Day 335

Only 30 days to go!

Kimmik

Day 334

Each day, I become more and more appreciative of the people who are in my life. Every single person is very important to me and holds a special place in my heart.

Pictured above is my BFF Sarah during her playoff hockey game tonight. Saying that Sarah is a good hockey player is a severe understatement. She is a great player and an even better friend. We have been friends since 1997. Yes, she has had the fortune of putting up with me for 15 years. We met by playing on the same hockey team. It was my first time on the ice and I was skating backwards. I ran into Sarah on accident. I was so embarrassed to run into the best player on the team, especially since I was making my hockey debut. As time went on, Sarah and I maintained our friendship. She is a great person and I am lucky to be able to call her my friend. I look forward to see what the next 15 years will bring.

Kimmik

Day 333

Kitty studying too??

Kimmik

Day 332

He was super tired.

Kimmik

Day 331

I have been slacking. Tomorrow I will take a real photograph. None of this iPhone "photography."

Day 330

Beautiful weather.

Kimmik

Day 329

I may like this more than my soy milk. It's delicious.

Kimmik

Day 328

I had a great day. I hope you did as well.

Kimmik

Day 327

Happy Birthday Ketrin!! We celebrated by having a great dinner with some lovely sushi. As amazing as the food was, the company was way better.

Kimmik

Day 326

Detroit hustles harder.

Kimmik

Day 325

Mmmmm Bailey's cheesecake!

Day 324

Brazil!

Kimmik

Day 323

With great barbecue, comes great responsibility.

We have been having amazing weather lately, so it is only fitting, that the grill is lit. The main reason I love summer so much is because I spend a lot of time with my family. Having barbecues and being outside in the sun is always a great way to unwind after two stressful semesters.

Kimmik

Day 322

I know yesterday, being St. Patrick's Day, was all about green, so I guess I am a bit late. Per usual, I am almost always late.

Tomorrow, for the photography club, my kids' assignment is to photograph something green. Now, what kind of example would I be if I did not complete the assignment as well?

Luckily, I found some shamrocks (aka the Dichondra or Ponyfoot weed) on the side of my driveway. I think the reason I like this photograph because of the contrasting colors; the gray and the green.

It will be interesting to see what the kids think tomorrow.

Kimmik

Day 321

It was a good night to burn things. There was a large wood pile in my backyard that was screaming for attention. Especially the branches from a few rose bushes we trimmed last fall. Since Pongo is healing very well, he is able to run around outside and he loves that. Until he chases a squirrel and finds himself in the rose bush branches. I decided to burn those pesky rose bush branches today. Though, I did not get to all of them. I was distracted by talking to my neighbor. Their black lab, Spooky, passed away this week, he was 14.

Pongo turns four this year and I hope he lives to be that age. So, my message for the day, is to enjoy everything around you. Especially the little things, for one day, you will look back on them and realize that they were the big things that mattered most.

Do not let the flame die,

Kimmik

Day 320

The weather is causing it to be extremely foggy at night. Though, I believe it to be the work of Dementors.

Kimmik

Day 319

The weather has been crazy.

A couple of tornados touched down about two hours from where I live. When I got home, there were spurts of lighting everywhere. Of course, by the time I ran in my house, grabbed my camera and tripod, the clouds were covering it. I decided to snap a couple photographs anyway. After a bunch of shutter clicks later, I have one decent photograph. Not the best, but I liked the way the purple shines through from the lighting that is behind the clouds.

Kimmik

Day 318

Another camera phone photograph. I wish I would have had my real camera. I like the idea of this photograph, I know I can make it much better. Next time.

Kimmik

Day 317

Totally appropriate for my chalkboard wall.

Kimmik

Day 316

I had a GREAT time teaching my photo kids today. They are absolutely amazing. I have probably said this before, but I am so lucky to be surrounded by awesome students who want to learn more about photography. Especially from me, but I am goofy, so that probably makes it fun.

Leading into a PowerPoint presentation I made over the weekend, I asked them if they could name one of my favorite things. Their responses were, "Harry Potter, hockey, Pongo, photography, coffee and LEGOs." All were correct haha! 

But the latter went with today's lesson. We did a little photo history, but in a fun way. The photograph for today was taken with me phone; a timeline a couple of the kids made as I talked about it (I just noticed that in 1884, George Eastman's name was misspelled and in 1900, they wrote, "not edible" after the Brownie camera HAHA!).

After discussing famous photos/photographers, I showed them LEGO re-creations by Balakov. Like this one from my favorite photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson. They seemed to enjoy it and I am glad. I was a little nervous before the presentation because when I was in middle school and I heard "history PowerPoint," I immediately checked out mentally. But with the use of Balakov's LEGO re-creations and a few of my corny jokes, it was fun for everyone.

Kimmik

Day 315

50 days left of my project!

