The Best of '07

This will be the last time I write on this blog. It's truly been a great year, and while I think overall this "project" has been a success, I'm a little relieved that it's coming to an end. I went back and re-read some of my very early posts, and it's funny how accurate I was in predicting the results of this thing. I've decided as a way to close this thing out, I'd go back and find the 5 photos that I like the best. Much like the "In Review" series I did at the end of every month, I'll try to go through the roughly 380 pictures I've taken for this blog in the past year and weed out the very best. So without further delay, here's the very best of '07.

#5 - Flower GirlThis photo was taken at Dan and Michelle's wedding, and when I look at it, it just makes me smile. Everything about this shot is so close to perfect, and you just don't often get those shots. The smile on Jules' face, the people looking on behind her, craning their necks to get a glimpse, it all comes together to make one of my best shots of '07.

#4 - GravesideSome days, I just go and drive, looking for something to shoot. This was one of those days. I went through a little phase a couple of years ago where I hunted down all the local cemeteries to look for shots like this. I wasn't nearly as successful on those trips as I was on this one. As I've said before, sometimes you have to shoot a hundred shots to get one good one.

#3 - Lost at SeaSome of my best photography this year came from our trip to California in July. Of all the hundreds of shots I took, this was my favorite by far. There's something about the tranquility and isolation of this shot that really grabs me.

#2 - Welcoming in the FallThis was one of those little shots that surprised me. Sometimes those off-hand shots you take can be the best ones. I can go to a forest preserve or a museum and take 300 carefully planned shots. Those shots will turn out great, but the one shot I take on the fly on the way out always seems to turn out the best. This was one of those shots. Sometimes that makes it more special to me knowing that is was instinct that took this shot, pure and simple.

#1 - My Beautiful WifeI don't consider myself a good portrait photographer. Frankly, I really don't like to shoot people. That's probably one of the reasons I try to stay away from shooting weddings. That being said, this may be one of the best photos I have ever taken. I'm not saying that because this is the most important person in my life. I just really feel like this is a perfect picture. Of all the shots I've taken this year, this is the one shot I always come back to when I think of the best of the best. That earns it the number 1 spot for the year.

Honorable Mention - Missed the CutI really love this shot, but held up next to the above 5, it just didn't make the cut. I took this shot late on a July morning. I was nearly falling asleep, but when I passed this on the way home from Rockford, I had to come back and take some shots. This kind of image is something that in the years to come, may be a thing of the past. Over development in our area will surely force these farmers into another line of work.

Honorable Mention - Most Impact
It's funny that this photo best exemplifies our most life-changing event this year, and I didn't even take it. It's one of the most amazing things I've ever seen, and I really can't wait to see her in person.

In closing, I just want to say thanks to all of you who have indulged my ego over the last 12 months and taken a few minutes a day to read my humble ramblings. I'm really grateful mostly to those of you who have read daily, and the kind words you've written over the last year. I have (mostly) enjoyed doing this, and it will be interesting in the years to come to look back at this year and see how I have changed. I may throw together another blog to hold my thoughts and photos, so check back periodically for the address. Thanks again everyone, 2007 was a great year!

Goodbye 2007

I thought it was appropriate that the final picture this year should be nearly the same as the first I posted on this blog. There are a few subtle differences, but in essense, it is the same. This is probably the only thing 365 days later that is the same in my life. I never thought going into this "project" that so many things in my life would be different. The threat of being laid off at Chrysler was always there, but looking back at my earlier posts, it's funny to think at the time I wrote it I had no idea that 12 months later I would be an expectant father. There have been other, smaller changes in my life, but nothing is comparable to that one thing. Even with the potential loss of my job looming on the horizon, this has likely been one of the best years of my life. I'm sure it will be surpassed very soon-- in about 4 months.

