Friday Five: What I've been doing lately

1. Kevin and I went to a shooting range one Friday night this summer, and it is definitely something I'd like to do with him again!  The 9mm was a little more powerful than I expected, but I shot better than I thought I would.  Here's a short video...

2. Avalanche bars are my latest Pinterest discovery.  Actually, I pinned the recipe a long time ago, but I just recently decided to make them.  Oh my goodness, they are delicious!  You only need five ingredients to make them, and they couldn't be easier.  I've made them twice already and Kevin has forbidden me from ever making them again (because they are irresistible!).  I think I'll pretend he never said that. ;)

3. Believe it or not, my friends and I danced in a flash mob last month!  There is a video of it out there on the internet, but I'm a little too shy and embarrassed to share it. :)  It started raining right before we were supposed to dance, but we waited it out and eventually did our thing.  It was nothing like the huge, perfected flash mobs that you have probably seen on TV, but we had a lot of fun and we're all glad we did it!

4. Lately, I've had several friends ask me to take family photos for them, and I am having a lot of fun doing so.  I really enjoy photography, and I jump at the chance to take photos for friends, because I know I can only get better if I practice.  Here are some of my favorites from recent photo sessions.

5. Last week Kevin surprised me with an anniversary trip to the BAHAMAS!  To say I was completely shocked is an understatement, and I still can't believe he planned an international vacation without my knowledge!  What a thoughtful and loving husband I have.  Thank goodness our families and friends are good secret keepers, because quite a few people knew about the trip and I was still surprised.  Kevin and I had an incredible time together, and I promise to post more pics from our trip...eventually.  I can't blog about that when I still need to blog about my parents' visit this past Spring!  Yes, I'm that behind on blogging.

Have a great weekend!

Getaway to Charleston

As you may or may not have noticed, I've been slacking in the blogging department lately.  We have had a crazy couple of months...Kevin changed squadrons (he was a Hawk, now he's a Bengal), we enjoyed visits from our parents, we drove to Kentucky for my Dad's retirement party and we went to Nashville for a dear friend's wedding.  We've also been spending some time working on our lawn and flowerbeds.  Before I share photos from all of the things I just mentioned, I need to show you our photos from Charleston.  In March, Kevin was able to take a few days of leave and we enjoyed our first real vacation since our honeymoon in 2009.  We spent a few days in Charleston, SC and a few days in Asheville, NC.  Here are some of my photos from Charleston...what a beautiful and charming city.  I'm glad that it's only a couple of hours away from us, because I can't wait to go back!

Our first day in Charleston was St. Patrick's Day,
so I wore this shirt that Kevin bought me in Key West.  He's pretty proud of it. :)

Friday Five: Reasons You Must Visit Biltmore

The History

The Views 

The Scenery

The Gardens

 

The Romance

Friday Five - 2.3.12

A year ago this week, Kevin and I moved across the country.  We literally drove from the West Coast to the East Coast (over 2,400 miles!), but we spread it out over 2+ weeks and we stopped in Oklahoma for a bit to see family and friends.  During the drive, we spent a night in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  The following morning Kevin woke me up and said to look out the window. 

This is what I saw...

So, of course I grabbed my camera and tried to capture this incredible sunrise through our hotel room window, crossing my fingers that the colors would look just as magnificent in photos.  Thankfully, I think they do.

Happy weekend, everyone!

San Diego to South Carolina

I am so far behind in blogging that I hardly know where to start.  Maybe I should follow through with my intent to write shorter, more frequent posts instead of getting myself into the position I am now where I'm overwhelmed and don't think I can catch up. :-)  Oh well, here goes.  Since the last post, Kevin and I moved from San Diego to South Carolina.  We are excited about the new area we'll call home for many reasons, and here are some of those:

1.) Real estate is more affordable here so we get to be homeowners! 
2.) We're closer to the great state of Oklahoma, and thus, closer to loved ones.
3.) We get to live in a historic area in the South - which we think will be a great experience.
4.) We should get to live here for several years, and that's a long time to us.  (I say should because I have learned that nothing in military life is set in stone!)

Even though we're thrilled about this new chapter of our lives, we were sad to leave San Diego, too.  A bunch of reasons why:

1.) The weather was sunny and gorgeous almost all of the time...which made me very happy.
2.) The terrain was absolutely beautiful...unlike anything I'd ever seen.
3.) There were so many things to do and in our 15 months there, we didn't get to do all of them.
4.) It has Yogurtland, home of the best frozen yogurt ever. This is not a joke...it was delicious!

Nonetheless, we feel very blessed to be stationed in such wonderful places.  Thank you, USMC!

Here are a few of the last photos I took in fabulous San Diego.  In upcoming posts, I'll share photos of our apartment (since I never did that while we lived there), our cross-country drive and our new house.

Celebrating my birthday at George's Ocean Terrace



  

View from the corner of our apartment complex

Love of my life and the Pacific

My attempt to be a photographer...

Last week, I had the pleasure of taking family photos for my sweet and beautiful friend, Nicole. In case you're wondering...I have absolutely ZERO experience doing anything like this, and I have only had my DSLR camera for three short months. So, PLEASE lower your expectations before you scroll down. (Thank you!) On the other hand, I really enjoy taking photos with my new camera and I just love this family to pieces...so I had to say yes when Nicole asked me for this little favor. Before the big day, I spent quite a bit of time scoping out potential locations and even more time researching photography tips online. Kevin was also a huge help in this effort because he willingly 'posed' in front of different backdrops for me so I could see what my practice photos would look like w/ a human in them. :)

I went into the photoshoot incredibly nervous and came out of it just as nervous about the results because it was one of the hardest things I've ever done! I knew that it was going to be difficult because photography is truly an art form and I am such a beginner, but I didn't realize how brief the moments would be when I had everyone's attention and happy faces! Fortunately for me, this family looks cute all the time no matter what they're doing...so I managed to capture some great shots while learning a LOT about photography. I would love to be great at this craft someday but I need much more practice if that is ever going to happen. Thank you, Nicole & Adam, for letting me take your family photos! I miss you guys already, and it still hasn't sunk in that you're living in Japan for the next three years. :(

Here are some of my favorites from the 500 or so I took.