Sarah Jeanne

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T16:03:00.002-06:00

I know I haven't posted much lately, but I wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year!!

It's amazing to think about everything that's happen this year and even crazier to think about what's happened this past decade. I was 13 years old at the start of this past decade and a bratty junior high girl. Today I'm packing/moving to start my first real job this coming week. What an incredible long way I've come. My ten year plan at that time was to finish high school and get married and stay in Sharon Springs. Somehow that did not work out, and I've never been so thankful it didn't! God had a bigger and better plan for me, and I couldn't be more thankful for the people and situations he's blessed me with.

I'm so excited to start this new year and decade with a fresh new start. My new job, new house, new town, new car, and new attitude! I'm going to leave you with the top 10 things that stick out to me and my life this past decade:

(In no particular order)
1. 9/11/01 - a day I will never forget.
2. Graduating College and becoming a teacher.
3. Sports: Colorado Avalanche win Stanley Cup in 2001, Jimmie Johnson win 4 straight cup titles, and the Rockies win 14 straight games to make playoffs and eventually play in the World Series.
4. My photography
5. My 1 year old cousin who passed away and the strength of his parents to rise above it because of their never ending faith in God.
6. The support of my family to encourage me and believe in me even when I didn't believe in myself.
7. The amazing friends I've made and their support.
8. The growth of my relationship with Jesus Christ.
9. My two nieces and nephew. They bring so much joy to my life! :)
10. All of the weddings I've attended! Between my family and close friends, I counted over 30 weddings I've witnessed and been to. I can't wait for the many more there are to come! (possibly 5 more this year!!!)

What are the things you will remember from the past decade? Anyone have new years resolutions?

Good luck in this next year and God Bless!!!

My BIG Announcement!!!!

2009-12-07T22:02:00.002-06:00

To make a long story short, I've accepted a full time teaching position at North Central Kansas Technical College in Beloit!!!!! I start right after Christmas and I'll be teaching 6 computer classes. It's going to be a challenge and it's going to be a huge change from the high school, but I couldn't be more excited!

I'll graduate this weekend, hopefully find somewhere to live in Beloit next week, and then move as soon as possible! I'll be doing a lot of planning and preparation in the next few weeks before school gets started again.

I knew God had a big plan for me, I just didn't know it was going to come so fast! However, I will still continue with my interview for Teach for America in Febuary and see where that road leads as well.

If anyone knows anyone or has any connections to Beloit, let me know! I'll be posting more later with some photography sessions I've done lately! :) So stay tuned for more.....

Happy Halloween!!!

2009-11-01T20:36:00.003-06:00

In case you haven't heard....................

I had the best Halloween costume this year!! ;)

The Future Mrs. Tim Tebow! :)

Coming Soon!!

2009-08-03T14:15:00.003-05:00

Here's a small preview of what I've been doing the past few weekends! More to come soon!

Tammy and Jed's Topeka Wedding

Sara and Jamey's Mankato, KS Wedding

Here's to you Chris Hsieh!

2009-07-31T10:41:00.006-05:00

As many of you know, Chris Hsieh from LaBrisa Photography over the past year has been THE reason for my breakout of photography. Because of his great personality and kind natured personality, he has taken me in and taught me everything I know about photography. Seriously, how do you ever say thank you to someone who's given you everything?!?! Well I don't have the answer to that question, so I've decided to write a blog post in dedication to him. :) I had to say goodbye last night and this morning to him because he'll be moving to Brooklyn, New York on Sunday!! :(

Not only has Chris helped me with my photography and my business, he's also always been there to help me other aspects of my life as well. Especially in the boy department :) He always offered great advice and encouraged me no matter what! He believes in me and sees things in me I don't even see, which is crazy! He's become an awesome friend and mentor, and I can't imagine where I'd be without him.

There have even been times when I've thought he couldn't take any more of me. As most of you know, I can be a little dtizy. But for some reason when I'm around Chris, my blondness comes out even more! I've found myself telling Chris on a number of occasions, "Seriously Chris, these stupid moments only happen around you!" and Chris replies, "For some reason I don't believe that's true." Whether I'm right or he's right, I have definitely had my share of bad moments around Chris. So I've come up with a list of blond moments, embarrassing questions I've asked/done, and fun memories we've encountered. Even though most of you won't find these hilarious, I know Chris will be busting out his good hearty laugh as he reads them :)

Just last night we met up to say our goodbyes and talk photography, and I was on a mission to get to our meeting place. I ended up walking right past him standing there waiting for me.
The first time we met, I was so nervous and talking a million miles per hour (surprise surprise!) he had to tell me slow down and take a deep breath and that we weren't in a rush. I was so embarrassed...
We're at our 2nd wedding together and my camera wouldn't work and it was showing pure black when I looked through the eye hole. So I show Chris, and he proceeds to take the lens cap off! Who would've thought of such a thing :) And at that exact moment an older man walks by and just busted out laughing, and yet again I was so embarrassed.
We had just arrived at a salon here in Manhattan to start the day, and I was walking in first and I tried to open the glass door. The same door that had a sign that said "please use other door." Since the door was locked, I ran my head right into the glass and everyone at the salon looked to see what the big "THUD" was at the door.
We had finished up a photo shoot on campus and Chris offered to give me a ride to my car. I had him drive me to this big parking lot in the middle of campus, but I couldn't find my car! Then I remembered I parked there day before, so we had to drive around until I could remember where I had parked that afternoon.
Our road trip home from Topeka this summer discussing whether I should marry up or down and how it has snowballed into a huge discussion with everyone we know!
The time Chris told me his theory on Midwest girls and guys. Come to find out he's right!
My first experience eating at the restaurant 5 Guys.
His blog posts and texts that have the words AH-MAZ-ING, Yuppers, and Totally in them. :)

Chris, I hope you enjoyed my walk through memory lane as much as I did! I'm sure you can add a few more that I'm "forgetting" about.

