Saturday, November 6, 2010

Picture 30 of 365


Long lost friend, part 2


Not too many months, my friend E came back to town after being gone for almost a year. Now, T has returned for a short visit. It had been over a year since I had seen him last and it was great to see my friend again (even if he can't remember how to smile correctly).

Picture 29 of 365


Concert!

In an example of near perfect symmetry, October ends just as it begun, with a concert. As a wonderful birthday present, my dear friend Julie bought tickets for the Toby Mac, Third Day, and Micheal W. Smith concert. It was an incredible event. It was like a flash back go my high school days. What a perfect end to an amazing October.

Picture 28 or 365


Zoo day!


For Erin's birthday, back in June, she wanted to go to the zoo. It was the perfect day! The zoo is very large and it was quite a walk. By the end of the day, I was exhausted. I could relate to this polar bear way too easily.

Picture 27 of 365


Presenters


This picture was taken after our presentation was over. What an amazing experience and awesome opportunity. I can't believe it went as well as it did and just how confident I felt once it was over. After a few days it was back to the normal, but that afternoon, I could have conquered the world.

Picture 26 of 365


Wine tour


On Thursday night we busted out the the first of the wine bottles from the trip. Buck Shoals was probably one of my favorite stops.

Picture 25 of 365


Oh Cheese!


Some days things can get pretty bad. The students can be driving me nuts, fellow drivers can be going very slowly on a road that is impossible to pass on, and I have to figure out yet again what to have for dinner. The best part of my night was opening my fridge and finding one last string cheese in the drawer.

Picture 24 of 365


Pushing it

My gas tank was capable, I had thought, of holding 14 gallons. The other day I had decided not to stop on my way to drop off my fellow carpooler and would just stop on my way to my place. Turns out I'm very thankful that my tank is slightly larger than 14 gallons. Not sure I want to take it that close again.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Picture 23 of 365


Impromptu photo shoot.


I made my two friends stand still for many minutes at a time to let me take over 150 pictures. I was looking for different poses and playing with light to see what kind of pictures I could get. I had so much fun and my friends were such good sports.

Picture 22 or 365


Wine tour! The goal of heading to the mountains was to visit some of the local wineries and see what they had to offer. Out of all the ones that we went to, I would have to say that Buck Shoals was the best.

Picture 21 or 365


Weekend getaway. Late Friday night I arrived in Wilkesboro, NC for a weekend in the "mountains". Even though, technically, we were in the foothills, the scenery was gorgeous. On of my favorite parts was sitting in the rocking chair in front of the fire. Most everything in the cabin was made of wood and just walking in brought a wave of cedar. It was a perfectly relaxing weekend.

Photo 20 of 365


The best of both worlds


This was given to me by a friend of mine. It made me laugh and has since found a place pinned to the cork board by my desk.

Picture 19 or 365


Old maid? Now that my hair has started to get longer and I still cannot stand to have it in my face, I've taken to putting it in a bun most days. There are times I feel like a school marm, but it's just so practical.

Picture 18 of 365

Finished product.

I've been working on this blanket for over a year. With the knowledge that I would be flying home to see my niece I put a rush on finishing it. I can't believe it's finally done.

Picture 17 of 365


Time to go back south.


Michigan in the fall can be a very beautiful place. The days can average 70 and the evenings can dip to the 50's. As a way to get together one last time, my parents had a bon fire. It was the perfect night to spend around the fire.

Picture 16 of 365


The crazy cat. One of the benefits of flying to see my niece was spending time with the rest of my family as well. My sister and brother in law took a poor cat in off the street not too long ago. But seeing as this cat had been on its own for the first part of its life, it's a little hesitant to be held and cuddled.

Picture 15 of 365


Time to catch up.


I took several pictures up until the 8th of October, but unfortunately, none of them managed to get saved to my hard drive. So, in an effort to keep going, I'll do some skipping and jumping. My sister and brother in law's little girl was born 10-1-10. The following Thursday I was able to fly home to see my family and surprise my sister and her hubby. It was beyond worth it to see them and get to hold my new neice.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Picture 14 out of 365


My cousin had a friend drop out of going to a concert last minute and offered the spot to me. I love Sugarland and Little Big Town so of course I was in. It was the perfect night to have an outdoor concert. Clear skies, cool, crisp nights, and great music. So far, I have to say October is shaping up to be the best month of the year. Hopefully the time goes by fast and Christmas is here before I know it.

Picture 13 of 365


Today I got some of the best news ever. My sister and her husband have welcomed Adelaide November Mosey at 12:16 in the morning. I am so incredibly excited for them. These are one of those times that I wish more than anything else that I could be home, enjoying my time with them. With that in mind, I called my aunt and just asked if I could come over for a hug. I figured that if anyone could understand my desire to be home, she could. By the end of the night I had a massive headache, some very bloodshot eyes, but I did feel slightly better. But my pillows have never looked better.

