Take me to your Ledo

Bella "Monet" Ledo

2006-06-26T22:51:00.000-05:00

Well Bella loves to paint, it all started with a red dot on here nose. The minute she thought that was funny I had to give her a mustache, it just went down hill from there.
Here are more photos of Bella Painting or watch the video

ISABELLA IS TWO!

2005-12-12T23:55:00.000-05:00

Isabella gets pretty excited over her birthday cake. She decided to dive right in! Click here to see more birthday pictures of Bella!

If a picture is worth a thousand words then then these images will make up for my lack of posting

2005-11-28T23:06:00.000-05:00

Here is a link to my photos chronicaling the mis-adventures of the Ledo/Joseph/Stinar families. We had a great time in Mpls seeing family friends, Cory and Peg, Don and Shannon, Robert and Bretta, and Timmy and THe UCC Clan. We also drove down to Omaha for Thanksgiving at my sisters house. It was sooooo nice to be with family and see everyone. I love you all and we cannot wait to see you soon.

Please wait for all the photos to load, the big main image in the middle of the screen will appear when the site is fully loaded.
Family Photos

My New Blog

2005-10-14T22:50:00.000-05:00

Well I can't keep up with one let alone two, but I am going to give it a try. I thought it would be fun tochronicle the advetures of a wedding Photographer. Well I guess I need to get a gig before I can blog about it. Well check it out, book mark it, what ever.
Wedding Photographer at large

WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER AT LARGE

2005-10-13T21:50:00.000-05:00

Okay, here it is my new entrapenurial endevor.
I shot a wedding for our friends Matt and cha from church, and I have been doing some wedding videography with a local guy here in charlotte. Well after shooting my first wedding and seeing it done by professionals I thought man I can do that. These people make like between 2 and 4 thousand dollars a weekend, why not me. SO Diana is excited about putting the photo books together and working with clients during the week and I can keep my full time job so this may actually work! Well if God is not in it it will go no where, so we will just trust in him for all of our needs and we will give it a shot. So check out the web site bellaloren.com and let me know what you all think.

My blog redesigned—Finally!

2005-07-14T08:03:00.000-05:00

Okay here is the new design for this blog. The blog address is going to change some time next week to TakeMeToYourLedo.com . But for now it just being staged at another place. This site will be eventually phased out but I will continue to duplicate content for a few weeks until most of the conent is moved over. In the mean time check out the new site, let me know what you think.

Bella Gets Excited About Bubbles

2005-07-07T12:02:00.000-05:00

Isabella gets pretty excited over a hand full of bubbles. This video also gives you an I dea of how active she is becoming.Watch the Video of Bella!

Eminent Domain

2005-06-30T15:16:00.000-05:00

I have been following this story on TV it, really pisses me off, that the Gov can start displacing familys so that the rich can get richer. If you own property you should sign this petition, Democrat or Republican you should be angry about this ruling.

THURSDAY, JUNE 30, 2005

Dear Dustin,

With the stroke of a pen last week, the Supreme Court of the United States effectively rejected one of the most fundamental constitutional freedoms guaranteed to all citizens ...

... the right to own property.

We've got to stop this NOW!

We must immediately stand up and demand that Texas Senator John Cornyn's bill, "The Protection of Homes, Small Businesses, and Private Property Act of 2005," be passed in Congress.

Now, we - the ACLJ and YOU - must work quickly to restore our private property rights BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE. Join our nationwide campaign urging your Senators and Representatives to pass this legislation by signing your name to our Petition to Protect Private Property Rights.

... a ruling in Kelo v. City of New London slipped "under the radar" that takes the government's power of eminent domain to a new - and frightening - level.

Before that ruling, the government could only step in and seize property if it was needed for public projects: road-building, parks, and the development of public entities, such as hospitals.

Today, with the Supreme Court's ruling, the government may seize the home, small business, or other private property of one citizen and transfer it to another private citizen - if the transfer would boost the community's economic development.

Simply put, this means your house could be replaced with a shopping mall.

Your church could be destroyed to build a baseball field.

Your small business could be crushed to erect a luxury hotel.

This is an outrage! The people who are going to benefit from this Supreme Court decision are people who have political influence and power, like large corporations. So this Supreme Court decision will allow the rich to get richer and the poor to get poorer.

We've got to stop this NOW!

I truly believe it is going to take the voices of millions of Americans banded together to STOP this abuse of our private property rights. And the ACLJ is ready to work for you! Please click here to add your name to our Petition to Protect Private Property Rights.

Thanks to the swift and bold actions of Senator John Cornyn of Texas, a bill called "The Protection of Homes, Small Businesses, and Private Property Act of 2005" has already been introduced to Congress.

