears, the anxiety, ah..... our little girl is growing up! Everyone keep your fingers crossed for us, and let's hope this trend continues.

On another positive note, the new dog has brought many positive changes to my routine. I am now walking Emily back and forth to school twice a day, and taking the dog on a 2 mile walk, and LOVING it. I forgot how nice it is to just go for a walk. Sometimes we get so caught up in life and stressed out, we forget to do the little things we enjoy and that are good for us.

Here's to fall 2007!

Dog days of summer

2007-09-04T13:34:00.000-07:00

Well, today is it, officially the first day of school. Chase is catching up on some well needed rest. It's an hour to go before I go get Emily and we are finding ourselves starting at each other, just waiting! She doesn't seem to be too bothered by it all though!

Oh BOY!

2007-09-04T13:14:00.001-07:00

So what kind of parents are we? Today is Emily's very first day of first grade at a new school with real big kids and all, and I didn't take my camera! Too many other things going on I guess, I will try and take it when I go pick her up.

Everything went on according to plan, she was nervous and excited and had a couple friends in her class room, so she went with no trouble. I can't wait to pick her up, things are so quite around here today! (NICE) She will have lots to tell me for sure. I will post some photos with this if I get any later.

Wow, big first grader already! wasn't she just in diapers like last week?

family

2007-08-29T21:31:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to share a shot I took last weekend while shooting a wedding. My husband and dearest daughter. Tony helped me out shooting a little bit even with my back up camera! It was a great time.

Proud Parents

2007-08-21T18:10:00.000-07:00

Here's more of the "kids" playing the the backyard this afternoon. Emily had fun in her slip n slide, and chase enjoyed the yard.

Puppy Love

2007-08-21T13:58:00.001-07:00

OK, so she's not really a puppy, but we are in love. Here's a few shots I took out back this afternoon, what a ham! She is fitting in here so well!

Our Newest Family Member

2007-08-20T14:01:00.000-07:00

After almost 2 years of keeping an eye out for that perfect addition to our family, we have finally found her.

I am proud to introduce Chase, our newest family member! Adopted today, and we are all in love with her already. She's a 5 year old English Pointer. She is so sweet, well mannered, and seems so far to be exactly what we expected and dreamed of! She's pretty easy on the eyes too, look at that face! She wasn't exactly sure what the camera was all about, she'll get used to that in a hurry no doubt!

2007-08-10T16:01:00.001-07:00

It's that time of year again.

The Portland Air Show!

We love that the planes and jets fly by while practicing days before the show, and that we get to see them while in holding patterns during the show. Sometimes they go right over our house, the sound is so loud it vibrates in your chest and speeds up the heart rate! To say it goes right through you is an understatement...

These were shot right from our driveway. They aren't even cropped, that's just how close they are!

I was playing with the spot metering on my new camera, what great practice subjects! Enjoy...

A special day!

2007-07-25T09:17:00.000-07:00

Last night was THE night. Emily's long awaited first loose tooth finally fell out. She was so excited! Here's the story as it unfolded:

Emily came to me and said "Mommy, look" then proceeded to pull her loose tooth forward. As I watched I was sure it would pop out right then. I told her "Emily, it's completely out of the jaw! It's just barely there hanging on by the skin of your front gums! There is a HOLE under where it should be"

Immediately she covered her mouth with her hand and started shaking her head, no no no, nooooooooo she said.

It took about 30 seconds, and this look comes over her face. She says, "hmmm, Mommy, maybe if I twist it, it will fall out." I answered, "maybe", and gave a smile because I truly didn't think she would go for the twist.

I looked away for just a second and I hear Emily say quietly "Wow, it DID fall out!" I honestly thought she was kidding me until I look over and there is a gaping hole in her bottom row of teeth and she is staring at the palm of her hand and her new found prize.

After this, she bounced around the house, showed Daddy, let Mom take photos, and called Grandma Judy..... A very proud moment, as she brought out her tooth fairy teddy bear and we placed the tooth inside for the fairy to find it.

