Day 91: Gifts That Keep On Giving

Flowers from our front garden.

This mother's day, all the women in our ward were given a small terra-cotta pot with a bag of assorted flower seeds. My mom and sister and I planted our seeds in our little pots, and soon the plants got too big for the pots.  So my dad moved them into our front yard garden.  Pretty soon, those little plants exploded into huge bushy things, and soon they began to sprout little pink flowers.  They were pretty, but too big, so today Dad dug them up and put the flowers in a vase for Mom to enjoy - along with some other flowers that grew too big for our little garden.

As I was taking pictures of the flowers tonight, I realized that even though we had to dig up our mother's day plants, they still lasted longer than any mother's day gift I've ever been given in the ward.  Usually we get candy bars or a single rose.  Both good gifts, but very temporary.  The flower pots gave us something more.  We got to watch the little seeds sprout and grow and become something beautiful.  It lasted months, and brought joy to all of us.  What a great present!

That's how the best presents should be.  Things that don't just last a day, but that continue to make the receiver happy.  The gifts that keep on giving.

Day 90: That's Right, DAY NINETY!

I bought this hat last week for a photo idea I have.  More to come...

Ninety days!  Ninety days!  I can't believe I've made it this far!  Ok, sure.  I haven't posted my photos every single day, but I've taken a photo every single day without missing ONE.  I feel like I should get some sort of prize for being this diligent!

Then again, I guess I already have several prizes: satisfaction, pride in my accomplishments, the knowledge that I actually CAN follow through with some things, a touch of self-righteousness, and confidence in myself (which is the biggest prize of all).  Plus, I think I might actually be improving my photography skills, which is AWESOME.

All in all, I have to say this project has been so amazingly cool!  I've pushed myself in an area that I never would have thought to grow in.  I've had a blast finding new and creative ways to capture the world around me, and I've gotten some amazing shots in the process.  I'm excited to see what the next 90 days will bring. :D

Day 89: Torturous Grooming

Georgie.

My poor cat!  I put her through the ringer tonight.  She is an Exotic Short-hair, which just means she's a cross between a Persian and a Tabby.  She's got a smushed face and THICK short fur.  My parents let her out during the day, and her favorite past-time outside is to roll around in the oil-soaked street.

Tonight when we were all sitting in the living room, I noticed how matted Georgie's fur was getting, and decided to brush it out (she HATES her fur being brushed, by the way).  So I bundled myself up in a coat for protection against her claws, grabbed the brush, and trapped Georgie in a vice grip with one arm while I tried to brush her out with the other.

OH MAN.  She had a FIT.  She hissed and spit and bit and scratched and SCREAMED as if I were torturing her to death.  She squirmed and kicked so bad that I nearly lost my grip a few times.  I finally had to enlist Christine's help, and while I held Georgie fast, Christine had to do the brushing.  We got a few of the rats nests out of Georgie's pelt before we decided to give her a break.  We put her in the bathroom (her favorite place) with her food to let her calm down.

I went in to check on her 20 minutes later, and found her huddled in the sink (her favorite sleeping spot), arms tucked in what looked like the fetal position, head ducked and ears lowered.  I felt so bad!  She looked so pitiful huddled in the sink like that, but when I moved to pet her, she lifted her head to meet my hand and purred when I scratched her neck.

I suppose all is forgiven, and I'm glad.  All I wanted to do was brush her coat.

Day 88: Fruity Delights

Nectarines and Strawberries

I've been trying to eat healthier lately, and by so doing, have come to a greater appreciation of fruit.  I've never been a big fan of fruit, but since I can't have many other treats right now, fruit is my only sollace.  :)

Today Christine and I decided that we wanted to make a big breakfast.  As usual, Christine did most of the work, but I sliced up this yummy fruit salad (nectarines, strawberries and bananas) to go on top of my pancakes since I can't have any syrup or jam.  I ended up eating that fruit salad all by itself, it was so good.  I also ate most of it, which was very selfish of me.

Now I'm planning on new and different ways to eat fruit because it's so yummy when I'm craving sugar.  Yay for fruit!