Abandoned

Today Dad and I took another trip to Poplar Grove to pick up some furniture for his new place. The last time we did this, we passed by this old abandoned house. It was incredibly foggy that day, and when I saw this place, I kicked myself for not having my camera on hand. I guess earlier lessons slipped by me today. Anyway, this time I was prepared. Even though the fog wasn't there today, I think there is still a very eerie quality to these images. It makes you wonder what happened to these people to just abandon their home like this.


We hit another milestone today. Well, it was more of a personal milestone, but it was pretty important nonetheless. Today was the first time I felt my daughter kick. I have to say, that is one of the most incredible things I have ever felt in all my life. It seems like such a simple thing, and it's something Steph feels daily, but for me to feel it was pretty special.

Out With the Old....

... in with the new!

We got the car today! After getting to the dealership at noon exactly, we rolled off the lot about 2:30 with this shiny new car. It took a lot longer than I had anticipated, and since I woke up a little late this morning, I hadn't had anything to eat. I was feeling pretty crappy by the time we got done, but it was nothing Portillo's couldn't take care of. Mmmm.... Italian sausage....

Steph's really going to miss the "stump", and we'll both miss the amazing gas mileage it gets, but we simply had to have something bigger. The payment is only about $10 more a month than the Scion, so there really isn't much of a difference as far as that is concerned. I'm certain this will be a great car for us when the baby comes, and it's something we could keep if 5 years down the road we decide to expand the family a little more.

Whitewashed

Today I woke up to be greeted by one of the bigger snowfalls we've had this year. It snowed pretty steadily for about 4 or 5 hours, then petered off to a gentle flurry. The snow is pretty heavy and wet, which made for some great shoveling. We didn't get a lot of snow, but it was enough to blanket all the trees and make it look very "seasonal".

I called the dealership this morning, and told our guy that we are indeed going to get the car. Considering my job situation, it was a very difficult decision. At the end of the day, we are going to have that payment no matter what, and we really need something bigger and more family-friendly than Stephanie's little Scion xA. Pics to come!

New Baby is Born!

Well, I screwed up today. We went to visit our newly born niece, Lilian Alaine, and I left my camera at the hospital! To top it off, it's highly likely that either tomorrow or Saturday, we'll be trading in our 2005 Scion Xa for a brand spankin new 2008 Jeep Patriot. Hopefully I'll have my camera back by then so you al can see the new ride.

I'll be editing this post tomorrow or the next day with the photo I took. It figures. 4 days left of this thing, and I probably won't have my camera for two of them....

*EDIT*
Okay, once again I'm an idiot. Turns out by when I said I left my camera at the "hospital", what I really meant was "Steph's car". Anyway, here's a really great shot of Steph holdning her new niece, while her slightly-less-new niece Juliana poses for the camera. Cute!

Building the Baby Bed

Steph and I braved the nearly 2 hour drive through Chicago traffic today to go to the giant blue box, also known as Ikea. Our intention was to look for a bed for the baby, since the prices there are pretty good for furniture and we were okay with the styles. What we came home with was exactly what we wanted-- something affordable, that will convert to a "toddler bed" in a few years when the baby gets bigger. We also picked up some decorations for the room, 12 really nice glasses (for 6 bucks!), and other assorted odds and ends.

Opening the box was a bit intimidating. There were tons of parts, and the hardware bag was full of what seemed like far to many screws and bolts for something so simple. In the end, it was far easier to put together than I had anticipated, and to be perfectly honest, I kinda like doing stuff like this. Am I a freak or what?

Christmas Day/The Third Shot

Not only is today Christmas Day, but it's also been two weeks since I took a baby belly shot! It's now been 6 weeks since I took the first one, and you can clearly see a difference from then, and also from the second shot. Steph says she can now feel the baby kicking on the outside, but I have yet to be lucky enough to be around when it happens.

