Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

I took this shot right next to a giant industrial complex in Crystal Lake, of all places. Marty and his brother sat in the car and laughed at me as I climbed up a hill and through some hay to get to the spot. But I couldn't resist; we had been cooped up inside all day, and when we walked outside, it was like the sky was saying hello to me :)

I'm thankful for beautiful sunsets, for my family (old and new!), and for God's gift of life to each one of us... what a precious blessing!

We're booked solid for the next three days: I'm going to be running a 5K, eating three whole Thanksgiving dinners (to make up for all the calories I burned, doncha know), and spending the rest of the time with my incredible, gigantolicious family... so you probably won't hear from me until next Monday. Until then, enjoy your pumpkin pie, and have a happy Thanksgiving!

**EDIT**
My lovely cousin (you can read her adorable blog here!) reminded me that we've also got a girls-night planned... (On my mom's side of the family, there's about fifty girl cousins, and five boys. Yep. We dominate.) Can't WAIT!! :)

Friday, November 21, 2008

Need to laugh?

You have to check this blog out: Cake Wrecks

(Imagine pictures of the worst-decorated cakes on the planet, all combined on one blog with hilarious commentary... now go there and see it for yourself.)

One of my personal favorites? The "congratulations three times" cake.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Three Little Kitties

Quick story: about a month ago, my inlaws discovered a cat, huddled inside their backyard shed. Even though the family dogs went right up to the cat, it didn't move. My mother-in-law's first thought? Kittens. And she was right. The mommy cat was guarding four little kittens, only a day or two old.

They left the cat alone, but when they went back for another look the next night, the mom and one of the kittens were gone. Three little kitties were tucked inside an old box, trying to keep warm on a chilly October night. They had been abandoned, and would probably die, unless someone intervened.

Enter my mother-in-law.

Understand, she's not a cat person. Never was, never will be. But she adores animals in general, and couldn't stand to let three little babies die. Animal shelters won't take kittens until they're 6 weeks old; they don't have the time to spend on each individual animal. So my mother-in-law bought some formula and started hand-feeding the little things from a medicine-dropper. She did this, every four hours, for several weeks, even though they weren't sure whether or not the kittens would survive. That, in my opinion, is compassion in its truest form.

The kitties are about 4 weeks old by now. They're getting bigger by the day, and we've found homes for all three of them (one is going to my dear friend, Hilary!). They are absolutely the cutest things, and I told them that I'd take them all in, if they promised not to get any bigger. They didn't promise, so I'm not taking them. And besides, Marty hates cats. Literally. Hates them. (Cats feel the same way about Marty, which might have something to do with it.)

Here are a few pictures of the little dears:




Um, yes, that would be Marty's hand, holding the little girl. He's still a softie at heart ;)


See the two snuggling in the background?!

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Peace.

I apologize for the lack of activity on my bloggity-blog. (The last set of pictures I took were at a volleyball match... and they didn't seem very blogabble...)

I've actually been a bit distracted by a certain book, Leif Enger's Peace Like a River. It's an amazing, incredible piece of literature (and I'm only 75 pages in!). Here's how good it is: the story itself is pretty depressing (and if you know me at all, you know that I avoid anything dark/scary/depressing like it's the bubonic plague), but the prose is so, so beautiful that it doesn't matter where the story's going. I just don't want it to end. I'm savoring it in small, fifteen-minute reading-bursts. It's really, really that great.

On another note... want to check out some sweet photography (and get your inner travel-bug stirred up)? Check out Bobby Earle's blog. He's a photographer based out in California, but he and his wife are currently on a trip to Thailand, where they'll be shooting a wedding. Reading his blog always makes me check to see how much flights to Europe are going for these days. (Honestly, forget the house downpayment, steady job, suburban life. I'm off to Paris. Seriously.)

Friday, November 14, 2008

Not winter yet...


"Autumn, the year's last, loveliest smile." ~William Cullen Bryant

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Ali and Edward : spontaneous

A few weeks ago, we were on a walk, and I was thinking (out loud) about how I needed a few kids to be models for me, so that I could practice some different things with my camera. Immediately, two little hands shot in the air: "Me! Me! Me!" Ali's a natural in front of the camera, and Edward's only condition was that he got to keep his hat on. Humph.





I told them to play around. Here's what happened...






Haha!!


Tuesday, November 11, 2008

It's back...



It's a little early... but friends, the holidays are here :)

Friday, November 7, 2008

Share the Love #9

Right now, I'm in the beginning stages of a photography project that Marty and I are trying to put together. The concept is exciting, but the logistics are tough, especially for yours truly (a natural introvert)...

So when I ran across this video, I got really excited! Videography and photography are obviously really similiar (like first cousins or something); I once heard a photographer say that he watched old films in order to get photographic inspiration, and it was like a lightbulb went on in my head! Camera angles are (obviously) the same, whether you're dealing with a rolling scene or a still frame, and photographers can learn a ton from videographers. Plus, with the development of camera bodies like the 5D Mark II (which shoots HD video), the line between photography and videography is becoming even more blurred...

Anyways! This video is pretty sweet, from the viewpoint of both artist and music-lover (this song is one of my faves, and Hillsong's Brooke Fraser is incredible), so I thought I'd share : ) Enjoy!

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Caramel Apples!



The ingredients:


(They worked so hard on this next one, I had to post it...)


The result:




Here's the recipe we used:
Melt one 14-oz. bag of carmels together with 2 tbs. milk in a saucepan. Drizzle over 6 apples... stick on candy that's destined to give you cavities... eat as fast as possible.

:)

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Hope!

Sarah Barlow is an incredible, talent-oozing-out-her-ears photographer with an amazing passion for LIFE, and she's posted a great response to the election results over at her blog. I definitely recommend checking it out!

**click here to see it**

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Fun

I'm a little behind on my editing, due to the combo of a nasty cold and a busy schedule... But here's a taste of what our weekend was like:


More on the way soon :)