Day 87: More Storms

Another oncoming storm.

I stepped out of the restaurant last night to see this awesome storm headed our way.  The sun was still up, but those black clouds made it look like it was full night.  I realize I've taken several cloud shots this month, but we've had so many cool storms lately, how can you blame me?!

I have this perverse love of storms.  Where other people groan and whine when they see black clouds headed their way, I get giddy.  My favorite thing is to stand outside and feel the wind blowing a big storm in.  I love the smell of oncoming rain, the way the pavement seems to sigh a breath right before the rain hits it.  I love the sound the rain makes on our metal car port, how it amplifies the sound.  I love when it pours!  I once danced in the rain.  I know that you hear that a lot, but how many of you would actually have the guts (as a grown-up) to go outside in the pouring rain and dance to no music at all.  Yes, it's a little embarrassing, but liberating at the same time.  :)

Day 86: Moonbeams

The moon rise...tweaked a little.

I tried to capture the moon as it was rising over the mountains tonight, but I was without my tripod, so I didn't get a clean shot.  But the flare from the street lamp added a nice touch, so I kept the picture anyway.

Here are some things I noticed today:
*The satisfying sound the spiral binding machine makes as I punch holes in the papers
*The bug bite scars on my arms make me feel like a small pox victim
*Hiding in an empty office to clear my mind doesn't feel childish anymore because it really made my morning go better
*Spontaneous compliments are the best
*Watching a movie for the third time is still fun if you watch it with someone who hasn't seen it yet
*Dinner with friends is a nice break, even if the food sucked

Day 85: Reading, Reading, Reading!

A page from my book.

I've spent all my free time reading Mockingjay over the last two days, and since I don't have a lot of free time, I'm still not finished with it.  But it is SO GOOD!  Since this book has occupied 100% of my thoughts today, I thought it fitting to take a picture of one of its pages.  I know I took a picture of a book yesterday, but who's keeping track but me anyway?

So, here we are...I'm trying to think of something clever to say, but I'm honestly fighting the urge to shut my laptop and open up my book.

Actually, if I'm completely honest, then I'll have to admit that the book is actually open and cradled awkwardly between my arms as I type this.  I'm having to backspace a lot to fix typos with this load in my arms, but I can't let go of it.  Not when I'm so close to finishing it! (30 pages or so)

I LOVE having a great book to be excited about!  I just wish this wasn't the last book in the series. :(

Day 84: Homemade From The Heart

The back page of the scrapbook Jessica made me.

I got a little present in the mail today.  I knew it was coming, but I had no idea what was in it.  So I was stunned into silent awe when I opened it up to find the homemade scrap book Jessica sent me.  WOW!  This thing is AMAZING!  And the detail on it is staggering for someone like me, who has zero patience to make a good scrap book page (and believe me, I've had plenty of opportunity to try).  It's full of little pockets and embossing and handmade tags.  It even has real hinges on one page.  HINGES.  I'm seriously blown away at my friend's talent for scrap-booking. Blown away and jealous. :)

So let's all stop for a moment and admire the sheer patience and talent it took for Jessica to make this awesome book!

Those are hand-placed black sticker dot-thingys.

This page had two different sizes of mini file folders, and inside those mini file folders were little hand-stamped pages!

Each one of the envelopes underneath the ribbon opens a different way, and was made by hand. AMAZING!

Here's most of the album laid out.  You can see the amount of detail on each page if you click on the image to make it bigger.

Just a couple of parting items:

1. I LOVE how many butterflies are on this, and how much hand embossing went on with the background pages.

2.  Check out Jessica's other handmade scrap-booking crafts on her Etsy website here: www.nosmallwonder.etsy.com

Day 83: Golf

The driving range view.

It was a beautiful day to be playing golf today.  Too bad all we did was hit the driving range after work. Still...I got a few good shots in, and I learned that even though I'm left-handed, I can't really play with left-handed golf clubs.  I could never tell for sure before if I was a rightey or a lefty because I usually play equally bad on either hand.  But tonight I experimented with my clubs (left-handed) and my brother's clubs (right-handed) and I found that...I'm boring myself.