I'll never forget all our road trips to and from weddings, my remarks about Californians, your obsession with food, your advice about guys, and all the embarrassing representations of myself under LaBrisa Photography. I've become a better photographer through your training and advice, but more than anything you've helped me become a better person.

Thanks for everything you've done and for all the things I'm sure you'll do for me in the future. You're definitely irreplaceable. You will be missed by many Kansans :)

Can't wait to see you in Western Kansas at my wedding in 2015!!!!! haha :)

I'll leave you with a picture of us at our first wedding together! Look how young we were ;)

Preston's 3rd Birthday!

2009-07-09T19:49:00.004-05:00

Preston turned 3 about a month ago and his mom wanted some birthday pictures! He is sooo cute and full of energy :) Once he got used to the camera, he was all smiles.

I love this one :)

My favorite one! How adorable is that?!?!

Thanks Sierra and Preston for allowing me to take his pictures! Happy 3rd Birthday!

Summer Fun!

2009-06-30T21:05:00.005-05:00

Here's a picture of my secret hiding place for the next 5 days :) I'll be spending a lot of time getting some sun and enjoying a break from work and school!

Hope you're enjoying your summer! I know I am! :)

How will you be remembered?

2009-06-24T23:09:00.003-05:00

This morning I was sad to hear about the murder of Iowa football coach, Ed Thomas. I'm still in shock of how it happened and my heart goes out to all the family and friends. ESPN posted an article with more details here.

NFL player Aaron Kampman of the Green Bay Packers said this today about his High School Coach: "His legacy for many will be associated with his tremendous success as a football coach. However, I believe his greatest legacy comes not in how many football games he won or lost but in the fact that he was a committed follower of Jesus Christ. He lived his life trying to exemplify this faith and convey those values to those under his influence."

Wow. Could there be any better way to be remembered? I don't think so.

How will you be remembered? and What will your legacy be?

Ashleigh and Alex - Maternity

2009-06-16T23:16:00.005-05:00

I'm always telling people "it's all about who you know" and this photo shoot proves my point! Chris from LaBrisa Photography works with Ashleigh and knew she was wanting to take some maternity photos. However, Chris also knew that I was looking for a graphic design artist to make me a logo. So Ashleigh and I decided to make a trade for our talents! I take her maternity pictures and she makes my logo. It's a win win situation and...... it's all about who ya know! :) Thanks Chris for the behind the scenes work! I'll of course post my logo when it's done, but until then here are some pics from Ashleigh and Alex's maternity session.

Christina and James - Wedding

2009-06-04T00:04:00.012-05:00

My first official solo wedding is finally finished! :) Now onto the good stuff!!!
Christina and James definitely knew how to rock out a small town Kansas wedding! I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Christina looked absolutely gorgeous on her big day. She was patiently waiting for the wedding to get started.

The bride and bridesmaids sharing a prayer before the ceremony.

Their flower girl was adorable! I love her reaction to the bubbles :)

James, Christina, and their son Braden. What a sweet family!

I love when a bride and groom set time aside to take pictures that reflects their personality. Christina and James chose to go out to their farm and take some fun pictures with their awesome wedding party!

Definitely my favorite shot of the day! They nailed the romantic dip and the weather was perfect!

At first you may think this is beer on ice, but it's actually a cake! The bottom of it is all cake, and the bottles and ice are hard candy. How cool is that!?!

Their first dance and the start to a fun night.

A bridesmaid and groomsman tearin' up the dance floor!

The maid of honor and best man pose for a fun shot!

The DJ, Earl Webster from Complete Music, leading everyone in the "Cupid Shuffle."

Congratulations Christina and James! Thank you so much for being great clients! Your family, friends, and of course, awesome wedding party, were great to work with as well! :)

To view all of Christina and James wedding pictures, click here.

Updates from Sarah Jeanne Photography!

2009-05-26T17:52:00.008-05:00

I haven't posted much lately, but I have been taking lots of pictures! Therefore, there will be several posts this week with some things I've been doing. Here's a sneek peek! :)

My first 'solo' wedding!!!

My project for Rock Springs 4-H Center!

Mark and Lindsey's Engagement Session!

My Teacher Website!

2009-05-12T16:18:00.005-05:00

All semester I've been working on creating my teacher website in a class designed to help teachers integrate technology in their everyday lessons. It was a TON of work, but I learned a lot! I'm excited to show the whole world now! :)

Please check it out and let me know what you think. On my home page you'll find a Voki that has a special message from me (in my voice). You will also find my video I made about successful interview tips, and yes I show off my many acting skillz :) Be sure to check out my About Me page and see if you made my wall of pictures! Sorry if you didn't :) Check out my cartoon that I created and submit your vote on my projects page.

I'd love to hear your comments about it...good or bad :)

www.sarahjeannehill.com

Best if viewed in Safari or Firefox.

Christina and James - Engagement

2009-05-04T10:54:00.008-05:00

After months of talking about engagement pictures and being rained out last weekend, we finally fit in Christina and James engagement shoot! It was my first official meeting with them, and I couldn't be happier with how it went! Not only did they bring their fun personalities and great smiles to the shoot, but they also brought their 8 month old son, Braden, and their Harley Davidson motorcycle! We started off on K-State's campus and then headed out to some country roads, where we took some fun motorcycle pictures.

Thank you Christina and James for being so great! I can't wait for your wedding in a couple of weeks!

To view the entire gallery of Christina and James engagement pictures, click here.

Photography for a Cause

2009-04-25T21:02:00.006-05:00

Right now I have two photographer friends using their photography skills for a greater purpose. That purpose is giving back. In times like these, I think it's awesome that these two individuals are stepping up and making a difference. Here's some information on the following two photographers.