Senator Cornyn's legislation would prohibit transfers of private property without the owner's consent if federal funds were used - and if the transfer was for purposes of economic development rather than public use.

We must stand with this brave Senator and decry the Supreme Court's ruling that destroys our constitutionally-protected property rights! We must call for swift passage of the Protection of Homes, Small Businesses, and Private Property Act of 2005.

Please lend your name to our Petition to Protect Private Property Rights. Your signed petition will be added to tens of thousands of others in this nationwide campaign and sent to members of Congress. We will send a strong message that we will NOT stand idly by and watch our most fundamental rights be stripped away.

The ACLJ will stay on top of this fight ... and many others ... for you.

Bella has Daddy's feet

2005-06-29T10:19:00.000-05:00

Well Bella loves the shoes. If she sees a pair un-occupied she will stuff her feet, shoes and all, into them and start clomping around.
Also she is starting to perform for the camera. It is fun to see the connections made. She is developing so fast, is there a pill that will slow this down?

Here are more photos of Bella >

RADIOHEAD - Fitter Happier Lyrics

2005-06-28T07:51:00.000-05:00

Does your life feel like this?

more productive
comfortable
not drinking too much
regular exercise at the gym (3 days a week)
getting on better with your associate employee contemporaries
at ease
eating well (no more microwave dinners and saturated fats)
a patient better driver
a safer car (baby smiling in back seat)
sleeping well (no bad dreams)
no paranoia
careful to all animals (never washing spiders down the plughole)
keep in contact with old friends (enjoy a drink now and then)
will frequently check credit at (moral) bank (hole in wall)
favours for favours
fond but not in love
charity standing orders
on sundays ring road supermarket
(no killing moths or putting boiling water on the ants)
car wash (also on sundays)
no longer afraid of the dark
or midday shadows
nothing so ridiculously teenage and desperate
nothing so childish
at a better pace
slower and more calculated
no chance of escape
now self-employed
concerned (but powerless)
an empowered and informed member of society (pragmatism not
idealism)
will not cry in public
less chance of illness
tires that grip in the wet (shot of baby strapped in back seat)
a good memory
still cries at a good film
still kisses with saliva
no longer empty and frantic
like a cat
tied to a stick
that's driven into
frozen winter shit (the ability to laugh at weakness)
calm
fitter, healthier and more productive
a pig
in a cage
on antibiotics

I think I do sometimes, I think most Americans feel this way, spending all their free time working over time.
Just so that we can obtain or just maintain the American dream. The American Dream has become the American Nightmare. A self serving exhistance that puts it's faith in good credit, a 9-5 job and a new car.

American Christianity has become about praying to God so that he will provide the means to sustain a meaningless exhistance of consumerism . "Put your money in the miracle barrel, pull out a miracle."
And when we feel as though God is not listening to our requests for material things we assume he is powerless. God cares more about you than your bank account, a relationship with him should not depend on your bank statement.

What Is Yahoo Thinking

2005-06-27T11:56:00.000-05:00

This image was on yahoo. I have seen a lot of pictures of Billy Graham but this one has to be the most bizzare.

Pretty Good Cartoon

2005-06-24T13:40:00.000-05:00

Free, funny cartoons at BifSniff.com!

Billy Grahams last crusade

2005-06-24T10:13:00.000-05:00

I appreciate Billy Graham as a man that has given of himself, selflessly for the greater good of mankind. Even if you do not believe what he preaches one cannot deny his motivation for his preaching.

You cannot say he is a megalomaniac, Billy Graham does not use his position to elevate himself. Here is a man who preaches, but has no church.
He does not say follow me and you will be better off. He says follow Jesus. He says "I am just another sinnner." Upon meeting Billy Graham at a company picnic, the gentle man introduced himself by saying hi Dr. Graham I am so and so. To which Billy replied well I am not much of a Doctor and my friends call me Billy. This is just one of the many stories people tell about the humility of Billy Graham.

