Skiing with friends

Ian did this during art class at our co-op (Nathan, Joel, Toby, and Andrew playing poker)

From 2021 to 2024 the kids only went skiing once per year because WVIA stopped offering free passes to Ski Sawmill. Last year I discovered that Montage Mountain has a good deal ($45 per person for lift ticket plus rentals) if you arrive before 4:00 pm Monday-Wednesday. Nathaniel had skied with the kids at Elk Mountain in January 2025 and loved it, so he also joined us at Montage last year. Abby skied with the kids last month at Elk Mountain. She also loved it so today I took six kids skiing - my three plus Nathaniel, Abby, and her brother, Joey. It just so happened that the day I chose for this outing is also Nathaniel's sixteenth birthday, so I asked him to choose where we stopped for dinner after skiing. He picked Chick-fil-A. Overall things went well. It was the first time Joey went skiing, and he said he definitely wants to do it again. Abby only fell one time the whole day, but the one time she fell she bruised her left arm near her elbow, so she stopped skiing a couple of hours before we left. Nathaniel forgot to bring a coat, but I was able to loan him my coat as I was in the lodge much of the time. Nadia forgot her ski goggles, and the snow from the snow machines was irritating her eyes so I bought her a pair of sunglasses at the shop. The kids played a card game in the van on the way there, and they mostly slept in the van on the way home. Some kids played a little bit of Skyjo in the afternoon in the lodge. 

My last gratitude post was on January 25. Here are some things I've been thankful for over the last month.

1. Ian had his piano recital on February 1. His teacher had two recitals that day. She asked Ian and Josh to play in both recitals. Paul's dad came up for the recital, which we appreciated. Now that Ian is done with the Rachmaninoff, he's working on a beautiful piece by Bach. He also played the keyboard for the youth worship on February 11. 

2. On February 3, Nadia and I both got a haircut, and Nadia also got a manicure in preparation for Jenna's wedding. Given she will not be living at home many more month, I want to seize the opportunity for making memories together while we have the opportunity. 

Homeschoolers are being included in the MCS yearbook this year. Here's Ian's photo.

3. All has gone smoothly over the last almost seven weeks with Nadia driving our new car. I'm enjoying a temporary reduction in the amount of chauffeuring as she takes herself to and from work and takes she and her brothers to and from art classes, youth group/Bible quizzing, and musical rehearsals.  

4. I had been praying for months that I would get some good pictures at Jenna's wedding. I wanted to get some photos that they could treasure for years to come. The Lord answered those prayers! Her brother, Andrew, has already asked if I will be his wedding photographer (if his future bride agrees). Thankfully, he's not planning to have a winter wedding, lol! 

5. Oliver and Nadia enjoyed ice skating to celebrate Abby's 17th birthday on February 8. Ian was behind in physics, so he had to take a test while they were ice skating. Our kids plus Faith and Xandir spent some time at the Seiberts house in between the ice skating and the youth group Super Bowl party. I made deviled eggs for the party.

6. Ian and Paul attended a Williamsport Symphony Orchestra concert on February 10 so that he could complete one of his assignments for his Humanities class through Cedarville this semester. He particularly enjoyed Gershwin's piano concerto. 

7. On February 12 Ian had his first chance to sing his Le Poisson solo at the musical rehearsal. He did an amazing job. He received positive feedback from other students and the directors that day and when he sang it at another rehearsal on February 21. For example, Lydia told me it gave her goosebumps. I can't wait to see the performances! 

8. On the rare occasion that Nadia isn't at a musical rehearsal, one of the directors (who lives in our town) has been giving a ride home to one or both boys at the end of the rehearsal, which is greatly appreciated! 

9. Nadia was able to babysit the youth pastor's kids on Valentine's Day so that he and his wife could go out for a date. 

10. We haven't had Peacock for a while, but I paid for one month so we could watch the Winter Olympics. That was a well spent $11. Nadia has enjoyed watching many hours of figure skating. Paul and I really enjoyed watching the replay of the gold medal men's hockey game. 

