Mellander Siblings!

Angie wanted me to take pictures of her and her brothers for Christmas, so we went to a new favourite spot (thanks to Crystal's pictures of Jason and me!) and I tried my best! I had fun playing with photoshop afterwards, here's some of what I did! (There are several... I couldn't choose!)



















Thanks Angie for giving me the chance to practice!! :)

In case that wasn't enough... A Christmas Hoedown!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Inspired by Crystal! A Christmas Disco!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Bokeh

Recently I've learned about Bokeh. Here's the definition from Flickr:

Bokeh (derived from Japanese bokeaji ボケ味, "blur") is a photographic term referring to the appearance of out-of-focus areas in an image produced by a camera lens.[1] Different lens bokeh produces different aesthetic qualities in out-of-focus backgrounds, which are often used to reduce distractions and emphasize the primary subject.

Some people make bokeh pictures specifically for the bokeh, while others just appreciate the bokeh in the background of a regular picture. A lot of times it turns lights and other background things into circles of light.

I tried it out, and it's really kinda cool, especially at Christmas!







This is what happens when I turn that star into bokeh:

My New Sister

Today I went with my mom to Vancouver to meet the newest addition to our family. Her name is Abbey, and she is a "Shorkie" ... part Shi-tzu + part Yorkie = 100% adorable. She really reminds us of what Sparkle looked like when she was a puppy. It's funny, because both my mom and I were looking up names on the exact same website at our own houses and both of us came up with Abbey as a possibility, before we had even talked about it! We figured Abbey was appropriate, as it is short for Abigail, and means Joy. It's also appropriate because my mom lives in Abby. :) I already love her to pieces, even if she did throw up on me in the car.
She is a sweetheart. I can't wait to get to know her, and I'm so glad my mom has a little someone to take care of at her place out in Abbotsford!

How I'd like to spend my days off...

I've been so busy with homework lately, I cannot wait until this semester is over and I can actually have a weekend!

I've started to become addicted to perusing Flickr for awesome photos... That's the site my computer's on in the background. Daydreaming while procrastinating leads me to plan out the ideal day... I would LOVE to have a sunny/non-rainy day spent out taking hundreds of photos, and then a stop in at Starbucks to go home and curl up on the couch with the fireplace on. A day where I did not have to be anywhere or get anything done with a deadline. Although by the time I'm finished school I might want something a bit more social, as I'm beginning to feel a bit like a recluse these days. *sigh.

But I did cheer myself up with a reduced-fat eggnog latte. I love Christmas at Starbucks. :)

My New Lens!

I'm in love.

Most of the picture's I've taken with it were at work, and as such I'm not allowed to post the pictures on here unless I had the parents' permission. Sooo, I will post my very first picture taken immediately after purchasing my new Canon 50mm f/1.4

We're talking immediate as in, I bought it, walked to the nearest bench, attached the lens to the camera and shot this picture:



I'll post more when I have a few more that are post-able. I'm hoping it might stop raining one day.

My first family shoot

Ok so I was asked to take pictures for a family from church, to be used in their Christmas cards. We had limited time, for those who know them will know how busy their life is, so I had a window of maybe about a half an hour to take some pictures. The lovely Crystal lent me her Canon 50mm f1.4 so I was pretty excited. That being said, I didn't really know how it worked... but hopefully I will soon because I totally just bought that lens this weekend, I'm so stoked!!

Anyways, I only got about 5 shots I was satisfied with (not even super happy with but oh well), but I had a bit of fun learning how to create a storyboard. Here's my first attempt:

A Year Ago Today....

It was Halloween.

But it was a Wednesday night, (leap year this year) and we were forced to move from a flea-infested basement suite because the landlord lady was going to charge us 2 days rent if we stayed til Friday. We got home from work at 6pm, and had to move everything in our cars. We had to navigate the streets filled with ghosts, witches, dora's and backyardigans to get to the other side of town. We didn't finish til almost 3 in the morning, and had to get up around 6ish for work the next day. We were exhausted, but happy to be in a nice suite with great landlords.

