You Capture: Macro

This week's challenge was to use a macro, or shoot something close up in great detail. This usually also involves a great depth of field, which I LOVE.

My collection of antique food choppers

My favorite pink Chuck Taylors

Remember to check out all the other great photos!

Peach Days 10K

Pre-Race
Dani, Brown, James, Manny

Friday night of Peach Days my house was overrun with crazy people. The first reason I say they were crazy is they were preparing to run a 10K the next day, and I can't even fathom that... the second reason is all the weird stuff they had to do to prepare.
They all had little weird quirky things that were part of their pre-race ritual. I loved having them all spend the night though!
The reason I say I can't even fathom running 6 miles is because I can't even run a block without feeling like my chest is about to explode. It's the way I've always been.
Guy had registered to run the race but wasn't feeling good so Brown ran in his place, which is pretty funny since Brown came in 4th place in his age division, and all the paperwork says it was Guy :)
Who knew Guy would be the fastest without ever putting running shoes on?

Post-Race: This picture PROVES they're all nuts
James: 55:36 Dani: 55:35 Brown: 45:05 Manny: 59:48



~Our thoughts go out to the Miles family who suffer the
devastating loss of their son & brother, Ian, during the race~

You Capture Challenge 09-09-09

Brein told me about a blog called 'I should be folding laundry', in which the author challenges blog readers to a photography challenge once a week. Everyone who participates gets a link on her blog so that everyone else can see all the great photos. Here's my first one!

The challenge was to take a picture of something that you've never taken a picture of before. The object is to get people out using their cameras and looking at things differently. The last part has never really been a problem, since I see art in a lot of things most people don't, but the part about getting out and using my camera IS a problem for me. I see things all day everyday that I think "I should shoot that" and don't. Hopefully this helps me explore my world through my lens better.

This manhole is right by my house, and I've noticed it before- It's different from the ones I usually see, it's older, and has a great pattern to it.
So here's my first installment!

A Great Surprise!

Yesterday was a bad day. Things just weren't going right, and then my mom called to tell me that my grandma had fallen down and broken her hip. My own issues now compounded with this news was enough to cause a minor meltdown.
I was just about to leave work when Manuel called and said that my uncle Tod had brought a surprise for me and that I should hurry home.
Scootie only goes 35 mph, so that was a difficult task ;)

When I got home I found this on the lawn waiting for me!

Tod made this for me! I was so excited that it made me temporarily forget about all the bad stuff of the day.
It's the PERFECT size and is soooo comfortable. He even made cup holders! How many adirondaks do you know of with cup holders? I even love the sappy little heart he cut out in the middle :)
Then Manny told me that Tod had said that my Grandpa had wanted to make one for me and didn't have the chance. So much for the temporary intermission of waterworks!
I miss my Grandpa a lot, and this will surely remind me of all his talented wood crafting. It's hard to see my Grandma having health problems only two years after he died.

I have a feeling she'll be ok though, when I went to see her in the hospital last night she was "shitting and damning" like her usual self. The currency of swear words is usually a pretty good barometer of her wellbeing.

Thank you Tod for making such a thoughtful gift.
Hope you get better soon Grandma, you cranky old broad. :)

Peaches & Carnies

Ahhhhhh September. How I love you.
September is the beginning of fall, my ultimate favorite season.
Crisp air, sweaters, turning leaves, soup, knitting....
and my favorite holiday, Halloween.

I count down the days until I can unleash my ridiculously large pumpkin collection from its sleepy existence in the cellar to usurp the entire house.
Knitting pumpkins is probably one of my favorite things, and it sure does show in the amount I've collected over the years.
I'm always on a hunt for great orange yarn!

September also holds Brigham City's glory, Peach Days.
I love Peach Days. I always have.
When I start thinking about exactly WHY I love this holiday.... I can't ever seem to put it into words. Everyone just seems so excited!

There is this feeling of anticipation and happiness downtown that only happens once a year. There is also pie.

Could I like a holiday based solely on the fact that it has amazing pie? Absolutely.
I'm fickle that way.

This fine specimen originates from Maddox. And oh lord. It's excellent.
If you haven't tried it yet, you really need to. It makes me so excited, which goes right along with the general feel of Peach Days :)

12,410 days old

Manny turned 34 on Monday!
When James asked him what his secret to looking so young was, he replied
"Well, I never use sunscreen, and I never moisturize."
There you have it.

Nobody can ever believe Manuel is as old as he is because he just doesn't look it.

We all went out for Sushi on the Sunday before his birthday
Guy, James, Aaron (hiding as usual), Joe, Brad, Erica, Me, Manuel

After we got back from
dinner we sat around
the table chat-chitting about
a whole lot of nothing.
James decided that
everyone needed to
take a self portrait
with their drinks....




On Monday we went to lunch with my parents and dinner with Erica & Brad.
I hope you had a great birthday, babe!

Labor Day Weekend!

This weekend has been a pretty sore subject for quite a while, since we'd had a trip to Fish Lake planned that I decided wasn't worth going on.
I look forward to spending time with my merry band of misfits, especially when it's doing something out of the ordinary, like a cheap vacation, so it's really sad when circumstances prevent that.

We needed to find something fun to do for Manny's birthday weekend, so we grabbed my brother and decided to go to Bloomington camping.

On the way up, we had the brilliant idea to scare the living shit out of James. This was accomplished by slamming on the brakes and screaming while James was asleep in the back seat of the truck :)





We ate at Hometown Drive Inn in Garden City, and then went on a hunt for a great campsite.
We eventually found one by a creek that was absolutely gorgeous, and James kept raving that it needed to be in a tent catalog.



See more photos here

On Sunday we hiked to Bloomington lake where the boys took advantage of the rope swing.



There was only one close-call involving the water, that was when Manny threatened to push James in the lake if he didn't quit singing the Beyonce song chorus "You must not know 'bout me, you must not know 'bout me" over and OVER again. Not only was him singing this annoying enough, but he was singing it with a country twang....
Lucky for James, Manny showed him mercy and did not throw him in, even though he probably should have.
Watching those two tease each other constantly is pretty hilarious.

After getting back to the truck, we made sandwiches for lunch and headed home to get ready for Manny's birthday dinner!