Christmas Has Come and Passed......

What a month this has been!  Between Christmas, New Years and everything in between, I haven't been on in a month to post!  Well, I've got so much to update you on!

First off, after Thanksgiving, my fledgling photography hobby began to turn into something more!  I had three photo shoots in about two weeks!  They were amazing, and most of all, they showed me that I CAN do this!  The families were ecstatic about their photos, and that was the best feeling of all!  One of the most validating moments so far, was when one of my families called me to tell me they had submitted a few prints for a quick Christmas gift, and they were stopped at checkout!  The salesperson asked if she had "copyrights" to these photos because they were "obviously professionally done."  What an ego booster, for sure!  I also have several shoots in the works, including several family shoots, maternity shoot, newborn shoot and an engagement shoot all coming up this spring!  Also in the works is a new website, which has become an increasingly daunting task!  I've become a computer nerd overnight trying to learn the ins and outs of computer HTML, Flash, hosting, domains, etc.  A new logo is also in the works!  A friend of mine, Sheri Chen, is custom designing a logo for "Danielle Raine Photography," and I can't wait to see what she whips up!  I don't want to give too much away....BUT, here's a hint:  Fleur de lis! ;)  You'll just have to wait for the rest!

I'm enjoying this new journey, and this newly resurrected hobby might just be lucrative to boot!  And honestly, even if it's not, every time I snap a photo, I get this rush..... Will this one be my new "favorite" photo?  Each photo is an opportunity to do better than the last, and if you know me, you know I'm always looking to outdo myself!  I'm not much for competing with others, so it's the intrinsic challenge that gets me going.  To know that this next photo might just be my best, and the ones after that.... who knows!

Aside from my photography, Caden has been keeping me uber busy!  With his first real steps on Thanksgiving, he's been non-stop since!  Around Christmas he really go going fast!  Now, he can walk from room to room, without needing to pull up on anything first!  He's a true walker, cruising all over the house and giving mommy a run for her money!

Christmas was a BLAST this year!  We kicked it off with decorating the house right after Thanksgiving!  Caden helped Daddy and I hang lights outside:

And Inside, too:

For Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, we had a full house with my parents, Trav's parents, my sister and my grandmother, Meme!  It was such a great celebration!  Caden thoroughly enjoyed his Christmas experience.  He scored several gifts, including a wagon from Bunny and Paw, a Ball Pit from Gigi and Pipi, clothes, toys, movies and even a DVD player for the car from us! 

And yes, that's Travis in his new cowboy boots and PJ's! 

We spent our New Years in Lafayette, LA, with friends and family!  We got to enjoy some much-needed cajun delicacies, as well.  On our way home, we stopped off in Jennings, LA, where my Uncle Tommy has a dentist practice.  We got our teeth cleaned, and Chumbie had his first dental check-up, too!  Doc said all six teeth were just perfect.

But, that's not all for the busy season.... We are planning Chumbie's First Birthday, January 22!  I can't believe how fast time as flown by.  It seems that those tiny little infant days were so far away......  But, I'll leave the nostalgia for another post!

Happy Thanksgiving To All!

Well, we did it!  Another successful Thanksgiving!  But this one was a bit different.  Instead of lounging on the couch, reading Thanksgiving circulars and watching football and the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, we were a but more "involved."  See, Caden doesn't really like to lounge.  He's not too keen on staying in one place for too long.  A rambler, he is!  But, I wouldn't have had it any other way!  Sure, I was beat by the end of it all, but it was worth it because Chumbie really started walking!  He took a step two weeks ago, but this time, it was ON!  We were fortunate enough to catch it on video, as well!

And so, we ate like kings.  Fried turkey, Turduckhen, ham, green bean casserole, corn casserole, cranberry sauce (my fave), candied yams, mash potatoes, crescent rolls, apple butter pumpkin pie and pumpkin cheesecake!  Whew!  And it was good, too, yall!  We spent the Holiday with Gigi and Pipi, Bunny and Paw, and my grandma, Meme!  We also got to spend Friday with our good friend, Brittany! 

And the table was set........ Notice Chumbie's cute travel high chair in the corner!  Travis even taped his plate down!

The loot

Chumbie feasted on all the Thanksgiving goodies

My Plate....and yes, that's definitely some Pink Lemonade!