Anyway, it was fun and I enjoyed the time with the family (it was our FHE activity).

Day 82: A Gale's A Blowin'

The view from my back yard.

Such a nice breezy day today.  It made the heat bearable.  And then, at dinner the storm blew in!  The wind was so strong that it knocked our mini nursery over in the back yard.  Luckily it was empty.  As we stood on the back porch watching the trees dance in the strong wind, we looked up to see this heavenly break in the clouds.  We also noticed a plastic bag flying through the air, at least 50 feet up. It was dancing too.  Tossed back and forth by the chaotic wind.  

I snapped a few shots of the sky and ducked back inside just as the rain started (a poor showing of rain for such a windy storm).  When I reviewed my photos I noticed several of them had this dark section in them.  It wasn't the clouds that did it, just something wrong with my camera I think.  But it looks cool, so I kept it.

All in all, a good night for storms.

Day 81: So Tired

My neighbor's daughter, after a long weekend.

Sometimes you've got to let yourself feel tired.  As adults, we forget about that option.  We're always running late for something or trying to get 10 things done at once, and it's exhausting but we don't stop to allow ourselves to feel it.  Admit it.

Sometimes, we've got to give ourselves a moment to truly feel just how tuckered out we are.  Let our hair frizz out and our faces hang.  Let our shoulders droop and our backs curve.  And once we've given in to that moment of self-actualization, we can take a deep, cleansing breath, slap a smile on our faces...and fake it until bed time. :)

Day 80: Spinning

Playing around with an umbrella...INDOORS.

I read this article the other day on using blurry objects in photos to enhance them.  One of the example photos was the classic spinning umbrella, and when I saw it I realized I haven't done that one yet.  So here we go.  I rather like the look of the spinning umbrella. I may use it again later.

Tonight I'm wondering about all the things that I want to do, but don't seem to have the time for.  Like writing all the short stories that come to my head when I'm driving home from work every day.  Or deep cleaning and organizing my closet and dressers.  Or reorganizing my pictures on my hard drive.  Or reading the millions of books in my bookshelves that I own but have never read.

I'm wondering when I'll ever accomplish some of these things that are worthwhile tasks that would make me feel better about myself.  Why is it that I never find time to complete - or even start - any of them, but I have time to watch meaningless TV shows and needlessly edit all my blog photos before posting them.  And why is it that I can't sleep any more?  I've always had a hard time going to sleep, but once there I usually sleep pretty soundly.  Nowadays, if I fall asleep within 2 or 3 hours of my goal, I'm in good shape, and if I stay asleep longer than 4 hours it's a miracle.

No wonder I'm grumpy sometimes.  When there are so many things weighing on my mind, just beyond my consciousness.

Day 79: Peek-a-Boo

I have no idea what this flower is called, but it looks like it's hiding it's face with little petal hands.

Here's a little poem about the flower.  It came out sounding more morbid than I meant it to.

Hiding Flowers
I look between splayed fingers
Hiding in the dark
Afraid of what might be out there
Visible and stark

Wide open in the summer air
Loud and tremulous
Knocking over limbs and sprigs
Too big to notice us

Too wide care at all about
Our fragile little parts
Not noticing how harsh it grabs
How fast it breaks our hearts

So covering my little eye
I wait with baited breath
For the moment when it comes for me
The author of my death

Day 78: Lauren

Lauren playing with her mommy (Ashlie).

My niece is a constant source of joy for all of us in the family, but especially for her mom (and dad).  No matter how much time I spend around this little girl, I can't get over how cute she is!  She's got the brightest eyes and the happiest smile.

And she LOVES the camera!  Almost every time I whip mine out in front of her, she starts making faces and putting her fists under her chin in little poses.  It's just so dang adorable!  I only got to see her for a few minutes this evening, but it was by far the highlight of my day.

I only wish we lived closer to each other.

Day 77: Let Them Eat Cake!

The last piece.

So here's the story about the cake.  To avoid confusion, I'm going to change the names of some of my colleagues since two of them in this story have the same first name.

