Blogger Love!

Thanks to all my top droppers for the month of January! I think you all rock!

http://mommyko.com

http://www.parentalinstincts.com/

http://www.ryanmerydithfrancis.com

http://mycrazylifewithatoddler.blogspot.com


http://tqmnurse.blogspot.com/

http://www.laaneworld.com

http://everyday-adventurer.blogspot.com/

http://vanillaseven.com/

http://duckandwheelwithstring.blogspot.com

http://matthiaschronicles.tanaya.net/

Make sure to check out all these great blogs and show them some bloggy luv!

10 Things About Me!

I received this award along with the friendship award from Jamie one of my bloggy buddies! For this award I have to list 10 honest things about myself and pass it on to 7 other bloggy buddies so here goes nothing.

1. My full name is Glenna Jo, and no I was not born in the south! I was named after my Dad, Glenn Joseph, who passed away 5 months before I was born. Was I supposed to be a boy also?

2. I am claustrophobic to the point that if I cannot get my feet out from under the covers at night, I feel like I will suffocate.

3. I have traveled the world! Some of the places I have been are: Russia, Poland, Finland, Japan and Mexico. On all but one of these trips I was singing! Oops, I guess I was singing in Mexico too, but I was under the influence of Jose Cuervo at the time!

4. I hate cauliflower in any form.

5. Everyone used to think my sisters car belonged to me because she let me drive it all the time! Incidentally, she also took me to get my drivers license and helped me get my first new car!

6. My favorite musical of all time is Phantom of the Opera with Wicked a very close second. I bought tickets for Phantom on Broadway from a scalper and it was the best $75 I ever spent. Michael Crawford was the perfect Phantom!

7. I am in lust for Hugh Laurie (House)! I cannot get enough of him and that show! Talk to me Hugh! I love his accent (in case you don't know, he is British).

8. I am in the best fraternity (sorority) in the world! ZETAS ROCK! Zetas are popping up every where these days (new friends and old).

9. I was an EMT for 10 years! I also wrecked a brand new ambulance as I backed it into the garage following a late night run.

10. I dream about photographing the seven wonders of the world! I wonder if National Geographic is hiring?

And now for my 7 bloggy buddies who I am tagging! In no particular order:

1. Steph

2. Lin

3. Tim

4. Stacy

5. Liss

6. Petula

7. Jenera

Click on the name to visit their wonderful sites!! And now for the photos of the day! I have not been out to get anything new because Spencer's Dad is in the hospital and we have been tending to him! There are from the 8 inch snow that the dogs enjoyed so much! Sadie would not venture off the sidewalk and there was no hope of a snow angel!

Have a great Saturday!

What Kind of Student Are You?

I have been thinking about this for a long time because I am not the student that I was in high school and college, thank the Lord! Back then I really did not care about grades! I did what I had to do to get by! Don't get me wrong, I studied and worked hard just not as hard as I could have!

Fast forward to now: I am a very hard worker! When I was taking nursing courses (before I got pregnant with Sadie) I was a studier! I would start studying for a test at least 3 days in advance mostly because I was taking double accelerated classes that lasted only 8 weeks! Talk about brain busting but I did it and managed to keep my 4.o GPA in tact! I really wanted to do well and get honors and I did!

Then there is Zach! He is a typical teen with and I don't care attitude who is brilliant! I say this not because he is a straight A student (he is not) but because he manages a B average in all of his classes without ever opening a book!! I wish I had it so easy! I tell him all the time that he would do so much better if he would just apply himself! What mother has not said that to her teen?

Now we add Spencer to the mix! He has gone back to school to use his Montgomery G.I. bill that he earned while in the Army! He has been in class for almost two weeks and is getting to experience his first test this week! So he tells me he needs to study and sets up his little study station at the dining room table and proceeds to open his books to study when Sadie starts singing at the top of her lungs trying to outdo the latest American Idol wannabe who is auditioning! I laugh but he doesn't see the humor! After 20 minutes he gets up and declares that he will get up early to study, this did not happen! As he leaves for class he tells me that he will cram between classes and hopefully remember everything! I hope it works for him!

