Gray Matters & Seeing Red

I try to shoot something everyday. Does it always happen? Well, no, but I do try to practice with a different angle, new lighting situations, various subjects, etc., at least a little everyday.

Often, when I look at the photos I've taken on any given day, I sometimes realize that there's a bit of a pattern there. At times, it's a particular type of angle I'm going for, or maybe a pattern of lines and curves show up in all the pics I've taken that time. Yesterday, I brought out the camera to take a few pics of the new puppy in our neighborhood (check out Sonic -- he's pretty stinkin' cute). I followed up with a few random shots around the house too. When I looked at them all, I realized my pattern for this day was in the colors -- gray and red. Colors I'm often drawn to in my clothes too. (I hear that color combination is supposed to be all the rage this season ... hey, I'm actually a fashion trendsetter now! ha!).

It's a nice day here in Round Rock. Hope you're having a great Wednesday! I'm off to Christopher's baseball game tonight. Guess what colors are in his uniform? Blue, GRAY & RED.
:)


-- S



Here's Sonic!



Sonic likes chewing. Whoa buddy! That's my hand you've got there!


Me just playing around with lighting and my 50mm.




Sitting out on the porch for a moment yesterday, I looked down at this gray yard angel. Looked like she was saying to herself "Hmmm, should I have the white wine or the red?" That's a no brainer for me .... go with the red!

Celebrating The Twin Bond

This past weekend, Annie, Kate and I had a fun girls' night out. Actually, it was pretty close to an all day affair. We spent the morning at their new middle school picking out their instruments for band next year, then later were off again to Guitar Center, dinner and some girly shopping. Love days like that!

Having grown up with only brothers, I missed out on the whole sister sister thing. And more specifically, I definitely missed out on the twin bond experience that I see in them. Their twinship has always been an interesting phenomenon to see. It is incredibly special and indescribable -- hard to explain to anyone not a twin or a twin parent. With Annie and Kate, despite the fact that they're fraternal and have their own distinct personalities, their magical bond can really speak volumes.

I've always said my girls are like night and day. They don't look the same, and often can be the opposite of the other. But really, there are a lot of ways in which they alike too. As babies, both girls were speech delayed, not because of any physical deficiencies, but because they had their own twin speak between them. (I guess they figured since they had each other to talk to, they didn't really need to talk to us! ha!). Both are really smart girls, with one excelling a bit more in math while the other does well in language. Both Annie and Kate are musicians, with each of them playing the same instrument (piano), and still they have their own musical pursuits too. They enjoy the same books, tv shows, movies, etc. They have mutual friends, and they each have their own. They are slightly competitive with one another, but they are, by far, each other's best friend! It is always amazing to me how you can tell one of them something, and within two minutes the other one knows about it too, because she simply MUST share it with her sister asap! And as noisy as they can be, it is in those special twin moments that it so cool to watch them just hanging out together and doing their thing.

There are several pics of the girls from our dinner this weekend. Hope Annie & Kate bring you a few laughs, as they do for me! -- S

"My sister and I, you will recollect, are twins, and you know how subtle are the links which bind two souls which are so closely allied." ~Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventure of the Speckled Band




My beautiful girls, Kate and Annie, at a favorite restaurant at The Domain in Austin -- 4.17.2010


When the girls were born, we decorated their rooms in "twos", kind of like a Noah's Ark theme. I saw them do this and thought of that time. I think they're thinking more like "peace out!" :)



Annie: "Kate, do you remember the time when we ..."
Kate: "Oh yeah, I remember that!" (lots of giggles)
Mom: has no clue what they're talking about


Annie: [speaking a million miles a minute] " ... so, at Guitar Center, I saw this awesome blue electric acoustic guitar. I SO want that next."
Kate: "O-M-G! Shut up! Really? That would be way cool."
Mom: thinking .... uh-oh!


Annie: " ... and, I want to start learning how to play the drums too!"
Kate: "Oh really? Uhhh, hold on! Those are MY drums!"
Mom: thinking ... [groan] whatever! :)


Kate: "Well, I guess that would be cool. Okay! I love you sis!"
Annie: "Sweet! I love you too!"
Mom: (proud in a mommy moment, but frustrated that I missed getting this shot in focus. Oh well, love it anyway!)



Me, adding up how much my girls have cost me for the day:

Band t-shirts - $10
New drum cymbals - (you don't want to know! Let's just say, cha-ching!)
New guitar strings - $15
Dinner - $40
Girly shopping - $50

A fun day with my girls -- priceless!

A Ceremonial First Game

Baseball. It's a game of tradition. Hot dogs, the Star Spangled Banner, the seventh inning stretch, "Take Me Out To The Ball Game", and let's not forget ... the Chicken Dance! (That's Annie's favorite part!) My family has a baseball tradition too. Every year, Jon and I take the kids to the Round Rock Express Opening game. The ballpark opened up around April 2000, so we took Annie and Kate (then 11 months old), and we've been going ever since. They all look forward to it, but this year, that was especially so for Chris. The game, the peanuts, the fireworks afterward ... he likes it all!

Speaking of baseball, I must brag a bit on my little man. He's been having a great baseball season! He's hitting just about every time at bat, he's playing well in the outfield and as catcher, and is just really enjoying the game. About a week or so ago, he was named as a defensive MVP on his team, and just today, he brought home a game ball! So much fun to see him having a good time!

