(said in my best Sarah Jessica Parker/Carrie voice as she admires those incredible shoes in the window in an episode of SATC).  Here are my new purchases from Mecca B & H photo in NYC from Sunday. More on those in a second.

I just need to interject here that up until this month I have never ever driven in NYC. With me driving the car- I’ve been the passenger a zillion times. (okay, I did drive thru NYC once back in 1998 or so, but it was kinda by accident- I was heading back to work from NJ and the people in the car with me made me cut thru the city and I paniced the whole way). Yes, I’m 38 years old and live less than 30 miles from Manhattan. Sad, but true. But it was fine and fun and I even liked it. I think having the navigation system is really the key. And now that I’ve been travelling all over creation for shoots, it dosen’t seem like such a big deal. Weekday rushhour I might feel differently about- but a Sunday morning/afternoon seemed like a good place to start. Yeah, me! But…I have still never taken a public bus in my life. I take a lot of crap about that around here but I am not ruining my lifelong streak. No buses.

With all the travelling I’ve been doing, you know I had to do some documentation. Here are some shots from the weekend on the way back from Staten Island of NYC and the bridge.

Anyway, after completing my super fun shoot Sunday morning down on the Lower East Side (look for those pictures coming soon) I went to B & H to do a little shopping. And man, it was fun! It was my first time there without Timmy, so I could actually concentrate and ask good questions. My pal Ori helped me again this time. Mom & Ken were so super generous (yet again) and gave me the funds to pick up a second Canon 5D (so now both my cameras are super professional 5D’s- no more 30D backup!) as an early birthday present. Now weddings are going to be a breeze since I can pop one lens on each camera and shoot just as perfectly with both. Let’s see what else I bought…a new Crumpler 7 million dollar home (had the 6 million dollar home- but I want to carry both camera bodies with me so I needed a bigger "house"). A new card reader (so super fast- love that it takes 1/4 of the time to download pictures now), a new 4gig card, a new filter for the 50mm lens (mine got lost), and a small diffuser for my external flash (I have the gary fong lightsphere which I love, but sometimes just need something smaller). So it was a great big haul. When I got home and took the new 5D out of the box, I did actually say "hello, lovah" out loud. Between that and the dancing around with the happy dance, I am/was certifiable. Thanks Mom & Ken!!!!!!!!

Ok, so to any photographers that read this blog…if you are interested I’m selling my Crumpler 6million dollar home. It’s in excellent condition. (you can see it here: crumpler 6 million It’s the red one w the light blue interior) Email me at bbeyrer1@optonline.net for pricing. I’ll even throw in my little rectangular case logic bag that can hold a DSLR camera body with lens.

Next purchase…I must find a good digital point n shoot. I need something small and portable (that dosen’t cost over $2000.00) that I can bring with me on days/events I can’t lug the big guns. Any suggestions?

Finally, really finally, I made it down to the beach club twice this week. That brings my summer 2008 total of beach runs to a whopping 4 times. Working on fixing that total in August. It’s been so nice down there, the big boys have been so so good and so wonderfully helpful with carrying stuff and listening. It’s been totally pleasant (except for the fact that Tuesday after being all sandy and yuck from going in the ocean- yes, both Timmy and I went in the ocean- shocking I know- we went to shower back in the locker and we had no water. But that has since been fixed) and lovely and fun. Forgot how much I like the beach.

That time of year again! John, Jack & Patrick, Timmy and I went to our town fireworks Saturday night with…well….everyone! Grandma & Grandpa, Uncle Nelson (making his very first fireworks appearance), Uncle Jerry & Aunt Alice, Ivy her kids, and Steve and his kids. And Uncle Jerry, I am sorry we were late and thank you for the spots!

Ivy and Steve the newly engaged couple let me take a few pictures (well, more accurately Steve allowed me to take a few pictures of him, Ivy’s always ready for some pictures of her!) and I got to see the ring- gorgeousness!! See for yourself.

The kids haven’t gotten sick of me taking pictures…yet!

Timmy was so funny during the fireworks- everytime a red one showed up, he yelled "red!!!! it’s your favorite mommy!!!". We were all talking about how long we’ve been coming to the fireworks and that led us to recounting the story where Patrick bit me on the shoulder his first year at the fireworks cause he was so freaked out from the noise. And then that led to the story where Jack whacked me in the head with a hammer- wound up and everything and then smacked away. Ah- memories! I had a very injury-ridden year when the boys were two.

