Scavenger Hunt Tuesday

It's FINALLY raining here!  We were supposed to get some rain all weekend but of course that did not happen.  Which led to a very humid night where my husband and I did not get much sleep even though we had all three fans going in our room last night (we don't have air conditioning).  Hoping this rain will cool things off a little so we will sleep better tonight!

How was y'alls Memorial Day Weekend?  Do anything fun?  Or did you just spend the long weekend relaxing?  That's we did.  Weekends with no plans are my favorite!  Especially after a weekend of travel.

I know I have been slacking on the Scavenger Hunt blog posts.  I went a while there without really taking any photos and to be honest lost a little interest in it.  However, with some changes in my life that I have decided to make and the warmer weather seemingly here to stay, I feel rejuvenated and am taking photos again.

1. Capturing Movement

Here is my husband swimming in his second triathlon on Saturday.  Blurry, I know but I like how you can see him taking breath as he continues to swim.  I would let you know he finished but I am not sure he would too happy if I shared.  Apparently he has turned into a little triathlon snob:-P 

2. Texture

Brick wall.  

3. Beneath Your Feet

Concrete floor on our front porch while I was swinging on our porch swing enjoying the warm Memorial Day afternoon and sunshine.  I didn't realize how dirty my feet were until I saw the photo enlarged.  Oops!  Prior to this, I cleaned my car and grass stuck to my feet.  I thought I got everything.  Apparently not.  

 4. Face Your Fears

I love street photography.  I have been wanting to walk around and capture the different people and culture but have been hesitant because it is apparently rude (who knew right - sense the sarcasm?) to photograph someone without asking for their permission first.  Being the timid and shy gal that I am this has been keeping me from doing what I would like to one day capture.  I asked this sweet man as I  walked around Beaver after work if I could take his photo.  At first he asked me I would want to get a photo of him and I told him for my blog.  He asked me what my blog was about and I told him photography.  He agreed.  And I thanked him profusely.  Before him I had asked three other people and was turned down by all of them.  One lady was really nice but the second two were kinda rude and looked at me as if I had something growing out of my head.  I knew I wanted to do this for Face Your Fears as soon as I read the categories from last week's Scavenger Hunt but kept putting it off (hence me waiting until Tuesday to capture this) because it made me uncomfortable.  It was not until I was looking through my Twitter feed this morning when I came across this article on tips on shooting street portraits. If that wasn't a sign, I am not sure what is.  Next time I do this - and there will be a next time - I will bring my business cards with me with my blog information on it so they can visit the site if they so choose.  Thanks again, sweet man.  I appreciate it!  Just another step to getting comfortable with the uncomfortable. 

5. Currently

I was not really sure how to capture Currently.  Currently to me means being in the moment.  And one of my favorite moments from the weekend was sitting on the front porch with my husband, playing Yahtzee and listening to the wind chimes.  Makes me happy.  This was taken last night (via Instagram) while we were winding down after dinner and from a wonderful long weekend.    

Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend as much as we did!  Have a great week!  At least it's a short one, right? 

Linking up with

Chapel Hill, NC through the lens of my phone

It is the start to a new week yet again.  I am still recovering from a wonderful weekend in Chapel Hill, NC with my in-laws, husband and the rest of his extended family.  We drove down Friday (breaking up the trip) and got back yesterday.  It's amazing how much driving can wear you out!

It was a beautiful weekend!  We went down for husband's cousin's wedding.  The weather could not have been more perfect.  A perfect 75 degrees with NO humidity.  That rarely happens in NC after April 1.  As I mentioned in Friday's post I had never ventured to Chapel Hill.  I was just excited to spend a weekend in the south surrounded by southern accents and boys dressed in pink shirts, khakis and boat shoes;)  This weekend was the first time I spent a longer period of time with husband's extended family.  And for the first time, I knew what it was like to be in husband's shoes when we spend time with my extended family - overwhelming! (in case you didn't know/I haven't already mentioned, I am pretty close with my extended family and make it a point to see them at least once a year.  We are kinda obsessed with one another and I wouldn't have it any other way).  Husband's extended family is the opposite and they rarely see each other (they are kinda spread out all over the place).  But everyone was so sweet and nice!  I hope to see them all again if we are able to make a trip to Denver for the next family wedding.

