Stuck in Wisconsin

So my husband went to some training thing in Wisconsin for a few days (since Sunday) and they just announced due to weather his flight's been cancelled!!! He was supposed to fly out tonight red-eye and get in early this morning. So he and co-workers are getting a car and driving five hours to Chicago to fly from there. How awful! So please pray that he makes it to Chicago and home safely.

Since I miss my hubby...I thought I'd take us back in time...about one year ago to a little vacation we took. My husband has a great friend back in Vegas and his girlfriend likes to do something extremely awesome every year for his birthday. So we all rented a condo in Brianhead, UT...drove out...and had a great time using the fire place, cooking, playing games, snowboarding, watching movies, etc. Did I mention Brianhead got tons and tons (probably record breaking) snow that weekend and the trip involved digging people out of a ditch, a random snowball fight, and a new puppy. (Note: Not all my photos from the trip are at my work computer so you'll just have to deal with gaps in the story) Enjoy!

Arriving at the Condo with supplies...I thought this was an awesome picture I took. HUGE snowflakes!! And Anna guarding her food as usual...
Charlie guarding the room:
Snow puppy!!!
I can never get my husband to take a serious picture but I thought this was funny...they were posing for me...
Being silly
The puppies crack me up...look at Anna's face:

Me and the little stinkers...Charlie just wants to chase the rabbit that my husband swore was a deer.
On the way home our friends (who were at that point dog-less) decided to buy a dog. Ok, they had been thinking about it for a while. But at the gas station in the middle of nowhere we saw a sign posted for the cutest little puppies. Since the town was only two streets big...ok slight exageration...we swung by to see them. And voila...our friends had a new puppy...who could resist...
Ok...my husband could because I was begging to get one too. He is a smart man. Instead I became Aunt Amanda to the new puppy Koa:
The End!

Appreciation

A photo that "makes my day" via Lush Bella

Reading your well-wishes was a concrete reminder of why I enjoy blogging -- It's just lovely to be a part of this shared sense of encouragement that's swirling around out there. As we sometime slog, sometimes sail through our daily lives, I'm inspired by the notion that a whole slew of folks (most of whom you don't know personally but are linked to through shared experiences, interests, etc...) are in your corner, rooting you on.

Not to sound overly-sentimental, but it helps reinforce my belief in the innate goodness of people. So there you have it. Thanks.

And on the topic of thanks, the kind and supremely talented Pia Jane so sweetly awarded me with a "You Make My Day" award, which really, well... made my day. So now I am to pass this award onto 5 blogs that make me smile.

This really only presents a challenge in picking only five, but here goes:

• Pia Jane for her infinite talent + the fact that she's one of the nicest bloggers ever
• Ali at Ali Loves Curtis for her infinite optimism and mad photography skills
• Karey at Mackin Ink for her lovely tales of life with three daughters
• Melissa and Lynne at Sugar City Journal for inspiring me daily to be more creative
• Michelle at Aramas Design for her incredible taste

And I know this is cheating a bit, but I'm also picking Jane, Erin, Ann, Kim and Jodi who "make my day" both inside and outside this little blog world...

Now here's how the award, started by the clever and kind Mary-Laure, works:

1. Write a post with links to 5 blogs that make me think and/or make my day.
2. Acknowledge the post of the award giver.
3. Tell the award winners that they have won by commenting on their blogs with the news.

Extreme Funny Magic Show

Dam Dadi Do

Lip Sync to Dam Dadi Do by Nightcore.

Top 15 Observance of Safety At Work Pictures

Update!

I didn't realize that my last post was my 100th post! Yay!!! So what have I been doing in the last few days? I A) got a flu bug B) still doing devotions C) doing pilates D) studying :(

Good news! My little nephew who is such a little darling finally said the word "aunty" on the phone to me. He around three and a half and knows a few words (he signs though). I'd post a photo but I only post photos with permission.

I am also slaving away at a paper/presentation that I have to have done by February 17th for my in-Houston class over the weekend of February 22nd-24th. Three days of classes in Houston and I have to do a ten minute presentation on M.E.T.S. What is that you ask? It's Metadata Encoding & Transmission Standards. Sounds fascinating doesn't it? I actually am a bit but I'm a bit of a dork too :)

Clay Taylor on digital cameras for digiscoping

Nikon Coolpix 8400

From Clay Taylor of Swarovski:

When the show (PMA) opens on Thursday, I'll be at our Swarovski booth, but I will make time during the event to see the newest cameras and hopefully test them behind the Swarovski 20-60xS eyepiece. If I have a chance to make the tour with a 20xSW or 30xSW eyepiece, I will, but you all have to realize that we sell VERY FEW fixed-power, wide-angle eyepieces in the course of a year. The average customer will buy a spotting scope (all brands, not just Swarovski) with a zoom eyepiece because the optics generally don't suck and the practical advantages of a zoom eyepiece in the field are undeniable. That's market reality, and I have to view all the new cameras from that angle.

That said, I hope you all realize that we will NEVER see another camera like the CoolPix 8400 again. The Photo Industry is definitely moving all the newest high-tech camera features into the D-SLRs and partly into the ultra-zoom P&S cameras (for now, interesting lenses but crappy sensors). The compact, short-zoom P&S cameras are the ones that work best behind a spotting scope zoom eyepiece, and are what we need to know about. They have all lost many of the features that we desire for digiscoping - accessory adapters, remote releases, articulated screens, manual controls, RAW files, Electronic Viewfinders (although the Nikon P60 is an exception - could there be hope?). The only good trend is that those cameras seem to be getting better at the wide-angle settings, which could help eliminate eyepiece vignetting more quickly.

Clay Taylor
Moodus, CT
ctaylor@att.net

On The Mend

Tea (currently the only thing I can tolerate) via Martha.

Sorry for the complete and utter silence over here, but I've been hit with the vicious love child of an upper respiratory infection and a stomach virus (with a side of pink eye just for fun.) I'll be back soon...

Britney Spears and Adnan are Over

Britney Spears At Millennium Studios in Burbank.

Dog Vs. Balloons

Simon exacts his revenge on 74 evil latex orbs in a mere 57 seconds!

Funny Wedding Photography

Source: Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA)