When Good Days and Bad Days collide ...

You get Shawna. on Saturday.

I was re-commiting myself to taking more pictures ... of lots of things ... of our life ... you see Internet ... before I became a "photographer" (that still sounds kinda funny) We took lots of pictures - of us doing regular everyday things ... but now ... I have this tendancy to judge whether things are "worthy enough" of an actuation -

That is a fancy word I learned for clicking the shutter ... minor detail.  makes me feel smart.

and then more often than not - I don't snap the picture.  So my commitment was to take more pictures ... starting with what promised to be a hilarious venture with my Neighbors ... Broc and Avery.

Saturday afternoon, I hauled out all the supplies; rakes, shovels, hoses, seeds, gloves, watering cans, wheel barrow, hoe and most of all - Broc and Avery!  We were all ready to PLANT MY GARDEN! I ran into the house to get my camera - this event was being documented!  I ran outside - took one picture - and received this nasty message on my screen.

Err 99 - camera can not take picture.

What!??  This must be a mistake. 

Click.

Err 99.

Click.  Err 99.  Change Battery.  Click. Err 99.  Change Lens. Click. Err 99. Change CF Card. Click. Err 99. SERIOUSLY!  not a good time Canon.

I have loved you for so long Canon.  You have never let me down.  Until Today.  I am mad.

Don't let it ruin your day Shawna.  Okay.  I go outside - and we proceed to plant.

It was indeed - awesome. 

We got muddy; We got wet; we got the garden planted.  Complete with a toothy grin from my little man Broc - "I am a gardner right?  This is what gardneers do all day - right?" Right Broc.  All day they plant three rows of peas, one row of  red onions; half a row of carrots and two squash plants. and they have three waterfights in the middle.  and they do it barefoot. yep.  This is what gardeners do all day Broc.

Avery got bored about mid-first row - and took the weiners for a walk - then played with them in the shade for the remainder of planting time.  According to Broc - not a gardener. 

Then we spent the rest of the afternoon sitting on the grass; playing walkie-talkie on the telephone; until I had to go home and get ready for the big trip to Hanna.

Bad Day.  Camera broke.  Lots of Jobs coming up. 

Good Day.  Broc and Avery.  My Garden.  Sunshine.  My dream house.

yep.  Good Day.

And new camera for Shawna on Monday Eve.  Thinking about the new Canon 7D.  with video. 

and no photos today ... :(

Spring ... and other Benson Life Happenings ...

Happy Spring ... FINALLY!

Everyone in the house is so happy to be welcoming Spring this week!  Its beautiful outside - and for the first time this year - we have been able to partake in some "spring" activities!

Last weekend, however, was a different story!  It was cold as hell in Linda Hall this weekend - where the Benson's decided tp play our first Ball Tourney of the year! 

I was pumped!

We donned our ball gear - and played some CHILLY games of ball - I mean - teeth chattering, can't use our good bats, huddling for warmth kind of chilly ... the kind where, if it had not been the FIRST time out, or the fact that I needed intense practice - I would have packed 'er up and headed home!

We ended up losing the B Final - not bad for the first time out ...

But the real story lies in what happened OUTSIDE the ball fields .... in the Hall - to be exact!  Linda Hall folks put on an EPIC dance .. featuring music from my favorite band ... TRADESMEN! Aside from the fact that we all needed to copious amount of booze to keep us warm ... we were the life of the party ... after a race around the dance floor, a couple of rowdy games of Social-bles, a pant-trading episode and a few games of Paper - Rock - Scissors thrown in for good measure ... Pretty much the best time ... ever.  We danced, and laughed, and drank, and PRS'd until 4:30 AM!  Good thing we parked by the dugouts ... even though we were less than 4 feet away from where we had to play the next morning ... we still managed to be LATE!  Yep - that could only happen to the steamin' beavs :)

Well - since I don't have any pictures this time around ( camera bettery issue ??!!) I am going to end this post with a lsit of things that are happeneing in and around the Benson's as of late ... all the updated on - in due time friends :)

1. Dean-o moved back in.  He brought Rock Band.  Evenings are now dedicated to learning and mastering the "Beatles" which - I must say ... we are beyond fantastic at!!

2. Dee-Jay was sick last week - but her one leap bound from the kennel to the back door  and her constant attempt to keep Dean off the phone with his girlfriend (DJ was so there first!)- signifies a full recovery - Yeah Dee-Jay! Woody - he is the same stud muffin he always has been ... cute as ever!  We are attempting to install a underground "shock fence" in the near future - stay tuned for that episode ....

3. Darren is playing slo-pitch - 3 nights a week ... two of these night co-oincide with Shawna's newest sporting venture ... LADIES FASTBALL!  it totally rocks - and I can't wait to show you pictures of our awesome adventures!

4. Our yard and house rock.  I wake up everyday - thankful for being in our Dream House in Erskine ... but the yard work is intense - two hours of lawn-mowing on Dean's behalf last night -- and that didn't include the sweeping !!  Garden is going in on Saturday .... Yeah for Fresh Veggies!

Okay - that is about it for now ....

FAIL!

Yep - I did it.  totally. completely. utterly.

