The Artist Within

2009-03-20T21:06:00.001-07:00

I was able to photograph these super cute twins last week. There were each still under 6 lbs and were so pleasant to work with. They slept most of the time.

2009-03-07T18:47:00.000-08:00

This pic was taken after the last snowfall we had. Luckily it's been a few weeks...

2009-02-15T17:50:00.000-08:00

I was going through some old pictures and found one I really liked at the time. This was taken two years ago before tennis practice. Isn't she a cutie? :)

2008-12-31T15:59:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted in a while but thought I would share one from Christmas day. This is my nephew who was feeling a little bit under the weather--but was very happy to receive this GIANT stuffed animal dog to lay on.

2008-11-24T18:45:00.001-08:00

What a great time I had at Smootfest 2 weeks ago! Kimberly Smoot opened up her studio to about 20 photographers and we spent the day learning about studio lighting. She hired a couple models and these were a few of the shots I took. Don't they look great?

2008-10-26T16:47:00.000-07:00

I went to one of our local parks last weekend and took some great shots. I really like the colors in these photos and the reflections in the water.

2008-10-14T07:45:00.001-07:00

It's Sydney again! We were driving home Sunday past a street near our house and I couldn't get over how pretty it looked. There were yellow leaves all over the street so I asked Sydney if I could get a couple pictures of her. Bless her heart-she let me!

2008-10-13T10:22:00.000-07:00

I love cemeteries! I went to my favorite one this weekend to get some pictures for school. I took my digital camera too and snapped these. Doesn't it look peaceful? This is one of the largest cemeteries in the area and probably one of the most beautiful.

2008-10-10T20:22:00.000-07:00

Sydney was in a posing mood. I quickly snapped a couple cute shots. Hopefully this weekend I will be able to get some more.

2008-09-28T20:18:00.000-07:00

We went to Harvest Fest today and had so much fun. It is one of the few free venues at the State Fair. There are stations to decorate cookies, make your own caramel apples, feed/pet animals, go on a hay ride and, of course, eat food! This year we went into the lights tour of the haunted house. What a fun place! The haunted house is HUGE and would be so scary in the dark. Kaitlyn said she wanted to go when it was dark but changed her mind after going through with the lights on. LOL!

2008-09-20T18:13:00.001-07:00

Today was my nephew's 1st bday party. Isn't he a cutie?! He didn't quite know what to do with the cake but when he figured it out...he went to town! The last picture is so cute--it looks like he might have had a little too much sugar. (That fork is actually stuck on his shirt from the frosting) :)

2008-09-14T08:02:00.000-07:00

I watched my nephew last night. Isn't he adorable? The girls were across the street at a birthday party but Kaitlyn ran home and had to get a quick hug in before running back to have some more fun.

2008-09-05T21:24:00.001-07:00

This is one of the pictures I developed and printed in my photography class last semester. My final project was done at one of our local cemeteries. This photo was one of my favorites. We had to take pictures using 4x5 film on a view camera. The view camera is not my favorite piece of equipment but towards the end I was having fun. I think I lived at the cemetery for a couple weeks!

2008-09-04T08:15:00.001-07:00

What a morning! Kaitlyn is going to middle school now which means I have two different schools to drive to in the morning. Can I just say I HATE traffic?! What is normally a 5-10 min drive takes almost 30min in the morning. I was up late last night which meant it was definitely a Starbucks morning. I don't like coffee-but frappuccino's are my absolute fave drink! Always the same thing...java chip frappuccino light please!

2008-09-02T07:02:00.000-07:00

Wow! Getting photos up right after I take them...that's a new one for me. The first day of school has finally arrived. Kaitlyn is now in middle school and Sydney is in 4th grade. This will probably be the only day this year they are both ready a whole 1/2 hour early and excited to go to school!

2008-08-31T20:21:00.000-07:00

These are a couple from our 4th of July parade. I've been playing around with some new settings. Don't they look cool?

2008-08-30T14:59:00.000-07:00

This weekend there are thousands of Harley's in town! Harley Davidson is celebrating it's 105th anniversary and there are Harely's here from all over the world. There was a parade today and here are a few shots. It's a crazy few days!

2008-08-01T21:12:00.000-07:00

We were able to go to the Wisconsin Dells a couple weeks ago to meet up with Heather and Annette. It was fun to see the families finally get to meet each other. Laney and Sydney hit it off. Unfortunately, I did not get pictures of anything except this one of the two girls.

