Kerry & Brad Alston's Blog

Is Blogging Mostly Dead?

2011-04-08T21:53:00.005-04:00

Does it seem that Blogging is mostly dead?

I don't think so when it comes to the photography world that I see on the internet. Most of the people I come across that have websites, also have Blogs that are like diaries of the events they shoot. I am currently considering doing the same thing with my photography side business.

Brad Alston Photography has a lot of my favorite photos but it it kinda loaded with too many photos. I tend to keep WAY to many shots and should just find the best-of-the-best and do away with the others. I will continue to work on my bad habit of keeping everything and try to just let go.

FaceBook Wins?

2010-01-19T22:52:00.003-05:00

I have really failed to keep this blog site going but I had good intentions originally. But then came 'FaceBook' into my life. About December of 2008 I had heard that some of my school friends were on FaceBook. I thought this was just a kid's fad site and never really paid it any mind. And really I hadn't ever been on anybody's FaceBook page to see what it was all about.

I signed up and almost that same day I got suggestions from FaceBook of possible school friends and family. It just grew from there and within a few months I had over 100 Facebook friends. After a few addictions of some FaceBook games I finally got somewhat of a grip on my wasted time on FaceBook and cut a lot of it out.

So here we are today and I spend hardly anytime on Blogs anymore but keep up with lots of people on FaceBook. I will keep this site going but I am sure it will be limited.
Thanks to all who have visited and who will visit.
Brad

Long Time

2009-06-18T21:10:00.003-04:00

It's been a long time since my last post. Seems like I'm so busy these days and not able to keep up with everything. I usually check FaceBook everyday numerous times and hardly ever come here. I am currently working a lot and taking pictures a lot with my friend Don. Kerry's daughter Kayla just graduated from High School...I can't believe she is out of high School already! Now she's going to head off to college in the fall. She is going to go to George Mason. Kerry and I will head back to Cancun late this year for our 2 years anniversary. Hard to believe that it has already been almost 2 years. Okay, just a few updates and I will try to put more later. Hope everyone that keeps up with this page is doing well!

Facebook Info

2009-01-21T10:11:00.000-05:00

SmugMug Picture Site

2009-01-16T11:46:00.005-05:00

I have a site that holds most of my Photos that I have taken lately. I am still working on my photography skills and learning a lot in this hobby. Not sure if it will ever turn into any type of money maker but I sure do love doing it as a hobby.

You can see these pictures at:
bradalstonphoto.smugmug.com

The link will also be in the sidebar for future access.

Kayla's Senior Portraits

2008-09-17T20:48:00.006-04:00

Time for High School Senior Portraits! Kerry and Kayla went out last weekend to get portraits done for school. They went to Portrait Innovations in the west end of Richmond at Short Pump Towncenter area. The session didn't take too long and they took just under 100 shots with different poses and props and backgrounds. Personally I think the pictures came out great with Kayla smiling. I have included a few samples here that I touched up a little with Photoshop CS3 and I think they came out great.

Can't believe she is actually on her last year of high school. I remember when I met Kerry back in 1997 when Kayla met me at the door at the young age of only 5 years old. She used to be soo cute!!! (Just kidding Kayla, you are still cute!)

Another Toy To Add To The Family

2008-09-13T21:52:00.010-04:00

Well, Kerry and I have talked about it for a while and finally pulled the trigger almost 2 months ago. We decided to get a boat so we could have some room to carry things and friends or relatives. I have had the jet ski for about 2 years now but it is limited in carrying anything. I have a blast on it when I am riding it but the boat will be more practical. Don't get me wrong, I am not planning on getting rid of the jet ski as of yet so we'll see what happens in the future with that.

The boat is a 2001 Maxum 1800 SRL 4.3 Mercruiser. I think 18' is a good all-around size for just 2 or up to around 6 people. Kinda sucks on the gas from what I can tell but it gets the job done. The guy who owned it before apparently took care of it pretty good so there is not a whole lot that is needed to be done other than cleaning. Kerry and I have already done most of that and will continue to keep it clean.