Chris Hsieh, La Brisa Photography
Chris has been taking lots of pictures of some Kansas scenery and different places around Manhattan lately to help raise money for two organizations: Boy and Girls Club of Manhattan and the Manhattan Red Cross.
Click here for more information: Photography for a Cause
Click here to view photos and place an order: Photography for a Cause Photos

Photo by Chris Hsieh

Whitney Neely, Purposeful Photography
Whitney will be going to Accra, Ghana (West Africa) this summer to help a family in need, help with some church ministry, and spend some time in an orphanage. She is wanting to raise some extra money to bring to the orphanage that is in much need of any help they can get.
Click here to view photos and place an order: Purposeful Photography
Contact Info: wsneely@ksu.edu

Photo by Whitney Neely

One last thought:
Please think of how many times this past week or even month that you've gone out to eat or bought something that you didn't really need. Consider giving up just one or two of those times this next week or month and give back to these 2 great causes. Remember, not only are you giving to help others, but you're going to receive a beautiful picture to display in your house or office! They also make great gifts!

Feel free to email me if you have any questions about anything.

La Brisa Photography Workshop - Senior Pictures

2009-04-25T20:09:00.011-05:00

Chris from La Brisa Photography has been gracious enough to be putting on a few Aspiring Photographers Workshops for several new photographers here in Manhattan. During Spring Break, Essie was here for a few days so we decided to use her for our senior pictures session with Chris. She definitely rocked the session with her beauty and attitude, which made for a lot of fun and some great pictures!

A new feature to Sarah Jeanne Photography has been the addition of online galleries from SmugMug, where all of my clients will now be able to access and buy pictures directly from their home computer. Check out Essie's senior session here at: Essie's Senior Pictures-Manhattan

A HUGE THANK YOU to Chris for putting this on and sharing his experiences and knowledge to all of us rookies!!! I truly appreciate it! :)

Cheyanne Turns 1!!!!!

2009-04-22T20:36:00.009-05:00

I can't believe it's been a year since my baby niece, Cheyanne, was born. It's amazing how fast they grow up and develop in their first year. She is seriously the cutest baby ever, and I'm convinced she gets all of her cuteness from her Aunt Sarah :). This past weekend we celebrated her 1st Birthday with some presents and lots of cake! I made her a special cake that she could eat and dig into on her own, and she loved it! Being an aunt is the best job ever! Enjoy the pictures of all of her cuteness and personality.

Opening her new water baby.

Such a sad face but so cute at the same time!

Her first taste.

She is sooooo cute!
The cake after she finished.

Bath time in the kitchen sink.

All clean and happy!

Essie Mae's Senior Prom

2009-04-20T21:25:00.003-05:00

This past weekend I made the long haul home for Essie's senior prom. I did my yearly duty of fixing hair for 5 girls and then of course taking some pictures. Essie, as always, looked absolutely gorgeous! She definitely rocked her yellow and black zebra dress, which only she could pull off! The plan was to take several girls out on a photo shoot to the railroad tracks, but with the 3 inches of rain and the random hail storms, we didn't get to do much of any outside pictures :( But we did manage to get a few outside ones between the chaotic weather.

While I was listening to all the high school girl chatter and fixing hair, I couldn't help but remember back to my senior prom. It seems just like yesterday I was dancing the night away at mine. So as you take a look at these pictures, I'd like you to go back down memory lane to your senior prom [I know it's been awhile for several of you ;)]. If you have a chance, email me a comment about your favorite memory from your senior prom along with a picture, if available. If I get enough I will post a special senior prom post with all the pictures and memories. :) sarahjeannehill@gmail.com

Girls being girls :)

Essie and her best friend, Breanna, went with brothers, Tate and Tadd.

My dad posing with all of Essie's friends.

Sooo cute!

Isn't she beautiful?!?!

Chicago!

2009-04-12T19:06:00.007-05:00

I know it's been awhile since I've posted anything, but I have a couple of pretty good excuses :) Back in December I was elected President of Pi Omega Pi, a national honorary business educators group, and ever since then I've been busy working on planning our yearly conference trip. This year we had the pleasure of going to Chicago for the National Business Education Association Conference. Not only did we go to learn more about becoming better business educators, but we also had to present at our Pi Omega Pi conference that is held at the convention every other year. The planning and preparation was a lot, but it was well worth it in the end. We placed 6th nationally for our national project that we submitted this past year, and we also met all the requirements at conference and received $250 for our group! We took 7 K-State students from the business education program and our advisor. We all worked together to help make it a success, and we had an amazing time.

Between going to the conference, helping with Pi Omega Pi activities, presenting, and sleeping, we did still find some time to see a few places. We walked the Magnificent Mile and enjoyed stopping in a few stores that we had never been in such as my favorite store, Tiffany's. :) We also spent a couple hours at the Navy Pier, even though most of it was spent inside because it was extremely cold and windy that day. But through the cold and wind, we managed to ride the ferris wheel, which was by far one of my favorite things. The view was incredible! We also had quite the experience riding the transit and bus system, which you'll have to ask me about sometime and I'll fill you in on a few good stories. And last but not least, we ate some amazing food! Such as ESPN Zone, Ed Debevic's, Pizzeria Ora, Bucca di beppo, and my favorite place, Cosi.

All in all it was an amazing trip, spent with some amazing people, and I couldn't have asked for it to go any better! Enjoy the pictures :)

The ferris wheel at the Navy Pier

The view off the dock at the Navy Pier

All of us at our Pi Omega Pi dinner

Our main lobby at the hotel

The view of the city from our room

Lindsay and Matt - Chris Hsieh Workshop #1

2009-03-25T23:32:00.002-05:00

Earlier I posted about Chris putting on some photography workshops for several photographers, and here are Lindsay and Matt's pictures from the night. Lindsay and Matt were awesome!! They're both incredibly good looking and tons of fun, which makes my job that much easier!! :) (and no they're not engaged...they were just modeling for us)

Thanks Lindsay and Matt for being so awesome!