I warned her that it was so late already (10:30 PM, like why was she still up?), that the tooth fairy might not know it happened until the next night, she said, "that's fine", and went to sleep.

This morning upon awaking, she rose to find, a brand new, shiny gold dollar coin in place of the tooth! Woo hoo she exclaimed, all smiles with gaps now.... This resolving the question, "what will the tooth fairy leave me, I hope it's a my little pony"

Our last full day together

2007-07-16T15:37:00.000-07:00

Emotions are running high this afternoon as it is our vary last day with Gogo visiting. She leaves bright and early tomorrow AM. Wow, how a month has absolutely flown by! It has been a real treat, and memories were made to last a lifetime no doubt.

We took a trip around Rood Brige park one last time this afternoon and had an ice cream on the way home. Tonight Emily has been invited to a birthday party, so while we go, Tony and Gogo can chat and pack up for her long trip home.

A visit with my family

2007-07-14T15:35:00.000-07:00

My parents came by to visit, and say good bye to Gogo, since she leaves Tuesday AM. Here's a photo of all of us in the backyard.

A trip to the Oregon Coast

2007-07-13T15:15:00.000-07:00

While Tony slaved away at work, Emily, Gogo and I went for a quick trip out to the Oregon coast. From Tillamook, to Newport and back again, we had a blast exploring. Here's a couple shots from the day...

Oregon Coast Aquarium:

Fogarty Creek State Park:

Happy Birthday!

2007-07-08T21:39:00.000-07:00

Today was Gogo's birthday. Gramie and Grampie Homer came over and we all celebrated with gifts, dinner and cake! A very, very happy birthday to you Alison...

High Desert Museum

2007-07-08T13:49:00.000-07:00

Our last destination before heading home (for some rest!) was the High Desert Museum in Bend Oregon. I had been here in '95 and remembered it being worth while. Wow, it has really grown! It was really cool, lots of history and info on local wildlife and people. It turned out to be quite worthy.

Crater Lake

2007-07-08T13:09:00.000-07:00

Whew, at this point we have done a ton of miles this week. We reached Diamond Lake in the evening and got into our room. Dinner took forever and we were all tired. I am just realizing now that I never took the camera out even once! So let's skip to the crater.....

We ran up to Crater Lake just after sunset. The wind had come up and it was getting too cold for Gogo, so the expected oooohs and ahhhhhhs didn't happen. I held out for the morning visit and we all went back to the room and passed out.

The next morning got the expected woooooooooooooooooow as we walked to the craters edge and peered over the side. A run through the gift shop prooved too much for me at the end of the trip, I couldn't cool off, (it was like 110 outside!) and who knew that the shop had no air conditioning! After recomposing myself, a long drive into Bend pursued. Again, cranky, hot and stiff from all the driving, we hit Bend in 5:00 traffic and I felt like I was coming unglued. 2 1/2 hours later we got a room at LaQuinta Inn and refreshed our aching bodies and minds in the pool and hot tub. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Here's some snapshots from the Lake, it's a shame, but it was hot and not so spectacular to me, so I wasn't real inspired to take great photos. (I've been here 5 times, and seen it much prettier, hard to imagine I know) I did manage snapshots to record the visit with Gogo here.

Everyone enjoyed the views and the chipmunks were a huge hit!

Wildlife Safari

2007-07-08T13:01:00.000-07:00

After spending a night back at home and showers for all, we hit the road again, this time going South. We stopped in for a visit to Wildlife Safari. Gogo got to see African, American and Asian animals. It was very very hot... I took many photos of the animals, but am choosing not to post tons of them so I can get on with more posting.... Here are just a few from this visit.

Mt St Helens

2007-07-08T12:39:00.000-07:00

OK, for all of you locals out there that have never visited Mt St Helens, get up off your bum and DO IT! All I can say is wow.... Back when the volcano erupted, I remember sitting on our front door step from Troutdale and watching it blow. I was in High School at the time, I knew it was a big deal, but just HOW big, I never really understood. To go up to the visitor's centers, and go through everything was amazing. You truly have no scale of the magnitude even living it, until you actually SEE it!

