Real Life Bloopers - Christmas Edition

My favorite part of any movie is after or during the credits when they play the bloopers. There is something so comical to see real life reactions to mistakes or mishaps. Honestly, they get me every time.

I think blogging is no different. What would be the appeal of reading someone's blog if it wasn't well thought out and didn't include lovely edited photos? There wouldn't be much attraction. Blogging is just like acting. Not in the sense that we are making a script for our lives (some are but we won't get into that today). We are just editing our life via photos and concious text. But there comes a time when our true personalities need to shine past the glare of the computer screen.


Last week I shared my tips on how to take family portraits for free. A and I took all of the photos ourselves and made one of those perfected posed portraits into our Christmas card for this year. There were a lot of great shots but a lot more blooper shots. Here is a glimpse into the real life of a traveling Wife.

Click to tweet: Who doesn't love bloopers?

Sometimes you just need to get the giggles out!

 Shall we dance?!

Poor A. He was wearing the camera around his neck and I was trying to take it off while he was holding Roxi. I bonked his head on a metal piece and it instantly starting bleeding. That does not have anything to do with this photo - he is just a goof!

What'd you say?

 Sail!

 Don't mind me.

 Me: I have a secret to tell you.

A: Ahhhhh.

Treats are the only way to hold your dog's attention for longer than 30 seconds.

Awkward family photo.

Do you like watching the bloopers at the end of movies?

Would you like to see more posts like this?

How To Take Family Portraits For Free

I absolutely love to receive snail mail. Every day around 4 pm, I head out the door towards the mailbox. Nine times out of ten my mailbox is filled with brochures, sales ads, junk, and more junk. But occasionally I will receive something good.

During the month of December, we receive more snail mail than usual due to holiday cards. I love them, but I think fewer families are sending them. I mean, we have our cell phones to send greetings to family and friends without having to go out of our way, we have the use of email which you can send multiple people the same email with just the click of a button, and stamps are pretty damn expensive.


One of my favorite types of holiday cards are those with family portraits on them. We already talked about the expense of stamps, why would families want the extra cost of hiring a photographer and paying for the prints? I am here to tell you that you can take those family portraits for FREE. Of course, there is still the expense of printing the cards and purchasing the stamps. But, you can always take the free route and email them to family and friends.

There are just a few items needed to get good quality photos and to make it easier to have the entire family in the frame. I suggest a good camera (I used a Nikon D3300), a tripod, and a remote for your camera. Now is the fun part - gather your family and smile!

Click to tweet: How to take family portraits for FREE.

Consider your backdrop. You can decide to take photos in your house, yard, park, or anywhere that would make an aesthetic backdrop. If you choose to take photos indoors, you might want to take into consideration that natural lighting makes for the best photos. Some of my favorite locations to take photos are at a park. Usually, you can find lots of trees, benches, trails, fields, etc. that make for really nice backgrounds. Also, select multiple locations. One location might work better for you family, so it's best to try a few.

Use props. This is especially great when taking family portraits for holiday cards. Don't be afraid to include Santa hats, blankets, pillows, food, etc. Go crazy and have fun!

Use a compatible remote. We've all been there - setting your camera on self timer only to run and strike a pose. This would need to be done over and over again to hopefully get that perfect shot with everyone smiling. By using a compatible remote, you can click, click, click and get multiple chances of a perfect shot without having to run around. The trick then become, how do you hide the remote so it's not visible in photos? I set my remote settings to include a 2-second delay on the shutter. This allowed me to press the button then hide the remote.

Click to tweet: Easy and FREE ways to take family portraits.

Research poses. Sometimes when the camera gets pulled out, we tend to get stiff with our movements. Especially when you are in public with a camera and tripod taking photos of yourself. By having a few ideas of what you might want your family portrait to look like, you can recreate that or you might be able to come up with something better.

Have fun. Forced smiles can be seen in photos. Tell jokes, be candid and have fun. By involving your entire family, you are spending quality time so make it fun. Also, take lots of photos. Keep that remote clicking because for every good photo, there are at least 10+ bad ones.