And I tried something new with the fireworks pictures this year. Went to "bulb mode" on the camera (thank you so much Garrett for the quick lesson- I think it worked!) where the shutter stays open for as long as you hold the shutter release for. Tripod is mandatory. Love a challenge!! At least in photography.

We had a very nice 4th of July although it didn’t include the beach. (I don’t think I’m ever going to get there!) After a lazy morning around here, I took all three boys to see WALL*E, which was just so cute. We all really loved it. I don’t know when I turned into such a sap but I cried at the end. Pathetic, I know.

After the movies, we went over to Uncle Joe & Aunt Gail’s house for a 4th of July BBQ and a 5th of Joe birthday party. They got their pool all fixed up and it looks great! They are being so nice and letting us have the boys 9th birthday party there next month (which The Turn will be playing at- how totally cool is that!). They had a band playing and lots of people swimming and eating with lots of fun.

Here is Aunt Gail being all glam in her pool and Uncle Joe doing his trademark flip.

The boys all loved the pool and I couldn’t get them out. Jack and Patrick especially loved the diving board and showered us all with lots of cannonballs. The swan (or goose according to Timmy) was also a big hit although it took up half the pool.

Everytime Jack tried to get on this shark, he would make it and then it would sloooooowly flip over to the left. Every single time. Hysterical!

Poor Timmy was shivering but wouldn’t come out. Saying "I’m not cold" thru blue lips and chattering teeth with all over shakes. But he wasn’t cold. Uh huh. Then after the blue lips came the chocolate face from the cupcake. It’s all good and colorful. Apparently Timmy can have a career in gun running in the future- he was collecting all the waterguns in the pool and putting them in his little boat. It’s good to have goals, right?

OMG- I am being featured on www.blogsofphotogs.com!!! This is huge for lil ole me. Absolutely unfreakinbelievable!

The woman who runs the site, Mary, is a photographer herself and reviews blogs of photographers (obviously). Some of the photographers she has reviewed in the past are like HUGE. HUGE, huge. One of them- the one I am featured immediately after as a matter of fact- Jessica Claire, just won the top 10 wedding photographers in the world. Ya, the whole WORLD! All my other idols whose blogs I visit on a daily basis for inspiration, ideas, and just admiration of their work- I found their blog sites from blogsofphotogs. So to imagine that not only am I even on the blog, but on the blog with people with that level of talent…I think I can just die now. Ya think I’m a little excited?!

Here’s what Mary had to say about my blog:

This is such a fun blog, with so much to like! Perfect little break from getting things ready for the 4th of July here in beautiful Minneapolis.

Ok, first thing, and I absolutely have to say this, and I do not personally know Beth of bsquared photography, so I have no stake in saying this: Beth you are RIDICULOUSLY under priced. There are so many stellar images on this blog, and the portrait work, beach work and family sessions are so much better than SO many of the blogs I look at… I really have to just yell at you for a minute about your pricing. WAY UNDER PRICED!!!

There, that is out of the way…(and if any of you readers agree with me, please leave a comment here to prove my point…)

Ok… so, what else do I love? I love the frequent updates, the huge size of the images on the blog, (especially love that b&w image of the baby on the wooden bridge…) the band photos are great, (and if you have ever done any band photography in darkly lit clubs, you know how good these are!) and the fun, affable, cool-mom-next-door tone of her writing. There are a couple less than perfect images if you delve way back, but you can really see amazing growth, talent and beauty in her work. If she was one of the photographers I have mentored though, I’d be on her about that pricing.

-enjoy!

Mary

So how awesome is THAT!! Okay,I guess I have to work on the pricing, huh?

(Brace yourselves…here comes the "oscar speech"- feel free to skip this part) Thank you to everyone who has welcomed me into your homes and hearts and let me take photos of your families. Thank you for all of your referrals to friends and family, without which I wouldn’t have been able to grow my business as much as I have. Without you, there would be no bsquared photography (and my boys would be even more miserable cause I would only take pix of them!). Thank you to my wonderful supportive husband- for being a "single father" basically every weekend so I can keep working. And to my wonderful, photogenic, mostly patient boys who I love so much- without you guys I wouldn’t have learned how to take a good picture (or a bad one), gotten a big girl camera, and become a real life photographer. And thanks, Mom, for the wonderful comment/compliment and alllllll the babysitting! Not to mention my first big girl camera for Christmas way back, which started the whole thing.

I guess now is the time where I absolutely must get over my issue with saying "I’m a photographer".

Happy 4th everyone! The weather here is crappy and I think we’re skipping the beach which is a big bummer. Maybe I’ll bribe the boys and take them out for some pictures…