Fantastic, and right in our own backyard practically!

Over Mt Hood

2007-07-08T11:57:00.000-07:00

After bailing early from Olallie, we decided to go back home over Mt Hood and explore along the way. We stopped for lunch and a little fishing at Harriet Lake, fished at Timothy Lake off the dock, and stopped in at Little Crater Lake for a visit.

Olallie Lake, Oregon

2007-07-08T11:41:00.000-07:00

Our next destination for Gogo and summer vacation is Olallie Lake. After arriving we were informed that the EPA had shut down all of their camp water services, this meant NO showers, no running water, no nothing. We decided to only stay a couple of nights instead of a week and make the best of it.

Gramie Gogo feared for bears and froze the first night, Emily caught her very first fish ever, rode in a row boat for the first time, and the Lake was stunning. We we thrilled to sit and watch the Osprey fishing! It all turned out fine in the end...

Tony took control over the 20D and I used my new 1D, so these photos are taken by both of us.

Frog Lake

2007-06-27T10:54:00.000-07:00

While Gogo is visiting, we are taking several trips to show her around our area. Emily and I took her to Mt Hood today, and we visited Frog Lake. The tadpoles (polywogs?) were in full swing and Gogo was as thrilled as Emily catching small toads and walking around the area.

The wind made it very cold for her, but it died down and got quite comfortable after a while. Here are some photos to share.

Beaverton Farmer's Market

2007-06-24T07:50:00.000-07:00

Today we took Gogo to the Beaverton Farmers market and the local library to show her around and get out of the house. Here's a few shots, I was starting to get a bit more comfortable with my new camera, but mostly just snapping away still... The last one is from home, Emily read her books to Gogo.

Slippin' and a slidin'

2007-06-24T07:46:00.000-07:00

With the recent purchase of a new camera for me, Tony has started using my older one. Here are some great shots he got of Emily on her brand new slip and slide in our backyard.

Zoo Trip

2007-06-23T22:44:00.000-07:00

Armed with a brand new camera and lens in hand, no knowledge of how to really use it, (OK a tiny little bit maybe, but talk about intimidating!) and a perfect day, Mom, Grandma, and Emily went off to explore the zoo. Here are some photos from the day....

Happy Birthday Part 1

2007-06-23T22:35:00.000-07:00

We celebrated with the Grandparents on Emily's actual birthday. We had dinner at PB & Ellie's, presents, and cake and ice cream.

Her "kids" party with all her friends is on Sunday, more to come.....

A walk in the park with Gogo

2007-06-21T15:33:00.000-07:00

We are fortunate enough to have Gogo (grandmother in Zulu) with us for a whole month, visiting from South Africa! Today we took a walk around a local park, and went to the ice cream parlor afterward, here are a few shots from our afternoon.

Oh, and today happens to be Emily's 6th birthday! More fun photos to share soon of our family get together tonight, and her full-on birthday party this Sunday.

Commencement

2007-06-21T15:29:00.000-07:00

SO the big day has come and gone and so marks a milestone in Emily's life.... She had kindergarten graduation on the 14th of June! Mom was much to emotional to take clever photos, so I just snapped away, here's a few to show..... It was so hot outside and we really had bad seats as far as having a good angle for photography!

More spring photos

2007-06-21T09:02:00.001-07:00

We are so very much enjoying the nice spring weather, Emily really enjoys playing outside. Here she is posing like a princess by the bird bath, and showing me how well she can balance something on her head and still walk. It is rare that she "asks" me to take photos, these she practically begged me to, usually she sees the camera and turns her back, hence why I have so many photos of her walking away :)

Sprinkler fun

2007-06-21T08:58:00.000-07:00

With the recent weather being sunny and warm, Emily has discovered the sprinklers this year and loves to run and play in them. These photos were taken over a couple different days....

beach excursion

2007-06-21T08:50:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, this summer finds us very busy, with me launching my own business and the family doing as much as they can with our free time, I haven't kept up here, so sorry!

