6-8-09___The Mitchell family has expanded!!
Our little Sydney was born on June 6th at 11:38 PM! She weighed 8lbs, 7oz and was 21.5" long. More details, and of course, many pictures to follow - check Sydney's page!

 

5-25-09___Thank you for our Freedom!
To those who have served and for those who didn't come home, America thanks you. For those who have sacrificed some and those who sacrificed all, we can never repay you, only thank you for your service to this Country. All the freedoms as evident on our website are granted to us because of those brave men and women in the Armed Forces who saw America for what a great nation she was and what will always be....Happy Memorial Day!

 

5-25-09___When the lights go down...
Lately, I have doing a lot of thinking, reading and reflecting in the evenings about being a dad and what a lifelong commitment it will be to raise and protect my children. Talk about responsibility! I can't think of a greater task like rearing a child that would bring about more challenges and joys. We're still awaiting baby Sydney....and I'm sure there will be plenty of more nights to contemplate all this in the near future! Here are some older night shots I would like to share.

Goodnight Moon!

 

Breckridge Downtown 2007, just before nightfall

 

Charlotte all lit up, night before a Panther's Game 2008

 

5-17-09___Finally, a shift in morality!
The pro-choice movement in America has been gaining momentum for a while now, but this latest Gallup poll shows a shift in those who value human life and oppose infanticide. I don't normally trust polls, but at least the margin is higher than the normal +-5% change. The poll also shows that the number of Conservatives (independants included) who consider themselves "pro-life" has increased. These numbers look promising, despite what the liberals and media spout constantly. The repeal of Roe V. Wade would be a glorious day for America - one can only "hope", right?

 

5-7-09___Turtle anyone?
Anybody want a turtle? I found this little guy in the driveway after work today - he was flipped upside down - no clue where he came from - After some searching, I found a small nest in a nearby geranium Kristi had out to get watered - he must have climbed out and landed on his back - no clue how he got in the flower pot (push pin shown for size comparison)

This guy looks tired from trying to stay awake on his back all day

 

5-5-09___Young Life Golf Tourney & Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Rain, Rain go away.....My dad, Matt, Jody, and I played in the annual Young Life regional golf tournament at Crooked Creek today. All the teams went off around 9:30 am and it rained and then rained harder. We were soaked by the 2nd hole, but we did prevail. By the 7th hole, the course was saturated and still the rain continued. We got a slight break for a while, but then another little squall cropped up. We had a great time though, coming in 4th place overall and everyone had some nice shots despite the rain and our "duffer" status. The money raised goes to the local Young Life chapter and will help bring many area high school and college kids to Christ. I can see myself playing in the tournament next year, hopefully without the drenching!

I celebrated the Mexican holiday today with a couple of my favorite Mexican beers, Negro Modelo & Tecate. It's interesting to note that only certain regions in Mexico actually celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Of course, here in the US this day is always so commercialized and all the bars/restaurants try to give you an excuse to drink - like anyone needs an excuse! While sipping on a Tecate beer this evening to celebrate the Mexican holiday, I ran across this - I don't know how many you have to drink to get this idea....

The Tecate SLR, no moving parts, but a cool conversation piece (I did not make this in case you are wondering)

 

4-29-09___What, another birthday??
Our little man turns four today, always a day after Kristi! More after the jump...

 

4-28-09___Happy Birthday to Kristi!
With another year gone by and another major life event around the corner, Kristi was able to celebrate today with her loving husband (me!) and her mom, and our good buddy George (on his way to becoming Dr. George!) We had lunch at Brigs, and being my first time there, I was clueless what to get; it was good, and two huge pancakes and other items later, my afternoon at work was shot. For dinner, we dined at Kristi's favorite restaurant, the Macaroni Grill. It is actually becoming a tradition around here for birthdays. Since our previous experience in years past working with Italian cuisine, we don't actually eat it that often, so a few times a year is plenty!

 

4-20-09___FairTax rally debriefing...Huckabee hounds the feds while Boortz blasts Barry!
All over the country, Americans gathered to show their support for the FairTax on April 15th, otherwise known as "getting mugged by Uncle Sam" day. Whether it was to support this brilliant plan for America or to just join in the T.E.A. parties to rally against Federal tax Obaminations, I can say that it was an honor and privilege to be in the presence of great minds such as Mike Huckabee and Neal Boortz. I drove down to Columbia, SC with my bro and uncle, as we were excited to participate in such a peaceful, but fiery crowd. The tone was set from the beginning, as the whole auditorium was led in prayer followed by some live beach music. Neal Boortz, co-author of the FairTax book was fired up as usual against the current administration and had some great things to say. Huckabee rounded out the evening, with a positive family message and optimism that he might one day lead the resistance against the left with his intelligence, morality and responsible fiscal ideas - What a great future candidate for what's Right in America!

Huckabee tells the crowd to stop being complacent with the status quo and take charge against the tyrannical fiscal practice of the IRS and Obama administration

Boortz pretending to read from a teleprompter, but in reality is way better off-the-cuff than the current dude at 1600 Penn. Ave.

Help the cause! Support the FairTax bike as it makes its way across America and the FairTax legislation through Congress.

Check out Huffington for more creative signs made by the American public - Caution: some may be offensive to you, but hey, We The People....right?
Also, for more great reading (I can't wait to dig more into this book), Liberty and Tyranny by Mark Levin is still #1 at Amazon!

4-7-09___Glass madness
It's about time I post some images from this wonderful new Nikon 35mm lens I have been fawning over for a few weeks now - It was everything I expected, from great low-light performance to excellent depth-of-field, and of course, fantastic colors with very minor anomalies shooting in full sun!

Sunrise @ EI 3-21-09, 7:19am, Nikon 35mm f/1.8 @ f/9, 1/320 sec, ISO200

 

Floating pug head! See the very shallow DOF - Stew's eyes in focus and his rump and tail blend into the background

 

3-7-09___Nikon pulls a fast one, literally
One of the great things about photography is learning the tricks of the trade and how to use different lenses to capture the moment you envision. After all, lenses are a far better investment than film or digital camera bodies, which aren't worth squat in a few years. For those of us who can't afford to upgrade digital camera bodies every 2 years, buying a great new or used lens that will work with your setup now and for many years to come is the way to go. That's why I'm excited that Nikon is releasing a fast, affordable, prime lens for owners like me of the lower-end Nikon digital SLR's. The new Nikon 35mm AF-S f/1.8 DX is being issued to retailers by the months end and I plan on getting my hands on one. This new 35mm is a great focal length for portraits, scenery, and BABIES! It has great low-light capabilites and manual focus at the touch of a wheel, because after all, you shouldn't use a flash around newborns!

 

 

1-3-09___And the verdict is....

It's a girl!! After all the waiting, we are finally able to say that Baby Mitchell will now be Baby Sydney!

 

1-1-09___Happy New Year!
Oh, what 2009 will bring us. A new baby, more school for Daddy, and who knows what else. We had a great holiday break, spending time with family and friends, and even stayed up late enough to bring in the new year with friends - 2 AM is getting to be a real stretch these days, especially for Mommy and Sydney!