AMAZING!

Yesterday, at lunchtime, I picked P up from daycare in hopes of him taking a longer nap at home. We needed him rested up for his first rodeo. My plan worked! He slept for almost 3 hours and was GOLDEN last night!! Although we left before the rodeo was over, he still didn't get to bed until 10:30. The only time he fussed a little was when the fireworks went off as we were leaving. He wasn't a fan. Other than that, he was absolutely amazing! He thoroughly enjoyed the rodeo and cheered for "Daddybull" every time a bull came out of the shute. Our friends' son, Marco, did Muttin' Bustin' and rode the sheep for a few feet. All in all, it was a fun night with good friends!

Extreme Challenge

We went to the rodeo tonight. Some cowboys had a hard time staying on the bull and I had a hard time capturing today's photo challenge: a long exposure shot. After consulting Kim and the internet I did the best I could from what I understood this shot to be. Here are my raw photos because I'm too tired to edit them.....

Wetlands

I have a new favorite place in town- the wetlands. I met a friend there this morning to enjoy a beautiful walk. But before she got there, I busted out the camera. I was attempting to do today's challenge but it may be beyond my capability at this point. I consulted my photography guru and will hopefully be able to get better shots at the rodeo tonight. I did, however, get some pretty shots of the wetlands while the light was good. (I'm also adding a couple bonus shots.) So, although it's not today's challenge, enjoy my personal running/walking paradise.....


(A quiet playground. When I came back 15 minutes later it was packed!)




(This is where I saw the reflection of the snow capped Sierras yesterday but the wind had picked up this morning so no such luck with that shot.)


(A couple of neighborhood mustangs posing for the camera.)


(Sunrise at 5:30 from our front deck)

Last Hoorah!

On Saturday I will be waking up at 4:30AM to head down the hill and start a marathon relay at 6am. (2 person teams are responsible for running 13.1 miles each) When I signed up to run 13.1 miles with my neighbor/friend it seemed like a fun adventure. Now it seems more like a chore. That being said, I decided to endure my last training run this morning. Last week I tweaked my left knee so I was worried about running a super long distance this morning. My knee doesn't hurt per se but it gets uncomfortable at times. After dropping P off at school, I drove to the wetlands. Ruby came with me to protect me from snakes, mustangs and strange people. Luckily we never encountered any of those and she made a good running partner....for the most part. The first 2 miles were a little erratic, with her helping me train for an obstacle course instead of just a run. When I run long distances I usually rely on my music to keep me going. But that wasn't the case today! I turned on praise music and just took in the beauty of the wetlands. I saw it from a photographer's eye, noting how the snow capped mountains reflected off the water. How the birds gracefully swooped from the trees to the flowers. How the creek flowed in between boulders and tall grass. It was breathtaking at times and made my run so much more enjoyable! At one point I made a wrong turn and ended up in a housing development. I noticed that my pace slowed because I was surrounded by man's creation instead of God's. Once I got back to the wetlands my pace picked up and we were off again. My knee was uncomfortable at times and by the 6th mile Ruby slowed considerably. So I cut my run short by a few miles. I came home and ran another 1.5 miles on the treadmill, bumping my total mileage to 7-8 miles. I'm going for a light run tomorrow or Friday to help my muscles. But, other than that I'll be running 13.1 miles Saturday. Ready or not!!

Day 15: Silhouttes

I was nervous, so to speak, about today's challenge. I didn't really understand how to photograph a silhoutte so I relied on the trusty rusty internet to help me out with ideas. That it did! Using the morning light, I got some shots I'm proud of. The heart is one of my favorite photos to date and I did absolutely nothing to touch it up. Enjoy today's photo challenge...........


(When I went downstairs to clean up a dog mess this silhoutte provided itself with the morning light filtering into the playroom.)


(In the process of grabbing my camera I knocked one of Rob's shoes. When I turned around, this is the shot I saw due to the light from our octagon window.)

I DO!

3 years ago, while surrounded by close friends and family, I said "I do" to my best friend. I said my vows for better, for worse, in sickness and in health, til death do us part. Little did I know what I was committing to! I was committing to find various ways to communicate, to give and take, to put others before myself, to figure out finances, to show my insecurities, to learn how to argue without always having to win. Now let's be honest, some of those things I'm still not good at...and neither is Rob. But that's what marriage is about sometimes. It's 2 imperfect people making life work. Yes, it's hard but yes, it's worth it. The good times far outweight the times of struggle. I know that at the end of the day I can go to bed, knowing that Rob will be there the next day no matter what. He has seen me at my worst and at my best. He know things about me that no other person does, but he still loves me. Our vows reflect our love: it's unconditional! So, 3 years later, if I had to do it all over again I would still say "I do" to Rob because he's who I want to grow old with- for better, for worse, in sickness and in health.

Eyes!

A Yiddish proverb says “The eyes are the mirror of the soul", which I believe to be true. I think people that have wrinkles around their eyes are happy people who laugh often. I respect people who will look you in the eyes and tell it like it is. So, today's challenge was one that excited me, got me out of bed early. I wanted to play around with cameras and lighting before the lil munchkin woke up. Of course, I took pics after he woke up as well. So enjoy looking into the mirrors of souls today.....


(Today is our 3rd wedding anniversary so I put my veil on for this picture.)




(I think our "puppy" has the most beautiful eyes!)




(My dad bought this duck hat for P, which he loves to wear when he's eating.)