I failed.  I feel awful.  I feel like a complete fraud.  I feel like nothing I say now will hold any water ... but I thought I would say it anyway. I failed.

I thought I could do it.  I thought I could take a picture everyday for an entire year.  Darren told me it was a stupid goal.  I'd never acheive it.  He was right.  (on a sidenote ... has anyone every completed one of these 365 projects??)

So.  I am abandoning the concept.  Ly life has changed so much since that happened.  Many more important things to talk about than my pictures ... don't be discouraged, I'll still write about my pictures ... but it's not the focus anymore ....

I shall explain later ... I have so much to talk about - its gonna take a few days to air it all out ... but it will be worth it ... stick with me ... if my word still means anything to you ...

Shawna

Project 365 - Day 2!

Well - I have many hobbies -- and often they intersect!  I love to scrapbook - and make cards ... And since I have card club tomorrow - I spent most of the evening crafting this beauty .... which I will share with my card making group tomorrow night!  Enjoy ... Day 2!

f/5.6, 1/50 sec., ISO 640 - OCF

Project 365 - Day 1

Okay - so - this is harder than it looks!  Its day 1 - and I am already almost out of time ... Here I am ... at 11:33 pm ... posting my first days picture ... Between working, curling and cooking ... no time for photo taking ... so ... I'll admit it - I was going to cheat ... until Darren came home .... and he told me that cheating was not an option ... (on a side note ... part of the reason I love him .. he pushes me - even when I don't want to be pushed....) so we were standing in the kitchen, eating our new fave snack (parmesan garlic Triscuits dipped in Herb and Garlic Cream hHeese .... YUM-O!) and looking at our fabulous christmas present from Mr. and Mrs. B ... a most fabulous wall clock ... and I pulled the Emergency flashlight out of the kitchen JUNK drawer ... here is what I got .....

1/50 sec, f/4.0, ISO 640, External Light Source (LED Flashlight)

We call our dream place here in Erskine - the Benson Estate ... hence the name on the clock ...  I know that Darren will love this first picture --- because he loves this clock ... and he held my flashlight for me!!  He actually admitted to me today that he was excited for my project - so we can go and try out some really cool stuff together ... so ... Here's to learning more about light and more about my husband!!

S. Benson .... Over and Out!

I want to be a photographer ....

I WANT to be a photographer ...

It's so hard right now ... my life is pulling me in a thousand different directions; I have a zillion things going on in my head ... but the one thought that passes through my mind just about every waking hour ... is how badly I want to make a living as a photographer ... For me ... that means many things ..

...Building my Biz ... excellent customer service, spontaneous capture, perfect passion and a rockin' bis partner is only half the equation .... The other half ... lies in my ability ...

While I believe I am good at it ... I am not the BEST at taking photos ... an I need to be ... I need to step outside my box ... be uncomfortable every time ... Push the limits ... and only then ... can I find perfection ...

I have been thinking alot about how to get there ... and I have come up with the solution ... Project 365 ... you've heard about it before ... a picture/photo shoot EVERY DAY for an entire year ... yep .... I'm gonna do it ... It will give me an opportunity to push myself to new and crazy situations ... the focus of my photos will be two fold - document my awesomely insane and somewhat boring life and push myself into photographic bliss ... challenge my thoughts, try new things and finally get the balls to be a full time photog ...

Now many of you know me all to well - I bet you are already tkaing bets with your sig. other about how long I will last .... well ... I am here to prove you wrong ... I WANT this .... I NEED this .... and I WILL succeed ... So

Here we go.... Day 1 ... tomorrow !

WHOA! Blogging Bad Girl!

Yep - that's me!

I often say to random people - "I should blogthis!" and it is usually met with enthusiasm for my so-called passion for blogging. Darren and I recently moved into a new house - more on that later, and while we were doing it - the famous "I should blog this" line came up. It wasn't met with enthusiasm this time. My wonderful brother-in-law, who has the ability to point out the obvious, said to me "oh the one you never update?"

I say "Yeah - I should really get on that"

He says "Or - maybe just forget about it?"

I didn't even have words! I am not forgetting about blogging! I love to share my life, my stories, my families stories, my photos and just about anything else - so I will not let it go! However - for whatever it means - I wll try hard - really really hard - to update my blog more often! Maybe if I did actually update - my words would hold substance. And if I actually did as I say - maybe I'd have some followers?? We'll my friends! Its easy for me to say ... So I can hear my mom in the back of my head ...

"Stop talking about it and just do it!"

And so I shall ...

Where Have I Been!

I cannot believe that it is almost the end of February - and what is even more horrific - is the fact that I have not updated my blog in a MONTH! I feel a great deal of shame! I LOVE blogging and I feel like I let me pretty site down! Well -I'm back - and committed to updating things a bit more regularily - after all - it was a new years resolution!!!

So for the first post back - I will just briefly update you on the happenings in the Benson household:

Darren:

Is enjoying his job immensely! I recently thanked his boss for making him much better to live with - and it is so true - the happier someone is at work - the happier they are at home - so right now - we are living the good life! Darren is playing hockey about two nights a week, and working on the bathroom on other nights...its coming along (more on that a bit later!)

