~through the eyes of gigi~
Welcome to my world!
What you'll see here is life ... Someones real life!
Maybe mine. Maybe yours.
But always...
through the eyes of GiGi
Day 1 ... 364 more to go
I've decided to take on another 365 day photography challenge. I did this (and succeeded at finishing) back in 2012-2013. I've attempted a couple other times but just didn't keep up. All of those can be found here on this blog if you'd like to check them out! Once again, my goal is to improve my photography skills along with blogging a year in my life. Some days may not have top quality photos (like today) but, my thought is this: Any day or anytime I pick up my camera, it makes me 'think photography' and therefore I learn, even if it's just some little something. And, from learning, I'll grow as a photographer. Today, well, it's been a day of tearing down the Christmas tree and I almost forgot I wanted to start this project. SOoo me! :/
But, anyway...let's get this party started!
You can just see the lack of excitement all over their faces. They're so underwhelmed with my idea of adorning them in New Year's party hats and such. I say I have some canine party 'poopers' on my hands. Believe me, for them, it's only a party if it's a wrestling match, they're tearing up some random item they're not supposed to have (ahem, like the Santa hat that just got chewed in two while I sit here blogging) or ravaging the yard. Let's just say it might be easier for me to name something they haven't tried to chew/eat rather than what they HAVE chewed and/or eaten...and survived. What can I say except think the Bumpus hounds from A Christmas Story, throw Marley (x2) in the mix and there ya have my furbabies! Trust me, I wouldn't lie. And, we're crazy in love with them in spite of it all. :)
So, without further ado... Meet the hounds! The Divine Miss P (Piper) and Sophie (So-PHEE', as Harrison my grandson says it which is beyond cute, btw), aka Sophina and Josephina Dirt.
So, there they are in their finest New Year's party accessories. Happy New Years everyone!!!
Many of you know them well from my fb posts but this is their official blog introduction. Piper, my gorgeous beauty, the black Lab, is the reigning queen. She holds herself in the most regal stances even while chewing a shoe. Then there's Sophie, full of love and always appears to be smiling. She's our Aussie/Border Collie mix. We don't really know what she is but, she has enough Australian Sheperd in her for it be prominent in her looks.
Argus, (the Husky/Malamute mix) is our handsome grandpup. And well, he's just too damned well behaved for our rowdy crew! Too bad they don't pay attention and learn from his example.
Dream on, GiGi... (I do speak in third person sometimes when I blog.)
2014, The Second Half
Blogging again?... Yep.
Consistently? ... Not, but hopefully.
My motivation to blog and record the moments of my life, (and yours) comes from taking a photo walk down memory lane by looking through my 365daysofsnaphappy blog project.
I CAN DO THIS. For me, and for you, too! I hope you enjoy what you see here on GiGi K's blog ... Read on!
First, let me finish up 2014! I could start anew but, I have some special photo memories to document in this last post for 2014. Too special not to blog! Prior to this post my last blog date was the middle of May. I'm picking back up there and moving right on with a timeline of the photos I loved most from last year, 2014. Not just because there may be loved ones in some of them but, because these photos are some of my own personal favorites. Work I'm really proud of.
May 18th was a HUGE day in my daughter Roxanna's life! She graduated from K U with her degree in Film and Media Studies. I couldn't be prouder. With her boyfriend by her side, they walked the hill together and made quite the graduating pair!
June, 2014
July, 2014
A very special month. Waiting for a new baby to arrive is always so exciting. But not always do Grandmas (GiGis) get invited to be there by their daughter in laws. I'm blessed to not only have the awesome daughter in law that was ok with me being there when the baby was born but actually wanted me there and wanted only me to document the birth with photos. What an honor. AND, it was my first home birth experience! What a day (sigh)... Thank goodness the "traffic Gods" were in my favor that morning and I made the 40+ mile drive from my home to theirs with thirty five minutes to spare before our little guy arrived! What an awesome day it was! :)
August, 2014
Catching up .... A Belated Easter Day Post :)
I can't get enough of Spring!
But, this year I'm just not sure there will be enough of it. Cold weather just seems to keep worming it's way back in. Here we are, it's the middle of May and Mark was outside, early, early this morning showering off the plants in the garden to ensure any possible frost gets rinsed away before the sun rises. Bring on the steady temps of 70-80 degrees! Is it really too much to ask?! Ahhh, (insert sigh) I'm somehow always reminded that Mother Nature has a mind of her own! :)
It's been a super busy month and so many photos to share so let's just see if I can cut down on my "jabber" and get to the "good stuff"...at least I sure think so! I hope you do, too! Many of these photo's I've shared on my fb but I'm really thankful that I'm blogging them also. They will forever be logged into the diary of my life! And that's what this blog is! My life and maybe at some point, a little glimpse of yours if our paths should cross! And, I hope they do!
I'll start with Easter! It was such a fun day! These precious little people are four of our grandbabies that we were lucky enough to see on that day! I call this one...