You cannot say that he is motivated by money, because he does not live a lavish life. This is what Muhammad Ali said upon meeting Billy Graham.
"When I arrived at the airport, Mr. Graham himself was waiting for me. I expected a rolls Royce or at least a Mercedes, but we got in his Oldsmobile and he drove it himself. I couldn't believe he came to the airport driving his own car. When we approached his home I thought he would live on a thousand acre farm and we drove up to his house made of logs. No mansion with crystal chandeliers and gold carpets, it was the kind of house a man of God would live in. I look up to him." -Muhammad Ali

You cannot say he is motivated by political power. During the Civil Rights movement in the south Billy Graham took a stand for equality. Politically he could have washed his hands of the hole issue, he is a preacher from the south. And if he was worried about alienating his constituency this would have been the best thing to do. Because he is a man who cares about all people he made his voice heard. "At Billy's 1952 Jackson, Mississippi, Crusade, ropes had been put out to keep seating for blacks and whites segregated (as was common practice for public meetings in the south at that time). Billy Physically took the ropes down, saying, "look, we're all equal before God," and he refused to let them be put back."
-Cliff Barrows

I consider the Greatest men of all time the ones who lay down their lives for others. Men like Billy Graham are to be admired if not for their cause, for their willingness to dedicate themselves to the desire for good and the good of mankind. Evil Megalomaniac dictators come around every few years, but men Billy Graham only come around every few thousand years.

I have never seen so much talking before a fight

2005-06-23T08:11:00.000-05:00

This guy "knows the art".

This came from my buddy Don. It is a video of a fight , it is much more funny than it is violent.
Rated R for Violence and profanity.

Diana is Painting the Neighbors Deck

2005-06-21T18:28:00.000-05:00

Well we did it again, got in over our heads. This Deck is huge.
Diana did a good job bidding the job but made a little extra work for herself by power washing the deck a bit too powerfully. We sanded the railings and the deck boards with these electric sanders to get rid of the pits and raised grain that the washer made.

I bet Diana wishes I could sand off the blisters she got from baking out in the sun. Yes she really burned her back bad, as bad as the time I fell asleep on the deck of a fishing boat in the middle of the ocean while on spring break in Mazatlan. Her back bubbled up and oozed for about three days. She had me pop the blisters and then she wanted me to pull the dead skin off. I had to draw the line at the popping, the pulling the dead skin off was just too freaky.
Well because of the rain we have been having Diana is priming the deck tonight while I watch the baby. I definatley got the better end of the deal.

CCM Magazine

2005-06-17T13:57:00.000-05:00

This is a mock layout of their cover that I did for them

Well I was offered the job as the Art Director for CCM Magazine. I was a little disappointed that the jobs pay scale was so low, other wise I think I would have jumped at the chance. I was offered the job because of a 6 page spread that I did for them as a freelance project. They liked the work so much that they wanted to make me apart of the team. Even though It would have been a nice opportunity to design for a younger demographic and the music industry, I would have really missed all the people that I have formed relationships with here at BGEA.

I am thankful that I was offered the opportunity, it was a really nice attaboy ego boost (my wife would tell you that that is the last thing I need). Also I have been able to form a working relationship with the people over at CCM, I think they will keep me going with freelance. I will be starting a new project for them next week.

Happy Days Are Here Again

2005-06-16T09:28:00.000-05:00

We have been pretty busy around the house and blogging has fallen on the list of priorities. The good thing about slacking is that I have alot to write about. Rather than dump a big load on everyone all at once I am going to spread it out over several blogs. Kind of like when Fonzie jumped the Shark tank on Happy Days and just as he was going over the tank it was To Be Continued. Unfortunately I will have no sharks or Leather Jackets to report on but I may say “ehhh” or "Sit On It" once in a while.

Bella in our new pool!

2005-06-16T09:01:00.000-05:00

Bella is such a little fish, she loves the water so we splurged and bought this ankle high pool from target. the nice thing is that we put it on the upstairs deck away from the dirt and the dogs. Before Diana bought this pool she was playing in the dogs water dish. We have more pictures online, Check Them Out>

Ebay here I come

2005-04-22T12:54:00.000-05:00

I am worth $2,653,126.00 on HumanForSale.com
Man I need to upgrade my insurance premiums.
I am wondering if I can use this as collateral?

Update: Picture Frames are done

2005-04-18T15:14:00.000-05:00

Picture Frames:
I am making Picture frames for my art work. I want to replace the metal frames the pictures are framed in now. I have two frames built one is on the second coat of oil finish and the other is on the first coat.
The molding for these frames came from our house in Minneapolis. I was going to keep building frames until the stock was all gone, but as I think about it I will keep it for the series I am working on that relates to this time and place in our lives.