I bought a mini cake at Dippidee today to have one last hurrah before going back off sugar tomorrow.  I kept it on my desk most of the day, but finally caved and pulled it out to eat late afternoon.  Once I opened the box I realized, "mini" cake or not, it was too much for me to eat by myself.

I walked over to Todd's desk and asked if he wanted any of my left over cake.  Of course he said yes, so I cut a hefty portion of the cake for myself (one quarter of the entire cake), and handed the knife to Todd.  He took a large piece as well, but there was still half the cake left.

In my head I was hoping he would take the whole thing, so when he only took a piece I was puzzling over what to do with the rest of it when Beth showed up to drop something off.  I offered her a piece, and after a little persuasion, she gave in to temptation and left to get a plate and fork from the break room.  As she was returning, I heard movement from a few feet away.

Todd and Beth and I were just commenting on the tastiness of the cake when Dan came around the corner and announced in mock innocence, "I was just picking something up from the printer," as he waved a piece of paper in his hands.  He was obviously sneaking around when Beth was getting her slice, and his thinly veiled printer paper story made us all laugh.  I quickly offered  him some cake since Beth took a mere sliver.

I was just finishing my offering question when Dan blurted out a quick "Yes!" and headed for the break room for a plate and fork.  As he was walking out of the break room, he ran into Erda.  Since he didn't know if I wanted to share any more of my cake, and since Erda is known for his love of food in large quantities, Dan again waved his piece of paper at Erda and again stated obnoxiously, "I was just picking something up from the printer."

But the printer was no where near the break room, and Dan was walking out with an empty plate and fork, so Erda decided to follow him back to his desk in hopes of discovering what was really going on.  This made Todd and I laugh through our mouthfuls of cake (we heard the whole interchange through the cubicle walls). Dan quickly broke down and headed back to my desk for his serving with Erda hard on his heels.  I offered some cake to Erda (since Dan was also conservative with his portion and there was still a quarter of the cake left), but Erda refused claiming he was "full."  Unusual for Erda, but he mostly stuck to his guns aside from taking a small taste with one fork full.

At this point, I had three guys hanging out at my desk, all eating cake and merrily talking about how good it was.  That's when I noticed that Layne had walked by my desk twice.  Even though it didn't look like he was paying attention to us, I raised my head and asked over the cubicle walls if Layne wanted a piece of cake as well.  Again, I barely had the words out of my mouth before Layne was headed to the break room for a plate and fork.

So now there were five of us all together, standing around eating cake at my desk and still there was a piece left.  How is it that it took five people to eat one "mini" cake?  Especially when two of them took half of it.  None of them took that last piece either.  So I finally broke down and emailed the remaining three people in the office (it was close to quitting time at this point) and offered the last piece to whomever got to my desk first.

Within 15 minutes the cake was finally gone, but not before I got a few photos of the last piece.  What a great way to end the day!

Day 76: Driving

Somewhere in a canyon in Oregon.

On the road, the world looks like a sun-bleached diorama.  The people in the cars stare at one another as they pass each other, all with similar expressions of boredom on their faces.

Like dolls in a museum.

The truck drivers are always unnecessarily interested in every car that passes them.
The mini vans and SUV's filled with families sport haggard looking parents vacantly staring at their fellow drivers.
The old couples with their wrap-around sunglasses and their slightly confused looks, are too busy keeping the car in a straight line to worry about their fellow motorists.
The young single hipsters are driving their sporty SUV's (like my Outback) with their mountain bikes strapped to the roof and their cooler-than-you glances.

It's all so predictable and interesting at the same time that I can't help making a study of all of them as we drive. How many of them are doing the same thing to me? Which category do I fall under when they look at my vacant expression?

Deep thoughts.

Day 75: Sunday Drive

A foot bridge across the river.

Today's the last day of our camping trip.  We spent most of the day lazing about the campsite and playing games with the family since it was Sunday.  After dinner we all took a drive up the canyon to sight-see.  I'm not sure where we were when we stopped at this foot bridge, but it was cool.  It was riddled with HUGE spiders and it swayed when we walked on it, but it was still cool.  And the view of the water rushing by under our feet was really cool.