Picture 12 of 365


When I was a kid I wanted more than anything to have curly hair. I owned a crimper with several plates, and one of of them could turn my whole head into wavy, fried curls. While I no longer know what happened to the crimper, I can still get the same effect by sleeping over night in a french braid. Lately, I've taken to wearing a small portion along my hairline in a braid. It's the perfect way to keep my hair back without using pony tails.

Picture 11 or 365


Fun times were had by all. Or at least by two small cats. I had unwisely left this toy on the shelf next to my bed. In the middle of the night Lucy decided that it was play time. So she jumped up, grabbed her toy, knocked over my necklace stand and jumped back down. I did not enjoy being woken up by the sounds of crashing and breaking at 2 am. My poor downstairs neighbors. I can't imagine what they were thinking.

Picture 10 of 365


Along with fall temperatures, we have gotten rain. Almost too much rain. But on the plus side, I can now pull out my warm, comfy blanket. I got this blanket 12 years ago on a trip to Mexico. I love pulling this out because it means cool, crisp nights.

Picture 9 of 365


ARGHHHHH..... elapsed time has to be personally responsible for any and all gray hairs that I might have. I hate teaching this subject and we are only given 2 weeks in which to do it. This, along with the fact that it was a Monday, makes this concept such a bear. So in an attempt to make it more interactive I decided to put a giant clock on the floor along with a really spinner hand and take some markers and draw on the floor. My kids were all a little shocked as I got down on the floor and began writing. Hopefully it will pay off in learning.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Photo 8 out of 365


Finally!!! Fall has finally arrived in NC, at least for a day. The day began at a very comfortable 82. As the day wore on the temperature dropped, the sky clouded over and the rain began to fall. I'm so excited for the rain. My plan is to lay on the floor with book in hand listening to the rain, all the while having the perfect fall dinner of tomato soup and toasted cheese. Welcome fall, I hope you stay.

Picture 7 out of 365


Okay, I picture behind, but 6 out of 7 is much better than 2 out of 3. Thursday nights are crazy and hectic. I usually leave around 6 am and return around 9 pm (or whenever I start falling asleep at the dinner table). I'm going to need to get creative to take a picture on Thursdays. So, back to Saturday. This is my handy dandy portable, file-every-piece-of-work-a-child-has-done this week filing system. Every weekend I bring it home to check it and sort out all my work.

Picture 6 out of 365


There really is no particular reason I chose to take this picture beyond it was there and I wanted to see if my camera could capture the words clearly. As a rule, I'm not a huge fan of Victoria's Secret. For the most part I find the scents to be overbearing, but this one smells like summer, and who doesn't like summer.

Picture 5 out of 365


Dinner dilemma On the days I don't get home from school until 7 pm, it's extremely hard to work up any motivation to cook. So... popcorn to the rescue. No fuss, very little mess, and tasty goodness. I would have had the dip, but after having it for lunch, it didn't sound very appealing for dinner. Popcorn holds a special place in my heart as it was what my dad and I would always eat on Sunday evenings. We would have had a big Sunday lunch, so there was rarely dinner, just some popcorn to hold you over till morning. Because he worked 2nd shift for so long, this was my time with dad. When I go home now, the question is still "who's making the popcorn?"

Picture 4 our ot 365


My "lounger". One of the drawbacks of not having a tv is having to watch everything on hulu. That, paired with doing school work in the evening, results in my backside being planted in this chair rather than the much more comfortable one in the living room. On the plus side, it can get so uncomfortable that I never sit down for too long.

Picture 3 out or 365


Monday, Monday..... what to do for dinner? Seeing as that it is fall, I decided that the crock pot would be the answer to that question. Forget the fact that it's still 95 and humid out, I'm heading full force into fall. I decided to try this buffalo chicken dip a friend had recommended. An obscene amount of cheese and four chicken breasts later, I was not so patiently waiting on my dinner. Finally about 9:30 it was finished. Too late for dinner that night, but it made some wonderful leftovers for the next five days.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

2 out of 365


My two monsters decided that after a morning of terrorizing the helium balloons, they needed to take a rest. I can't believe that I've now been a cat owner for a year and that her kitten is now double her size. Thank God for the times these pets have provided so much enjoyment.

1 out of 365


I have some really great friends. Some that go out of their way to remind me I'm older than they are. In that line of thinking, she decided to put all 31 candles on my birthday cake. Sadly enough, it was sufficient to light up the room. Ah well, gotta love those friends.

Picture 202 out of 365....


It seems that every 2 out of 3 days I managed to take and post a picture. In an attempt to top that number by next birthday, I plan to continue the project. But for the last picture of my 30th year, I decided I'd take a picture of our dessert at dinner Friday night. Carolina Ale House gives you a free dessert. I'm glad it's free because we certainly didn't get much further than this in finishing the dessert nachos. Not really a picture that sums up my year, or really anything introspective, but still, the most memorable part of my day. Thanks Rockfish ladies for a great meal!

