Friday, September 30, 2011

haiku friday - pumpkin latte

cinnamon nutmeg
favorite intro to autumn
so sweet hot or cold!

fashion friday - max out

maxi dresses aren't just for summer!

max out

30 day photo challenge - day 29: purchased


i caved and bought an e-reader.  i'm pretty much loving my nook!

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

30 day photo challenge - day 27: after dark


i snuck into her room just before i went to bed and took this picture.  luckily the flash didn't disturb her.  a few random facts about "after dark."  1. she tucked herself in.  she gets tucked in by one of us when we put her down but she rarely stays under the covers. we hear her moving around having little parties with her stuffed animals. 2. she only uses the binky when she sleeps.  we're planning on completely getting rid of it around 18 months (fingers crossed). 3. 10 times out 10 she will either be sitting up, standing up, or with her head pointed in the opposite direction we laid her come morning.  remember those parties i mentioned?  and last but not least, 4. she prefers lots of stuffed company.  in addition to pooh, tigger, and kitty you can see in the picture, there is also a ballerina bunny, a panda, and a ladybug pillow pet.  in the morning  she likes to give all of them morning hugs before she gets out of the crib... she's such a sweetheart!

tuesday's treasury - goodnight moon

an homage to some of Saraya's favorite stories...

Monday, September 26, 2011

Daley Ranch hike

here are some pictures i snapped when we rested on our hike.  there are none of us during the hike because i was too busy chasing a little person and convincing her to stay on the path...




30 day photo challenge - day 26: something old

this past weekend we went on a nice long hike at Daley Ranch.  they were doing construction on the ranch house (that's been there since the 20's) but i got a nice shot of the barn next to it...

Friday, September 23, 2011

fashion friday - fall transition

this outfit is perfect for autumn in san diego... i love extending my spring and summer dresses!

fall transition

30 day photo challenge - day 25: sunflare

i guess sunflares in pictures used to mean the photographer's skills were lacking.  i'm glad that now they are appreciated as artistic additions to a photo.  if you're interested in learning how to create them (without photoshop!) check out this link.  in addition to using the recommended camera settings, i got an added special touch from my 8-point star lens filter.


Thursday, September 22, 2011

fall tv lineup

it's that time of year again!  fall television premieres means overloading the dvr with tried and true favorites as well as some new shows i intend to check out.  there are so many new shows debuting this month.  here's the lineup (new shows are italicized) so far.  this will definitely change as i check out some of the new shows and determine whether or not they're worth keeping...

in no particular order:

1. the amazing race
2. gossip girl
3. 90210
4. the biggest loser
5. america's next top model
6. the x factor
7. the sing-off
8. house
9. raising hope
10. the new girl
11. charlie's angels
12. grey's anatomy
13. private practice
14. terra nova
15. ringer
16. glee
17. up all night
18. modern family
19. the office
20. project runway

man, that seems like a lot of shows.  if you ask justin, it is.  tuesday night is the only full night so he can't watch tv unless it's one of the shows that's recording.  i don't think that's too much to ask!
what new show(s) are you most looking forward to catching this season?

Monday, September 19, 2011

30 day photo challenge - day 23: sunset

ok, i intended to take an awesome beach sunset picture since i live by the beach but of course the best laid plans FAILED!  it's been ridiculously overcast for about a week so i am kind of cheating.  i took this picture on the night we left colorado.  technically it is not cheating because it was taken after the previous photo in this challenge, and before the next one will be taken.  i love making my own rules...

rocky mountain sunsets rival beach sunsets anyhow...

Thursday, September 15, 2011

new project?



i saw this tutorial for a unique infinity scarf that combines crochet yarn with fabric.  allyson decided to create this tutorial after seeing a similar scarf at urban outfitters.  i see a lot of fun possibilities with this!

triple-wrapped

30 day photo challenge hiatus

in case you didn't notice, i'm a little behind on my photo challenge.  traveling always throws me off when it comes to stuff like this!  anyhow, i promise that i'll be back to it very very soon.  with summer rapidly coming to a close, i'm finding the day disappearing before i realize it.  this is infinitely unhelpful when the next challenge topic is sunset.  nevertheless, i am determined to make it happen!