On Friday, we continued with tradition by going up to College Station, TX to visit Santa's Wonderland, take our Christmas picture and enjoy some big ol' steaks from The Somerville Steak House. 

Last year we took our picture in front of the giant Aggie Ring in front of the Association of Former Students on the A&M Campus.  This year, we decided to do that same.  The ring is an exact replica of the Aggie Ring that every Senior recieves!  The Aggie Ring is one of the most well known Aggie symbols across the world!  In every nation, Aggies will recognize each other just from the ring worn on their finger.  Travis and I both wear ours proudly!  Visit http://www.aggienetwork.com/ring/history.aspx to learn more about the Aggie Ring!  Our good friend, Brittany, came with us this year!  Aunt BB took some great pics with Chumbie! 

This year there was a bit of a break in tradition.  The Somerville Steak House closed their doors a couple of months ago.  Located in a tiny town 20 minutes from College Station, The Somerville Steak House was a well-known establishment among Aggies!  It was an old house, probably not even 1000 square feet, turned into a restaurant where they served the freshest steaks!  Seriously.  The cows were actually in the back!  Served with country sides, the steaks were no less than GIGANTIC.  I guess the economy hit them... Who knows.  But, we did find a suitable substitute, Sodolak's Beefmasters in College Station.  Owned by the same family as The Somerville Steak House, Sodolak's was equally amazing!  Caden LOVED his mashed potatoes and chicken tenders!

Lastly, we visited Santa's Wonderland, which is a HUGE light display where you can drive or take a hayride through over 3 millions lights!  It's gorgeous!  Then, you can make your way into the little town at the end with cute stores and booths!  They also have some of the best kettle corn and hot chocolate!  Each year, the displays gets bigger and better!  This year, we took a hayride through the lights!  And it was COLD!  Thursday evening the temperature plummeted over 20 degrees in two hours!  By Friday, it was downright frigid....well for us Texans, anyway.

We don't often get snow here in College Station, so a snow machine helps set the Christmas mood!

This Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for my family, my wonderful and supporting husband, my son and my friends.  I'm thankful that I've been able to watch this miracle, my Caden, grow this year!  I'm thankful for so many things that there is just not enough room to write it all here.  Thank you, Lord, for blessing me with so many wonderful miracles and gifts.

Texas Renaissance Festival 2010

Travis, Caden and I went with our family to the Annual Texas Renaissance Festival this Saturday!  We go every year, and it's a BLAST!  With over 53 acres of land, the Renaissance is the largest of its kind in the nation!  The festival is a 16th Century wonder with vendors, entertainers, jousting, food, gardens and much more!  Entertainers, shop keepers, and even ticket takers, all don the attire and speak the tongue of the 16th century!  The festival runs for 8 weekends from October through November.







Shadow Play

Caden and I took advantage of the GORGEOUS day today!  The rain cleared and left a beautiful blue sky, cool weather and perfect lighting for photos!  However, I didn't want that typical gorgeous-midmorning-sun look.  Today, I focused more on the fun shots you can get with shadows.  I love to use shadows as part of the composition....love how they fall across the ground, over the face or distantly in the background.

I also remembered how much fun I had "breaking the rules" when I did photography back in the day.  And by that, I mean that I would set the photos to be either slightly over- or underexposed.  Exposure is just the total amount of light allowed to fall onto the film or sensor.  Usually, there is a meter in your camera, seen through the viewfinder and on the LCD screen of a digital SLR camera.  When you manually expose your shots, text books urge you to aim to get that meter to fall right in the middle.  However, it's when you shoot slightly left or right of the center when you get GREAT shots!  I tend to shoot slightly left of center, which means my shots tend to be a bit darker, or slightly underexposed.  I often compare my work to professional photographers, and I see many professionals over exposing their shots.  I guess that's their creative niche.  I usually prefer a darker, more saturated look....  Caden and I took some really great shots in a very shady area today, and I found myself shooting both left and right of center.  I really enjoyed both looks, especially in the shadows!

Mr. Crazy Hair

Caden LOVED the awesome gazebo over the water!

I love the way the shadows falls across the planks.  I also love the way the vertical shadows of the trees in the background compliment the horizontal planks on the bridge.

Shot a bit to the right

Shot to the left

My FAVORITE from today!  The shade was just right, and the light that came through looked like a spot light!