I feel old!

Tomorrow I have a photography job to take photos at the 8th grade graduation at Fortuna Middle School. This morning I was thinking back to when I graduated from 8th grade and about fell over when I realized it's been 20 YEARS! That makes me feel so old!

Here I am receiving my 8th grade diploma. Yeah, I know I have big 80s hair!

What is even more amazing is that Abigail will be there in 5 short years!

Remember when...

As Abigail gets ready to wrap up her 3rd grade year, I was thinking back to when she was in Kindergarten. It seems like so long ago. I just had to pull out a couple of shots from her Kindergarten graduation...

Abigail with her Kindergarten teacher, Ms. Freeman (now Victorine)....

J.T. is getting ready to go into Kindergarten in the fall so in one year from now, we will be celebrating his Kindergarten graduation!

Jury Duty Scam

I received this forwarded email from my Mom. I don't usually forward stuff because I hate to clutter up people's mailboxes. Anyway, it's worth a read, just to be cautious.

This has been verified by the FBI. Please pass this on to everyone in your email address book. It is spreading fast so be prepared should you get this call.

Most of us take those summonses for jury duty seriously, but enough people skip out on their civic duty, that a new and ominous kind of fraud has surfaced. The caller claims to be a jury coordinator. If you protest that you never received a summons for jury duty, the scammer asks you for your Social Security number and date of birth so he or she can verify the information and cancel the arrest warrant. Give out any of this information and bingo, your identity was just stolen.

The fraud has been reported so far in 11 states, including Oklahoma , Illinois , and Colorado . This (swindle) is particularly insidious because they use intimidation over the phone to try to bully people into giving information by pretending they are with the court system. The FBI and the federal court system have issued nationwide alerts on their web sites, warning consumers about the fraud..

Check it out here: Snopes

Things I did today

I actually got quite a big accomplished today considering it is a Monday and I was in a really bad mood this morning. Maybe it wasn't so much a bad mood as I was feeling really down from something that happened yesterday. I won't address that here except to say that some people will never understand how I feel.

Here are some of the wonderfully exciting things I did today...

1. Took the kids to school. J.T. told me on the way to school that he didn't want his last name to be Albin when he grows up. I told him that boys have to keep their last names for their whole lives.... He did not like this answer.

2. Picked myself up a latte. Today it was from Shotz. Somedays it's from Starbucks. Today it was my favorite... single nonfat latte with a splash of shortbread...

3. Made deposits at two banks. Better to have the money comin' in than goin' out, I suppose.

4. Had a money meeting with Andy. Didn't start out too well with some misunderstandings, but worked out well in the end. We actually got a lot accomplished.

5. Worked on some Ferndale Childrens Center stuff... Treasurers report, next year's budget, resume review for hiring a new Director, paid some bills, preparing myself for going to court next week for the preliminary hearing.

6. Went for a 3 mile walk in nice 69 degree weather.

7. Made dinner.... Andy BBQed chicken and shrimp. I added greek pasta and asparagus. Pretty darn good.

That brings me to right now....

Random thoughts from today

I can't imagine how anyone who embezzles, especially from a non-profit preschool, can live with themself.

I love my new camera... still getting used to a few changes in settings, but I am glad that I upgraded!

I am thrilled to (FINALLY!!) have a Saturday with nothing major going on.... how I have missed it!

I am so happy that we got to have dinner with Berwyn and Ken last night. I really miss them!!

I am trying to get past the fact that Andy's desk is messier than mine.

I am really bummed about not receiving an invitation to an event that I really want to attend.

I am happy that the sun came out today, even though I am not outside to enjoy it.

I hate filing papers, unloading the dishwasher, putting laundry away, and dusting.

I am a little nervous about the 8th grade graduation photos that I am taking on Thursday afternoon.

Well that's it for now....

J.T.

It's been awhile since I did portrait-style photos of my own kids so J.T. and I went outside to take a few this afternoon. I can't believe my little man is 5 1/2 and will start Kindergarten in a few months....

This is my favorite one...

But I like these also...

He really wanted to wear his "cowboy outfit" for some... anything to keep him interested!

Thanks for checking in...

Sarah Albin Photography

Since I have officially been in business for almost 1/2 a year now, I thought I would share my favorite photo from each session or event that I photographed...

From the Pink Tea Party (a fundraiser for the Avon Breast Cancer Walk)...

A mom and her girls...

A very happy one-year-old...

The most adorable niece anyone could ask for....

This guy has been photographed so many times by me that he just sits down and poses himself...

A graduating 8th grader that is so gorgeous...

Some girls looking pretty on their 1st Communion Day...

Isn't she sweet?

These are MY favorites of each session, but they are not necessarily the favorites of the parents. It is funny how everyone sees something different...

Last branding

A couple weeks ago we had our last branding of the year. I am not sure why it took me so long to get on here... it's been a little busy around here!

Here's a few...

Andy saved the last one for J.T. to help with. He got to help Cameron put the rope on the calf's front legs...

He helped Papa put the brand on...

And he watched his Daddy do the heads...

It was a relief to both Andy and I that this was done for the year!

Big Fat Lies?

In the latest issue of Beef Magazine that we received, there was a great article that I thought I would share... It is based on the book "Good Calories, Bad Calories" by Gary Taubes. I have not read the book, and I am not sure if I will or not. Apparently, it's written more like a textbook than a non-fiction book.

Anyway, the articles says that Taubes believes that USDA's “Dietary Guidelines for Americans” promotion of a low-fat, high-carb diet maybe causing the problems with obesity in America. His point is that it is the kind of calories we take in — good or bad — not the number.

Anyway, check out the article here.... Big Fat Lies?

I would love to get some comments on how you feel about this...

Adorable!

I had the pleasure of photographing the most adorable set of four sisters on Saturday.... I picked out a couple of my favorites...

Aren't they adorable?