2008-08-01T20:25:00.000-07:00

I'm back!!! I recently got a new computer and it has been such a hassle transferring all my photo programs. I am presently working on color calibration...but hopefully have it fixed. I have so many pictures to post from the last few months! Tonight I was playing with textures and trying to figure out how they work. This is my first texture! Doesn't it look neat?

2008-06-11T21:16:00.000-07:00

What a funky week we've had! Last Friday there were tornado sirens going off in the city. I guess a funnel cloud touched down about 7 miles away. I was seriously ready to be in my basement. The girls were still in school and all buckled down on the first floor. I was so happy when it was over. Then the rain came. We had some major downpours here. There has been flooding all over. Luckily, we have not had any water damage to our house. As I drove a few blocks away today I saw lots of garbage at the curb for about 8 houses in a row. I am assuming that was from water damage in the basement. Many people had sewer water coming up from their drains. We've had many flash floods also. I went out to the park near my house to get some pictures on Sunday. The river was very high and only a couple inches from the bottom of the bridge. This is the same bridge we go under to take pictures in the summer. All of a sudden it started pouring and I could see more and more water building up on the sidewalks. I was scared I would be caught in a flash flood and hurried out of there. One of the pictures has the street in the front. That is to show the perspective of the water. This is a soccer field and the water was just about to the street. Actually, the day before it had crossed the street. The neighbors still had water in their yard and were riding with a canoe to get around.

2008-06-07T20:29:00.000-07:00

I've been tagged by Heather Scott!

The "rules" of the game:Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

Ten years ago: I had a one year old and was desperately trying for number 2! I had also been a nurse for 2 years and had just switched to an ob floor at the hospital.

Five things in todays 'to do list': (I will write about tomorrow since it is so late here already)
1. attend a bridal shower for my cousin Rebecca
2. buy Rebecca's present LOL!
3. take pictures of the flooding that is occuring here from todays rain
4. return our rental car from our trip to Chicago today to see my lil sis
5. bills (ugh!)

Things I would do if I was a millionaire:
I would quit my paying job and only volunteer. I would love to be a full-time SAHM. I would be generous with my family and their needs. I would donate to the charity I am involved with and I would invest.

Places I have lived: (that I was old enough to remember LOL!)
Milwaukee, WI
Monterey, CA
Sierra Vista, AZ
Gales Ferry, CT

I will now tag:
Annette
Stephany
Candy
Sharon
Eva

2008-05-28T14:32:00.001-07:00

One of my new favorite pictures!

2008-05-11T21:39:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to see green grass and flowers growing. Yesterday on the news they showed a snow storm we had on May 10 in 1990. I'm so glad I don't remember that! LOL! We had a busy day yesterday. It was Luke's birthday party and we also went to the zoo.

2008-04-05T07:27:00.000-07:00

I have been in a picture taking slump this year! I've been worrying about my assignments for school and doing everything on film-I have nothing to show anyone. :) Not to mention that I've seen more snow than I ever have here. I was also the sickest (with the flu) I've been in years on spring break. We had all our snow melted and then on Good Friday we got another 11.5 inches. So, what better way to celebrate Easter than to make a snow bunny?!

2008-02-12T10:43:00.000-08:00

I can't wait until summer!!!! I've been becoming a little bored because I can't get the energy to get outside in the cold and snow and have nothing to photograph. This winter has been crazy. December was one of the snowiest Decembers we've had. Now last week we had 16 inches of snow and then another 6 inches today. I can't stand it! I want green and flowers. Here is what I captured last week. I converted them to b&w.

2008-01-30T15:15:00.000-08:00

2008-01-30T13:50:00.000-08:00

I have been blessed! That seemed to be the theme for my girls weekend in San Antonio. We went there for our scrapbook retreat with The Angel Company but we all know it was much more than scrapbooking/stamping. We had a blast hunting for ghosts in our haunted hotel, walking on the riverwalk, going to starbucks, shopping and seeing friends we haven't seen in a while. We are spread out across the US (even Alaska) but cherish the time we are able to see each other and have fun again. I laughed so much that weekend my sides hurt. Here they are-- mi amigas!

