Friday.
Edition 27.
Happy Friday Everybody!
I hope that you’ve had an amazing week so far.
Mine has been pretty packed. We are on the countdown until school begins. Next Wednesday is the day.
We did our big purge over the weekend. And while we definitely made massive headway (think… I can see the floor of the garage and the storage room), I’m still hoping to make another push.
On Monday, I decided to Google myself because every now and then I like to be sure that everything out there associated with my name is legitimate.
I discovered that one of my Instagram pics was on one of the University of Glasgow’s pages. It rotates through various Instagram pics so it took a bit for me to discover which one. It was definitely an uplifting moment as I’ve been feeling ambivalent about that social media platform. The algorithms are not in my favor and I have no interest in paying a company to get me noticed.
In fact, I’ve spent more time away from social media in the past few weeks because I was devoting a lot of time there and not seeing any growth. That is time away from focusing on my family…and if they are my main priority, then I am not honoring my priorities.
Everyone had their annual checkups this week.
The fun part for me is getting an official measure on my teens, not just my marks on the wall (I do use a level though!).
Big Mr. is 6’5 1/2″.
Mr. D is 6′.
Miss Sunshine is 5’4 1/2″.
They don’t see how tall I am, so I’m just gonna keeping on claiming my 5’8″ [I may have shrunk a little from giant babies compressing my spine, but I’m saying I’ve lengthened it back out with yoga and pilates ;)].
Maverick started puppy training classes this week. He’s a little afraid of other dogs, so I was prepared for it to be overwhelming. However, he just sprawled out and almost took a nap while the instructor talked.
The first class is pretty easy. We worked on sit. He already had this down so he happily received treats from Miss Sunshine for demonstrating what he knows!
He’s pretty well potty trained. Or he has us trained. We take him out often, but I don’t feel like he really lets us know when he wants out, which has led to some accidents. Numerous people have told me about getting potty bells, so this week I did that.
You hang them from the door and each time you take the dog out, you ring them. I put his paw on it to ring them. The idea is that he will learn that the door opens when he rings the bell. I have heard that some dogs will do this just to go outside, even if they don’t need to use the bathroom. We have a fenced yard, so as long as he gets the idea of ringing the bells, I don’t care if it’s just to go out and play.
Yesterday was Mr. D.’s birthday.
16!
We always let the birthday child pick dinner. I used to make their request. Now we go out. He decided on Kabuki. It’s a Japanese Steak House. The kind where they cook the food in front of you and toss shrimp in the air for you to catch in your mouth. They also make a volcano out of onions and light it on fire. I shared a little of our experience on my Instagram story.
It made for a very fun evening!
Stepping up my photo game has been on my to-do list for some time.
Honestly, I’ve been super frustrated because I could not figure out how in the world to change the aperture on my Sony Alpha 7II.
I got the camera so close to heading to Scotland that I knew I would shoot auto while there. I’m sure this caused limitations, but the quality was superior to my beginner Nikon, so I took the Sony.
I’ve watched some YouTube tutorials but never found one that addressed changing the aperture. Depth of field is one of the things that I like to play with the most, so it was crucial for me to figure out. Otherwise, I just wasn’t going to enjoy the camera.
Since I didn’t make it a priority, it took some time to finally find a website that explained how you change the aperture on the Sony Alpha 7II. With the switch on AEL, you depress the AEL button and then rotate the knob above and to the right of the C3 button. There may be another way to change it, but I’m over the moon ecstatic about discovering how to change the aperture.
Speaking of the moon…
How many of you found glasses to watch the Solar Eclipse on Monday?
Unfortunately, not me.
I decided on a parody song this week. Somebody shared it on Facebook and I found it really funny. I figure after a week like this, we could all use a moment of lightheartedness.
Growth is a part of life.
I hope to never stop having an insatiable curiosity and desire to grow. And I hope you don’t either.
Have a peaceful and relaxing weekend!
Miss Sunshine has her opening soccer tournament this weekend, so I will be cheering her on from the sidelines!
Let your light shine!
Amy
That’s so great about your photo! Hope you have a great weekend ahead x
Thank you so much!! xo
I really need to get a half-decent camera. I have become incredibly lazy, and just use my phone – which is nuts, because I did photography at college.
I use the phone quite often. They say the best camera is the one you have with you!! 🙂
It’s nice spending time away from social media. Like you said Amy it’s better time spent with your family. Good luck with all the decluttering and enjoy this break before school starts again.
So true! Thanks Miriam! The decluttering has been going remarkably well.
That’s great! 🙂
I was playing with my camera trying to figure out what you were doing with the AEL button. I’m still not sure what the AEL button is or isn’t doing.
Whenever I change aperture, I just toggle the little wheel by the C3 button without the AEL button. In playing though, I discovered the little wheel on the front of the on/off switch also changes the aperture.
I’m wondering if it’s because I’m in aperture mode. What mode are you using?
I thought that was what you had to do as well, but when I toggled the wheel in aperture mode, it didn’t work.
The thing I read said to push in the AEL button while toggling the wheel.
I’ve just gone back to try toggling it without pushing in the button. It would not change in the past and now it does! That makes things much easier! I was in aperture mode both times. I guess I still have a lot to learn! That front wheel seems to be working for me too! Yay! Thanks so much for the insight. 😊
You’re welcome. From you I learned about the AEL button. I still haven’t figured out how to make it work, but this is a feature I’ve wanted for a while.
Haha- Amy, I do the same thing now and again with Google, but I always hold my breath, because you never know with the internet! And I have also thought about stepping away from Instagram lately. I feel like it’s just such a weird platform- like a literal judging platform- laying out visual pictures to be judged and to judge. It just hasn’t been sitting with me well lately. It’s such a breeding ground for comparison too.
Maverick is so darn cute!!!!
That meal looks sooo good!
And we went out for the Eclipse, but didn’t have the glasses- someone let us borrow a peak for a second, so that was nice!
Thanks for sharing your faves! I always love your posts! XO
Yes, you definitely never know with the internet!! I do think Instagram presses on my comparison envy and then I step back until I’ve re-centered because I really do love Instagram…in concept.
There’s not a day that goes by the Maverick doesn’t make me smile…and frustrated with his puppy antics. He seems to be good for my soul. 🙂
That meal is one of my favorite dishes in town! We usually start with an appetizer of sushi too. Yum!
My daughter ended up getting a pair of glasses that the library had on “first come, first serve” so we shared.
I’m glad you enjoyed my faves this week! xo -Amy