A New Family

I travelled to a place called New Jersey over this Thanksgiving holiday.  I had an engagement party to attend for my son and his fiancé.  I was honored to have been invited....even though I am his mother but this one was for her family as there will be another in Houston for his family...so again...I was honored to have been invited and would not have missed it for the world.

They invited me to Thanksgiving dinner.  Again...honored.

While in New Jersey, I had an awesome time.  I was well taken care of.  I was wonderfully entertained. The food was great.  The company was awesome.  The traditions, heartwarming to say the least.

The most amazing thing is that I learned and received an entire new concept to the definition of 'family'.

One in which it was seen that families can still be families....all together...even after two parents go their separate ways.   Two people...or even four...can continue to share the well being of their children and their new 'better halves' with peace between them....for the most part.

Sure..I could feel some constraint from time to time...but the love, the understanding, the patience, the companionship and compromising made it all work.  Day in and day out.

I left New Jersey knowing that my son had definitely gained a second family and was very happily welcomed in to it.  I left New Jersey believing that I too...have gained some new family members and actually felt like I belonged and was accepted regardless of what ever situation might exist.

Thank you...to the Pernas family...for including me in your family traditions and teaching me what love and companionship can really accomplish and overcome.

Thank you....a thousand times.

SumUp Sundays - Lesson Learning Challenges

This week brought some challenges for me...some good challenges...some not so good..or rather some challenging challenges.  All learning experiences.

Work continues to be a frustrating one as we are back preparing for our annual audit which requires extra to-dos on top of all the normal day to day long list of to dos.

I had two photo shoots I had to get finalized and put up for clients to view...one that totally caught me by frustrating surprise of requiring a bit more of my attention than it should have.  I don't shoot in small apertures very often and have the larger group to photograph I used a smaller aperture to only find out that my sensor tremendously needed to be cleaned thus resulting in lower quality photos than I should have had.  Composition and poses were great.  Quality not so much.  I await a decision to possibly re do the shoot.  Lesson learned.

I am a member of a few different photography clubs and organizations.  One, WACCO (Wisconsin Area Camera Clubs Organization) has yearly photo competitions of which I have never attended or entered in the past.  I let myself be talked into it this year...still being my worst critic and in a position, employment wise...that I am still doing everything last minute.  I waited to late to make a decision of what to enter and now understand why some say they make their selections and have them printed up prior to deciding what to really enter...because sometimes prints don't look the same as they do on the computer screen.  I liked what I chose...on the computer screen but wasn't quite as thrilled when I got them back from the printer.  Not that they were poor...just not what I had hoped...  Although none of them came in first or second...I think I might have lucked out enough to possibly have had a score high enough to get an 'honorable mention'.  Still to be seen.    The above..inspired by my late sister...did get in the top three so I think I will get one for it at least...which makes me happy.

I entered some as digital also and the one I really thought would get a nice score, got less than average. What the heck?  Totally frustrating.  But another that is one of my favorites, I also think will have an honorable mention.  Again...to be seen.  I heard a lot of comments from the crowd...good comments.  So...

Quite a few of the attendees that had attended and entered many times, were totally surprised at the way things were being scored.  Nothing like what they expected.  In the end, we all agreed that the winners were truly winners.  Although I had to disagree on the 'Best in Show'.  In the end...it comes down to what do the judges like.  It really does.  Photography is all about 'one's passion'.  Not only in judging but in taking the shot.

Aside from that, I have another portrait shoot coming up that I am excited about.  Another weekend up north that I am looking forward to.

The seasons are changing.  Although winter is officially another couple of months away, our 70s have gone away to be replaced by 40s during the day and below freezing, frosty mornings.  The time change will not wake us up to darker mornings and bring us home during less light evenings.  The days..shortened will bring even more excitement for weekends.

The fall colors are being replaced slowly by the browns and tans of 'the season between awesome bright fall and enchanting, mysterious, cleanliness of winter's white blankets'....of which I am actually looking forward to from a photographic perspective...and hopefully a chance to use some new snowshoes that were received last Christmas with little to no snow to use them in.  Wishing for just enough to get out in..but not too much...or not too cold to enjoy, I should say.  I don't mind the snow.  I mind the 'way below freezing' that keeps me cooped up inside.

All in all...no major complaints about this week.  Lessons learned.  New goals to work towards.  Things to look forward to.  Another new year soon to be planned.