BlogBirthDay Giveaway...

So sorry I'm late in announcing the winner. I went to random.org and they chose comment #2. That's my friend Jenna! Whoo hoo for her. I think she especially deserves them since she's having TWINS tomorrow!

Easter

We had a great Easter! I had a lot of time this weekend to reflect on my Savior, and how grateful I am for all that He has done for me. The weekend started off with taking a tour of the newly renovated Atlanta Temple with some friends.

It is SO beautiful! Even though it has not been dedicated yet, the spirit was there. I cannot wait to get back to the temple that Morgan and I were sealed in. Man, so excited!

After a quick stop by Stake n' Shake (a must do!) We headed up to my parent's house to enjoy some fun Easter festivities.

Andrew had gotten this balloon the night before - and would.not.let.it.go. Cute though.

We were joined by Mikayla and Gavin. It's always fun to have all the kids around.

Later the evening my sister, Rachel shared a great little lesson about Easter - it was geared towards the kids - but I'm pretty sure everyone there enjoyed it.

The next day we headed to church, Great day! Andrew had a lot of comments on his cute little outfit. He seemed to be proud of it too. :-)

I hope that all of you had a great Easter! What a wonderful time of year to be reminded of what our Savior has done for us. Words cannot express my feelings for Him.

8 - Light

Again, this photo was taken in Savannah, GA. I LOVE Spanish Moss!

f/4.5, ISO 200, 1/200 sec., 29mm

7 - Shadows

I think by the end of this post - you'll be tired of hearing about how much I enjoyed Savannah. (I'm SO glad I went... it only took me 25 years of being a Georgia girl to get there!)

It seemed like every place I looked in the historical part of town - there was something interesting to take a picture of. I loved seeing bricks throughout all of town with the maker's stamp on them, it gave them such nice texture. I loved even more so the fact that all of them were rippled due to the tree roots beneath them.

Above these bricks were some great big Water Oaks with Spanish Moss on them, offering great shade on a sunny day. I just love the leaf on the right side of the picture with the dark shadow beneath it. Love!


P.S. Stats for the picture... f/5.6, ISO 200, 1/400 sec., 51mm

6 - Loud

Andrew was FABULOUS in Savannah. Towards the end of the day, his patience was wearing. (I guess 2 year old's don't love architecture and history as much as adults do...) So, in efforts to cheer him up, Morgan would throw him into the air and then catch him. Every time we did this - Andrew would erupt in loud giggles, big smiles, and his sweet ol' self would come right back. So, for this assignment... here's my LOUD happy giggling little boy.

f/3.5, ISO 200, 1/400 sec, 23mm

5 - Quiet

This weekend we headed to Savannah. What a GREAT place! I took a ton of pictures, and was so excited to see some really neat historical places. We took a great walking tour of the town - there is so much to see. I can't wait to go back.

There are squares all throughout the city - rich mature Live Oak trees with Spanish Moss - and fountains in most of them. They all had a nice quiet feel to them. So, here's my "quiet" picture - a fountain in Lafayette Square.

f/5.8, ISO 200, 1/50 sec., 5mm

Happy BirthBlogDay!

Three Years! It's been 3 years since I posted my first post.

So, I'm in a giving mood - I'm going to do a giveaway. (Hooray!)

So - head on over to my Etsy Shop, Elmwood Avenue..... pick out ANY item of your choosing - come back over here and leave a comment with the item you'd like (also - include your name and email!) - and I'll choose the winner by a hat drawing on Saturday of next week!

Hooray! Happy Birthday Blog!

4 - Out

Give a boy a gummy bear and get a smile. 

f/5, ISO 200, 18mm, 1/200 sec. 

3 - In

 

f/5.0, ISO 400,  42mm, 1/25 sec.

So, today's photo had to be taken in doors. I had great ideas of making a fresh loaf of bread.... but, yeah... that didn't happen. This afternoon while I was up in Andrew's room I got a great idea. I opened the blinds on his big window and got ready to take some shots. I love how this photo turned out. Banana's the Bear is a definite member of our family. He's Andrew's little pal, and always will be. I like how Andrew almost seems to be on Banana's mind in this photo. :-)

#2 - New

Today's assignment was to take something new. I immediately knew what I wanted to capture. Spring time is in full force here in Athens - and I've been LOVING all the dogwood trees and azalea bushes. Talk about color! My most favorite sign of spring is the Pink Dogwood Tree. I just LOVE the color it produces.

Here's my shot for the class....

 

 f/6.3, ISO 200, 55mm, 1/320 sec.

... I just love how this blossom isn't in full bloom yet. I love the lighting, and I love the bokeh effect that was captured in the trees and branches in the background.

  

f/6.3, ISO 200, 51mm, 1/200 sec.

This is another shot of the same tree (just in case you've never seen a dogwood) I really like how the flower that is closest to the lens wasn't the one I was focusing on. Just a new perspective.

Thanks for looking! I'm really enjoying my new hobby! Next assignment should be up in the next couple days... 

p.s. Make sure to head over to my sister's blog. She's taking the class with me. She has some GREAT shots!

#1 Old.

Today's assignment was to take a picture of something old. Well, since Athens has a great downtown with lots of old character I packed up Andrew and took off to downtown.

I really like how the bricks in this photo look. I'm a sucker for aged bricks. Anyways, enjoy!

P.S. For those of you in Athens - this was taken in the alley next to The Grit.

Opposties: A Free Photography Class

So, it's apparent that I'm loving my new camera. I have yet to use the Automatic mode (go me!) BUT I'm still using certain settings as a crutch. I'm learning bit by bit, but still have a LOOONG way to go. So, naturally when I saw this free class from a blogger I enjoy - I instantly signed up. Over the next 30 days I'll be posting pictures that I have taken for the class. I hope you enjoy!!

A Young Picasso

It seems that we have a Picasso in the house. I've taught Andrew the traditional placement of body parts, but Morgan likes to mix it up with Andrew. Andrew just giggles when he purposefully puts the parts in the wrong spot.