Our 2001 Maxum 1800 SRL 18' 4.3 Mercruiser Boat

On The Chickahominy River with Kerry, Joan, and David

Suzuki DR650SE DynoJet Install

2008-05-20T18:35:00.006-04:00

Well, I bought my Suzuki DR650SE back in January and also bought a DynoJet Kit to put in the carburetor after my break in period. I have past the break in period now by going to the mountains and shown in my previous Blog Post.

I was off today and took care of a few house things and outside stuff before tackling this carburetor kit install. David put his in and I was hoping to do this with him around but he was busy out of town these past couple of days. I am definitely able to handle this but it is nice to have someone around who went through the install just in case.

It took me around 2 hours to install it and afterwards the bike started right up (after the gas filled the carb) and was running much better already. I cracked the throttle a couple of times and I could tell right away that is doing a lot better. I put it all back together and took it into the yard and just a few hundred feet on the road. This thing will definitely pick the front wheel off the road or ground now and even in 2nd gear. Don't get my wrong, I am not a wheelie kinda guy but I like the throttle response. Now I just have to be very careful!

Hanky Mountain Ride Video 2

2008-05-05T12:16:00.004-04:00

Here is another video off my "YouTube" site that is where Ken put his camera in his pocket upside down and recorded us riding part of the trails in the George Washington National Forest April 13, 2008. I rotated the video and the audio is not exact but close. The video footage is mostly looking at the ground but you can see me up ahead of him numerous times throwing rocks and dirt in the straights. It was a fun day!

Part 1 of 2

Part 2 of 2

Savannah Vacation Slideshow

2008-05-05T06:04:00.004-04:00

Savannah, Georgia 4-day Vacation

2008-04-26T21:32:00.008-04:00

Kerry and I decided not too long ago to take a long weekend or a short vacation of 4 days to spend in Savannah, Georgia. We have been here once before back in 2004 I think. We came to the historic district while we were here but we were only in town for a day. We stayed a ways away and didn't get a chance to explore much then.

This time we are staying in a 208 year old cottage right in the historic district within walking distance of most everything. We have already probably walked 10-15 miles in less than 2 days here. It is Saturday right now and we are staying until early Monday morning. We will head back to Richmond on Monday.

Please check out some of the pictures I have taken since we have been here Friday. Of course, the photo fanatic that I am, I have taken almost 300 pictures already as of Saturday night. I will post more on our Photo Album page later once I clean them up some.

Check them out here: Kerry & Brad's Photo Album
The link is also on our main page of our blog.

Motorcycle Off-Road Riding

2008-04-22T08:13:00.005-04:00

Here is a video of me, David, and Ken from Ken's Cycles in George Washington National Forest near Staunton, Virginia. I am riding the yellow & black Suzuki with the yellow helmet and I am usually trailing David. I had a hard time keeping up during the morning but was able to catch David once with Ken pushing me from behind. Thanks Ken for the video and the help!

This was Sunday April 13th, 2008. It was around 50 most of the day at lower elevations but sleeting, snowing and some rain at higher elevations of the mountains. The trail riding was cool and the fire roads with gravel were scary! My Suzuki DR650SE was really loose in the gravel and I have no experience off-road on a motorcycle.

Check out this video for my first ever riding off-road.

Me, A Pirate?

2008-02-15T13:18:00.001-05:00

Are You a Pirate or a Ninja?

My Result: Pirate

Arrrh, shiver me timbers if you're not the greatest pirate who ever sailed the high seas! We could try and be nice and say that you're not all bad, but we know that if ye were the captain of a ship of raucous savages ye wouldn't spend any time training them to explore their sensitive side. You'd probably be boarding luxury cruise ships, ripping pearl necklaces off ladies, and looting the men (after stripping them of their credit cards and cell phones of course). Long John Silver, Blackbeard, and Captain Hook all have nothing on you.

You could probably rob someone blind and still leave 'em feeling glad that they met you — even if you made them walk the plank! While you have one sea-weary eye on a treasure trove, your other eye (assuming you're not wearing a patch) is making sure you're always seen strutting your stuff and looking mighty fine — wooden leg and all.

What are you?
http://web.tickle.com/jumpto?test=pirateorninjaogt&c=50652

Brad's New Toy!

