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 53: Family Time and Theme Parks

Rides at Lagoon.

I took so many pictures today!  And so many of them turned out so cute!  I'll post them on my other blog tomorrow.  We had a barbecue at Dave's house and hung out afterwards to try out a few fireworks for the holiday.  I got some great family shots with the baby, and caught a bunch of candid looks.  I also created a quick slideshow of some of the stop motion shots I took of Lauren playing with her mom on the swing and of the snake fireworks Christine and I were playing with.

I also went to Lagoon with Christine at the end of the day (just to get a few rides in before the hour-long drive back home), and I got a few shots of the rides at night.  And since I've got a lot of family shots on this blog, but I don't have any night shots of roller coasters, I decided to post one of those instead.

I really had a great time tonight!  I was worried that I wouldn't have fun because I didn't get enough sleep last night and was grumpy most of the day because of it.  But I grabbed a small nap before heading up to Dave's house, and it made all the difference in how my evening went.  Thank goodness for naps!

Here's the stop motion video:

Day 48: Dusk

Sunlight....so gorgeous!

I was sitting on my front step this evening, waiting for my cat to come back to the house and watching the neighborhood kids playing in the yard, when I decided it was the perfect moment to have my camera with me.  I took a handful of shots of the kids climbing the tree in the yard, and looking through the railing at me, before they all scampered off to another yard to play a different game.  It was so peaceful and calming to sit in the shade with a light breeze (it had finally cooled off a bit), listening to little voices laughing and chattering to one another.  It was exactly what I needed.

Then, just before I went back into the house, I snapped a few shots of the bushes next to my front door - on a whim, not really thinking any of them would turn out - and I happened to catch the sun setting behind one of the bushes.  Dream shot!!

This is truly my favorite shot of this project so far!  I just look at it and feel a warm glow.  I didn't edit it (just stuck my signature on the bottom), it didn't have to go through any prep or think up some great idea.  It just happened.

The best shots just happen!  You know. When you just happen to hit the shutter button at the precise moment in time to capture something that you wouldn't normally see unless you froze it.  Those are the shots that look OK in person, but translate into another dimension of beauty through the lens.

Those are the shots that make me LOVE photography!

Day 25: Tree Leaves

My view of the tree I was resting under.

Saturday is usually my chore day, and it's usually stressful and/or boring.  Today was nice and relaxed, and not my typical Saturday.

What I liked about today:
 - Watching tennis in my PJ's
 - Eating home made hash browns with my fingers (sometimes food tastes better when you eat it with your hands)
 - Getting in to the local water park for $5
 - Doing flips underwater with my sister and feeling like a kid again
 - The view of the tree above me as I read by the pool
 - The light breeze that blew through the trees and grass
 - The view outside the grocery store as the setting sun hit the mountains
 - Going to the movies with Ryan and Christine
 - Eating candy during the movie when I know I shouldn't
 - Hanging out after the movie until all the lights in the parking lot went out
 - Laughing

Day 24: Sunset

Gorgeous sunset tonight!

So there I was, driving down the road, music cranked on my stereo, listening to my iPod on shuffle and finding some forgotten favorite songs. I was on my way to the store when I noticed the sunset in my rear view mirror.  I quickly turned down a side street and got lost in back-alley roads until I could find a good spot to pull off that had an uncluttered view of the sunset.  I ended up in a deserted parking lot at the edge of an empty field.  I put the car in park, grabbed my camera out of it's case, and bolted into the field behind the parking lot. I'm so glad I did because I got a handful of AWESOME photos of it!!  To steal a quote from the A-Team, I love it when a plan comes together!

PLUS, when I got back in the car to survey my findings on my camera, a song was playing on my stereo that fit perfectly with the moment.  I drove away grinning and singing along to the music, the sunset securely locked away in my camera. Great moment!!

Here are the lyrics I heard when I got into my car:

"...I took a walk and it occurred to me while I was outside,
That if I was looking for a miracle, I might do well to look up to the sky.
The dawn breaking open the day, you'd say that it was blinding me,
But still I had to stop right there and wonder why.
Now I know for certain, 'cause I've been around,
That the sun shines every day, even though you might not get to see.
No matter who, no matter where, no matter weather permitting,
The miracle is that sometimes it can burn just for you.

"Or just me.
Oh this one's burning just for me..."

(Just For Me, by Blues Traveler)

Day 16: Snacks

Some snacks I've packed for my camping trip this weekend...HAPPY CAMPER!

I'm heading up the canyon for the annual camp-out with my office.  Two days and two nights out in nature, hanging out with my co-workers.  Some may think that sounds like a match made in hell, but I'm actually really excited!  Then again, I love camping and I have great co-workers, so why wouldn't I be excited?  The only down side is that I won't have access to the internet to post my picture for Day 17 (well that, and the bugs...I hate bugs with an unnatural tenacity).

But don't worry (in case anyone actually made it this far in the reading), I will still take my picture for Day 17, I'll just have to post it with Day 18 when I get home.

Now, off to the wilderness to get lost in nature!  Well, hopefully I won't actually get lost in nature, but I'll get caught up in nature.  Not that I want to get caught up in anything dangerous, like poison ivy (do we even have that in Utah?).  So maybe the better choice of words would be...

Now, off to the wilderness to get absorbed in nature!

Oh, never mind.

Day 4: Awesome!

I'm so proud of this shot!  I wanted to get a night shot, but failed to do anything until it was almost too late.  So, even though I was rushed to get something really fast (have to post this before midnight), I got the COOLEST shot of one of the trees in my neighborhood.  I even managed to capture a few stars in th background, which is pretty impressive for town.  My favorite thing about this picture: no post processing!  The only thing I did to this photo after I took it off my camera was to add my signature at the bottom.

Ok, I'm done being impressed with myself...for now.  It's so cool that I have the opportunity to do this project and to learn how to be a better photographer.  I love creating things, however small they may be, and to be able to create something pretty is even better.  It's moments like this that make me so grateful for the little things!