365 Photography Project- The Treasures They Make

The Treasures They Make
May 25, 2011

Today I learned I have a lot to learn about photo editing. Since one of my goals is to get a living journal of our lives as they are today I had Justice grab a bracelete he made at the Boys and Girls Club yesterday. He was so proud of what he made. It make look like a simple piece of string with a few oddly matched beads; but, to him it is a tiny treasure. I snapped a few photo's of him holding the bracelet and I hated each shot more than the last. With time running short, I decided the first picture would have to do. I figured I could do some editing in Gimp and make it a little more presentable. Well, lets just say I could use a good class in photo editing. To start with the picture was overexposed and now it is overprocessed as well. The plus side is I can recognize my shortcomings and that is half the battle. Now I have to work on the hard part. Learning the art of photo editing.

365 Phtography Project- The Price of Playing

The Price of Playing
May 24, 2011

The Process Begins

Already I am racking my brain trying to come up with creative shots for my year long project and I am only two days into it. This is not a good sign. The reality is, on weekdays we wake up just early enough to make ourselves presentable for the day, rush out the door to work and school and do not return home until almost six o'clock in the eveneing. After we get home dinner has to be made, I usually try to squeeze in forty to sixty minutes of cardio, showers must be coordinated and the endless list of chores seems to follow us from one day to the next. Most nights we get into bed later rather than earlier only to find the next day has too few minutes and not enough hours to ever get everything fully done. Snapping a photo a day on these days will not be easy; but, I have faith in myself. You never really know what you are capable of until you put yourself to the test. It is only then that you can truly shine or fizzle. Here's to hoping I shine!

The Price of Playing Description

Justice broke his elbow while playing Hockey with the Scouts. He was working on earning his Hockey Belt Loop which is a special award the boys can earn for trying out a new sport. Needless to say, he earned the award; but, for him the price was two broken bones.

365 Photography Project- Day 1

After seeing several inspiring Facebook posts promoting 365 Photography Projects, I decided to do a little bit of research and find out exactly what these projects are. I was intrigued by what I found. Basically you challenge yourself to take one photo a day for a year. Some people choose a theme for their photographs, others challenge themselves to try new techniques and some people just shoot anything for the fun of it. The whole point of the project is to challenge yourself creatively, grow as a photographer and hopefully walk away with a fantastic project which you can treasure for years to come. It sounded perfect for me.

I have decided to jump in feet first and make a personal commitment to myself to take a photo a day for a year. I want my project to be a reflection of my life with Justice. The photographs I take for this project will range from snapshots of everyday life, still moments that are often left undocumented and artistic impressions of the very things we pass each day and take for granted. The photographs will document adventurous vacations and much needed weekend getaways along with nondescript days filled with mundane chores and countless errands. I will photograph our many camping trips and time spent outdoors as well as time spent with friends and loved ones. Holidays and special events will be eclipsed by everyday life which is a much more accurate picture of the life we live. As I journey through this project I will blog about it and hopefully turn it into some sort of creative book when it is over. I am intrigued by the idea of seeing a year of my life in snapshots and I can't help but wonder what it will look like when it is finished. Will this affect the way I view everyday life or change my perceptions of the life I live? Will I relish in new revelations about myself and my son? Will I be proud of what I see or will I be surprised in interesting ways? Time will answer all of these questions and more ; but, for now I can only pick up my camera and start shooting the story of our lives. Please join us for the journey!

Day 1- "Mouth Full of Sushi" (May 23, 2011)



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Justice loves sushi. It also happens to be a really easy, healthy, last minute dinner for busy nights since our local grocery store makes it fresh each day. There were no complaints at the dinner table tonight.

Support Justice Gerber in Scouting!

It's that time of year again! We are selling Trails End Popcorn to raise money for Scouting. This is our third year participating in this fundraiser and we are so happy to announce we were the highest seller in Pack 714 last year with $3,175.00 in sales! Justice even won a special prize from Council as he had the highest sales in the over $3,000 category! He also eaned the Trails End College scholarship which means 6% of last years sales have been put into a college scholarship for him and 6% of every sale he makes this year will also go into his college scholarship! Your purchase will not only go to support local Scouts, it will also help pay for Justice's cost of college! The sale runs from October 2nd- October 30th.

As many of you may know I have been a Scout Leader since Justice started Scouting. When we started I thought it would just be something fun to do with some cool camping trips thrown into the mix. I have to tell you, this program is so much more than I ever anticipated. I have watched Justice become an incredible little salesman spending over 80 hours of his own time doing fundraisers for Scouting in the last two years. He has learned many new skills such as Wall Climbing, BB Gun Shooting, Archery, Leave No Trace Principals, Cold Weather Camping, Public Speaking and more. He has also learned how to give back to his community by participating in Conservation Projects, Collecting Food For Families and various other Volunteer Projects. Personally I have recieved top-notch training which has helped me become an effective Scout Leader and have had the opportunity to expand my outdoor skills and learn invaluable life saving techniques.

Justice even got to see snow in Florida when camping with the Scouts!



Of course Scouting costs money and the program is designed for Scouts to earn their own way. To do this Scouts participate in well organized fundraisers. Will you help us pay our own way in Scouting? Your purchase of Trails End Popcorn will help us pay our own way. 70% of your purchase goes back to Justice, his pack and his Council. If you don't like popcorn you can always purchase a Militairy Donation and Trails End will send popcorn to men and women in the Militairy. 100% of your Militairy Donation is tax deductible. We have tried most of the products and can tell you first hand they are fantastic!