Here's some new photos... this set is from Cape Lookout, we yurt camped for a few days.

Too pooped to care

2007-04-24T19:51:00.000-07:00

OK, excuse the messy house, it happens to all of us at times doesn't it? I had to post this snap shot because after 2 long school days of SAT testing (for kindergarten?) and 2 hours out front of our house running and playing tag with the neighborhood kids, she drug herself in at my feet tonight while I was checking emails, and I looked over becasue she was too quiet. Yep, out like a light! Ahhhhh, peace and quiet...... well, for a moment at least. Had to share....

Happy Easter!

2007-04-08T09:56:00.000-07:00

Easter is Coming!

2007-04-04T14:28:00.001-07:00

Gramie came over yesterday and we colored eggs. Emily is really excited this year! She had a blast doing her eggs, check out her finger tips!

Busy times

2007-03-18T08:58:00.000-07:00

Hello friends and family! Whew I have been so busy this year, and that's a good thing. I left my "computer" job with NSP and started out on my own in photography again. *shakin' in my boots* But so far, so very, very good. I am overwhelmed with the interest I am getting and the success on my shoots! I've done about a dozen shoots since Feb, and that's not bad for the dead of winter when no one wants photos taken. OK, so it's coming into spring now, and people are starting to call to schedule sessions.. YAY!

If you are interested in some of my progress, check out my Cyndie Planck Photography Blog. Click Here

I hope everyone is doing well these days, and keep in touch!

A last minute trip to the beach

2007-03-05T09:43:00.000-08:00

Sunday morning we were discussing the usual, "What should we do today" and the beach pops up in my mind.... (we had some clearer weather here in the middle of the dysmal spring rains) After a little prodding, Daddy decided we could do that, we were packed and on the road in less than 45 minutes! This is no small feat since the arrival of "the little one" since running out to the coast now means packing everything but the kitchen sink it seems! There's the full set of extra dry clean clothes for everyone, since we could have to go in after her at some point, or it could rain on us and drench us to the bone in seconds at any point. There's snacks, and drinks, and toys, and towels, and beach chairs, and entertainment for the drive there and back, and music, and and and..... And that was packing light!

So here are some photo's I took while there, enjoy, Tony even got into the shooting this time, as I still have my Dad's camera. I messed up tho, and left it on 1600 from the last time I used it and never switched it back, so everyting taken with that one is a lot noisy, crud, sorry honey! And there are some great shots from there too, :(

Enjoy!

Spring is springing

2007-03-04T09:44:00.000-08:00

Finally! We are so ready to get out and play and hike and bike and burn off this layer of winter blahs we have built up! I hope to post a bit more also, I have been so busy with many projects, our poor blog has been set aside. But I am back, so here's a couple photos I took yesterday. It's not officially spring yet, and we have weeks left of rain I am sure, but we got a break yesterday, and it is actually sunny out today! YAY!

If you want to see more from these photos

Click Here

Holy smokes Batman!

2007-02-17T19:49:00.000-08:00

It's been a month since I last posted! WOW. So sorry guys, I have been busy to say the least. I didn't go back to my regular part time job, and have taken the jump and I've gone full-time photography. It's scary, but fantastic, and it's crazy at how much business I have gotten right off the bat (in the winter months too!), I am pretty happy about it all!

So here's a couple shots from today, with the new 70-200 2.8 IS USM lens.... (well, OK this one is a rental, but I may just have to buy this, no going back now!) The thing weighs a TON, but WOW, I'm in love already... My body is in for service to Canon, so I am using my backup 10D (Dad's camera, thanks Dad!) Pretty cool fun stuff, OK, so hope I will be around a bit more often now!

More snow fun

2007-01-17T15:30:00.000-08:00

Here's some more photos from our day today, it's starting to warm up and melt, boo hoo, but we had fun anyway...