What kind of student are you? Are you one who really applies your self, like me? Maybe you are a natural, like Zach? Or could it be that you are a hope and pray student, like Spencer?

Snow Dogs

Normally my dogs hate the snow! Zoe, the pit bull, is a priss and hates to get her feet wet! She will go out, do her thing and come right back in. Boscoe, the beagle, is a tad more adventurous and takes his time to do his thing and then mosies back to the door. Yesterday was a totally different experience due to the 6-8 inches of snow that are out there.

They played and chased each other like a couple of kids on a snow day! They had the best time and I was able to capture them from the back porch!

Zach had a snow day and we put him to work shoveling the snow! He was not happy about it but did it anyway! He was lucky that the neighbor came over with his snow blower and did the driveway so we could get out so all Zach had to do was the sidewalks.

Sorry about the doggy photo overload but there were so many fun shots of them, that I really had trouble narrowing it down! I think my favorite is the lone beagle at the top! He was just having a great time and it shows! He is MY dog, we got him right before Spencer deployed to Iraq in February of 2003 and he has been my little buddy ever since! In fact, when I leave the house he paces at the door and whines until I get home even though everyone else in the house is home with him! I guess he just loves me the most!

My New Website is DONE!

After much time and toil, my new website is up and running! YEAH! Check it out at Picture Perfect by Jo and let me know what you think!

And the Snow Keeps Coming!!

You win ladies (Harriet, Diana, Lin) and gents, I am officially jumping on the anti-snow band wagon! I am tired of the white stuff even though there are some more shots that I would like to try! Liss wants snow so I proposed that we trade places for a week, she is in warm, sunny Australia! I think it sounds good!

Zach keeps texting from school to ask about the weather! Does he not see out the window that the snow keeps coming? He is getting on my nerves! Do the teaches not pay attention? I keep hoping that one of them will confiscate his phone so I can get some much needed work done! OK, maybe not work! I do need to drop some ECs and finish my website and check facebook and..........OK, OK, I am playing! I am also doing laundry so I don't feel so bad about playing!

Sadie and the dogs are all napping so it is just me and Martha right now. She gets on my nerves to but I like to see some of the crafts that she has on the show and the food looks good even though I would never make any of it! Martha I am not!

When Sadie wakes up and if it stops snowing I need to bundle her up and take her out to make snow angels! She has been practicing on my hardwood floors all morning long! It really is quite funny to watch! She is not even two yet and I sometimes wonder where she comes up with all of this stuff that she talks about because it is not normal conversation around here! Oh well, I have rambled enough!

Today's photos are of last nights snow! It was fun trying to capture the flying flakes! I am not sure how I feel about them but thought they were fun! Have a great day!

Never Happy

Yesterday was spent working on my new web site all day long! I became very frustrated with my other hosting site so I decided to make yet another change! This was prompted by the fact that people kept telling my that my site would not load completely and that pictures were missing! I was getting more frustrated by the comment so I decided to check it out for myself and, sure enough, there was a problem!

I emailed the company tech to get help and they got it fixed but by then the damage was done and I had already researched my next host site. I was so excited to find Sitecube because they have everything that I want for my photography web site plus oodles of gallery space for my photos! Yeah! To top it all off, it is cheaper than my old site hoster and and I did not have to pay before I created the new site so I am not being charged on both ends!

The new site should be ready in a couple of days! I just have a few final changes to make and some more photos to add and it will be complete! I cannot wait to share it with you! I will also be selling my nature photography on the site which is something I have not ventured into until now because of limitations with the old site. Which brings me to the tip for today! It has more to do with storage of your photographs as opposed to the actual taking of the photograph itself!

Buy an external hardrive. I have been doing some research and you can get a terrabyte for under $300 which will hold tons of photos. This will help you all the way around because you won't bog down your computer and should said computer decide to do a nose dive into crashville, you will not lose your pictures or documents. Believe me, you will be very excited that your photos are safe when you are taking your old computer to the nearest recycling center!