We've never lived anywhere for an entire year as a married couple, so today is kind of special. We feel so blessed to have a great place to live, and even more blessed that we're NOT moving today!!!

Adventures of Hippo

Hippo went camping on the Labour Day long weekend...



Hippo goes hiking!!



Hippo sees a waterfall!!



Hippo takes a bath!



Hippo makes a friend!



Wheeeeeeeeeee!!!!



Hippo climbs Mt. Wiggy.



And that was Hippo's long weekend adventure.

Random Sweet Photo

This is just one fun shot I got at Cory and Bethany's wedding this summer. It's the only one on this computer.

For Cory

Cory my fellow photographer friend wanted me to post some pictures of what I've been taking pictures of. I still am learning a lot, and I keep looking back at pictures from maybe a month ago saying "I can do so much better!!!" ... but here are a few from a month or so ago when I got up ridiculously early to take pictures of morning fog.

Just Testing ...

Just trying to figure out how to post pictures that are bigger and more beautiful than what blogger allows. This is Jason enjoying the sunset in Tofino.

Passion World Tour

On October 6, 2008 I got to experience one of the most amazing nights since I became a Christian. I got to attend the Passion World Tour. I hadn't heard of it before, until I happened to hear about it on the radio, they mentioned a conference for young adults. I was really excited about something geared for this age group, because there rarely is anything specifically for us. I was excited to hear that David Crowder was going to be there, as well as Chris Tomlin. I'd never heard of Louie Giglio before.

Jason and I took Monday off work so that we could go downtown before rush hour. We went to Science World, which was a blast! Just before 5:00 we walked over to GM Place to get in line for the doors to open at 6:00. We had to register our tickets and switch for wristbands, so we did that as fast as we could and managed to get in line near the doors. Here's a picture of the lineup: (all pictures were from the Passion blog, I only wish I could be this awesome)

We got inside and found seats in the bowl area (we could've gone to the floor but I honestly like seeing what's happening, and being short on the floor is less than fun.) When it started I had goosebumps, I'd never been to any Christian gathering like this and it was intense! Chris Tomlin came out and sang Mighty to Save, and then "God of this City" among others. He was amazing. Louie Giglio came out and welcomed everyone and we prayed for Vancouver and also for Mexico City, where they had just left a few days before. A few Mexicans made this sign that Louie brought with him to Vancouver:

Apparently this was on the blog, and each city that has people that have been to the blog made a sign for the next city. It was pretty amazing watching the slideshow they showed us about where they had been and how each city played "pass it on" with prayer and donations. Our event was free because the Mexican group paid for us. It was amazing to feel so connected to other believers in the world. Chris Tomlin sang some more, and then Louie came out to talk. It was an awesome sermon, very simple, talking about how amazing grace really is. He has such a passion for this age group and you can tell. Oh, speaking of Amazing Grace, it was really neat hearing Chris Tomlin talk about his version of Amazing Grace - some people had asked him to add to it for a movie, and he was like "What? I'm not gonna be 'that punk' who messes with a classic song!! What, do you want me to add to 1 John while I'm at it?" It was cute, and that song is so powerful, it was amazing to hear him sing it.

David Crowder came out, and I've gotta say, I didn't realize how weird looking he is. At first I was like "Who is this and when is David Crowder coming out??" .... then he sang ... haha! But he's a phenomenal artist and it was so fun to worship with him. Anyone who can play a rock song and then break into a hoedown is fine by me!! :)

We then had a chance to do a shout out for the next city, Seoul, Korea. (A HUGE cheer erupted from the crowd - we have a lot of Koreans in Vancouver!) I didn't realize but on the other side of our wristbands was "Passion Seoul" and the dates of their conference. We were encouraged to flip them over and keep them on to pray for them through the week until the dates they have their conferences (10th and 11th of October). Turns out someone saw on the blog the "pass it on" nature of this conference and made a sign for Seoul too.

The whole thing was just incredibly moving, and although I've attempted to explain, no words could do it justice. It was simply amazing and since then I've just felt so blessed to have been a part of that night. Here's a few more pictures I stole from the blog because this guy was really good. He uses a Canon too. :)

Learning!

