Archives For Family

With ‘Liverty’ and Justice for All

8.28.2012 — 2 Comments

I was remarking to myself the other day (this happens often, believe it or not) about just how much graphics-technology has changed in my own lifetime.

From my humble beginnings with an 8-bit Atari 2600 (I’m pretty sure I could still beat anyone at Centipede) and then ‘graduating’ to playing GoldenEye on the 64-bit Nintendo system, the graphic-ability of even the gaming consoles of my life has been ever-changing right before my eyes. I’m not even sure how many ‘bits’ are within our family’s Wii these days.

The same is true with computer graphics. I remember being pretty excited playing on the Mac computers in the computer lab of my Junior High School and manipulating basic shapes into some sort of a clickable ‘game’ with my friends during Computer Club (yep, I was that guy).

These days the “Computer Graphics Industry” has advanced beyond what I can even imagine. Think about it yourself next time you’re watching television and a majority of what we see now is aided by computer graphics.

A couple of years ago I upgraded my “graphics suite” of software to Adobe CS4 and I’ve become familiar and comfortable within the programs of Illustrator and Photoshop. Also in this suite of software are some video and graphics-manipulating programs that make me quite nervous. I’ve been editing my latest videos quickly within Adobe Premier, but have been nervous to dig any deeper than I’ve needed to with basic editing all I’ve approached thus far.

This week I dug out a piece of green cloth I saved from the dumpster one afternoon and brought it home with me. I also ‘hired’ a 6-year-old assistant to recite the Pledge of Allegiance after a day of school and I filmed her in front of my make-shift ‘green screen’ with my HD camera.

It was her idea to put a flag behind her when I suggested the idea on the way home from school. (she’s already a creative genius)

I really don’t know what I’m doing. I watch enough YouTube tutorials to get by and I’m scared I’ll break something every time I tweak a setting within the software, but what I came up with is what I’m hoping is a first-step into doing more with video in the future. I want to know and learn enough to ‘be dangerous’ and do fun things like put waving flags behind my kids as they say, “…with liverty and justice for all…”

Behold, my first green-screen attempt:

In Family, Tech, Videos
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Don’t Blink

8.10.2012 — Leave a comment

To all the people who told me, “don’t blink” when Ella was born (and those who continue to repeat it at every family-milestone) –

I’m doing my best not blink (especially via my DSLR’s camera-shutter) and yet it STILL blows my mind how quickly she is growing up!

don't-blink

We had a wonderful day at DelGrosso’s Amusement Park in Tipton, PA yesterday with our Western PA District pastors and families. On our way home we replayed the fact that Ella has now been to DelGrosso’s for 4-years in a row and thanks to my proclivity of photographing such events, I was able to put the above image together quickly this morning. Thanks to my Mom who took the picture of Ella in ’09 during her first visit to the park that Summer!

In Family, Images
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Never a dull moment at the Sheets breakfast table

8.8.2012 — 3 Comments

I promise our breakfast table is as entertaining as anything else you could be watching on television while eating breakfast.

In Family, Videos
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Future Rocket Scientists

8.4.2012 — Leave a comment

What a blast (get it?) we had this Friday evening launching an Estes rocket 6-times in a row over at the church!

I think this video gives you quite a glimpse into the Sheets family:

In Family, General, Videos
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Stick The Landing

7.30.2012 — Leave a comment

I was watching the Olympics last evening and caught, like many American’s, this little clip from NBC highlighting the parents of Team USA gymnast, Aly Raisman during her uneven bars routine:

If you haven’t seen it yet, please watch and enjoy:

Their reaction got me thinking last night and today on a few different levels. Obviously it’s a humorous look that those of us who are parents can relate to in some way as we’ve watched our children do something that we are cheering them along in – it’s almost a literal, “we feel their pain” type reaction. I loved this peek into the life/emotion of an Olympic family…

I also can’t help but wonder what God looks like as you and I traverse this life on earth as He allows us to make our choices and live our lives. We know He is watching, though we often put it out of our minds. I haven’t heard yet in the media what Aly’s reaction to her parent’s debut on national television in these moments was, but I’d assume after whatever embarrassment might be felt that it has to be comforting to know her parents in the stands are not only watching her, but they are ‘living’ the moment with her – cheering her on – willing her to succeed and ‘stick the landing’.

I believe God is up to much of the same thing for His children.

Psalm 121:1-4 (NLT)

1 I look up to the mountains—
does my help come from there?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth!
3 He will not let you stumble;
the one who watches over you will not slumber.
4 Indeed, he who watches over Israel
never slumbers or sleeps.

In Family, Ministry, Videos
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