Month: May 2007

  • When I was your age…..

    One of our brides sent this to us. It was too funny, especially since Kerri and I were just talking about our son and him walking to and from school. When I was his age…..well you know how it goes.


    Anyway, here it is. Thanks Lorrie!





    When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious diatribes about how hard things were when they were growing up; what with walking twenty-five miles to school every morning .. uphill BOTH ways …through year ’round blizzards. Carrying their younger siblings on their backs … to their one-room schoolhouse, where they maintained a Straight-A average, despite their full-time, after-school job at the local textile mill … where they worked for 35 cents an hour just to help keep their family from starving to death!


    And I remember promising myself that when I grew up, there was no way I was going to tell my kids how hard I had it and how easy they’ve got it!

    But now that I’m over the ripe old age of thirty…


    I can’t help but look around and notice the youth of today. You’ve got it so easy! I mean, compared to my childhood, you live in a Utopia! And I hate to say it but you kids today you don’t know how good you’ve got it! I mean, when I was a kid we didn’t have The Internet. If we wanted to know something, we had to go to the library and look it up ourselves, in the card catalog!!

    There was no email! We had to actually write somebody a letter …. with a pen! Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put it in the mailbox and it would take like a week to get there!

    There were no MP3′s or Napsters! You wanted to get music off the radio you had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio and the DJ usually talked over the beginning and messed it all up!

    We didn’t have fancy stuff like Call Waiting! If you were on the phone and somebody else called they got a busy signal, that’s it! And we didn’t have fancy Caller ID Boxes either! When the phone rang, you had no idea who it was! It could be your school, your mom, your boss, your bookie, your drug dealer, a collections agent, you just didn’t know!!! You had to pick it up and take your chances, mister!

    We didn’t have any fancy Sony Play station video games with high-resolution 3-D graphics! We had the Atari 2600! With games like ”
    Space Invaders” and “Asteroids” and the graphics sucked ! Your guy was a little square! You actually had to use your imagination! And there were no multiple levels or screens, it was just one screen forever! And you could never win. The game just kept getting harder and harder and faster and faster until you died! …. Just like LIFE!

    When you went to the movie theater there were no such things as stadium seating! All the seats were the same height! If a tall guy or some old broad with a hat sat in front of you and you couldn’t see, you were just hosed!

    Sure, we had cable television, but back then that was only like 15 channels and there was no onscreen menu and no remote control! You had to use a little book called a TV Guide to find out what was on! You were out of luck when it came to channel surfing! You had to get up and walk over to the TV to change the channel and there was no Cartoon Network either! You could only get cartoons on Saturday Morning. Do you hear what I’m saying!?! We had to wait ALL WEEK for cartoons!

    And we didn’t have microwaves, if we wanted to heat something up .. we had to use the stove or go build a fire .. imagine that! If we wanted popcorn, we had to use that stupid Jiffy Pop thing and shake it over the stove forever like an idiot. That’s exactly what I’m talking about! You kids today have got it too easy. You’re spoiled.

    You guys wouldn’t have lasted five minutes back in 1980!

  • LINDSAY’S GRADUATION

     


    LINDSAY’S GRADUATION PARTY


    So last night, we had a small party for Lindsay since yesterday was her college graduation day but because of her chicken pox she couldnt attend. So we had a little celebration here. Mark got her some flowers and she opened her graduation gift. It was just a small token for now.


    It is an old German made ‘medium format” with the bellows that sticks out…she got some film and a cool book on photography. She loved it. I cant wait to see her use it. The other day she made a pinhole camera out of an old metal saltine box that she picked up at an antique store. She shot some pictures with it which just astounds me that you can do that! She loves the old stuff…we will be putting together a spot for her stuff on the new website so look for that some day soon…


    Well we are cleaning the decks of all the stuff we planned to sell at a yard sale last year but never got to it and so it sat and got rained on so we had to throw alot of it out. Yard sale coming up for sure before out first wedding so we can be done with all that junk!


    Oh and I got up real early this morning to catch a yard sale that was listed on Craigs List. Yes I did. But it was for a baby swing that I need for Jayden when I watch him here…$20 great deal! It is like brand new!


    Dont you love a great deal???


    To all you Mothers out there….


    H A P P Y   M O T H E R ‘S   D A Y   !!!  


     


    What are you going to be doing? we will be heading out to Il Fornaio for “brunch” but it is actually not until after lunch so what is that? Linner? 


    XXXOOO


     

  • Love Hate relationship!