Monday, August 23, 2010

Picture 201 - lightroom


One of the things I really need to make sure I can do well is editing my photos once they are taken. I can crop and change to black and white with the best of them, but I've never really worked with software that was easy to use. I spent about 3 hours Sunday afternoon choosing my top favorite 25 pictures (we each only get to post 25) from Charleston and then went to town editing. I liked the picture before, I loved it after I got done editing it.

Picture 200 - Charleston, Charleson, made in Carolina


My friend Julie sent a video on facebook of this song celebrating my first trip to Charleston, SC. Living in NC, I really haven't seen much of the south. I've puttered around a bit near where I live, but I've never really gone further than Myrtle Beach. So when Jenni suggested we resume our attempt at taking photo trip once a month and that we begin in Charleston, I said "YAY!" What an amazing, fun-filled day. Charleston is very rich in history dating back to the revolutionary war. The architecture was an amazing contrast to the often cookie cutter look of many other cities. That and the people were so friendly. We stopped in a little cafe for lunch and struck up a conversation with our waitress. As we were headed out the door, she told us to each take a bottle of water with us to make sure we stayed hydrated. As we were singing along with the radio at the top of our lungs on our way home, I couldn't help thinking how exciting this adventure is going to be.

Picture 199 - In my "swagger" wagon


Finding out on Friday that my car wouldn't be complete until Monday was quite upsetting. My chaueffer was heading to the beach, so that would leave me carless. At least that's the way it looked until I heard the mechanic say "You can use the loaner for the weekend". With a sigh of relief, I prepared to enjoy the weekend. I was in for quite a surprise when I showed up and the loaner was a van. I have always said that I would never drive a van. SUV, sure, station wagon, in desperation, it might work. But surely not a van. But when you're faced with begging rides from friends, a van can look pretty appealing. I'm very thankful to LeAnn for the use of the vehicle, and it served its purpose well. Best of all, the AC worked wonderfully!

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Picture 198 - Almost there


As it is a Wednesday, I fully planned on going to 20/30 tonight. That is, until my car died, again. Thankfully, my friend I carpool with had driven herself and so she gave me a ride home and will pick me up in the morning. So, being stuck in the house left me with some time on my hands. Continuing the pursuit of finishing in a timely manner, I began the final touches on the bottom of the blanket. Now for the letters and everything is done!

Picture 197 - All day


When I got home from the beach, it hit me how quickly school was approaching, but also how soon my niece will be born. In an attempt to finish a present on time (and set some kind of record for me) I sat down, determined to have her baby blanket completed in time. I got a book on cd from the library, found a comfy chair and got busy. By the end of the book, Pooh Bear was complete. The end is in sight!

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Picture 196 - Home again


Whenever I leave to travel anywhere for more than a weekend, I am a fiend about cleaning everything. I'll dust, move furniture, and wash out the fridge in an attempt to make everything nice and neat. One of my friends suggested that I did this because I wanted to make sure that if, for any reason I didn't make it home, my apartment would look nice for who ever had to go through it. My response was "nope, it's because I make such a mess when I get home". I hate the thought of having to clean up not only traveling things but general pick up as well. My apartment never looks so clean as when I'm leaving for vacation (at least until my parents come to visit).

Picture 195 - Field Trip


As beach week drew to a close, Friday was fore casted to be rainy and dreary. What better day to head to the aquarium? We packed all six of us into the SUV, got on the ferry and headed out. It was really cool to be there again and see some of their new exhibits. This turtle caught my eye on our way out. He seemed fully intent on getting as much of himself in the sun as possible.

Picture 194 - Wildlife adventures

Thursday morning of beach week I decided to get up and see the sunrise. So, at 5:30, the alarm went off and by 5:43 I had gotten out of bed and headed out. As it sometimes happens, the sunrise was not overly spectacular, but I did get to see something new and exciting. Growing up in Michigan, about the only exotic wildlife I got to see were deer and turkeys along with the random large snapping turtle. The thought of seeing a dolphin, jelly fish or sea turtle in their natural habitat were about as foreign to me as sweet tea. As I was walking along the shore line I came across this creature. In my ignorance, I assumed it was a weird kind of jelly fish, took some pictures, and went on my way. A friend of mine was kind enough to point out that, in fact, this is a Portuguese Man-o-war. Good thing I have a nice zoom on my camera and stayed far away.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Picture 193 - The Cotton Exchange


In Wilmington there is a place called the Cotton Exchange which has been renovated into several small stores that support local business. It used to be a factory until there was a large fire. Instead of rebuilding, it was used for something new. One of the things I like about it is the charm of some of the original workings. Much of the brick work is the same which stands in complete opposite to the softness coming from the chandelier lights.