Not so cool?  When Victor got pulled over in a speed trap on our way out of the canyon.
Scary fact number one: Two cop cars pulled us over, not just one.
Scary fact number two: After the polite policeman asked to see Victor's license and registration, and after he made sure we had no open containers in the car, he then asked Victor to step outside the vehicle for a moment.  I got a little freaked out by that because you never see cops ask someone to step out of the vehicle in movies unless they're about to arrest them, or search them or something.

It turns out he was just pointing out the fact that one of the tires looked like it was going flat.  Afterwards when we drove off with just a warning, we all realized that they were probably looking for drunk drivers since the canyon is a hot spot for such people.

Still, it didn't dampen the trip, and I'm sad to leave.

Day 74: Jumper

Victor jumping from Chimney Rock.

Oh, the story I could tell about this jump.  Unfortunately the internet connection out here is intermittent at best, so I will be quick.

We went rafting down the river today.  It was really fun!  Which is big coming from me, because I'm not a fan of river rafting.  Anyway, one of the stops we made was at a land mark called Chimney Rock.  Victor was told by the rafting company that the water is deep enough that you can jump into it from the ledge.  However, when he climbed up to the ledge, his sons freaked him out by saying that the water didn't look deep enough for him to jump from that height.

Thus was born the INTERMINABLE wait for Victor to decide how lucky he really felt.  I swear the sunburn on my shoulders was formed while I stood thigh-deep in the water, waiting to take the shot of him mid-air.  I'm not kidding.  It was long.

Long.

Looonng.

Day 73: Camping?

Emma, fishing.

So I didn't think I'd have the chance to update my blog for the next few days since I'm "camping."  I may be camping, but I'm definitely not roughing it. I never knew KOA campgrounds had WiFi, but there you go.

Our camp spot is literally on the banks of the Yakima river, which is pretty cool.  The river is a steady flow here, and the sound is so soothing.  And watching the river is hypnotic, so I'm feeling very centered at the moment.  :D  Which is good, because...

Tomorrow we go rafting! (Keep me in your prayers, I'm just sure I'm going to die.)

Day 72: Vacay

Packing

Once again, I'm heading out of town on an adventure where no WiFi will be able to reach me.  I remember when, not too long ago, I longed for some kind of vacation to break up the monotony.  I also longed for more family in town.  Now it seems I have an overabundance of both.

I just wish I had an overabundance of funding as well. ;)

Now back to my packing because I'm grossly behind schedule.  And I would like to get at least a little sleep before rising bright and early to start our road trip to the Washington wilderness!

See you all in at least 4 days!  (As before, I promise I'll take a picture every day and post date all my entries to match. :)

Day 71: Happy Place

Cute baby Jack, looking at his mommy.

Wednesday nights are a flurry of noise and people, boisterous laughter, exultant shouts, declarations of surprise, loud commentary, food spills, babies giggling, clapping, funny stories, and lots of smiles.

Wednesday night is girls night.

A few of my adult nieces come over and we all watch So You Think You Can Dance.  We have so much fun together, watching the show, talking over it, rewinding our favorite parts, passing the new babies around, telling stories during the commercials, eating home made cheese burgers and macaroni salad, laughing a lot, and generally enjoying a night with the girls.

Some weeks I get overwhelmed and have to duck out early.  Some weeks I'm louder and more obnoxious than everyone else.  And some weeks I'm content to hold one of the new babies and just sit back and observe everyone.  It's such a blessing to have so much family around.  It's something I take for granted all the time, but every once in a while I'm reminded of how awesome it is.

Like tonight. :)

Day 70: Sugar Shake

Goofing off with gum drops.

I should have made that a frowny face.  You may remember that I recently fell off the wagon and started eating sugar again.  At the time I didn't care and was actually glad I had stopped trying to stay away from sugar when it tastes so good.  Well, I'm starting to change my mind.

