What a week!

So here is my secret I have been keeping. I was selected as basically Photographer of the Month for the Mormon Church. This was BEFORE the poster contest of this week...a few weeks ago. So, you can imagine what a humbling photography week it has been for a stay at home mom, with no training really except some free classes at the public library and a pink striped housecoat. :) If you would like to see the article, here is the link:

http://www.lds.org/service/volunteer-and-contribute/create/photos/photographer-spotlight?lang=eng 

Humbled

I saw on the Facebook this morning that both of my submissions won for their quote category.
It has been a good week for Valsy.  :)

Finals

A few weeks ago, the Mormon Church announced a photo poster contest.  They had an all-call throughout the world for the members to submit photographs that can have inspirational quotes added to them and published for the church.  I submitted a couple that I thought went went well.

I got this email yesterday!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi Valerie,

Congratulations! Two of your photos have been selected as finalists in the Quotable Poster Photo Contest.

Members will decide the winners by voting for their favorite photos in each of the categories on our Facebook page. Voting starts Tuesday, Mar. 20th and will go until 8 a.m. on Friday the 23rd. 

The winners will be announced by the end of the day on the 23rd. So tell your family and friends and go vote! 

Thank you again for sharing such beautiful photos and for participating in this contest! 

Create.lds.org Team
Media Services Department
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There are three catagories, which I am entered in two.  If you are on FACEBOOK, you can go to this link: 

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.393178160710609.103720.281522645209495&type=1#!/media/set/?set=a.393178160710609.103720.281522645209495&type=1

You will see several pictures.  You can click on each flower one individually and click the "like" button (that is of course if you like it).  The most "likes" wins!  :)  Voting ends Friday morning.

I have other super terrific news but I am waiting until next week sometime to share that!  Can't have all the good news pouring out on the same week! 
Vals

I made a YouTube Video of Kansas City!

By chance, Rotary International asked me to compile some Kansas City area photographs for a project for them.  It has been fun to review pictures I have taken over the last several years of our field trips.

I asked Dave and Carol Tallant if they would like to join in the fun, so some of Dave's work is in here too.

I thought since they are all collected together,  why not make a video of them for the YouTube? 

Mr. Jonas, my high school photo teacher would be very proud of me.  Shout out to you JJ!

I hope you enjoy it.
Valsy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRwMg6Qjhhs&feature=colike

Bob the Builder Award: Jon Bon Jovi

Who knew that this guy.....

would grow up to look like this guy....

Who would go and do this....

I remember the first time I saw Jon Bon Jovi.  It was Fall 1986, Friday Night Videos and he was singing "You Give Love a Bad Name."  I was with my boyfriend, D, and we were at his house with some friends.  I remember it like it was yesterday because it was the first time D had allowed me to wear his coveted yellow Genera sweatshirt I had begged to wear for months.  Stellar night I will tell ya.  Been a fan ever since.  Of Jon and that yellow sweatshirt.  I don't know if Genera is even still a company anymore.  But Jon is still around, and I read about him in all places last week...my Heifer International magazine.

The Soul Kitchen  is located in a former auto body shop (hey Dave, I know what you can do with the building after you retire....).   It is a pay-what-you-can food kitchen restaurant for the hungry.

There are no prices on the menu.  Customers simply leave what they can in an envelope on the table and if they cannot pay, they can bus tables, wash dishes or do community service instead.

"I worked hard to make sure the restaurant doesn't have a soup kitchen feel.  Tables are set with linens and silver.  An herb and vegtable garden are right outside to provide fresh ingredients for the entrees, which include offerings like grilled salmon and chicken with homemade basil mayo." 

This is the latest of the projects Jon's foundation has worked on.  He has also help build 260 homes for low-income families.

Jon, here's to you Bob the Builder.  You give love a great name.  :)



The Six Word Memoir

I read about the Six Word Memoir a couple months ago.

It intrigued me. 

Wanna know more?  Go here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six-Word_Memoirs

So, last month, a bunch of friends got together on a Monday night for some sloppy joes and a little church talk (commonly known in the LDS world as FHE--Family Home Evening...a custom active Mormons have been doing for about 100 years now....before the commercial gimmick by Parker Brothers for Family Night of Games to schlepp a bunch of over-priced games etc...)

We did the Six Word Memoir activity.  It was very revealing.

It's simple.  Write a six word sentence that defines yourself. Whatever you want it to say.

This is what the Anderson family came up with. 

I was so moved that I printed them, framed it and it is in the family hallway.

I am sure if you know us, you can guess whose is whose.

But I like details and backstory, so you get both.

Mr. Fun wasn't bothered by the Six part of the memoir, so he went with four.  Being the detailed girl that I am, I added the "A" to the "calm in the storm" so that he is one word closer to following the rules.  He usually is a rule-abiding man, except in speed when driving, and apparently memoir writing.
I made his font as practical as possible, in grey...to match his eyes. 

I of course have a lot left to see in this world.  And I like a fun font.  It is in teal, my favorite consistant color of my life.

The Girl was a no-brainer.  Star Wars font.  Red.  Art.

The Boy follows his father's suit in not following the "six" part of the rule.  If you know his health history (I wish it was history...flaring up again this week), you can see what he means.  His is in a light blue, to match his lovely blue eyes.

Maybe you won't be sitting around sharing stories with your LDS friends when you do this, but I hope that you do take time to do it.  It is a nice piece of family history.