Snow Daze

2007-01-16T22:49:00.000-08:00

Well, after a weekend of being sick, I did cave and let Millie go out and play in the snow today, since it is really a once a year thing around here. Hope she isn't sick-er now! but she had so much fun, it was good for her and "us" to get out and play.

Polar Express rescheduled

2007-01-16T22:48:00.000-08:00

Well, as luck would have it, the original Christmas program was cancelled due to bad weather this year. Luckily they rescheduled the kindergarten to do their Polar express play for the parents since they worked so hard at it. Here's a shot of Millie and classmates singing their holiday song. They were so dang cute!

Hips don't lie

2007-01-10T16:52:00.000-08:00

Hips Don't Lie

Sorry everyone, but
i just had too...

Another year, another birthday

2007-01-08T22:02:00.000-08:00

Today was the official day... Dearest Honey took a shot of me and Millie (The camera still set on 3200 from the previous night photography excursion) and I thought I would share with ya'll. Hope everyone is enjoying the new year!

Zoo Lights

2006-12-28T11:48:00.000-08:00

Season's greetings to all, here are a few shots I took from our trip to Zoo Lights last night. It was very cold, but really fun. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas and to all a good night!

2006-12-25T21:29:00.000-08:00

Christmas was grand this year. We spent time with friends, family and each other. Emily scored as usual, and so did the rest of us this year. It was good to be together. Here are some snaps shots from our day... Enjoy, and happy holidays to everyone.

Naughty or Nice

2006-12-11T07:45:00.000-08:00

Well, the deed is done. Sunday we waited in line for an hour and 45 minutes at the mall to see Santa. It was worth it though, Emily is so excited and at the peak of her Santa enthusiasm. I couldn't help being relieved and saddened that it will all come to an end sooner or later. Her classmates are already telling her that Santa isn't real! (Strangle those kids will someone please? They are only 5 year olds for goodness sakes!) She asked me about it and I told her, "well, you remember The Polar Express right? When you stop believing you can't hear the bells.... Santa was still there right, it's just that some people can't hear the bells anymore because they choose not to believe." She thought about it for a while then said, "yep, I believe in Santa!"

Whew! My Mom always told us: "If you don't believe, you don't receive" We got the point real quick when it was time. :)

So here's Emily and Santa this year..... I hope everyone is well and in the Holiday spirit.

It's Gingerbread time!

2006-12-06T07:41:00.000-08:00

So I bought a gingerbread kit, and Emily and I decorated it last night. What an adventure! There was candy and royal icing everywhere! I piped on the icing and she did the rest, here's our results. Emily is so proud! (and I am too of her :))

Oh Christmas tree...

2006-12-03T20:07:00.000-08:00

Tonight we decorated our Christmas tree. Basically I let Emily go and I did the top part she couldn't reach as Daddy sat back and supervised from his big comfy chair. Emily even had the first present to wrap and place under the tree!

The annual hanging of the lights

2006-12-02T21:39:00.000-08:00

Today was "THE" day. A few of our neighbors got theirs up over the 4 day Thanksgiving weekend. (Show offs!) And my daughter has really let Dad have it this week. Every time someone else puts theirs up, she says, "See Dad, I TOLD you to get ours up, now we will be last". I chuckle, cause I can say I-told-you-so to him, I saw that day coming when she starts harassing him :) :)

So while Dad strung the lights, and I offered support basically sharing the time in the cold and pretending to be useful by holding the string up, Emily took advantage of some sunshine, freezing as it was, to get in a little hula-hoopin''

Season's greetings everyone, it's finally "official" over here!

Pink Snow!

2006-11-28T21:35:00.000-08:00

The sunrise this morning gave everything a pink glow to it, Emily dressed up for the occasion, and I snapped this photo on the way before school.

Government Camp

2006-11-27T14:30:00.000-08:00

Saturday found us up at Gov Camp to play in the snow. We all had so much fun, so I thought I would share some photos from our day!

