Leaving on a Jet Plane

We recently had the opportunity to travel to India with a group of friends. Following is an abbreviated journal from our time there:

July 8, 2014

We left Seattle on Tuesday evening on a plane bound for London. One of our group members still hadn't received his visa when we left, but we were still hopeful he would join us soon.

 

It was a long night.

Afternoon at the Park

I was blessed to keep Canaan again last Saturday and Molly & Andrea joined us for a fun afternoon at the park. We swang, rode the marry-go-round, and climbed the jungle gym equipment. It was a beautiful afternoon!

Little Miss Independent didn't want to sit in Molly's lap!

Look at those cute little tippy-toes!

I love that girl!

Rattlesnake Ridge Hike

We had a relaxing Sunday afternoon with friends. We spent the sunny afternoon hiking Rattlesnake Ridge and then tried out the inflatable boat for the first time on Rattlesnake Lake. It was such an enjoyable day!

The view eastward from Rattlesnake Ridge

The hike was actually more of a walk & chat than a strong physical exertion; Erin and I took our time and mosied on up.There were actually a lot of people when we got to the top, including these two sweet lovebirds. I'm thinking they had no idea I captured them!

We then enjoyed the remainder of the afternoon cooling off in the lake before splurging on brick-fire pizza.

 

Another beautiful day in the great Northwest!

I'm linking up to Sweet Shot Tuesday.

Bellevue Festival of the Arts

Last Sunday afternoon was a fun one with Molly & Andrea at the Bellevue Festival of the Arts. I was busy admiring so many artist's work that I didn't take as many pictures as I would have liked. There were metal-workers, glass makers, seamstresses, woodworkers, some amazing photographers, and many other artists.

It was such a fun day!

Celebrating 13 years

Mountain Man & I recently celebrated 13 wonderful years of marriage! I'm so blessed to be married to my best friend and can't imagine life without him!

Because we wanted a mini vacation, we decided to take a little road trip to Coeur d'Alene Idaho. We have been wanting to revisit that cute little town since driving through during our move to Washington five years ago. We had a fabulous time hiking, swimming, laying out in the sun, walking the beach, and getting massages!

{Click on photos to enlarge.}

View from the Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park (road trip stop)

A beautiful sunset from the Highlands Day Spa

We're looking forward to many more years together!

Metering & Focal Points

Thanks to Willette, I've finally figured out how to change my focal points on my camera and correctly meter my photos. I played with my 50mm too, and I really like its crispness! Bex is always a willing participant of my photography practice, when enticed by a stick! Love this photo of my happy boy!

{It's not too late to sign up for Willette's free Joy of Love class. Read the deets here.}

Happy shooting (your camera, that is)!

Multitudes on Monday (& Tuesday)

This week has been so stressful for me with school deadlines. I had an report to revise and a new report to write for Managerial Economics and a Business Management midterm exam to study for Monday. I had to pull an all-nighter on Sunday to get everything done, but I did it. However, in the midst of my stress, I rarely gave thanks and I completely forgot to post my Multitudes on Monday. I hope that being thankful will soon become a regular part of who I am. So today, I'm taking time to smell the roses and share the blessings He's given me this last week.

Taking time to smell the roses

{18} my Canon Rebel
{19} warm showers
{20} hot tub time with hubby
{21} water, clean and prolific
{22} effecient firewood stove
{23} stacked firewood
{24} snapshots of those I love
{25} life in death
{26} creative outlets
{27} the transforming power of spray paint
{28} melodic song birds
{29} sleep, restful sleep
{30} books

{31} phone calls from Dad