I keeping with the snow theme since we are getting hit yet again, here is the cutest picture of Sadie roaming in the snow! She was actually walking down the sidewalk yelling at our neighbor, who had just driven away, to come back. Check back to find out when the new site is complete and running!

Snowy Fun With Sadie

Yesterday we got some more snow that I was not expecting. It was not that I wanted more snow (contrary to what some of you think) but it was a good opportunity to play in the snow with Sadie, which we had not done yet! So we bundled up and headed out with the camera for some winter shots with our little snow princess.

It was really cold so we were only out for a little while but we had a lot of fun. She did not want to come in so I had to put up with a minor meltdown. After getting her snow clothes off and having a snack, all was right with the world once again and we downloaded the pictures of our snow adventure while huddled under a blankie.

I just love the innocence of kids when they are in discovery mode! All these firsts are so much fun and it makes me think back to when Zach was this age and in his discovery mode. Then I think about how it seems like yesterday when Zach was her size and now he is almost a man! He has no time for the fun of childhood because he moving full steam ahead toward adulthood! Time flies so I am taking all the time in the world with her. I am just so glad that I am able to stay home with her and enjoy her early years with her.

The Beauty and the Baseball Bats

I had the opportunity to sit down yesterday with a lovely young woman, whom I have known for 14 years, to discuss her July wedding which I will be photographing. It was nice to catch up with her and her mom and step dad. Amanda is a girly girl who was into pageants and is now a teacher and cheer coach and is marrying a guys guy who loves the St. Louis Cardinals (she also likes them).

We talked for a while about her fairytale dream and then she threw me for a loop and said that they were thinking about walking through an arch of baseball bats that the groomsmen would be holding up, like the Marines hole up swords. What a picture that would make and how original to incorporate his favorite sport into the wedding. This thought only set my mind a whir with other photos that would be perfect for the groomsmen and maybe even the bridesmaids! I imagine there will be a couple of shots of the groom and his guys "playing ball" in tuxes and many other sports related shots! I am so excited!

At the end of the meeting Amanda asked if I was a ZTA and I was thrilled to find out that she is a sister ZTA from Indiana State University! How cool is that?

By the way, I thought I would throw a plug in here for Entrecard. This blog is now 5th (for the moment) out of 513 photography blogs and I am working hard to get into the top 3 because then my button would be displayed on the main campaign page for Entrecard! I think it is pretty cool but it takes a lot of dropping and a lot of advertising on pages with higher rank. Entrecard has also helped me triple my traffic to my page!!! If you don't have Entrecard check into it, afterall it is free!

We are spending the afternoon with Spencer's dad today so I will be out of the loop for a few hours! I just hope I can survive without my laptop! Today's picture is just a fun one I took for the heck of it to see how it turned out! Not my best work but it was kind of fun!

Here We Go Again!

We found out this week that my father-in-law has about a year, give or take. It is really hard to go through this again since I went through this with my sister. I know what is in store and I know that it will not be an easy road for any of us. It stinks but it is a fact of life that we all have to face this at some point in our lives. That is just part of this crazy train ride called life.

I am prepared to be the strong one since I have been in this boat before. I am ready for what comes my way and I know that my faith will keep me strong through all of this! Keep the family in your prayers because we are going to need it in the months ahead.

On a happy note, I took some photos that were inspired by Jenera at Jenera Healy Photos. This is the ceiling fan from my front porch. I decided to show it in color, black and white and sepia to show how different the object looks when presented in three different ways.

I Love Awards!

This was given to me by Jinghui over at http://www.photojournalist-tgh.tv/latest-news-updates/triple-awards. This is cool since we "stalk" each others blogs. I am passing this on to some great bloggy pals. Make sure to check them out.

1. Lin

2. Veronica

3. Diana

4. Kat

5. Petula

6. Michelle

7. Liss

Fun Friday

In light of all the negativity around my house lately, I thought today should be a Fun Friday so I am going to post some fun pics of Sadie taking pictures! I just love it when she wants to imitate me and it makes me want to be a better person because I know she is watching my every move!

Today is also the kick off day for our new site called Sited and Blogged. Please check it out because it contains lots of cool stuff from lots of cool people! Yes, this is a collaboration blog that was the brain child of Harriet. I am so excited to be in such good company! Just hop on over and let us know what you think about our new blog!

