#2 | Photograph a Wedding

On August 25, 2012 I was given the privilege to photograph my first wedding.  I was nervous, but it was a great learning experience.  I experienced a few hurdles (it was raining and there wasn't great natural light), but I also caught some great unexpected shots which made up for it! 

11 of 1001 (my counting got off....)

Completed: August 25, 2012

#71 | Buy a New Lens

Do you see what I see?

Why yes, I welcomed a new lens into my camera family.  And I am in love.

It is kind of an interesting story on how this lens got into my hands.  I added ‘buying a new lens’ on my 101 in 1001 list because it was the perfect excuse to expand my collection.  

Shortly after I started my project I began looking at lenses and I narrowed my search down to two.  A Canon EF 15mmf/2.8 fisheye wide angle and a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM lens.  Complete opposites.  In June I settled on the fisheye lens.  It was so different and I have never been given the opportunity to use one.  (Dad doesn’t even have one for our film cameras.)  I was all ready to be buy it when I noticed there was no ‘buy now’ button on the internet page. 

Bummer.  

I was ready to buy it and couldn’t.  I called Canon and asked if they thought they would get any back in stock…and soon.  I was told that they should be getting some more in, but had no idea what the time phase was.  So, every day, I checked to see if the lens had come in. Then August came and still no luck. 

In preparation to shoot a wedding I realized I still needed to buy a back up battery.  Crap.  If I ordered the battery online it wouldn’t get to me fast enough.  Then I realized mom could stop by my favorite camera store in KC and pick one up for me.  Then I came to realization that this store might carry the fisheye lens, so I looked it up online.  Still no luck…but they did have the macro lens! 

After a quick discussion with dad, I was ready to buy.  So mom hopped into the car and did the shopping for me.  When she asked the guy at the store about this lens he said, “It’s the best!” 

An hour after I got off work I met mom (and dad!) at the halfway point between where we live and where they are and exchanged goodies. 

It turned out to be a wonderful night.  I brought Abby with me and we hadn’t had dinner yet, and neither had mom, so I ran into McDonalds (we met in their parking lot) and ordered our regular.  Dad stayed in the car because he is still in ‘isolation’ so mom, Abby, and I sat on the curb and ate our dinner.  It was so nice to be able to see both mom and dad on an unexpected outing.  (I usually only see them on the weekend for a few hours.)  And Abby got to enjoy a special dinner of a plain hamburger….and a few fries because she stuffed her face into the McDonalds sack that our food came in.  It was a moment of pure gratitude.  While getting a new lens is super exciting (for me), being able to have this little moment with my family was even more fulfilling.

Of course, when I got home I had to play with my new addition and oh my, I am in love.  I cannot wait to go exploring.  I am so happy with my decision.  As for the fisheye…I’m coming for you next!

9 of 101
Completed: August 21, 2012

#94 | Watch 5 Disney Movies to Discover what it is I Missed during My Childhood

Who am I kidding, I just needed a good excuse to watch animated movies :)
They never get old!

01.  Cinderella - June 1, 2012
02.  The Little Mermaid - June 22, 2012
03.  Fantasia - June 23, 2012
04.  Tarzan - August 11, 2012
05.  Aladdin - August 12, 2012

8 of 101

Completed: August 12, 2012

#86 | Search for a Rainbow on a Rainy Day

Rainbows are significant to my family.

Rainbows mean you are not alone.

Rainbows mean hope.

7 of 101

Completed: August 8, 2012

#65 | Play Bingo

July 6, 2012

To some of you, this project may seem petty... strange... pointless....

But this is why I do projects like these.

They motivate me.
The force me to not only do something, but to document it too.
To capture a moment of my life forever.

When I started this project in May, I added 'play bingo' because I wanted to do something for my grandma.  Her heath started to decline and we were forced to move her into a nursing home.
She was unhappy and I wanted to do something to cheer her up, to give her something to look forward to.

Little did I know this would be one of the last things we would ever do... if not the last thing.
I don't remember if I saw her after this.  I got sick and couldn't do much for a week.  And then she passed the week after that.  If I did see her, it was one of those short gatherings where mom and I dropped some things off for her, chit-chatted for a little bit, and then left.  But I honestly don't remember.

What I do remember is this day.  It didn't go quite as planned.  We rushed to make it to the game, we played a few rounds and then she got tired.

But there was some laughter.  A memory created.  And I made sure we got a photo.  Not just for this project, but to remember her all the way up to the end.

And I'm so glad I did.

