To all my mommy friends and family out there, I want to wish you the best Mom’s Day. I hope you are all treated like queens for a day! Enjoy the weekend, and may you come back into the week feeling refreshed and loved. xo. To honor those hard working moms out there, Laura Winslow Photography is hosting a fabulous giveaway, so check it out. You won’t want to miss this one, but hurry it ends tomorrow.

My beautiful and loving Auntie Irene (my dad’s sister) passed away one week ago today. I have feelings of sadness that we will no longer see her on this earth, but I also have feelings of joy knowing she is in heaven rejoicing with our Lord. Knowing also that she has a new body and is young again, makes me smile. I can imagine her as her sister dreamt the night before she died, running and meeting her family that have also passed before us. Along with the angels, she has joined her parents, brothers (my dad) and sisters, husband, children, grand children and even great grand children. I know she was greeted with open arms, hugs and excitement. I looked up to my Auntie as a woman I would eventually want to be like, and I want to thank her for loving me and always being so happy to see me. She made me feel so special, even in her last days when she was getting so fragile and weak. “Quyana for coming!”, she would say. That means “thank you for coming”. Always grateful and thankful for everyone in her life. I love you Auntie. We will surely miss your laughter, your stories and your company.

I was handed a self portrait challenge by a photography forum I am part of.  Pretty much explains itself, especially the challenge part.   Seriously, it took probably 100 shots just to get 1 good one. First the metering was off, then the focus was off, then the dog’s tail was in the frame cutting across my face, then my 15 month old tried to grab the camera and take a photo.  You get the idea!  It was a great idea to do this because I needed to update my photo anyway.  But whew, good thing it only happens once every 6 months! Here I am thanks to my camera remote, 24-70mm 2.8, 5D Mark II and some precious natural light.

Ever heard of it? Camera bling, that is. Well, I’ve got it! I just got my new camera strap today, and boy do I love it! It’s super comfortable, stylish, and even longer than the original strap so I can wear it on my hip instead of around my neck. Not to mention is has a quick release buckle in case I ever need to take it off in a hurry. I say it’s money ($38.75 to be exact) well spent. If you have a DSLR, and want one of these awesome straps for your camera, visit the PhatStraps shop on Etsy.com. They have tons of styles and I would recommend them 100%! Now I feel like the coolest mom on the block when I wear my camera with its new strap! =) They are so addicting, I might even have to get a couple more to change out with the seasons! Hmm, I’ll add that to my wish list along with the 3 lenses I soooo want! LOL.

P.S. See the image of the birdhouse below? That photo took 1st place in the Photography division of the 2009 Iditarod Art Show!! Goes to show that you don’t have to go far to produce beautiful images..this was taken outside my house, at a bone chilling -10 degrees Fahrenheit!