Equipment for Sale

I am trying to streamline my equipment and get rid of some stuff that is beginning to collect dust. All of it is in excellent shape and the price includes shipping (insured). Paypal is preferred for payment. Please contact me if you are interested or need more information.Canon Zoom Super Wide Angle EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM Autofocus Lens $900 SOLD Canon Zoom Wide Angle-Telephoto EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Autofocus Lens $800 SOLD Canon EOS 5D Digital Camera (Camera Body) $1250

Home on the Range

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Josh is safely back home from the hospital now. The verdict ended up being pretty much what we thought it would be. After a multitude of tests they basically said that they do not know what happened. I am terrified to see the bill. Luckily we have good insurance, but I am sure we will still have to pay something. Listen to me. What a cynic. Mostly we are of course so happy that Josh is fine. I am not done with that boy yet. I still need him. It has been a tough couple of days and I have had no patience with the children. I end up snapping at them and then think that I have permanently damaged them. Ben is incredibly sensitive and since I was that way as a child I am hyper aware of being short with him. I feel like crap about it. I often wish I could be a different kind of person and mother. But I am having one of those "I am going to eat some worms" days so I won't go on too much about that.Sara saved me yesterday when I sent out a plea for help. Luckily she took the boys BEFORE I had to call the 'I am going to give my children away' hotline. She and hubby Russell AND Sara's dad took the boys for the afternoon and for a pizza dinner. I was going to go see Twilight because I really needed something mindless and entertaining, but the theater did not have a 4:15 showing like Yahoo said it did, so I was at a loss as to what to do with myself for a couple of hours. I always pray for free time and then when I have it I can't quite remember what I used to do for fun. So I did what every woman in my situation would do. I went shoe shopping. And I SCORED. Five pairs of shoes for $50. Three from Goodwill and two from Ross. Woohoo! I am so grateful and appreciative for all the kind words and thoughts we have gotten over the past few days, not to mention all of the help. In addition to Geni, Kell, Sara and Russell, much gratitude to Melanie for taking them this morning when she already had a very full house. And to Melissa who organized a care calendar to give me aid. With no family here in Austin, I have no idea what I would do without the wonderful support of my Austin friends and the O'Mamas. This is starting to sound like an acceptance speech, so I will stop. But first I would like to thank my mother.

Because I am Too Darn Lazy to Tell the Story More Than Once

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As some of you know by my cryptic twitter/facebook updates, Josh went into the hospital early this morning. Everyone wants to know how he is doing, which is SO sweet. Instead of telling the story many times, I am opting for the super duper technology of blogging to keep my repeats to a minimum.We were awoken at about 6:30 this morning by our rotten, rotten children. We were both lying on our L-shaped couch and then Josh sat up and tilted his head back. It looked like he had fallen asleep but his eyes were rolling into the back of his head. In order to avoid going into gory details, I will just leave it at saying that he was unresponsive for the next minute. So I called 911. They came and found that his blood sugar was at a very dangerously low level and so they took him into the ER where they ran some tests and found that they still could not find the problem, but they were concerned enough to keep him overnight to run even more tests. So he has been in the hospital all day and will stay there overnight. The boys and I just went to visit him and they ate ALL of his chocolate pudding, which just may have been the worst thing that has happened all day. I keep accusing him of simply wanting to get a day away from the kids and I and reminding him that a room at the Four Seasons would be cheaper and nicer than his accommodations at the North Austin Medical Center. So he is doing fine and we have our fingers crossed that it will turn out to be an aberration. We miss him at home and feel SO happy that he is safe and being cared for. A big shout out to our dear friend Geni, who was ripped from her warm bead this morning to come and watch the boys while I rode in the ambulance to the ER with Josh, which I am ashamed to admit was a bit of a thrill for this sad suburban mom. Geni then had to endure being directed by a three year-old on how to make 'toad in a hole' before even having her morning coffee and her husband Kell had to withstand having six children, rather than his usual four, for the day. That could NOT have been fun. Geni and Kell very kindly gifted us a night of babysitting so we could have a night on the town which we have not had since the first Bush presidency term. Josh mentioned this morning that perhaps their having taken care of the boys today should count for that. I said "No way. I am going to see a movie in the theater and go out to eat without my children BEFORE the end of Obama's first term". Get well soon Josh. We miss you terribly. I will keep you all updated. Thanks for your concern.

Thanksgiving 2008

This is how behind I am in posting photos. I stll haven't blogged stuff from Thanksgiving with the exception of this one of Sam. We had dinner at Michelle and Doug's lovely house in Hyde Park. Here are some of the photos: Bonnie Berry is an Austin based child, family and wedding photographer.

Motherhood Review 2008

This is a review of Bonnie's skills as a mother as dictated by her two sons, Ben and Sam. They feel that her abilites as a mother are generally fair, but that there is room for improvement. Her strengths are her affection for us and her play skills are excellent. She needs to work on her patience, her cooking skills, her laundry time schedule and her housekeeping abilities. She also needs to learn to play well with others and be a team player. And she needs to spend less time on her computer and reading her novels and more time meeting our constant needs. Our final suggestion is that she start taking speed. We think it might help in the energy department. We are looking forward to working with her in 2009 and are hopeful that she will take these suggestions under advisement. She has the raw material to be an excellent mother and we think that with a little motivation and a great deal of alcohol consumption, she will survive 2009 just fine.

Happy Chanukah

One of my favorite things about my job is that my clients often become my friends and vice versa. A few weeks ago I photographed this family at their family ranch in Drippings Springs. They in turn invited us for a Chanukah celebration. We had such a great time and Ben had so much fun that he cried because he did not want to leave. Here are a few shots from the night. I especially love the ones of the kids watching movies and Sam trying to figure out how to get the popcorn in his mouth. Bonnie Berry is an Austin based child, family and wedding photographer.

