4th of July

This 4th of July was just ho hum. Growing up we spent every 4th of July in Maine. We would head to town for the fair/circus/trash that would come every year. We would ride on rides that hurt so bad, but yet were so fun we'd walk out of the ride with tears of laughter and pain. One year Erin, Julie and I put raisins in our teeth to fit in, if ya know what I mean. :) After wasting money on painful rides, we'd find our seat in the lawn next to the water and wait for fireworks. When I was younger, I'd lay in Erin's lap and, like the extra loving sis she is, she'd plug my ears every time a 'moon' went off. A moon firework is the big white balls of nothingness that are SO LOUD. I was scared of them when I was younger because they hurt my ears. She was so good at plugging my ears on time so that it wouldn't hurt. I love my sisters so much. They are the best part of my life, among other things, but they are ranked pretty high. The Moons don't bother me now, but they do make me squint and flinch. The fireworks show that the town put on was nothing less that amazing. They lasted about 45 minutes, were shot off right on the water (one year we watched from a boat - so cool! but so cold!), and had the grandest finale I've ever seen. Now that I'm in the 'real world' and have a job where I can't spend 2 months in Maine (bummer!) I spend 4th of July in OKC and head to Maine at the end of July. T-8 days til I'm there!

This year I met my bff Sam and her family in Bethany, OK to see some Fireworks. I wasn't planning on watching any fireworks, but then I remembered that it is a once-a-year photo opp that I had to take advantage of. The fireworks were just OK. I think they l lasted about 7 minutes, and I don't remember a grand finale. Others might have enjoyed them, but I have high standards from my Maine memories. I took a few pics - they turned out aiight. Nothin' to write home about..or blog. But, I'll post them anyway.

I hope everyone had a safe and fun 4th! This summer is flying by sooo fast. It's so true: Time flies when your havin' fun!

TGIF everyone. Have a great weekend. I'm gonna go sit my Bj's-filled belly on the couch.

peace.

Sunshine, water, and 2 precious toddlers

I'm on a roll this week! Currently it's about 80 degrees, dark, cloudy, and raining and I'M LOVING IT! We aren't lake people, so our 4th of July long weekend isn't getting ruined by the rain. I had a very busy June, so it's nice to relax, nap, read, and play with pictures/blog on this long, rainy weekend. Keith is smoking some delicious smelling brisket and ribs as I type - the smell is making my stomach growl! I can't wait for dinner tonight!

A few weekends ago I went home to visit my family. We didn't do much but relax in the backyard, swim, bbq, and chit-chat. It was great! I also got to practice my photography skills. It helps having 2 model-like, well-behaved, gorgeous, blue-eyed toddlers that I love so much to practice on. Hannah is in the cutest stage right now - she's starting to walk and be more verbal. She hasn't said 'Auntie' yet, but one day soon, one day...

I mean, look! Can she be more perfect and precious? My sister and her family are so blessed! And I'm a blessed and proud Auntie!
One thing I have noticed lately is that Hannah is a Daddy's girl, for sure!! If she's not near him or on his lap, she's looking for him and reaching out to him. It's so adorable. Carson loves his baby sister, too. He spent the majority of the weekend in the water - he's a fish!

In a couple of weeks (13 days to be exact) I will be in the great state of Maine with these 2 kiddos and the rest of my family. I am beyond stoked to get up there and snap away! New England is so pretty and I am already making a list of the people/places/things I want to capture on my camera. I might have to buy an extra memory card! I am planning a special 'photo shoot' for Erin and James and Julie and Clint, so I can't wait to do that.

I hope you enjoy these photos. Feel free to click on them to make them larger!










Happy 4th of July! Enjoy the rest of your weekend and be safe! Fireworks pictures coming later...

Bing da ding da ding ding ding!

You're laughing out loud if you understand my title :) Onward with this post I go....

My super good friend Janna and I love to photograph together. We were both craving a photo session, so who better to photograph than her awesome, adorable family? Where better to photograph them than at the University of Oklahoma campus? Ok, so you probably know I HATE OU, but, I will swallow my pride and say that the campus is beautiful, especially the awesome, retro phone booths! Take a look-see at how the pictures turned out! It's easy to snap a few pictures and make them look good when the family is just adorable. And you probably can't even tell that Chad, Janna's hubs, HATES taking pictures, kinda like someone I know, and won't mention any names (Keith. Oops).

Edmond, OK Farmers Market

Last Saturday morning my BFF Sam and I headed to the Edmond Farmers Market. I must admit, I have never been to a Farmers Market - can I say it was an AWESOME experience? First off, y'all know I'm sort of a health nut, so being around fresh fruit and veggies was fun in itself, and then to be able to take pictures of the bright and colorful yumminess? Yep! I was happy as a clam! Speaking of clams, let me digress. I leave for our annual vacation to Popham Beach, Maine in 16 days. 16 DAYS PEOPLE!!! I am so excited for so many reason. A) Keith gets to come. YIPPPPEEE!! This will be his first year to experience salty air, sandy bed sheets, fresh Maine lobster, clams, swordfish, sunny days, cool nights, walks on the beach, boat rides, and more. And we get to do this TOGETHER! How perfect can life get? oh, and B) hellloooooo??!! I'm going to be with ALL my best friends - my family! It can't get better than that. So...July 17th, we'll be on our way to the east coast. Trust me, I'll have plenty to blog about when I get home.

Where was I? Oh yeah, fruits and veggies, yadda yadda. The people were great, it was a perfect day, and I bought a really neat gift that I can't wait to show you after I give it to a special someone. :) Here are some pics from our morning at the Market.









ps - I left with 1/2 dozen eggs, peaches, plums, apricots, cantaloupe, and tomatoes. it was ALL delicious!

I'm baaaaaaaack!

Wowy it sure does feel good to be back! I am back in business and better than ever, thanks to a few new toys. :) I have sooo many pictures to share, but first, please enjoy my favorites from Cole Deakin's 2nd birthday party. Thanks again Chelsey for having me out! And do continue to market my amateur photography skills!