Turkey Day has come and gone!

2006-11-25T09:33:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been a while since I have posted here. Last thursday was Thanksgiving. Emily came home from school on wednesday with her "Native American" costume she made. They had lunch on the "Mayflower" and she had a blast, the highlight of her day was the feast with her friends.

Thursday came, and we had family and friends fill the house, it was really great to have everyone here! I hope everyone had a great day, now on to Christmas, can you believe that!

Halloween fun!

2006-11-02T19:45:00.000-08:00

Halloween morning found Emily in a not so photo friendly mood! This was on the way off to school! In case you were wondering, she was a "hair dresser" this year!

The evening found her in a much better mood, here we go trick or treating! Let the fun begin!

After some practice, she got confident enough to go up to the houses by herself!

Check out her spoils, not bad for a hour and halfs worth of work!

And here's Grammie and Grampie, they got to come along for the fun too :)

After school fun

2006-10-28T22:52:00.000-07:00

We are blessed to live in a great neighborhood, and on a cul-de-sac, where the kids can play safely outside, with parental supervision of course. The kids in the "hood" love to get together out front at night after school to play a short while.

At this point, the training wheels are just for support, they could have come off a long time ago probably, but hey, she thinks she needs them!

This is the neighbor boy, he goes everywhere he can barefoot, he actually slows down when he runs in shoes! He's adorable, and this shot was so "him", he's all boy, always experimenting with whatever he is playing with.

Costume Fun

2006-10-28T22:47:00.001-07:00

I caught Emily in the front yard playing in her Tinkerbell costume and just had to share.....

Pumpkin Patch

2006-10-22T19:16:00.000-07:00

Here's some shots from the pumpkin patch this weekend.

Duck pond days

2006-10-10T16:16:00.000-07:00

So I was able to recover all of the images from the cf card that I feared would be gone forever, here are a couple to share, hope all is well with everyone!

All is well

2006-10-09T08:22:00.000-07:00

Well, after our wild night, things have settled back down to normal. Here's a few shots of Emily on the swings from yesterday. Unfortunately, the card with almost all of the photos from the day decided not to work, so here's what I have....

What a wild night....

2006-10-04T12:59:00.000-07:00

Well, as luck would have it, we seem to of had some sort of illness here since Emily went back to school and I back to work. Just when we thought it was all over, at 2:23 AM this morning ( I say that exatly, because it is what the clock said when I looked at it and groaned) my daughter called out with news that her tummy hurt. My husband had beaten me to her, and was tucking her back in. I sat with her and asked the right questions, decided to make her go potty since she had drank a full 8 oz glass of water before bedtime, put a pan along side her bed just in case and went back to bed. At 3:20, I heard a faint sigh-ish sound, sat poised , heard her bed move, and sprung to action, a little too late, after changing the bedding, cleaning her up, redressing her, scrubbing the carpet, and putting the solied sheets in the washer, I waited up to put them in the dryer after the wash cycle, cut a phenergen in quarters, gave one to my daughter, and went back to bed, hoping that would be the last of it. At 4:00 AM, I was enlightened that indeed it wasn't the end.... change of sheets, clothes, clean up, and the start of laundry yet again. (thank goodness I had the foresight to of waited to dry the only other set of sheets for her bed, they were warm and just dry) Just as all had settled down, and we were drifting off to what was surely a temporary sleep, my birds went nuts in their cage in the other room, I got up, turned on the lights, to find my beloved peanut (cockatiel) siezing on the bottom of the cage. I gently righted her, and took up postition on the couch, bird on chest, and knowing darn well, any chance of sleep was now over.

At 4:20, right on schedule, I heard Emily rise with a choke, and called for dearest husband to help, as I could not get off the couch with said bird on chest fast enough. I met him in her room, bird in one hand ( I couldn't put it down or it went into convulsions again) and pan and wash rag in the other... He handled it, luckily for him, she was mostly empty by now and just going thru the motions at this point.