    Friends,


    I have a terrible case of love hate right now with my computer….it has been so freaky lately. It is hanging up on everything I try to do. When it works great I just speed along…when it gums up it takes away from my ablity to move on! I get soooo impatient with it I want to drop it off my roof! But then where would I be? So I hate it and yet I love it and need it…


    Life is that way too….we want it to go smoothly every moment. We want it to move along with out any hitches…but it rarely stays in a state of bliss does it? It really tries our patience and we begin to see our hidden flaws as human beings. We desire things to go our way. We desire them to go according to our timetable. We desire them go without a hitch and we desire adoration and accolations…for work well done! Ther Bible talks about this…Do all unto the Lord…not unto man. If we dont it will only bring heartache in the end. It is a hard thing to let go We have no trust in anything but ourselves if we have that! If not then we trust no one and nothing. Ugh what a horrible place to be. There is one who is wholly turstworthy. God is the only one who knows us fully and yet understands us because of Jesus and what He did on the cross FOR us. IF He only knew all about us and didnt understand us He wouldnt truly be able to say He loves us and can help us.Ever had something horrible happen and someone says I totally understand what you are going through and they have no clue. Its like that. Jesus does know because He was one of us for 33 years here on earth. He felt everything we feel. Imagine all that He went through and yet He was God! At anytime He could have made life easier but when there is a bigger picture and plan you keep that before you and not the thing in front of you. How much of what is happening today going to affect you in 5 weeks, 5 years or Eternity?  


    I need to slow down and take some stock in what is truly important if this other isnt working out? I wanted to post something and I wanted to check my email.. That is different from what I was saying as I was steaming over my computer! I have to post and I have to check my email…. no…..I really dont have to I wanted to. Okay so now I check myself and ask…what do I really need to do?


    Spend some time with God! I am blowing by him everyday telling Him and myself I am too busy to visit right now…catch up with you later!!!


    Life is not meant to be lived on a fast track everyday with no peace, no conversations with God. I need to know what He wants to tell me for today. I need to just slow down and enjoy the fact that God in all His graciousness and love and awesomeness and all that He is which is too much for my mind to wrap around half the time, does have something to say to me. why would I not want to hear what that would be??? Am I crazy? If you lived in England say back when people revered the King or Queen (given they were kindly of course) and they requested your company to talk to you, to dine with you, to include you in some plan they had in mind…wouldnt you jump on the first haywagon and ride out there and present your peasantly self!? Yes, I need to hitch up the haywagon today and spill my guts that I havent been the best subject in the land and that I would love to know what is on their minds!


    Well I better post this before I lock up again!


    Blessings to you all today!


    Let your Love Fall Fresh on me, Lord! 



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    Kerri   


       

  • A great day out


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    Yesterday Kerri and I met a client to do a photo shoot in a local coffee shop. We can’t show you pictures of that shoot yet, but the coffee shop was very cool! After we were done Kerri and I took a few extra minutes to shoot around the place.


    If you are in or near Granite Bay, California you have to go check out Jericho’s Coffee shop – Sherry was so nice to let us use her back room and it was like the perfect studio! They have great coffee and ambiance, the kind of place you would like to just bring a good book to and spend a few hours with a cup of coffee..


    Here are some shots…


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  • Chicken Pox and veternarian visits…

     


    Have any of you had or know anyone who has caught the chicken pox as an adult? Poor Lindsay is down with it and it has been downright awful and painful! For some reason the ones on the bone directly behind her ears  have been the worst and because of that she hasnt been able to sleep for 2 days. Around 5 pm last night she asked us to pray for her and within a short time she fell asleep. Wthin 2 hours the fever broke and she woke up hungry. Always a good sign! What a relief to see her up and eating and talking again.


    Here is the sad part. She has one class left before the end of her 4 year college career. That is this morning. We are waiting to hear back from her professor on how that is going to affect her grade. It was one of those classes that was only 3 credits but it might keep her from graduating. Who knows if she will get an incomplete or a lower grade. :ast week she completed her presentation and turned it in early, thank God. Who knew she would be in this situation! Regardless, graduation is in a few days and because she is still in the contagious stage she will be unable to ”walk” to get her diploma. She will have to wait until next May. Its so sad because Limdsay has worked so hard these last 4 years and I know she is disappointed.


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    So now we are all watching Jayden as to whether or not he will come down with this since we babysat him twice last week. We all handled him, and yes Lindsay, too. No one knew. ,Last call from Kelly was that he had a slight temp. Oh no! He is only a little over 10 weeks old.


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    As this is going on my sweet Josie girl has been ill, too. She has been lethargic and sick at both ends and wouldnt eat or drink. I took her to the vet yesterday and they sent us home with some pills I got one in her right away and then one right before bed. She wouldnt eat her dinner and stayed hidden in the closet. Around 4 am she woke me up whining at the bedroom door. She needed to potty. But instead of going back to the closet she seemed abit energetic so I gave her some lowfat cottage cheese and she ate that down in seconds. I only gave her a few spoonfuls so she wouldnt get sick again and she is sitting with me on the couch as I write this.


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    I am so grateful that things are turning around today…thanking God for his blessings of health. It is a scary place to be when you dont have it.


    We have a cool job today….but cant share it yet. More later!


    Hope all is well with you and your families!!!   


    To all our 07 Brides….


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    Wohoo!! Starting next month we are officially starting our season! We cant wait to photograph your weddings!!!! And hand over your beautiful once in a lifetime Wedding Story Albums! So, we are resting up checking all our gear to make sure it is in tip top shape and adding more high end lenses. We want only the best for you guys!


