Crazy Pali Family

Nate Pali was one of my best friends in high school. He's moved to Provo since then, and since I'm afraid of Provo, I don't see him very often. It was great to get together with him and is whole family. It's amazing to me how much all of them have changed. Not only have they changed, they all have kids. It's a little freakin strange to me.

This first shot was taken by the lovely and talented Mirabel who was working as my assistant:

From Blog

From Blog

From Blog

From Blog

From Blog

"little stinkers"

Ok not really but the girls shirts say 'little stinker' on them

Organization/Confusion

From Blog

I read once that your IQ is a measure of how well you organize information in your head. I immediately dismissed that fact, reasoning that I was a fairly intelligent person, but was the least organized person that I knew. Although I have become arguably less intelligent over the years, I haven't become any less organized. I haven't become any more organized either, and that is what this rant is about.

My garage is a mess. My desk is a mess. My other desk is a mess. My other, other desk is a mess. But, I do know where everything is. If you need a screwdriver, there's one on the top left corner of the filing cabinet. If you need a screw, there's one in the second slot up and third from the left in the organizer (I use the term loosely) in the center draw of my desk. If you need my second period's last essay, they're near the top right corner of my work desk, right underneath last Friday's newspaper and a portable hard drive, but on top of the "Studio Photography" magazine from two months ago. It may look like a mess, but everything seems to be right where it should be according to me.

Am I happy about this? No. I want to be organized. I want everything to have it's own specific place where I can find it every single time that I need it. I've wanted this for a couple of years now. Wanting doesn't seem to be enough. Any suggestions?

PS. If you'd like to post a comment, click on the little icon at the bottom of this post that says "0 comments."
PPS. This picture was taken by the lovely and talented Mirabel at age 2. She's going to make me a millionaire some day.

One Week Down

The before picture. Stay tuned for a guided tour of the after pictures.

From Blog

We moved into our new house one week ago (thanks go out to all the slave labor that helped us move!), and after one week I have a few observations:

1. Light switches are never where you think they should be.
2. The things that you need are never in the box that you think that they should be in.
3. In fact, I'm still not sure if the things that I need even made it into a box.
4. Packing is much easier than unpacking.
5. Putting things together (beds, blinds, tv's) is also easier than unpacking, but has the added benefit of making it appear to your wife that you are indeed trying to be a productive member of society.
6. Old crap in a new house looks exactly like old crap in a new house. Problem is the money is long gone and it will very likely be a long time before paycheck - house payment = anything more than zero.
7. That's enough for now.

The strangest part about the whole thing is that I really mis my old house. We lived there for seven years. It was kinda starting to feel like one of the family.

Thankful for...

From Blog

From Blog

I like turkey. In fact, I wish that it didn't find itself pigeonholed into this one little holiday. I think we should get together as families and cook a big freakin bird at least once a month. Turkey's yummy.

I don't, however, need to eat turkey to remind me of what I'm thankful for. Mirabel and Amber top my list, even when I'm grumpy with them, and I haven't forgotten it yet. I don't plan on forgetting anytime soon. I do, however, plan on adding one more thing to that short list in early March.

That's it for now. Amber's watching Iron Man and right now I'm especially thankful that there's room on the couch for me to sneak in next to her and pretend to watch it as well.

By the way, you guys without kids, your life sucks. Sorry, but it's true.

New Post! (for Brooke)

From SilverStreet Photo

I suck at this blogging game. Well, it's not so much that I suck, more so it's that I became disenchanted and chose to suck. Blogging for me had become a sales pitch. I'm not big on sales pitches so I quit. I quit posting to my blog. I quit reading the blogs of other photographers. I even quit making my students create their own blogs.

I'm over that now. I've been reading many blogs lately. No photography blogs, just the blogs of friends and family. Mainly Mirablog on which my lovely wife posts things that I already know about my lovely daughter, but I love reading them over and over again, and confessions of a rookie, a blog where an old friend from college rambles on about girl stuff that I probably shouldn't find interesting, but I do. It's mostly because of the rookie's blog that I'm typing this. She's very inspiring in her own way. Thanks Rookie.

I've decided that I have a couple of things to say again. Things that probably aren't important to anyone but me, but the act of typing them seems like a good thing right now. I'll still (well, I'll start to post again) photos, but I think I'll give someone out there (possibly just me) a little insight into what it's like to be me.

So...until I think of something good to say...?

WILD HOGS... Vegas Chapter

I would like to apologize for those Brides and Grooms who had to deal with me last week while Nic and his friends went gallivanting across Utah, Arizonia, and Nevada.

After 4 days and 1223 miles, our local version of Wild Hogs finally returned home safely but not before visiting St. George, Mesquite, Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, Bryce Canyon, Zions National Park, and In and Out burger.

Nic is the 'cool' one on the right on the bullet bike while his two friends are sporting Harley Davidsons.

The open road

Hoover Dam

Bryce Canyon

At least I know they took a bath.

Aren't all you Bride and Grooms thankful for combs and the fact that Nic spruces up a bit before shooting your wedding. YIKES he can be scarey in the morning.

It took Nic a few days for his butt and legs to stop hurting from this adventure. And I think I heard him say he wont be riding his bike for a little while.

***Also our lovely daughter feed Nic's phone a blue popsicle so it is currently out of commission right now. If you need to talk to him please call my cell at 801-388-4277 or email him at silvernic@gmail.com.***

Big Little Helper

Mirabel is a big but little helper. We have invested in her own Disney (fake) camera so she can take pictures like Daddy. She will walk around with it and say 'Cheese'. Once she even helped in the studio and climbed up on a stool behind Nic who was taking pictures and started to take her own and told Julie and Andy to say cheese.

She was even invited to a wedding luncheon. That is where this picture comes from. She has big shoes to fill but she definitely is following in Nic's foot steps.

Carousel

With a carnival themed wedding, how appropriate that their engagement session was done at a carousel in Salt Lake.




For their invitations Nic designed them to look like canival tickets. They turned out really cute.

Bryan and Hollee

There is something about a bride getting ready, making that transformation, that appeals to
Nic. He usually gets some of his favortie pictures that way. (Just a side note: I am pretty sure the photographer at my wedding would never have thought of that let alone come early to document it)

If you remember Hollee and Bryan are our junk yard Bride and Groom. Nothing about their wedding was normal. While waiting for them to come out of the temple Nic called and said it was raining and was worried about the weather. (Not that it can be controled but still) Later he said it stopped right before she came out and if anyone could pull that off it would be Hollee.

Her younger brother and sister hanging out waiting for the happy couple.

I love this shot. After it stopped raining the sky was perfect, all but fake looking.