I took up my vigile on the couch once more, said bird twitching, and gearing myself up for the final convulsion that would end it all and inevidibly start the tears a flowing, when Emily hit the doorway running with pan in hand, it was now (you guessed it) 5:20..... after getting her back to bed, I looked over, and gasped, she looked dead. Not just sick, but truly grey, blue lipped dead. Completly void of all color, sunken eyes, grey around the edges, I felt the panic creeping in. Tony was the first to "rattle" her, and she gasped for a breath.... Some color came back, and she slept through it all... So now I sit, with said bird in hand, at the edge of the bed, daring not to leave less she stop breating again, and wondering if a trip to the emergency room was next in order.... No fever, the vomiting had finally stopped, and she seemed well, the clock ticked on, Tony got up, showered, and headed off to work at 7:30.

At 8:00 I called the local avian bird clinic, only to find that there was no bird specialist on staff today, and that the closest one was in Oak Grove. I called there, as Emily got up cheerfully on the couch, and began to chatter away as if nothing had been wrong only an hour earlier.

End of the story, I make Tony come home from work, I rush the bird out there, they suggested leaving it there for treatment, seems it is typical of a calcium deficiency, and she has been laying eggs like mad these last couple of weeks. I get home, to a chipper and pink little Emily who is ready to play and dance with me now, and I get to go back to pick up the bird, hopefully well on it's way to recovery at 5 (mind you this is about 40 minutes drive ea way in good traffic, 5 will be murder!) My luck, my boss will call and ask me to come work a night shift tonight, fimgers crossed that he doesn't!

Now all I need is a shower and a good nap.........

Ah, to be a Mom!

Busy time of year...

2006-09-27T18:54:00.000-07:00

Well, fall is upon us, I haven't posted here in what seems ages, I have been very busy with another one of my blogs though http://cyndieplanck.blogspot.com/ check out some of my recent photography there if you like.

School is in full swing, I am back to work part time, and the days are getting shorter. All of us here are suffering from the back to school cold/virus. Not fun so I have been hanging low for a little spell. We are 2 weeks into it, and just starting to get back up to normal speed.

Last weekend we went with a friends car club around Oregon's wine country, it was a great drive, and we had a lot of fun, there are photos on my digitalalterations blog, so I will just post a photo here of miss Milly, Hope to be back here soon and posting up a storm again!

Just checking in ...

2006-09-16T10:28:00.000-07:00

Hello all, just checking in, time flies once I go back to work and Emily hits school! No photos today, but check out my digitalalterations blog, lots there if you haven't been. We should be taking some shots this weekend, so check back soon!

Back to school

2006-09-06T10:46:00.000-07:00

Today was back to school for Emily, her very first day of kinder! She was so excited, we got to the parking lot and she says "this is the moment I have been waiting for!" Mom handled it well too, and of course took a few photos...

This morning we had to take a quick photograph of Emily's tomato plant she got last year from a field trip in miss Carie's class so she could show her how big it has grown. It started out this spring about 3 inches tall.

This is the "Mommy, stop taking pictures, lets go, I wanna go, lets goooooooooo..." look.

Outside the school on the way in for the first moments....

Emily in her class, she couldn't walk me to the door to leave fast enough!

Saturday afternoon fun

2006-09-03T10:13:00.002-07:00

Yesterday we hit the saturday market in town, which was a kinda "been there done that" for me, since I just shot there a couple of weeks ago, the light was terrible, midafternoon, and most everything was undercover of shade. I did find these little bears I quite liked..

Then we were off to Washington, over to a friends house to pick blackberries... We never did get to the berry picking as Emily reminded us on the way home, evidentally she had really been looking forward to it, oops, but everyone had a lot of fun, here's a few shots of the "kids" on the bikes....

Here's a couple shots of "Chloe" that I took while visiting...

