glad to be home

I wanted a good book for my flights. I found this one, and I recommend it to any of you single mothers out there. 

The evening we arrived in Baltimore, we decided to walk to a nearby Irish pub for dinner. I believe it was called "Oshea's" or something along those lines. I had crab soup and a salad. The soup was AMAZING! I really liked the atmosphere of this place. It was full of people, there was live music (a boy and his guitar). We had fun over dinner. I kept trying to get a cool picture of Brie. Our waiter (attractive Irish man, probably twenty something) smiled at me and said, "So, what are you doing with the crazy big camera?" We laughed. I should have said, "Do you even know who this is?" in a- I am having dinner with a celebrity kind of way. It made me think, how often are people wondering what the heck I am doing with my big crazy camera...

Above is one of my favorites that I snapped of Brie. Isn't she beautiful? I love her red hair and freckles. I really like freckles. Brie is hip. That's all there is to it.

Here are Amy and Brie on our walk back to our downtown hotel. Which, by the way, was awesome! We had a corner deluxe room with lots of windows, on the 20th floor. (Thanks to Miss Amy) The view was incredible. I love cities. Our second day, we drove to Washington D.C. where we toured the white house, visited the Holocaust Museum, the Lincoln Memorial, the Korean War memorial, and several other places. I felt so connected to my country. The paintings in the White House were amazing. There is just such a strong sense of history. And I really believe that everyone should visit the Holocaust Museum. It changed the way I see the world. 

Above, Amy and I at Lincoln Memorial. The inscription by President Lincoln was breathtaking. As I read it, I couldn't help but tear up. I wondered how anyone ever persecuted whole groups of people, based on the pigment of their skin. Then I thought about our President. I am so optimistic about the future of this country. We have evolved.

I like this picture of Amy. (Notice the pretty blue bench) Amy is one of the all time funniest people I know. Her and Brie had my laughing so hard my cheeks hurt! Amy makes everything more fun, and I love that about her. 

The next day, we headed to Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania countryside was rolling and vast. The air was crisp and cool. The houses were quaint and the barns were works of art. I saw several antique shops I would have loved to stop at. We made our way to Gettysburg. We opted for the auto tour. It was very educational. Seeing all the memorials was very moving.

Then we headed to this Cheese farm. We were so excited about the cheese farm!!

We were greeted by the two horses in that perfect sized barn. I want a barn just like that. Amy and I had to introduce ourselves.

The boy on the far right gave us our cheese lesson. It was really neat to learn about actually. They have their own dairy cows, they use their milk and make their own cheese. Their cheese is completely organic and preservative free. The best part was sampling the cheeses! We all three brought some home with us. This young man knew his stuff too! I highly highly highly recommend their cheese! 

(pictures from the September Farms website)

Thank you Lord, for getaways and family and books and great friends... for history and peace, for safe travels and adventures, for airplanes and horses and cheese.

My favorite part of every trip is coming home. I love coming home. I missed my girlies so badly. And I have a story about coming home that I can't wait to share!!!

spring babies, spring breaks

It is official. My neighbor is mowing his lawn. For me, dandelions, tulips, and the sound of lawn mowers mean spring is here. And we all know what spring brings....

babies.

I thought I would share one of my favorite photos of a recent maternity shoot. The mommy is my good friend from high school, Alicia. She and her husband Jeff are getting married in November, and I will be shooting her wedding as well! Inside there, is baby Marley. She will be born this spring. Let me know what you think!

I think she is just beautiful. I can't wait to meet Marley and take her newborn baby pictures!

Tonight, my good friend Bri (and the only person I trust to color/cut my crazy long hair) and I are headed to Kansas City. We are going to our friend Amy's house for a night, and then tomorrow morning we will be flying out of KC to Baltimore! I have been looking forward to this trip for some time. It is a much needed girls getaway! We picked Baltimore because tickets were cheap and none of us had been there. Bri and I go to church together, her husband is a youth/college pastor. I think a lot of both of these girls, they are women after God's heart. I will be sure and take lots of pictures! I am hoping to make my way to some antique stores and vintage boutiques...hmmm...do they have an anthropologie in Baltimore? 

I hope you have a lovely day.

farmchicks!

I absolutely love this book! It has several recipes I can't wait to try. And besides, I love these ladies. You can learn more about them here. The book is full of ideas and recipes and great stories of their junking adventures and friends along the way. Just melts my country heart...

Their blog is one of my favorites:  http://thefarmchicks.typepad.com

I'm thinking I will try one of their pie recipes soon.

 

My Girls

I took some fun pictures of my girlies, and thought I would introduce you. Meet Charlotte (we call her Charlie) :

She loves to eat. She has the most beautiful blue eyes and strawberry blond hair. She loves to read books and has an incredible attention span for her age- but only if you are reading her a story. She especially loves But Not the Hippopotamus by Sandra Boynton. She is ornery and strong willed. She loves dancing to music by wiggling her little torso and flailing her arms every which way. It is hilarious! She really likes to make people laugh. She only snuggles when she is sleepy or sick, the rest of the time she is way to busy to stop long enough for that! She has the best little chunkies and the four cutest little teeth. She can walk everywhere, but only if she is holding on to someone or something. The moment you let go, she drops to crawl. Normally, she is bouncing and going and laughs when most babies would be frightened. She is a dare devil, except when it comes to walking. I say, she will when she's ready. 

This is my Brooklyn:

Brooklyn is five and fancy. She is very whimsical, and this girl comes up with the best outfits! (She often helps me pick mine.) She loves dresses and shoes. She can write her own name, and many other letters. She loves to be silly, and is perfectly comfortable being the center of attention. Lately, her comedy of choice revolves around...um...farts. She loves the country and animals. She is the absolute best big sister, always helpful and sharing. When she grows up, she wants to be an animal doctor that does make-up. She has the sweetest personality, and is very soft hearted. I especially love her big brown eyes and curly hair. Brooklyn is an artist. She loves painting and being creative. She started painting when she was two, and has always been particular about the process. She is looking forward to kindergarten in the fall. I, however, am secretly sad. When she colors pictures, she never uses realistic colors. I love this about her. (I always colored things as accurately as possible...boring!) She loves loves loves to dance. The girl has got moves! She is amazing in every way.

Of all that I am or could ever hope to be, I most proud of being a mother to my sweet baby girls.