Bella At The Beach

2005-04-18T14:35:00.000-05:00

Here are some new pictures of Bella, Mom, Auntie and Grandma at Myrtle Beach. Diana's Mom rented a condo for the month of March right on the beach, this is one of the reason we moved to NC. Bella loves the water

Getting Stuff Done, well sort of

2005-04-15T21:25:00.000-05:00

I love cooking with fresh herbs, Right now the herbs I use to cook with are sitting in these paper planting pots frome home depot. Although they are a pretty good size they will never last on the front porch, the dogs will destroy them. There is another problem, it is a hassle to water these plants because of their location, and they lose sunlight in the late afternoon. And lastly I want to be able to easily bring the whole thing inside in the cold months so I have fresh herbs year round. To solve these problems I am making a stand for my herbs . The project will include a pvc system for watering so that I can connect a hose to the stand and have the hose on a timer so that the plants are watered every day even if we are gone. The water will come out in a fine mist every few hours, just like in the grocery store. I am going to put the whole thing on wheels so that I can move the stand inside or just put it in a better spot for sun light. I will post the progress tomorrow.

She is a contender

2005-04-13T23:15:00.000-05:00

My Daughter has quick hands, and look at the way she uses the jab. Okay lets face it folks I have a problem! Hello My name is Dustin and I am a Daddy Blogger. Okay, whew, I have taken the first step towards recovery which is admitting I have a problem. I can't stop my self from making this blog an on line refridgerator full of proud parent stuff. My child consumes so much of my thought time. When I sit down to write, or draw, or design about something other than my daughter nothing comes out. You know, like the freaky stories you hear about where people receive the gift of tongues and when they go to speak in english nothing understandable comes out. I have heard that people go days without being able to speak normal. I have been slain in the spirit and filled with the Holy Ghost. I have been givin' the gift of parenthood so please hang out in the kitchen if you are not interested, I will post something other than Bella on the fridge as soon as I am able.
So until then check out this video footage of BELLA!

Worthy to be on the web

2005-04-12T12:15:00.000-05:00

Okay so we didn't win an award for our website billygraham.org but at least we got a little respect. we got what I consider an honorable mention which isn't bad since 4300 sites were entered. Webby awards deems a site to be web worthy based upon the quality of the site. My boss summed up in an email what it means to be "Web Worthy".

The Webby Awards is a nationally known web awards program that recognizesoutstanding work in communication through the internet. Their site describes the program this way.

"The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence in Web design, creativity, usability and functionality. Established in 1996 during the web's infancy, the Webbys are presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a 500-member body of leading web experts, business figures, luminaries, visionaries and creative celebrities.

Reflecting the tremendous growth of the Internet as a tool for business and everyday lives, the upcoming 9th Annual Webby Awards will greatly expand the mission of the Webby by honoring excellence in over 60 categories.

The Academy is an intellectually diverse organization....."

The copy goes on to describe the members of its judging committee which includes political columnists, rock musicians, cartoonists and other writers and editors from major news organizations.

While we did not get nominated in any categories for an award (we entered the Religious and Spirituality category), we were recognized as "Webby Worthy" which is described this way. "As a result of the exceptional quality of submissions this year, for the first time ever, the 9th Annual Webby Awards is recognizing sites, and the teams behind them, that demonstrate a standard of excellence. Although these sites were not chosen as Nominees, being selected as Webby Worthy is a significant achievement.

Of the more than 4,000 entries submitted to the 9th Annual Webby Awards, fewer than 20% were deemed Webby Worthy. This honor signifies an outstanding caliber of work. Congratulations to all of our Webby Worthy selections!"

Our site, www.billygraham.org was selected as Webby Worthy. You can see the listing under the alphabetic arrangement at:

http://www.webbyawards.com/webbys/current_worthy.php?letter=T

We were listed as "The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association".

Don't leave me at home with the baby

2005-04-10T15:43:00.000-05:00

Well here is some video footage of my day together with Isabella. Well atleast the part of the day where I should have been supervised. I took off her shirt so she could feed her self lunch. We are going into that phase where she wants to do everything for her self. After she was done with lunch her pants were covered in food. So I figured after lunch would be a good time to let her draw, I took her pants off and sat her on the table and just let her have at it. Some of the marker actually got on the paper and not on us. for 15 mos old she has real talent

Hey y'all buy some t-shirts

2005-04-09T22:42:00.000-05:00

Here is my idea for building a product line of Designer T-Shirts. I am going to take my favorite fonts and provide a visual interpretation of that font. I am going to try and capture the style and mood of the type face. So for the first shirt I have used a font called porcelain from the type foundry MisPrinted type. Not all of the designs will be as literal as this one, but I think this is a good start.

My Baby Girl

2005-04-08T00:05:00.000-05:00

You should watch this video of my baby girl,
She is awesome!