"First Taste of Easter"
This little beauty has always been so patient with her GiGi. She's getting to the age where having her photo made all the time isn't so much fun but on Easter, she posed like the princess she is! I told her I needed to forever have a memory of her in that gorgeous dress her Momma bought for her to wear and if we took her picture then GiGi would always be able to see her in that dress. She just looked at me and smiled. She was sooo excited a couple of weeks later to find out that I had won 1st place at the monthly meeting of Northland Photography Club with the photo of her. The theme for May's meeting was "portraiture." I was honored and very excited myself! I titled it...
"Bloomin Beauties"
This little guy was so happy when the REAL Easter Egg Hunt took place because earlier I had left some empty eggs laying around that I'd wanted to use just for photos and when he opened them, oh my, his little face did not look this happy. A few jelly beans and some chocolate, that's all it took to make him smile this big when he opened the eggs that had the good stuff in them!
"A Sixlet Kind of Happiness"
And, last but not least is my beauties little brother! Not so much a baby anymore but looking quite the fine gentlemen in his Easter suit! Too cute, but oh so sober! I could hardly get him to crack a smile with me until I started telling him we could probably find some trouble to get into together! That managed to bring a half smile to his face at one point!
"A Dapper Dude"
Two of my gorgeous, grown up girls made the photo blog this time around, too!!! :) With so much activity going on that day, somehow I didn't manage to put the families together for photos but these are two of my favorite shots from the day, also. I caught my oldest daughter holding her nephew in such a tender candid, moment. What a special memory for her to have forever. For them both. AND, my daughter in law showing off our 7th grandbaby, due the first of August! :)
Babies, Blooms and Bunnies
What an awesome time of year! Maybe the best of all the seasons! Springtime brings all forms of new life. Green grass reappears, flowers and trees are blooming, bird nests are being built and bunnies are hopping around everywhere!!! LIFE! Rebirth! All of these things are happening around my house and I couldn't be happier that Spring has finally arrived. But, what could be better than a new baby!? How precious and sweet. A new tiny, little life. I hope you are as lucky as I am to have all this life blooming around you, too! Enjoy! Life Is Good! :)
I am honored to be called "Aunt" by this little guys mommy and I can't wait to watch him grow! His Grandma and I have been best friends for years. Three weeks ago I had the pleasure to photograph him at the hospital the day after he was born. His mommy and daddy couldn't be prouder!
Meet little Blake Owen. What a handsome, doll baby! ... I think "handsome" and "doll" go together just fine, don't you!? ;)
And what would Springtime be without all the flowers beginning to bloom!? I love them all but just happen to have plenty of Daffodils to photograph in my own back yard. I think I need to plant Tulips and Crocuses, too! By the way, I looked up that plural form of Crocus, it's correct!
And last, but not least, we couldn't forget the Easter Bunny! I know, they're really just a rodent (sigh) but somethings are just sweet no matter how destructive they can be. Kind of like Dandelions...I don't mind those so much either. Not really. Think of them this way...they're a freebie from God! We don't even have to work for that little piece of sunshine! :) Happy Spring!
Sweet Robin? Think Again!
I didn't get out this week to do any shooting and I really do miss it. I can't believe the week went by so quickly. We all say that, don't we. I guess I simply wasn't motivated enough. I can find beauty in all seasons and colors, but I have to say I'm just not a cold weather person and I'm very ready for the "browns" to go away, "greens" to reappear and flowers to bloom. Slowly, but surely it is happening!
Many of you know how much I LOVE my backyard birds and along with those greener, warmer days and blooming flowers I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of the birds that come along with it! But, in the meantime I'm still observing the year round residents and lately I've had some interesting behavior going on. For anyone that pays attention you know it's the time to start staking out territory and building nests. There's so much flitting, flying and chasing going on between the birds because it's the season...to make babies! They're trying to entice and impress their mate. Or catch a mate! After speaking with a friend of mine who is very knowledgeable about birding, I believe all those things, along with the crazy, cold weather making it more difficult to find worms, are what's causing one particular female Robin to behave so poorly in my yard. If she were a child, let's just say she'd be in "time out" quite often! As I mentioned above, 'tis the season, so it is normal for them to fight amongst themselves at times but, she's been very aggressive. She pecks at and chases away ALL birds at the feeder, the ones on the ground around the feeder, at the bird bath and a couple of days ago when I went to put out food and water she even sat in the middle of the feeding tray, postured down and had a stand off with ME!!! Little stinker! I was nearly within 10 ft before she flew away only to land in a nearby pine tree and proceed to loudly fuss at me! Although I've seen her strut around the the perimeter of the feeder and the ground like a rooster, I am pretty certain it's a female because of the dull, faded colors she sports in comparison to other Robins in my yard. My husband and I have had a lot of fun and laughs watching her but I do hope she doesn't chase away my other birds.
Well, that's her story. Don't be fooled by her sweet, little "Robin looks." She's just scoping out who she wants to attack next!
Meet my bad ass Momma Robin!