2008-02-04T15:34:00.001-05:00

Okay, I got a new toy also but hadn't put it up on here yet because I was waiting to do some mods first. Here is my 'Almost New' 2006 Suzuki DR-650SE Dual Sport Bike.

Of course, since David (my new father-in-law) got his early last year, I have been toying with the idea of getting something to ride off-road but still be street legal. This bike has been sitting at Ken's Cycle Center in Highland Springs for almost a year after someone traded it in not long after he bought it. The story is that the guy was around 300 pounds and needed something a little bigger so he bought a street bike that was a lot bigger.

David and I put the gas tank, seat, skid plate, highway pegs, and idle adjuster screw in the past Saturday morning and it didn't take long at all. I installed the handlebar riser in 5 minutes last week. I am waiting on a computer (LED Speedo, Tach, Temp, etc) to come in this week to install maybe next weekend. David says he might get the same thing if it all works out.

Some say I might be having a mid-life crisis but I just think I decided that I am not getting any younger (Birthday Feb 19th, age 44) and I like having these toys. I just have to be careful to not get myself hurt too bad to put me out of work! Safety, Safety, Safety!

Kerry's New Toy

2008-01-26T08:53:00.000-05:00

After a year long search and almost deciding not to do anything at all I now have my "dream car"... It's a 2005 Screamin' Yellow Mustang. I actually found this back in November before the wedding but was too busy to pursue it. It's like it was waiting for me! It's in mint condition and was previously owned by a retired couple and the woman only drove it occasionally. I'll post more pics later.

Merry Christmas 2007 & Happy New Year 2008

2007-12-13T12:14:00.000-05:00

Wishing Everyone A Very Merry Christmas
& A Happy New Year!
From: Brad, Kerry, & Kayla

Wedding Pics to come...

2007-11-25T11:46:00.000-05:00

Sorry haven't posted any pictures yet but we have been so busy since getting back from Cancun on our honeymoon and Thanksgiving.

I will post some more as soon as I get them scanned in.
More Coming Soon....

I "ELF'd" myself!

2007-11-25T11:27:00.000-05:00

Hey, I just made a total elf of myself. Check it out by clicking the link below.

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9599896520

This elfin' greeting brought to you by OfficeMax®.

BGT FINAL - Connie Talbot high quality video/sound

2007-08-13T16:54:00.001-04:00

This little girl is AWESOME!
- Brad -

Hit Counter Service

2007-08-07T08:36:00.000-04:00

I found a FREE web page counter service to use so you can see how many times your site is getting hits. It's pretty simple to use. I put the counter at the bottom of our blog site. I also started it 50 hits but as you can see, it has picked up a few while I have been editing the site.
Pick your counter style you want them copy the code they generate for your web page. Simple but effective!
http://www.amazingcounters.com/
- Brad -

Funny Baby Videos

2007-07-26T12:12:00.000-04:00

Check out the new Video links that I have added on the left side-bar of the blog. The baby that laughs just makes me laugh over and over again. Be sure to have your volume on but make sure it is low if you are at work.
- Brad -

Kayla's Birthday Surprise!

2007-07-23T14:03:00.000-04:00

Well, Kayla turned 16 this past Saturday and to her surprise this is what she got later in the day from Kerry:

It is a 2001 Pontiac Aztek and I think Kayla likes it a lot. She has driven a couple of times now and I know she will really enjoy it. It has a lot of room in it and it has the ability to add lots of options to it like even a Tent off the rear with the hatch open. Pretty cool! It is a 6 cylinder and has plenty of pep and should get around 19-25 mpg. Kerry will drive it for the next 30 days because it came with a 30 day or 1000 miles 50/50 warranty. We want to make sure it will be okay and Kayla will not be able to drive it by herself for another 3 months and then she can get her full license.

I will post some video of her birthday when I get a chance to put it all together and get it uploaded to this site.

Added Clock to Main Page

2007-06-25T10:16:00.000-04:00

Decided to play around a bit more this morning when I saw a site that had a cute clock on it. You can click the clock below to go to the site that has the code if you want to use it on any pages you want. It will give you the full HTML code that you can add.