Let the entire family participate. Not only does a forced smile show in pictures, but it becomes blatantly obvious when people aren't having a good time. Allow the kids, or dogs, to choose some poses or maybe even some new locations. This is also when you might get some great candid shots that really show your family dynamic.

Lastly, embrace the bloopers. Remember that I said there are at least 10+ bad photos for every good one. Yeah, they happen but just keep taking photos. By taking family portraits on your own, you are on the opposite end of the camera and don't have the luxury of seeing what little tweaks could be made. Just roll with the punches.

Click to tweet: Why you should embrace the bloopers.

Who wants to see more bloopers, because I have plenty of them?!

Have you ever taken family portraits on your own?
Do you love snail mail?
Do you send out holiday cards in the mail to family and friends?

The Only Thing That Remains is the Smile I Inherited

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #LessonsFromDad #CollectiveBias

Everyone is posting about Father's Day Gift Guides and I have been bombarded with so many emails and commercials for Father's Day. Each time I come across them I immediately distract myself from those messages. If it's an email, I delete it to be hidden for all of eternity. This is the first year I haven't had to think about buying a Father's Day present. This is the first year I don't have to look at my husband and ask, "What should I get my Dad this year?" This is the first year I won't have to pick up the phone on Father's Day to call my Dad. 

You know, each day has come and gone just like all the rest, but the grief still remains. It's like an ocean - some waves bring joy while others bring silence. The silence I hear when I call my parent's house and my Dad doesn't answer the phone. The silence I hear when talking to family members - my Dad's name isn't mentioned anymore. The silence of my Dad's stories that I can no longer learn from. 

Father's play a huge role in our lives. They protect us while we are children, teach us valuable lessons throughout our teenage years, and watch us grow as adults. And while everyone is celebrating their Father's on Father's Day, I will only have him in memory. 

The memories of his smile - the one I inherited. 
He taught me to be strong and that life can be hard, but your smile can still be genuine. 

The memories of him being a UofM fan and his disapproval of my MSU shirt. 
He taught me that it's okay to have my own opinion. In fact, he told me it's okay to stand firm with my own opinions. 

The memories of him walking me down the aisle on my wedding day. 

The memories of him bonding with my 'rat' as if she were his granddaughter. 
I've learned from him that love comes in all different forms regardless of how it's expressed. 

The memories of him in so much pain that it was too hard to watch. Too hard to truly believe this was happening to our family. 
During that time, he taught me and my entire family that it's okay to be vulnerable - vulnerability is strength. 

All of these memories are from a distant past and I wish he was still around to say something snarky or to just share some wisdom. Now I look towards Protective. A lot of these money lessons are the same things my Dad once told me. 

Share your story. What has your Dad taught you?
Be sure to give your Dad an extra tight hug because you can. And if you are celebrating his memory, my heart hurts for you. 

When Doody Calls

My schedule has been all sorts of crazy this week. Perhaps it's because of the long weekend or perhaps it's because my last day at my real-life job is tomorrow.

For those that missed it, A and I moved from the Midwest to the East Coast not very long ago. My current job was willing to keep me on as a remote employee while they hired and trained a replacement. Well work is slowing down and I am gracefully walking away from that position. Gracefully before I lose my damn mind!!

It is now already Thursday, which really feels like Wednesday, and I completely missed What I ate Wednesday (#WIAW). That's okay because I have really been thinking about why we feel compelled to share what types of foods we are eating and why so many people are interested in those posts. You know, eating is a necessity of life - but so is sleeping and going to the bathroom. You don't see posts discussing these two topics which is kind of a great thing!  I'm not so sure how that would go over;

My toilet paper must always be over, never under, and I prefer round toilets over elongated. 

I enjoy scents of fruits, ocean, and woods over floral scents while taking care of business (both bathroom and bedroom business, if you know what I'm sayin').

I'm a side sleeper that never sleeps well because I have a bad rotator cuff. 

The queen size bed is not big enough for A, Roxi, and I. It just doesn't work. 

See what I am saying? It's just awkward and there is only so much to be said about going to the making a doody and snoozing. But food - food you can talk about for days. Years, in fact! There are so many different types and each tells a different story.

