Ok – I’m going to attempt to explain my iphoto issues since several of you so sweetly asked and offered to help.  (Thank you!)  When I had my PC I just used folders to organize my pictures.  I blog a lot of my pictures (as you all know!) so I developed a system where I organized my pictures by date and blog post.  I found for me that I remember where my pictures are best by blog posts.  For example, if I want to find that one picture I took of Addison in her big girl bed for the first time, I can remember the post I did about it and around the time I wrote the post and find the picture easily that way.  OR I can look in my blog archives to find where it would be located.  I take and keep a TON of pictures so it’s important for me to be able to find what I need quickly.  So this is how I organized my pictures on my PC:

I had a 2010 folder  – inside it a folder for each month – inside each month folder – a folder for each blog post.  Also in each month folder a folder for “random pictures” from the month that I wanted to keep but didn’t blog.  Example of my folders:

2010:
   January:      
          Blog Posts:
                Organize something or other
                Scrapbook something or other
                Kids something or other
          January Randomness:
   February:  (same thing as above – you get the picture)  

Then I would set up additional folders for pictures I wanted to get developed for my kids’ albums.  A lot of folders, but every picture had a happy home where I could easily find it.

When I got my Mac, I transferred all of my pictures over and kept my old pictures organized in folders on my computer exactly as they were.  Then I started putting all of my new pictures in iphoto.  I tried to set up the same system as above using iphoto albums (which worked fine).  BUT…

Here are my issues with iphoto (you may want to grab a snack) —

1) It would take me FOREVER to bring over all of my old photos and organize them this way in iphoto so I now have my photos in two different places.  If I’m doing a post that includes a new photo and an old photo I have to “import” or “export” the photos so they are in the same place.  It’s a pain not having everything together.

2)  It drives me nuts how in iphoto I can’t move the pictures around unless I’m in an album.  If I take 10 pictures of my spring mantle and want to choose the best one to blog, I have to put them in an album in order to move them around next to each other to make them big and compare.  So I make an album, move the pictures around, compare, pick the best one, delete the rest.  Problem is – the ones I deleted are only deleted in the album – not in my “photos” – so they are taking up space on my computer and I feel like I then have to go back into photos and delete them again.  LAME.

3) While it’s handy to have iphoto editing right inside the program, I like Photoshop much better for editing.  The “enhance” which I use a lot (because I rarely have time to do any real editing!) doesn’t do a quick fix as well as the “auto smart fix” in Photoshop (in my humble opinion).  :)  So I find myself not using the editing feature in iphoto as much.

4)  When I do use Photoshop to edit or to do something like make a new blog header, I can’t save what I edited/created straight to iphoto.  I have to save them in a folder on my computer and then “import” them to iphoto.  One more step.  LAME.

5)  When I make a collage in Picasa (because I love making Picasa collages – they are so easy and quick!) I again can’t save them straight to iphoto.  Same as above, I have to save them somewhere else and then “import” them to iphoto.

It just feels like I am creating folders anyway to do some of this other stuff and leaving iphoto to edit so I have been wondering if I should just leave iphoto altogether and keep my old folder system which seemed to be much easier for me.  Plus that way all of my pictures would once again be in one happy spot!

Maybe I just don’t know how to use iphoto?  Maybe I can do a lot of the things I don’t think I can?  Maybe there’s a better way to organize my pictures altogether?  Maybe I need to stop eating the Cadbury Egg I just tore into?

I don’t know.  I’d LOVE any tips, insight, or advice.  Unless you’re going to tell me to stop eating my chocolate.  Kindly keep that advice to yourself.

:)

Thanks so much and have a great weekend!

I remember one year ago today, April 10, 2010.  I remember everything about that day.

I remember it was a Saturday morning.  The girls were watching a movie with my mom in our playroom. My mom had been visiting to help with the baby and was flying home later that afternoon.  Kenny was downstairs on an important call for work.

I remember waking up to the worst cramps.  I ignored them and tried to feed Kole.  Soon I couldn’t ignore them any longer.  I made it to the bathroom.  I remember feeling light headed and knowing I was going to pass out.  I was holding Kole and I remember screaming for my mom to come and grab him because I knew I was about to drop my baby.

I remember coming to and seeing Kenny by my side and telling him I was sorry I messed up his phone call.

I remember passing out again.