Who Doesn't Love Bloggy Bling!

I love these two blog awards, not only because they are cool but because the women who gave them to me are wonderful as well. The Butterfly award is from Veronica over at Of Mice and raMen. She is one of my oldest bloggy buddies.

The second on is from a new bloggy buddy and is in the form of a meme. Her name is Michelle and you can find her at The Giving Tree Project 2009. She is doing some amazing things so head on over to check her out!

These awards go to everyone on my blog roll because you all rock!

7 Random things about me.
1. I love chocolate and strawberry ice cream mixed together!
2. I have never broken a bone in my body.
3. I have been on the Montel Williams show as a guest.
4. I love to do karaoke.
5. I have repelled off of 36 ft high tower. I was preggers with Sadie at the time but did not know it.
6. I have shot several types of guns including a machine gun.
7. I used to teach Cardio Karate.

Rich in History!

Here are some shots that I took at the train station while waiting for Caleb and his family to arrive for his photo shoot this past Saturday! I just the love the antique look and the rich color of the wood, marble and wrought iron. This building has tons of character. I know this building is rich in history! I can just imagine all the activity and hubbub that surrounded this location in the heart of downtown.

I am sorry that I don't have some new, inventive shot for today but yesterday was full of appointments of all kinds. I just feel the weight of the world on my shoulders right now with all the junk that we are dealing with as a family! It is a pretty stressful time because I have to be the strong one and there is only ONE who can help me be what my family needs me to be! If it was not for my faith, I would have fallen into life's traps a long time ago!

I am lucky enough to have a couple of creative outlets that help keep me sane! OK, mostly sane, I do have my moments where insanity rules and chaos reigns but I try to keep them at bay. I love to escape to some remote location, alone to shoot whatever I can see through my lens. Maybe it is selfish of me to want to be alone but I do find solace and comfort in the creative process of doing a photo shoot with the beauty of nature that God created.

My other creative outlet is singing! I sing with a Praise Band at our church every week. I have been singing since I was about 7 and it is a God given talent that was bestowed on me. Anyone who knows me, knows that I will sing anywhere, any time and for anyone. It is just something that I enjoy doing! Now if I could just find a way to combined singing with photography, I would be in business (lol)!

In all the excitement I forgot Tip Tuesday AGAIN! For that I am sorry so I will give you a short tip today! A tripod is your friend! I know hand holding for most shots is the way to go but there are times when you CANNOT get a good shot by hand, this is where a tripod comes in handy. One of those times is when you are trying to capture something and the lighting is low and you cannot or should not use a flash. If you try to capture the shot by hand it will come out blurry because the shutter time is longer for low light and you cannot hold perfectly still even though you think you can. A tripod can also be improvised by using a table, a car or anything that will not move.

Today is a new day and I am prepared to handle whatever comes my way! My new saying is: If He leads you to it, He will bring you through it! Words to live by in my book!

Mind Blowing History!

I am still trying to wrap my brain around the history that was made yesterday! Oh sure I knew Obama won the election and all but it had been pushed to the recesses of my brain until yesterday when it became official!

I have told you before that I do not let my life revolve around politics but I have to ask: Could we not have put the money spent on the inauguration to better use? Must it be so extravagant? Must there be 10 inaugural balls?

I don't mean to sound like a downer but we are in a recession, or so they tell us every day on the news! Oh well, enough about politics, let's just see what Obama can do!

Let me give you something else to think about! During my time spent travelling the blogosphere I have come across lots of people who are in need of prayer and so let me ask you to pray for Harper who is only 4 days old. I have a soft spot in my heart for the little babies who are sick. You can check out her story at Kelly's Korner . Her parents are faithful and know that they are in this for a reason. Kelly even asked that we pray for the 40 other babies in the NICU and their families. There I have issued the challenge now all you have to do is pray!

The shots for today are some recent silly shots of Sadie! The top one is her laughing really hard at something the dog did and the bottom one is her in her "thinking chair" (Blue's Clues).