Shutterboo Photography is now Brooke Murphy Photography… and the new site can be found at brookemurphyphoto.com. (I’m squealing over here, people!!)

Come on over and visit the new site!  Hurry! Now! Do it!!!

(You can also visit me on Facebook!  And don’t forget to update the RSS!)

I hope you surround yourself with the people you love.

And with people that love you.

That you have a calmness in your heart.

And a smile on your face.

That you are warm and content.

And are lucky enough to have a piece of warm pie in front you.

Happy Holidays to all my friends – I wish you a very merry December and hope you know that you are loved and appreciated.

Very much so.

We started out facing each other. The BDD grew tired of me.  And she turned.

I wish I were making this up.

So I followed…

The BDD was unamused. But I luz her anyway.

I’m thankful for all of my steady visitors, all of my friends that come here every now and then just to later say to my face “yeah, I saw that on your blog” – thank you friends. You make my day brighter when you quote le blog.

I’m thankful for all the ladies peoples (this is an equal opportunity blog) that land here in search of camera purse ideas – you guys should really stick around a little more and not bounce as fast. I’ve got much more interesting things to confess than a list of cute camera bags.

And I’m very thankful for all the friends in other parts of the country, all those bloggy buddies that are way awesomo.  Because you are way awesomo and have made this three-year journey totally worth while.

So thankful.  Because without all of you, I’d be a Sad Brooke.  But lucky for me, I’m a Very Happy Brooke.  Cheers to another year!

• I’ve had some wonderful photo sessions in the past couple weeks and I have even more coming up in the next few.  There’s nothing more satisfying than smiling back at the faces in the images while I’m editing and getting excited to share them.  There’s plenty coming up, I promise!
• But if you can’t wait, there are a few sneak peeks on Facebook.
• I have fallen victim to peer pressure this month.  First in the form of hosting a jewelry party at my home.  Second… well… there’s thing called Twilight that I’ve never really cared about…
• Twilight Lunch [twahy-lahyt luhnch], noun - A midday meal that involves watching the Twilight movies with fabulous co-workers in an effort to relive vampire-werewolf-teenage-love-triangle in time for new a movie.  May span over several days due to limited one-hour lunch breaks.
• Yes.  That happened.  Never read the books (although I want to now), never cared to watch the teenage angst unfold with fangs and fur (but it’s been quite enjoyable) and never thought I’d admit that I like (but I kind of do).  Gah.  What is happening to me?!
• More peer pressure: I’m attending a midnight showing with said fabulous co-workers tonight.  I have two fears.  One is that I won’t be able to stay awake.  The other is running into someone I know.
• I seriously just took up four five bullets to talk about Twilight.  I must be ill.
• On a completely different note, I have discovered the best boots in the world.  I actually discovered them on another lady’s foot and asked her if Frye boots were really worth the money and then she told me her secret.  I bought them and have been wearing all the live long day.  I have fallen in love with a pair of shoes.
• I also fell in love with an L-series lens.  A friend let me borrow his Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L for a wedding and man, they don’t call it luxury for nothing.  I’ve started a little piggy bank in hopes of purchasing my own L-series lens.  But I’ll probably go with a prime because I have the hots for them.  And I’ll probably have to wait a while as the piggy bank will have to grow a lot first.
• I also fell down.  Again.  On the deck.  I had the BDD on a lead early Saturday morning and she saw something she had to get.  With the deck frosted over, homegirl had her feet slip out from under her, slippers flew off and banged my head.  This is not the first time… and I’m seriously contemplating that helmet now.

My pal Omawarisan over at the Blurt Blog has started his own philanthropic endeavors through an action figure – we call her The Jolie. And she travels.  Between states, between countries and between friends in the blogosphere.  Bringing people near and far closer together through her Jolie-ness.

I hosted her.  And though our time together was not the most entertaining, The Jolie was definitely in Louisville.

{CLICK HERE TO GO TO BLURT}

What all is going on?

I have no idea yet.  But there will be a giveaway.  Because I’m celebrating over here.

You want to know more?

Well, you’re just going to have to wait until next week.