Alternately you can go here for the same site:

http://www.clocklink.com/

- Brad -

Kerry says: I'm Glad it's Friday !!!

2007-06-22T20:18:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday everyone!!! The work week is finally over and I hope you all have a great weekend!

My weekend is already off to a great start...

Our wedding invitations and napkins came in and they are beautiful!

And, Bon Jovi is unplugged on MTV tonight, VH1 tomorrow night, and CMT Sunday night!

Kerry's Celebrity Matches

2007-06-15T17:51:00.000-04:00

So, here is what came up for me.....

* Brad's Celeb Look-A-Likes *

2007-06-15T15:51:00.000-04:00

Okay, after looking at a lot of cool sites from Jenn & Steve's site I decided to do this.
(Click for the larger image in a new page)

I'm not sure at this point who I look like more. You decide and let me know in the comments for this posting. If you want to try you can go here: 'MyHeritage.com'

- Brad -

Modifications to Blog

2007-06-14T10:40:00.001-04:00

I was looking around this morning and found that I was unhappy with a couple of things on my Blog that I wanted to change.

1 - I want the 'Favorites List' to open a New Browser window so I don't have to keep hitting the back button to return to my Blog page. I have done some HTML programming in the past, and could have figured it out, but decided to see if someone else has asked this same question.
Here is the page I found on how to do that: 'Making Links Open In A New Window'.

2 - Wanted to be able to manipulate how pictures look but in a simple way. Size, Shape, Text, etc... Found a lot of resources but this one looked pretty cool: 'IrfanView Pack 4.0'.
I will use this one later on when I get a chance to sit down and understand it.

3 - I wanted a HTML editor with a lot of features but free. This can be used to make modifications to your Template Code or other codes that can be edited on the Blog. This software might be a little overwhelming to some but I like the way it looks and it has everything: 'HTML Kit Build 292'.
I will be looking at doing some more things with this Blog and will try to post anything that could help someone make their own changes.

Have a GREAT DAY! - Brad -

New Blog - First Post

2007-06-13T12:30:00.000-04:00

Well, I decided to create a Blog for Kerry and I and inspiration for this Blog comes from Jenn and Steve's Blog (http://jennstevelong.blogspot.com/). I am not much for spilling my guts on the web for everyone to see but I guess it will be okay for family and friends to see.

Kerry and I are getting married on November 10th, 2007 and I look forward to spending the rest of my life with her. I have spent a little over 10 years with her and Kayla and I really enjoy being with both of them each and every day.

I will do my best to at least post a couple of times a month on here but I start out strong on things like this but then it always seems like it is hard to keep up with everything from day to day. It is especially hard during the Spring and Summer months when it is hard to stay indoors.

Please feel free to post any comments you have about this site. I hope Kerry will be involved with me on this project. I think the wedding planning will continue to keep her and I busy but maybe we can post some things about that as well.

I also have a website for my Alston family (http://www.alstonfamily.org/) and need to get a Host account somewhere to begin my website creation.

Along with that I have what should be my side business website (http://www.alstontrading.com/) but that has kinda slowed to a crawl. I was selling a lot of items on eBay a few years ago and decided I should start a website instead but it never really got started. I bought the URL but haven't found a Host for it either yet. Maybe one day soon!

I will post pictures real soon, I hope! - Brad -

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"If at first you don't succeed, shouldn't you try doing it like your wife told you to?"

John Offerman (aka: Grandpa, Papa, Dad, John, Chief)

2007-06-13T11:22:00.000-04:00

The passing of Mr. John Offerman (Grandpa) has been a sad one and everyone is doing better now a week later after the funeral. We were pleased that Jenn & Steve could make it and they made it just in time.

Here he is with his wife (Grandma) before she passed on in 1991. Grandpa was 87 years old and had been pretty ill these last few months. The funeral home did a wonderful job for the funeral. The butterflies that we released at the funeral on Wednesday June 6th, 2007 were very nice and even brought a tear to my eye. I get emotional very easily when around others that are visibly emotional.

GODSPEED GRANDPA!