Some things I've noticed since my fall from grace:
*I'm having creepy nightmares.  They vary in subject matter, but I always wake up slightly disturbed and confused.
*My afternoon mood swings are back.  And, no.  It's not PMS.  This time.
*Concentration?  What's that?  I'm experiencing a flashback to life before A.D.D. meds...and I hate it.
*You know those 5-hour energy things?  I've got that 2:30 feeling...ALL DAY.
*And scariest of all, the sugar shakes are back.  That's when I wake up at 3am in a cold sweat, shaking and weak with low blood sugar.  NOT a good sign.

My original plan was to go back off sugar after my camping trip this weekend.  I'm thinking I'll have to revise that timeline, ASAP.

Day 69: Shine A Light

Self portrait.

When I was young, I would daydream about living in a world where things like fairies and unicorns were real. I'm sure every little girl had similar daydreams.  In my daydreams, I would imagine myself meeting fairies in the woods.  And they would perch on my shoulder and whisper secrets in my ear and giggle and sprinkle fairy dust on me so that I could do impossible things, like disappear or fly like Peter Pan.  Sometimes I imagined being one of the fairies, where everything was small and dainty, and where I would make music when I walked and talked.

I still like to imagine impossible things.  Only now my daydreams usually consist of ordinary things, like being able to flirt with boys, or being devastatingly gorgeous and having as much money at my disposal as I need.

But every once in a while, I'll remember my childhood daydreams and long for the unhindered creativity of a 5-year-old once more.  On those days, I CREATE.  I create beautiful things in my mind and make plans to turn them to reality.  I create pretty pictures, or short stories, or little do-dads that have no practical use.  Those are good days!

Day 68: Up-Close

Dried lavender.

I had so much fun with my family over the last several weeks, and I'm so glad I got to spend time with them!  But during my family reunions, I was overwhelmed a lot.  Amid all the laughter and story telling, sometimes there was too much noise, too many people, not enough sleep, not enough to eat, emotional pressure, or children running everywhere unattended.  It's not really surprising in a group that big.  So every once in a while I would have to remove myself from the group and find a quiet place to be alone and recharge my batteries.  And in those moments when I was alone, I found that I would say one word the moment I found quiet.  Just the one word, whispered to myself once or twice a day, seemed to be my mantra, if you will.  I found my center in that word.  It calmed me more than anything else.

And now that family is gone and I have more quiet than I need, I find that I don't need the word anymore.  But I'm still saying it.  At night, when my head hits the pillow, I say it.  In the morning when I dig myself out of my dreams and into reality, I find that word on my lips.

I guess we all need a happy thought to get us through the tough times, but what's wrong with keeping our happy thoughts around all the time?  Wouldn't it stand to reason that we would be happier for it?  I think so. :)

Day 67: Recovery

My dresser and bookshelf.

This might come as a shock, but this is actually what my dresser looks like when it's clean and tidy.  I had to clean up for family visiting, and this is the end result.  I thought I'd document the occasion before my dresser is swallowed up in junk again, and the bookshelf starts looking like it regurgitated half my library.

My favorite part about today:

I went out to dinner with my sister and parents (shocker).  We went to the usual place, and my I ordered the usual starter: cheese fries.  It took them a while to have the fries at our table, but when they came out dad said in genuine surprise and delight, "Oh!  What's this called?  It looks yummy!" like he'd never seen cheese fries before.  

The funny part about this is that we go to this restaurant almost every week, and we order cheese fries almost every time we eat there.  And yet, to Dad, it was the first time he'd ever seen those yummy fries and I just love him for that!

Day 66: Storm Chasers

Classic shot of my family checking out the storm after dinner tonight.

After I snapped this photo, everyone turned on me, thinking that my flash was a lightning strike. Or so I thought.  Actually, just milliseconds after I took the picture, lightning did strike, but I didn't see it because my eyes were obscured by the viewfinder.  Awesome.


A Haiku:

Love my family!
Swapping stories, making fun
Laughter all around.

Day 65: Wide Angles

The view from my boss's office.

I did a little time lapse experiment today.  My boss is out of town, so I took advantage of the dark office and set up my camera to take time lapse shots from his window.  The streaks down this shot are from the reflection of the blinds in the window.
I want to get a few days of time lapse before I post a video of them because today's time lapse shots only made a 17 second video.