Like I said, I ain’t got it all figured out.  But I will.

Stay tuned… and Happy Friday.

The hubs has been working hard on making our backyard usable again.  Which is necessary on account that the BDD pushes my blinds out of her way to look out the window which then not only shortens the life expectancy of said blinds but chips the paint off the window’s trim.  No amount of shooing can keep her from doing it either.  So you see, the hubs’ hard work will pay off once I can just let the beasts free in the backyard again.

And since he’s been hard at work, so have I.  I’ve put in hours with him pulling nails, getting rid of trash and what not.  But this past weekend, I did the biggest favor of all.  I mowed the grass.

This might not seem like a big deal, but to me it is.  I’ve never mowed the grass.  The men in my life have always done the mowing so there’s been no need to.  But if I wanted to take that picture up there, with my feet standing on a new cedar deck floor, I was going to have to mow.  And since the hubs was fine letting me near the pushing mower (I might have lowered the deck on a riding mower once resulting in a fresh, curvy go-cart track through a yard.  Maybe.  It could be myth.), I put in my husband blockers and I went to work.

Husband blockers = Skullcandy earbuds.  Believe me, you can’t hear them calling your name at all.  It’s pretty fantabulous.

How hard could it be?  It’s like vacuuming the yard, right?  WRONG.  It’s nothing like vacuuming.  It can’t be done one handed.  It’s so easy to leave a small strip of tall grass.  It’s impossible to guide that machine over to that small strip to clip it.  I did what any smart person would do: I started behind the garage where no one could see me.  After about 20 minutes, I started getting the hang of it.  But it’s definitely not like vacuuming.

I walked away with a sunburn (how I manage to miss sunscreening body parts, I’ll never know) and a nice-sized blister on my thumb.  Trying to explain to the hubs that I have delicate lady hands was wasted breath.  But after spending so much time outside, there in the open yard, I had another concern.

When I work outside, I like listen to music.  Thus, the husband blockers.  It makes the time go by faster and I’m not as bored with the physical labor as I would be otherwise and I don’t have to overhear any conversations that may include my name or hissing.  I sing along quite often but I have perfected my earbuds-in singing voice as I usually do this at my desk at work.  I have no worries about that.  My random bust-a-move dancing, however, has not been perfected.

I skip through the yard, snapping my fingers to Madonna.  I do my own rendition of Rhythm Nation from the shed to the house.  I shake it like a Polaroid picture behind the mower thanks to OutKast.  I’m a one-woman show, dancing for 15 seconds at a time, parading to a tune that cannot be heard by anyone else. I thought nothing of it until I locked eyes with a neighbor.  Who was watching me.

And so now I’m concerned they think I’ve lost my marbles.

• Have I mentioned I want to go back on vacation?  I believe I need to stop thinking about it (sunshine and warmth) and quit sorting through photos (water, sky, piña coladas) and focus on the here and now.  Here and now includes cake so it’s really not that bad.
• Speaking of cake, I had cake for dinner last night.  The hubs had traffic school (he thinks he’s Mario Andretti), so I enjoyed a moist slice of yellow cake with chocolate icing and two glasses of milk.  I’m thinking the milk counters the cake somehow.
• I completed my All-Day Beret and blocked it and it is adorable.  I haven’t been able to snap a “finished” photo yet but it’s on the to do list.
• And I’ve started and completed another hat!  Just have some finishing touches that have seemed to confused me.  I don’t know what is up or down when trying my hand at a pompom.  (It wasn’t pretty, folks.)
• I think it might be time to part ways with my ultra-wide angle lens.  It’s an awesome lens but I haven’t used it much and it just sits in a bag.  And that’s sad.  I just can’t decide how or where I want to sell.  Advice?
• Been thinking the same about my Crumpler bag.  It’s a great bag but that Canon 7D does not fit in it.  Well, it does but it’s an extremely tight fit.  I’ve been eying one little number for months now – I think it might be time to start a “Bring Lola Home” fund.
• I need more coffee.  Stat.

