Halloween Day!

It was a quiet Halloween day today. We started off the day at 4:40 this morning with an early Evie wake up. We got her back to sleep and made it all the way to 7:30, when the alarm went off to let us know it was time to get up for church.

Church was amazing... It was far from a normal service. The worship team started the day as normal, but then when it was the Pastor's time, he changed the game plan for the day. We broke into small groups and began to share with each other. We prayed, praised and got to know a few people that we see all the time, but never knew.

After the service we made plans to take Evie trick or treating and headed out. A quick stop by Grandma's store, and we were in Bellevue for a fun day at Newport Covenant Church.

A big thank you to Steve and Jeanie (and Adam) for sharing the afternoon with us!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.4

A Day at the Doctors

Today, Evie had her 15 month appointment with a few immunizations to go along with it. Our pediatrician is amazing and always makes us feel good about how we are trying to raise our child. The visit went great, including the fun she had with the mirror...

Next up, my issue with Angry Birds.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.3

Halloween Time...

Ok, having to take a break from my battery complaing/testing/playing, I found our little baby pumpkin sitting on the porch. It's really our first "family" pumpkin. We bought a fancy LED light for the inside that even changes color - very baby safe!

For the most part, I've never been a big Halloween person, but it really starts the season that Ara loves. Halloween used to be just the time of year I'd start thinking about getting the Christmas decorations out. Now its really become the time of year before our favorites - Thanksgiving for Ara, and yes, my favorite is still Christmas.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.3

Battery-life: Still Not Happy

So the other day we were out and about and I noticed how much I rely on having a battery charger for my Evo. After having it almost die on a "light" use day, I have begun my quest to improve my battery life. I thought I had it all figured out, until this morning. Now, 2 hours in to the unplugging, its down 30% again... Back to the drawing board.

I have gone through and disabled just about every automatic updating feature the phone has. I've turned down the screen brightness to 15%, which looks great inside. I also turned down the screen time out to a lowly 15 seconds. I don't know what else can be done to optimize the device short of hacking the Sense layer out and running stock Android.

I understand my battery life will be terrible when I USE the phone, but it shouldn't kill itself when I don't. Oh well, we are on to 3 1/2 hours and approaching 50% quickly. I guess I'll have to wrap this up before I wanted to.

Now on a note of irony, as I'm typing, I get a call from a friend asking which phone they should upgrade to. I really wanted to recommend the Evo, but when it can't last the day, how can I?

Anyways, back to reality and hopefully to find an outlet.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.3

Went to a Concert...

Ok, no images, no videos, so its not really a life from my Evo post, but it is being posted from my phone so it still counts.

Now, on to the post. We got invited by a friend to see a wonderful.concert at a local church tonight. Unfortunately, once the music began, I realized something, I really miss playing. Not just a bit, but I really miss it.

The feeling of controlling the tempo, the crafting of the sounds, the artistry of creating something new, I miss it all. There is something about music that I never appreciated as a younger kid, but about 10 years ago, my brother asked me to play and play I did.

For almost 3 years, we struggled along with a fledgling Christian rock band with a revolving door of singers. It was a shame that it never worked out, because I heard the worship band begin, I realized how good our (well mostly my brother's) music really was.

Since we disbanded, Jenn has become a married mother, Daniel is playing in a great classic rock band, Charles is an amazing dad and is still writing some material, and I feel proud to have had a chance to know them all. This doesn't even begin to cover everyone that help out creating the music: Aaron, David, Chris and Doug are just a few others that jump into my head right away.

So, I guess I may have my day to play again. If not, I hope I can always look back at the amazing thing we created together with the fondness that I have right now.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.3

Sometimes Life Is Easy

With all the craziness right now in our lives, elections, money issues, and life's little challenges, sometimes its the simplest things that make us smile.

Here is Evie enjoying her first real trip to a pumpkin patch. Maybe life is just better for a moment, but I like seeing moments like this!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.3

Moving Day For Mom and Dad

It was overall a pretty good move for Mom and Dad today. The gorgeous weather made a slow loading morning a bit easier. The unload, however, was amazingly quick.