June 2012 Update

Start Date:  May 27, 2012
End Date:  February 22, 2015

Days Left:  967
Percent Complete:  5%
Completed: 6
In Progress:  8
Left: 5

1.  See the Pacific Ocean
2.  Photograph a Wedding
3.  Go to the Kansas City Aquarium
4.  Research my family tree
5.  Build a blanket fort and sleep in it
6.  Adopt an animal
7.  Have a yard sale
8.  Donate blood
9.  Take one photo a day for a year (In Progress)
10.  Get a massage
11.  Go on a family vacation
12.  Go to the Omaha zoo
13.  Start an herb garden
14.  But a new phone
15.  Read a chapter in the bible every night for a week
16.  Do a Week in the Life project again
17.  Start my Project Life scrapbook
18.  Go to a concert
19.  Take a hot air balloon ride
20.  Pay for the person behind me at a drive-thru
21.  Put flowers on the graves of my deceased family members (May 28, 2012)
22.  Take a yoga class
23.  Volunteer at a soup kitchen
24.  Send Christmas cards
25.  Visit the Northwest
26.  Get married
27.  Watch all the Best Picture Oscar movies (In Progress)
28.  Watch all the Best Actor Oscar movies (In Progress)
29.  Watch all the Best Actress Oscar movies
30.  Watch all the Best Supporting Actor/Actress movies
31.  Grow tulips
32.  Pick strawberries
33.  Visit a state I've never been to before
34.  Paint one wall an outrageous color
35.  Stay up and watch the sunrise on New Year's
36.  Visit my childhood home
37.  Visit a butterfly sanctuary
38.  Try 40 new recipes
39.  Spend whole weekend without using computer
40.  Get a job  (May 7, 2012)
41.  Develop a 'bill station' (May 27, 2012)
42.  Try 5 new local restaurants
43.  Take an online class (In Progress)
44.  Meal Plan
45.  Don't eat fast food for a month
46.  Don't eat sweets for 2 weeks
47.  Find a personally inspirational quote and work it into a piece of art or home decor.
48.  Do 10 projects from my pinterest board
49.  Grow carrots (June 16, 2012)
50.  Ride a roller coaster
51.  Have a pancake dinner reunion
52.  Go to a tulip festival
53.  Go horseback riding
54.  Embrace my natural curly hair for a week
55.  Clean out the garage
56.  Visit a lighthouse
57.  Go back to Washington DC with the family
58.  Travel to Hawaii
59.  Go whale watching
60.  Go on a picnic
61.  Read 50 books (In Progress)
62.  Go to Shatto Dairy farm with the family
63.  Paint a piece of furniture
64.  Make my own ice cream
65.  Play bingo
66.  Visit Mall of America again
67.  Be in a parade
68.  Have a Godfather marathon
69.  Make a quilt
70.  Go to World War 1 museum in  Kansas City
71.  Buy a new lens for my camera (In Progress)
72.  Go to a drive in movie theater
73.  See a Cirque du Soleil show
74.  Learn to make cheesecake
75.  Vote in the next election
76.  Go wine tasting
77.  Make pizza from scratch
78.  Plant a tree for Earth Day (June 24, 2012)
79.  Complete a 5000 piece puzzle
80.  Donate hair to Locks of Love
81.  Visit a waterfall
82.  Paint the front porch
83.  Take a pottery class
84.  Take a cake decorating class
85.  Go to a show in Branson
86.  Search for a rainbow on a rainy day
87.  Go to a high school football game
88.  Learn to mow the lawn with the tractor
89.  Visit 5 museums
90.  Eat 3 things I've never tried before
91.  Try a new hair style
92.  Go to a fireworks show on the Fourth of July
93.  Make a playlist of 26 songs (each starting with a different letter of the alphabet) and listen to them in alphabetical order on a road trip (June 30, 2012)
94.  Watch 5 Disney movies to discover what it is I missed during my childhood (In Progress)
95.  Send a letter to someone living outside of the United States
96.  Have a John Hughes movie marathon
97.  Go to a midnight showing of a movie
98.  Only use reusable bags at the grocery store for a month
99.  Go on a hike
100.  Have a game night with family
101.  Make a collection of 25 black and white photos (In Progress)

#93 | Make a Playlist of 26 Songs (Each Starting with a Different Letter of the Alphabet) and Listen to Them in Alphabetical Order on a Road Trip

This one was a little silly, but actually was quite fun.  I took a 3 hour (each way) road trip for my friend's wedding reception (she got married in May), and found this was the perfect trip to make a fun playlist.

I'm usually really picky when I put playlists together.  Surprisingly, this one came together pretty well.  I had some of my absolute favorites songs, some good road tunes, some songs I haven't heard in a while, some new songs, some old songs, and some songs I don't usually listen to, and of course, no road trip is complete without a little Backstreet Boys or some Matt.

After going through the 3500 songs on my laptop (yes, I have a lot of music and I'm trying to clean some of it out) this is what I came up with.  I don't have any songs that started with the letter X so I added a song that began with a number to make up with it.

A:  Apologize - One Republic
B:  Back to You - John Mayer
C:  Cadillac Hotel - Kaci Brown
D:  Do I - Luke Bryan
E:  Eyes Open - Taylor Swift
F:  Free Fallin' - Tom Petty
G:  Glitter in the Air - Pink
H:  Here's Everything I've Always Meant to Say - JamisonParker
I:  I'm Alive - Celine Dion
J:  Jessie's Girl - Rick Springfield
K:  Kiss Me Slowly - Parachute
L:  Lightning - The Wanted
M:  Middle - Jimmy Eat World
N:  Need You Now - Lady Antebellum
O:  On a Night Like This - Dave Barnes
P:  Punching in a Dream - The Naked and Famous
Q:  Quit Playing Games (with My Heart) - Backstreet Boys
R:  Run - Matt Nathanson
S:  Secret Garden - Bruce Springsteen
T:  This Magic Moment - Jay and The Americans
U:  Unchained Melody - Justin Guarini
V:  Viva Forever - Spice Girls
W:  Wanted - Hunter Hayes
Y:  Your Guardian Angel - The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
Z:  Zora Sourit - Celine Dion
#:  1901 - Phoenix