Where I've Been

The fact that I haven’t blogged has been hanging over my head for weeks. Not for anybody’s sake but my own. I love the self inflicted pressure I have had with writing regularly… and the fact that I have been slacking makes me disappointed in myself. After all, in my heart I am a writer, and though I will likely never make a buck from my ramblings, it is important for me to let the inspiration of the moment flow.

I have allowed another inspiration take over and snatch much of my free time recently. As I have been interested in photography since I was a teenager, being blessed by the apprenticeship of Rebecca at Fresh From God Photography is an incredible opportunity that I am taking full advantage of. In the last few months I have been able to practice, learn, and study photography in a new way which has been invaluable.

I initially had intended on doing a post for each of these separate shoots, but as the time is getting away from me, I am just going to share a few of my favorites. And so here we have a compilation of many wonderful moments in life involving marriage, children, and the happy expectation of a baby.

July Recap

I feel as if summer were quickly fading away. School starts up here on Monday, which doesn’t impact me at all except to give me that sad realization that summer is quickly waning. It is silly to ponder though, because it is the first of August and a bright beautiful summer day outside. July flew by in much the same manner as June. Busy.

-   Cory is still working in Mammoth (hopefully for only a few more weeks yay!) and so I have still been spending my midweek at my parents house. We have developed quite a jolly little routine. Here is how our days go:

     -Coffee time before work
     -Coffee time after work and working out
     -Salads
     -We sit on my parent’s bed and sing along with my dad and his guitar just like we did when we were kids. “Cripple Creek” is a daily must, of course.
     -We, all four of us, lay on my parents bed to watch a mystery of our choice (sometimes with oil in our    mouths as oil pulling has been a new trend of mine, and sometimes with oil on our faces as oil cleansing is also very popular in our household right now, but more on those fun remedies later).
      Yes, it has been a fun season being a kid again.

-   Despite all of the activities that have kept us super busy, we made three day trips down to the beach. According to my dad’s philosophy, it is a discipline to take a day off from routine and work and go down to the beach. And so we have been very disciplined this month.

-   Cory and I attended his brother’s quiet little wedding ceremony and so welcomed a new member into our family.

-   I was second shooter at my second wedding with Fresh From God Photography. I felt less nervous this time and more comfortable with what I was doing. It was an amazing venue and wonderful experience.

-   I have spent the month with a lot to think about in regards to plans for the future. God has opened up several amazing opportunities that we are pursuing and just waiting for him to guide us by opening and shutting those doors according to his perfect plan for our life. But whatever the future holds for us, I am enjoying the ride tremendously and learning from the manifold experiences He is bringing my way.

And so, bring on August. I have a feeling it is going to be an exciting month.

June Recap

Half the year is already gone! I cannot even believe it. Summer is in full swing here and life is just grand. June was a crazy busy month. Busy in all the ways that are contrary to the busyness that existed in May.

A glimpse of June...

-   Cory worked up north in Mammoth Monday through Friday. So, instead of spending my lonely evenings and nights at home, I moved back in with my parents during the week. It is very fun to revert back to my childhood like this. It helps to distract me from missing my hubby and have many quality hours with my parents and younger siblings.

-   I worked a lot. Splitting up my time between working with my sister and working at the gym, I stayed busy every day throughout the month.

-   I was second shooter for my first wedding! This was a nerve racking and exciting experience. It is such an honor to learn photography by such an amazing and talented photographer as Rebecca.

-   One weekend when Cory was home we went on a date off the mountain. Cory insisted on buying me new tennis shoes (when you work in fitness they wear out fast and you get super excited when you get new ones you love). And then we had a lovely dinner at the Macaroni Grill.

Bun in the Oven

I have been a ridiculous and dilatory blogger these last few months. Good intentions give way when life happens and all of the inevitable busy nothings occur.

One wonderful thing that has been rapidly claiming my time has been the continual pursuit of photography. What an amazing world is opened to me as I strive to learn this difficult art. A few weeks ago I had the opportunity of taking pictures of my sister, her family, and her cute baby bump.

As this was my first attempt at maternity shots, I was surprised at the difficulty. However, I was pleased with several of the shots, thanks to the cuteness of my subjects. 

May Recap

May was a month that merits the term, “living the good life.” Without neglecting our responsibilities, we put them a little on the back burner to enjoy each other, our family, and to make memories.

-   When May first came around we were only half way through our amazing trip to the Dominican Republic where sunshine, laughter, running, swimming, eating, drinking, and scuba diving abounded. Talk about Paradise. Honeymoon number 4 (or something like that… it’s hard to keep track) was equally as amazing, albeit different, than the proceeding ones.

-   It was a sad day when we had to board the plane to head home. However… we were not staying home for long. At the risk of coming across as terribly spoiled, we were home four days before we were off on a family cruise to Mexico. I know, I know, that is ridiculous. But really, there was a brief window where all eighteen of us could go on an epic adventure on board the good ship glorious. We could not miss out on an experience like that for something as silly as money.

-   And since we were already in party mode, some of us made a stop at Disneyland on our drive home from the port in Long Beach. Nothing like cramming it all in.

-   And so May closed with Cory and I back in our cozy little home, determining on a season of working hard.