11. We've attended our current church for 12 years, but up until this year Nadia and I never attended any of the mother/daughter events. Usually, we had a schedule conflict. This year I thought we had another schedule conflict as Nadia planned to work at Camp Susque last weekend, but they didn't need her to work so we signed for a painting pottery event that took place on Saturday afternoon. Most of the events over the years were held in May (near Mother's Day), and that is often when we have gone on a vacation. I never would have guessed that I would have to wait until I was almost 54 years old to attend my first mother/daughter event as a mom. I'm glad that Abby and her mom encouraged us to attend this event with them.

One of the kids in the photography class (co-op) took this photo

12. Oliver came down with a stomach bug on February 14. Ian came down with it on February 17, and Nadia followed suit on February 18. Ian and I were the only ones to attend church on February 15, and all of us stayed home on February 18. Paul and I didn't get sick, but Pastor Eric cancelled our small group that night as he was away. I'm thankful that Paul and I dodged the illness and that all three kids are as my mom used to say "back to the land of the living." They didn't go to art class on February 19, and Oliver was the only one who attended the musical rehearsal that night, but Nadia worked a shift on February 20 and went out for coffee and Bible study with her friend, Maddie. 

13. Last November I decided to pay for one year of Walmart+. Paramount Plus didn't have a Black Friday special like they usually do, and you get a free year of that (or Peacock) with Walmart+. I joined when there was a 50% discount on Walmart+ so I paid only a little more than I usually have paid for a year of Paramount Plus. I have to say I love having Walmart+. I have only used it for delivery service (groceries) twice because you need to tip the driver, but I did the math, and between the two orders I paid only about $1 more towards the tip than I would have paid for gas for two roundtrips to Walmart. If you order items that are considered "shipping" they still typically deliver it the same day you order it, but there isn't any tipping involved even if you just have a small order. For example, one time recently I ordered the generic version of Imodium, and the total was less than $4, and they delivered it that same day without charging for shipping/delivery. I also discovered they come to your house to pick up returns at no charge! I ordered a pair of sneakers for less than $11 after I discovered the shoe I had been wearing was making one spot on my foot bleed. I ordered size 8.5. They were too small. They picked up the size 8.5 and brought me a pair of size 9 without any extra charges. I think they could improve the efficiency of their system though as they sent two different people to my house the same day (one to pick up the return and a different person to bring the other size - why waste the time and gas to do that?!?). Anyhow, I'm definitely a fan. We shall see if I like it enough to pay full price if I can't renew it at the 50% off price in November. We don't have Amazon Prime right now, but honestly if I had to pick between the two, I'd choose Walmart+ although I'm sure we'll pay for one month of Amazon Prime after they release the next season of The Chosen.

14. I routinely take pictures of every receipt for several apps, and we also use the Upside app when possible when getting gas. Periodically I redeem the points I've earned in each of those eight apps for cash or gift cards. Last week I received about $325 back from those apps - some as PayPal payments that I then transferred to our bank account and others as Walmart, Amazon, Red Robin, Panera Bread, and Domino's Pizza gift cards. 

15. Cooper has been at our house since February 18, and he's going to be with us for 25 days. So far, it has been going fairly smoothly. 

16. Although I wasn't able to get tickets for the optimal day (even though I was clicking right at 5:00 AM when they became available), I am very grateful that I did get five tickets for us to tour Big Ben another day in May before they were all sold out. 

17. Nadia's math score on the SAT wasn't high enough for her to be able to take a statistics course in the fall that is required for her major, but thankfully, her score on the university's math assessment was high enough for her to be able to register for that class. Their math assessment cannot be used to qualify for taking calculus, which she's also required to take. She has completed part of a college algebra course through ASU (only costs $25) and also has been taking a free College Algebra CLEP test prep course. At this point she's planning to take the CLEP test as the completion of College Algebra is another way to be given permission to take Calculus. She doesn't need to take their English assessment because she already passed English Composition through GCU. The only other assessment she still needs to take is a technology assessment. 