I remember coming to and being surrounded by so many faces.  They were all talking at once and hooking IV’s into my arms and trying to get me on a stretcher.  I remember feeling stressed about all the blood on the bathroom floor and rug.

I remember being carried out of my house on a stretcher and my mom holding Kole walking by my side and saying “it’s ok honey — look, I’m feeding him a bottle and he likes it — the kids will be fine — it’s going to be ok.”  But she had tears in her eyes and her voice didn’t sound sure that everything would be ok.

I remember going in and out of consciousness in the ambulance on the ride to the hospital and asking over and over where Kenny was.  I remember someone saying “it’s ok – your husband is riding in the front.”

I remember how rushed everything was once I got to the hospital.  I remember being taken to an ultra sound room and the lady who gave me the ultra sound looked at the monitor with a nervous look on her face and immediately left the room.  She came back and I asked her “am I going to be ok?” and she said “let’s just get you to the doctor.”  I remember the panic running through me.  She wheeled me out of the room where Kenny and a doctor were waiting for me.

I remember seeing tears streaming down Kenny’s cheeks.  Kenny doesn’t cry that often and the look on his face scared me more than anything else.

I remember saying to him “am I going to die?” and he said, “NO.  You are going to be just fine.  I don’t know why I’m so emotional because everything is going to be ok.”  But his voice didn’t sound sure that everything would be ok.  I remember he had to hurry and sign some papers and then the doctor was rushing me down a long hall.

I remember thinking about my three kids.  My girls.  My new baby boy at home with my mom.  I remember praying — please please – my kids need me – please – I’m not ready to leave my family – please – I’m not ready to die.  I was terrified and it was truly the scariest moment of my life.

I remember lots of doctors rushing around me in the operating room shouting orders at each other.  I remember thinking of how it was like I was in a scene straight out of Grey’s Anatomy.

I remember a lady grabbed my hand.  I could feel my tears streaming down my cheeks.  I told her I was scared and she told me to just relax.

I remember waking up (hours later) in the ICU and being in excruciating pain. I asked the nurse what had happened and she told me I had an emergency hysterectomy and a major blood transfusion.  For some reason when she said “hysterectomy” I burst into tears.  She held my hand and moved my hair out of my face and told me how lucky I was to be alive.  I was in pain for four hours with Kenny by my side holding my hand and a nurse who kept upping my dose of morphine and wondering why it wasn’t doing more to help me.

I remember our Bishop from our church (and a good friend of ours) appearing beside me.  I remember he and Kenny giving me a blessing and soon after the blessing my pain started to slow down.  Kenny and our Bishop were talking to each other at the end of my bed.  Their voices were so soothing and for the first time that day I felt completely calm.

I remember the nurse asking them to leave so that I could get some rest.  “NO!”  I practically shouted.  “I want them to stay.”  I remember immediately feeling bad for snapping at her because she had been so nice to me.  I just didn’t want the soothing voices to leave.  I didn’t want Kenny to leave me.

I remember waking up in a hospital room the next morning.  Lots of nurses and doctors in and out checking on me.  All of them telling me how lucky I was to be alive.  Kenny would come to visit and stay as long as he could and then leave to help my mom with the kids.

I remember thanking God over and over for my husband.  What would I do without him right now?

I remember him bringing his computer to the hospital and reading all of the comments on my blog and all of the e-mails I was receiving.  People were so quick to send flowers and bring meals.  So many people who cared.  I was overwhelmed by it all and cried every time I thought about it.

I remember how amazing my mom was.  She jumped into my life and just took over everything.  Pre-school, Kindergarten, play dates, homework, extra curriculars, up in the night with my newborn, feeding, rocking, non-stop care, hospital visits so I could hold my new baby.  She was incredible.  So was my sister and so were my friends.  They all took such good care of me.

I remember how grateful to God I was to be alive, but at the same time how sad I felt.  For weeks after I came home I was SO depressed.  So hormonal.  So not my usual self.  So tired.

I remember my dad coming to visit after I was home from the hospital and when he walked in the door after he had checked on me, he hugged my mom.  They hugged and cried.  It hit me what I had put them through.  What I put my whole family through.

I remember months later starting to feel like myself again and how good it felt.  I remember feeling beyond blessed for so many people who went out of their way to help me.  Beyond blessed to be alive and happy.

I feel that way today.

I remember it all.  April 10th, 2010 is a day I will never forget.