Here are a few pics of Chris and Jon at the game, and some cool pics of the fireworks at the Dell Diamond last Friday night.

Go Express! Go Chris!

-- S

Brogdons in Bluebonnets

About this time every year, here in the Hill Country, we get the most beautiful bluebonnets. This year is no different -- they're everywhere, and they're gorgeous! The kids and I found a beautiful patch of bluebonnets and Indian paintbrushes at a local park and headed out one day after school. Beautiful weather, my kids and my camera ... it couldn't get much better than that.

After going through these photos, I started thinking about our bluebonnet pictures from the past. I thought this time I'd put together a little slideshow with all their photos, going back to when the girls were just babies. This little show goes back to 2000, when Annie and Kate were almost a year old. Now, before any of you comment on the flower picking pictures ... yes, I'm aware ... that's not legal in Texas. Kind of hard to snap pics, watch a little boy and stop two 3 year olds from getting into stuff, you know?? But it sure made for nice photos, though (smile).

Hope you enjoy the show! Oh, and this is set to music, so if you're at work, you may want to turn down the volume, so your boss doesn't know you're hardly working. Just sayin' ... -- S

"If you've never been thrilled to the very edges of your soul by a flower in spring bloom, maybe your soul has never been in bloom." -- Audra Foveo

The Girl She's Meant To Be

I have written before that I come from a musical family. Many of my relatives play, or have played, instruments of some kind and are/were active in musical performances. But I think that my daughter Kate is probably the one member of the family who, literally, was BORN into music. As a baby, she was often quieted to sleep only by the sound of my humming to her, or sometimes the songs on CD that I listened to while I was expecting her and Annie. As a toddler, she learned best by singing nursery rhymes and Sesame Street songs. Many of the toys she favored in her early years revolved around musical instruments. She hummed or sang in the car everywhere we went (and still does that today without even consciously knowing it!). When she started preschool at our church, people would turn to look for the big voice singing the hymns, only to turn around and look down to find a little girl belting 'em out. It was clear to us how much she loved her music, and it became increasingly evident that this was a gift that could not be ignored.

When she turned six, she and Annie started piano lessons. When she was seven, Kate also started voice lessons, but didn't really want to do it at first. "Let's just try it out", I told her. She was apprehensive and shy, but came to like it after a while. The very first song she sang was a Broadway tune called "The Girl I Mean To Be" from The Secret Garden. Hearing her sing it then would always bring me to tears with a mother's pride. But unfortunately, I was never able to get it on video, and I always regretted that.

Now, five years later, she rocks a keyboard, plays the drums, and is a featured vocalist with the two bands she's in, Speed Limit 180 and Chaotic Eight. We have videos of her singing in many different performances, and even have her feature song, Heart's Barracuda, with Speed Limit 180 on YouTube. The music academy with which she studies is hosting a recital at the end of May, and she will be performing with her two bands there. But she's also planning on a student solo performance, with ... guess which song she's considering?? ... yes, "The Girl I Mean To Be". Finally, she let me get a video of her singing it, and I could not be more thrilled that she still holds that song in a special place in her heart.

So, here are a few pics of my very musical, very talented daughter, along with a video link of her practicing her special song. Seeing her now, it's so hard to believe that there was a time that she was shy about singing in public. I'm so glad that she is sharing her amazing gift, and I am so incredibly proud.

Kate ... I love you, dear one. And yes, this is the girl you're meant to be!

Love, Mom


Kate -- The Girl I Mean To Be: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOifb5L3fN4

Kate with Speed Limit 180 -- Barracuda: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3V8lzMtBELQ



Kate at a Speed Limit 180 performance -- Oct2009

At home at our piano -- Feb2008


Kate at two and half years old, at her grandparents' house -- Dec2001


Sometimes when I think of Kate singing, this picture comes to mind. This was taken at Jon's parents' home. We were relaxing for the evening, watching TV, when I looked up and saw this. Had to hold back my laughter long enough to grab the camera. This is a family favorite! -- April 2001

Welcoming Stevie

My daughter Annie has a thing for collecting instruments. Soon after seeing Keith Urban at the rodeo and how many times he switched out guitars, I think that only helped to solidify her belief that a girl can never have too many instruments. (I secretly understand ... I'm like that with cameras!) :) Soooo, she started asking if she could perhaps add a bass guitar to her collection. Her birthday is coming up next month, so we started looking around. Yesterday, we found the perfect one for her, and brought it on home.

Like many other musicians, she likes to name her guitars. Her acoustic guitar is named Gabriela (after the guitarist team Rodrigo y Gabriela), and her electric guitar is named Bella (Spanish for 'beautiful' and of course after Bella in Twilight). Since she has always enjoyed music from SRV and Stevie Nicks, she decided to name this guitar ... you guessed it ... Stevie. After bringing Stevie home and getting a few pictures, she couldn't wait to start a jam session ... a little of Chicago's 25 or 6 to 4, and then Smoke on the Water ... I think she's off to a good start!

Here's Annie with all her instruments. Welcome home, Stevie!

"She's my sweet little thing, she's my pride and joy ..." -- Pride & Joy, SRV


Here's Annie with Stevie!







Annie "hearts" all her guitars -- Bella, Gabriela and Stevie.

Annie also still loves her flute, and will be picking that up more when she starts middle school next year.



Annie still also loves playing piano, and these are her favorite pair of 'crazy socks'. They're so her!!