Photos - free filter site

Okay, so this post has nothing to do with food.  I'll do that post tonight.  Instead, this is about this super fun site I found that allows you to upload your photos and then put fun filters, effects and borders on them.  I was looking for something that would be similar to some of the apps I have on my phone and I think this is the best one so far (and it is free!) .   It's at Pixler.com/o-matic.  

I've been having a lot of fun with it.  Below are some photos I've been playing around with.  The first is the original that I edited in Adobe Light Room.  The ones after that have had filters etc put on them. 

Oh, and I suppose I should mention that I am in no way affiliated with this website.  I just found 'em and I like 'em  think you might like 'em too.

Photo Outing - Dallas Farmers Market

One Saturday this Fall I asked Kevin to go to the Dallas Farmer's Market with me so that I could play around with the camera.  It's still very new and intimidating to me and I haven't used it much at all.  I think the fact that it is so big and so very black that it makes it seem more imposing to me. I feel weird looking at the world with this giant black thing on my face.   I would have an easier time if it were white or a soft  pink or silver or robins egg blue.  But it is black and so I need to get used to it.   

The day before had been warmish (in the 50's/60's) and sunny and for some reason I had foolishly assumed that the next day would be as well.  Silly me.  I haven't learned my lesson yet.   

Far from being warm and sunny - it was cold and it wet from the rain earlier that morning and it was windy.

But I wasn't going to let that get in the way so Kevin admirably and ungrudging went with me.

We didn't stay very long but we did eat some yummy breakfast tacos (they didn't last long enough to photograph) and I got a few fun shots under my belt and a little more confidence.  I'll get the hang of it some day.


For some reason I can't get the horizontal ones bigger in my blog template without them looking funny so if you want, you can click on them and they'll get bigger.

Tyler's Bike

We went back to Boise for a week this summer and my lil' brother in law, Tyler, asked me to take some photos of the cafe racer he restored.  His first ever and I think he did a pretty good job.

I'd never done anything like this before and honestly had NO idea what I was doing.  I was INTENSELY self conscious the entire time and I believe I was wearing a skirt which probably didn't help much.    I still don't know if these are good photos or not but I like them and thought I would share.

I'm proud of the job he did and I hope one day he can do one for me!  

Sometimes, I need to be disciplined.

Um...so.   oops.   It's been about a week since my last post.  Blerg.  I was doing so good at posting too. 


Oh  well!


Here's Kevin's reaction to my sneaky shot!

"Heeeeey!  I've told you not to do that!" 

Pointy finger to enforce point...

"No....seriously....stop..."  

Takes away camera to enforce point...

um...so...it's been awhile, eh?

I am fairly certain that no one will see this first post for quite some time.  Because, you know, I pretty much abandoned it.

But I think I'm going to blow the dust off and get er' going again.

I'd like to start documenting my life once more.  I've sort of been doing it through Instagram and Facebook and a little through the Twitters.  But it might be nice to have a central location to write a little and post photos of what's going on.

So, what has been going on?

Lots.

We moved from the wonderful house we were renting in the quiet suburbs of Dallas to a lovely little community called Lakewood which is about 5 minutes from downtown and within 20 minutes of a lot of the other commercial centers of the Metroplex.

We've switched churches from Lake Pointe Church to Watermark Community Church.  It has been pretty life changing actually.  Not that there was anything at all wrong with Lake Pointe.  It is a GREAT church.  We just didn't quite fit.   But literally the moment I walked into Watermark, I felt at ease, like this is the place I've always been looking for.  The people are authentic in a way I hadn't experience before, the worship is wonderful....sincere and not too concerty - you know what I mean?  The teaching is a perfect mix of instruction, convicting and is spoken from the standpoint of someone who is not perfect but is doing their best to live it out.    There are very few "masks of perfection" and I find that beyond refreshing.

We are attending a program once a week through Watermark called "ReEngage" which focuses on marriage and how to build a strong and vibrant one through focusing on our individual relationships with Christ in a small group setting that provide community and accountability.  It's scary to be that vulnerable with basically complete strangers but it's wonderful to be in a setting with 4 other couples who all have the same goals and are willing to take down their walls and boundaries and "get real" in order to grow and achieve marriages that are healthy.

We are also spending less time watching tv and more time grown in our hobbies and other activities....reading, exercising, photography, Kevin is podcasting and I am pursuing artistic endeavors and will be starting to study math so that I can go back to school and actually learn how to create in the way I want to.  Math is a necessity because apparently just because the Political Science program back in the day at Boise State didn't require it doesn't mean that the Texas education system doesn't think it is important.  Stupid Texans and their mathematics.   It will be really hard and frustrating but worth it...I think...I hope. 

One of the things I will taking classes in is photography.   Kevin bought me a Nikon D90 and I would like to figure out how to use the complex piece of equipment to its full capabilities.  We just bought a lens for it today and, honestly, I am more than a little intimidated and overwhelmed by the possibilities and options it offers.  But excited at the same time.  So I'll document a bit of the progress of it here and let you know how it goes.

I'll also post more frequently so that my posts aren't small novels! 

I will leave you with the favorite photo of the day...Kevin took it.  It's his podcasting microphone.