a picnic for two, please

11/27... grandparents
11/28... teachers
11/29... time with family
11/30... great neighbors

12/1... air conditioning - TX decided to welcome December with an 80 degree day! Yikes!

Another month challenge done! December to do... learn French. I'll spare you the boredom and skip sharing my progress! Wish me luck!


When you're bundled up to go outside in Iowa, it's finally comfortable to spend some quality time outdoors in Texas... and have a picnic!

with champagne... why not?!?

out of a plastic cup - we keep it classy!

gobble, gobble

Somehow, I let 10 days go by. I think it had something to do with a trip home!

11/16... snail mail

11/17... airplanes

11/18... picnics

11/19... pets

11/20... a place to call home

11/21... electricity

11/22... holidays

11/23... sunsets over open IA land

11/24... IA Hawkeye football - even this season

11/25... books

11/26... trash collectors - they don't receive enough appreciation!





cup o' jo

11/12... coffee
11/13... the roof over my head
11/14... my education
11/15... photos - a link to special memories

 



This doesn't seem like a special picture, but it's a special memory for me. It was a crisp, fall Iowa morning before a marathon of wedding planning! And what kicks that off better than a cup of strong coffee at Java House, included with a spot at the window? Nothing! Meeting at the church, tasting food and wine, pictures by the river... all leading to the most important Iowa Hawkeye game of the year - vs. Michigan! GO HAWKS!

sunset or moon?

 

I'll take both!

 

11/8... friends
11/9... good health
11/10... whatchamacallit. is there a better candy bar for a road trip?
11/11... FREEDOM! Happy Veteran's Day! THANK YOU, THANK YOU to all who serve!

i dreamed a dream

25th Anniversary Tour - Les Miz

 

What is it about music? It just makes you feel good!

 

11/5... MUSIC!

11/6... my job, especially today

11/7... COOLER temperatures - even if it's only for a few days!



month of thanks

October photo challenge = COMPLETE!
How did I do? Initially, I thought... FAIL. But I counted all of the photos I posted throughout the month and oddly enough, it totalled to THIRTY-ONE. Thirty-one photos for 31 days in October!

 

 

Now it's November, the month of thanks. Can I post something I'm thankful for for every day of the month? Absolutely YES, but I've learned posting each day is hard... let's see how this goes.

 

I am SO THANKFUL for:

 

11/1... Mama Bear and Papa Al

11/2... Evan - my favorite brother

11/3... Mark - best husband I've ever had

11/4... Skype



holiday jack-o-lantern

 

I brought out the kid in me last weekend to carve some pumpkins!

 

 Pumpkins don't last too long in the heat so unfortunately, they've already taken a trip to the trash. 

60 degree weather turned into 80 degree weather = moldy pumpkins. Sorry trick-or-treaters.

I've also put a pretty good dent in the candy I was planning to have available in case anyone came knocking...

 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

grass focus

I've really been slacking lately...

 

These are straight from my camera - edit free - taken at a park downtown.

 



weekend getaway

Took a short weekend trip to Kansas City, MO.

 

 Taken at the National WWI Museum

 

Agenda...

KC Marathon

National WWI Museum

Union Station

and... Speakeasy

 

Time with family always goes WAY too fast, but a short weekend is better than nothing!

 

Thanksgiving trip countdown...TWENTY-SEVEN DAYS too many!                         

 



appreciate free

I won't ever complain when I get to see a colorful sun sink into the horizon...

Even though I hate to admit it, it's easier to think of negative things than positive. I was complaining a few posts ago (yes, I know, I haven't been doing so well on my "daily" posts) about having to photograph landscapes instead of people, but I really should appreciate all the beautiful things around me! It's easy to get busy and forget about all the free beauty and entertainment that is around all of us everyday. Everyone should take a minute, look outside and appreciate something they see. I'd pick watching a sunset, laying under a dark sky spotted with stars, or watching a rainbow form over an expensive dinner, movie or vacation any day!

I think I'm a positive person, but there's always room for some improvement, right? I'm going to try a little harder!

'not a cloud in the sky'

It's rare to see clouds in the sky - must be a Texas thing - but tonight they were beautiful!

For the upcoming election - I thought this was appropriate! I think I went from one extreme state, where election advertisements are played every other commercial and your phone rings off the hook, to another extreme state, where absolutely ZERO political commercials are aired. I can't say I miss them, but it is really strange. It's almost hard to convince myself it's an election year!

I've always wanted to master the photo that has the sun spots on the lens...

this is far from 'mastered' but it's a start!

mulch

Flowers on your doorstep are way better than new mulch in your yard...

 

 

 

 



taking auditions

 



I'm really getting kind of tired of landscape photos.

 



If only I had some models for practice... or a pet!

weekend break

I forgot to mention I was going to take the weekends off of my challenge or at least from posting.

I got in a little Photoshop practice this morning...

 

day 4

This photo challenge is more difficult than I thought...

 

I could stare at this fountain all day.

fortune cookie advice

I don't read my horoscope.
I don't believe in psychics.
I think palm reading is ridiculous.
And I only crack open fortune cookies to see how funny it will be after I add "in bed" at the end!

BUT (there's always a but, right?), today I found this inside my stale cookie...

 

 

After reading it a few times, I tucked it away in my pocket for safe keeping. 

 

There is a pretty big plan in the works that's going to require a pretty major life change (or it feels like that to me) and it's been hard to decide who to tell and when to tell them. I know this is just a dumb piece of paper that's probably been delivered to a million different people who have probably added "in bed" at the end and laughed until their stomachs hurt, but today, it was more than that for me. So thanks fortune-maker person... I liked this one!

challenge - day 2

I planned to venture out tonight to snap away, but a few things got in the way so maybe tomorrow I will be more exciting! I picked up these pretty petals at the grocery store a few days ago and they are still looking good!

There's something about having fresh flowers around that just makes me smile!

october photo challenge

October 1, 2012: During a workout class tonight, I saw some photographers taking photos of the park as the sun went down and the lights came on. I've been wanting to spend some more time with my camera so I'm going to try my hardest to take one new photo every day during the month of October.

 I can't complain about this...

I'm playing Fievel from An American Tale and thinking of everyone living states (and visiting countries) far away from me. No matter how many miles separate you, it's comforting to know that you're all sharing the same bright sky!


Happy Birthday, Evan! I hope you had a fantastic day and I wish more than anything I could have helped you celebrate again this year! I love you!

bonjour!

When life throws you lemons, make lemonade...

...or blog about it!