What did I get myself in to? But...there is a silver lining - precious video found!

I bought a MacBook Pro.  I bought Adobe Photoshop Elements 8.  I sent off for Adobe PSE8 - Classroom in a Book.  I am being a good student and learning this very comprehensive program.  Most of my photos (or so I thought) were already loaded into iPhoto on the Mac.  Then I remembered that I had alot backed up on 2 external hard drives as well as some on a desk top in my studio and of course

that old laptop tucked away in my bill desk.  And maybe a few on Motorcycle Man's computer that he had taken and downloaded there.  Long story short, I stayed up till after 2:30 this morning downloading all these pics on the Mac so that I could organize them.  And then noticed that I had to start double checking and deleting the duplicates.

Got up early this morning and rode with Motorcycle Man across town for him to do some work and took the laptop with me - spent over 5 hours (until the battery went dead on Mac) continuing the delete the duplicates and naming the pics, grouping them, sorting by child and their families, the trips and the date.  This is a full-time job!  No really, this IS a full-time job - one that might take me weeks.  But in the end I will be able to open the pics in Adobe Bridge CS4 and edit them all different kinds of ways.  I already tried it on a few and let's just say it blew me away!  

I love the added bonus of seeing memories that had been placed away and all of a sudden there it was in front of me.  Our children very young, our children grown and with their children, the trips we have taken alone, with family or friends.  The wildlife that travels through my yard and I caught pics of.  Just a flood of memories.

By far one of the best part was finding the short videos I took of Our Angel that I have been searching for that his mother has never seen or heard.  He lived just 6 1/2 short months and all of it in hospitals but he was a fighter!  He taught me SO much in his short life that I will carry with me to my grave.  Seeing his pictures since he passed away has been a blessing but hearing him for the first time in two years was the most touching thing all of this venture has brought me.  I can not wait to burn all his pics and the videos to a CD and take them to Mother Goose and let her have a blessing through this too.

An hour after he was born 2 months early

3 months later with his Mom

2 months later at 5 months with me singing to him