Project 52: Week Twenty-Nine {me}

So this week's topic is {me} and it was pretty much left open to interpretation as to what we could shoot. I chose my award that I just received on July 13th for my winning cover of The Advocate, a publication of the Idaho State Bar. And I apologize, this thing was a pain in the ass to take a picture of. The real thing resides in my office at work.

Project 52: Week Twenty-Eight {time}

I have two pictures to share this week.  The first one, I snapped this morning while I was out shooting engagement photos.  Anyone who knows me, knows that I can't stand spiders.  However, I think the theme "time" is quite appropriate when it comes to their webs. Who knows how long it takes them to put together these masterpieces.  Note:  it took everything in my power to save this without straightening it.

Another shot that I got for this theme was what I actually set out to get from the beginning.

We've had a big fire burning outside of Boise for most of this week. This has created terrible air quality, but it has also created some incredible sunrises and sunsets. I drove up to a fantastic spot to get this shot and two things ruined the shot for me. (1) I was about 4 minutes too late to pull this off; and (2) the huge cloud bank that had settled in on the horizon made it so that I couldn't get the big, red sun right as it reached the best point. Regardless, here is my shot, straight out of the camera (I only straightened it). I will keep trying for this shot!

Summertime Fun

It's been hotter than blazes in Boise lately! Before the big fire started out by Mountain Home, the air quality was actually good enough to spend lots of time outside with the kids.  We have been playing in our own little pool, and over at Ashley's pool in her neighborhood.  Good thing my kids love being in the water!

 I swear, Kendall eats everything in sight....she even tries to eat the water!

 Or, tries bringing the blanket into the pool with her. I don't think so, kiddo.

 The great thing about Ashley's neighborhood pool is that it's split into two sections - the shallow and the deep, separated by a nice island in the middle.  The shallow section is actually similar to a beach. It starts out just a few inches deep and gradually slopes out into a couple feet deep.  I love it because both kids can play in there without me having to hold them constantly. They can stand or sit on their own and have a great time!

Project 52: Week Twenty-Seven {addicted}

My current addiction (though it has been for some time, just intensified lately) is scrapbooking. I'm trying, quite desperately, to get caught up. I've become more selective in the photos I choose for making pages. If I scrap every single moment, I will need a house just to store all of my albums. Currently, I'm about to scrap Kendall's birth. Yes, over a year ago. As I said......working madly to get caught up!

Seattle Vacation Recap: Day 4

Sunday morning, we headed straight for Pike Market. There were tons of people there! Our first shop was at Le Panier, a french bakery my aunt told me I MUST find. And oh.my.god. It was so amazing!

 We also happened by the original Starbucks, which I didn't even notice until I started to wonder what the massive line was all about!

 We didn't even bother going in, the line wrapped clear around the block.

 So we wandered the entire market - inside and out. Inside, there are several stories worth of shops, vendor booths, etc. There were massive displays of fresh flowers, fresh produce, hand-made crafty stuff, clothes, fresh seafood, etc. Anything you can imagine was there.....even an awesome Boston belt buckle (which was overpriced).

 This guy was awesome - he was playing some nice blues music, which I love. I stood and watched him for quite a while.

Then we made our way to the stadium for the day game.  When we got there, the roof was closed, but they ended up opening it right before game time.

 Properly attired and sitting in another hugely opulated Boston section. It really felt like we were at Boston home games. Not a ton of support for the Mariners.

I wanted to get more action shots this game.....more than just the guys up to bat.

 And yes, we were still waiting on Ortiz to hit #400.

 During one of the innings, the grounds crew broke out into a dance. It was pretty amusing!

Out by a mile!

 Even Moose was "helping" out.

 Pedroia jacked one out......for such a little guy, he sure hits the ball hard!

 Boston ended up winning this game in extra innings.....both games went into extra innings. Hey, free baseball is okay for me!

After the game, we headed back down to Pike Market. The people were starting to close up, so they were having some good deals.  Eric ended up buying a couple pounds of cherries.

 We also managed to find a little hole-in-the-wall mexican place serving up authentic tacos. They were incredible!

After we finished up at Pike Market, we made our way back to the hotel. We were both exhausted from the previous days and wanted to just relax in the hotel room.  We found a really good ice cream place on our walk back and enjoyed ice cream cones on our walk.

All in all, it was a really great vacation. While we missed our kids like crazy, it was really nice to get away from them for a few days and enjoy the city by ourselves without worrying about snack time, nap time, bed times, cranky kids, etc.

Our next family adventure is in September.....and it's bound to be a good one!

Seattle Vacation Recap: Day 3 - The Game

The first game we got to see was Saturday night. The weather was kind of iffy to start out, but they ended up opening the roof right before the game started.  We got there about 2 hours early and were able to walk around the entire stadium, and watch both teams take batting practice.

We then decided it was time to get Eric properly clothed for the game, so I got him a Red Sox shirt, and a hat for myself since I didn't pack my own.

 Josh Beckett returned from the DL in time to start this game. I was so excited to see him pitch!

Big Papi

 The game was quite the pitching duel. Not much offensive action at all.

We were, of course, waiting for Ortiz to hit his 400th homerun. It would have been awesome if it had hit it while we were there! Flashes were going off like crazy every time he swung his bat.

And while he did have some good contact, none were homers.

This was Eric's first MLB game, and he got right into it. So fun to share that experience with him!