Some days, there are no words in my head.  I sit and stare at the monitor, or I stare at the wall in front of me, and nothing comes to mind.  Today is one of those days.  I'm trying to think of something profound to say...about my recent family reunion, the amazing weather the last few days, my inability to concentrate, my recent fall off the wagon into the world of sugar, or anything else that is new in my life (well, the concentration thing isn't new, but it's consistent), but I've got nothing.

- To the family reunion, I say it was awesome, wonderful, exhausting, long, and completely worth it.
- To the amazing weather, I say that I wish big storms were a regular occurrence in my town, that the lightning makes for great pictures and the thunder (amazingly) makes me feel calm.
- To the inability to concentrate, I say, I hate you. You ruin my day almost every day and make me feel stupid and little.
- To my recent lapse in self discipline, I say it's never been a funner ride, I love to eat sweet things but I know it can't last, I know my concentration has gotten worse since I started eating sugar again, so I'll probably go back off it within the week, but I make NO promises.
- To my lack of inspiration, I say: The joke's on you!

I win.

Day 64: Storms

The view from one of the windows in my office.

The coolest storm cluster to hit my area all year, and I missed all the cool parts.  While all my other friends were out taking pictures of down-pours and lightning strikes, I was either asleep or sitting in my cubicle staring at my computer.  When I finally did get my head out of the sand, I whipped out my camera as fast as I could, but was only able to capture the tail end of the storm as it rolled through AF.

Then there was a second storm which practically on the heels of the first, and again, I was stuck in bad traffic and couldn't pull over to grab a shot.  The sad thing is, that puppy is still going strong and I keep catching glimpses of lightning strikes outside my window as I type this.  But I'm tired and I'm in my comfy pajamas, and I don't feel like trudging outside with my tripod and gear and waiting in the rain for the opportune moment.

Oh well...there's always next time...right?

Day 63: The Elusive Wheat Field

The wheat field near my office.

Today was the last day of my lens rental from BorrowLenses and my last chance to get that wheat field with a telephoto lens.  So at lunch, before I shipped the lens back, I jumped in my car and drove down the little dirt road next to the wheat field and snapped a few shots.  I was so proud of myself, because every time I drive by that dirt road I intend to pull into it really quick, but chicken out.  For some reason that road scared me a little bit.

But I'm so glad I finally conquered my fear because I got some good closeups of that field and I finally feel like I captured what I see every morning.  Now I can drive by it in peace!

Day 62: Month Two Complete!

My cousin's daughter running up a hill.

So today was the last day that I was able to attend my other family reunion.  I have work in the morning, so I had to skip out early.  It was so fun watching all the family just visiting with each other today.  I walked around taking a lot of pictures of small groups of people just chatting and laughing.  As I said before, we really love to laugh in my family.

Towards the end of my day at the lodge, I got to observe a water balloon volley ball game.  It was very short-lived because almost every shot was missed, and they didn't have enough water balloons, but it was still fun to see.  I was far away from the game, so I was able to observe the cutest group of little kids and toddlers sitting on the hill next to the volley ball net, cheering everyone on.  They were so attentive for such a young group!  I caught this shot of my cousin's daughter (whom I will not name since I didn't get permission to post this on the internet) running up the hill after the game to tell her aunt all about it.  So cute!


...oh, and this is officially the first day of month THREE for me!  I can't believe I've made it this far without forgetting a day.  And in case you were wondering, the days that I've missed posting a picture, I've only missed because I had no internet connection.  I still took a picture every day.  ...just so we're clear.

Day 61: Sunday Happy Thoughts

Bridal Veil Falls up Provo Canyon

Since I'm still in the middle of family reunion time, I'm gonna keep this short.

Some of my favorite things about today:
*Playing with my nieces and nephews
*Hanging out with Jeri and fam in the kitchen while helping with dinner
*Family testimony meeting
*The super-cool dish washer (I got a huge OCD fix from washing the cups...no idea why)
*Games, games, games...and I didn't have to play ANY!
*Cat naps
*Getting to watch all my wonderful family laugh and play and reminisce