New Favorite Couple

It was such a horribly windy day and they were such troopers! I met Ali and Faustino a couple years ago at a wedding I was shooting and we kept talking about doing portraits but it just never worked out. They were finally in our area one weekend so we decided to finally grab some portraits. Aren't they the cutest?! They've been married as long as John and I have been but together since 15... high school sweethearts! What a beautiful relationship :) I think they're my new favorite couple!

The pendulum swings

I have been quite busy lately! I keep meaning to update my little blog but life just keeps getting in the way! It's the way of things though isn't it?! Life if meandering along nicely and then BAM, you can't keep up! It's great. I love life's ebbs and flows.

Here's to enjoying the pendulum swing of life. Right now I'm loving the thrill of the downward swoop with the wind rushing through my hair. I'll try to keep up better here on this blog... promise!

Meet Ricky

2012

New Year's Resolutions

I'm actually quite at sticking with these, probably because I choose resolutions that won't be too hard to accomplish. Last year's is laughable, watch more movies, but you'll understand the purpose once I explain. We have been delving into the world of film making (John more than me, but I do find it very interesting as an art form and love taking part when I can). We have our own little production company and have made various short films as well as a 45 minute documentary. We are now in the works for a feature length documentary that we are taking to the film festivals this summer! It's a very exciting project and I just love LOVE watching John work. So we have upped our intake of films this year. Everything from shorts to blockbusters, documentaries to indie dramas. It's interesting to watch a movie now with a little knowledge on what happens behind the scenes or what they had to do to get that shot.

My other resolution was to read more books (35 in fact) and I fell short at 25 I believe. I don't feel bad about this though. I took my time through each and every book and enjoyed trying out a few new authors. Here's the 2011 reading list -

Stranger in a Strange Land - Robert A. Heinlein
Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas - John Boyne
Watership Down - Richard Adams
Villa Incognito - Tom Robbins
Jitterbug Perfume - Tom Robbins
West With the Night - Beryl Markham
Work - Louisa May Alcott
Let's Take the Long Way Home: A Memoir of Friendship - Gail Caldwell
Autobiography of Red - Anne Carson
Letters of a Woman Homesteader - Elinore Pruitt Stewart
Teaching a Stone to Talk: Expeditions and Encounters - Annie Dillard
Holy the Firm - Annie Dillard
The Spectator Bird - Wallace Stegner
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay - Michale Chabon
The Daily Coyote - Shreve Stockton
Anthem - Ayn Rand
Bad Land: An American Romance - Jonathan Raban
Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides
Voyager (Outlander #3) - Diana Gabaldon
Drums of Autumn (Outlander #4) - Diana Gabaldon
The Fiery Cross (Outlander #5) - Diana Gabaldon
A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander #6)- Diana Gabaldon
An Echo in the Bone (Outlander #7) - Diana Gabaldon

So what's in store for 2012? What is this year's resolution? I'm sticking with reading more books (keeping 35 as the ultimate goal) and watching more movies. Adding to that I have started working out more regularly. I know this is EVERYONE's resolution, but I've never been bad about getting fit if I have a goal (I'm quite a goal oriented person). Working out just to look and feel better isn't enough of a motivation for me apparently. I'm hoping that just paying for a gym membership will guilt me into going even when I don't feel like it (and so far it's worked). I'm also not doing it to lose weight. I just want to be healthier.

I would also like to do more big, hands on projects. I've started working with leather for the heck of it and discovered I really really like it. I've made a couple masks and plan on trying a few new things. So more of this to come. I also LOVE working with wood so I've been pulling apart old pallets to use for various things like a stereo cabinet, baseboards and photo transfers.

And lastly, I'd like to finish one (or two) major project on our house. We built our house ourselves and because of that it was never entirely finished. There are just a ton of little things that need finished (stereo cabinet, tile in the bathroom, baseboards etc.). There are also a few major things. Our entire deck needs re-stained, our house needs re-painted, we need to make a shade covering for our upper deck, I need to finish the brick/paver flooring for under our deck. I want to finish at least one of those this spring and another in the fall. This will probably be the hardest to accomplish because it doesn't just rely on me and it is also determined by how much cash is in the bank! I would actually settle for one of those big projects this year. Fingers crossed!