Thanks Chris for putting on the great workshop!

Future of Sarah Jeanne Photography

2009-03-23T22:04:00.002-05:00

I'm way excited for the future of Sarah Jeanne Photography! Some big changes will be coming soon! :) I've currently booked 4 weddings for this summer on my own, plus a few that I will help Chris with.

Chris has been putting on some workshops for a group of us that are wanting to improve on our photography skills. My sister, Essie, was in town over Spring Break and we used her for a senior portraits model. Check out my new online gallery where all of my photos will now be posted.

Essie Senior Pictures

More pictures and changes coming soon!

Kacie and Monte Wedding

2009-03-22T23:13:00.002-05:00

Here are a few pictures from Kacie and Monte's wedding.

Check out more pictures at La Brisa Photography's Blog

Photography Workshop #1

2009-03-12T09:07:00.003-05:00

Chris from La Brisa Photography hosted a workshop for 6 other photographers last week. His goal was to help new and upcoming photographers work on different aspects of photography. Lindsay and Matt volunteered to model for us, and they were so helpful in our learning. They did anything we asked, which made it that much better! Here are a few pictures of the photographers in action. Pictures of Lindsay and Matt coming soon!!

Another reason to cheer against OU...

2009-03-10T22:09:00.002-05:00

Check out what Courtney Paris, Big 12 player of the year, said she's putting on table for the upcoming National Title.

Courtney Paris

Best Prank Ever!!

2009-03-06T12:32:00.004-06:00

Well if you know me at all, you know that I absolutely love watching people being pranked (if that's even a word). I just find great joy in it, probably because I am my father's daughter. :) If you find great pleasure in pranks, check out these two videos I stole from a couple people. Thanks Chris and Chris!

Basketball Half Court Shot

Houston Rockets Bear

Meeting Erica May!

2009-03-02T22:49:00.002-06:00

This past weekend my friend Nichole took me for a home town visit to Kansas City; Lenexa to be more specific. What a weekend it was! Nichole has become one of my best friends through the past year or so, and it was so nice to meet her family and friends and see where she grew up. Between the road trip there, the amazing food her dad cooked, some extreme bowling and of course the great KC shopping, we definitely had an amazing weekend! Even though I'm still trying to catch up on some sleep. :)

But for the highlight of my weekend, I finally got to meet Erica May Short from Erica May Photography! I've known and heard all about Erica ever since I started assisting Chris at La Brisa Photography. Erica emailed me shortly after I started helping Chris, introducing herself and giving me some great tips and words of encouragement. Since then we have exchanged several emails but never had the chance to actually meet. So after I found out I would be in KC, I asked her if we could get together and meet so I could ask her a million photography questions. And of course, she said yes because she is just that nice!

We met for some lunch and then headed to her house for some more conversation. All I can say is that not only is she an amazing photographer, but she's an even more amazing person! Erica shared so much about her photography, goals and life. It's amazing how much I learned from her in a few short hours. She was so encouraging to me. I've never been so confident that I can actually do this. So thank you Erica! You were awesome and I can't wait for some more meeting times and possibly a few weddings together! :)

Click here to see what she did in just 5 minutes with me. :)

Thanks again Erica! And thank you Nichole for showing me around your hometown! We will have to plan a trip to Sharon Springs America soon!! :)

Another One Bites the Dust....

2009-02-27T13:28:00.002-06:00

In case you haven't heard, Tom Brady married Gisele Bundchen yesterday. My celebrity athlete crush list just keeps getting smaller and smaller....maybe I should add to it.... :)

Tom Brady's Wedding

Absolutely Ridiculous!!!!

2009-02-23T22:58:00.004-06:00

In case you missed the end of the 76ers-Nets game, you MUST watch this video. I've never seen anything like this. Ridiculously awesome!

Watch the entire video so you can see how close this ends.

Half Court Shot

Ashley and Bryant - Wedding

2009-02-20T12:06:00.002-06:00

Ashley and Bryant were so much fun, along with their families and bridal party!! Ashley's creativity went above and beyond from the gift exchange between her and Bryant to the wedding decorations and candy bar she incorporated into their reception. The two ushers were ridiculously hilarious and the groomsmen were just as crazy! As for the bridesmaids, they were just as much fun! My favorite part of the day was the photo shoot down in Aggieville and Poyntz with the whole bridal party. They not only did what Chris and I asked of them, they decided to go even further! The pictures will speak for themselves!

For more pictures from their wedding, check out La Brisa Photography's Blog.

Thank you Ashley and Bryant for a great day!

A HUGE thanks to Chris for allowing me to tag along again at another wedding!

I Love This!

2009-02-18T08:17:00.002-06:00

You will want to read this article. It's inspiring and a good reminder about true sportsmanship. Not only what the coach and player did, but also what the teams do after the game. A true example of how sports can teach adults and students life long lessons.

Good Sportsmanship

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T22:17:00.004-06:00

So I decided that since my Valentine's Day turned out nothing like I thought it was going to or even how I planned it, I would share with you my rather eventful day.

After my morning workout (which was awesome!), I was at my apartment doing some cleaning and the doorbell rang. So I opened the door and much to my surprise this is what I seen......

A tall, medium build, dark hair, brown-eyed, younger (mid 20's) looking man.....holding a huge vase with at least 2 dozen dark and light pink roses in one hand and a clip board in the other. I didn't know whether to be taken back by the hot delivery guy or the gorgeous flowers! But that's beside the point....here's how our conversation went....