Picture 192 - Psuedo Photo shoot

One evening I decided to go out and take some sunset pictures and A decided to come along. As we were walking down the beach, she said to take some pictures and I figured I take some time to practice. At the end she suggested the "blue steel" look. If nothing else, we had a lot of fun.

Picture 191 - A taste of Hawaii


Each night of beach week one of us was given the responsibility of making dinner. For E's night, she did a Hawaiian themed meal. As I came out of hiding (I had spent about 3 hours up in my room reading) I came down to discover lei's on each chair and a wonderful feast laid on the table.

Picture 190 - magnifying glass anyone?


A magnifying glass might have made this particular puzzle a little easier. As a rule, I'm not a big puzzle person. If it's there, and if I have nothing else to do, I might give it a try. In reality this picture was taken on Sunday, but I didn't begin to work on it till Thursday night. The only reason I started to work on it was because I had heard someone say that it was just too hard of a puzzle for them to do. So of course, I instantly feel the need to step in and conquer what someone else considers too hard. By the time we left Saturday morning, I had managed to finish about a 1/4 of the puzzle. It's currently being stored at S's house. I plan on making myself a nuisance there until it is finished.

Picture 189 - beach week entertainment


The prospect of sitting on the beach for a whole week is a wonderful idea in theory. But when you get right down to it, a whole week of nothing but chasing waves in a beach chair could be incredibly boring. To fight the urge to leave the beach after 10 minutes, a mini-library was brought along. Of course, it was all fluff books, nothing requiring too much thinking, but perfect for a relaxing day. I'm so glad I have friends that are uber prepared. Thanks to Erin for our big entertainment box.

Friday, August 6, 2010

Picture 188 - Round 2


On my return from Michigan I began to feel a "yucky" and crummy. I attributed it to mostly homesickness and the blues, but turns out I had managed to get an ear and sinus infection. I was able to get in to the doctor Thursday afternoon and she gave me some antibiotics because, let's face it, who wants to "tough it out" and let the sickness run its course when you're staying at the beach. I can't remember the last time I had to be on antibiotics, let alone two times in a month, but I'm so glad these medicines are available. Hopefully by tonight I'll be feeling more like myself and be able to walk in a straight line again.

Picture 187 - A promise for the future


I have some very creative family, but when it comes to making things out of posters, no one can top my brother in law. For my birthday, I was given this really cool looking camera. It looks like a camera I would want when I upgrade. I have decided that I will wait till I have earned enough from taking pictures to justify buying such a nice camera. Not only is this a very cool looking camera, it also doubles as a bank. So, now whenever I get paid for pictures, I can just put it in my camera bank for future use. I'm so thankful for family that supports and encourages my hobbies.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Picture 186 - reality check


Well, while I took a ton of pictures while I was home, I did not keep up on posting, so I'm just going to skip ahead to today and keep going from there.

Yesterday evening I got "home" around 9 from Michigan. It was really hard to leave, so today has been a little bit of a roller coaster. I was really tired, I have a feeling I'm getting sick, and I miss being 30 minutes from my family. I know this is where God has me for now, and I am fully aware that in a few days when I see all my friends again, when life settles back into its routine, I will be so glad to be back. But I always know the first days back will be sad.
So, where do the walmart shopping bags come in? After being gone for 5 weeks, I only had a few condiments, yogurt and water in the fridge along with some VERY spoiled milk. I went in to work today, so was not really interested in dealing with the grocery store, but the lack of food and my growling tummy made me go. I happened to be on facebook and was about to update my status to "ugh, grocery shopping, why can't I come home to a pre-stocked fridge?" Just as I was about to hit enter, I realized how whiny and spoiled that sounded. I am so incredibly grateful for the finances to go shopping for food, for stores that carry more than 1 or 2 options, and for a vehicle that will take me to three different stores looking for yellow squash. I need to remember all that God has done for me and choose gratitude instead of complaining.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Picture 185 - Blueberries


One of the best things about living in Michigan is the abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables. For the person who has the motivation, strawberries, cherries, blueberries, and apples are all available for picking when they come in season. Today I spent the afternoon at Gold Barn picking. Turns out the only way to tell the difference between types of berries is to taste them. Not a problem for me. Three for the bucket, one for me to taste. Repeat till bucket is full.

Picture 184 - so close


One of the things I love about coming home is swimming in the pool on a daily basis. Last summer the temperature got above 80 only once while I was home. This summer it hasn't really dipped below 80. I'm loving the weather, but I'm missing the pool. When it was opened, it was discovered that the old liner had ripped and it needed to be replaced. Yesterday the pool repair guys came, put the new liner in and began the process of filling the pool. Only a few more days now until I can kick back, relax, and chill poolside.