Meg::August 27

In honor of the National Dog Day, I'll post a pic of Meg (my little chihuahua/schnauzer/terrier mix) that I took when the family went up in the canyon:

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At the Amphitheater::May 16::Aug 27

This pic was taken way back in May. I found it yesterday as I was scouring through pics to entered to the photo competition coming up in September.

A picture of my Sweetheart taking a picture of me ~ I love that guy.

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19/52::May 14::August 25

I took this pic way back in May. You can probably see why I didn't use it :) I kept thinking that I'd be as diligent as I'd been in the past, and I'd get a better pic. But alas, no. So here is one of Mikey sitting in the garden back when I was getting it ready for planting. The grimace on his face is because I said, "Smile!" It was the best he could do with the sun in his eyes :)

"A portrait of my child, once a week, every week, in 2014."

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Another bird pic from the zoo::August 25

This pic was taken back in April when Steve and I went to the zoo, but I just edited it today. I like it! I think I'll call it "Hiding"

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Pics from the Canyon on August 10::August 24

I told Steve to warn me when he was going to take a pic so I could actually be looking at the camera and be sitting/standing up straight LOL maybe I should have gone for the candid ;) ....or just not acted silly I guess :)

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End of Year Competition::3rd Place Altered Reality::August 22

So, last night was my photography club's end of year awards, which is awards for cumulative points earned through the 2013 - 2014 year.

At about 4:30, I told Mikey that we needed to give him a bath and get ready to go to the library (where the meeting was to be held). He loves to tease me, so he laughed and ran, full speed away from me...and into a table. He caught his foot on it and wouldn't even put much weight on it, so I took him to the doc and then to the hospital for xrays.

They said it wasn't broken, so we high tailed it to the meeting, me thinking that someone would be there 'til 9. At 8:30 we arrived and everyone was gone :( So I wrote a note to the club president, and he wrote me back this message:

"Good morning Melody,
Congratulations, you received 3rd Place (for the Intermediate Level) in Altered Reality. I will mail the award to you in a few days. ....
Have a great day and dust off some space for your award."

3rd Place! Not too shabby at all! :)

Here are the pictures that won throughout the year:

In the Altered Reality division:


Curiosity Killed the Cat-Faced Spider - 2nd Place


The Temple of Inversion - 3rd Place


Bzzzy Bee - 1st Place


Grandma's Little Angel - 3rd Place

In the Open/Authentic division:


Still Some Wishes Left - 1st Place


Peaceful Morning Moment

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33/52::School Pics::August 18

It's that time: First Day of School Pics ~ 13 years old & 7th Grade! How crazy is that?! He's my baby, but he is starting to look like a handsome young man.


"A portrait of my child, once a week, every week, in 2014."

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32/52::August 17

I took this pic last Sunday, but just haven't gotten around to editing it. This is one of the few times I shot in JPG instead of RAW. It is so much easier to edit in RAW!!

Anyway, so we went up Nebo Loop and found a great camping spot on Saturday, pitched a tent & hammock and came home to sleep in our warm & comfy beds; then went back up the next morning to continue the fun, this time w/ Josh & Hayley, Aiden, Ben, and Mercedes (I realized the other day that maybe we could use the acronym BAM with those 3 :D ) , and Matt. We had a nice, relaxing time (okay, as relaxing as you can have w/ 3 Littles :) )

I've got more pics, but here is one of Michael to keep the 52 Photo Challenge going:


"A portrait of my child, once a week, every week, in 2014."

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31/52::A Day in the Mountains::August 14

Last Saturday, Steve, Michael and I went up into the mountains, pitched a tent, set up the hammock, made a fire and hung out for a while. Well, Steve and I hung out for a while anyway. We thought Michael was playing in the tent, but when we went and check on him, this is what we saw:


"A portrait of my child, once a week, every week, in 2014."

He must have been exhausted! He slept for over and hour before Steve called his name and asked if he wanted a hot dog. :)

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"I won't be sexualized like that.".::Emily quote::August 8

I'm a feminist, which comes as no surprise when I say it. Yet, my daughter just taught me something by responding to me plain and simply, "I won't be sexualized like that."

Just as it comes as no surprise that I'm a feminist, it also comes as no surprise that society likes everyone to blend it and play their parts. I learned this early on: As a woman, if you wear make up and do your hair, you get treated better. Seriously!

When I was 19, I had just gotten married and gone into a fancy department store to return a wedding present. I was coming from work, so I was dressed nicely and my hair was done, but I wasn't wearing any make up. I stood there waiting for someone to help me for a long while. I said the polite, "Excuse me," to the sales clerk, but she told me that I'd need to wait my turn. After waiting for what seemed an eternity, I left.

I went back another day with my make up on. I was helped by a smiling sales clerk almost immediately.

Since then, I've tried the experiment time and again, and I will tell you that most of the time, I am treated better when I'm wearing make up.

My oldest daughter, Amber, always wore make up, but Emily, now nearly 18, will wear it about half the time.

Today, she was going in to apply for a job. Without even thinking, I told her that she was more likely to get the job if she was wearing make up. I've told her that before and she has always worn it. Today, she turned squarely toward me and said very simply, "I won't be sexualized like that." Good! Good for you, Em! I'm proud of you that you will be yourself no matter what!

I can guarantee that her comment will come back to me many, many times throughout my life. I hope that she remembers it too.

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