2008-01-17T09:12:00.001-08:00

I am trying to get out of some things I should be doing today. Instead I am playing around on the computer and with my camera. Here's a little something to get you in the valentine mood. :)

2008-01-14T16:37:00.000-08:00

I just got back from vacation yesterday in San Antonio. What a weather change from Wisconsin! We could actually go outside with just a sweatshirt. It was so much fun getting together with friends. Here are a few pictures from the area we stayed.

2008-01-14T16:03:00.000-08:00

I thought it would be such fun to go ice skating at an outside rink! Unfortunately, not everyone agreed. Kaitlyn was trying to be a good sport but Sydney wanted nothing to do with it.

2007-12-05T14:13:00.001-08:00

We made gingerbread houses! I was taking pictures with my film camera for an assignment at school-but it wasn't turning out the way I envisioned. So I scrapped it and the kids just had fun. I'm still cleaning up dried icing-but the kids had a blast! And what a coincidence--we had an Alberta Clipper come through that afternoon so it snowed a bunch.

2007-12-03T20:42:00.000-08:00

Oh my gosh! I just spent HOURS submitting a few picture orders! I have got to find an easier way! LOL! Yesterday I took the girls out in the snow to get a Christmas picture. Kaitlyn actually allowed me to get a picture of her. Here are a few of the extras--no showing the holiday picture until I send it out. :)

2007-11-07T06:42:00.000-08:00

I love, love, love those foggy days we sometimes get. One of my most favorite memories was living in Monterey, CA and seeing the fog roll in. I woke up to a very foggy day, drove the girls to school and still had time to get down to the lakefront to get these shots. These were captured on slide film that I had scanned to disk.

2007-10-30T22:06:00.000-07:00

OK-I think I'm getting caught up! These were a couple I took of Sydney today. I didn't like the way her shirt was falling or the funny way her arms looked but I loved the look on her face and the way the sun was outlining her hair. Can you believe those lips? No color saturation done on those. They are naturally bright red. :)

2007-10-30T21:37:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple from our trick-or-treat day!

2007-10-30T20:59:00.000-07:00

I have enrolled in school this past semester and hope to receive my photography degree in a few years. I am taking the first photography course and, unfortunately, we have to shoot slide film. I miss not being able to download my pictures and share right away. Here are a few I had scanned so I could post online. I am really disappointed in the scanning of most of my pictures. Some of them look great on slides-but not so good when scanned. I can't wait until we can start working with digital. :)

2007-09-24T17:39:00.000-07:00

I was able to play a lot this weekend taking pictures. Check out my Bukalders Photography blog! Here's one I got of Sydney. She went along with me because she heard there would be baby kitties there. She was so happy!

2007-08-28T07:47:00.000-07:00

Although we did not have the worst of the flooding in my area-these were taken towards the end of the 7 day stretch of rain. I was surprised to be driving through the parkway and see a little pond I hadn't noticed before. It turned out to be flooding--and the ducks had already found it as their new home! LOL!

Aug 11, 2007

2007-08-11T06:33:00.000-07:00

Yay! I finally got some good pictures of Kaitlyn. She was in a posing mood this day. :)

July 27, 2007

2007-07-27T20:37:00.000-07:00

I was able to get a few shots of Sydney today and thought I'd share. It is so hard to get pictures of Kaitlyn. She refuses to smile at me for a picture and usually makes a funny face. I got the color one of her the other day and while looking through some old pictures I found the b&w one from last year.

July 9, 2007

2007-07-09T22:16:00.001-07:00

Sydney and I took a walk today down by the river while Kaitlyn was in tennis lessons. These are just a few pictures I shot.

June 25, 2007

2007-06-25T14:32:00.000-07:00

I should be unpacking and cleaning...but I keep looking through my Colorado pictures. Here are a few more favorites of mine. Enjoy!

June 23, 2007

2007-06-23T10:47:00.000-07:00

We are back from our Colorado trip. What an adventure we had! We ended up getting free round trip tickets because our seats were overbooked. Yay! Now we can go out to CT to see my dad sometime this year! The scenery was breathtaking.

May 28, 2007

2007-05-28T13:43:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures I took at the Veteran's Cemetery this morning. It was another beautiful day today. I found my grandfather's marker too. It was sad to see some of the headstones of the soldiers who lost their battle in Iraq recently.