So, once again, we didn't get a chance to hit downtown Bremerton and the cool little shops we can't wait to check out, but overall, it was a pretty good day.

Enjoy the unpacking and settling in mom and dad and we will see ya soon!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.3

She Grows Up So Fast

Here's my little girl, playing with one of the most special items, the stuffed Philly Phanatic that my wife gave me for Christmas. It's adorable how gently she handles it, and treats is like something special since it isn't in with her stuffies.

The part that strikes me as amazing in this is that I couldn't imagine her being able to do this a few months ago. Everything was tossed around, stuffed in the mouth or just plain abused. It's such a joy to see her taking care of things.

I can't thank her mommy enough for doing such an amazing job raising our little girl.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.3

It's Rough...

Isn't it rough having to work on a beautiful Friday? It's not so terrible in the mornings when it is cold and dark, but when the sun comes out, the temps warm up and I'm awake, its almost like a form of torture.

It wasn't so bad before we moved to our new shop, but with this view, who wants to be inside?

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.3

Another Day Closer

So today's image is a bit blurry, but that is about how life feels right now. Not quite crazy, but definitely blurred. With our condo for sale, having to deal with selling a car, and the slow season for photography upon us, it just seems crazy. Fortunately we have a distraction this year.

Yes, that's our little 15 month old with a mohawk. I still remember thinking she'd never grow hair. Of course, it is coming in now and we are happy that she will grow up to be an adorable blonde cheerleader. Just remember you sneaky jocks, I was once one of you and know how the games work... better be on your 'good behavior'.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.3

Fall is in the Air

 

What a fun day... Inside working all day, thinking of my little girl and her mommy playing in the orange and yellow leaves laying outside.

It's such a happy thought, but at the same time, sad to think I missed it. I guess the point would be to treasure the moments I have with her, not worry about the ones that are missed.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.3

My Soulmate...

For the longest time, I never dreamed of getting married. Single life was good, had tons of friends, money to have fun when I wanted... Why would someone want to change that? I found out why, and did so with no questions asked.

Ara Lynn came into my life via a MySpace ad that I put up 5 years earlier. We were looking for a singer and her roommate was one, so she replied and the rest is history. The amazing part of the story is what an amazing woman, mother and friend my wife is.

Dealing with her own issues is usually enough to push most mom's over the edge, but not my wife. She stares the little things down and beats them back and takes on other's burdens as well.

She truly is my reason to wake up in the morning and will be standing right beside me, as I will with her during anything this life will throw our way. I don't know if she'll ever read this, but if she does, I love you baby!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.3

What A Difference A Day Makes

I have to admit to loving today. We had a great sermon at church, made some great business decisions and are already getting a good response to it.

It is really hard when you try and try to make something bigger, when all along you had it right to start with. Sometimes in the race to make that extra buck, you forget why you do what you do. So, with that said, I am venturing back to the reason why I started shooting weddings and making good photography affordable again. Sure, we need to cover our costs, but this year we technically made less than last at almost double the rates. Go figure...

So, thank you Pastor Greg for the perfect words for me today, or perhaps I should be thanking God for giving you the words I needed to hear today. Thank you to my wonderful wife for supporting me in the changes. And finally to my friends and family, thank you as well since I couldn't do what I do without all of you.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.3

Just Me...

For the longest time, just me was my MSN descriptive name. Just me is really who I am. Just a guy, used to be a bit of an athlete, techie and bar hound... Then I moved up to drummer, photographer and, well, the techie part stayed.

About 4 years ago, everything changed for "just me" as I became part of an "us" and found the most amazing woman in the world to marry. So, just me has become us and baby, kitty and puppy and I wouldn't change it for the universe.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.2

First Day...

So, I've been writing on my smartphone blog off and on for a few months, but now I feel like sharing a little life from my phone.

So, let's watch as life happens from my little HTC Evo 4G.