Today, a year ago... and my mad photo skillz

First things first.

These lovely ladies are FOUR today.

this photo was taken at the Hyatt Hotel reception area in Charlotte last year!

Happy birthday, Emma and Claire!

Mandy has very cleverly spirited off her family to the beach to celebrate. And really, how much better could a celebration be than the beach?!

(I need to try this with my two)

I still smile when I think about how freaked out Mandy was (if anyone is particularly keen, you can go back to July 2009 and read Mandy's comments on my birth story post) that mine came early, and a few weeks later she was in the same position :)

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I've seriously, SERIOUSLY been CRAVING an overseas trip.

I know you're thinking I'm quite mad but being in the airports last weekend makes me think we're just about ready for real adventure... and then I had very squirmy kids asking about 1 million questions and I was ready to tell D he's right, Thailand is indeed too far to travel with 5-year-olds.

In my mind, I just had this notion (don't you love that word?) that 5 was the age for overseas trips. And we're a year away which means we need to start deciding and planning, right?

But once you're there and you have the experiences and take the photos, you forget all the nonsense. I know this.

Anyway, my brain is working and I'm getting primed to click instead of just deleting the Flight Centre emails as I've been doing for the last year.

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Also, last year I flew out to the US on 18 July, flew into Charlotte on 19th and the She Speaks conference started on the 20th (also known as the day I came to utterly rely on God because Too Many Women who I didn't know).

It all feels rather momentous.

I can't believe it's a year ago (it feels both longer and shorter) since I had my Grand Adventure and met all my lovely online friends in person.



And then I got some lovely mail from MandyE and Deanna (okay, Mandy's mail was for Kendra, not for me, but still!) which was just perfect timing for the "year ago" thing. And Deanna, seriously, your handwriting is font-worthy!!! :))




Here are a few more cute twin pics from last year - you've seen them already but I love looking at them so scroll down if you're bored.

MandyE's girls on the left and Mandy's birthday girls on the right :)

  

I really should finish up the Plett pics so I can start blogging those. On the bright side, I already have two (!) printed and ready to put up in the house. That's not due to me being awesome; it's simply because there was access to a printer at the workshop today and I just had to get two of my iphone pics printed.

The Epson photo workshop with Jeanette was lovely - venue was warm and toasty (sadly, things like this are very important to me, especially in winter!), lots of time to practise and I met a few new people. I'll show you some of my favourites sometime.... but unsurprisingly, they're not of my kids! (I take my hat off to children's photographers).

Best thing? One of my 2013 goals is to take better pics inside. I've been working on the whole finding the good light inside the house thing, I'm also embracing light and shadow more (you can see this with my instagrams) but I still struggle a lot with horrible yellow blurry pics when it's dark outside. 

Well! I asked Jeanette how to fix that, she gave me a few pointers and I had to grit my teeth and force myself to be uncomfortable today but I stayed with it 98% of the time and ............ I'm getting there. 

Tonight I waited for dark, hauled out the camera and took some pics of the kids in the bath and they are AMAZING. Well, not by proper standards but compared to photos before, already 10 times better and tonight's only night 1. No horrible yellow tinge!

this is 4 - crazy "smile"

So I'm super chuffed - thanks again, Jeanette. 

How was your Saturday?