Weekend Update - 05.31.09

I know I need to get pictures up, but I just wanted to type a quick post to let you know what I'm up to / what I have going on.

Arielle and Bart's graduation party was a success last night - the room looked GREAT of course - that decorator they hired ROCKS :)!! I'll get a few of those pictures posted the first available minute I have to look at them. We broke down a lot of the decorations last night (thanks again for the help Tamar & Lydia). I brought home a car full of stuff that I need to go unload out of my vehicle. I'm meeting the unpaid 'hired' help in a few to finish the clean up and get everything hauled home and put away, I'm hoping it will only take two more trips to complete the clean up.

When I woke up this morning at my typical 5:30am I realized that I forgot to take a picture of the food table last night, so I'll have to show you the food tags without them being displayed by the actual food. Kind of bummed that I didn't take this picture - if anyone else did let me know please! I'll warn you now I didn't really take that many pictures last night. I once considered decorating and photographing a wedding for someone - bad, bad idea. Once you spend 2 days decorating you're pooped by the time the event starts and pretty brain dead. Lesson learned: you either photograph an event or you decorate it, but never ever both.

I've been editing the pictures of my cousin's twins who turned 1 a few days after I took their picture (taken a little longer than I wanted to edit with baseball starting and graduation and.....). I'll have those done this week and posted on the photography blog - cute 1 year old twin girls, of course you'll check back to see those pics.

I have an engagement session to shoot later this afternoon. I was suppose to do it last weekend but the rain kind of ruined our day, FYI outside pics don't look all that great when the subjects are soaking wet. So far today is beautiful, hopefully it stays this way all day so we can get this session taken (I'm really looking forward to doing their pictures).

So that's what I've been up to this weekend. Hopefully during this next week I'll be at home in the evenings some and will be able to catch up on my photo edits. Summer baseball started a few weeks ago (most games have been cancelled due to the mass amounts of rain we've had this spring) but I do have some pictures to get the season started.

It's Official

The Sesser-Valier High School

Class of 2009 Graduates!

I don't remember ever seeing soooooo many people in the gym for a high school graduation before, the place was BACKED.

Literally 2 minutes before I walked out the door, I took my charms off my bracelet and put together this for Arielle to wear tonight. I bought these charms 2 years ago to use on grandma's birthday scrapbook (which I haven't got around to yet) and thought they'd be perfect for tonight.

Here's a close up of the bracelet (if you know the Shurtz family you'll understand why Arielle was wearing pink flamingo's at graduation - if you don't know our family, just trust me on this one - it's a family thing).

Arielle and Bethany both received gold "HONOR" sashes for graduating in the top 10 of their class. Arielle was 3rd in her class (this is her getting her honor sash from Kyle). Bethany walked too fast and was partially hid when she received her sash. Bethany, Arielle and Bart all three received numerous scholarships also.

The graduating class all wore purple ribbons in honor of one of their teachers who's battling ovarian cancer.

My beautiful cousin Bethany

Bethany and her father, Darin

(the mass amount of people made the gym and commons area rather warm)
Arielle with one of her friends

6 1/2 G - Lightest Golden Brown

If I ever return to a hairdresser to get highlights I'll be overly explicit on what I consider a HIGHLIGHT. Twice now when I've asked for a few blond/strawberry blond highlights I've ended up with large chunks of dyed hair. This time I have five distinct chunks of blond with the one next to my head extremely blond (but not the rest of them).

I'm not quite sure when highlights strayed from weaving the comb end through your select strands of hair to add light shade variations as though you've been in the sun.......I don't like the newer version of picking up chunks of hair and haphazardly applying color. I want my hair to have the appearance of looking natural, not like someone attempted to create some masterpiece (gone terribly wrong) on my head.

So before I head to graduation it's L'Oreal to the rescue!

Remember....

Thank You to all those who have served - past and present!
Happy Memorial Day, I hope everyone gets to spend time with family and friends today. My father took these pictures last year of Maple Cemetery in Sesser. I love when they fly the flags along the roadside, they have them set about every 6 feet apart the entire length of the cemetery.