18. Although we haven’t done so every single week, most of the time Ian has been helping me make dinner once a week. Nadia continues to bake on a regular basis. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Earlier in our marriage Paul and I used to celebrate Valentine's Day by exchanging gifts and cards and going out on a date. I think it's been about 14 years since we went on a date around the time of Valentine's Day. We do have other Valentine's Day traditions. Brownie batter donuts are the favorite for the kids and I, but Dunkin only has them available in February. We usually buy a box of 6 donuts four times a year - once for each of the kids' birthdays and also for Valentine's Day. I also make heart shaped food for Valentine's Day - heart shaped egg inside a piece of toast and/or a heart shaped pancake. I bought the donuts on Thursday evening, and tomorrow for lunch I'm making egg in the toast with a heart shaped hole. Several years ago, I started the tradition of getting the kids each one gift for Valentine's Day. Some years I got them each a jigsaw puzzle, for example. This year I gave Oliver a book, Nadia a comforter for her dorm room, Ian a game, and Paul a t-shirt. This evening Nadia is babysitting at the youth pastor's home so that he and his wife can go out on a date. The girls had a Valentine's party on Wednesday night at youth group. Nadia and Maddie made sugar cookies at Maddie's house on Tuesday afternoon for that party. The homeschool roller skating party is usually the week of Valentine's Day, but this year it's not until February 25. Nadia got a Valentine's card and some chocolate from her boss when she was at work yesterday. If Jenna's wedding hadn't been on February 7, I think Paul and I would have attended a dance at the Methodist church. I'm hoping we make it there on March 7 as our last date (East Coast swing lesson) was on November 7. 

Nadia and her Great Aunt Janet

Jenna and Toby's Wedding

 

My preparations for Jenna and Toby's wedding began months ago. I purchased two (physical) wedding photography books and four wedding photography e-books, borrowed many wedding photography books through Kindle Unlimited, purchased gifts for the couple, purchased additional memory cards, a dual camera harness, and camera batteries, and created lists of shots that I planned to take at the wedding. Nadia and I had appointments for manicures and haircuts on February 3. The stylist was running behind so Nadia was the only one who got a manicure. It had been 12 months since Nadia had a haircut, and it had been 7 months since I had a haircut. I got myself a new dress for the wedding a few months ago. Last month I bought Ian and Oliver dress shirts for the wedding at a thrift store. Nadia wore the dress I got her for the Ray of Lights Awards event she and Ian attended with the cast of Seussical in 2024. On the way down to the church on Friday, we stopped at the thrift store and Boscov's. Paul got himself dress pants and a dress shirt at the thrift store as that morning he had discovered the ones he owned don't currently fit him. The kids got some clothes at the thrift store and also used the Boscov's gift cards that Paul's Aunt Debbie had given them for Christmas. Nadia and Ian got clothes at Boscov's, and Oliver used the last $10 on his gift card for a watch. Both Ian and Oliver are now wearing men's size small! Oliver loves the fact that he is now a smidge taller than me, and I think Ian might be taller than Paul. We brought a variety of things down with us including a ladder (for me to use for some photographs), clothes to donate to Yvonne's family (that the boys have outgrown), cameras, lenses, etc. 

Six of Jenna's cousins, three of her uncles, and two of her aunts

I started taking pictures on Friday afternoon of the dress (on a hangar), her earrings and necklace, her boots, their wedding rings, etc. I also tried to scope out where I would take photos outside the next day. I took a few pictures of their rehearsal. Paul ironed tablecloths for the reception for hours on Friday. Many people were working hard with decorating, cooking in the kitchen, etc. Since they met at a Chick-Fil-A where they were employed in the fall of 2020, food from Chick-Fil-A is what was served at the rehearsal dinner. 5 years plus 3 months passed from their first date to their wedding. Paul and I dated for 4.5 years before we were married. I have some of my niece's and nephew's birthdates memorized, but in most cases, I just remember what month they were born and use calendar reminders so I can send cards and such. Several of Jenna's siblings have birthdays that fall on holidays, so I easily remember those (Julianna's is on Valentine's Day, Wesley and Joshua's birthdays are on St. Patrick's Day, etc.). I am quite certain I won't memorize all the anniversary dates for my nieces and nephews, but I do think I'll remember Jenna's because February 7, 2026 was the 29th anniversary of the date Paul and I met at a ballroom dancing class at the Boscov's in Pottsville, and it's also Oliver's half birthday. 

Normally a macro lens would be used for this shot, but I don't own one. I still like the picture.

