My Newest Hobby

I love my new camera. I am by far no expert, and still have so much to learn, but learning to use it has been such a blast, and when my mom asked if I would mind trying to take some pictures of my brother Rion for his senior yearbook, I said sure, hoping we would get at least one good shot. What I came home with were over 150 shots, and I was so excited and proud of how far I've come, just by having the right tool in my hand.

The photo shoot with Rion was so much fun. He's a goofy kid, so getting him to ham it up a bit for the camera wasn't very difficult, and made even easier by the ridiculous antics of both Jim and Rick who got Rion blushing more than once.

We started out at my parents house and then found our way to a cement factory which opens up if you walk about a quarter mile through the woods behind Jim's parents house. I think we definitely got a good yearbook shot or two, but Rion was good to let me play around with some artisier and serious shots as well. Here's a taste, you can see many more of my favorites here.










Its dangerous how much fun I had doing this. Thanks for letting me take your pictures Rion!

This Is Why I Love My Job

I have a student who I have been talking with over the phone for the past few weeks. His situation is a bit complicated, he's come to the U.S. from another country, his English is a bit rough, and he has transcripts coming from all over the place. But boy, is he a charmer. Working with both me and our Associate Director, he has not hesitated to let us know when we're doing a good job.

So today, we're on the phone, and its one of those conversations where you are banging your head against the wall, wondering if its ever going to end, and of course you now really need to use the restroom. The student has been struggling to submit a transcript to us. He promised to fax it to me tonight and I told him I'd call him in the morning to let him know if we got it. Pretty routine stuff.

Then there was this:

Student: Kristina, can I tell you something? (He's very polite and formal)

Me: Sure (student name), what's up? (As I think, oh boy here we go..)

Student: If I get accepted to your university, *pause* I promise, I will make you very proud of me.

Me: (Heart sinks, face softens). You know what (student name), I bet you will.

Its a good job.

A New Look!

I found this site today with free backgrounds for blogs, and couldn't resist! What do you think of the new look??

Bark in the Park

We are officially dog people. I never really knew what that meant, even after we got Rowdy, but this weekend it really became obvious that we are that stereotypical family with the SUV and the lab with his flappy ears hanging out of the back windshield, on their way to some event with other dogs and crazy dog owners. And to be perfectly honest, I'm ok with that.

The Portland Sea Dogs are a farm league for the Boston Red Sox, and their field is right downtown. In fact, as you are driving down 295 through the city, you can see the field just off to your right or left, depending on which way you are heading.

Every June the Sea Dogs host an event called "Bark in the Park." On that day, they invite dog owners to bring their pup to the park to participate in a parade and enjoy the game as a family. I'd always wanted to go, but never had a dog, so this year when tickets went on sale I was anxious to finally join the crowd, (you know, being a dog person and all). My friend Angie decided to come along with her chocolate lab Bristol, and we definitely made a day of it. It was a toasty 80ish degrees in the sun, but Planet Dog kindly provided a doggie kiddie pool for the pups (which MY pup decided would be a great urinal), and we had a great time marching around Hadlock Field with the other dogs (which, again MY pup decided would be a great urinal...and then some. Oops.). They got free balls, treats, and lots of play time in with the hundred or so other dogs that were in attendance.

Here are some pictures from the day. I couldn't believe how well behaved all the dogs were. Every once and awhile one would bark from the stands and start a little doggie cheering section, but it was great to be sitting with a bunch of other dog lovers who would laugh it off instead of rolling their eyes, and I think we all had fun hanging out with everyone's little buddies.

This little pug loved Angie! She jumped right up on her and started giving her kisses on her face!

There were so many fun pups there. It was hard not to just walk around and take pictures of them all!

Can't wait for next year!