No takers

Merry Christmas everyone!! Hope you all had a great day!

Apparently, based on the abundance of comments on my last post, no one is brave enough to join me in my quest of 2008 in 2008. That's alright, I'll venture it alone!

Here's a short list of what I have thought of so far that will help me towards my goal.

1- We are spending the first week of the new year in Arizona. Everywhere you look there is something uniquely beautiful to snap.
2- Two of my sisters are pregnant and will have babies this coming summer. Granted, they live on opposite sides of the continent (with me in the middle), but with the family reunion, maybe we'll meet up there. And, if they haven't popped yet, even preggo pictures can be fun.
3- Two family reunions this summer. There must be something I can capture!
4- One reunion is on Grand Manan Island. Jeremiah has never been there, and the lighthouses, cliffs, oceans, whares, etc will make great shots!
5- The Lagoon is launching in January and is bound to have excellent photo ops throughout the year.
6- Hope is that by next Christmas, there will be enough kids/families in the church to put on a Christmas play. Always photo-esque!
7- Jeremiah is going to Swaziland and Mozambique in November. We're praying about me going along. If not, does it count if HE takes the pictures??? hehe
8- We're looking for a house as we find things we like. Once a house is in the works, I'll want to show it off electronically.
9- I love my husband and maybe if I'm nice, he'll let me take some pictures of him throughout the year.
10- We have found some beautiful spots around the Carlisle area that are guaranteed to be snapped at different points throughout the year.
11- None of you have been to my town, so who knows, you might even get a virtual tour once the spring hits and the land is a little more beautiful once again.
12- It hasn't snowed yet this year and I'm anxiously awaiting its arrival, so when it comes, you can bet I'll be snapping it up!
13- My sister bought me a "how to photograph nature" book, so I'll make use of that as well!
14- Washington DC is only 3 hours away.
15- We will find a zoo to go to.
16- etc etc etc.

It's not too late to join in the fun!! let me know if you plan on snapping with me!

Be on the lookout for my upcoming jumpstart in Arizona!

2008 in 2008

As previously mentioned in other posts, my wonderful and loving husband bought one of my dream gifts for me this past September. He bought me a sleek, black, shiny DSLR camera -- the Nikon D40. I've been accused of not using it as much as I could (although I have taken a handful of pretty neat shots).

I've taken this accusation and made it a challenge.

My challenge is this:

2008 in 2008.

That's it. That's how simple the rules are. Between the stroke of the New Year and the stroke of the following New Year, I will take 2008 pictures. Based on it being a leap year, that's only 5.4863387978142076502732240437158 pictures a day (I think I'll round it off to 5.5 a day) average. That's an average of 167.333333 pics a month

While that's the only rule, I have given myself a couple of guidelines:

1- No more than 15% can be taken in any given month. (must be less than 300 pictures a month -- if November rolls around and I haven't hit 1408, there's no catching up. ) Pictures over 300/month may be included in the count only if the 2008 goal is overshot)

2- I have to try. I can't just shoot nothingness because I'm behind. You don't have to think it's beautiful, but I have to know for myself that I am trying to learn and strive for better photography.

3- The sky's the limit. Pictures can be of anything I feel like shooting. I'm going to enjoy myself or die trying.


So fellow digitizers out there... are you up for the challenge? Will you join me? Or am I on my own? (Filmers, I invite you too, but only if you've got a strong pocket book!!!!) Make your own guidelines and let us know what they are!

You can find my pictures (starting with brand new Jan 1 pics) at www.sarahs2008in2008.blogspot.com. (Unless someone tells me a better place for listing pictures). If you want to join me, PLEASE LET ME KNOW!!! Make a new blog (www.yourname2008in2008.blogspot.com or wherever) and I will put a link to you on my page.

Let's shoot it together!

And We'll Have Fun, Fun, Fun...

Til the storm takes our phones away......

I'm at work right now. it's 9:12 on Monday morning, and for the second time since I've worked here (4 months) we're having pretty significant phone issues. Ugh. It's Monday and, rumour has it, it's going to be Monday ALL DAY!!!

Cure for Insomnia

Here's the self-proven method of curing insomnia.

Spend one day as follows:
1- Get up bright and early and spend an hour getting ready for work
2- Go to work for a 9 hour stretch (8 hours of work and an hour lunch.. but to make sure the cure works, work on church stuff during your lunch break)
3- Make sure the last half of your job is relatively stressful
4- Go home and spend at least 20 minutes of quiet time with your husband eating supper (left over pizza from last night worked in the test day)
5- Drop your husband off at the church for a board meeting at the church and run back to the grocery store for coffee and something to eat at the meeting.
6- Return to the church and spend 2.5-3 hours painting the new children's ministry room
7- Wait for the board meeting to be over before being able to go home.
8- Sit while your husband chats to a board member for an hour after the meeting (it was an interesting a good conversation, though. I didn't mind!)
9- Go home by 11:20.
10- Go to bed. (Don't forget to make sure you set your alarm a little later for the morning, you're going to need it!)

I haven't been sleeping well for the last week. Lots on my mind of everything that has to get done. I'll tell you though. Last night, I slept like a ROCK! Go ahead, try it. And if you don't mind... try it at our church helping me get the Lagoon up and running by January!!!

OH - and check out the new church website: LoveLearnLive.Org

3 minutes

I have about 3 minutes before I have to leave for work.

Update:
- work is going well. I am still the jack-of-all-trades, and I prefer it that way. Yesterday, my role was clarified for a couple people and I think that'll help things go smoother in the future. yay for smoother :)

- Amy and Mike are coming to visit tomorrow!!!!! I cannot wait. I have not seen a family member or person from home since mom and dad and Laurel left in SEPTEMBER. Oh how I miss them sometimes!!! It's a short visit, but we'll make the best of it.

- Times up. I didn't have much else to say anyway :) Until next time

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Nature Shots

I posted some of my favourite shots of the season on my photo blog. Let me know what you think!!! I'd love to have your input. I am REALLY enjoying my new camera! It is amazing!

Photos at: www.gomezfamilyphotos.blogspot.com

Lately life has seemingly become very busy for Jer and I. With me continuing to adjust to full time work, and he in the middle of many upcoming church adjustments, we have learned to make special use of the moments we share together. Depending on who has the car on a given day, we'll share lunch at work or I'll come home for lunch. Last Saturday, we had a special day. Lots of tv and sleep.

Yesterday, looking for something fresh and new to do, we packed up and went out to enjoy a "late fall day" (weather in the 60s). It's amazing what you can find when you drive JUST OUTSIDE of town around here. Within 10 minutes, we were winding around the mountain roads, heading up to the hiking paths in Kings Gap State Park. We paroused through some of the trails and enjoyed each others company while we enjoyed glimpses of the world God has given us.

Click here for a couple of the shots that we snapped while we were out. They couldn't possibly share how wonderful our day was, but they may show off a bit of God's beauty.