We're having a few family members over later today for a cookout. I'd better get to it - cooking and cleaning that is. Before I know it people will be arriving and I'll still be on the computer in my pj's drinking coffee :) Arielle requested brats and we're also fixing ribs, hamburgers, cheesy potato casserole, fresh asparagus!!, mac salad (Aunt Eileen), chips & dip, lemon pie and chocolate cake hmmmmm I'm suddenly hungry.

With the overabundance of rain we've had in SoIL over the last couple of months, monument companies have been unable to set headstone footings. So unfortunately my grandmother & grandfather Shurtz's new joint headstone was unable to be placed before Memorial Day here at Maple Hill.

20 Years, Seriously!?

I just returned home from the Baccalaureate at the Sesser-Valier High School Gym for the Class of 2009. It's rather hard to believe that it's been 20 years since I was the one wearing the white graduation robe and walking down the aisle in front of my family and friends. So much has happened in the last 20 years yet in many ways it feels like it was only a few years ago.

Its a good thing I wasn't getting paid to take pictures tonight because this photographer made a major error. I failed to take my 24-70mm lens, I only had my 70-200mm on the camera (the one I do the sports pictures with). The gym really isn't that big and I was able to get to the center to take pictures - unfortunately I was TOO close for the lens I had on my camera and couldn't focus the darn thing. I snapped one of Arielle walking the aisle but didn't get Bart or Bethany.

I'll be ready Thursday - promise!


A quick shout out - Arielle was keeping it in the family. She had on Lindy Jo's white sundress under her gown and my necklace. I wish I had older cousins growing up. Which talking of 'older' cousins, this one in particular felt old tonight - not only did I take Arielle's senior picture but am also responsible for taking her baby picture which they showed on the slide show tonight - so maybe it does feel like 20 years since I graduated.....

So Proud....

Last evening I had the pleasure of attending the 2009 Miss Herrinfesta Pageant at the Herrin Civic Center to observe 17 year old Miss Arielle Wheatley from the Village of Valier who was proudly sponsored by Com-Pac International (that's what she's saying in the pic above this).

While she didn't place, this was her first pageant ever and we're all extremely PROUD of her for getting up there. If you know her personality you'd understand how much courage it took for her to do this and she did GREAT!

I'll admit I couldn't do it when I was her age

1) the thought of changing in one open room with all the other girls - no privacy - don't think so

2) walking on stage with everyone staring at just me - nope

3) and then having to walk on stage in a bathing suit - definitely wasn't going to happen!

There are a few more local pagenats that give away scholarship money and we're hoping that with one under her belt she'll be willing to try another one.
Doesn't she look great!

I know she owes an extra special thanks to Lindy Jo, Aunt Eileen, Michelle and Samantha.

Most of her clothing was from Lindy's pageant days in college (Miss Bolivar and I believe she was 1st runner-up in Miss Missouri) and Aunt Eileen was able to alter everything in two seconds flat to fit Arielle like a glove. Michelle and Samantha (2004 Miss Herrinfesta) coached her the week prior on pageant protocol and did her hair and makeup.

I know I've not posted the prom pictures of Arielle.

I'm hoping we'll get to do a fun, relaxed shoot with her friends on Saturday. The temp is suppose to be warm with overcast skies - a photographers dream! Almost every picture I have of her from last weekend has her date in it and after the way he acted at Prom, I just don't want to post many pics of him. So as soon as we get to do a few "fun" prom dress pictures I'll get them up for everyone to see - promise!

Longaberger One-Day Sale

This Wednesday ONLY, May 13th you can get any one of the three baskets below at a great discounted price. You can purchase these on my Longaberger Site or call me (618-218-4031) and place an order direct!

Teaspoon Basket $20

Small Fruit Basket $25

Small Vegetable Basket $30

Don't forget the protectors and liners to complete your baskets!