Today Steph and I drove all over creation. We started by stopping in at my Aunt Linda's house to visit my Dad's side of the family. I don't get to see them very often, so it was nice to go and see everyone. We then drove all the way to Pecatonica to Steph's Grandma Eaton's house. We got there a little late, so every one wasn't there anymore, but we did get to see almost everyone. I had a great conversation at one point with her Uncles, Mike and Jim, about Mac vs. PC. I love talking about that stuff.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas Eve

Tonight is Christmas Eve! I spent the evening with family in Poplar Grove, and shot mostly video. Since I've bought the video camera, I've been neglecting my SLR a little. This picture was actually taken with my video camera, and it will likely be one of the last I take with it. It's pretty clear it's not really made for that. Steph and I usually separate on Christmas Eve, since both our families have gatherings on that day. With the baby coming, this will probably be the last year we do it this way. I really don't want to be separated from my family at this time of year. I think mom mentioned something about having it on a different day, so hopefully that will happen.

Oh, and yes, I did miss another day. I think 2 days out of 365 is acceptable, right?

The Leg Lamp

Everyone knows where this thing comes from, right? If you haven't, turn your TV to TNT on Christmas Eve, and watch one of the greatest Christmas movies of my generation.

A few weeks back, Steph, her Mom, Sister, and Sister-in-law went to see the Nutcracker at the Coronado. It was nice for them to do something like that together, but it was all part of a master plan cooked up by Steph's dad, Matt. He had placed an order for this iconic piece long before the day of the show. When they arrived back at their house it was on display, much like the aforementioned movie, right in the front window. Obviously, it didn't stay there long. It's now been relegated to a window in the back of the house, where it's not quite as visible. I think it's a shame.

Greatest. Tee. Ever.

Okay, this is awesome. When my dad went to visit my sister and her family in California, he brought back a suitcase full of stuff from them. It was mostly maternity clothes for Steph, but there were also Christmas stuff and a t-shirt for me from my brother-in-law, Josh. Is that awesome or what? I like quirky, sometimes odd t-shirts, so this is right up my alley. Steph got some pretty funny ones too. I think we'll be taking a picture with both of us wearing them before the end of the year, so stay tuned.

Christmas Spirit

This is really the first time this month that I've felt the "Christmas Spirit." For some reason, seeing trees like this really strikes me as some sort of Christmas/December/Winter stereotype. Not that that's a bad thing. Walking out of work this morning and seeing all the trees covered in this thick layer of frost was really beautiful.

Speaking of work, I did indeed get of early this morning. As of this post, I've been awake for 24 hours straight. I usually do this on extended periods off, but it's always a struggle in those final hours. I'll likely stay awake for another hour and a half, maybe 2 hours. We'll see how far it goes.

Here's a couple more shots from this morning:

6 Days and Counting....

They days are slipping by, and we're getting really damn close to Christmas. As usual, I haven't yet finished my shopping, so I'll be braving the teeming masses tomorrow trying to get a couple more things. Tonight is my last day of work for the next 12 days, and I'm really excited to have so much time off. Not only am I off for so long, but I get to actually sleep at night for a change. That may not seem like such a big deal to most of you, but believe me, it is.

This shot is something I've seem done before, and I really wanted to try it for myself. I've seen it most recently from my photography/Mac/Xbox buddy out in Oregon, Nathan. He's got some really great stuff on his blog, and I was inspired by his time lapse styled slide show. You basically take a really long exposure, about 8 seconds, then in the last second, you zoom out with your lens. This created those streaks, and still keeps the ornament in focus. It's a really cool effect, and it makes for some pretty cool pictures.

Late Shipments

I'm a procrastinator. It's just a fact. I'm not proud of it, but I think we all procrastinate to a certain extent. This little 'problem' really manifests itself this time of year when I have packages to ship. I have one to send to my sister in California, and another to send to my brother Jon, who's stationed in the UAE as a member of the Air Force. I know that Jon's won't get to him by Chrstmas, but Kathie's package still should get there on time. Fortunately for me, I have a pretty understanding family, so hopefully it's not a big deal.