OK so I was doing so well before school started.

I'm learning lots. Not only about Infants and Toddlers, but also about matters concerning Christianity and where I stand, what I believe, etc. I have taken to listening to podcasts, radio shows, and reading transcripts of past sermons from various preachers and I must say I have never been so thirsty for knowledge.

Maybe one day I will feel confident enough to post what it is I'm learning and what my thoughts are.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year?

I've always loved fall, I used to absolutely adore going to school, getting new stationery, pens, pencils... literally I was the Staples guy singing "It's the most wonderful time of the yearrrr!" ... and I was a student. Yes people, I was (am?) a nerd.

I find myself in that place again, only this time I didn't buy new pens and pencils, I bought myself a laptop! It's not the mac that I've coveted from others for quite some time, but it will do... It's a Dell, and it has a swirly pattern on the front, which I think is pretty. I also have a fancy bag to put it in, which is also pretty. What can I say, I like pretty. And it works, which I suppose is what I need.

I also find myself in a bit of a different place than I have been in the past before heading back to school. I'm not terribly excited about it all, whereas in the past I've hardly been able to wait. Maybe because I know what kind of work awaits me, papers, readings, etc... That being said, there is still a bit of excitement at being able to be called a student again. I love to learn, and this new chapter of learning will present a new challenge. I'm taking online and teleconference classes. I've never been a self-motivated learner. I've relied on the awesomeness of teachers to guide me and interest me. This time I'm on my own, (so to speak, my friend at work is taking these with me) and will need to learn some motivation skills, as well as time management skills. I think that's what makes me less excited. I know that one of my greatest skills is going to hinder my progress... that is, the skill of procrastination. I'm really good at that.

My first "class" will be on Monday night, I'll be on the phone from 7-9. I'm nervous, but the commute makes everything ok. Class on the couch in my pajamas, and then to bed. :)

Waiting.

Sooo we had an offer on a place.

Long story short, we were about $4750 short of what we needed for a down payment because we didn't qualify for 100% financing. All in all, it was confusing.

So we're renting.

In Maple Ridge.

Until we buy, maybe next year.

I'm really not that disappointed, other than not having the plasma tv that came with the place we had an offer on, and the fact that we can't get a puppy til we buy...

We considered renting in Mission or Abbotsford, but that just means an extra move in the next 6-8 months, and I hate moving. So, now I will look for a laptop to do my school assignments while I wait for Jason to pick me up from work, and pray constantly for patience while we commute. I don't love waiting, but I'm sure that we'll find something even greater when we're ready.

A Picture In Words...

Because I didn't bring my camera to the Jack Johnson concert on Thursday, I thought I would describe to you the picture I would have taken.

Looking down on Thunderbird Stadium from the bleachers, the ocean of people that grew denser towards the stage and moved to its own rhythm.

The stage lit in blues, reds, greens, and yellows, with screens displaying photographs of waves crashing, flowers in bloom, and a starscape that, as Jack says, look like the "holes to heaven"

You can't smell a picture, but if you could you could smell the puffs of smoke rising from the crowd...

The background would be a beautiful sunset, soft pinks and oranges behind silhouettes of our west coast trees. Clouds speckled the bluish grey part of the sky, a reminder that it was raining only hours before the concert began.

And of course on the stage in his red Culver City Dub Collection T-shirt (they opened for him) would be Jack Johnson, singing all my favourite songs. :)

And THAT my friends, would be my picture of the most fantastic Thursday night this month! :)

Pic of the Week

These are our friends' puppies, Wiggy (short for Mrs. Wiggles) and Zuki. Wiggy is the pug, they've had her for several years now, but they just adopted Zuki into their family, so we went for a walk on the dikes. She's 7 months old and very playful, as you can tell from this picture! :)

It made me smile, so I thought I'd share this one. It was a rare moment where they weren't zooming past me, chasing each other.

2 Years...

2 years ago this past Tuesday I married the love of my life! It was the ultimate Adventure Day!

