How I Celebrated Thanksgiving

This year it was our turn to spend Thanksgiving with my mom's side of the family.

Marc is cool even at Thanksgiving

Me and Rochelle

My dad was having a blast... poor guy, must have had a lot of turkey.

Now this is no small shin-dig. We are talking on at least 100 people if not more... I mean you have 15 kids, who have kids, who have kids and you get a BIG family!!

We haven't been to this Thanksgiving celebration for quite a few years now but, this year I was bound and determined to go and just hope that our kids would make it through. Luckily, at the church building we had the Thanksgiving Feast at there was a nursery right next to the kitchen that had toys and a little table and chairs. I had brought plenty of coloring books for my kids and for others so they could share. It was perfect. My cousin, Rose's girls colored with my kids all day and we had a few other kids in and out. It was perfect! I was actually able to socialize a bit, eat, and even play some volleyball and basketball after we ate!

Yes, you read that right, we play volleyball and basketball in the gym after the tables and chairs are cleared away.

Volley ball this year was so much fun with the big, huge ball they had. I was having a blast.

I even had a chance to talk to my cousin, Rochelle about buying her used camera—the very one that took this picture.

image by Pointe Digital

The day after Thanksgiving I drove up to her house to pick up my new camera! I have been wanting to really get into Photography but have never had a camera for the real stuff! I am excited to show you some of my work. I am bound and determined to learn manual so that is what I have been working on.

Right after picking up my camera we went to my sister's new apartment to help her organize/clean-up/move in. I took my first picture in manual there:

Not the best, but I am very proud that it is not black, white or fuzzy... so hey, I am doing pretty good so far (smile)

Then I tried a couple more in manual when we went to show Marc's parents my new camera... but they didn't really turn out... what can I say, I am still learning.

On Saturday I had a chance to take pictures of my in-laws, my husband, my husbands new bike, my sister's kids, my kids and everything in between.

Here's a few (on manual) that turned out great...

I love this one, so candid; pudding face, messy hair, goofy smile — love it!

  and here are the ones I did in auto because I was too nervous to try manual but, I did learn a lot even from this shoot.

On Sunday we had a second Thanksgiving at my mom's house so I got to try it there. I'll show more of those in my next post, but for this one here is a picture, at least of our modge-podge Thanksgiving table! And the food was delicious.

So what should you get out of this post?

I am so thankful for talents and the means I have to be able to develop and work on new ones.

I am thankful for my family, all of them.

And I am so thankful that I live in a day and age where I can capture all of it on camera...