Well, it's pretty much a done deal that I'm not working Friday. Added to my other time off, I'll have a grand total of 12 days off, most of which will be paid. I can't wait. Just the opportunity to sleep at night and actually see the sun will be great.

New Camera!

I stopped in at Best Buy this morning and picked up my new camcorder. It's a little smaller than I expected, but it feels realy good in my hand, and it's very light. I haven't really had any time to shoot with it, and unfortunately, my Mac doesn't like the video files it creates. I had intended to edit and burn DVDs with iMovie and iDVD, but iMovie HD won't recognize the files this particiular camera spits out. Looks like I'll have to upgrade to the newer version, which I've heard is not nearly as good. I could always convert the video prior to bringing it into iMovie, but that's kind of a pain. I'll figure something out.

There's nothing for a photographer that's quite as exciting as getting new equipment. In this case, it may not be a still camera or a new lens, but I'm really stoked to give this thing a spin.

Favorite Shots #22: Punk in the Grass

It really helps on cold, bitter days like today to look at shots like this and think of warmer days. Punkin really loves going outside, and it's fun to try and catch shots of him before he goes running of in a random direction or tries head-butting my camera. I really love the contrast of this shot between his ginger fur and the vivid green grass.

I've been researching and investigating camcorders pretty intensely the last few weeks, and I've finally decided on the camera for me. I've decided on the Panasonic SDR-H18. It combines all the features I'm looking for in a camera, with a very affordable price point. Best Buy has this particular camera on sale, and although I really don't like supporting places like that, I have to go for the best deal. I've put the order in, and I'll be picking it up either tonight or tomorrow morning.

Dead Again

I love these headphones. They sound fantastic, and at work they block out virtually all the noise of a fully running assembly line. Unfortunately, they just don't work. I bought these beauties in February. I was looking for something that sounded good and blocked out a great deal of background noise. These things block more decibels that the earplugs Chrysler provides. About 5 months after I got them they failed. No big deal, right? They were under warranty. Now, another 6 months have passed, and they've failed again. They are still under warranty, but I on;y have one month left. What if they fail again in 6 months? For headphones that cost this much money, they should not be failing at this rate. I have an email in to their customer service. Hopefully they can extend the warranty or something.

Too... Many... Magazines

I've gone a bit magazine crazy. I've always been more of a book reader, but recently I've found myself reading more and more magazines. I've always had a subscription to EGM, but that's really been the only one I've consistently subscribed to. Recently, I decided to subscribe to Newsweek. It's a really great magazine, but it comes weekly. I often find myself not finishing it, and the unfinished issues have been piling up. Add to that a free sub to Wired, and I simply don't have the time to read them all. They're nice to have at work for breaks and downtime, but that's about the only time I read them. There simply aren't enough hours in the day.

The Second Shot....

As I said in a previous post, we're going to be taking pics of Steph roughly every two weeks so we can look back at her progress after the baby is born. Yesterday was two weeks, but considering the news from yesterday, we obviously waited until today.

Well, the job search still continues. I check the websites daily, but it's pretty slim pickings. There's usually about 5 or 6 jobs posted daily, but either I'm unqualified, or the pay is way too low. I just keep looking, and hopefully something will come up. I've heard the Lowes Distribution Center is hiring, and I've filled out my app for them. Hopefully I'll hear something soon.

It's A Girl!

Horray! We had the 20 week ultrasound today, and fortunately for us, the baby decided to cooperate. We got some great looks at her various "parts", and this fantastic "4D" shot of her face. Steph says she looks like me, but I can't really see it yet. Everything looks great, and she is exactly where she should be at this age. It was pretty amazing to be able to see her spine, ribs, organs, fingers and toes. I really wish that we could do an ultrasound every month-- it's my favorite part by far. We've decided on Violet for her first name, but we haven't yet picked her middle name yet. I guess it's a good thing we're having a girl, because we had absolutely no idea for a name of a boy.