Weekend and Pictures

OK.  I'm going to try and keep this short.  Yeah, I know, every time I say that, I write a novel or three.

Anyhow, we'll start with the weekend.  This has been a very full, but very good weekend.  Saturday was packed!  Saturday started out as a normal Saturday with dropping Gak off at work first thing in the morning and then doing laundry.  I was wearing my 100th Sing-A-Long t-shirt, and shortly after I got the laundry into the washers, another leader came to do her wash.  Within minutes we were talking Scouts and she asked if there was room in my troop for her twin 8th grade daughters.  Of course I said yes!  My little rag-tag troop of girls not taken by anyone else is growing.  It seems like everyone wants into my troop.  I know part of it is because there just aren't that many cadet level troops in our service unit, but I'm pretty sure a big part of it also has to do with Kat's and my philosophy about giving the girls opportunities and giving them the chance to decide what we do and that our role really is as a facilitator more than anything.  We'll stand behind them 100% with just about anything they want to try.  We'll help them on their way and make sure everyone is safe and all that, but where we go is up to them.

Anyhow, after laundry was off to bowling to get tackled by Zoe, Rachel and Billy who Boo and I hadn't seen in about 3 weeks because they'd been up at Pops.  After Bowling Boo and I went with Kat and Zoe over to Springtown Gun Club where the black-powder group were having a competition weekend so Zoe could shoot BB.  We were a bit late because we thought the BB shoot started later than it did.  Zoe did fairly well, but not her personal best.  She had fun though.  After the shoot we went out to lunch and Kat and I got to talk Girl Scouts for a bit as well as plan this upcoming weekend.  Yep, this weekend is going to be fun.  Kat, Steph and I are heading down to Delaware because Bobbi is letting us have the "beach" house for the weekend.  Everyone is looking forward to the trip.

After Gak got off work Boo and I got a bit of a surprise.  We headed up to the Promenade and after Gak got Boo and I a snack, and himself some dinner, we walked over to the movie theater.  He decided to take us to the movies because Boo had been such a trooper and getting up early and getting ready for school and not whining at all about it every day for the past two weeks.  We saw the new Ice Age movie.  Man was it funny.  Take the Odyssey, star some ice-age mammals and throw in a huge dose of humor and one acorn crazy squirrel.  There ya go.  I enjoyed it quite a bit and I think the boys did too.

Today was fun.  Boo and I headed down to Amma and PopPop's.  Boo had to take his new book that he got last night (we went to the bookstore for a bit after the movie) and share it with PopPop.  Amma, Boo and I had an enjoyable lunch at Panera.  I had a coupon for Famous Footwear, which is next to Panera, so I popped in.  I managed to get two new pair of shoes (that I desperately needed) and some socks for less than $60.  We then spent some enjoyable time with PopPop at the house.  While Boo and PopPop read a bit and played a bit and watched a bit of baseball, I helped Mom with some computer questions and I think we've got everything squared away for the moment.  We'll see.  I need to get Mom a better, easier, more intuitive way to get her pictures off her camera and onto the computer.  The Cannon software is icky and weird and not very easy to use.  It's pretty clunky.  But, I think we've got a system worked out, but it's not very easy or intuitive...
But, Dad's doing quite well this week.  He even went into the shop a couple of days!  His pain seems to be at a manageable level, which makes him a much happier person.  Mom hopes to get him into the shop at least one day a week.  We'll see.  I hope he can, even if just to get him out of the house now and again.

I also borrowed Dad's Nikon D80.  It's a beautiful camera, but it is going to take me a good bit to figure out all the options and use even 1/3 of them.  So, maybe next month's photos will be from the D80.  I know I'll be taking it to Delaware next weekend so I can take it for a spin.  I've really been itching for a "real" camera again.  Especially after Thursday.

Anyhow, let me catch everyone up on my Photo a Day July pictures:

Monday the 23rd was "mirror".  This is the driver's side mirror of the Little Red Honda.  I love the multiple levels of reflections.  Oh, that yellow clip is for the door handle when you turn the lights on in the day so you don't forget to turn them off when you stop the car... there's no warning beep.  At least that's what Gram said.

I missed the 24th, which was "stranger" as we didn't make it out anywhere other than work and school.

Tuesday the 25th was "heart".  I showed Boo how to make a heart with his fingers (that took some doing).  He didn't hold it long, but I managed to catch this before he said he was done and wandered off.... We then had a good time playing in the park and made a new friend as well!

Thursday, the 26th was "sunlight".  Unfortunately, it was a mostly cloudy day and it was such a tough week at work, I didn't make it outside during the day.  There was an awesome storm that popped up in the evening.  I took this picture right before picking up Gak from work.  This is when I was wising I had a good camera, or at least somehow rig a polarized filter for my little Cannon... this doesn't do the clouds justice.

Friday the 27th was "on the road".  I'd taken a shot through the windshield on the way home, but it was boring and dumb.  Boo and I were playing cars after work, and I told him to drive his car towards my camera.  I really like this one.

Yesterday was "cup".  I didn't have my camera with me most of the day, so this is Boo eating a peanut butter sandwich before bed last night.  He decided he was hungry when we got home from the movie and wanted a peanut butter sandwich and a cup of milk.  I love his eyes in this picture.

Today was "the last thing you bought".  And well, here's the new memory card I ended up picking up for Dad's D80.  I thought I had a spare floating around, but I didn't.

Well, that wraps up the weekend.  We watched the opening ceremonies (at least most of them) on Friday night for the Olympics.  They were awesome.  I'm half listening to women's gymnastics right now.  I'm going to head off to bed and go thud.  One more day of reporting month and maybe this will be over for a bit.

Peace to all and may you have a great weekend and fun photographs.