Have you seen the GE series on YouTube called Our American Kitchen? The videos are under 2 minutes long discussing what #OurAmericanKitchen means to different families. Families with disabilities, blended families, extended families, and friends.

These videos, they resonated with me and they were surprisingly emotional. How can a video under 2 minutes give you a knot in your throat and make your eyes swell? It's possible and I highly recommend you watch one or two, or all of the videos. It might give you a different perspective when sharing a recipe or reading other people's recipes.

Two of my favorite quotes from the videos are "Cooking is actually pretty awesome, when you think about it. It makes you feel creative." and "It's not the recipe - it's the joy that it brings."

Here is a preview for the series. Enjoy!

*This is not a sponsored post. I found the series all on my own and I feel it is worthy enough to share with you all. 

The Good with the Bad

Often, time gets away with us, leaving this poor interweb-home empty and lonely. Often, real life bogs us down and we forget about other commitments. Often, real life isn't as glamorous as bloggers make it out to be.

While this page has been neglected for several days, I have been reminded what life is really about. Thanksgiving wasn't all that long ago but it is always a good reminder to be thankful each and every day. It is important to take the bad with the good and not worry so much about what could have been done.

October 31st, my Dad made his way to the hospital only to be moved to another hospital, and then hospice. He was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and made his exit to a pain-free life November 29th. We had a beautiful memorial to remember his life and to celebrate his new beginning. My mom, sister and myself were all there for his passing and it was a relief to see him no longer in pain. No longer suffering. No longer holding on to the fight that never should have happened.

Sometimes, we get dealt a shitty hand of cards.

All of the support and love throughout these past few months has been unbelievable. Friends, family, neighbors, strangers - offering help, an ear to listen, food to feed us, flowers to look at, fetching our mail, and so much more. There are just a few things that they can't help with; the stories left untold and advice not yet given by my Dad. Those are items that cannot be replaced.

Now I will move on and continue to use my memories as a way to connect with my Dad. As I turn yet another year older on Friday, I need to make it a priority to live life! It ends far too soon, often without notice.

#RHONJ - Family Similarities

I watch a lot of reality TV and I love to compare the shows to my real life. You know, because I only talk to my girlfriends while downing a bottle of wine and I totally roll out of bed with my hair and makeup looking perfect. No, that is not the case but I do like to relate certain situations to things that I may have experienced before. Let's take the Real Housewives of New Jersey, shall we? Just keep reading.

If you have not watched the last 2 weeks of RHONJ then you are really not missing anything. But if you did watch you have a good understanding of what my family is like because this show is just a reenactment of my life basically. While we have never had an actual fist fight, it would probably be best if we did. The situation is rather quite embarrassing and I am ashamed of the choices people in my family make. I would like to think that A and I are the normal ones but who really knows. 

How much can I really say without giving too much away? How much can I say without being the angry person? How much can I say while still protecting their identities? I'm not sure but I will try. 

---

After I typed out why I am embarrassed by each person in my family, I became ashamed that I was willing to put that up online. Does that make me a bad person? I guess no family is perfect but I would like to think that each family has something/someone they are ashamed of. I will say this though, I feel like I am the outcast in the family. I work hard to do the right thing, I have never been pulled over while driving, I graduated college, I have a full time job, I own my car, I have very little debt, and I try to do all the right things. No matter how small those things may be to some people, I just don't understand why credit is not given to the people that deserve it. I feel like my/our family supports those individuals that are struggling the most while putting A and I down.

I will never forget the time that A and I were looking to buy a house in California about a year ago. We didn't tell anyone in our family that we were even looking let alone put an offer on a house. After we were denied the house we finally reached out to family and all they said was something like are you sure that's a good idea. Seriously, way to crush our dreams. Then remember  how I was unemployed for over 1.5 years? Yeah, well after I landed my new job family said great now we can't come visit you. Just because I got a job doesn't mean I am dead and I am sooo sorry for actually working!

To tie up this depressing post, RHONJ is just my family if we were Italian. 'Nuff said. But I will end with this.

Do you have family problems?