Hot Delivery Guy: "Hello, Happy Valentine's Day!"
Me (in my sweaty work out clothes, no makeup, and nasty hair): "Thanks! Happy Valentine's Day to you too!"
HDG: "I have a special delivery for you today."
Me: "ummm....yes, I see that...!..."

Now at this point, I have about a million things running through my head, like....I wonder who sent me these?........ My parents?....nah...my sister?....yeah right......some awesome friends?.....no way....maybe it's my secret admirer?!?!.....prolly not.....one of my ex boyfriends?....it better not be!....O it doesn't matter Sarah, they're flowers and they're for you!!!

HDG: "You seemed surprised?"
Me: "Actually, I am! I wasn't expecting anything today."
HDG: "Well that makes it that much better then!"
Me: "I know! :)"
HDG: "Ok, can I have you sign right here, Caroline?"
Me thinking: (Wait...did he just say Caroline?!?!?!)
Me: "Umm...my name is Sarah, not Caroline."
HDG: "O.....really?....this is (rattles off my address) isn't it?"
Me: "Yeah, but I'm guessing someone wrote down the wrong address, because I'm pretty sure I'm not getting flowers today."
HDG: "Wow, I am so sorry. This usually doesn't happen."
Me: "Don't worry about it. It's no big deal. I'm sure Caroline will be very happy when she gets them."
HDG: "Well sorry for the confusion. Hope you have a good day."
Me: "Thanks, you too!"

So there is no Cinderella ending, but it sure does make for a great story! :) And of course, only these things happen to me, but that's because God has a great sense of humor and I'm glad he blessed me with a good sense of humor to go along with His. :)

The rest of the day wasn't near as exciting, but I did watch the KSU-KU game (no need for discussion on that topic) and then had dinner and a movie with my great friend, Lori! I even got some great presents from my parents and 2 really great cards in the mail today! The day was definitely way better than I expected and I couldn't have asked for a better Valentine's Day this year. This past week I learned that being single is gift from God and that His plan is way bigger and better than my plan. Even though this week has been rough, I have been blessed with some great friends to help me through it, and I'm so glad Valentine's Day was the ending to a challenging yet wonderful week.

Hope everyone had a blessed Valentine's Day/Week as well!

Group Web Tool Review

2009-02-11T09:30:00.002-06:00

This post is for a class project. If you're an Art Teacher then go ahead and read through it. If not, come back soon for an update with some more wedding pictures!! :)

Title: Incredible Art Department.com
Topic(s): Art instruction:
Ages: Teachers
Price(s): Free!!
Company: incredibleart.org
Category: Information

I think that all of us in our group feel that at this point, we all need to work on ideas and information to help us be better teachers and instructors of technology in our classrooms. So I began to feel the need for me to start with web tools to help me on my journey as a teacher before I can concur web tools for students to use. So I convinced ;) my group mates to review this web tool.

Overview: This is a web tool designed for art educators that provides information about lessons, art stuff, resources, jobs, news, and supplies just to name a few. This web tool is also designed to be a communication link between art educators from across the nation. By combining a website with instruction, curriculum, and up to date news, this website can create an active environment within an art classroom for a beginning teacher, or someone who needs a few new ideas. This website also links artists with great sales on art supplies, and new ideas and techniques to use for themselves. I am a firm believer that creativity encourages creativity, so I feel that this site would be useful for all artists or teachers. A general classroom educator who wants to integrate other curriculums in their class could use a lot of the information on this site.

Ten Criteria: The ten criteria we chose were:

1.Motivational-Visual Appealing:

The web site is easily used, and holds a wealth of information and links it is hard to list everything you can do. It becomes more and more exciting when looking through ideas and lesson plans that begin to incorporate history, science, history and more within them. It really encourages the endless possibilities of art and the fun students can have learning about things while creating art!
2. Unbiased/Multicultural:

There is a strong support and encouragement in this website for the respect, understanding, and education of all cultures and their art. It is also important to understand and teach the concept that art is made by all cultures through out time, and is often made for all the same reasons. Art is has always been made for personal expression, as tools, as decoration, and as national expression throughout history. In today’s art education standards, there is push for the cultural understanding and learning through art. This website encourages and helps educators to create a curriculum that covers those issues. It also links educators to other educators who can contribute to classrooms from miles away. This truly is a source that every art instructor should look through and see how many things could work for them!

3. Organization:

The design of this website allows easy movement back and forth, and also has an unbelievable amount of information and links on it, it may take someone a very long time to move through all of it. This fact excites me, because it lets me know that this could be a useful, up to date source.

4. Adaption:

This website allows you to find job listings, art supplies, lesson plans, adaptations for special education students, as well as news and blogs from educators and students alike. This website could create an online curriculum supplement for just about anyone! The links between lesson and their sources are wonderful, and allows the ease of integration with just about any subject!

5. content area effective: instruction matches stated objectives.

As a group we think that this artistic web tool could help teachers in their construction to artistic curriculums it covered almost all the ages from kinder garden till college students, it is so broad and wide in the main core that was offered. There are many online activities for kids, lessons plan for teachers, art media tutorial and other varied activities think it is a very powerful website because it almost everything you could want in art classes.

6. supplemental materials:

We think that this software covers different corners about the method of operation. There are enough materials that could help the students in tutoring this website. They are also many different activities included in the web besides helping the teachers in better dealing with art curriculums.

7. Age appropriate:

However it a web tool in helping teachers working in the art medusa but it is also very helpful for all ages ,example several kids exhibited their own paintings on the sit ,they could share comments ,critics with each other ,it is a very beneficial process.

8. User friendly:

It’s very user friendly. It has easy navigation at the top with organized tabs. It also has a place where you can search either the website or google. It’s designed with the art teacher in mind. It’s colorful and artistic. It’s not a website where you have to click a bunch of times to get to one destination. A couple clicks under marked tabs and you’ve found what you’re looking for!