    Love ya,


    Mark and Kerri


     

  • Its LIVE! Yippeee…..

     


    You can now go to  www.lydellphoto.com  and go straight to our
    website instead of the link we had up in the previous post.


     


    We still have alot of interior work to do such as fill our portfolios.
    We only have a few done in the wedding and the engagement sections.


     


    There are a few other minor things we are still tweaking and adjusting (some of you may still need to hit your F11 button to size the picture in screen ) but for the most part you get the idea of what we have been up to!


    : ) 


    Really….can someone invent a smiley face on the keyboard that isn’t sideways!


     

  • Sneak Preview…help beta test our website!!

    Okay folks….The new website is mostly done. It’s not officially “live” yet as there is some administrative ends to tie up before we take the old one off the server and hook this one up.  


    But enough is done, and we want all our Xanga friends to get the first look at it.


    The “secret” link is here 
    (Be sure to press F11 on your keyboard!!! )


    Please look around, kick the tires and let us know what you think. If you notice any bugs, broken links or other issues please send an email to Mark at office@lydellphoto.com.


    Hope it was worth the wait….we are so glad to have this part done.


    I only have a couple galleries on yet, and that is what I’m working on now. The old site required that the images be smaller and they don’t size up without losing a lot of quality so I’m rebuilding the galleries one at a time. Time consuming, but it will be worth it!


    Once we get our ’07 Weddings done we ill start posting those up as well and take down some of our older ones…some of which we were along as second shooters. We really want to thank: 



    Without each and everyone of them we wouldn’t be here today. They truly helped us out in our first year and we want to be able to pay it forward!


    Thank you all for making ’06-’07 a most wonderful  wedding season…the best thing about this business is how helpful and friendly all the photographers are that God has placed in our lives at such a time as this….


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     Mark & Kerri


     


    Remember press F11!!! Or it will just look like a slideshow with no bottom links…


     

  • It’s Mark’s Birthday!!!! New Edit…

    Afternoon edit 


    HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARK!!!!


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    After being picked up by Randy for lunch we headed down to The FireHouse in Old Sacramento. Was it beautiful!


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    This is the outside courtyard where started to have lunch but it was cold so we moved indoors.


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    The birthday boy still waiting for his lunch….so he decided to check out Randy’s meal.


     


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    This was Mark’s birthday dessert! This was a cheesecake with fig topping and the gold topping on top of that is something made from sugar! The legs were made  from a cookie or biscuit. It was so cool! 


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    This was the beautiful room that we stopped to take pictures on the way out


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    Then we walked around and checked out a really cool hat store. Here are some that Randy tried on.


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    Here is the one Mark chose…I like it!


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    That was fun!!!


     T h a n k s   R a n d y !


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    Morning Post 


    So what do you get for a guy who has everything you can afford and what you cant afford sits at B&H in a dreamer’s shopping cart. LOL!!! Yeah, camera lenses baby!


    We are serving up baked caramel rolls and coffee since most of my kitchen is being held hostage. We had a leak under out sink and guess what grew…yeah mold! So it seems Nasa has entered the building!  


     


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    and here is the “after”  


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    My sink and dishwasher are taking a long needed siesta. Everyone say “ahhhhh” Gee what is a poor woman to do when half her kitchen is dysfunctional? We eat out. Our good friend Randy is coming by to get us to take us ANYWHERE we want for Mark’s birthday lunch!!! Yehah! Thank you Randy!!!


    So today we continue on with the website even tho we did a drastic change midstream  hopefully our deadline will still be good. Before you think poor  Mark slaving away getting this done the truth is he loves it! He loves sitting at that computer like a mad scientist! Hahaha….


    Randy was here yesterday and got this shot of Mark he really does look like a mad scientist…a rather tired one… hahaha……this is what you look like when you have been working day and night on a website!.


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    Okay so have you missed Jayden lately?


    No worries he is here as well… Jayden came over and Grandpa brought out a special book he had been waiting to pull out just for Jayden. You can never start them too young!! Now we have to wait for him to learn how to use a mouse…


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     Okay everyone….leave your birthday wishes…he needs them to keep going and you all wanna see the website soon right????!


     

  • We have a winner!!

     


    Our photo contest has ended and we had a ton of excellent entries so it was fun to look at them all. We decided to not wait until Friday to announce the winner so here it is!


     


    and the winner is….


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    mommyfish!!
    (Also known as Nancy from Aptos Photography. )


    We decided to award her with both prizes – an 8×10 with her title on it AND the Starbuck’s card. Be sure to visit her site and congratulate her.


    Stay tuned – we’ll post a new contest soon. Hey – why not start one of your own?


    We’re still working on the new website and hope to have it up soon. We are very excited about it and can’t wait to share it with all our friends!


     


    All your entries they were so creative and inspiring it was difficult to choose. 
    Thank you to all who participated!!