Stop Littering

Please.

Stop Littering.

It's selfish.

It's lazy.

It's flat out dirty.

It can kill.

 

I'm not perfect, but I don't litter and instead of preaching to you, I'm going to tell you an amazing story.  Brace yourselves because it's a good one and it's real.

 

This past Sunday my mom, dad, sister, brother, brother's girlfriend, the family dog and myself were fishing and hiking the creek when we heard the family dog barking, growling, and splashing through the water.  We immediately took off up the creek to see what was going on.  Bella, the family dog, was attempting to attack an 8-point buck.  Why wasn't the deer running?  Then we realized that there was what appear to be a rope strewn from a tree and across the creek that the deer's antlers were caught in and prohibiting the deer from running away.  We were able to get Bella away from the deer without injury to either the deer or our pup, but the deer was farm from calm.  Deer are strong. Antlers can spear the human body.  This was a sticky situation because we didn't have anything to cut the rope.  After debating about whether or not we should run back to the house or try to find a house in the woods, my brother decided to use his animal instincts and knowledge of deer.  He took his shirt off and slowly walked towards the buck that was now lying in the brush.  Slowly he was able to get close enough to the deer to put his shirt over the deer's eyes.  When deer can't see, they are very calm because they feel safe.  The deer stayed calm and my brother proceeded the sit on the deer and unwind the electric fence rope from the deer's antlers.  After a few minutes, my brother slowly stood up and walked away.  With that, the deer shook the shirt off of his face, looked around and took off into the woods.  He was free!  My brother saved him!  It was one of the coolest nature experiences I've every witnessed.  I am beyond proud and in awe of my brother.  It takes a special person to be able to do that. 

 

The electric fencing rope was over 100ft in length and was extremely strong; it is a tightly woven flat rope with wiring through it.  There was no way the deer was going to get out; his antlers were tightly tangled. 

 

Please stop the littering.  This rope probably came from a job site and was most likely no on purpose, but it trapped a deer and could have turned out far worse than it did.  Just be aware of your belongings and respect nature.  

 

Thank you from the deer community!

 

SPIL

+Brothers

+Deer

+Instincts

 

Much love.

A Visit Home

Home.  Ahh!  I absolutely love going home to parents’ house, seeing family, enjoying nature, catching up with best friends.  It’s a version of my heaven.  This past weekend was no exception.  Lir Lir puppy and I had an easy drive north, enjoyed an extremely colorful and sometimes blinding sunset on the Easter Shore, were greeted by a very excited and much larger pup the second we drove into the now PAVED driveway, and then we were embraced by my parents and younger sister as we walked in the door.  It’s so nice to come home!  The paved driveway was neighborhood news when it happened.  No one ever thought my parents would pave the driveway.  It’s never been paved and they have lived there 28 years.  Never say never.

Saturday morning Jamie came over with her dog and we have a puppy play date.  A huge yard that isn’t perfectly manicured is perfect for puppies to play in.  These dogs are puppies in age and dogs in size, so they can do some damage.  We had a few quarrels, but other than that there were just lots of running.  The weather was perfect so we just hung out at the picnic table and talked about life, love, vacations, work, you know the norm.  Sometimes perfect weather and good company is all the heart, mind and body need to thrive.  This weekend I enjoyed just those things with a huge dose of love. 

After some awesome friend time, I enjoyed some wonderful family time.  Bonnie had Soccer Day...yes, that's a day filled with soccer games and it is an extremely exciting time as a community soccer play because it is the one tournament of the season.  I used to love soccer day!  Bonnie's team came in second place.  They were so close to winning, but sluggish muscles won over and they failed to hold off the gold team.  



My sister is so pretty :)

 

 

In between soccer games we visited with my Gramma because her nursing home is literally next to the soccer fields!  It was perfect!  She definitely loved the company.  We took a nice walk outside and enjoyed the weather.  Fall is definitely coming because while it was sunny, Gramma was quite content in her sweater. 

 

She's such a strong woman, whom like many people her age, has suffered great loss and experienced monumental joys.  She is an inspiration to me because while she has very little feeling of her lower body, hallucinates at times, and is bed/wheelchair bound, she loves deeply, always has room for sweets and  speaks her mind!  She loves visitors and tells you straight up that she wants you to come back.  So, Saturday evening after seeing her twice that day, my little sister and I brought little lir lir puppy in for a surprise visit!  Gramma was sleeping, but in her words...I sleep a lot, just wake me up!! Time passes quickly when she has visitors and when she sleeps. Lira loved the visit just as much as Gramma did!  Gramma loves animals, especially cuddly ones and Lira loves to cuddle and be pet, so they make a perfect pair!  It was one of the sweetest visits I've shared with my Gramma and I wouldn't change that spur of the moment visit for anything.  She was happy.  I loved it.