9. Cost Effective:

I don’t know anything more cost effective than FREE!! It also has advertisements related directly to art and/or teaching on the website for some great other free tools and low cost supply’s and ideas. 10. Educational Value: Even though we focused on finding a website that was directed to help teachers, it’s still very educational to both the student and the teacher. You may want your students to check out the website and see if they can find anything helpful or interesting. Who knows, they may teach you something you didn’t know about the website. There’s a place where you can submit students digital work, which is great for your students. I know my students like to be published in any way and this would be a great easy tool to get them published.

10. Educational Value:

Even though we focused on finding a website that was directed to help teachers, it’s still very educational to both the student and the teacher. You may want your students to check out the website and see if they can find anything helpful or interesting. Who knows, they may teach you something you didn’t know about the website. There’s a place where you can submit students digital work, which is great for your students. I know my students like to be published in any way and this would be a great easy tool to get them published.

Essie Mae

2009-02-03T23:02:00.004-06:00

This past weekend I went home for my sister's Senior Basketball Homecoming. She missed school all week due to having pneumonia, but she managed to make it to school for a half day in order to be able to participate in the festivities. Saturday before the dance we did a short little photo shoot in our living room:) I don't think I know anyone else that could rock a zebra print dress and have pneumonia and look this gorgeous. I mean seriously, do you know anyone that could?

Amie and Paul

2009-01-19T19:33:00.002-06:00

Fun. Loving. Gorgeous. Amazing. Beautiful. These are just a few words to describe Aimee, Paul, and their wedding! I've become good friends with Amie and Paul over the past few years, and I've enjoyed getting to know Amie through playing volleyball and Paul through all of our sports talks. Because I was good friends with the bride and groom, Chris gave me the night off to enjoy the wedding and reception:) Here are a few pictures I did get to take before the wedding. To see more from their wedding, check out LaBrisa Photography's blog.

Congratulations Amie and Paul! Thanks for allowing me to be a part of your special day! :)

Gramkow Family

2009-01-16T16:38:00.002-06:00

Before Christmas I had the privilege of going with Chris to the Gramkow's apartment to take pictures of their new bundle of joy, Ellie. You can read more about her miracle story here.

Thank you Mandy, Ben and Ellie for allowing me to come into your home with Chris and take a few pictures.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T19:59:00.003-06:00

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year! 2008 has been an amazing year for me, and I have been so blessed with some great experiences. There were definitely some hard times during the year that I never thought I would be able to live through, but fortunately we serve a mighty God who helps us and guides us through good times and bad.

I'm currently working on finishing up my photography website. I will be posting more on this later. I'm also working on setting up my blog a little differently. Let me know what you think.

Here are a few pictures from my great 2008 year.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-27T09:15:00.002-06:00

Just wanted to wish everyone a belated Merry Christmas! I enjoyed my time at home seeing family and friends and eating way too much food! :) Here are a couple family pictures we took on Christmas night.

That time of year again...

2008-12-13T22:32:00.005-06:00

This past week I survived my second to last "Dead Week" and I couldn't be happier! Most of you college students and grads know that the term "Dead" in professor lingo means "lets pile all the projects, papers, and one last final test Week," which is exactly what my week consisted of. But it's all over now and I'm heading into finals with only 3 tests and a portfolio to go before I'm completely finished with Block 1!

Between work, photography, school and all the Christmas and Block 1 festivities lately, I haven't had much time to breathe. I have had a chance though to compile a few pictures of the best semester of my college career.....so far! I've met and become friends with so many awesome people this semester, and I couldn't be more thankful for them. And for all you people out there that were already my friends before this semester, don't worry, I'm not going to leave you out. I'm thankful for all of you as well. I wouldn't be where I'm at today without you:)

Here are a few pictures from this past semester which include: K-State Sports, Block 1 Pub Crawl, Lab "tacky sweater" Christmas Party, and my first visit to The Plaza!

Rucker Family

2008-12-05T08:32:00.004-06:00

Over Thanksgiving break, I had the privilege of taking some pictures of this awesome family! It's was a little cold and wet, but they suffered through and we got some great pictures! Cassie, the little girl, definitely stole the show:) Enjoy the pictures!

Tag!

2008-12-01T20:44:00.004-06:00

Ok, so I'm not one to do much of the whole fill out this questionnaire, tell me about yourself, etc...kind of person....BUT I've been tagged by my great friend at La Brisa Photography. He was tagged by another photographer I've been in touch with lately, and I have to admit I've learned some very interesting and fun random facts about them. Sooo I've given into peer pressure and well....here you go...

So here's how the game works:
Link to the person that tagged you
Post the rules on your blog
Write 6 random things about yourself
Tag 6 people at the end of your post
Let the blogger know that he/she has been tagged
Let the tagger know when your entry it up

My six random facts you may or may not know about me:)
1. I have so many celebrity athlete crushes I can't even count them all! Of course you all know about the hottest one out there: the back-to-back-to-back Nascar Champion Jimmie Johnson!!!:) Others include Tom Brady, Brian Urlacher, Kirk Hinrich, Kasey Kahne, Tim Tebow, Matt Cassel, Jordy Nelson, Matt Holiday, Sidney Crosby, Jay Cutler, Tyler Hansbrough, Jonathan Papelbon, Michael Phelps, and the list just goes on and on! :)
2. I stopped believing in Santa Clause the year I did not get my easy bake oven. Then when I was a sophomore in college, my parents gave me one for Christmas....and I cried (literally) as soon as I opened it! I guess I didn't realize all the emotions I had stored up for so many years.
3. I want to visit every Major League Baseball Park before I die. During my visit, I want to attend a game, buy a memorabilia, and document it with a unique picture! In case you're wondering, I've been to 3 (Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals, and St. Louis Cardinals) and loved every one of them!
4. The one thing that will put me in a bad mood faster than anything is....anyone touching my feet. I can't stand it! It's my automatic trigger for anger (ask my sister).
5. I have to buy my jeans from the Buckle, because they're the only place that makes them long enough for me. When I buy jeans, I have to get 37" inseams. I'm pretty much in trouble if my legs get any longer.
6. When I was 8 years old, I was on a fishing/camping trip with my family and my mom dared me to eat this worm I was going to use as bait. So I picked it up and I actually ate it! Yummy!