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

road trip & reunion

my apologies for the prolonged absence.  i was gone all last week on an end of summer family road trip to my alma mater, the us air force academy.  we left on the labor day holiday and returned just this past sunday. it was a fun and exciting whirlwind of an adventure and even though i feel like didn't take nearly enough photos, i still have a few to share.

on the way to colorado springs, we stopped for overnights at two national parks.  zion national park and arches national park are both in utah.  the views are amazing!  we enjoyed a few easy hikes as well as some sunsets and sunrises.  pandi wanted to blaze her own trails but we weren't quite ready for that.  maybe next time...


beautiful landscape everywhere you turn!

i love the sunbeams spraying from the clouds...


this little hiker kept trying to take off

elephants on parade


i adore this one

and this one

emerald pool hike @ zion national park

it's like a fantasy world

had to keep the little escape artist close so she wouldn't disappear down the cliff

colorado was as beautiful as i remembered.  i can't believe i graduated 10 years ago!  and it's been 8 years since i've been to colorado springs!  we had gorgeous weather the entire week.  in addition to seeing old friends and classmates, i was excited to see my sponsor family.  the barads provided me a home away from home for the 5 years i spent in colorado.  of their 5 kids, 2 are in college, 2 are in high school, and the youngest (who was born one thanksgiving day i spent watching the older kids as they took turns visiting the hospital) is a little genius in his last year of middle school.  man i feel old!
my baby anasazi @ the manitou cliff dwellings

trying to get to daddy

peekaboo!



baby-cooking oven

another oven; those anasazi must have cooked a lot of bad babies


the cadet chapel

9/11 memorial in front of the cadet chapel

standing in front of the class wall - top right: 2001 fire it up!

beautiful veggies in my sponsor family's garden

taking the tractor for a spin!

awesome blueberry blonde ale and appetizers at the grad-owned colorado mountain brewery

enjoying the game with the former yearbook adviser on her birthday!

amazing halftime show

the littlest falcon fan!

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Monday, September 5, 2011

Thursday, September 1, 2011

book review - The Help



i believe that MOST books that are adapted for movies or television are better as the book.  for this reason, i prefer reading the book prior to seeing the movie.  for some people this ruins the movie.  however, i have to agree with a friend of mine that argued that if the movie isn't good, there's no motivation to read the book.  i've seen this title on the bestsellers list for awhile now but didn't know much about it.  recently i caught a preview for the movie.  it looked really good!  so good, that i searched out the read and finished it in 2 days.  i guess i can still manage some pleasure reading now and then!  i'm hoping to watch the movie soon and give a comparison but for now i'll just talk about the book.

it made me cry.  Kathryn Stockett took an extremely sensitive issue and crafted a touching story full of believable characters.  there's a lot of controversy surrounding both the book and movie.  some people are angry that a white woman has attempted to "speak for blacks" and that the story's heroine is a "privileged white girl" while others are pleased with the depiction of black domestic workers in the south during the civil rights movement.  what i took from the story is that we are all people, just trying to figure this life out.

i cannot imagine the level of hurt, disgust and frustration these women must have felt.  but i can imagine the pride, sense of accomplishment, and relief they may have felt after telling their story.  i look around and am thankful that some of the things people believed and deemed illegal are no longer issues.  i am a woman that can vote.  i make the same amount of money as my male counterpart for doing the same job.  i am in an interracial marriage.  and the list goes on.  stories like these are testaments of how far we've come, yet they also serve as reminders of how far we still have to go...

30 day photo challenge - day 17: on the shelf


when justin was a teenager, he went to malawi, africa on a mission.  he is not an overly sentimental collector like me so i'm pretty impressed with the fact that a male teenager thought enough save these awesome animal carvings that now adorn our living room.  i love the way they look over the room from their perch...