Mackenzie will be turning one on the first. Her birthday party is this Saturday, on account of the super bowl. But we had a little dinner party last weekend with Chad and Bless because they were going to be out of town. So it was just the family; Mackenzie clueless of the occasion. Jackie had dressed her in a fuzzy zip-up sweater and, since it had warmed up quite a bit by the afternoon, mom suggested taking the jacket off. From across the room, my sister yells, "No! Don't take that off her!" Kris and I kind of look at each other like my sister's gone crazy, shrug it off and meekly change location to be out of her way in case either one of us did or said something to make her snap. A little bit later we gathered in the living room and Jackie and Tim held Mackenzie between them. Then Jackie unzipped Mackenzie's jacket and revealed a onzie with a special message on it: I'm going to be a big sister! My big sister is pregnant - again! I'm very excited for Tim and Jackie. I think it was a bit sooner than they expected, but they can handle it. Mackenzie is a good kid. And guess what? The bundle of joy could be a Virgo, like me! I said to Jackie that she was going to be majorly pregnant during the hottest time of the year. She shrugged and said she'd just run away to Balboa. I told her I'd be right behind her. : D I'm working on a special gift for Mackenzie's birthday. It's an idea I've had before she was even born. Back when I was writing a lot more and shooting a whole lot less, I tried my hand at writing children's books. I really enjoyed it because as a kid, some of my greatest memories are reading books with my parents. With each parent I had a special book that only that parent could read to me. With dad, it was Mickey Mouse and the Haunted House. He'd use his "boogie man" voice for the scary parts and sometimes he'd try to change-up the story and I'd stop him and tell him, "that's not the way it goes!" Mom and I have many books. The Velveteen Rabbit, P.J. Funny Bunny and the Perfect Hiding Place, Amelia Bedelia, The Cat Who Wore a Pot on Her Head...mom read to me a lot. So with those memories, I always thought children's books should be something special. But I'm not much of an illustrator. I illustrated one book I wrote, the Truth About the Tooth Fairy, and I'm still a bit of amazed at those drawings. So I thought, before Mackenzie ever came around, I'd love to take photos and just doctor them in Photoshop. Then I could write whatever. So that's what I've been doing. The task has proved to be much harder and tedious than I anticipated. It's already Thursday, the party is on Saturday, and I don't have it done. In fact, I'm going over tomorrow to take more pictures. Of all the millions of photos I have of her, I don't have what I need to finish this book I'm writing for her. I really hope it turns out nicely. But it's something I'd like to do with her as she grows up. Especially when she's a toddler and I can dress her up and she can understand what I'm doing. It will happen faster than I can imagine. In a week, she'll be one years old. One whole year has passed. That's the only real big news I have. School is going well, although I'm dropping my digital media entrepreneur class. I just don't think I'd have the time to dedicate to it and it's going to be a lot of work. But that's ok, I'm still taking 16 credits and getting all of my requirements out of the way. I log and captured my video footage from Railroad Park today in my videography class. I was pleasantly surprised at how well it all came out. In the beginning it's hard to know when you're out there if you're footage is in sharp focus, if the coloring is good, or even if you're getting enough or the right stuff. I don't know if I have the latter, but I definitely got some beautiful looking clips. Not bad for a first try. I think my teacher likes me because he thinks I know what I'm doing. I guess I do know what I'm doing, for the most part. Compared to most students, I've had a fairly abundant amount of experience in film. I tribute the quality of my shots to my background in photography. I can see things - angles, close-ups, framing, etc. - easier, I think, than others without that photographic knowledge. I have no idea how well the story will turn out, but at least I know it will look pretty. : ) Speaking of photography, I'm still shooting bars for the Phoenix New Times. It's actually kind of funny; a 21-year-old not wanting to go to a bar. But it's not like I'm going there to hang out and have fun. It's work. It's been a good challenge, though. In the beginning, I had to figure out lighting. Now, I just have to think of new ways to shoot generally the same thing; people at a bar. I started with ten and I only have a few left, and then it's alllll super bowl madness. Carrie