Is it possible that we now have four weeks behind us already this year? Thankfully, the past week has been MUCH quieter and calmer than last week…we had more of our “typical” winter with just rain and even a couple of days when the sun peeked out, just for good measure! I must admit that after the storm last week, I sure appreciate our usual winter weather much more…even though I’m really a warm weather person…I’ll take the usual rainy winter over the snow and ice!
This week, the focus has been just that, very precise with my theme being “DETAIL” and I shot all of these with my macro lens. With macro lenses, you can really isolate details and parts of a photograph and blur out the rest, but you also must be “spot on” with the focus, or it just doesn’t work. The best way is to use a tripod for macro photography, which I did with most of these photos. So, here’s a series of detailed photos….
For each of you, I wish a week filled with happy times, good health and lots of laughter…and I’ll see you next week, with a new theme!
Wow, I’m not quite sure what happened to the last few weeks of 2010….I had great intentions of posting a blog before the end of the year, but obviously that didn’t happen. I will say that the last couple of weeks were filled with fun, family, travels, work and some splurging…and it was all fabulous! So, I will admit that I turned 50 just before Christmas…and I’m feeling okay about that number, it really doesn’t bother me. I’ve always said, and truly believe that you are only as old as you feel and I don’t feel “50” and am happy with where I am in life right now! My birthday was probably my best (beside my BIRTHday) and most memorable…my mom came over and she, myself, my daughter and my cousin spent the day at a spa, getting spoiled and pampered…and was that ever nice! I’ve never done that before, so what a treat it was…and one that I could certainly handle more than every 50 years! 🙂 My (wonderful) husband informed me that I had to be home and ready to leave for dinner by 5:15 that evening, so we were back and dressed and ready to go…when lo and behold, a limo shows up, with my daughter, son in-law, son and granddaughter…was I ever surprised and excited! Myself, my mom and husband all loaded in with the kids and we headed to Seattle for a fabulous dinner and my cousin and her husband met us there…another wonderful surprise of the day…as I said, it was a very special and memorable day!
Christmas was just a couple of days later and with some more family coming into town, it was time to head the meal planning mode and with the help of my mom, everything came off without a hitch and we had a wonderful Christmas with family and friends…it certainly can’t be any better than when you are able to spend the holidays with those you love and care about!
There were a couple of days to pick up from Christmas before my husband and I headed off to Boise, Idaho for a wedding we were shooting. This was a special one…it was the wedding of some good friend’s daughter…on New Year’s Eve…and over 29 years ago my husband was in their wedding, so to be able to be in one wedding and then capture some special memories for their daughter was a real treat! The wedding was beautiful (post coming later this week with photos!) and was a great way to ring in the new year, celebrating a brand new beginning for a lovely couple, and with some great friends…it doesn’t get much better than that! While in Boise, we had the delight of seeing a few relatives of mine who live there…and it’s always great to catch up with what is going on with their lives…and give them a hug since we don’t get to see them often…family is truly a special gift and I am always thankful when we get to see them in person!
So, the new year began, it was a late, or really early start into the new year and I am feeling excited and refreshed. 2010 was a good year and although not everything goes our way, I have great memories and have met some wonderful people through my work…and feel so blessed with what I have and those I know…life is all about what you make it and I truly want to make it the very best possible. 2011 brings new possibilities, new adventures and hopefully, some new clients and friends…which I always look forward to. Of course, there are the resolutions we all make and as a friend of my put it, she has “hopes” for the new year, which is what I think is a better way to put it…”hopes” that we can accomplish some new things for the year, “hopes” that we are able to meet some goals we set for ourselves and “hopes” that we will continue to be blessed with a loving and happy life as we continue on our journey! I have many of the usual “hopes” such as organizing my closets, the garage and my file cabinets and would like to find more time for myself…whether it be to read, relax or walk through the park with my amazing husband or maybe take a nap…whatever…I know that I look forward to the future, with open eyes and feel great about what is ahead.
For you…I wish joy, good health and good times with those you care about…because life is to short to take for granted and worry about the little things (like the dust in the corner of the room!!!)…live and ENJOY life and those you care about, while you have it!!!
My granddaughter, a couple of days before Christmas…do I ever love her smile!
Just finishing up our spa time…we were all feeling relaxed and refreshed!
Christmas morning…cuddling with our granddaughter on her new “couch” and we all fit!!
Riding her new bike…that smile says it all!
A little bit of winter showed up just two days before we flew to Boise…and what a treat it was to get outside for a bit of (cold) fun! Our dog is over 15 and although she doesn’t frolick like she used to, she still was happy to be outside with my granddaughter and myself. And, as you can see, my granddaughter has that mischevious look about her…like a snowball is about to come my way!
The view of the foothills around Boise from our hotel window…truly stunning!
Another view from our hotel window…at about 2 am on New Year’s morning!
Have you ever met a family and felt like they were meant to be…that it just seemed like their life was destiny? This past weekend I had the pleasure of meeting a beautiful baby, Indy (love that name!!) and her parents, Katie and Jason and that is just how I felt about this family! What a treat it was to spend some time with them and to be able to capture some special memories for them! Baby Indy is three months old and it didn’t take very long to become charmed by this cutie and know that I would enjoy my time with her. Along with her parents, she has two “sisters” who are the four-legged kind…and what great dogs they are…both very gentle and calm and so good with Indy…it was fun to watch how they were with her…every once in a while, they would try to steal a kiss, but mostly they were just happy to be close to her! At the end of the session, they both curled up on the (soft and fuzzy) blanket that Indy had been lying on…I don’t blame them…I wouldn’t mind curling up on it myself for a nap…and of course, we couldn’t resist putting Indy back down on it, in the middle of her big sisters…it was so cute!!
I must admit that I had two great assistants this morning…my hubby and my daughter, who works with Katie…and boy, did I enjoy their help…what a treat…I’m wondering what it would take to get both of them for all of my sessions…thank you Rick and Jess!! So here’s a peek at the session on this cold Sunday morning…
Isn’t this a great looking family…and the two dogs, Lily and Roxy, are perfect bookends for this picture…they were so good…to have two dogs and a baby…all looking the same direction…very rare!
