Vacation... part one

We got back from vacation over a week ago.  We got back Saturday night, picked up the dogs on Sunday, and I left for Houston on Monday.  I was in Houston all week, and just got back late this past Friday night, so we didn't even download the pictures until yesterday!  We decided tht Branson was a once in a lifetime experience. :)  But, our vacation overall was AWESOME!  We were able to relax and have a lot of fun together.  I haven't processed all the photos yet, but here's a preview!

Here we are Day 1 at Silver Dollar City Theme park.  This was taken just before we rode the Water Toboggan and got absolutely SOAKED from head to toe.  (Seriously, there was not an inch of us that was not dripping!)

 

After a few twisty and turny rides, Dan wasn't feeling so well, so I rode the Giant Swing by myself - 3 times.  It was so much fun!

After a couple of days in Branson, we needed a break and headed out to Nauvoo, IL.  We attended a session at the temple and then took in the Nauvoo Pagent on the riverfront.

That's all for now.  Stay tuned.

A little ShaZAM

So it's Friday... why not play a little before leaving on vacation?

It's Photoshop Phriday over at Jessica Sprague, and today we learned how to add a little ShaZAM to your photos.  It's a really cool technique, so head over there and learn all about it!  

Here's the before (straight out of the camera), taken just a few weeks ago at Enchanted Rock State Park in Austin.

And here we are after a little ShaZAM!  What do you think?  It's a subtle difference, but I love how the colors pop and the photo seems sharper.  I can't wait to try this technique on some photos from vacation next week!

Photography Class

Well, I'm not sure what we've been busy with, but we have been BUSY!  It seems like time is just flying by this summer!  

So I've been taking a class called Oh Shoot! over at Jessica Sprague's website.  It's taught by Candice Stingham.  It's all about learning how to use your DSLR camera.  We have the Nikon D50 (OK, so technically, it's Dan's), and we have only been using it on Manual mode since we got it over 2 years ago!  So now I've ventured into some unchartered territory - and I'm learning a lot.  The class is a little more "basic" than I expected, but I'm sure that as the 6 weeks progress, we'll learn a lot more new & cool techniques!  Here are my assignments for Lesson 1: Shutter Speed and Lesson 2: Aperture.  

We're also preparing for our "big vacation" next week to Branson, MO and Nauvoo, IL.  I'm trying to get excited about it, but Branson doesn't really conjure up excitement, does it?  I am glad for the opportunity to get away, though!  Dan and I both need a vacation!  Plus, it's not far, and we've never been there before, so at least it will be an adventure.  Even if we just lounge by the pool all week, it will be a success!

Family Portrait Pages

This past Christmas, we took some family portraits.  I finally got around to putting them in my scrapbook.