Happy Thanksgiving

From my family to yours, wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving. Be thankful and be safe....and be kind to your bellies!!

A Mom's Vacation

So this last weekend, I had the fabulous opportunity to take a trip to see my best friend, Meag. She has recently relocated to the state of Washington, which makes for a much cheaper (and shorter) flight!

I flew in Thursday afternoon and we had a quiet evening.

Friday was THE day. And if you are a New Moon fan, you know what I'm talking about. We had originally planned on going to an evening show, but our anticipation got the best of us and we traded in our tickets for an earlier show. The movie did not disappoint in the least. It was fantastic...and then fantastic on top of that. So much better than Twilight.

After the movie, we did some shopping and then headed over to some friends' house to watch the BSU game and play games. There *may* have been some drinking, too.

(phone pic, super grainy)

Meag, enjoying her drink.......and headband! I love this girl!

Saturday morning, we got up fairly early because we were making our trek to FORKS. For those who don't know (you poor, unfortunate souls......great, now that song is stuck in my head), Forks is where the Twilight books take place. It's about three hours from where Meag lives, so we knew this was going to be an all-day event. But we had our giddy smiles on!

This was in Aberdeen, where we stopped for some Starbucks.



I don't remember exactly where we were when I took this picture, but the fog was just gorgeous.

Also on our way, was a stop at the coast....I LOVE the ocean. It's so peaceful.

And then, we arrived!
Forks High School

The Swan House

There were several Twilight stores......we were in heaven! We went to all of them.

And there was some great stuff!

And we were THOSE cheesy fans......yes, yes we were.

And here's what I came away with:

Sunday was my day to leave, but my flight wasn't until the evening. So we set off for Seattle early and ended up doing some great shopping. We stopped at the Nordstrom Rack, which was a fantastic place full of good deals. And then it was time to say good-bye and hop on a plane. It was such a fun visit and I really hope that since Meag lives closer, we can make these visits MUCH more often!!

{The Trinidads}

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to do a family photoshoot....for family! These are the Trinidads - Eric's aunt, uncle, and cousins. We walked along the Boise Greenbelt and eventually made our way over to Kathryn Albertson Park. Despite the cold, we had some good laughs and I hope they are pleased with what we got!

Back in the Woods

I think by now, we have established that I have a thing for bridges. I know several people who have my bridge picture from the Oregon Coast framed and displayed in their houses, and there really is no higher form of flattery than other people displaying your work. I'm not sure what it is about bridges that captivates me so. Maybe the symmetry? And though the big bridges, like the one at the Oregon Coast, are quick to impress, I think I am partial to the little bridges found while wandering through the mountains. There are a couple up by my family's cabin, that I have many pictures of. Last weekend, on my scenic outdoor photography workshop with my friend, Wendie, we took a little road back in to Redfish Lake and stumbled upon this bridge. It's nothing fancy, by any means. But I enjoyed the simplicity of the design, the trickling water, and the crisp, cold air as I took the picture.

Playdates Galore!

For the past week, my friend Wendie has been in town visiting. Wendie and I went to high school together and she now lives in another state. Some of her family is still here in Idaho, so she came for a visit and we ended up hanging out quite a bit. Which also meant plenty of playdates for our children. Wendie's daughter, Spencer, is 10 months younger than Carter, but she sure gave him a run for his money! I thought they played really well together, and it was fun to watch them interact. Carter was quite enamored with Spencer....he loved playing with her hair.

They came to our house twice to play. Carter and Spencer loved playing in Carter's Color-Me-House - often slamming open the doors and windows to scare the other, and then the giggles followed.

And of course, we had to take Spencer to Monkey Bizness. I think she had a great time playing with the boys! My friend, Jacque, and her son, Jeffrey, met up with us and the kids had a great time playing.

Until next visit!

2-8

Happy Birthday to me!

Today is the big day, though there are no big plans. The hubby is out of town for work again, so Carter has a playdate tonight and I will get to see a couple of my friends. Should be a quiet birthday this year. :)