• Last week provided weather that I was not fond of.  One, because it seems way to early in the season to be dealing with temps hovering in the low twenties and two, because ice came.  Bring me all the snow you want – I hate ice.  Walking on it is a killer as I’ve had my fair share of slipping and falling.  Driving on it is insane but that’s because other people are driving on it too and are not the brightest crayons in the box.  Boo ice, boo.
• My Michigan friends (I’m calling you guys that until you don’t live there any more) came to visit one last time before their baby makes her debut in January.  We spent time with our large group of friends and totally molested Mel’s baby belly.  We were all screams when the baby started making waves against the palms of our hands.  I think it’s possible we might have scared the bambino more than she scared us.
• My Christmas shopping is complete.  Feels good to know it’s done and wrapped.  My Christmas tree looks so nice with packages under it.  I just hope that our family likes their gifts.  Or are at least great liars.
• I have a feeling that I’ll be finishing up a knitting project this afternoon with PodMate.  Her knitting expertise will help put on the finishing touches.  I can’t tell  you what it is though.  Another secret.  I’ve got to stop with the secret knitting – it’s killing me.
• The coffee maker at work bit the dust.  Broke in the wash.  We have a new today thanks to a fabulous co-worker.  After my first couple sips I remarked that the coffee tasted weird.  PodMate took a swig and clarified that it tasted like coffee should taste.  Kind of sucks knowing the machine you’ve drank from for two years made coffee not like coffee should taste.  *sad face*
• I had the second worst experience at the dentist yesterday.  The worst would be when I was fitted for my permanent porcelain tooth.  But yesterday… oh boy, I was not good leaving the dentist.  I was in pain and embarrassed myself to the max.  When the tooth technician (I’m not sure what you call the person who does the fillings) told me that I was reacting in ways she isn’t used to, I tried to hide it.  Only because I don’t want to be like my DAd at the dentist.  He… how do you say it… makes the people in the lobby fear their cleaning.  Screaming can do that.
• Tonight, the Louisville Cardinals play in their first bowl game in three years.  I’m excited that the team was able to make it to a bowl  – Coach Strong gets all the credit in my book.  But it reminds me of the bowl game we went to in college.  The Liberty Bowl.  And how after the bowl, we were all snuggled in our hotel room with friends when the fire alarm went off.  When I tried waking the hubs (then the boyfriend) to exit with our friends, he made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.  “Burn with me, baby.”  Needless to say, I stayed.  Thankfully it was a false alarm.  Go Cards!

Amy at Fix It Or Deal: Zombie, Zombie, Burning Bright

Katie at You Are What You Eat Or Reheat: Halloween Bars

Lacey at life + style: Vintage Halloween

Emily at Perpetually Peeved: Come as you’re not

Melissa at live life. addicted.: Gasden Zombie Parade 2010

Jenny at The Bloggess: The Stanley Hotel Part I and Part II

That being said, don’t expect much from me.  But I thought I’d point you to some of my favorite posts if you needed some occupying.

Farewell, My Friend

What’s The Difference: Kit vs. 50mm

A Bunch of Hot Air

Experimenting with Exposure

Murder? Or Suicide?

Can We Call It A Ladies Room?

Happy Hump Day, interweb!

A few months back Denise at GeekGirl415 made an observation about the little stick families people put on the back of their SUVs.  And how she would find it funny if someone actually put these on with several cat stick figures as well.  I thought this to be hilarious.  And then I saw it.

Not long after reading Denise’s post, I happened upon a white SUV with these stickies, only it wasn’t your average family of human-like stick figures.  Instead there was adult lady sticky and beside her were four cats and two dogs.  I laughed.  I’m sorry.  And I didn’t even think about picking up the camera.  I know that many people think of their pets as their children but I couldn’t help but get a giggle out of it.  I saw the SUV a second time on the way to work.  Again, I laughed – and Paco didn’t make it to the party.

This morning, I spied with my little eye that white SUV.

And tailed her.

So did Paco.

Muwahahahaha.

Yes, I added the disguise.  No one needs to know who she is.  But she knows who she is.

And knowing is half the battle.