 

Fall is coming!

 

 

 SPIL

+Grammas who speak their mind

+Small hometowns

+Flowers grown with love

+Huge puppy licks across your face

 

Much love.

Puppies & Elephant Ears

Today as gorgeous!  The sun was shining, the breeze was gently blowing, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.  Perfection!  I went for a walk during my lunch break, drove with my windows down and music blaring, and I immediately grabbed my camera and went outside when I came home!  Little Lir-Lir puppy and elephant ears were my lucky subjects! 

 

My dad planted some Elephant Ears a few months ago and pow, they grew and grew and continue to grow.  These things are massive and completely invading my porch!

 

Crazy, eh?  If you every plant Elephant Ears, make sure you plant them in a shady, moist area with lots of room to grow!  These are some of the largest ones I have ever seen.  Maybe it's my green thumb or the fact that we have had an insane amount of rain this summer... who knows?!

 

The little Lir Lir is my baby!  For the time being, she is the one that I take pictures of.  Today she wasn't having it.  Ugh.  It seems to be a recurring theme this week.  Regardless, I took some pictures of her and when she decided to sniff my basil, I took pictures of my garden.  The tomatoes are turning!!  Can't wait to eat them all up!

Lir Lir sniffing the basil...

 

Lir Lir Puppy!

Lir Lir Puppy!

Grape Cherry Tomatoes

Jalapenos

Grape Cherry Tomatoes

 Much love.

 

Campsite Photography Fun!

First of all, I love having friends that let me practice my photography on their kids!  Thanks Heather!  Second of all, I have tons of fun ideas for photography props, but I haven't had much time to make them and put them to good use.  For our first photography session, we went camping...in their backyard!  Luckily, their backyard is gorgeous and doesn't contain neighbors!  They are the best kind of backyards in my opinion. This is the first of hopefully many fall photography sessions with little C-man.   

Welcome to the campsite!

 I headed to Home Depot yesterday and got some 1x2 wood cut to 6 feet, along with some twine.  Then I headed to the thrift store and got some sheets to use for the tent material.  Total Home Depot bill: $10.07.  Total Thrift Store bill: $2.12. 

What's a campsite without a dog?  This is Zeek.  He's pretty cool.  I dig his eyes.  

One thing to remember when you are working with children...they are human and not always super happy and full of smiles.  Little C-man is teething and he wasn't totally into having his picture taken, so there weren't many smiles despite some wonder singing of Old McDonald and I love You a Bushel and a Peck... It's ok though.  We captured teething C-man and some different facial expressions. 

Oh my heavens, look at those eyes and that face.  He was content, but definitely not his happy self today.  Poor little guy.  He kept smacking his lips and sucking on anything that would sooth his gums.  Here he is mid lip smacking. 

Oh the drool!  That's a dead giveaway that teething is in process!!  I adore this tongue picture!

Little C-man sitting up and sucking his thumb.  Balancing was hard outside because the ground was slanted, but we helped him out with a boppy pillow under the blanket.

Sometimes a little change creates just enough distraction!  The hat did the trick for a few moments!

Being outside really helped C-man!  He is a definitely a little outdoors man and digs the fresh air!  We gave him a little space from the lens and just let him hang out. 

When you subject decides looses his balance and is completely happy on his back, let him be and work with him! 

Candid and lifestyle photography are two of my favorite photography styles.  I really enjoy capturing moments in life that people can look at, feel emotion, and relive the moment or moments like it.  It's not traditional photography, but it speaks to me.  I prefer to observe an interaction and capture it from my angle.

 

I hope you enjoyed little C-man at his crafty campsite photo shoot!  Please leave any and all feedback.  I am continually working on my photography skills.  This is the first of many sessions that I will be holding throughout the fall. 

 

Much love.

My Little Beach Lover

Living near the beach is quite a blessing when you love to be outside and have a little man who adores the ocean!  We are definitely making the most of it this summer.  While the water can still be a little chilly to swim in, it's perfect for skim boarding.  This past weekend we were taunted by a tropical storm, but we were able to get in a good two hours of fun in the sun on Sunday!  Little man loves his skim board and he is getting better with each trip to the beach!  

 

Check out those little boy muscles!  He is extremely lean and fit.  He is also hitting that age where he aware of what he looks like and wants to be "buffer."  Don't worry, he will not be lifting weights or taking protein for years and years.  He needs to grow before that happens.  It happening is inevitable for the most part, but when it happens is still in our control thank heavens!

 

 

I am totally digging the action shots!

Ok, so I went a little crazy with the editing and the photo taking, but when it's the middle of the day, hazy, and perfect picture taking weather, you have to take advantage of it.  I can guarantee you that the average beach pictures will be heavy with shadows and I hate that.  When in Rome! 

