http://www.pleonast.com/user/poppins_mom recent pleonast.com entries by user poppins_mom en-us http://www.pleonast.com/user/poppins_mom?l=5&entryID=599258 I wanted to share a photographer that deserves recognition, someone who's work I admire, so I thought I would share this man especially in honor of Veteran's Day this week. He is now a photographer for the New York Times and has taken some extraordinarily touching photographs. He spent a year with the Marines stationed at Aurora's Buckley Air Force Base who were called to notify families of the deaths of their loved ones in Iraq. This is an article in the Rocky Mountain News about the marines he photographed. Final Salute It's a bit long but well worth the read. This is Todd's website ToddHeisler.com To view the Final Salute series, click on the M in the menu and the gallery is at the bottom. Have a box of tissues handy. 2008-11-14 http://www.pleonast.com/user/poppins_mom?l=5&entryID=580773 2008-09-27 http://www.pleonast.com/user/poppins_mom?l=5&entryID=580603 I have seen this everywhere on various people's Pleo, Facebook, and MySpace so I thought I would give it a try as well. I put together a collage of some I did from yearbookyourself.com I think 1960, even with the glasses, is my favorite. It's classy. The first one I had a good laugh at, the last one is actually the year I graduated lol. I love the hair style in 98! The rest I found pretty humorous. 2008-09-27 http://www.pleonast.com/user/poppins_mom?l=5&entryID=580371 Though still not feeling good, Saturday we went to the Boy Scout reservation for their campout. We didn't camp Friday night, but just went Saturday for the fun. We had a nice 2 1/2 mile walk around the lake, cooked over the campfire, fished, just overall had a really fun time. Monday he had a field trip to Huber Orchard in Indiana. That was fun. They got to see the apple packing facility from how they pick them, to cold storage (really cold in there) washing, picking out the bad apples and boxing them for selling. He got to hear Granny Smith talk about Johnny Appleseed and then play on the jumpee, slide, go through the rope maze and visit the petting zoo. There is tons of stuff to do there, great place to take the kids. I know after both days, I had some nice exercise! Here are some pictures from both days. Sorry if you have to scroll, let me know, I have a widescreen monitor so I never know how far I should go over with the pictures so others won't have to scroll. 2008-09-26 http://www.pleonast.com/user/poppins_mom?l=5&entryID=579205 Baldwin/Castle 08 Break the Matrix Constitution Party 2008-09-24 http://www.pleonast.com/user/poppins_mom?l=5&entryID=575746 I made a list of movies that are going to be coming out within the next couple of years that I want to see or take my kids to see. These are the current release years for the movies. Of course they can change: 2008 High School Musical 3 - both kids, (especially Nathan for some reason) are excited about this one. Will probably wait for DVD release Madagascar 2 The Crate Escape - should have come out sooner, definitely want to see this, the first one was great Scary Movie 5 - I know, I know, but I've seen all the others! Bolt - This looks really cute. We'll have to see it. James Bond: Quantum of Solace - Ok, I need to rent the last Bond movie. I am still sour about them replacing Pierce Brosnan so I didn't want to see it but they are coming out with more so I will have to get over it. 2009 Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince - at the top of my list. I wanted to see this movie in a couple of months but those of you who are HP fans can protest along with me about the delayed releas... 2008-09-15 http://www.pleonast.com/user/poppins_mom?l=5&entryID=575581 I've been miserable all day. We didn't get to go to church today. I woke up this morning before the alarm to the extreme wind storm we were having. I looked online and saw there was a High Wind Warning out. I couldn't get back to sleep because my throat was killing me. I only had about 30 min. until my alarm was to go off for church anyway. I tried to get ready but started coughing so bad and got dizzy when I stood up. My throat hurt so bad there was no way I felt like getting out of bed, let alone going anywhere. Neal couldn't drive so he wasn't able to go either. (Yes, there is a reason behind that. He fell at work Friday and his knee hit the tile floor in the store and actually cracked the tile he hit so hard. They sent him to the doctor and then home. He has hydrocodone for the pain so there is no way he can drive and he was hurting this morning too. I was hoping to feel better by evening services but as the day progressed I just felt worse. I did venture out to get some popsicles... 2008-09-15 http://www.pleonast.com/user/poppins_mom?l=5&entryID=573996 I'm sure everyone will always remember where they were that day. I remember Neal being out of town in Columbia Missouri for training for his then new job with Shelter Insurance. I was staying in the house his mom owns in Auburn all by myself, having only been married for 2 months. When I found out, I was actually in E-town with a lady from church after having stayed the night at her house after a ladies bible study. We were sitting in Crackerbarrel having breakfast when a waitress walked up to us and said that planes had hit the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and the news were talking about another plane that was headed for the White House or something and they think it was this "Bin Laden terrorist guy". We had no clue the enormity of the situation, even listening to it on the radio on the way back to Bardstown it didn't sink in. I went to my parents to tell them bye before heading back down to Auburn and just caught a glimpse of it on TV. I remember I needed gas and... 2008-09-11 http://www.pleonast.com/user/poppins_mom?l=5&entryID=571062 I didn't mention in my last post, Nathan turned 6 Sunday. It is so hard to believe my little man is growing so fast. We'll have his birthday party on the 13th since he had his campout this weekend and this week Neal doesn't get paid so we will have a little bit of money to buy him a present if we wait until then instead of this coming weekend. I have someone who scheduled a photo session this weekend so that worked out great since it is maternity and her husband will be out of town next weekend (military) and she is 32 weeks along lol! This will be my first maternity session since I've been out on my own so I am nervous about getting it right even though I know I can, I just get so frustrated sometimes when I have a vision of what I want to do but can't get it right. I think I will be fine though. Wish me luck! 2008-09-04 http://www.pleonast.com/user/poppins_mom?l=5&entryID=570290 As you probably know, Nathan is in Cub Scouts and just absolutely loves it. Well at various events, I take pictures (of course) and have not only gotten pictures of Nathan but other kids as well at the Day Camp and then again this past Friday when they had their Camp Out/Moving Up ceremony. Each time I did this, I posted them in an online gallery and gave the other leaders and some parents the website so they can pictures or something but everyone volunteers their time and skills to the Boy Scouts so I figure this is something I can do) Neal joked around Friday that I was kind of the self appointed photographer. Well today I got an email from one of the other leaders who is also in charge of committee stuff and a lot of the even planning and he wanted to make it official if it was ok with me. He said they would pay any expense within reason like batteries etc if I would photograph their events. The only expensive I have in photographing the events is double A batteries for my flash ev... 2008-09-02