Tag, you're it! Andrea, Amanda, Thomas

Thanksgiving

2008-11-30T16:40:00.003-06:00

So in case you haven't heard, I have the cutest nieces and nephews ever! :) The past few weeks I've had the chance to see them and snap a few pictues. Tessa is almost 5, Caleb is 3, and Cheyanne is 7 months. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

Charlie

2008-11-24T12:16:00.003-06:00

This weekend I had the opportunity to take some pictures of the little girl I babysit. Charlie is an absolute doll! She has so much personality and is very smart for a 2 year old. Her parents, Tracie and Byron, just moved here from Washington D.C. They are both originally from North Carolina, and they have been wonderful to me ever since they've moved here. Byron's a surgeon in the Army and Tracie stays at home with Charlie. Tracie bought this adorable little outfit at a craft fair and Charlie loved it!

Thanks for choosing me as your photographer for the Christmas season!:)

Wedding Pictures

2008-11-18T14:26:00.004-06:00

Here are a few wedding pictures I've taken the past couple months. Enjoy:)

In Case You Missed It...

2008-11-17T11:32:00.004-06:00

BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK NASCAR CHAMPION JIMMIE JOHNSON!!!!!!

(what a HOTTIE!?)

Many of you know that I'm a Nascar fan and an even bigger Jimmie Johnson fan! The article below gives more information on his accomplishments, just in case you're interested;)

http://www.jimmiejohnson.com/articles/view/431

I'm going to leave you with this picture of his greatness. Ladies, don't drool too much over his great looks:) And yes, unfortunately, he's married:(...........(haha)

And the Winner Is.....

2008-11-10T19:37:00.003-06:00

And the winner is....

Sarah Jeanne Photography!

A huge thanks to Chris Hsieh at La Brisa Photography, Erica Short at Erica May Photography, and my parents for their support, input, and great advice on this big decision! Also, a big thanks to everyone else who sent me their ideas. There were some great ones and it definitely made my decision difficult.

Here's an update on what's been going on lately:

Bought my first camera! Canon EOS 40D...and I love it!
Working on my website...
Shadowing Chris!
Booked my first wedding for next year!
Trying to survive Block 1 and Biochemisty in Society...
Celebrated my 22nd birthday! Had 2 awesome birthday parties as well:)
And last but not least, cheering on Jimmie Johnson as he goes for his 3rd Championship!!! WHAT A STUD!;)

Hope everyone's doing great!

In Loving Memory of Gunner Owen

2008-10-22T15:49:00.003-05:00

Last night the Lord decided to take Gunner Owen home with him. He just turned 1 about a month ago and this picture was taken at his birthday party, which was the same day he was dedicated to their church here in Hill City. Gunner is the son to my cousin, Morgan, and her husband Jordan, and the brother to my 3 year old cousin, Elizabeth. Morgan is my age and Jordan's a couple years older than us. The causes of death are unknown, but they believe he had a seizure in his sleep and it was just too late by the time they got to him. Instead of having an autopsy done, they chose to have his heart donated to another child in need of a new one. How amazing is that! They are both doing fairly well, but they also know that he's in a much better place now. I arrived in Hill City this afternoon to be with Morgan and help her with anything she needs, and the rest of the family will be here tomorrow. Please keep all of us in your prayers for all of the families involved, as well as safe travels. The weather is getting pretty bad and it's supposed to snow. Thank you to everyone who have already sent their condolences, we truly do appreciate it. We love you and miss you Gunner.

John and Gina -- Engagement

2008-10-21T17:57:00.006-05:00

EDSEC 620 was the class that started it all, just 1 year ago. It is where Gina and John met and their love story started. I was fortunate enough to meet both of them in this class as well and become good friends with Gina. As John finishes up his degree in Agriculture Education and Gina in Family and Consumer Science Education, they begin to plan the best day of their life. For their engagement pictures, they chose some great places on campus, including the new Jardine apartment area (if you haven't checked it out yet, you should!) and Bluemont area.

Congrats again to both of you and thank you for choosing me as your photographer!

Anderson Family

2008-10-21T17:03:00.004-05:00

Located a few miles outside of Dwight, a small town south of Manhattan, off a dirt road you will find the 3 homes of the Anderson family. Their horses, dogs, red barn, home grown pumpkins and the amazing weather on a fall afternoon made for a great atmosphere! It reminded me of home:) They hadn't taken family pictures for over 10 years, and Bailey (the girl in the turquoise shirt) finally convinced all of them to come together for a few minutes to capture some pictures that will last forever. Thanks Anderson family for choosing me as your photographer!

Check it out!

2008-10-15T16:31:00.005-05:00

Every morning while I get around, I turn on a show called Mike and Mike in the Morning on ESPN (shocking I know!) and yesterday, much to my surprise, I heard them discussing a football player from Mesa State, a college located in Grand Junction, CO. I'm originally from Grand Junction so this story caught my attention right away. It just blows my mind what some people will sacrifice for a game. Check out the article below that Rick Reilly wrote about this kid.

Life of Reilly

My creativity has run dry....

