silverwood and sun

We are just back from the first of our weekend getaway vacations this summer.  We stayed in a condo (I won’t even BEGIN to go into the backstory about our lodging issues) on Lake Coeur d’Alene with my Dad, step-mom, and sister.  We had a great time and here are a few pics from our time at Silverwood.

After a long day on the rides…

The view of the sunset from our condo…

And some fun park time in Spokane Valley on the way home…

   

Thanks Grandpa and Nana for a super fun trip! 

Next up: Long Beach.  Stay tuned!

A Homestyle fourth

We spent the 4th of July at home this year.  For only the 2nd time in 14 years, we did not go down to the annual 4th of July celebration with the Jones clan down in Oregon.  We were sad to miss it, but if you recall what happened to our poor Levi last year, we thought it best not to go to the heart of grass country. Maybe we will try for next year.  So on a last minute sort of whim, we decided to host a BBQ for a few friends.  The weather was amazing and we had a great time playing lawn games and enjoying some good company.

It’s the…

I now have a 1st and 3rd grader! Say what?!!!!

Ten on Ten: June 2011

What’s Ten on Ten you might ask? Once a month on the tenth, taking a photo an hour for ten consecutive hours. Finding much life and beauty among the ordinary things of our day.

I was REALLY hoping to have my new lens to play with for this month’s set, but alas, it was not meant to be.  Oh well, I had some great things to take pictures of anyhow, and my kit lens is serving me well.  A huge shout out to my mom for growing some of these beautiful flowers! I spent awhile in her neck of the woods today and captured some shots in her garden.

 

 

breakfast for kids

 

breakfast for mom

 

bamma’s garden

 

love bricks

iris

garage sale season….yippee!!

 

love ferns too.   too bad I’m allergic to them.

 

just love the contrast of these!

 

15 years?! how did this happen? seriously. I feel old.

 

family movie night.

WE’VE BEEN ELKED

You know around Christmas time, how people leave little fun goody bags or gifts at your doorstep with a sign that says “You’ve been elfed”? Well, we’ve been elked. Only our frequent visitors are MUCH larger than elves and do not leave the kind of gifts you really look forward to… (eewww. Sorry.)

We’ve been seeing these guys in our yard around 3 times a week lately, but usually it is just dark enough that I can’t get a good shot.  Often times there are at least 3 at a time, but sometimes as many as 9.   They really are so huge and these pictures do not do them justice.   This little guy (not that little but Aaron says he is young) happened to wander into our yard in the afternoon so I was able to capture some shots from the front room window.

The above shot is in front of our neighbor’s house just before Aaron and the boys decided to “sneak” outside to try and spook it into the backyard. (Epic fail.)
It sure is wild to have so much wildlife in our yard.  While we moved into this house under not the best of circumstances, and it wasn’t my first choice, I am really glad the boys have been able to regularly see these amazing animals.   Seeing the elk in the yard is such a common occurrence these days that Aaron will only come out to see them if there are any with “racks”.  Wow, we’ve come a long way from our inner city Tacoma house next to the mini-mart with bars on the windows!

tEn ON TEN: MAY

It’s that time again!  You know the drill…

Whew! It was a busy day!  Click HERE to link up and view other Ten on Ten sets. 

Easter Sunday

               
 
 
 

A Girls Getaway (A post for Holly Boyd)

Last weekend, Amy, Alice and I got a chance to getaway to Ocean Shores to do a little scrapbooking. Just as we were pulling into town, there was a gorgeous sunset, so we pulled onto the beach and snapped a few pics.  Doesn't the sun just radiate such a warm glow? Don't kid yourself... it was FREEZING!!!  We got to the house with just enough light to unload the truck.  We set up all our stuff and then ended the night with a chick flick.  Perfect!

Over the next few days I got a good dent put in a couple of projects, so I am happy with my productivity.  I got half of 2010 done and started on my Disneyland album.  One of the days we did take a walk down to the beach for a little break.  Having been fresh out of a photography class, I took advantage of the beautiful scenery and got in some practice shots. Here are a few of my faves.

Playing with shutter speeds:

Playing with aperture:

Some random words that I consider highlights of our fun times this weekend:

Ice Cream*Ross*Very tiny straws*Jumping*More jumping*More Ice Cream*Wind*Chick flicks*Gangsta Rap for Alice*Talking till 3am*Memories preserved*Memories made*

It is so funny how inspired I am every time I come home from a scrapbooking weekend.  My creative juices are all flowing!  I might even do some work on it at home.  Like at my scrapbooking desk.  Alone.  Hold up, people! This is big.

Thanks girls for a fab weekend.  I loved it.