Shawna:

Is busy at work - and since Darren is working late most nights - also busy coming up with healthy recipes and good food for us to eat - not to mention walking the dog, shovelling the sidewalk, cleaning the house.....basically just holding down the fort! I have been getting some scrapbooking in my new room - and curling on tuesdays - (which I must say - I am getting way better at!)

DeeJay:

Is doing marvelous! We are heading to the Dog Park everyday that she can see over the snow - and working on her listening and coming when called skills - I thought she was a bit of a bad dog - but turns out she listens better than almost all other dogs at the dog park - too bad for her she is such a sucker for cheese!

Fresh Photography:

Tricia hopefully returned from Maui today! She had been gone for two weeks for a friend's wedding - and I missed her! We are almost booked up for the summer - which is a good thing! we are working on our business plan and trade show display for April - so look ofr more exciting things to come with fresh in the near future!

Bathroom Renos:

Well - OUR TOILET WORKS! and we have some drywall up - so that is a very good start! We are going to be purchasing cabinets this weekend in edmonton and hopefully finish drywalling this weekend! It is really starting to look like a real room and a real bathroom - and the only thing we argue about daily in the tile....but soon -we must come to a decision!

Weight Loss Challenge:

Well - we are on week five - and weigh in on Monday has shown that Darren is down about 10 pounds and I am down about 11 - so we have really evened out! (However - if you ask me - I have lost more percentage of body weight than he has - but that's just me making myself a winner!)

Okay - that's enough of an update for now! I recently turned 26 - so now I am feeling old and a bit guilty for not having children yet....so.... (nope not pregnant...) we might be getting another dog!!! (Yes - this is an children avoidance tactic!) but Iwill keep you posted!

"The Weigh In"

Darren and I have both started the journey to "lower BMI land"! Yesterday was our first weigh in...yes - jut like on TV - we have a weekly weigh in in which we both compare our weight loss and then gloat....Here are the results:

Darren: -0.6
Shawna: -2.4

Shawna wins week1 !!! You may wonder what i have won - well nothing - except to prove to myself that I can do it ...it's based largely on the amount and kinds of food I was eating - the minute I became disciplined about my eating habits - was when I started losing weight - at 2 lbs in the first week...I am impressed - all those highly educated nutritionists actually know something!! I'll give them this one.....

Darren is struggling with the eating healthy thing - partially becuase its his new job....He recently switched jobs from RBC to being Sales Manager at a Dodge dealership in Stettler. It was a really great move - and maybe I'll explain why in another post - but let's focus on the weight loss goals.... His dealership his having a massive indoor sale offsite - and for extended hours - so he is working 12 hour days and although the dealership provides them with food - it all comes from the many fast food restaurants around....so he has had to resist the temptation of KFC, the Tim Horton's doughnuts, the burgers, the baking and the pop....but he is not doing bad considering everyone else around him is eating constantly! Good on you D-Train!

Along with the eating healthy - I had decided that in the winter - there is nothing worse than getting up in the morning and heading to gym - when its dark, and cold and depressing.... so I brought the gym to Shawna! I managed to get myself a Nintendo WiiFit (the procedure should also be saved for another post) and just last night Darren set up our new (to us) elliptical trainer! Although we briefly exercised on the elliptical - we have realized that combining"24" and an elliptical will result in skinnier Benson's! I have curling this evening - but I cannot wait to hop on!

And that's it - so the score is Shawna - 1; Darren - 0 - stay tuned until next Monday for the next Weigh-In!!

New Years Resolutions

We all Make them - and few keep them!

Well, I am tempted to make this years New Year's Resolution "not to make any more New Year's Resolutions" I need this kind of motivation to make me feel guilty enough to at least try to complete some life bettering tasks.... So below are my three New Year's Resolutions:

1. Lose 20 pounds

• This is a joint effort with Darren; we have put up a pretty hefty reward up for the first person to lose the "newlywed 20"...we weighed in this morning... although I know my willpower stinks (especially when it comes to chocolate and jalepeno and cheddar chips) I think i can do this ... exercise and eating right - that should not be hard..... Yeah right....We will document our progress here - for you all to see (I will recount the first weigh-in in another post)...which leads me to my next resolution:

2. Keep the blog up to date

• I want people to rely on our blog ot keep themselves up to date; to interact with the Benson's - in a way that our website sparked many people to track our wedding - so here - is the new "Home of the Benson's" Photos, random comments and general life updates will be posted here for all to see and enjoy.... so no more complaints about the wedding website! Hope to see many of you following our haphazard life! and the third resolution partly relates to the keeping of memories:

3. Scrapbook more!

• I love to srapbook - and that might be a bit of an understatement - the accomplishment and pride I feel when I finish a project makes me so giddy its hard to explain! And since my reorganization of the scrapbooking room - and the realizationthat I have begun many projects - I will be working hard to make sure that I finish them - and scrapbook with a renewed excitement that can only come from receiving the coolest paper rack ever.... (If you scrapboked - you'd understand)

So that its - Shawna's News Years Resolutions! Maybe Darren will post his for us all to see later today.....