2008-10-07T22:49:00.003-05:00

These past few months have been absolutely crazy, super busy, and amazing all at the same time! As I blogged about before, the breakthrough of my dream of becoming a photographer and starting my own business has now become a reality more than ever. With that being said, I'm currently taking the next few steps in that process to fulfill that dream. One of those steps include coming up with a name for my photography business, and unfortunately, my creativity has run dry on this task. Sooooo, I'm asking for your help. I'm accepting and asking for any ideas on what to name it. I'm looking for a romantic and professional name that also reflects me as a person and photographer. So while you're sitting at work, class, or the comfort of your own home, bored out-of-your-mind with nothing better to do, I'd appreciate any ideas or suggestions on a name. There will be a prize given to the person who's idea I use! Feel free to leave your suggestions here on my blog, email, phone call, or text message; I answer to all of them:) Here are a couple that Chris and I have come up with:

Essence Photography
Sarah Jeanne Photography
SE Photography
Essi Photography

Let me know what you think!

Photography

2008-09-23T18:54:00.008-05:00

To make a long story short, I have recently started pursuing my dream of becoming a photographer, and I owe a HUGE THANK YOU to Chris Hsieh at La Brisa Photography for helping me get started! He has allowed me to follow him around on several occasions including a wedding! He even trusts me with his camera and lets me take pictures at every event! It's not often enough that you run across genuine people like him! If you get a chance, check out his website and blog to take a look at his talent!

This past weekend he let me take his camera and practice with it. I ended up taking some pictures of a friend for her college senior pictures and finished with a few good ones. I'm a work-in-progress and hopefully will get better with time and experience! I plan on shadowing Chris and learning as much possible within the next 9 months before him and his wife move. Thanks Chris! And thanks Amanda for referring me to him! My goal is to start my own photography business this January, and specialize in weddings and special events. This will hopefully allow me to be a full time teacher as well as a photographer.

Here's a couple of the good ones I got this weekend. And yes, unfortunately, she's a big KU fan...:(

Praise God!

2008-09-08T00:19:00.004-05:00

Billy was released on Friday from the hospital! The blood clot in his lung is gone and his cough has cleared up. He still has 2 blood clots in his leg, but he's on some medicine that will hopefully help them stay put or thin out. He was able to come to Hays this weekend and celebrate Caleb's 3rd birthday! I gave Caleb a bat, glove, and baseball for his birthday, and of course he thought it was pretty awesome! :)

And in case you missed it.....Jimmie Johnson won again this weekend! What a STUD! The chase is on with 10 races to go. And some more good news....the Chiefs lost! All of this gets a great big HOORAY!!!

Update...

2008-09-03T16:15:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was his first day they let him shower and take a ride in the wheel chair out of his room! He was ecstatic! Unfortunately this morning Billy woke up with a terrible cough. They have determined he has bronchitis and put him on some strong antibiotics. The cough is very painful for him, and it also raises the chances for the blood clot to move towards the heart. They have discouraged any visitors for now because he needs to get as much rest as he can. They will be running several tests tomorrow to look again at the blood clot to see if it has moved or if the size has changed. Please keep him and my family in your prayers as well as the Doctors.

Prayer Request

2008-09-02T15:53:00.002-05:00

On Saturday night my brother headed to the emergency room with 2 blood clots, one in each leg. Sunday morning one of the blood clot's traveled to his lung. They are currently trying to monitor and hopefully thin out both of the blood clots. His heart rate has been ranging from 40-150 bpm which has caused some scare and worry. They believe this is caused from anxiety Billy is having from what he's going through, and they have not found anything wrong with his heart. They have tossed around the idea of moving him to Denver or Wichita, but the risks are high for doing that. He is currently in the Colby hospital, where they plan on keeping him there for awhile. Please keep him in your prayers as well as our family, especially his wife and 3 kids.

Summer 2008

2008-08-21T22:07:00.005-05:00

Finally!

2008-08-21T15:08:00.006-05:00

With some encouragement from a couple of friends (Thanks Andrea and Chris) I've decided to enter the world of blogging! For my first post I couldn't decide what to write about, so I decided to just fill you in on my very busy life and what's been going this summer and what's to come for the future!

One word to sum up my summer....WEDDINGS...It has been a very busy summer and the main part was spent going to all my friends and family weddings! Every one of them was unique and special to me in some way and just a great encouragement for me. I ended up attending 6 of them and missed 3.
Vacation to Colorado...3 times! I was in two weddings in Grand Junction and went to Denver with my family for a long weekend.
Visited my best friend Stephanie for 3 days. I took her to her first Rockies game, which she loved, and we did some shopping and lots of eating!
While I was in Grand Junction for a week, I went to the JuCo World Series. What a perfect way to start the summer....baseball everyday with family:)
Welcomed my brother, sister-in-law, 2 nieces, and nephew back to Kansas with several trips up to Colby to see them! My niece Tessa is now 4 1/2, Caleb is almost 3, and Cheyanne, my new little niece, will be 4 months! I never could've imagined how great and rewarding being an aunt is!
Survived a tornado! It missed the house I was staying at by one block!!
Celebrated my dad's 50th birthday with 3 parties!
Spent some genuine time with my mom and sister shopping and eating!
Went to the Wallace County Free Fair and all of its festivities:)
Spent some time in McPherson with Jonathan and Caitlan, Hill City with Morgan, Jordan, Eli, and Gunner, Salina with Thomas and Elane and Andrea and Brenden, and Wichita with Andrea and Billy.
Throw in school, work, softball, sand volleyball, bible study, family, friends, and watching the Olympics and I had one busy, but awesome, summer break!

Coming up....

Another baseball game! Go Royals!
Finishing and posting my 101 in 1001 list!
School starts the 25th...BOO!! Block 1 (9 hours) plus another 8 hours on top of that:(
K-State Football games!
Essie's 18th birthday...how sad!
Purchase of my first camera to start my journey of becoming a photographer! More to come on this subject!!!!:)
Start the search for Grad school...

Hope everyone is doing great! I will post some pictures of my summer soon!! If you're ever in Manhattan give me call!