Ian spent the night on Friday night at an Airbnb that Toby had rented for one night. Toby's groomsmen plus Joshua, Nathan, Joel, and Ian spent the night together. They played games for many hours and slept a tiny bit. We had four rooms at a Holiday Inn that night. Aunt Janet had a room to herself. My dad had the room to himself on Saturday night, but Oliver joined him on Friday night. Drayton, Adam, Grace, and Rachel shared a room on Saturday night, but on Friday night their room was used by Grace, Rachel, and Nadia as Drayton and Adam joined Paul and I in the room we got for one night. I got barely any sleep. I ate breakfast as soon as the buffet opened (about 6:55 am) and then I drove to the church so that I could take pictures of the bride and bridesmaids getting ready. They showed up 30 minutes later than planned, and some of the groom's family weren't there in time for us to get some of the photos that we had planned to take before the ceremony, but we did get some photos done before the wedding. Jenna wanted a winter wedding because she wanted snow in her wedding pictures. The snow that fell two weeks before her wedding was still on the ground because it has been so cold lately. That was an answer to prayer, but it turned out that the temperatures that day tied a record low from 1948. It also was VERY windy (up to 50 mph). With the wind chill, it was as low as -20 degrees!! I went outside to take photos four different times. The first time it was -12 out, and I didn't have a coat on because I was wearing my dual camera harness. The fourth time I went out with a coat and just one camera around my neck (much better). The lighting was much better the fourth time we went out. The sun was too bright the first three times. I own a reflector and planned to use it, but no one was outside helping me with the photographs. If I am ever asked to be a wedding photographer again, I am going to make sure someone is helping me with things like a reflector. At one point it was also TOO windy. Toby's hair was standing straight up from the wind. I hadn't planned on taking pictures in front of the brick wall at the church, but we moved there as it wasn't as windy. I'm very grateful they were willing to brave the elements as most of my favorite shots from the day were taken outside. I wish we had taken a couple with the entire bridal party outdoors, but understandably some of them wanted to stay inside. 

The wind blowing the veil was a blessing in this shot

Almost everything went smoothly on their wedding day. Nathan (age 17) really struggled to play an arrangement of Holy, Holy during the wedding. It seems he was very nervous. The guests started leaving the reception long before Jenna *thought* the reception would end, so the plan to give the guests sparklers to use when they left was ditched. I took over 600 photos. Nadia also took a few as she stood behind Jenna when she walked down the aisle with her dad. Did I nail every shot? Absolutely not. Did I get a lot of good pictures? Definitely. I uploaded 333 photos this morning for the bride and groom and some guests to enjoy. Some of the pictures I deleted were from when I took multiple pictures of the same group of people due to the fact sometimes people are blinking, not looking at the camera, not smiling, etc. In other instances I deleted the photo because I hadn't done a good job in taking it (ex. the ones of the first kiss in the wedding ceremony). Thankfully I got some other good pictures of them kissing. 

I finished the photos this morning. I got up at 4:30am, which is definitely earlier than normal, because I wanted to get tickets for us to tour Big Ben in May, and the tickets for May were released this morning at 10:00 London time, which was 5:00am our time. Although I was clicking on the site as soon as the clock turned to 5:00 am, I was too late to get 5 tickets for any of the time slots on May 16, which was my first choice because the Parliament tours are only available on Saturdays. I then started searching through the time slots for May 15, but most were sold out and the others only had 1-3 tickets available per time slot. I then looked to see what was available for May 18. The first time slot that day would have been ideal, but it was already sold out. The earliest time slot that still had 5 tickets available was the 12:45 tour. I bought them before they also sold out. I had read that typically the entire month's tickets sell out within 10 minutes. I'm guessing they sold out within 5 minutes or less today. My mom always referred to our grandfather clock as "Big Ben." Paul and I didn't visit Parliament or Big Ben when we were in London in 2002. So I'm grateful that I was able to get five tickets even though it might mean that we won't be able to tour the chapel at King's College in Cambridge that afternoon as planned. I decided this morning that touring Big Ben was more important to me if I had to choose, and when I told Paul what happened later, he shared my opinion. I knew that I would be unable to get back to sleep even though I had only slept 6 hours, and I prefer to get 8-9 hours of sleep. So I continued to work on editing photos, deleting photos, and uploading photos to a Google photo album so that Jenna, Toby, and other friends and family could access them. 