Gay is a Naughty word for the NFL

2005-04-07T07:44:00.000-05:00

The NFLShop.com refused to print the name of a player who’s last name just happened to be Gay. A former Professor, of the New England Patriots player Randall Gay, was told that “Gay” is in their list of naughty words. These “Naughty Words” are banned from being printed on the Jerseys of NFL teams. Well I thought gay meant happy and cheerful, how can this be a naughty word? The gay culture has redefined this word, the English dictionary validates this:
gayness n.
Usage Note: The word gay is now standard in its use to refer to homosexuals, in large part because it is the term that most gay people prefer in referring to themselves. Gay is distinguished from homosexual primarily by the emphasis it places on the cultural and social aspects of homosexuality as opposed to sexual practice.

Yes the dictionary lists the definitions of the word gay, and happy and cheerful is second after the definition of a sexual lifestyle. If gay no-longer means happy, then what does it mean to be glum?

"Kill Da Wabbit"

2005-03-11T08:28:00.000-05:00

Toby will die and be eaten if we the internet population do not come forth with the desired ransom. Who is Toby you ask? Well for a $50,000 dollar ransom the owner of Toby the rabbit has held his cute and cuddly friend as a hostage. The site has already generated over $17,000. The owner of the rabbit insists that if he does not get $50,000 by June 30th, 2005 he will eat the rabbit.

Elmer Fudd would not be so cavalier if he had caught that “wascally wabbit”. No Fudd would have had a hasenpfeffer dinner party. I can just imagine Fog Horn Leg Horn, Mr. Wily E Coyote, Yosemite Sam, and Daffy Duck sitting around the dinner table devouring Buggs Bunny. The basic desire for justice would far out way any sympathies they may have felt for this tasty creature. So I say in the name of poor old Elmer Fudd let Toby have it, “kill da wabbit”.

Now that we have gotten our introduction out of the way

2005-03-08T22:20:00.000-05:00

Here are the Projects I am currently working on.

ABC Blocks for Isabella:
I have the letter A and part of C done for a set of blocks I am making for my daughter Isabella. I am planing on creating the alphabet and the numbers 0-9. I am carving the letters out of cherry and finishing the wood with a natural oil finish. I may paint portions of the blocks but I am still undecided because of the toxins in paint. I will post pictures of the blocks as I finish them. I may also use the blocks in a print I am working on. I was thinking about inking them up and printing from them.

Series of Prints:
I have started a print that will be the first of a series of work that will focus on life before and after our baby.
I am depicting Diana as a Picasso / Rockwell Kent, like Character, pregnant and miserable. She is sitting on the ground nude with her knees apart and looking down at her stomach. She is Very Pregnant The stylization is not very becoming she is seen as very solid and stone like. this is not a moment of joy. The dogs are Comeforting her, Cinder lays on her leg while Griffin sits close but looks off into the distance. In the background is our half finished house and an airplane jets up into the sky.
I am on that Airplane and it is going back to Charlotte while my wife pregnant and homeless stays behind until I can send for her. This is the first of the series. I will post the progress as it is made.

Picture Frames:
I am making Picture frames for my art work. I want to replace the metal frames the pictures are framed in now. I have two frames built one is on the second coat of oil finish and the other is on the first coat.
The molding for these frames came from our house in Minneapolis. I was going to keep building frames until the stock was all gone, but as I think about it I will keep it for the series I am working on that relates to this time and place in our lives.

More Projects:
Tea Bar
Personal Website
Designing this Blog :-D
Cha Sears Gallery Site
Ediiting Isabella Video Footage
Church Logo
How to make more money ;-)

Okay I have more projects I want to work on but I have to stop somewhere.

Dropping the Kids off at the Pool

2005-03-08T02:38:00.000-05:00

Okay here it comes. My first blog entry, while taking a crap coincidentally. Yes it is true, I thought the set up process on blogger would be more involved so I thought I would finish registering my blog while I let the brown come down. Hmm... I never thought of myself as a multi-tasker until now. I know how disturbing of a mental image this is, but in some twisted way it is a fitting metaphor for this blog. Yes from time to time I will be taking, or should I say leaving, a mental crap in the proverbial cesspool that is the internet. No not the normal kind of crap one may find. The usual perverse or inane banter will be left to more adult sites. My little commode will be filled with thoughtful and meaningful discourse interjected by a something like a good poop joke (everyone loves a good poop joke). I will most likely comment on topics and ideas that make up who I am and what I do. First off who I am: Christian, Husband, Father, Friend and Dog Parent. Secondly what I do. I am a: Craftsman, Artist, Designer, Print Maker, Carpenter, Furniture Maker, and all around "Fun Have-er". I hope this blog becomes a place where I can at-least put my thoughts and ideas into words and at best be a place where people are challenged to creativley think about christianity, family, and art.