State Fair

2006-08-27T10:48:00.000-07:00

Saturday we spent the day at the State fair. It was opening weekend and suprizingly, not too crowded. The fact that it was almost 100 degrees out, didn't seem to bug most people, it about killed me, but I am a woosey! There was so much to see and do, poor Emily wasn't tall enough to ride the rides alone, and unfortunately for her, neither parent is a ride loving person, so she was dissapointed, but had fun anyway. Here's some pictures (of course)

Emily takes her chance at winning the ring toss

This is the view from the other side of the kalidescope Emily was looking through

Land Shark! Watch out!

Hula girl....

This was cool, a huge blackboard with a bucket of chalk for everyone to color on.

And of course, cotton candy fingers!

Moooooooooooooo

baaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Emily surveys the vendors wares, of course everything looks great to a 5 year old!

Moo's in a row

Even the sheep were dressed in their best for the affair... :)

ZOO DAY

2006-08-23T17:58:00.000-07:00

Today we explored the Oregon Zoo once again. The day was cloudy and laid back, and we had a ton of fun.
Here's some photos...

FROG LAKE

2006-08-21T10:14:00.000-07:00

Sunday took us up to Mt Hood to Frog Lake, there were litterally billions and billions of little tiny itty bitty frogs everwhere! An added suprize was the California Tortoise Shell butterflies, there were thousands upon thousands everywhere. SO many that we drove through them on the highway and it was hard to fight the urge not to swerve out of their way!

Here are some photos from our day, enjoy...

FARMER'S MARKET

2006-08-19T17:02:00.000-07:00

Today we went for a stroll at the Beaverton farmer's market, a splash in the fountain, and a trip to the library. What a blast, I took my camera and just kinda snapshot everything I saw, here are some shots from the day, enjoy!

Speed

2006-08-18T16:29:00.000-07:00

Here's a fun shot of Emily out riding her bike today.

Fall is creeping up

2006-08-17T07:46:00.000-07:00

The days have gotten cloudier, and the nights are cooler, the air has that "fall is coming" feel. We are wrapping up summer around here. Getting ready to for me to go back to work, and Emily to go back to school. She starts kindergaten this year, wow how times flies. When did she grow up?

I finally got into a summer progect, one of many I had planned to do while home for 3 months. Nothing like starting at the last minute! I re-painted our living areas, and one bathroom. I still have the second bath to do, but it feels good having most of it done. It definately freshens up the house with a new color combo!

Can't I just squeak another month off? OK, I know, I am whining now.... Well, more later! ~Cyndie

Another Coastal Weekend

2006-08-07T11:02:00.000-07:00

This weekend took us back to our favorite getaway spot, the Oregon Coast for 3 days. This is the view from the condo's balcony

Saturday morning we drove up the coast and stopped to play around the arches beach.

Sunday took us for a visit to the Oregon Coast Aquarium

And then for a romp on the dunes at Agate Beach

Sunset over Portland

2006-08-02T07:36:00.000-07:00

We were driving home on the freeway and it looked like there could be a great sunset, so we found a place to pull over and I snapped a couple of shots, this is the sun setting over Portland.... Not spectacular as I had hoped, but pretty!

Trillium Lake

2006-07-31T20:41:00.000-07:00

Sunday we went up to Trillium Lake for our annual letterbox set check up. The weather threatened to rain all day, but never did, it stayed cool, and that was all right with us!

BARBIE SCOOTER!

2006-07-30T09:28:00.000-07:00

Emily earned her very own scooter, and we got it yesterday, notice the "super cool" skater clothes! Here are some photos...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY UNCLE BRIAN!

2006-07-28T22:32:00.000-07:00

Happy day goes out to Uncle Brian in Jersey. Holla!

Emily and I visited Grampie and Gramie at their house, and called Uncle Brian to wish him a happy day. Emily started to say hello, then chickened out over the phone. Here's a couple shots...

Emily and Grampie

Emily and Gramie

Emily is sporting her new headband here for ya'll...

ONE MORE BEACH TRIP...

2006-07-26T11:22:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday we just up and ran off to the beach for the afternoon. Here's some fun photos to share...