I thought Jenna's boots were so cute! I took several pictures of them, ha ha!

I have zero desire to be a professional wedding photographer, but I am definitely willing to help out another niece or nephew in the future if any of them should ask me. I am quite certain I wouldn't be willing to do so for Brendan given I'm 52 years older than him and would likely be in my 70's if he got married in his 20's, but for those closer in age to Jenna, I would be happy to do this again. Her brother Joshua will probably be the next one to get engaged, and Andrew (who is graduating from college in May) also has a girlfriend. We shall see. In case I am ever asked again, I want to record a list of lessons learned that I can look back at should the need arise. I don't have any control over the time of year they will choose to get married, but I'm hoping any future weddings that I photograph will take place on a warmer day when we can take more photos outside (especially of all the wedding party). Borrowing Wendy's camera body and zoom lens were definitely helpful. In the past I've exclusively used prime lenses, but her zoom lens definitely came in handy on Saturday. The dual camera harness was also very helpful, especially during the ceremony. I had asked several friends to pray that I would get some good photos that Jenna and Toby could treasure for years to come. I think the Lord answered those prayers.

1. I need at least one "assistant" with me during the photo shoots - to hold a reflector, to help fetch the people needed for the next shot, and to help me with posing the people and giving them instructions. I had a list of instructions in my head prior to the wedding (ex. girls should hold the bouquet with one arm in the shape an L at their waist). Sometimes I remembered to give some instructions (ex. men put your hands in your pocket, Jenna lower the bouquet to your waist, etc.) but many times I had too many things on my mind (figuring out what lens to use, what settings my camera should be at, etc.) and we were very pressed for time and needed to move as quickly as possible as the reception was to start at 1:00. When I was editing the photos, I noticed things like Jenna's bouquet was often held too high (covering up the bodice of her dress). The pictures taken outside when I didn't have a coat on were rushed for another reason - we were all very cold! Two heads are better than one. 

2. The ladder was helpful. I would bring that again, but next time I will make sure the ladder is with me when I'm taking photos of large groups of people.

3. Next time I want to bring a pillow that I can use for my knees when I am kneeling to take photos. My knees were in pain for a couple of days afterward. 

4. I brought a black backdrop and clamps. I would have greatly preferred to use that for all the myriads of group photos that were taken in the sanctuary. A drum set and such is really not the ideal background, and it often looked like the cross was coming out of someone's head. The lighting in the foyer was MUCH better than in the sanctuary. For a whopping $30 I could buy an adjustable background stand. If I am asked to photograph another wedding, I'm planning to buy one so that will be an option (although outdoor photos would still be "plan a" for me). I could also have used that backdrop for the getting ready photos. There were NO windows in that room, and the walls were a really dark shade of teal, not exactly ideal! But I worked with what I had. Not every picture is going to be hung on a wall or in a photo album. Some are just for documenting the very special day.

5. I brought a squeaker toy to attract Brendan's attention, but it was downstairs while I was upstairs. I need to keep it with me in the future!

6. If I am taking group photos that include young children, I need to take MORE photos of each pose than I typically do. Usually, I would find at least one pose for each group that I thought worked in terms of people having open eyes, looking in the correct direction, and smiling, but that wasn't true for the photo of Jenna and Toby with Jenna's immediate family. Bummer! 

7. I was so busy taking pictures for Jenna and Toby that I forgot to get a group photo of my three kids or one of all five of us. If we're at another wedding in the future (even if I'm not the photographer), I want to make sure I get those! I did get one of Nadia/Ian, but it's nothing to write home about (taken in the sanctuary). 

8. If it seems like I'm going to be asked to be a wedding photographer more than one more time, I think I should invest in a macro lens for the detail shots unless I'm unable to borrow Wendy's zoom lens in the future. If that happens, then instead of a macro lens I should probably get a zoom lens.

9. Wear comfortable shoes! I was on my feet for many hours, and the boots I wore were not comfortable enough.