 

Side note:  I am horrible at skim boarding.  I wish I was a fearless child. 

 

Much love.

My Little Garden

There is no doubt that my parents passed on their love for gardening to me. Being out in the yard is so relaxing and gives me a sense of accomplishment.  This year I planted a few tomato plants, a jalapeno pepper plant, a bell pepper plant and some herbs.  The tomatoes are growing fast and producing a lot of fruit.  The peppers are a bit slower.  This is my first time growing bell peppers, so only time will tell if I succeeded or not.

Check out this Big Boy!    

I'm looking forward to enjoying tomatoes in the coming weeks...this plant is making me proud!

These little guys never make it inside.  I just pop cherry tomatoes in my mouth while I'm outside doing yard work.

I don't have much space to work with, but I am trying to make the most of it.  Being a renter significantly hinders the amount of yard I can dig up.  These plants are monsters though.  Jared is going to be shocked when he sees them!  I think they might be taller than he is! 

My one and only jalapeno pepper!  This plant is for Ryan. It will make some great salsa with those tomatoes!

Another angle.

Much love.

Moonstruck

My Fourth of July started the evening of July 3rd on the beach with friends, some ladder golf, rolling waves, a soft breeze and a breathtaking moon rise.  The sky always amazes me.  Whether it's a beautiful sunset that blends hues of orange, pink, purple into a magnificent mirage, puffy white clouds that make you imagination go wild, or lightening dancing across the night sky, the sky awes me.  This Tuesday evening, the moon put on a show and I enjoyed it.  Thank you, Mr. Moon!  I saw your face loud and proud smiling down on me.

It's on the rise...

I see the moon.

The Moon sees me.

God Bless the Moon.

And God Bless Me.

That is the first prayer I have memory of learning and it holds a special place in my heart.  I have vivid memories of kneeling on the wooden floor next to my bed, that was covered in white linens, with my parents by my side, looking out the window at the moon and reciting that prayer.  I love those memories.  I also love the ones that follow...mom or dad and sometimes both climbing into bed with me and my brother Tom to tell us stories.  Not stories from a book...stories from their imagination...life experiences with some flare.  The fairy stories were my favorite...and still are.  My parents captivated every ounce of my attention and imagination in those stories.  I still love a great story and a wild imagination!  Thanks Mom and Dad, you did good! 

And because I'm a girl whom is NOT afraid of bugs, look what I found on my morning walk with Lira...a Cicada!! 

It's was dead when I found it.  It now resides in my house.  I will do something creative with it...

More posts to come soon.  I am back into this blogging thing!

Much love.

Busy Has a New Meaning...

Being busy has a new meaning now that I am working.  This is me on my first day of work.  I went out on a ledge and wore my Lime Green glasses!  They are fun...and a little quirky...kinda like me!

These aren't the best photos, but I was asked to take pictures of my outfit on my first day of work and I didn't remember until I was home, so there is a lot of shadowing and I am tired as can be.

I leave the house before Jared gets on the bus and don't get home until after his homework is done. It's sad. I wish I could be a bigger part of his regular routine, but my schedule doesn't allow at the moment. You know what that means? I better make up for it on the weekend! I didn't do a great job last weekend, but this past weekend I think I did a great job! We spent Opening Day today as a family, went to church, went out to dinner and watched The Kid's Choice Awards while eating smores popcorn (Yes, it is as good as it sounds) and talking about who should win and what the "kids" think about so and so!  Let's just say I learned about a little boys thoughts!   It was precious!  He is totally in love with iCarly i.e. Miranda Cosgrove.

She's cute, that's for sure!  More kid news: All the girls "hate" Selena Gomez because she is dating Justin Bieber and "Bieber is their man."  Those are quotes directly from a 10 year old little boy's mouth.  I nearly peed my pants!  Oh and apparently this doesn't start in 4th grade.  It starts in 2nd.  God, help me and all the mothers and fathers and little girls out there. 

Aside from learning about the kid celebrity drama, we spent Sunday outside making bow and arrows, painting rocks, weeding, planting vegetables and flowers, mulching, running through sprinklers, and playing at the beach!

I love my boots.  They are my working boots and they got dirty this weekend!  Below are pictures of my gardens that I worked on.  Remember that we live in a rental so there is only so much that can be done.

There are three tomato plants and two pepper plants so far.  Herbs will be added shortly.

The beach was a blast too!  I didn't take any photos because I was juggling Lira and busy watching and partaking in skim boarding with a boogie board!  Jared got wet and was super stoked!  We both got a little bit of sun and feel and look healthy!  We ended the day with some Easter Egg Dying!  It was a blast!  Neighbors stopped by and we had a random, but super casual and sweet evening filled with laughter, wine and colorful eggs!

Happy Monday!  May the balancing of work and pleasure prevail!

Much love.