I don't have a title.

This month has been FULL. Things are winding down now, which is nice. I think my body is used to being busy, though. Now I have so much free time and I don't know what to do with it. I feel like I should be working!

Earlier this month we said goodbye to a good friend as he went off to expand his mind at college.

We're going to miss him but luckily we all get to reunite again over winter break! I'm not sure if anyone has ever played ultimate frisbee in the snow but it is something we will have to consider when we have our group back again.

I took some photos of The Selfless Riot (which have yet to be edited. I'm an awful procrastinator at times).

And my sister, Beth, and our friend Garrett and I had some fun in my grandparents' very photogenic yard.

We have lots of good memories in their yard, underneath the trees that seem to never change.

It is funny though, to look at old photos and see just how much things have changed. 

It has been a long, hard, terribly hot and frustrating summer. But it has also been a summer filled with the best kind of friends, many realizations and growing. Growing in so many different forms.

 I know that I will look back on summer 2011 with that achey-lovey kind of nostalgia that ensures I will always remember.

Red Umbrellas and such.

My co-worker has a red umbrella and a red guitar.

We made the most of it. 

Beth got a couple of little chicks to add to our flock. They are sooo cute and fun to watch.

days 18-22 (!)

Chumly, my uncle's dog. So cute.

Nevaeh and her grandpa decorating daddy's cake.

My grandpa and cousins.

Lightin' it up.

Sunday morning scramble.

The patio we are making with all the brick we found in various places when we bought the house. It is nice to be able to reuse it. Today was finally warm out so we started this little project. It is just one of many on our list! We are looking forward to having a spot to have barbecues with friends this summer.

fell off the wagon.

But I'm climbing back on. I haven't really been taking pictures every day. Oh well...
Here are some anyway.

Cucumbers!

Is spring finally here? probably not. It has been snowing for the past couple of days. I am beyond ready for spring to be here. I wish we had a longer growing season :(

This is the dog that has been driving me crazy.

His best friend Sam has been staying with Levi's parents because they have 5 acres of fun for him to run around on, and Sam doesn't get to do much here since he is bigger than me and doesn't like to listen when I walk him. So, Kenai here gets lots of walks and car rides, but he still chews through the fence and runs around to the front door. Invisible fences can't even stop him.

I guess it is time for Sam to come home.

My uncle's birthday party is tonight. I think I'll bring my camera and the 28-135mm lens. I'm trying to make myself like it.

days 4-9

On Thursday night my "fake cousin" John and his girlfriend Sharon let us know their baby was ready to enter the world. My sister and I drove to the hospital, arrived around 7or so, and stayed until 2am. We left because Beth had to be back to work at 630. About 15 minutes later, little baby Xaviar was born. I just met him today.

Friday we left for the coast and had a good time.

We used our tent (that we got for $20 a few months ago) for the first time and discovered it has a really weird shape. 

It works great though. The Oregon coast poured lots of rain and none of it got through.

We ended up deciding to come home a day early, since I didn't want to sleep in the tent again and Levi didn't want to sleep in the car :)

On the way home, our check engine light came on.

So we ended up broken down on the pass, calling my sister and Jordan at 11 at night, not getting picked up until 130am, and having a rough night. That is the fast version. Everything worked out great, we were really blessed in everything from where we broke down to being able to call someone, and come to find out, the repair was only $50. My check engine light is still on, so I'm hoping that will go off after I've driven it a bit. We shall see!

((day4))

365 project ((day3))

 I like kitchen photos. Not so much my kitchen photos, because most of them would show an appallingly dirty kitchen a lot of the time, but here are a couple anyway.

One more day of work, then some shopping and packing and I am off to the coast. Can.Not.Wait.

365 project ((day 2))

((cucumbers sprouting))

((the produce from our faithful hens))

I think the next few days' photos are just going to consist of whatever I can take pictures of around the house after I get off work when it is dark outside. Unless I start taking my camera to work???

This weekend Levi and I are heading to the coast, so there should be a tad more variety around that time :)

365 project (day1)((babysteps))

I've been wanting to start a 365 project for awhile.

For some reason I had it in my head that you start in the beginning of the year.

I was looking at some other blogs today and was inspired. I started thinking about doing the project (again). And then I realized I just need to start. Now.

So these first pictures aren't particularly interesting, or even good. But they are a step forward. I am learning that if I want to do something, or try something, or accomplish something, I am the only person who can make that happen , and the only person I can blame for it not happening.

Tonight I went and picked up some thai food after work.

It wasn't all that great, but it did the job. I also watched some Big Love, and stared at my dog, pondering how I can make him stop having anxiety every time I start walking around. He has some serious separation issues.

It was nice to have some time alone. That doesn't happen as often for me as usual. The funny thing is that I used to hate it very much.

I'm looking forward to embarking on this little project. I don't have any illusions that I'll post every single day, but I do plan to at least be taking one photo a day.

Here's to baby steps.

Aspen grove

This little photo shoot was done a few months ago. The model is my sister, and we went out with my co-worker and fellow photographer Jolie Watts.

I have several more from this set that I will add later on. I uploaded the originals to this computer but the finished products are on the other laptop.

Lazy Sunday

Today has been a day of much needed rest and simply doing whatever we want to do.

That feels good sometimes. I realize I get into this mindset that any time I have a day off, I need to be doing things I SHOULD be doing. Which can be good. I mean, this is what keeps my house clean, the dishes done, the dogs fed, dinner on the table. But every once in awhile I need to justrelax. And that is what was accomplished today. It is also what we are trying to incorporate into our lifestyle.

Right now we are seeking our purpose and/or mission together in this life. I just don't see the point in working jobs and paying bills and never seeing each other or our family and friends. We only have one life to live and I want to live it. I feel like there are a lot of things that have been passing us by, and I wasn't able to understand why we were continuing to let them pass by unacknowledged. We finally talked about it, and what do you know? We both were feeling the same thing. I wasn't just going through something or being emotional. Neither one of us want the "American dream". So now we are trying to figure out what to do about it.
It is my goal to post regularly to this blog. If I am posting regularly that means I am taking photos, which means I am (hopefully) learning and improving as I go. I think if I obligate myself to post things here I will be more apt to improve my game. So, here we go.