So that's it. I learned many things during 2011 and while it wasn't a bad year by any means, I'm not sorry to see it go.

Here's to 2012!!

Legos

I know the photos below are kinda cute, but believe me, those little lego bastards are evil incarnate.

Of course they're completely harmless as they keep my 8 year old son occupied for an evening and for that I am grateful. So grateful in fact that I didn't through them into a trash compactor and smash them to bits after stepping on a little pile of them in the middle of the floor set up strategically to maim... well that's if I had a trash compactor! Who has those anymore?!

If you've ever stepped on a lego (or a micro machine), I'm sure you feel my pain.

So I sucked it up and decide not to take out my anger on my sons toys and instead, took their photo. They're rather cute when they're not tormenting me.

Sky on fire

You just can't beat an Arizona sunset. I rushed home after work to capture this beautiful sky and it just kept evolving and getting more and more beautiful. It's with moments like these I remember why I live here.

Pretzel

Pretzel has made appearances on my blog or flickr account in the past, but I thought I'd properly introduce you. This little man came to us a couple years ago when he was rescued by some family members. He was found chained to a stake, in a box, in the desert. We had been looking out for a miniature dachshund (ever since we met mightiest little weenie, Tuba, who belonged to friends) but the price was always just too steep. So we waited...

And then came Pretzel.

He can be horribly insecure around new people. He was extremely frightened by men when we first got him. He shivers a LOT. Sometimes his lip gets stuck on his teeth. He's also started having seizures. In that last photo where it looks like he's winking? It's just a weird tic of his.

And, I love him! He is such an adoring little creature. He gives me hugs on a daily basis (I'll get a photo of this at some point). He loves road trips. He's the perfect lap warmer at only 8 pounds and he's so funny to chase around the house.

He fills in a little gap in my heart.

Two of my favorite people...

... in the whole world!

Cherre & Lindee, congratulations on your engagement! We love you both so so so much!

Fog

My what a beautiful morning it was. We don't get fog often so when we do it's SO magical. I love waking up to the diffused light and not being able to see past my front deck.

I feel sometimes like I need skin as tough as this tree to make it through the day. Actually, I feel like I'm like this with a lot of people, until I really get to know you and am comfortable (which can take quite awhile). Sometimes it's exhausting. Why can't we all just be a little more understanding?

Cool air

We spent the weekend in Flagstaff with our very best friends. It was a bit of an escape, a mini photo session and LOTS of food. I have photos to show for all of that and I'll post them later this week.

For now though I just like to share how much I appreciate cooler weather. I live in an area where 115 degrees in July is the average. It doesn't drop below 100 degree high until October and has even been known to creep into November. Then we have a very brief but beautiful winter (which is kinda like fall for the rest of the US), spring hits in February and abruptly ends in April by which time we are creeping back into the 100s.

I adore my house. At times, I adore where I live. My body just can't handle it any more. I know this. I've known this. In daily life though you just get through it.

Until.

Until I manage to escape for a few days in the cooler weather. I know altitude bothers some people at first (it does my husband) but it invigorates me. I know this is partially due to medical issues (thank you very much thyroid), but I've always had a love for the mountains. My insides feel better and I think this is actually reflected in how I look. Most of my favorite photos of myself are in the mountains. I don't think this is a coincidence.

Forgive the rant. I don't mean to poo pah on where I live now. I love it. But, someday we will own a little cabin in the woods that I can escape to in the summer. Hopefully someday not too far away... for my sanity's sake.

Tyler loves celebrating birthdays, pie, techy geeky stuff and of COURSE Christmas. He's big into projects and loves decking the halls of our house with every decoration possible. He actually make shifted some mistletoe with small citrus branches... that is until he found out what mistletoe was for and they mysteriously vanished from around the house.

He's getting so big. He's pretty fierce in his defense of there being a Santa. I hope he believes forever.