The Simons

I always talk about how much I love this family. We spend so many great evenings with them and usually at their house. I made a little slideshow from some photos I took one night there because I feel like it is a good representation of a typical evening when we are together. Everyone does their own thing, but then we come together, drift apart, come together. We are all there when we want to be, have space when we need it. It is a perfect time for me and my family. It is the place, other than our own, where we are most at home.To see the slideshow go here and type in STORY (in lowercase letters). There is music, so be sure your sound is on. Bonnie Berry is an Austin based child, family and wedding photographer.

Visiting With Mia and Tanya

This is the beginning of my attempt to catch up with some personal photos. These are from a few weeks ago when Tanya and Mia came over for a visit. Little Mia is really becoming a little girl and is no longer the toddler she was when I first met her. I had such a good time taking photos of her in this day. I also brought out my film 35mm and medium format so once I get those processed you may see more from this visit. Those will probably be ready in 2010. One of my New Year's resolutions is to get out the film cameras more often. So we will see. For now, here is digital Mia. Bonnie Berry is an Austin based child, family and wedding photographer.

Clarification

Okay everyone. During my pity party last night I used some black humor to write a blog entry. Big mistake. I am not giving up anything. Most of you thought I was talking about quitting photography. I was actually joking about offing MYSELF, but since that is the only time I would actually give up my camera (out of my cold, dead hands...and all that stuff) I suppose they are really one in the same. I was just in a bad mood and did not have enough self restraint to ask myself "Is this blog post a good idea?"Since I will be home with the kids for the next two weeks I will have: 1. a GAZILLION photos that will be taken 2. too many cocktails prepared and consumed AND 3. an appointment for a lobotomy scheduled and then cancelled (once one of my friends talks me out of it) So stay tuned for all of the wackiness that is sure to ensue. I am SO far behind on processing personal stuff but here is one of Ben and I from this morning. I am trying to be better and actually include myself in some of my shots. That way there will be plenty to choose from for my funeral (kidding... I am KIDDING!) Bonnie Berry is an Austin based child, family and wedding photographer.

Farewell

My friend Shannon just mentioned that she wants to lose four pounds on Twitter. FOUR?! The amazing photographer Anna Kuperberg just donated her holiday print sales of $10,000. That was just her holiday print sales. That is probably more than I made all damn year. And I will never be as cute as Miranda (or Garnier and Bill Pickles). So I am throwing in the damn towel. I am tired. Fa la la la la. Bonnie Berry is an Austin based child, family and wedding photographer.

Sam and Santa

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Right after hell froze over, Josh took Sam to see Santa Claus. As you can see it was a tremendous success. Must have been all those Jewish ancestors telling Sam how wrong, wrong, wrong this is. Ben must have heard them because he was too scared to even get close to Mister Claus. You know you are in Texas when Santa's choice of footwear is cowboy boots. Photo by noerrprograms.com.

Snapshots

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Just a couple of shots from my recent family visit. These were taken the day before my grandfather died.My Grandmother and Grandad. They were married for 71 years. My Grandad and sister-in-law Kim: A map my Grandad made with pins of all of the places he and my Grandmother have visited and lived (this photo only shows about a quarter of the map): Bonnie Berry is an Austin based child, family and wedding photographer.

Grateful

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I am SO grateful for all of the kind words you all had for me and my family. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. It has been so nice to be able to say goodbye to my grandad and to spend such quality time with my grandmother and my immediate family. It has also been a gift for us to be together with no spouses and no children, simply because it has allowed us to reminisce about old times without the fear of boring anyone and without the constant interruptions of children.Upon my return I will have pictures to share. I had forgotten how beatiful it is here, so I even took some (gasp) landscapes. Thanks again. I am so blessed to have you wonderful people in my life.

Right Back Where I Started From

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I unexpectingly find myself back home in California this week. I made the decision abruptly to come and spend some time with my grandparents. They are 92 years young and until the last year or so have been the picture of health. My grandfather has made a steep decline and is not long for this world. He is at home with hospice care and is in the process of shutting down. One thing that I should mention is what a HUGE part my grandparents have played in my life. They have always lived within one mile of us. We saw them every day. They were there from the first day my parents brought me home from the adoption agency. They came to every school play, every swim meet. They said I could be whatever I wanted to be. While my parents were critical, they told me I was perfect.

I was nervous to see my grandad. To see his deterioration would be to admit that he would soon be leaving me. In Texas it was easy to keep my visual memory of him restricted to his past self, ignoring the present. But I think that I had overprepared myself because he looked better than what my imagination had conjured. I was afraid he would not know who I was because I had been warned by family that it would be likely, but he knew me right away and he closed his eyes tightly and began to tear up. He talked about how good it was that I had come and how much he loved me and his family. All of his life grandad was NOT effusive. He had never said he loved me. He was not physically affectionate. He was a military man through and through. But his actions showed every day how he felt and the fact that he now has words to match them makes little difference.

At about 7:00 tonight my grandfather passed. It is so hard to say goodbye.

Sam and Elmer on Mother's Day 2007

Canvas Contest

I am having a fun little contest from sessions in the past three months. Vote for your favorite image and the client will get a FREE 11x16 gallery wrap canvas of any image from their session. Voting will end on December 19th at 5:00pm. I will post the winner on Monday the 22nd, so check back then. And for those clients whose images are being voted on, you can recruit your family, friends, neighbors, co-workers (you get the idea) to vote for you. All is fair in love and photography. Please vote at the bottom of all of the photos where you will see a bubble for each photo.photo 1 photo 2 photo 3 photo 4 photo 5 photo 6 photo 7 photo 8 photo 9 photo 10 photo 11 photo 12 photo 13 photo 14 photo 15 photo 16