May 12, 2007

2007-05-13T13:23:00.000-07:00

We went to the zoo today and I played around with one of my new lenses. I hate getting pictures of animals at the zoo-but it takes on a whole new meaning when you can get some this close. Don't they look awesome?

May 1, 2007

2007-05-01T08:35:00.000-07:00

Sydney's First Communion was this past weekend. She looked like a mini bride in her white dress. It was so much fun taking pictures. These were a few taken at one of our parks.

Mar 7, 2007

2007-03-07T19:39:00.000-08:00

Just a picture of Sydney today. It was finally sunny here and she wanted some Girl Scout cookies-so I told her if she let me get a picture I would give her some!

Feb 15, 2007

2007-02-15T12:39:00.000-08:00

Feb 13, 2007

2007-02-13T17:35:00.000-08:00

Today Sydney asked me if when she did this (look above) whether I could see the backs of her eyes. I told her I'd take a picture and show her. She seemed pretty impressed. LOL!

Jan 30, 2007

2007-01-30T09:48:00.000-08:00

OK-here are a few more from the Valentine's shoot I did. Let me know what you think.

Jan 26, 2007

2007-01-26T17:10:00.000-08:00

We had my nephews over today and I took a few pictures. I can never get really good pictures of them so I was soooo pleased I got a couple nice ones. I wanted to surprise Tania but I ended up telling her about it when she picked them up! LOL! Hope you like these Tania!

Jan 20, 2007 (Part II)

2007-01-20T17:13:00.000-08:00

I took a bunch of pictures today and thought I would upload some of them for you to see. They are of Sydney because she was the only one that wanted to be bribed with jelly belly's today. :)

Jan 20, 2007

2007-01-20T16:45:00.000-08:00

Sydney finally did it! She has been afraid to get her ears pierced for the longest time. But within the past couple weeks she has been bugging me like crazy to get them done. So, we let her do it! Here are a couple pictures of the deed. LOL!

Jan 10, 2007

2007-01-10T06:21:00.000-08:00

I took a few pictures yesterday of the girls. Hope you enjoy them. I've been trying to catch up with the housecleaning and with life. LOL! It's so hard when I work three 12 hour nights in a row--I clean the house before I start and by the end of the 3rd day it's a mess! It takes me about a day just to tidy up from the family. I am in a photo a day challenge on two peas and it definitely is challenging me to take my camera out more. I really hope to learn a lot and become much better in my photography this year.

My Pics from Two Peas Challenge

2007-01-03T18:19:00.000-08:00

Two Peas is having a photo challenge and these were the two pics I took today. I actually really like the one of Amber (my cat).

Recital

2007-01-03T18:13:00.000-08:00

Here's a picture of Kaitlyn at her school recital. She's been playing the viola since the beginning of the school year and is doing great!

2006-12-21T17:47:00.000-08:00

Here's a copy of the Christmas card I sent out this year. The picture doesn't look too good-but the blue cardstock is stamped with light blue snowflakes.

2006-12-20T16:18:00.000-08:00

I've been working and shopping up a storm lately...and haven't had time to take any pictures. Today I went to Sydney's Christmas Concert but there were so many people I could barely see the stage to get any good shots. I definitely NEED a new lens! Here is a picture I took in April. The Angel Company used it to make a scrapbook page and placed in an ad. We were very happy!

It's been a while!

2006-12-12T19:07:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I haven't updated since August! Life has been hectic this fall/winter. Christmas will soon be here and I am still working on my Christmas cards for friends and family. Here's a picture of the holiday planner I made for a gift exchange at winter retreat with The Angel Company. I had planned to make a few to give as gifts...but after the first one I decided to stop there. LOL!

2006-08-29T19:28:00.000-07:00

Oh my back!

2006-08-29T19:24:00.000-07:00

We've decided to do a little housework! I've been gone for most of the summer at camp and now it's time to get some stuff done before winter starts. Last night we tore the carpet up in the little spot between our kitchen and stairs. There were two layers of gross linoleum under the carpet so we've been scraping all the stuff that has stuck to the hardwood underneath. No pictures of the girls today since they were at Oma's most of the day. Here's a few more from yesterday.

I've decided to blog....

2006-08-28T20:24:00.000-07:00

I've seen so many great blogs with photos and artwork on that I decided to give it a try. I'll start if off with a picture I took today of Sydney. I haven't been able to use my camera all summer until today...