In preparation for tomorrow's lesson, I was thinking of ways to keep my photography students entertained. I want to teach the kids a little history about photography, but I do not want it to be boring. I think it is really interesting, but to a middle school-aged kids, probably not.

The first photograph in 1827, Eastman-Kodak, the Brownie camera, wet plates in 1851, dry plates in 1879 AND handheld cameras made that same years, vintage Nikon cameras, the first 35mm camera made in 1913, photographers like Cartier-Bresson (my favorite), Ansel Adams, Rosenthal. What is there not to love? All awesome subjects. I hope to make the kids see the same tomorrow. Hopefully, it will go well. I believe it will.

Today's photograph is another of my lovely puppy. I decided to shoot it in black and white, but add a little grain to it - as if it were one of those photographs produced in 1930's during Cartier-Bresson's era. By the look of Pongo's facial expression, I think he is getting a little annoyed with my taking his photograph. He is a goofy puppy.

It is through living that we discover ourselves, at the same time as we discover the world around us. -Henri Cartier-Bresson

Kimmik

Day 314

Kimmik

Day 313

Day 313! Detroit's area code.

It is only appropriate to celebrate the city's greatness with an awesome up and coming company called Urban Wave. 
Today, I had an all day long photoshoot for a great fitness training company, LHOP. While I was exhausted from working from 7am-6:30pm, I met some pretty amazing and inspiring people. One of those people is Mason, she is referred to as "Tiki Paddle Master" on the Urban Wave website.

I have to be honest, today was the first time I have heard about the Urban Wave company, but I previously read an article in the "Detroit Free Press" about, my favorite hockey player, Nick Lidstrom, Chris Chelios and Kid Rock SUPing (stand-up paddle boarding) across the Detroit River. It looks like a great sport and hopefully I will get out and try it soon there soon.

So, Michiganders, if you find yourself bored this spring/summer and are in need of something new, fun and exciting to do, you now know who to call (no, not the GhostBusters). And if you try out Urban Wave, invite me along as well, I want to join in on the fun.

Kimmik

Day 312

If Clark Kent wore sunglasses, I think they would be Ray-Ban's.

Kimmik

Day 311

Being a reptile is not a quality I look for in a pet.

Kimmik

Day 310

Apparently my backpack has added "doggie pillow" to its list of functions. It is no longer just used for carrying books.

Kimmik

Day 309

Yay reading!

Kimmik

Day 308

Though we came in second, we went down fighting. I am very proud of our team.

Great weekend ladies,

Kimmik

Day 307

I love my hockey team.

This weekend is out Michigan Amateur Hockey Association State tournament. Not only will Team ICES be playing tomorrow in the championship, but we are going into the final game undefeated.

Having played on more teams that I can count on my fingers, this is the team I will remember the most. Not because it is the most recent team I have played on, but because it is the best group of people I have had the honor of playing with. The sense of camaraderie, sportsmanship and tenacity that Team ICES has, allows us to be able to conquer anything in our path. We have a great support system from our coaches, friends and family members who drop everything to motivate and cheer us on.

Martin Condon says it best in his "One Team" speech:

Focus. Focus on the fundamentals, one game at a time. Put your effort and concentration into playing to your potential.

Today is not about the past, it’s not about the future, it’s about right now. You’ve got to want that like you’re fighting for your last breath in this life.

You’re here because you said, “I believe in this team,” and we will finish what we started. You have within you an incredible strength from being apart of something truly special. Knowing that, even in your darkest hour, no matter how futile or impossible the road may seem, you are never alone on this team.

They will learn that if they knock you down, another will take your place. And if they knock him down, we’ll just come back at them harder. And if they knock you down again, they’re going to know what it’s like to have [Team ICES] crash down on them. Because we carry each other.

That’s how you know in your heart that you’re a winner. It’s not about medals; it’s about the times you were there for your teammates. The times they needed you, and you were there. And they need you today.

Today is about immortality, because, no matter what happens out there today, even if victory seems impossible, we know that you will never give up on us, because we will never give up on you.

Look up.

Get up.

Stand up and fight.

One life. One love. One team.

I am proud to be a part of this amazing team.Tomorrow will be a great game.

Kimmik

Day 306

Not everything has to be in perfect focus to make sense.

Kimmik

Day 305

I took this with my camera phone. I must say, Irwin, my Nikon, is getting quite lonely. Two days of no use. Tomorrow, I will change that.

Today in my anatomy class we dissected a brain and an eye. I did not bring my camera, though I should have. I will when we dissect the heart though.

Today's photograph is the arbor vitae (meaning "tree of life" in Latin) of the cerebellum (Latin for "little brain") of the brain. Performing the dissections with my awesome anatomy study group was very interesting, once the smell of formaldehyde subsided. It was not bad, but it definitely made my stomach a little queasy.

Now, I am on Spring Break. It will be a stay-cation full of studying. I have exams after the break is finished.

Kimmik