Of course I had my camera with me but wanted to share the photos I took with my phone while the trip is still relatively fresh in my mind.  Who knows when I'll get the time to sift through the different photos I got!

We stayed at The Carolina Inn right in the heart of the city.  Gorgeous hotel!  The wedding and reception was actually held there as well.  

Post lunch walk around the city.  I love pillars!  So southern. 

Sunday morning brunch.  Loved the windows and tall ceiling.  

Entrance to the Cocker Arboretum. We spent about 45 minutes walking the grounds and reading the descriptions of the different plants and trees.  This kinda reminds me of The Secret Garden.  If I had more time I would have brought my book here, found an empty bench and read while I enjoying the fresh air and greenery. 

Fresh air view from the back of the hotel. The Cornmans and I sat outside to enjoy the beautiful North Carolina afternoon while husband slept. 

View while waiting for the Bride to walk down the aisle.  

View from our hotel window

I absolutely fell in love with the Bride's dress.  Isn't it/she just GORGEOUS?!?  I think it may be my favorite wedding dress yet (and I have seen a lot of wedding dresses)! 

It was so great to finally meet everyone this weekend.  Thank you for including me and being so welcoming, Cornmans!  Hopefully see you again in August.  

Friday Photo Dump

Heading to Chapel Hill, NC for the weekend with my in-laws and husband for a wedding.  Never been to Chapel Hill so I'm excited to get a chance to see the area.  Change of scenery is always welcome!

Other than that, I don't really have too much to post at this time.  So, thought I'd just dump share my iPhone photos with you from over the past few weeks...

Saying good-bye 

Hope everyone had a great week!  HAPPY WEEKEND!!!!  

STL for Easter: Tower Grove Park

As I shared before I spent my long Easter weekend with my family in St. Louis.  On Saturday morning my sister, Cam, and I went with my mom to a garage sale, where she had already been that morning, to pick up her new finds.  On the way home my mom drove through an area of the city I had not yet visited:  Tower Grove Park.  One of my favorite things about STL, at least the area my parents live in, are the gorgeous parks.  The first thing to grab my attention while driving through the park were the different pavilions.  Never seen anything like it before:

These two were my favorite.  I could have spent the whole day walking through the park getting photos of each pavilion.  But I could tell Cam was starting to get a little sick of me yelling "STOP" so I could get out of the car to take another picture of something else. 

What I also enjoyed about Tower Grove was how it made you feel as though you are hidden away and not in the middle of a big city.  A great place to get lost for a while in a good book while resting on a blanket after a nice stroll.  

And in case you cannot tell, I kinda have a thing for benches.  I love the black bench under the trees.  Cant you just see an old man reading the newspaper with his cane propped up against the bench while he reads?  Very Finding Neverland.  

This reminded me of the last scene in Pride & Prejudice (the one with Keira Knightly) where Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy are looking longingly into each others eyes talking about their love for one another.  

When I visit again I am going to have to spend more time here.  Give me nature and my camera and I am content for hours.  

Hope everyone has a great weekend.  And a Happy Mother's Day to all you Mothers and future Mothers out there!  

Manfrotto Pocket Tripod

Look what came in the mail today from Amazon!  My new toy for my trip to Scotland and Ireland in June!!!! 

What is it?  Well, my friends, it is a tripod that fits right in my little pocket.  You screw it into the socket on your DSLR or point-and-shoot then...

open the legs to stabilize your camera on an uneven surface for those situations where you want to get a photo with yourself in it OR in those low-light situations where you may need to increase the Shutter Speed.

And voila.. 

