friendship [I heart Faces]

This month's theme over at I [heart] faces is Friendship and I immediately knew what photo I wanted to use.

This was taken in January but I hope to reprise it tomorrow night at the Cub Scout awards ceremony.

summertime and the living is easy

Today I was feeling very summer-y and wanted to go for a walk. As usual, we ended up at Chapel Trail Nature Preserve. It was hot and the humidity was so thick I swear I could see it; nothing was stirring, other than us. The sun was high overhead and our shadows were kind of long. It may not have been ideal for photos but it was just what I needed: some time to shoot and relax and enjoy myself.







The best part of adventuring is sharing the sights with someone else.

This was an outtake for this shot but it conveys perfectly what made me the happiest: the clouds and my mister.








All of these shots were edited with Florabella Vintage Summer at a low opacity to give them a vintage summer-y feel.

when Mr. Andy comes to visit

In honor of Doug's graduation, his father came down. I love seeing Mr. Andy. Somehow we always end up on crazy adventures. Somehow, I also end up forgetting to take pictures. For example, I don't have any photos from Shorty's BBQ or the fruit stand. I was just having too much fun to remember to take my camera out. I almost feel like I'm doing this blog a disservice but not having more photos. But then I remember that I was laughing too hard to remember to take pictures and that's okay by me.

Thursday was Doug's graduation, which I managed to blog in a timely manner without getting overly mushy. Friday, we went exploring. There aren't any pictures from BBQ or Key Lime pie but there are some from when we went to Chapel Trail.


I love this 'family portrait'.





An anole was trying to assert its dominance. Mr. Andy stared it down until it ran away.

Mr. Andy got a picture of Doug and I exploring (which I copied from his Facebook).


Friday was BBQ, the fruit stand, a comic book shop, and the Pub. I don't have a single photo from any of those.

Saturday was Cinco de Mayo so we went to Tijuana Flats for lunch.



We also went to IKEA to get some furniture and Mr. Andy found a plush hedgehog for me. He was our mascot and lead us to victory.


The coolest part of Saturday was the supermoon. We went to Hollywood Beach to watch it rise. These photos do not do the scale of the moon justice.









We went to Jaxson's afterwards but I was too distracted by ice cream to take photos.

He left this morning and I'm already kicking myself for not taking him to more awesome places when I had the chance. I guess the in-laws will just have to come down and visit soon.

happiness [I heart faces]

This week's theme over at is happiness.


This is one of the happiest photos in my 2012 slideshow. For Valentine's Day, Doug got me a bouquet of balloons and we went to the Chapel Trail nature preserve.

next stop: Paradise Falls

In years past, I've written mushy Valentine's Day posts. While the story behind this one is pretty mushy too, I fear that the retelling just won't do it justice.

Doug started a few weeks ago, asking if there was anything he needed to do or make for me for Valentine's Day. I asked him for balloons. He decided that he wanted to get me balloons like the ones in Up. If you've ever seen the movie, you know how beautiful and colorful they are. (And Ellie & Carl are one of the cutest couples ever.) Rather than try to explain, I recommend you go watch this montage.

My mister got me balloons and took me to the nature preserve during golden hour for a shoot. This may be one of the best Valentine's Days ever.























"My name is Dug. I have just met you, and I love you." -Up


Doug, I've loved you since the first adventure. I'll love you until the last. And in between, you and I can go to Paradise Falls or the Dry Tortugas or wherever the wind takes us. Always, forever, and a moose. <3

Supposedly "a picture is worth a thousand words." If that is true, then I want to use the photos I make and take to tell a story. A story about the way I see the world and how I hope the world sees me. I want to tell these stories to the people I know and the people I have yet to meet. Specifically, some of these photos are a letter home to my mother. Others are addressed to friends who are not currently in the same place as I am. Some are intended for individuals who found their way here and are interested in what I have to show them.