In order for Justice to get credit for his sales you must follow the procedure below.

Please go to....

www.trails-end.com

You will see a green bar on the right that says "You are supporting no one. Change."
Click on "Change"
enter Justice's Scout ID 3118672
The Green Bar should now say "You are supporting Scout Justice G."
* You can get FREE SHIPPING on all orders over $150 placed between now and October 15th. Just enter code 100YEARS at checkout!
*If you are local, please contact me so we can take your order personally. We have some products available immediately and some can be ordered through our Pack. You will not have to pay for shipping if you are local and place your order through the Pack becasue we will personally deliver your product to you.

Challenger: The Untold Story

After seeing our first shuttle launch, I have developed a deeper appreciation for the space program and what NASA is able to accomplish; yet, while I stand in wonder and awe of our atronauts and the shuttles they skyrocket in, I realize that not all missions end in glory.

Getting ready to view the launch caused me to reflect on the Challenger tragedy and relive the moments just before and after the shuttle exploded. In my fourth grade classroom we watched in utter silence as the launch took place and we watched in horror as the screen erupted in a puff of white smoke. Even at the tender age of nine, it was apparent to us that all of the astronauts had been killed.

Below is a quite lengthy documentary on the Challenger. You can watch it in segments and I think it tells the story quite well.

How To Save 30% On Gas

This week I tried something new and crazy in an attempt to save money and cut back on my cost of living. I drove slower. I drove slower and it paid off in a big way.

When I began this new experiment I really had no preconceived notions regarding how much money I could save simply by driving slower than usual; however, I believe it would be fair to say I knew I would save some money. I just wasn't prepared for how much I would save.

I drove from West Palm Beach to Florida City to Key Largo to Florida City to Coopertown to the Sawgrass Mall to West Palm Beach to Jupiter to North Palm Beach to Jupiter and back home on one tank of gas. This is something I have never done before in my car! The total mileage was approximately 365 and when I divided that by the 11 gallons my tank holds that meant I got 33 miles per gallon.

What I find most interesting is, after I figured out my gas mileage for this trip, I did some research on the year, make and model of my car and found I should be able to get 33 mpg highway, 26 mpg city and 28 mpg combined. That is exactly what I got when driving at or 5 mph below the speed limit. (Please keep to the right if you do this and allow other drivers to pass you safely.)

I also did some research on how the speed you drive affects your gas mileage and here is what I found. Most cars seem to plateau between 40 and 60 miles per hour, showing no significant gain in fuel cost. Making the jump to 60 miles per hour and up can cost 30% or more in gas. I know of NO OTHER FUEL SAVING TIP that comes anywhere close to saving 30% on gas. Drive slower if you want to see real savings at the pump.

The last interesting tidbit of information I picked up during my research was the national speed limit of 55 mph. In 1974 the country adopted a national speed limit of 55 mph in an effort to reduce consumption during the energy crisis. Those smart government officials knew that driving slower would pay off in a big way, so they made it mandatory. While it is very unlikely to see a national speed limit like that again, each driver can make a personal choice to drive slower and keep right.

Every Year We.....

Do you have a list of things you absolutely must do every year? Before I had Justice, I did not have a list like that; however, since he was born things have changed drastically.

It has come to my attention that, our must do list has grown to gargantuan proportions. As we continue to explore the state of Florida on a budget and a dream, we seem to unearth more and more amazing things to do each year.

Below is a list of things we must do and see each year. These are the things that have been so fun and so incredible, that we can't imagine not doing them again and again.

In Town/Day Trips

1. Artigras in Jupiter
2. Renfest in Ft. Lauderdale
3. Easter Egg hunt in Lake Park
4. State fair in Palm Beach County or St. Lucie county
5. Trip to Morikami Gardens when a festival is being held
6. McKee Botanical Gardens in Vero Beach
7. Boynton School House Museum
8. Drehyr Park Zoo
9. Science Museum in West Palm
10. 3-D Imax theater in Ft. Lauderdale
11. The Girls U-Pick Strawberry farm in Delray Beach
12. Monsters In The Marsh at Grassey Waters Preserve
13. Davie Pro Rodeo
14. Wanna Do City
15. Friday night Flicks in Delray Beach
16. The Christmas Boat Parade In West Palm Beach
17. The Sunrise Balloon Race

Out Of Town Trips In Florida

1. Epcot for the Candlelight Processional
2. Animal Kingdom
3. Magic Kingdom twice (1 hard ticket event, rotate each year)
4. MGM Osbourne Family Festival of Lights
5. Both Disney Water Parks
6. Disneyquest
7. Sea World (The Polar Experience is THE BEST Christmas theme park attraction in Orlando!)
8. Universal (both parks, not to miss Grinchmas and the Macy's Parade)
9. Bush Gardens Tampa
10. Weeki Wachee Mermaids
11. Tubing the Itcheetuknee
12. Camping and fossil hunting the Peace River
13. Solomon's Caste in Ona
14. Gaylord Palms Ice Display
15. Aquatica by Sea World
16. Orange picking and the Citrus Tower in Cleremont

* We would like to add the Keys, St. Augustine/Amelia Island, Discovery Cove and The Kennedy Space center to this list in the coming year.

Do you have any other must do's/must see's each year? I'd love to hear about them!