As a warning I at first had a hard time getting my camera to stay upright but all you need to do is adjust the little legs so it balances better and stays upright.  My favorite part: the legs fold so once you screw the little tripod to your camera's socket you can leave it on your camera and just unfold the legs whenever you want to use it as tripod!  Pretty neato, huh?  Great find for only like $30 dollars (including the shipping and handeling). 

It is not an uncommon sight to have packages on the front porch from Amazon.  It's always a nice surprise when I realize the package (which is usually for the husband) is for ME!:):):) 

What about you?  Have you made any new and exciting purchases recently?  

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

1) Smile.

Husband and I watched a good friend of ours little boy.  He was so good for us.  He only cried once and it was only because I put him in the jumper and he didn't want to be put there.  Trying to keep him entertained I stood him up at the window to look out.  He had so much fun.  I had Chris hold him so I could go outside to get some photos from the front yard.  

2. Shadow

Husband working hard to mow the lawn before our first open house today.  When I showed him this picture he said, "Look at those strong, beastly legs."  Ha! 

 3. Fish

Because we had to be out of the house between 1 and 3 for the open house, husband and I went to a local park and relaxed in the sun.  To cool off I went down to the creek and got some pictures of these little fishies.  Can you seem them?  They are kinda hard to see. 

 4. Unedited (SOOC)

Zoomed in photo of the ripples in the creek.  

 5. Keys

My house and work keys hanging up by the front door.  

Happy to post Scavenger Hunt photos on an actual Sunday.  Finally!  Hope everyone has had a nice Sunday.  It was a gorgeous day in Pittsburgh.  My favorite time of the year!:) 

What did you photograph this weekend?

This week wasn't much better than last week.  I doubt it had nothing to do with my impending visit from aunt flow:-P  But, alas, it is the first warm Saturday morning in a while and I am already feeling much better.  Don't you just love waking up on mornings where it is already 65 degrees at 7?  I do!  It just makes me feel happy and hopeful.  I'm really not meant to live up north much longer.

Wednesday and Thursday nights are nights to myself because husband is in class until late.  Back in January we purchased a GoogleTV where we can browse the internet on the TV.  We have only basic cable but are now able to stream loads of shows from the shows websites or on Amazon.  Amazon introduced me to Downton Abbey (so disappointed I have to wait until Jan 2013 for another season) and I just finished watching Tudors.  My mother-in-law was also nice enough to give us her username and password to her HBOgo to watch Game of Thrones.  Since Game of Thrones is something husband and I watch together while he bikes on his trainer I was browsing the series section from the website.  And I  stumbled upon Girls.  And now I am obsessed.  Kinda like Sex and The City but I feel a more realistic take on what I would imagine living in New York City would be like.  If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend it.  And it's hard not to notice the great music played throughout the episodes.  Feist, Passion Pit, MGMT, LCD Soundsystem, etc.

In fact I was reintroduced to a favorite of mine from the 90s - Robyn.  Do y'all remember her?

One of her recent songs was played at the end of the last episode I watched - Dancing On My Own!  So catchy and maybe my new fav.  Who doesn't love to just get up and dance when the mood strikes? (please say I'm not alone) 

Oh, and Happy Cinco De Mayo! An excuse to get drunk off way too many margaritas.  But hey, I'll take it (even though I really don't need excuses).  Hoping to meet up with Jenny, my sister-in-law, for way too many margaritas at Mad Mex (if it isn't too busy) or making our own if it is too crowded.  First, husband and I get to watch a friend's baby for an hour or so while they treat themselves out to an early dinner.  Just between us, but I think husband is a little nervous:)  What are y'alls Saturday afternoon plans? 

Hope everyone is having a great day!  I love weekends and wish they would NEVER end.  

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What I was up to last week through the lens of my iPhone

Happy 27th

Coke vs Pepsi

Biscuit

Raymond the ring leader 

view

his shadow

drive

almost home

Ziva Princess

Tulips

my shadow

from where I sit

just because flowers

Wednesday happy hour wine tasting remnants

front porch view

visitor

husband vs my take on Friday night relaxing drink

storms acommin'

silly

xoxo