We celebrated by going to the Keg for Lobster Summer... It's become a bit of a tradition. I'll use any excuse to eat lobster (however so far the anniversary thing seems to be the only one that works) and so far we've gone to 3 different Kegs to celebrate our marriage. On our honeymoon we ate lobster at the Keg in Whistler, last year we ate lobster at the Keg in Kamloops, and this year we ate lobster at the Keg in Maple Ridge.


... Next year, Abbotsford?

Busy busy

So that was a great idea a few days ago, if I could actually stick to a plan.

I don't have a picture from last week but I do have a picture I've worked on this week, it was taken at the end of July when we went up to Penticton to witness our friends from Kamloops get married. Andrew and Kailyn were our adventuring friends in the 'Loops, always up for a crazy adventure or guitar hero. Made us feel more at home while we lived there for sure, and we were so happy to able to join them on their special day! Here's my favourite photo so far. (These aren't on Facebook yet, I'm not done editing them... It's been a crazy week.)

Freaking Out

Jason and I have been casually looking around at condos to buy out in Mission/Abbotsford. We went looking today and found one we like, it's the first one we've wanted to put an offer on. It's not very big but it has everything we need for now... and it's in Mission, which is better for us anyways... I think? uuughhh there are just too many things to think about in this whole process!!! My brain is going to explode. And we aren't even sure we can GET a mortgage. We saw one we really liked, it was HUGE, but it's way out of our price range, and already has an accepted offer.

This one we like IS pretty nice, it's just small... we can make small work right?? It's bigger than our place now... Gah... I guess we just wait and see. So stressful!

New Ideas

So I've been thinking about my blog lately, which I guess is a good thing! I had a new idea for it, because creating that title banner was a lot of fun, and I actually ended up with a few different ones in the process... So I decided that I will try to change that banner every month, perhaps with a monthly theme, or perhaps just one I like at the time. We'll see... It will help me with my design skills though, so that's a good thing!

My other idea was to do with my newfound love of photography. I want to post a weekly favourite photo (or two), so that I actually get out and shoot pictures every week. I can't promise the quality, but again, it will help me build skills! I might try to do this on Sunday for the week previous. (Which basically means I don't have a picture picked out right this moment, but I will find one tomorrow...)

New layout

Ok so I'm just playing around a bit here, as you can tell... this may change, it may stay. Not really sure yet.

I'm home sick today so I just decided to play around with some photoshop stuff. :)

As promised...

Ok I promised Joanne I would post something more happy than my previous post. So here I am. Unfortunately I'm super tired and want to read my new book (Breaking Dawn, the last of the 4 books in the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer - Twilight will soon be a movie!) so this post won't be the longest ever.

But things ARE happy! Busy, loving work... Looking into moving closer. That either means buying a place or renting. But please pray that we are able to buy, we have been out with a realtor a couple times, and would prefer to buy, but it's all going to come down to the CMHC making the final YES/NO decision. Please pray that it's a yes. ... but if it's a no, pray we can find something suitable to rent while we save.

I recently got into photography! I bought myself a Canon Rebel XTi, and I LOVE taking pictures. I'm soaking up as much information as possible, and looking into pursuing this as a side career. I'm also hoping to re-vamp my blog in the near future... Probably a lot of the reason I don't come on here often. I don't love the look anymore, I need a change. So anyways, off I go to my book, and I will try to update more as I can. :)

Here, I'll leave you with a picture:

I've been playing with Photoshop... I took this picture of my sister at Adstock in Maple Ridge last month. :) Just playing around, but I thought it was cool, and she ADORES anything to do with Nightmare before Christmas.

I really don't blog enough hey? I bet no one reads this anyways.

Today was a sad day. A friend is gone, and the only word that goes through my head is "Why?" ... it doesn't make sense, but as Jason said, not everything is supposed to make sense.

Just yesterday we had a conversation about telling others about Jesus. About our fears, our reservations, our insecurities.

How poignant that message now is, with a friend gone. A friend we might have been more open with if we had known how little time we'd have. My prayer is that he might have heard it somewhere along the way and held it deep in his heart somewhere.